News and blog
J.L. KENNEDY MEAT STAND special items for Saturday, August 31st...
- FRESHLY-SMOKED KOLBASSI AND SMOKED SAUSAGE from the Kennedy show hogs
- HICKORY-SMOKED CANADIAN BACON from show hog loins
- PASTURE-RAISED ROASTING CHICKENS ...this is a new, fresh batch offering and will sell until all are gone...last of this group until holiday season
- KENNEDY KIDS’ SHOW BEEF...all cuts available if called in early enough
J.L. Kennedy Meat Stand
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.
J.L. KENNEDY MEAT STAND special items for Saturday, August 24th...
- SMOKED HAM SLICES
- SMOKED HAM HOCKS
- KENNEDY CHILDREN’S 4-H PROJECT SHOW BEEF
***For the next several weeks we will be offering the most very top quality show pork, lamb, and beef from the Kennedy Kids’ show animal 4-H projects...We hope you enjoy the long hours and hard work the kids have put into hand-raising these meats for you. See you soon!
J.L. Kennedy Meat Stand
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.
Update for Saturday, August 17th
Hello everyone. We will have a great selection of locally grown items this week.
As mentioned last week, peaches are here, so get them while you can at the Zang, Kistaco and Greenawalt stands.
The farmers tell me that the weather is really hurting the tomato crop this year. They are slow to ripen, and this recent cool weather has not helped. But the farmers tell me that this week they will have tomoatos in sufficient quantities for canning. Yeah! Check out the Kistaco, Greenawalt and Zang stands.
Please see below for a cheese update and an update from Bandy Woodworks.
See you at the market.
David Lagnese
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The Update....
J.L. KENNEDY MEAT STAND
Well it's that favorite meat time of year when the Kennedy Kids' 4-H livestock projects have come to fruition and are freshly available for you all to purchase in our meat stand over the next 2 months.
- PORK...loin chops...shoulder/butt...sausages...
- LAMB..is limited so please call w details of what you need
***We were both successful at and grateful for the past Butler Farm Show week's events. Lots of stories and great meat projects as Taylor won reserve grand champion market beef steer....first place in beef showmanship...first place lamb in class and placed in top 6.... supreme breeding gilt hog...Jake had 2nd place in class steer...a 3rd place in class steer...first place in dairy showmanship...market hogs in 1st-3rd place...and 2nd in class lambs. We thank all you well-wishers and want you to know what a privilege it is for this farm family to be able to bring you the most top-quality meat projects.year when the Kennedy Kids' 4-H livestock projects have come to fruition and are freshly available for you all to purchase in our meat stand over the next 2 months.
The Kistaco Farm stand will have:
Paula Red Apples
Earligold Apples
White Freestone Peaches
Yellow Freestone Peaches
Blueberries
Kale
Collards
Broccoli
Tomatoes (lots of volume and variety)
Peppers (also lots of volume and variety)
Eggplant
Zucchini
And bread from Wood Street Bread Co.
Zang's Greenhouse...Rick will have Chambersburg peaches, watermellons, blackberries, swiss chard, shallots, leeks, tomatoes, pickles, cukes, candy onions, fresh garlic, green beans, beets, several varieties of lettuce, micro greens, zucchini, 2 varieties of cabbage, sweet corn, cauliflower, mushrooms, blueberries.
New items for this week include Roma tomatoes, satuma plums and kidney beans.
Kew Park Coffee Bar- We have a fresh batch of beans that were roasted by Commonplace Coffee Roasters. I spoke with Peter Williams the proprietor of Kew Park Estate and he said that the coffee is doing really well this year. He said it will be a very large and high quality crop this year. That's great since we are almost out of green beans and pretty close to being ready for a new shipment. He thinks harvest will start on the next month or so.
PA Made Cheese- This week I visited Birchrun Hills Farm. The farm is located in Chester Springs, PA which is in Chester County. We were visiting relatives in Reading so it was only a short distance away. The farm is in a beautiful area that has many 19th and 18th century buildings. Part of the farm house itself dates to the early 1700's. Its just a beautiful part of Pennsylvania, very different from the western side of the state with so many old and historic buildings.
