News and blog

Hi Folks,

I have received several questions about whether we will be open tomorrow due to the weather.  The answer is yes of course, we will be open!  The parking lot is plowed and we are ready to go.  So please stop by tomorrow, we are open until noon.

David Lagnese

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Update for Saturday, January 26th

Hello everyone.  Just a quick note to let you know that the market will be open this coming Saturday.  Unfortunately, I was not able to connect with the farmers this week to give you a detailed update.  Please look for one next week.  

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.

Update for Saturday, January 26th

Hello everyone.  Just a quick note to let you know that the market will be open this coming Saturday.  Unfortunately, I was not able to connect with the farmers this week to give you a detailed update.  Please look for one next week.  

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.

Update for Saturday, January 19th

We had a nice day at the market last Saturday.  So please break the winter monotony with a visit to the market this Saturday.

Special Events

We are continuing our series of special winter events to give people more reasons to visit the market and support the farmers.  Last Saturday Naomi Auth from Red Star Kombucha made a vist and we had a really nice time.  Lots of people got to try Kombucha for the first time.  WQED's Rick Sebak stopped by and seemed to get a kick out of Naomi's product and her story. Maybe Red Star Kombucha will make Rick's next "25 Favorite Things About Pittsburgh" show?

This Saturday, its the boys from Bar Marco who will be paying a visit.  Chef Justin Steel will be demonstrating how to cook up a simple, healthy meal with ingredients sourced entirely from the market.  He was at the markert last week buying up all the goodies.  Stop by and check it out starting at 9 am.  Chef Justin will also be demonstrating that it is in fact possible for a chef to wake up before noon!

Another item worth noting is the article the Pittsburgh-Post Gazette published today- "Amish Farms to City Tables." The article is about Brian Greenawalt's relationship with the Amish farmers of Somerset County and the vegetables that he brings to the market each week.  I was honored to work with Brian to research and write the story.  Thanks so much to Bob Batz and the folks at the PG for showing interest in this story. Check it out:

http://www.post-gazette.com/stories/life/food/food-from-amish-farms-to-city-tables-670686/

The last note for this week is that we will be offering free samples of artisinal cheeses from Minnesota and Wisconsin that I obtained during a recent trip to Minneapolis.  At the market we only sell cheeses that are made locally here in Pennsylvania.  But I thought it would be fun to share some cheese made in other states.  The cheese "tour" will be led by our very own Kelsey Sheridan.  Kelsey is in the Food Studies Progam at Chatham and helps out at the PA Made Cheese stand.  She hails from Minneapolis and is very knowledgeable about these cheeses. 

See you at the market- David Lagnese

*****************************************************
The Update....

Kistaco Farm

Apples- Kistaco still has a variety of apples grown on their farm.  Yes, this means locally grown apples that are carefully stored at just the right temperature to keep them fresh.  Varieties still available are Fuji, Stayman, Winseap, Red Delicious, Golden Delicious, MatsuCrispin, Idared, Rome and Jonagold.

Local veggies- at this point we are down to Acorn Squash. They will have a variety of shipped-in vegetables.

Prepared items include fresh donuts.

Fresh baked bread from Wood Street Bread Company is always available.  They pick it up from the bakery real early in the morning so you don't have to.

J.L Kennedy Meat Stand

Special items for this week.... 

There are some extra SMOKED PHEASANTS still available.  

- PORK TENDERLOINS

- CHIPPED SIRLOIN by the pound

***STEAKS of all kinds ... we can have any cut of beef you can google search if called in by Thursday evening.

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

Greenawalt Farm

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

PA Made Cheese-   I continue to work on doing research for the local cheese aging initiative.  This week I visited an aging cave in Minnesota that ages several varietes of Blue Cheese, as well as cheddar and Gouda.  I also picked up quite a few varieties of cheese made in Minnesota and Wisconsin.  As mentioned above, we will have free samples available at the market this Saturday.

In case you missed it, check out two articles about local cheese that appeared recently in the Pittsburgh-Post Gazette. Thanks again to Virginia Phillips and the PG staff for supporting local food.

http://www.post-gazette.com/stories/life/food/local-cheesemakers-are-making-more-better-cheese-667963/

http://www.post-gazette.com/stories/life/food/new-artisan-cheeses-bringing-flavor-and-color-to-the-notion-of-american-cheese-668001/#ixzz2GGGjlo7I

California Connection- We a full range of organic and biodynamically grown dried fruit and nuts including- apricots, nectarines, pears, plums, and persimmons.  Nut wise- walnuts, almonds and pistachios.  We got a fresh batch of organic pistachios this week.

On the olive oil side, its worth noting that the early harvest "Olio Nuovo" has been selling well and is about half gone- only a few gallons are left.  So get it while you can.

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.

Rebecca Plum Baked Goods- Rebecca will be there with her usual assortment of baked goods.

