Fresh Picks - The Lansdowne Farmers Market Newsletter

Market News for This Saturday, June 5

Opening Up, Really Up
People, you were something to see last Saturday. Three years of practice must have made perfect because you have this Lansdowne Farmers Market thing down now -- flooding the parking lot, shopping, smiling, chatting up the vendors, stopping by the Manager tent, trying new things, enjoying the music. It was obvious that you were more than ready to resume this Saturday ritual. There's nothing better than feeling appreciated, and for that the Market thanks you. Hope you feel appreciated right back. *Group hug.*

And, people, we need to speak with you about your cider addiction. We asked you here last week to share what you missed most about the LFM, and of the 30-some responses that came in, a surprising number mentioned cider. Agreed, that stuff is mighty tasty, but with so many of you jonesing for it, one has to wonder what's in it besides peaches and apples. Hmmm, perhaps it's Shobers and Fruitwood that we should be speaking with. . . . MiniTreats' mushroom soup was another sorely missed favorite (we saw a breakfast bowl being consumed at 9:15 last week), as was the general availability of local fruits and veggies. Good answers all. And, bless your hearts, what many of you said you missed the most was the community, the people, the coming together, the atmosphere -- "everything." Again, back atcha.

One of the many exciting things that happened last week was that the Delaware County Daily Times sent reporters and photographers and a film crew (this may have been all the same person; we're not sure) to cover opening day. The happy article and video that resulted can be seen here. By the way, the woman early in that video who had never been to the Market before was a representative of PASA and she brought that way-cool Buy Fresh, Buy Local car that was in the lot for a while, for which we thank her. Thanks also to Mayor Jayne Young for proclaiming the Market officially open (no matter the weather). Regular photographer John Green was away last week, but in his absence a couple of photographers stepped up to fill the void. Enjoy this set of images by Marcus DiSciullo and a second motley assortment of photos to get a feel for the day. One last note of special gratitude goes out to all the musical guests -- Bob Beach, David Falcone, and Blue Moose and the Unbuttoned Zippers; they made the Market feel more like a party than a shopping excursion. It was a grand day out.

Bad News and Good News
The good news about the bad news is that it's already over. As swell as last week was, it wasn't hitchless. Flint Hill Farms didn't show up. Again. For the second year in a row they missed the first Market. We love their butter, we love their goat cheese, we love good-natured Rebecca; we just want them to actually come to town when scheduled to. Keep your fingers crossed for next week.

Now, the real good news: Definitely returning this week, as scheduled, is Bone Appetite Barkery, that bastion of fancy-schmancy treats made just for dogs (okay, some are for cats too) without sugar or salt or preservatives or any of that stuff you probably shouldn't be feeding your dear little friends anyway. In case you've never seen these before, Mary Lou makes her treats in the shapes of iced cookies and cupcakes and all manner of twists and twirls, and they are a sight to behold. A bag of her goodies is a great gift if you are visiting friends with pets over the weekend. They'll be wowed. Bone Appetite will be at the Market every other week, as shown on our online vendor schedule.

Earth to Lansdowne
This weekend is Earth Saturday, the Market's little homage to parks and plants and recycling and living a greener life. In addition to our second perennial exchange (details below), we'll have an extra row of tents set up to house our special guests, including members of Lansdowne's Parks and Rec Board to promote our open public spaces; the borough's environmental committee chair Barbara Silzle; honored 'Downe Town gardener Helen Marcarelli to talk about composting at home; a rep from the Community Action Agency of Delaware County with information about a local home weatherization program; energy expert Harold Finigan to enlighten us about ultralow energy programs and the "passivehaus" design standard (and any other energy topic you'd like to talk with him about); and rain barrel maker Ken Zwolak, who doesn't want the water that comes to you free to go down the drain. Even this week's artist, Sycamore Woodworking, is in keeping with our earthy theme. They'll be bringing birdhouses, bat house, bird feeders, and artwork all made from salvaged and recycled material. To top it off, the musical guest is Cowmuddy, a friend to farmers markets whose compound name is about as "dirty" as it gets. Finally, we will take your dead batteries; just bring them to the Manager tent. Readers, we have outdone ourselves with the earth stuff.

So you're going to dig up sumthin' to bring to our perennial exchange, aren't you? Your contributions can be officially "past" for the season (such as spring bloomers), just so long as they're alive. Put them in pots you don't want back, along with some soil of course, and label them to the best of your ability (name, height, sun or shade, etc), then bring them to the exchange area preferably between 9:00 and 10:00 am. You'll be given a ticket to redeem once the trading starts at 10:00. It'll be a simple one-for-one deal. If any plants remain at 12:30, they'll be sold for $1 each, and the rest will be donated to Parks and Rec. We could probably use a volunteer or two to help with this, so if you can spare a couple of hours on Saturday, especially if you have a clue about growing things, please let us know. (And again this year, even if you get some great plants in the exchange, pick up something at Bonnie's Wondergardens too, since it was her generous idea to do this freebie trading.)

Re-T-Shirts
Although they're being rolled out as an official part of Earth Saturday, the first-ever (first-ever!!) Lansdowne Farmers Market T-shirts deserve their own heading, their own section. (Possibly their own Facebook page. Somebody get on that.) They're that special. And here's why: They're recycled. Okay, if you read that Delco Times article the whole way through, you knew that already, but did you know this? They're not just custom-printed T-shirts made from recycled fabric. Sheesh, anybody can do that. These are (clean) T-shirts from our own dressers and closets and local thrift shops on which we hand printed the brand new LFM "Ripe & Ready" logo right over whatever the shirt already said. Translation: They're all different. That's why you'll want to come early, so you can grab your favorite before someone else does and leaves you forever envious of the one-of-a-kind shirt you missed. We're selling these treasures for only $5 for little kid shirts and $7 or $10 for the larger shirts, which is a super deal since you get something that's a bit of advertising, a likely collectible, and a conversation piece all in one. The LFM committee is really proud of these, and we hope you'll be proud to wear one. Or a couple. (Many thanks to Brian Nihill's Sports Specialties for creating the silkscreen, loaning us the squeegee, and not laughing when we told them what we were planning.)

Two Last Things
The season's first Community Day is the last Saturday this month, June 26. You know the drill: virtually anyone can rent one of the dozen or so spots we have to promote, recruit, advertise, sell, or whatever you need a public space to do (within limits; see the FAQs and the application for more details). Hardcopy applications will be available this Saturday at the Market, or you can download a copy here. Spots are allotted first-come and typically sell out, so don't wait to get yours in. The official deadline for submissions is June 19.

More participants entered the Lansdowne Memorial Day 5k Run/Walk this year than ever before and slogged through unseasonable heat and humidity to post these results. Well done, all! You went so fast, most of the pictures are blurry, but you might be able to find yourself here. Take a peek!

MAP 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.

Visit our sister market, the Oakmont Farmers Market, Wednesday afternoons in Havertown for more local produce, bread, meat, and other products.