My wife Cristy and I spent some time with farmer, and cheese maker Sue Miller. Her's is a typical story of a farming family that got into cheese making as a way to keep the family dairy farm going. Well Sue has developed into quite a cheese maker. I first tried it at the Reading Terminal Market in Philadelphia. I tried the Fat Cat, which is a washed rind cheese, and it was love at first bite. I have received a few shipments for the market, but the problem is that its become so popular that she can't make it fast enough. So I thought a personal visit would help. Sure enough, Sue agreed to send me a monthly shipment of the Fat Cat and the Birchrun Blue. So I hope to have a pretty steady supply of this wonderful cheese. Please stop by and try some and check out their website:
In additon, we will have a wide assortment of locally made cheese including aged sheep milk cheese and Halloumi made by Riverview Dairy. I visited the sheep cave last week to inspect the cheese. We now have about 140 wheels of sheep and goat cheese in the cave. The hydrometers are still showing perfect conditions- 55 degrees and 95% humidity. The cheese is reacting well to the environment. It is growing a fuzzy white mold, which is a good thing. The wheels are staying moist and not cracking. The first batch of "Young" pecorino (sheep milk cheese) will be ready in mid September.
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 BANDY Woodworks will have will have a new batch of honey locust serving boards and end-grain cutting boards this week. All items are made in their shop using local reclaimed and salvaged wood and non-toxic finishes. 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:
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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.
*********************************************************
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.
Update for Saturday, August 10th
Hello everyone. We will have a great selection of locally grown items this week.
I want to highlight peaches this week, because they are really coming into their prime season. Rick Zang will have peaches from Chambersburg, Kistaco will have peaches from their Armstrong County farm, and Greenawalts will have some from Somerset County. This is the time to buy in bulk and preserve them for winter. I plan to make home made peach fruit leather. Its very easy to do, so just stop by the PA Made Cheese both and I can tell you how to make it.
The farmers tell me that all of this rain is slowing down the growing season. Thats why things like tomatoes and peppers are late to arrive in large quantities.
Last weekend I was in DC on a college tour with my daughter Maria. I was able to visit the Eastern Market. Eastern Market is located in the historic Capitol Hill neighborhood of Washington DC. This was my "first love" in terms of farmers markets as I lived in the neighborhood in the mid 1980's when I worked as a Congressional aid. Its been around since 1871, so it has about 70 years on our East Liberty market. I had not been there in almost 30 years, but am happy to report that it is doing very well. Although they had a fire a few years ago, they renovated the inside and its now full of vendors of all sorts- meat, fish, baked goods, produce and flowers. They have a lunch counter that serves great fish and crabcake sandwiches. If you are in DC for a visit, please consider visiting the market. Its open every day except Monday. Its easy to get to as it has its own Metro stop on the BlueOrange line. Check it out:
www.easternmarket-dc.org
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Please see below for an update on the market.
See you at the market.
David Lagnese
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The Update....
J.L. KENNEDY MEAT STAND special items for Saturday, August 10th are...
- BABY BACK RIBS
The number at the farm is 724-898-2316.
The Kistaco Farm stand will have:
Peaches
Blueberries
Cherries
Plums
Kale
Collards
Bell Peppers
Sweet Banana Peppers
Cubanelle Peppers
Hungarian Sweet Peppers
Eggplant
Zucchini
Tomatoes
Sweet Corn
Broccoli
Green Beans
Yellow Beans
And bread from Wood Street Bread Co.
Zang's Greenhouse...Rick will have swiss chard, shallots, leeks, tomatoes, pickles, cukes, candy onions, fresh garlic, green beans, beets, several varieties of lettuce, micro greens, zucchini, 2 varieties of cabbage, sweet corn, cauliflower, mushrooms, blueberries.
New items for this week include watermellons, blackberries, red rasperries and Chambersburg peaches.
Kew Park Coffee Bar- We have a fresh batch of beans that were roasted by Commonplace Coffee Roasters. This week we will have iced coffee and regular hot coffee. Also, will have fresh squeezed Valencia orange juice and fresh lemon aid.
PA Made Cheese- We will have a wide assortment of locally made cheese including aged sheep milk cheese and Halloumi made by Riverview Dairy. I visited the sheep cave this week to inspect the cheese. We now have about 140 wheels of sheep and goat cheese in the cave. The hydrometers are still showing perfect conditions- 55 degrees and 95% humidity. The cheese is reacting well to the environment. It is growing a fuzzy white mold, which is a good thing. The wheels are staying moist and not cracking. The first batch of "Young" pecorino (sheep milk cheese) will be ready in mid september.
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 be back next week with some new items. Please stop by and check them out.
*****************************************************
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.
*********************************************************
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.
J.L. KENNEDY MEAT STAND special items for Saturday, August 10th are...
- BABY BACK RIBS
The number at the farm is 724-898-2316.
J.L. Kennedy Meat Stand
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.
J.L. KENNEDY MEAT STAND special items for Saturday, August 3rd..
