Time For Christmas!

Open Doors At Janoski's Greenhouse!

Well, this was a first. Taking advantage of a warm & sunny day, LFLF stopped at Janoski's Farm & Greenhouse today to pick up our Christmas Poinsettias.  I have NEVER seen the greenhouse doors & windows open in December!

Janoski's Greenhouse Poinsettias In View!

Poinsettias are known for being very sensitive to cold freezing air, so it's always a quick dash out to the warm vehicle with the pots enclosed in a plastic sleeve.  Not today, but wait another day or two and you'll be making that sprint through the cold air!  Merry Christmas!

Janoski's - Get Your Poinsettias ...

Big Selection At Janoski's

Janoski's Farm & Greenhouse - Home Grown Peppers!

It's a great time of year for an abundance of local produce & it seems like everything is available! The pictures speak for themselves ...

Janoski Farm Eggplant Bin

LFLF has never been a fan of eggplant (!), but they looked wonderful in the bin.

Winter Squashes Are Coming In Now Too ...

Also, Janoski's is one of the farms that keeps sweet corn plantings that last into October when others have ended their season, so of course we also came away with a half-dozen ears in a brown bag!

Local Shopping Labor Day Weekend !

Shoppers At Beaver Farmers' Market

Who wasn't out over the weekend shopping for picnics and cookouts?  It's been HOT, but that's all the better for the tomatoes & egg plants, I guess! 

Enon Valley Garlic Customers

Shoppers were loaded down and lined up at the booths.  LFLF came away with 3 hardy mums, a mess 'o yellow summer squash, some peppers, and a small container of cookies.  Never mind that the icing was melting in the heat! :)
On Sunday, we hopped over to Janoski's Farm and Greenhouse for our contribution to a family cookout.  We picked up sweet corn and also watermelon, grapes, and cantaloupe for a fruit salad.  We saw this sign, but our selections looked great ...

Janoski's - You Can't Change The Weather!

Tomato Varieties At Randy's Raisings!

This Way To Tons Of Tomatoes At Randy's Raisings!

We stopped at Randy's Raisings in Calcutta, Ohio to pick up some sweet corn for dinner. We ended up with sweet corn and Ginger Gold apples, but just look at these tomatoes!  

Randy's Raisings Large Heirloom Tomato Selection ...

They sell all of these varieties in the spring at the greenhouse as plants and apparently grow out quite of bit of them.  LFLF highly recommends a visit to check out this selection!  Now for the small tomato varieties ...

A Few Of The Cherry & Grape Tomato Varieties

There were more, but the sun was too bright & the pics got washed out! 

Visit To VanPelt's Farm Market

VanPelt's Farm Market

LFLF made a trip into Ohio yesterday and we made a stop at VanPelt's Farm Market on the way home. This is a busy market and there were a couple of folks who were picking up bushel quantities of tomatoes, beans, & peppers to do their home canning.

Van Pelt's Egg Noodles

The market is stocked with local meats, cheeses, noodles, baked goods, eggs, milk, etc! We got a bag of granola & 2 different cheeses. Then it was on to the sweet corn, a melon, and some peaches.
The apples are starting to come in too with several varieties available.  Ginger Gold is a favorite of ours.

VanPelt's Ginger Gold & Gala Apples

VanPelt's Zeststar & Paula Red Apples

I have to admit, I've never seen the apple variety Zeststar before ... have you?

Peaches & Plums!

McConnell's Farm - Peaches, Come & Get 'Em!

Don't say we didn't warn you!  McConnell's Farm says they won't be around much longer ...  LFLF stopped in this week to get sweet corn & peaches.  We ended up with peaches, plums, sweet corn, red cabbage, & a carton of Brunton Dairy chocolate ice cream!  

McConnell's Farm - Great Selection Of Plums

A Stop At Huffman Fruit Farm!

Huffman Fruit Farm - Orchard & Fields 

LFLF was in Salem, Ohio today and made a round trip back to go to GreenStar Cooperative in Greenford, Ohio to pick up some clear plastic peck, 1/2 peck, & bushel liner bags.  The side trip took us right past Huffman Fruit Farm! We stopped in for sweet corn and whatever else caught our eye.

Huffman Fruit Farm Sales Barn

Be sure to check out the interior log walls of the store set up in the barn.  You can see the logs in the background behind the peaches.  There was quite a selection of produce, canned goods, local honey, and even Ohio grown popcorn!

Ohio Grown Popcorn For Sale 

We picked up popcorn, plums, and sweet corn ... the peaches & berries also looked great!

Huffman Farm Red Haven Peaches

Huffman Farm Plums & Blueberries

I didn't ask, but based on the nearby fields and the heaping baskets in the market, I bet you could get all of the tomatoes & peppers that you'd need for canning!

Baskets Of Tomatoes & Peppers 

Peaches At McConnells' Farm!

McConnells' Farm - Delicious Flaming Fury Peaches!

LFLF was running errands and we were in the Aliquippa, PA area yesterday.  I had been saving a recipe for peach pound cake and knew that I'd find peaches at McConnells' Farm.  The recipe only uses 2 cups, so that leaves plenty to eat fresh.  This particular peach is freestone ... yay!