BANDY Woodworks is back this week after attending two very successful holiday shows. As always, they'll have children's toys and games, and great items for the home and office (cutting boards, business card holders, etc).  They use 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 www.bandywoodworks.etsy.com.

*****************************************************
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, January 12th

We had a nice day at the market last Saturday, and hope to draw a bigger crowd this Saturday.  The weather forescast for Saturday is 60 degrees with only a small chance of rain.  So if the cold weather has been keeping you in, then take advantage of the warm weather this Saturday and come on out to the market.

The star of the show this Saturday will be Naomi Auth from Red Star Kombucha- Naomi is the founder and owner of Red Star.  For those of you that don't know, Kombucha is a centuries old beverage that is essentially fermented tea.  Kombucha has become very popular recently.  However most of the Kombucha you find in grocery stores is factory made.  Red Star Kombucha is hand-crafted in small batches using organic, fair-trade certified ingredients whenever possible. Its made right here in Pittsburgh.  They use traditional fermentation methods to produce an authentic kombucha with 1% alcohol by volume.  That 1% alcohol makes it regulated like beer in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.  So Naomi will be sharing free samples.  She is not able to sell at the market, but there is a growing list of establishments that sell the product.   You can find the list at their website.  Check it out: http://inglobwetrust.com.  So please stop by and taste some Kombucha.

Also, please note that on January 19th, we will have a special visit from the folks from Bar Marco. You may have read about this cool new bar and restaurant recently in the PG, Pittsburgh Magazine, IHeart Pittsburgh, and elsewhere.  We are still working out the details and will provide an update next week.

See you at the market- David Lagnese

*****************************************************
The Update....

Kistaco Farm

Apples- Kistaco still has a variety of apples grown on their farm.  Yes, this means locally grown apples that are carefully stored at just the right temperature to keep them fresh.  Varieties still available are Fuji, Stayman, Winseap, Red Delicious, Golden Delicious, MatsuCrispin, Idared, Rome and Jonagold.

Local veggies- at this point we are down to Acorn Squash. They will have a variety of shipped in vegetables.

Prepared items include fresh donuts.

Fresh baked bread from Wood Street Bread Company is always available.  They pick it up from the bakery real early in the morning so you don't have to.

J.L Kennedy Meat Stand

Special items for this week.... 

- ULTRA-LEAN GROUND TURKEY

- CHIPPED SIRLOIN TIP-super easy weeknight meal option for fast stir-fry or 20 minutes in any broth or sauce

- MANY TYPES OF SAUSAGES from plain ground pork with salt/ pepper to sage to med hot to red hot..links in casing or loose/bulk...also linked turkey sausage...all sold by pound or pieces

**we'll be taking orders soon for the fabulous GOAT for February...so now is a good time to think about what cuts you'd like...boneless leg-shoulder roasts-stew meat-loin chops or roasts- ground meat...We can be best prepared if we know of your interest in advance

***Please ONLY call to order during our phone times of 9am-9pm mon- thurs and 9am-6 on friday...even for messages. THANKS and see you Saturday!

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

Greenawalt Farm

Kew Park Coffee Bar- We will have fresh beans that were roasted by Commonplace Coffee Roasters.  Also, will have fresh squeezed tangerine, orange and grapfruit juices.  This week we will also have fresh squeezed pineapple juice.

PA Made Cheese-   The articles in the Post Gazette pasted below talk about a local initiative to produce more and better locally made cheese in western Pennsylvania.  This is an effort sponsored by Slow Food Pittsburgh.  I have been on the Slow Food Advisory Board for the last year and a half, and have volunteered to "shepard" along this process.  One of key intiatives is to produce sheep milk cheese in western Pennsylvania.  It is being led by Sam and Susie Byler from Riverview Dairy.  They were awarded a $2,500 scholarship to get the effort off the ground.   have been involved from a support perpspective, and am helping to advise them on establishing a cheese aging facility.  I visited the farm and dairy this past week and have some photos of the sheep herd and of the first cheese making session.  I also have samples of the first batch of sheep milk camembert to share.

In case you missed it, check out two articles that appeared in the Pittsburgh-Post Gazette today that cover the local cheese scene- and mention the Farmers Market Coop and PA Made Cheese.  Thanks again to Virginia Phillips and the PG staff for supporting local food.
http://www.post-gazette.com/stories/life/food/local-cheesemakers-are-making-more-better-cheese-667963/

http://www.post-gazette.com/stories/life/food/new-artisan-cheeses-bringing-flavor-and-color-to-the-notion-of-american-cheese-668001/#ixzz2GGGjlo7I

California Connection- We a full range of organic and biodynamically grown dried fruit and nuts including- apricots, nectarines, pears, plums, and persimmons.  Nut wise- walnuts, almonds and pistachios. 