- SIRLOIN TIP KABOBS...cubes of sirloin tip roast ready for you to marinate/rub with minimal time needed in prep...esp great with mixed veggies on skewers
TAKING ORDERS FOR LAMB for pick up on Saturday, Aug. 17 th
**THANKS AGAIN for all your well-wishes and thoughts for safety for our children as they exhibit their livestock at the 4-H shows this Summer season. Since the Fair, Jacob earned a 2nd place in a regional showmanship contest for lambs in Mercer, and Taylor’s Brown Swiss dairy heifer received Reserve Junior Champion at the Mon Valley Regional District Show in Fayette. Now they have the Butler Farm Show coming up next week with shows Mon/Tues/Wed. We’d enjoy seeing you so check the Butler Farm Show site for times and details. We will be offering certain beef, pork, and lamb projects for sale to the general public on a first-come-first-served basis. Please call the farm to discuss questions, pricing, and to place payment deposits. We can also talk at the Saturday Market about serious interests in purchasing the show projects.
The number at the farm is 724-898-2316.
J.L. Kennedy Meat Stand
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.
J.L. KENNEDY MEAT STAND special items for Saturday, July 27th..
- PORK TENDERLOINS
- PORK SPARE RIBS
**a few pasture-raised roasting chickens available to pre-order
**limited cuts of grass-fed beef available to pre-order like stack of 8 patties and chipped sirloin and arm/shoulder roasts
The number at the farm is 724-898-2316.
J.L. Kennedy Meat Stand
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.
Update for Saturday, July 20th
Hello everyone. I had a hectic week and was not able to get an update from all the farmers. I am sorry for that. But have no fear, I expect locally grown offerings to be diverse, plentifull and very fresh. So please visit the market this Saturday.
I do want to empasize a special event this Saturday at the J.L. Kennedy Meat Stand. They will have GRASS-FED BEEF- which is a special offering that is only available a few times during the year. This is a very special product that has become popular in recent years. It's very lean beef that is best slow-cooked or braised in any flavor or style you choose. Also, it can be prepared by using a seasoning rub overnight, which will enable any basic cut to be grilled,etc.
So please help spread the word. If you can, please call out to the farm today.
Please remember to call the Kennedy's during their business hours of 9 to 9 Monday through Thursday, and 9 to 6 on Friday. The number at the farm is 724-898-2316.
Pittsburgh Magazine Best of the Burgh Reader's Poll
One other item of note, our market was voted "best farmers market" in the 2013 Pittsburgh Magazine Best of the Burgh Readers' Poll. Wow, what an honor! It is especially flattering considering how many farmers markets there are these days. Please check it out and see some of the winners in other categories. Thanks to all of our loyal customers who voted for us.
http://www.pittsburghmagazine.com/Pittsburgh-Magazine/July-2013/Best-of-the-Burgh-2013-Readers-Poll/
See you at the market.
David Lagnese
**********************************************************************************
*****************************************************
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.
*********************************************************
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.
J.L. KENNEDY MEAT STAND special items for Saturday, July 20th..
GRASS-FED BEEF is a special offering that we only have available a few times during the year...very lean beef that is best slow-cooked or braised in any flavor or style you choose. Even a seasoning rub overnight will enable any basic cut to be grilled,etc.
**please call farm A.S.A.P. to place your order with cuts you need and how many pounds...if you need guidance...two options are researching beef cuts on-line or asking detailed questions of us before Thursday eve for best results.
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.
J.L. Kennedy Meat Stand
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.
Update for Saturday, July 6th
I have an abbreviated Market update this week due to the holiday.
I expect a great variety of locally grown meat, vegetables and fruit this week. The summer growing season is in full swing.
But the big news for this week is the Miriam Rubin visit to the market. She is coming to visit us all the way from Greene County, PA. As many of you know, I often feature Miriam's articles and recipes as part of my weekly update. We are so happy to have her come in person- with her new cook book and also demonstrating some recipes.
In the spring Miriam published a cook book called Tomatoes. She will have books for sale (and signing) and will also do a cooking demonstration of some recipes from the book using ingredients from the market. So please help spread word and come out to visit Miriam at the market. We will have several varieties of locally grown tomatoes at the market this week.
Miriam plans to demonstrate 2 dishes using recipes from the book:
- Grilled Ginger Tomatoes- using local cherry tomatoes and scallions, California olive oil
- Grilled Halloumi Salad- using Halloumi made by Sam Byler from Riverview Dairy, Amish grown tomatoes and mint
Miriam will be cooking by 10:00 am and will be there until about 11:30.
See you at the market- David Lagnese
********************************************************************************************
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.
*********************************************************
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.