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Farmer's Market Coop of East Liberty Update

Posted 3/22/2013 9:39am by Val Kennedy.

Update for Saturday, March 23rd

The market will be open as usual this Saturday. Please read below for the weekly update.

I would like to mention that the 7th Annual Farm to Table event is this weekend at the David Lawrence Convention Center. The Farmers Market Coop of East Liberty will have a booth at the the event this year. So if you are able to make it, please stop by and say hello.

The event is happening today and tomorrow, from 10 am until 5. Tickets are $15 and are available online or at the door. There is also a special food tasting event this evening. Check out the website for more information:

http://farmtotablepa.com/conference.

See you at the market- David Lagnese

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The Update....

J.L Kennedy Meat Stand

Special items for this week include....

- HAM SLICES
- MANY SAUSAGE VARIETIES
- EYE OF ROUND...ROLLED RUMP...ARM/SHOULDER ROASTS

**PLEASE place your Easter pick up order for next week A.S.A.P. since we are open on just Saturdays, we need to plan ahead to have your local meat products ready for your special occassion.

**please keep phone call orders and any messages to ring in during our business hours of 9-9 mon-thurs and 9-6 on friday...

The number at the farm is 724-898-2316.

Greenawalt Farm

The Greenawalts have been busy building new shelves at their stand to better display the large variety of local products that they offer. Stop by and check it out. Greenawalt's offerings will be similar to last week with local Amish grown items such as potatoes (sweet, yukon gold and white), onions, turnips, and winter squash. Brian told me he is running low on the many of the local items, so get them while you can. Locally grown dried bean varieties include great northern and cranberry beans.

They also have shipped-in items including spinach, lettuce, cauliflower, broccoli, tomatoes, pears, grapes and bananas.

One special item this week is local maple syrup products from Wagner Sugar Camp. They will have 2013 vintage syrup as well as maple sugar candy.

Stanton Milling products- These are locally grown and milled items from Stanton Milling Company in New Stanton, PA. Stanton Milling has been in operation since 1858. They offer:

- Buckwheat flour

- Buckwheat pancake mix

- Corn meal

- Pancake mix

For more information: http://www.stantonmilling.com

Greenawalt's always have fresh local eggs and many types of Amish canned items and dried beans. They also have some cured meat items from Lancaster County- bacon and kielbasa.

Kistaco Farm

Apples of course- Kistaco still has several varieties of locally grown apples. They are carefully stored at just the right temperature to keep them fresh. Varieties still available are:

- Red Delicious
- Golden Delicious
- Jonagold
- Empire
- Stayman Winesap

From Suzanne's Kitchen
- Donuts
- Corn Salsa
- Applesauce
- Corn Relish
- Onion Relish
- Spicy Dill Pickles

Other Goodies
- Snap Peas
- Asparagus
- New Red Potatoes
- Leaf Lettuce
- Brussels Sprouts
- Pears
- Citrus
- Bananas

- Wood Street Bread Co. (6-8 different breads)

And of course Cider- the best in Pittsburgh.

Zang's Greenhouse...Locally grown items this week include, mixed small head lettuce, micro greens, mushrooms, and shallots.

Shipped in items include fennel, golden beets, spinach, Kale, eggplants, peppers, asparagus, garlic, onions, green beans, potatoes, and several varieties of tomatoes. Florida citrus is still going strong with several orange varieties available.

In the flower department- Rick will have hyacinth, tulips and amaryllis. He will also have cut daffodils. If you want a certain flower for Easter Sunday, please place an order with Rick this week!

Kew Park Coffee Bar- We have a fresh batch of beans that were roasted by Commonplace Coffee Roasters. Also, will have fresh squeezed grapefruit, tangerine, and orange juices.

PA Made Cheese-

The local Haloumi was a big hit last week. We will have some more available this week.

This is the first of what is hoped to be a series of cheeses using sheep milk. The cheeses are being made by Sam and Susie Byler from Riverview Dairy. This initiative was made possible by the "Better Cheese for Pittsburgh" scholarship that was organized and funded by Slow Food Pittsburgh. The Bylers won a $2,500 scholarship last year and this provided funding to hire a cheese consultant to help develop the recipes and techniques. They used world renowned cheese Consultant Peter Dixon from Vermont.

To make sheep milk cheese happen, the Bylers needed access to sheep milk. So they partnered with their neighbor, Aaron Schwartz who purchased a herd last fall. The sheep are now producing milk, so the cheese is beginning to be made. Aaron is one of the leading farmers in Clarion River Organics.

Haloumi is a cheese that is traditionally made with half sheep, and half goat milk. Its originally from Cyprus, but is very popular throughout Europe. There is apparently not enough sheep and goat milk in Cyprus to meet the full demand, so they have begun making it with cows milk. That has caused a whole controversy and debate in Europe about the standards for making Haloumi. Thankfully, the Bylers are making it the traditional way, with sheep and goat milk. So no controversy here.

Haloumi is a very unique cheese as it does not melt, kind of like Indian Paneer cheese. It's usually prepared by either grilling or cooking in a skillet after brushing it with olive oil. It is then served with salad greens or vegetables. I found some recipes on the web. Check them out:

http://www.veggienumnum.com/2010/01/pan-fried-halloumi-salad/

http://www.squidoo.com/101-halloumi-recipes

This is really exciting news as this new cheese is the result of such a collaborative process. We are honored that PA Made Cheese was able to help support the development of this cheese and will help in the sale and promotion of it. I am heading up to visit with the Bylers this weekend to discuss the production of other sheep milk cheese that will require lengthy aging.

California Connection-

The dried fruit that I obtained from Bella Viva Orchards has been a real hit. They grow some amazing fruit and have developed great expertise in processing and drying fruit. I now have dried Rainier cherries and dried Pluots. Pluots are a cross between plums and apricots. The dried version is very soft, and sweet but tart.

In the olive oil department, I just received a fresh shipment of 2013 vintage oils. Please stop by and try them.

The Greek Gourmet- will have homemade spinach and meat pies at the market each week- in addition to 20+ flavors of hummus. Stop by and talk to Jack at the booth.

BANDY Woodworks will have children's toys and games, and great items for the home and office using local reclaimed and salvaged wood and non-toxic finishes. Cutting boards and wine racks make a great Valentine's gift for the foodie on your list! Their booth is on the right when you walk in the front door from N. Sheridan, directly across from Greenawalt's. Preview some of the items carried at the market by visiting www.bandywoodworks.etsy.com.

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Visit the market's website for information on the market and all the vendors. You can sign up for a weekly email update.

http://www.farmersmarketcooperativeofeastliberty.com/

Also, check out the video about the market produced by Ths folks at East Liberty Development (ELDI). It was directed and produced by local film maker Michael Pisano. So a great big thanks Michael and ELDI's Margaret Graham for producing the video. So please check out the video and share it with others.

Here's the link: vimeo.com/eastlibertypgh/farmersmarket.

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The Farmers' Market Cooperative of East Liberty is located at 344 North Sheridan Ave., adjacent to the Home Depot parking lot. The market operates year round- and is open from 5 AM until 12 noon every Saturday of the year.