News and blog

Update for Saturday February 18th

Hello Everyone:

I was in California this week and did not get back until late last night.  So I was not able to connect with the farmers.  I do expect that all farm stands and other stands will be open.  I expect the items offered to be similar to last week, so I have included last week's update below for your information.

I do have a few coffee and olive oil updates for you.

Olive Oil
When I was in California I visited Figueroa Farm in Sant Ynez.  I met with the farm staff and got a tour of the farm and the olive press.  They just finished the pressing season so they had lots of fresh pressed oil.  I got a bunch of samples to taste and expect that new oils will be arriving at the market over the next few weeks.  I do have some avacodo oil that they make on the farm.  This is real oil made from fresh avacados, not flavored oil.  They make it by putting fresh avacados in a machine that removes the skin and seed. Then they feed the pulp into the olive press.  I will have it at the market this Saturday.

I took some photos of the farm that I will bring them to the market.  It is really beautiful.

Coffee

We continue to meet and work with various local coffee roasters in our quest to find a local roaster for the Kew Park Estate Coffee beans.  One of the roasters we have been talking to is 19 Coffee Company.  They are a new "micor" roaster.  One of the owners of 19 Coffee will be visiting the market this Saturday.  His name is David DiOrio.  He will be bringing some freshly roasted Kew Park beans and we will be serving the coffee.  He should arrive about 9 am.  So please stop by to meet David and taste the coffee.  He is an all-around great guy and knows a lot about coffee.  Check out their web site.

http://19coffee.com/

See you at the market.

David Lagnese

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All of the farm stands and other vendors will be open at the market.   Here is a summary of what will be available:

• J. L. Kennedy Meat Stand- Locally grown meat from the Kennedy's.  Get to the market early before they sell out!

• Kistaco Farm continues to have locally raised apples.  Apple varieties this week include Red Delicious, Golden Delicious, Jonagold, Cameo, Empire, Idared, and Rome.  Of course, fresh pressed cider will be available.

• Zang's will have many fresh fruits and vegetables.  Two special items will be red swiss chard, and locally grown micro arugala.

There will be a variety of fruits and vegetables available throughout the market from Zang's, Greenawalt and Kistaco stands.  Some are still locally grown items and some are "imported."  If you are interested in locally grown, please feel free to ask the farmers which items are local.

Veggies

• Potatoes (still locally grown at Greenawalt's)
• Mushrooms
• Squash
• Brussels sprouts
• Cabbage
• Celery
• Cucumbers
• Carrots and other root vegetables
• Onions
• Cauliflower
• Tomatoes
• Shallots
• Peppers- sweet and hot
• Garlic
• Lettuce
• Spinach
• Green beans
• Turnips (locally grown at Greenawalts)
• Broccoli

• Apples
• Bananas
• Pears
• Florida Citrus such as lemons, oranges and tangerines
• Grapes
• Other fruit such as berries

Other vendors in the market will also be open.  So keep in mind that this includes many locally made offerings such as hummus from the Greek Gourmet, fresh baked items from Rebecca Plum, and fresh made donuts from Better-Made Donuts.  Also, pasta from Fontana Pasta, and bread from Wood Street Bakery.  Local eggs as well as many Amish made prepared items are available at Greenawalts.  Kistaco sells dried soup mixes which are easy to make and great during the cold weather months.

Kew Park Coffee Bar

This week we will contiue to offer a dark/medium bean roasted by LaPrima, and a medium bean roasted by Commonplace Roasters.

Florida citrus is in its prime so we have beautiful oranges, nectarines and grapfruits for making fresh squeezed juice.

Since the weather has turned cold, we will have hot chocolate- back by popular demand!

PA Made Cheese

We have a fresh batch of goat milk chevre and feta from Riverview Dairy.  Also, fresh curds from Arsenal Cheese.

California Olive Oil Connection

Olive Oil update-  I am heading out to California on Sunday and will be visiting 2 farms in Santa Ynez- Figueroa and Olinda Ridge.  I have been carrying these oils consistently for the last 2 years, so it will great to meet the folks who grow the olives and produce these oils.  I hope to do a lot of tasting and then get some of my favorite oils shipped to Pittsburgh to sell at the market.

Raisins and Almonds

We have been carrying organically grown dried fruits from Van Dyke Organics in Gilroy, CA for a while now.  These are great items for the winter months- apricots, pears, nectarines and persimmons.

