News and blog

Update for Saturday, November 3rd

We had a great market last week.  These was lots of good locally grown stuff.  In my last update, I talked about the wonderful fresh brussel sprouts available at the market.  Well last week I was impressed by all the locally grown root vegetables now available- beets, parsnips, turnips and carrots.  I was particularly impressed with the carrots that were of various colors and sizes.

I also noticed an article in the New York Times about how carrots are showing up as the star on plates of some fancy-schmancy New York City restaurants.  Check out the article.

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/10/31/dining/carrots-gain-bigger-roles-at-some-restaurants.html

And check out these recipes for carrots and other root vegetables....

http://topics.nytimes.com/top/news/health/series/recipes_for_health/carrots/index.html

I tend to like keeping things pretty simple.  So I prepare carrots the way we did at Trattoria Alberto, a restaurant that I worked at in Washington, DC.  Simply peel the carrots and slice them into rounds about 1/4" thick.  Blanch them in boiling, salted water for 3 minutes.  Then saute them in a skillet in a 50/50 combination of olive oil and butter.  Cook them long enough so that they begin to brown slightly around the edges.  Season with salt, pepper and fresh chopped parsley.  Thats it!

Like I do with a lot of fresh vegetables, I do my cutting and blanching on Sunday when I have the time.  Then throughout the week, I pull them out of the fridge for the last minute saute.

Pancake Breakfast

I want to remind everyone about the Pancake Breakfast & Auction that is being held this Saturday from 8:00 am until 12:00 noon.  This is the 16th annual.  

Our friends at Pittsburgh East Rotary Club run the event.  Proceeds from the Pancake Breafkast & Auction will be used to feed hungry individuals and families in our East End communities and provide resources to at-risk children and youth.

You can enjoy an all-you-can-eat breakfast including pancakes and an egg bar!  In addition to breakfast, there will be fabulous raffle prizes, entertainment, mystery bags/boxes and a roving magician!

The event is held at Eastminster Presbyterian Church (250 N. Highland Avenue) which is walking distance from the market.  So you can stop by the market to get your food for the week and also enjoy the pancake breakafast.  Tickets are available at the door, and are $7 for adults and $5 for children under 12.

Please note that at the Kew Park Coffee Bar we will be introducing a new roast that was developed by Commonpalce Coffee Roasters.  The beans were roasted yesterday so are very fresh.  Please stop by and give them a try.  We will have brewed coffee and whole beans.

See you at the market!

David Lagnese

*****************************************************

The Update

We will debut our new roast of the Kew Park Estate beans.  I have been working with the folks from Commonplace Coffee Roasters to develop a roast that really highlights the unique characteristics of the beans.  Please stop by and give them a try.   We also have fresh squeezed tangerine, orange and grapfruit juices.

PA Made Cheese

We gave out free pickles last week, and still have a few to give out this week.  We just got a fresh shipment of cheese from God's Country Creamery in Potter County.  I love their wheels because they are massive- 20 pound plus.  We have the Havarti and the Luddington Lace Swiss.

California Connection

The organic dried fruit is going strong.  

Apricots
Nectarines
Pears
Plums
Persimmons

All are from Van Dyke Organic Ranch in Gilroy California.  We also have organic walnuts and pistachios.

A fresh crop of almonds, dates and raisins should be here soon.

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.

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Please 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/

*********************************************************

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, October 27th

It is getting to the end of the home garden season. That makes me sad.  But I was cheered up when I read today's Mariam Rubin story in the Post-Gazette.  This was her last article of the year on her summer garden series.  The good news is that there are still opportunities to do some canning and preserving using things like green tomatoes.  

I recently went to a pickling event that was sponsored by Slow Food Pittsburgh where I tasted some really fabulous pickled vegetables, including pickled green tomatoes.  I was surprised at home much flavor they have.  So I was glad to see Miriam's article with the recipes.  

Last week I saw many baskets of green tomaoes at the market.  I expect to see more this weekend.  So don't be afraid to give it a try.  Check out the article.

http://www.post-gazette.com/stories/life/food/miriams-garden-our-columnist-winds-it-up-but-not-before-capturing-some-final-beautiful-bits-658967/

Also, to celebrate pickling, we will be giving out free home-made kosher dill pickles at the PA Made Cheese stand. 

The market had a great week last Saturday. It was jam packed with many great vegetables and fruit.  I thought the star of the show was the brussel sprouts, which appeared for the first week.  The sprouts at the market are the real thing- locally grown, freshly picked, still connected to a long stem.  I prepared them by both blanching them for a few minutes in boiling water, and also roasting them in the oven.  Either way, they are delicious.  Salt, pepper and olive oil is all you need to season them with.  I know a lot of people think they don't like them, but I believe its because they have never had fresh, tender sprouts.  So if you think you don't like them, please give brussel sprouts another try.

See you at the market!

David Lagnese

*****************************************************

The Update 

Greenawalt Farm

We will have freshly roasted Coffee.  In the juice department, this is the last week for fresh made grape juice that was made with Erie County Concords.  We also have fresh squeezed tangerine, orange and grapfruit juices.

PA Made Cheese

As mentioned we will be giving out free pickles on Saturday.  They go great will all the local cheese we have on hand.  

California Connection

The organic dried fruit is going strong.  

Apricots
Nectarines
Pears
Plums
Persimmons

All are from Van Dyke Organic Ranch in Gilroy California.  We also have organic walnuts and pistachios.

A fresh crop of almonds, dates and raisins should be here soon.

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.

