Pittsburgh Farmers Market

I want to write a few more posts about my most recent trip to Pittsburgh, PA.  My trips there always include great food, no matter how long I'm there, and my stay over this past Fourth of July holiday weekend was no different.

One morning, Anna and Jim and I ended up at the Pittsburgh Farmers Market in the Strip District.  Though small, it had a lot to offer.



A visit to one farm's table proved especially inspiring.  Fresh goat chevre being served on graham crackers with fruit jam inspired Anna and me to buy some of the cheese and make our own open-faced jam and cracker sandwiches back at the house.  The feta from this farm was also top-notch.



Naturally, I picked up two giant bags of kale so that I could make a batch of kale chips.



Though we had a general plan of acquisition, we enjoyed wandering and checking out what everyone had to offer.





We had a chance to chat with several of the women at the "Slow Food Pittsburgh" table. I sampled a delicious, fresh applesauce and appreciated that they were set up to do on-site cooking demos.







With so much in season, how could we not eat well?

Farmers at the Firehouse Farmers Market
Saturdays 9:30 am - 1:30 pm (May - November)
Strip District - 2216 Penn Avenue 

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CSA and my bated breath

My CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) program's vegetable distribution begins in two weeks.  The video above features our farmer, Zaid, and his produce.  22 weeks of fruits and vegetables, here I come!

Zaid reports our first week could include:

Lettuces
Spring Garlic
Mixed Greens
Radishes
Japanese Turnips
Possibly garlic scapes

Can't. Wait.

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C is for...

Cheese farm -- September Cheese Farm in Honey Brook, PA, to be exact, where the staff is pleasant and the samples are many.  Try the spring onion cheese (alas, sold out when we were there)!  Try the bacon cheese spread on an almond cracker!






Cheese Curds -- These have been a favorite of mine since childhood.  We bought plain (unflavored) and roasted garlic cheese curds.  They should squeak when you chew them.  That's how you know they're good.  Also, my parents say if you leave them in the fridge a little too long and they start to lose savor, just zap them in the microwave for a few seconds.




Cute Cat with three paws who lives at the Cheese farm:


shoes by Marais

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Photo Essay: Just Food's CSA in NYC Conference

Here's a shot of my lap at around 9:30 am at Just Food's CSA in NYC Conference yesterday. They didn't serve breakfast, or even hot water for tea (I brought my own tea bags). Luckily, I had a snack in my bag -- "Kranky" chocolate-covered cornflakes from Mexico (via Angela).

I attended the following three workshops, as well as the opening talk by Just Food organizers, and the Farmer Panel:

1. Caring for your Share -- which is going to better inform my CSA blogging this year
2. Donating Your CSA's Extra Food
3. Strategies to Increase Mixed-Income CSA Participation




Finally, time for lunch!




My plate -- savory, dressed roasted vegetables; an apple; goat cheese and eggplant sandwich. I'm not always into sandwiches, but it was good. Now, with bonus apple cider! The apple cider and apple were from Breezy Hill Orchard.


The rest of these (blurry phone) photos are all from the Farmer/Trade Expo at the end of the day.




This table belonged to The Piggery, and I got a sample of their pâté (which tasted like spreadable liverwurst, something I loved as a kid) and spicy mortadella. However, they displayed a photo of cute pigs on their table, which made me want to quit eating pork entirely again. I only started back up a few years ago, and I'm still dealing with a lot of guilt. I visited the Animal Welfare Approved table immediately after my Piggery experience, to make myself feel better.




Wine (not local) for conference-goers.




More apples and cider from Breezy Hill.




Salted butter on bread -- divine. Goat cheese with honey on a cracker -- divoon. Yum. Both were from Vermont Creamery. Swoon (-- onto the divan?! I tickle myself).




Sprouts with peanut sauce. I bought a "(sprout-your-sprouts-)Garden-in-a-bag" bag to take home. I'll be blogging more about this at a later date.






People really swarmed around the Grandaisy Bakery bread table. I had a little pizza-saucey something that was quite good.





I also tasted, but did not photograph, a surprisingly tiny sample of Magui's Artisinal Chocolates. It was so small a piece I barely got the white chocolate flavor before it disappeared in my mouth. But it was good.





This year, I'm taking on a role in the core group of my CSA (at Judson in Washington Square Park), so I appreciated the chance to get to know more about the innerworkings of CSAs in New York City. I wish I could have attended even more of the workshops, but I'm glad for the chance to go to the ones I did.

Poetry Tuesday: Molly and David got married.

(photo by Dan)


Ceremony
A day as bright as love,
As the bride is bright, as the groom is bright, as the
Blankets thrown down to serve as rafts
For friends on the great, green grass.
We sail the field, tambourines shaking in joy,
Grins thrown open, wide skies of smiles,
Strummed music humming our expansive hopes,
Tears of large, happy witness and small, secret wishing.
Our parade of sweetness progresses through tall grass,
and they are at its head.

Reception
Receiving us: peppers, farm flowers, kittens,
Small, tart apples and gamboling calf.
The world opens its stores in the wake of this coupling,
Heirloom tomatoes like jewels, lobsters laying down their lives,
Salads rare. We are so prosperous!
Blue and gold coins of cheese, precious as the fading light.
Treasure fills these chests and overflows,
Overflows.

Icy Frolics
Gingered ice cream, Maine blueberries, lemon cake,
Sweet and tart and warm and heavy on our tongues.
Taste this, this green wine, fresh in youth;
This is their life, may it ripen with age and care.
We hold them in our hands, we take them in, they cover us,
As do our shawls and scarves and necessary hugs.
A night once cold as an empty heart now warmed by
Dancing, colored frocks, and music
Made by all of us.



















(photo by Dan)



(photo by Dan)


(photo by Dan)















(photo by August Heffner. Used with permission)