We are about to get raisins and almonds from Marian Farms in Fresno.  They are grown using biodynamic methods which is an even more intensive method than organic.  The almonds were just harvested last week, flash pasturized and sent to us.  They are in transit now so I am not sure if they will be here for Saturday or for next week. 

I am really exicted about the almonds.  Since they are raw (unroasted) they can be used to make things like fresh almond milk.  We will be serviing fresh made almond milk at the juice bar. We will also have a recipe and demonstrate how to make it.

To learn more about Marian Farms and biodynamic agriculture, please click on the link.

http://www.marianfarmsbiodynamic.com/

Thanks again for your support!

David

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

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 February 11th

Valentines Day is upon us, so stop by the market to get some goodies for your Valentines Day dinner. 

All of the farm stands and other vendors will be open at the market.   Here is a summary of what will be available:

• J. L. Kennedy Meat Stand- Locally grown meat from the Kennedy's.  Get to the market early before they sell out!

• Kistaco Farm continues to have locally raised apples.  Apple varieties this week include Red Delicious, Golden Delicious, Jonagold, Cameo, Empire, Idared, and Rome.  Of course, fresh pressed cider will be available.

• Zang's will have many fresh fruits and vegetables.  Two special items will be red swiss chard, and locally grown micro arugala.

There will be a variety of fruits and vegetables available throughout the market from Zang's, Greenawalt and Kistaco stands.  Some are still locally grown items and some are "imported."  If you are interested in locally grown, please feel free to ask the farmers which items are local.

Veggies

• Potatoes (still locally grown at Greenawalt's)
• Mushrooms
• Squash
• Brussels sprouts
• Cabbage
• Celery
• Cucumbers
• Carrots and other root vegetables
• Onions
• Cauliflower
• Tomatoes
• Shallots
• Peppers- sweet and hot
• Garlic
• Lettuce
• Spinach
• Green beans
• Turnips (locally grown at Greenawalts)
• Broccoli

• Apples
• Bananas
• Pears
• Florida Citrus such as lemons, oranges and tangerines
• Grapes
• Other fruit such as berries

Other vendors in the market will also be open.  So keep in mind that this includes many locally made offerings such as hummus from the Greek Gourmet, fresh baked items from Rebecca Plum, and fresh made donuts from Better-Made Donuts.  Also, pasta from Fontana Pasta, and bread from Wood Street Bakery.  Local eggs as well as many Amish made prepared items are available at Greenawalts.  Kistaco sells dried soup mixes which are easy to make and great during the cold weather months.

Kew Park Coffee Bar

This week we will contiue to offer a dark/medium bean roasted by LaPrima, and a medium bean roasted by Commonplace Roasters.

Florida citrus is in its prime so we have beautiful oranges, nectarines and grapfruits for making fresh squeezed juice.

Since the weather has turned cold, we will have hot chocolate- back by popular demand!

PA Made Cheese

We have a fresh batch of goat milk chevre and feta from Riverview Dairy.  Also, fresh curds from Arsenal Cheese.

California Olive Oil Connection

Olive Oil update-  I am heading out to California on Sunday and will be visiting 2 farms in Santa Ynez- Figueroa and Olinda Ridge.  I have been carrying these oils consistently for the last 2 years, so it will great to meet the folks who grow the olives and produce these oils.  I hope to do a lot of tasting and then get some of my favorite oils shipped to Pittsburgh to sell at the market.

Raisins and Almonds

We have been carrying organically grown dried fruits from Van Dyke Organics in Gilroy, CA for a while now.  These are great items for the winter months- apricots, pears, nectarines and persimmons.

We are about to get raisins and almonds from Marian Farms in Fresno.  They are grown using biodynamic methods which is an even more intensive method than organic.  The almonds were just harvested last week, flash pasturized and sent to us.  They are in transit now so I am not sure if they will be here for Saturday or for next week. 

I am really exicted about the almonds.  Since they are raw (unroasted) they can be used to make things like fresh almond milk.  We will be serviing fresh made almond milk at the juice bar. We will also have a recipe and demonstrate how to make it.

To learn more about Marian Farms and biodynamic agriculture, please click on the link.

http://www.marianfarmsbiodynamic.com/

Thanks again for your support!

David

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

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 February 4th

It's Super Bowl weekend so please stop by the market this Saturday to pick up some items for you Super Bowl event.  All four of the farmer stands will be open and fully stocked- Kistaco Farm, J.L Kennedy Meat Stand, Zang's and Greenawalts.  Here is a summary of what will be available, along with a few notes  and suggestions from me: 

• J. L. Kennedy Meat Stand- Locally grown meat from the Kennedy's.  Get their early before they sell out!