On the olive oil side, the early harvest "Olio Nuovo" has arrived.  The oil is coming from 2 farms, one in Paso Robles and one in Central California.   They are very robust and flavorful.  These are very hard to get shipped this far east, and are only available for a short time. 

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.

Rebecca Plum Baked Goods- Rebecca will be there with her usual assortment of baked goods.

Hand Made items from Uganda- Margaret will be there on Saturday with many hand made items. I think this will be her last visit for the month of January.

*****************************************************
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, January 5th

Happy New Year!  On behalf of all the farmers and vendors at the Farmers Market Coop, I want to wish our customers a happy New Year.  Its sometimes hard for all of of us to express our appreciation to our customers.  But please know that your patronage and support of the market is deeply appreciated by all of us.  2012 was a great year for the market, and we hope that 2013 will build upon and surpass what we accomplished in 2012.

There are no special events for this Saturday.  But I do want to highlight two upcoming events...

January 12th- Red Star Kombucha- Naomi Auth, founder and owner of Red Star will be there to share samples of her wonderful fermented tea beverage.  This is a centureis old craft that originated in China, and Naomi is producing it right here in the Burgh.  Check out the website for more information: http://inglobwetrust.com

January 19th- A special visit from Bar Marco. You may have read about this cool new bar and restaurant recently in the PG, Pittsburgh Magazine, IHeart Pittsburgh, and elsewhere.  We are still working out the details and will provie an update next week.

Finally, please see the PA Made Cheese section below on an exciting update on locally made sheep cheese.  We will be offering free samples of the first locally made sheep cheese on Saturday.  We are very honered to be involved in this very exciting initiative.

See you at the market- David Lagnese

*****************************************************
The Update....

Kistaco Farm... Will have a variety of apples and vegetables grown on their farm.

Local veggies- Selections might include Red Russian Kale, Cabbage, Broccoli, Winter Squash.  Things are a little uncertain this time of year.

Fresh baked bread from Wood Street Bread Company is always available.  They pick it up from the bakery real early in the morning so you don't have to.

J.L Kennedy Meat Stand

Thanks to all who ventured out in the snow last weekend! Happiest of New Years to everyone!

What a great time to slow roast or stew any cuts of meat in your own personal style of sauce...with pasta.. rices...barleys...vegetables...on stovetop...in oven...or slow-cooker.

- PORK SHOULDER
- TOP ROUND OF BEEF
- CHICKEN THIGHS

***These are inexpensive and high-flavor options, in addition to all the usual high end cuts we offer each week.

***Please ONLY call to order during our phone times of 9am-9pm mon- thurs and 9am-6 on friday...even for messages. THANKS and see you Saturday!

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

J.L. Kennedy Meat Stand

Greenawalt Farm

Kew Park Coffee Bar- We will have fresh beans that were roasted by Commonplace Coffee Roasters.  Also, will have fresh squeezed tangerine, orange and grapfruit juices.  If all goes well, we will also have fresh squeezed pineapple juice.

PA Made Cheese-   The articles in the Post Gazette pasted below talk about a local initiative to produce more and better locally made cheese in western Pennsylvania.  This is an effort sponsored by Slow Food Pittsburgh.  I have been on the Slow Food Advisory Board for the last year and a half, and have volunteered to "shepard" along this process.  One of key intiatives is to produce sheep milk cheese in western Pennsylvania.  It is being led by Sam and Susie Byler from Riverview Dairy.  They were awarded a $2,500 scholarship to get the effort off the ground.   have been involved from a support perpspective, and am helping to advise them on establishing a cheese aging facility.  I visited the farm and dairy this past week and have some photos of the sheep herd and of the first cheese making session.  I also have samples of the first batch of sheep milk camembert to share.

In case you missed it, check out two articles that appeared in the Pittsburgh-Post Gazette today that cover the local cheese scene- and mention the Farmers Market Coop and PA Made Cheese.  Thanks again to Virginia Phillips and the PG staff for supporting local food.
http://www.post-gazette.com/stories/life/food/local-cheesemakers-are-making-more-better-cheese-667963/

http://www.post-gazette.com/stories/life/food/new-artisan-cheeses-bringing-flavor-and-color-to-the-notion-of-american-cheese-668001/#ixzz2GGGjlo7I

California Connection- We a full range of organic and biodynamically grown dried fruit and nuts including- apricots, nectarines, pears, plums, and persimmons.  Nut wise- walnuts, almonds and pistachios. 

On the olive oil side, the early harvest "Olio Nuovo" has arrived.  The oil is coming from 2 farms, one in Paso Robles and one in Central California.   They are very robust and flavorful.  These are very hard to get shipped this far east, and are only available for a short time. 

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.

Rebecca Plum Baked Goods- Rebecca will be there with her usual assortment of baked goods.

Hand Made items from Uganda- Margaret will be there on Saturday with many hand made items. These make great holiday gifts.

*****************************************************
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.