if you knew that the Lansdowne Farmers Market is 11 years old this season! Raise both if you’ve been here for the full count. Now clap those hands together for all the LFM volunteers who make it happen year after year and week after week…and maybe mosey over to the Manager’s tent to say thank you in person.
And I gotta say that this year is shaping up to be the best yet! The Market itself has been slightly reconfigured to include the Lansdowne Landing, our open invitation to play, sit, linger. But before you get too comfy, take a stroll to check out this season’s amazing vendor lineup: what’s hot, what’s new and what’s waay cool! Think you’ve got your go-to vendor stops all planned out?…Bread, check; veggies, check; cheese, check; wine, yes, please! Maybe a pie from My House Cookies, or one of John Wilson’s curiously delish soups or mini-treats. Check and check! But why stop there? The LFM crew never stops scouring the planet (well, the region) to bring you more. We don’t have a fortune teller…as least not yet…but I’m predicting an upgrade to your must-have list.
Like what, you ask?
- How about Pure Truth Culinary Services for a fully prepared and packaged meal with an Asian twist? Ready to microwave or freeze, and the perfect answer to the what’s for dinner? conundrum.
- Or Eight Oaks Distillery…Man, the things they can do with an apple! Bring your LCB card.
- Or, Holy Alice in Wonderland! Mushrooms! KSSsales sells the fabulous fungi in sizes and colors that will (legally) blow your mind! Turns out, mushrooms are good for us, from the familiar Portobello to the exotic PomPom which, vegivores take note, I’m told makes a mean mock crab cake!
These are just some of our must-see 2nd & 4th week vendors. Make a note now for the June 24th market and explore them all. As always, you can find out more about all of our vendors, their offerings and their schedules by clicking here, or visiting the links posted elsewhere in this newsletter. Check out whose on deck next week (1st and 3rd rotation). Best to come well-prepared!
Back to your shopping list: It’s not quite half past June, so according to the calendar it’s only late Spring; and that means there’s still time to bring home those cool weather crops like tender lettuce, asparagus, snap peas, rhubarb and such, and sweet cherries and strawberries to eat out of hand. Get ‘em before they disappear. And to know what to expect when, once again here’s the link to PA’s growing seasons. BTW: Green Zebra is moving the needle on tomato season, already showing off heaps of red and yellow beauties…I’m thinkin’ caprese salad with some buffalo mozzarella, first-press EVOO and my backyard basil.
A housekeeping note: If you’re tired of playing parking space bingo, consider using the municipal lot located on Highland Ave., behind Dunkin’ Donuts, which offers pedestrian access to the Avenue. The savings to your tank and temper are worth the price of a quarter.
Because we care: Whether you visit non-profit Community Cup Coffee for a cuppa joe or to buy one of the fair-trade grinds to take home, remember that proceeds benefit the disabled in our area.
And every cent dropped into the jar at the manager’s tent will help restock the shelves of the Interfaith Community Cupboard that operates out of Lansdowne Presbyterian. Because no one should be hungry.
-Terry Baraldi, Lovin’ it in Lansdowne