• Kistaco Farm continues to have locally raised apples and apple cider.  Fall apples in February- where else can you find that!

There will be a variety of fruits and vegetables available throughout the market from Zang's, Greenawalt and Kistaco stands.  Some are still locally grown items and some are "imported."  If you are interested in locally grown, please feel free to ask the farmers which items are local.

Veggies

• Potatoes (still locally grown at Greenawalt's)
• Mushrooms
• Squash
• Brussels sprouts
• Cabbage
• Celery
• Cucumbers
• Carrots and other root vegetables
• Onions
• Cauliflower
• Tomatoes
• Shallots
• Peppers- sweet and hot
• Garlic
• Lettuce
• Spinach
• Green beans
• Turnips (locally grown at Greenawalts)
• Broccoli

• Apples
• Bananas
• Pears
• Florida Citrus such as lemons, oranges and tangerines
• Grapes
• Other fruit such as berries

Other vendors in the market will also be open.  So keep in mind that this includes many locally made offerings such as hummus from the Greek Gourmet, fresh baked items from Rebecca Plum, and fresh made donuts from Better-Made Donuts.  Also, pasta from Fontana Pasta, and bread from Wood Street Bakery.  Many Amish made prepared items are available at Greenawalts.  Kistaco sells dried soup mixes which are easy to make and great during the cold weather months.

Kew Park Coffee Bar

This week we will contiue to offer a dark/medium bean roasted by LaPrima, and a medium bean roasted by Commonplace Roasters.

Florida citrus is in its prime so we have beautiful oranges, nectarines and grapfruits for making fresh squeezed juice.

Since the weather has turned cold, we will have hot chocolate- back by popular demand!

PA Made Cheese

Recent arrivals include:

Luddington Lace Swiss from God's Country in Potter County

Fresh curds from Arsenal Cheese

Blue cheese from Clover Creek

California Olive Oil Connection

We have six different extra virgin olive oils this week.  We also have 4 different organically grown dried fruits from Van Dyke Organics in Gilroy, CA.  These are great items for the winter months.

Thanks again for your support!

David

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

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 January 28th

Thanks to all those who came out last Saturday on a morning that was cold and snowy.  We had a nice steady crowd.  It's days like this that makes me realize how loyal and dedicated our customer base is.

Well the market is open again this Saturday, and all four of the farmer stands will be open and fully stocked- Kistaco Farm, J.L Kennedy Meat Stand, Zang's and Greenawalts.  Here is a summary of what will be available, along with a few notes  and suggestions from me: 

• J. L. Kennedy Meat Stand- Val just let me know that they will again offer chicken backs this Saturday, Jan. 28 th for those customers who couldn't get them last week. This will be last offering until end of February. Orders can be placed by phone Friday or chance item availability Sat. morning.  The number at the farm is 724-898-2316.

• Kistaco Farm continues to have locally raised apples and apple cider.  Fall apples in January- where else can you find that!
• Zang's will have potted tulips and hyacinths
• Greenawalt's has some beautiful locally grown turnips that were recently dug.  Of course fresh local eggs will be available.
  

There will be a variety of fruits and vegetables available throughout the market from Zang's, Greenawalt and Kistaco stands.  Some are still locally grown items and some are "imported."  If you are interested in locally grown, please feel free to ask the farmers which items are local.

• Potatoes (still locally grown at Greenawalt's)
• Mushrooms
• Squash
• Celery
• Carrots and other root vegetables
• Onions
• Cauliflower
• Tomatoes (Zang's should have several nice varieties)
• Shallots
• Peppers- sweet and hot
• Garlic
• Lettuce
• Spinach
• Green beans
• Broccoli
• Florida Citrus such as lemons, oranges and tangerines
• Grapes
• Other fruit such as berries

Other vendors in the market will also be open.  So keep in mind that this includes many locally made offerings such as hummus from the Greek Gourmet, fresh baked items from Rebecca Plum, and fresh made donuts from Better-Made Donuts.  Also, pasta from Fontana Pasta, and bread from Wood Street Bakery.  Many Amish made prepared items are available at Greenawalts.  Kistaco sells dried soup mixes which are easy to make and great during the cold weather months.