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Please 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/

*********************************************************

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, October 13th

As I have been saying over the past two weeks, we really are in the peak of apple season.  Its a time of year that I love- for the eating apples, the cooking apples, and the cider.  Leave it to Miriam Rubin from the Post-Gazette to write a timely article on apples with some great PG-tested recipes.  Check it out.

http://www.post-gazette.com/stories/life/food/time-is-ripe-for-tasty-applie-pies-tarts-and-more-656995/

Thanks Miriam!  I'm not much of a baker, but I plan to try the Simple Apple Nut Cake recipe.

So please make the East Liberty Coop Farmers Market your headquarters for all things apple.  Kistaco Farm specializes in apples.  They grow many varieties of apples on their Armstrong County farm.  This time of year they have 10 to 12 varitieties on hand, plus their fresh cider.  Greenawalt's get their apples from Amish farmers in Somerset County.  They have 4 or 5 varieties, including some huge Honeycrisps- which are my latest favorite eating apple.  

Prices are very reasonable, especially when you buy in bulk.  So buy a large quantity and share them with friends and neighbors.  I'm a hero when I take a large box into work and share them my co-workers.

See you at the market!

David Lagnese

*****************************************************

The Update 

Greenawalt Farm

Kew Park Coffee Bar

As mentioned last week, we will have fresh roasted beans that are roasted in the neighborhood by Commonplace Coffee.  In the juice department we have fresh made grape juice that was made with Erie County Concords.  We will only have Concord Grape juice for two more weeks and then its gone for the year.

To learn more about Commonplace Coffee, check out their website:  http://www.commonplacecoffee.com

California Connection

The organic dried fruit has arrived from Van Dyke Organic Farm in Gilroy, California.  People seemed very happy to have it back since we ran out of last year's crop a few months ago.  Selections include:

Apricots
Nectarines
Pears
Plums
Persimmons

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.

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Please 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/

*********************************************************

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, October 6th

Its hard to believe that October is here and that we are officially into fall.   It makes me sad to think about the items that are gone, but happy about the new fall items coming on to the market.  For example, I am told that canning tomatoes are now done.  Corn is on its last week or so, so get it while you can.  Eggplants are also almost done.  At the same time squash and apples are pouring into the market.  Concord grapes are still available for another week or so.  The apple cider is flowing.

We had a great crowd at the market last week and hope the momentum will continue.  Its a great time of year to come and support your local farmers.  There is a lot of new information in the update so please try to give it all a read.

David Lagnese

*****************************************************

The Update 

Kew Park Coffee
Its been a while since I have provided a detailed update on the Coffee.  As many of you know, we import our coffee beans directly from a small farm in Jamaica.  Its from the Kew Park Coffee Estate in Westmoreland Jamaica.  The farm is owned and operated by Peter Williams and Gina Green.  After a long application process, we were able to get licensed tp import the unroasted "green" beans.   Our first shipment of beans arrived a few months ago.  We have been searching for a local roaster and are finally in a position to provide an update.

We will be working with Commonplace Coffee Roasters.  Commonplace is owned by TJ Fairchild and his family.  He orginally established his business in Indiana PA, where he also has a retail shop on the college campus.  Commonplace has been making plans to move the roastery to Pittsburgh.  This past Monday they opened the new roastery, and I am happy to report that it is located right in our neighborhood!  They are moving into the new East End Brewing space which is located at 6580 Frankstown Road, only a few blocks from the farmers market.  This new relationship will allow us to roast coffee on a weekly basis and provide very freshly roasted coffee to the community.

To celebrate this milestone, we are planning to have an event at the market in the next few weeks to introduce everyone to TJ and the fols from Commonplace.  We are also trying to organize a coffee roasting demonstration at the roastery.

We are really excited about this relationship and hope that it will take Kew Park Coffee to a new level of exposure in Pittsburgh.  Its also exciting to have a coffee roastery co-located with a brewery, all right in our neighborhood!   More to come on this in next week's update.

To learn more about Commonplace Coffee, check out their website:  http://www.commonplacecoffee.com

Greenawalt Farm

Kew Park Coffee Bar

As mentioned above we will have fresh roasted beans and brewed coffee that was roasted by Commonplace Coffee.  In the juice delpartment we have fresh made grape juice that was made with Erie County Concords.  Its only available for a few weeks so get it while you can.

California Connection

We have been waiting for our shipment of dried fruit from Van Dyke Organic Farm in Gilroy, California.  I am happy to report that it has finaly arroved and we will have it at the market on Saturday.  Selections include:

Apricots
Nectarines
Pears
Plums
Persimmons

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.

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Please 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/

*********************************************************

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 September 29th

I spoke to all the farmers this week. I expect the offerings to be pretty similar to last week.  I expect more fall itmes like pumpkins, gourds, Indian corn and squash.  Also expect more varities of apples, and apple cider.  Thos may be the last week for canning tomatoes so get them while you can.

We reached a milestone this week when we reached 1,000 people signed up for our weekly email update. Thanks to eveyone for following events at the market.

Last Friday I joined Brian Greenawalt for his weekly trip into Somerset County Amish Country.  I got lucky on the weather as it was a glorious warm and sunny fall day.  We started at a prodcue auction and hit about 10.  I was really impressed by the farms that I saw and the people that I met.  I am still working on summarizing my notes.

Please come to the market and support your local farmers.

David Lagnese

*****************************************************

The Update 

Greenawalt Farm

Kew Park Coffee Bar, California Olive Oil Connection & PA Made Cheese

We have a few updates for this week.  New arrivals include:

• Fresh roasted medium and dark roast Kew Park Coffee.
• A new shiment of cheese from Hidden Hills Dairy.
• A new batch of pistachios from Santa Barbara Pistachio Company
• A new batch of olive oil from Stonehouse Olive Oil

We are still waiting for the dried fruit to arrive from Van Dyke Organic Farm in California.  The fruit was shipped yesterday but not sure when it will get here.  

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.

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Please 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/

*********************************************************

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.