Market News for this Saturday, May 24

Farmers and vendors stocked up and ready to go? Check. New Market Manager on board? Check. Business, Artist, and Musician of the Week lined up? Check. Good weather predicted? Check. Popcorn cart warming up? Check and mate. Sounds like the Lansdowne Farmers Market is as ready as we’re going to be to kick off the 2008 Market season! (Popcorn cart?? Yes, popcorn cart. See below.)

Helpful as we try to be, we’ve put together a to-do list for your Market day:

• Bring those plastic grocery bags and reusable shopping bags you already have with you, so you don’t end up with even more nasty plastic. We’re working on reusable Lansdowne FM bags, but we’re not quite there yet.
  
  
• Welcome our new Market Manager, man-about-town Rick Grocott, who you’re likely to recognize from his plumbing and heating business, the Grey Dog Fireplace store, or mornings at the Regency. Rick will be making sure things run smoothly, answering your questions and taking suggestions, and selling gift certificates and chances on our Growing Gift Basket raffle (details next week), among other things. Make his day by signing up to help set up or tear down a future Market.
  
  
• Stock up on soap and fizzing bath cakes from our newest vendor, The Ideal Hand Laundry, an Artist of the Week favorite from last year. Every week proprietors Heather and David Prince will be selling a wonderful variety of bar soaps, handmade in what they assure us are painfully small batches. In addition to their great products like Grand Castile Kitchen Classic Soap and Gentleman’s Refresher, they’ll be selling dry pints of mixed soaps for the family as well as gift packages.
  
  
• Oooo and aaaah over Farm Fresh Express’ expanded offerings and new location a bit farther east. Pam and Maryann of FFE jumped at the chance to bring more meat and dairy items to the Market, and that just makes the shopping easier for us.
  
  
• Stop by Fruitwood Farms’ big booth right off Lansdowne Avenue for produce that Mike and company picked that morning, including asparagus and strawberries. Ah, asparagus and strawberries -- that’s what we’ve been daydreaming about. Based on last year, we know they’ll be beyond delicious. In a fit of enthusiastic anticipation, we even Googled the phrase “asparagus and strawberries” and found a recipe from Rutgers for Asparagus and Strawberry Salad, which, quite frankly, sounded nasty. Our advice would be to buy lots of both on Saturday, but don’t go haywire and try to make them into a single dish. That’s just crazy.
  
  
• Pick up some posies and bedding plants from Bonnie, and say hi to Rosemary. Bonnie likes to bring just a few of a large variety of plants, so get to the Market early for the best selection. (The pale green hydrangeas we got at the Market last year and that are our neighbors’ envy are leafing out now, and we can’t wait to see them in full bloom!)
  
  
• Get coffee, scones, and a loaf of Metropolitan Bakery bread from Regency’s booth. It almost -- almost -- goes without saying.
  
  
• Check out Schober’s spring offerings, which they’ll be bringing until their produce reaches maturity in July. Their cache will include evergreen and flowering shrubs; apple, cherry, and oak wood for great-smelling fires on cool evenings in outdoor fireplaces or pizza ovens; wooden crafts for the garden, such as planters and birdhouses (Father’s Day is just around the corner!); and those fruit butters and apple and peach ciders that we consumed with abandon last year. Be sure to let them know you appreciate their making the long trip from New Jersey by not leaving their tent empty-handed.
  
  
• Enjoy popcorn courtesy of Lansdowne Sofa Cinema, which will be kicking off its programming June 14 with Cry of the Snow Lion, an acclaimed documentary about the people of Tibet, in an event hosted by Tsering Wangdi, the president of the Philadelphia Tibetan Association. Lansdowne Sofa Cinema will be staffing a popcorn cart and giving out information about this and other upcoming films every other week at the Farmers Market.
  
  
• Stop by the kidcentric tent sponsored by Epiphany House. Big fun for little folks.
  
  
• Let Animal Friends of Lansdowne know you care about critters by heading to their Special Event booth and picking up some literature and AFL merchandise, making a donation, and maybe even adopting a kitten. They’re full of great stories about rescues and adoptions. You can become one of them!
  
  
• Finally, have a great time and stay tuned for more new vendors and Market events, coming soon!
  
  

  The Lansdowne Farmers Market takes place every Saturday from 9:00 am to 1:00 pm in the parking lot next to 28 North Lansdowne Avenue, rain or shine.
  

Featured This Week

Business of the Week: Does anyone in Lansdowne remember when Claire McShane of Mom Mom’s Cookies wasn’t baking her perfect and perfectly delicious confections? Claire not only mixes, cuts, and bakes the things, she paints them so nicely that it’s a challenge to bring yourself to ruin one by eating it. If you’re seeing friends this long weekend, wow them with a dozen or so of Mom Mom’s Cookies, or place your order for graduation cookies now (in school colors, naturally), before she’s fully booked.

Artist of the Week: We’re lucky to be having a local showing by Lansdowne-based Studio 47 West, whose jewelry is sold at the Winterthur Gift Shop and in New York boutiques. The three designers specialize in pieces that make a statement, and they’ll be on hand to help you pick out a piece that both complements your features and suits your style.

Musician of the Week: David Falcone, psychology professor cum guitarist cum singer, will be entertaining the crowd with acoustic stylings of his own compositions. And perhaps a lecture on Carl Jung. Guess we’ll see. (Music typically starts around 10:30.)

Read more about select Businesses, Artists, and Musicians of the Week. plus whatever else strikes our FM fancy, at the LFM blog.

Check out what’s coming in the weeks ahead, music- and art-wise, by visiting our continually updated on-line schedule.

Upcoming Local Events