Kew Park Coffee Bar

This week we will contiue to offer a dark/medium bean roasted by LaPrima, and a medium bean roasted by Commonplace Roasters.

Florida citrus is in its prime so we have beautiful oranges, nectarines and grapfruits for making fresh squeezed juice.

Since the weather has turned cold, we will have hot chocolate- back by popular demand!

PA Made Cheese

Recent arrivals include:

Luddington Lace Swiss from God's Country in Potter County

Fresh curds from Arsenal Cheese

Blue cheese from Clover Creek

California Olive Oil Connection

We have six different extra virgin olive oils this week.  We also have 4 different organically grown dried fruits from Van Dyke Organics in Gilroy, CA.  These are great items for the winter months.

Thanks again for your support!

David

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

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 January 21st

The market is open this Saturday, and all four of the farmer stands will be open and fully stocked- Kistaco Farm, J.L Kennedy Meat Stand, Zang's and Greenawalts.  Here is a summary of what will be available, along with a few notes  and suggestions from me: 

• J. L. Kennedy Meat Stand- Val just let me know that they will have chicken backs for soup/ stock this Saturday. You can call to the farm on Friday to order, or take a chance on the availability on Saturday morning.  The number at the farm is 724-898-2316.

• Kistaco Farm continues to have locally raised apples and apple cider.  I picked up a box of apples last week and they are still really good.  Fall apples in January- where else can you find that!

• Last week I picked up a locally grown squash from Greenawalt's and made a delicous Jamaican sqush (they call it pumpkin) soup.  Please see the recipe at the bottom of this message.  It is very easy.
  

• Speaking of soup, I also purchased a dried soup mix from Kistaco and made a delicous bean soup.  The mixes are very inexpensive, and yield a huge pot of soup. 

There will be a variety of fruits and vegetables available throughout the market from Zang's, Greenawalt and Kistaco stands.  Some are still locally grown items and some are "imported."  If you are interested in locally grown, please feel free to ask the farmers which items are local.

Potatoes (still locally grown at Greenawalt's)
Mushrooms
Squash
Celery
Carrots and other root vegetables
Onions

Tomatoes (Zang's should have several nice varieties)
Shallots
Peppers- sweet and hot
Garlic
Lettuce
Spinach
Green beans
Broccoli
Florida Citrus such as lemons, oranges and tangerines
Grapes
Other fruit such as berries

Other vendors in the market will also be open.  So keep in mind that this includes many locally made offerings such as hummus from the Greek Gourmet, fresh baked items from Rebecca Plum, and fresh made donuts from Better-Made Donuts.  Also, pasta from Fontana Pasta, and bread from Wood Street Bakery.  Many Amish made prepared items are available at Greenawalts.  Kistaco sells dried soup mixes which are easy to make and great during the cold weather months.

Kew Park Coffee Bar

Last week we started to feature the beans that we imported "green" and roasted locally in Pittsburgh.  This week we will contiue to offer a darkmedium bean roasted by LaPrima, and a medium bean roasted by Commonplace Roasters.  People seemed to really like both roasts, so please stop by and let us know what you think.

Florida citrus is in its prime so we have beautiful oranges, nectarines and grapfruits for making fresh squeezed juice.

Since the weather has turned cold, we will have hot chocolate- back by popular demand!

PA Made Cheese

We received some new items.  We got an enormous wheel of Luddington Lace Swiss from God's Country in Potter County.  We will also have fresh curds from Arsenal Cheese, and fresh goat chesses from Riverview Dairy.  The aged "tome" goat cheese that we got from the Bylers was very popular.  I have some blue cheese coming in from Clover Creek tomorrow.

California Olive Oil Connection

We have six different extra virgin olive oils this week.  We also have 4 different organicly grown dried fruits from Van Dyke Organics in Gilroy, CA.  These are great items for the winter months.

Update on Direct from the Farm (A repeat from last week)

2012 will be the second full year of business for the Lagnese family who have brought the "direct from the farm" concept to the Farmers Market Coop of East Liberty.  The idea behind this is to bring great items to the market and do it by dealing directly with the farmers and producers.  This way the farmers get a larger share of the revenue since we are not dealing with middle men or distributors.  In many cases the itms we are bringing in are not available any where else in Pittsburgh.  We look forward to continuing and expanding the concept in 2012.

