Fresh Picks - The Lansdowne Farmers Market Newsletter

Market News for This Saturday, July 19

As if watermelons, sweet corn, and tomatoes aren’t enough of a Market draw, this week we have a new vendor starting, John Wilson’s MiniCakes. John’s been cooking professionally for about 10 years and has even won a Best of Philadelphia award, for gourmet food to go in Delco. He’ll be selling cookie bars, pot de crèmes (not your grandma’s custard!), a variety of mini corn cakes, and his Red Wine Chili, which has won two local cookoffs. We’ll never go home hungry again!

A funny thing happened last week: Someone dropped a ginger ale at Farm Fresh Express and the smell was so enticing that soda sales shot up for the next few minutes. Made and bottled in a converted brewery in Bucks County, Steaz sodas are all natural and certified organic, plus they contain antioxidants. They’re sweetened with organic cane juice, not high fructose corn syrup, and come in eight flavors -- all for a measly $1.50. (We can attest that the ginger ale at least smells delish!)

Because of a pending delivery (of the baby variety), The Ideal Hand Laundry will close up shop at the end of July, probably for the rest of the season. That gives us only two weeks to stock up on oils, fizzies, and soaps. Be polite, don’t shove. Also, Dean Green and his not-so-big stand will not be returning to the Market, but we’re on the hunt for another meat purveyor. Don’t forget that Farm Fresh Express always has ground beef, hotdogs, steaks, chicken, etc. They’re subtle about it, so look for the sign not the product.

This was supposed to be a Teens4Good week, but they’ve had to cancel for reasons completely unrelated to the great day they had last time they came. Look for them next month on August 16. Guatemalan Cotton, purveyor of bright and pretty fair trade goods, will fill in.

Public Service Notices

Tomatoes arrived last week and just in time. If the vendors had to field one more “When will the tomatoes be here?” question, things could have gotten ugly. But now they're here and they’re perfectly safe to eat. No Jersey or PA tomatoes have been involved in the recent salmonella scare, so you can commence slicing and wedging without worries. Knowing our tomatoes are safe is just one more reason to be glad we live where we do.

Please to note and take advantage of the portable recycling thingies that the Borough has supplied for Market use. There are two – one near each trash can – and they’re identifiable by their blue lids. The container itself is just a clear plastic bag, so please dump the rest of your coffee or drink somewhere off the main drag before you discard your cup. We like to keep our recyclables presentable.

A voter registration group will be at the Market this Saturday to, well, register voters. You may think you’re already registered, but if you’ve moved or changed your name or political party, you need to do it again. You have to apply 30 days before the election too (so many rules!), so don’t dawdle around and miss your chance. Look for the smiling young people.

Art Event Friday Night

Enjoy a little culture and some wine and cheese Friday evening at The Art Gallery @ Noel Schmidt's as artist Irma Shapiro discusses the who, what, when, and where of painting. One lucky attendee will win a raffled Shapiro painting. Friday, July 18, 7:00 pm, 32 E. Baltimore Avenue, Lansdowne; 610-623-0105.

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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.