We recently took inventory for the business in preparation for our tax filing.  As I did that, I was reflecting on all of the relationships that we have formed over the last year.  It made me feel really good to know that we (and you the customers) are supporting so many small scale, family operations.  I have gotten to know these folks through email and phone correspondance, and in some cases visiting the farms.  So I just want to take a moment to recognize all the farmers and producers that we have worked with in 2011.  Each of them puts a great deal of hard work and care into growing and making their products.

Kew Park Estate Coffee

Located in Westmoreland, Jamaica.  This was our first relationship.  Kew Park is owned and operated by Peter Williams and Gina Green.  We have developed a great business relationship and friendship with Peter and Gina since meeting them during a vacation to Jamaica in 2009.  Peter has vistited the market 3 times so far, and we hope to get him back in 2012.

Learn more at:  http://kewpark.com/About_KewPark.html

Olive Oil- California Olive Oil Connection

Corto Olive Farm

Owned and operated by the Cortopassi family. The farm is located in Stockton, which is in California’s “Central Valley.”

Learn more at: http://www.corto-olive.com/

Figueroa Farm

The farm is located in Santa Ynez, and the oil is milled on the farm.  It is owned and operated by Shawn and Antoinette Addison, a prominent family in the California olive oil industry.

Learn more at: http://www.figueroafarms.com/

Hillcrest Ranch

Located on top of a mountain in Sunol (a hair raising journey that I experienced in April).  The property is owned and operated by Kathleen Elliott- a third generation female farmer.

Learn more at: http://www.hillcrestrancholiveoil.com/

Olinda RIdge Organic Farm

Located in Butte County in northern California.  Also now owned by Shawn and Antoinette Addison.

Learn more at: http://www.olindaridge.com/

Olio Nuevo

Located in Paso Robles in the heart of wine country. The operation is owned and operated by Art Kishiyama.  I visited the farm in April and was so impressed by the meticulous growing and processing practices used by Art.

Learn more at: http://www.olionuevo.com/

Stonehouse Olive Oil

The olives are grown on Silver Ridge Farm in Oroville California.  Trish Baldwin is the owner.

Learn more at: http://stonehouseoliveoil.com/

 Dried Organic Fruit

 Van Dyke Organics

Located in Gilroy, California.  Owned and operated by Peter Van Dyke and his family.

 Learn more:  http://www.vandykeorganics.com/index.html

 PA Made Cheese

Arsenal Cheese- Allegheny County

Located right in the east end of Pittsburgh in Lawrenceville.  Owned and operated by Jonathan Gaugler.

Learn more: http://arsenalcheese.com/

Clover Creek Cheese Cellar- Blair County

Clover Creek is owned and operated by David and Terry Rice and their children.

Learn more: http://www.clovercreekcheese.com/

God's Country Creamery- Potter County

God's Country Creamery is owned and operated by Mark and Melanie Bachman and their three children. 

Learn more: http://www.godscountrycreamery.com/

Hidden Hills Dairy- Bedford County

Hidden Hills Dairy is owned and operated by Lori Sollenberger and husband Rex Knepp.  

Learn more: http://www.hiddenhillsdairy.com/

Riverview Dairy- Clarion County

Riverview Dairy is owned and operated by Sam and Susie Byler and their 7 children.   Sam and Susie used to come to the market in person, but now work with us to sell their cheese.  We have visited their farm twice and are so impressed with the care and love that go into both raising the goats and making the cheese.

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

Jamaican Cream of Pumpkin (Squash) Soup

2 Tbsp. butter

3 Tbsp. flour

2 cups milk

1 onion chopped

2 cups of boiled pureed squash

1 Tbsp. sugar

Salt and Pepper to taste

1 Tsp. sweet curry (optional)

Make the pureed squash by lightly simmering peeled squash pieces in water.  I put the pieces in a saute pan and covered them with water.  I cooked them until soft which only takes about 5 minutes. I drained them and reserved the liquid which I added to the soup later.  I pureed the cooked pieces in a food processor.

In a pot, melt butter and lightly brown onions

Add curry, flour, salt, pepper ansd sugar

Cook for about 2 minutes, stirring constantly to make sure the flour does not burn

Add milk slowly, stirring constantly until the milk is well incorporated

When the milk mixture starts to reach a simmer, add the pureed squash, and the reserved liquid that you cooked the squash in.

Continue stirring to incorporate all ingredients together

Simmer for 5 minutes, then its ready to serve

Check for seasoning, add salt and pepper as needed.  You can also add some hot pepper flakes if you like.

Of course like all soups, it will be better the next day.

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

Thanks again for your support!

David

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

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.