Had Any SMOPES Lately???

How about the Smopes (!) for sale ... aka small cantaloupes?  :)  We also got some sweet corn and of course, the donkey considers the husks a local food too!   A nice change of pace from grazing.

Glenda Enjoys Sweet Corn Husks From McConnells' Farm!  

Running Around To The Markets

Randy's Raisings - Stop In For Some Great Buys!

LFLF has been out and about, but I keep forgetting the camera.  I had it with me this time when we made a stop at Randy's Raisings.  We wanted sweet corn and couldn't resist a trip through the greenhouse to check out the BOGO items!

Customer In Randy's Raisings Greenhouse

I got a potted Rosemary plant as well as some "Antigua" series marigolds to fill in around the perennials in the flower beds.  It's been quite a summer trying to keep up with the weeds ... the wet weather helps them to thrive too!
And yes, we got some sweet corn, possibly the best we've had so far this summer!

Fresh Sweet Corn At Randy's Raisings, Calcutta, Ohio

LFLF Discovers The Two Fraus Bakery !

Springfest In Harmony, PA

LFLF was set up as a vendor at the 2015 Harmony Fiber Arts Festival & Market yesterday in historic Harmony, PA.  When you're a vendor (alter ego Wild Rose Farm!), you can't leave your booth for long and it's always a test to find food & drinks nearby.  A fellow vendor came back with a little brown bag of wonderful looking baked goods, so the search was on!   A quick inquiry & LFLF was out the back door and around the bend following the signs ...
Tucked in the Bottlebrush Gallery we found the energetic owners of The Two Fraus Bakery!

The Two Fraus Bakery - Try Our Lavender Infused Cookies! 

The owners are passionate (or crazy in a good sense!) about sourcing natural and LOCAL ingredients for their scratch baking.  They are wholesale bakers and their goodies can be found at local businesses by checking out their web-site, www.twofraus.com   We enjoyed  the Lavender shortbread cookies & a lemon thyme scone.  Yum!

The Two Fraus Bakery Customers - So Hard To Decide!

I should have made a list of the offerings.  They were "show casing" their herbal recipes in keeping with the Harmony Museum's Annual Herb & Garden Fair, but they have a great selection of more traditional breads & cookies offered at their retail vendor customers - one of which is the Wunderbar Coffee House in Harmony, PA.
BTW - we need to make a trip back to Harmony to fully explore the Bottlebrush Gallery in background of these pics!   A gallery with a mission of "supporting local arts" ...

Just Passing By!

The Main Street Farmers' Market - Washington, PA

LFLF was "just passing by" today in Washington, PA while the market was in full swing.  I was fortunate enough to be stopped right in front of the market for the traffic light & snapped a couple of pictures out of the window!  How's that for dedicated reporting?  :)

Shoppers At The Main Street Farmers' Market

We couldn't stop at the market, but the rib vendor set up right a the entrance was doing some brisk business and it smelled great!   I'd love to get back sometime this summer when the market is in full swing.  This market community is also in the process of building open pavillions to cover the market area & is currently doing fund raising ...

More From Somerset County Farmers' Market

Somerset County Farmers' Market - Assortment Of Value-Added Products!

LFLF remembered to bring along a cooler and came home with several goodies!  The Somerset Sauce from Hilltop Growers will be used the next time we make spaghetti & I already had one of the Delmonico steaks from Grandma's Produce.  We'll probably use the ground beef in the spaghetti sauce too ...
We already used some of the garlic parsley cheese in grilled stuffed mushroom caps.

Waiting In Line With The Van Grouw Family Farm Cheese Customers

Van Grouw Family Farm Cheese Selection At Somerset County Farmers' Market

Finally, a little clowning around at the booth of another founding member, Providence Acres!

Providence Acres Farm - Who's That Clown?

Here's to the start of a great 2015 season and another 10 years of success for the Somerset County Farmers' Market!

Has It Been 10 Years Already?

Somerset County Farmers' Market - 10th Anniversary Opening Party!

Has it really been 10 years since LFLF was involved with the grand opening of the Somerset County Farmers' Market?  :)  Well, the market is going strong and we had a chance to visit with old friends and some of the founding members of the market last Saturday.  It was great to see the new vendors and the variety of products at this "Producer Only" market.

Knapp Time Farm Customers

Knapp Time Farm Grilling Samples

LFLF joined the crowd and went with the flow enjoying samples and a slice of anniversary cake!

Lambert Mountain Acres Value Added Products

Gary at Lambert Mountain Acres is a founding member of the market and has an organic garlic specialty line as well as other fresh produce and value added sauces!

Lambert Mountain Acres Sustainably Harvested Organic Ramps

More founding vendors keeping it going at the market!   Hi-View Gardens & Hilltop Growers adding new products and value-added items to the mix ... it helps in early season markets to add variety!

Hi-View Gardens Customers Greet The Newest "Grower" At the Farm!  :)

Hi-View Gardens Herb Selection At Somerset County Farmers' Market

Hilltop Growers Added Chili & Spaghetti Sauces To Their Line-up!

Somerset County Farmers' Market - Supporting Local Farmers! 

Stay tuned for more pics and some of the value-added items that LFLF brought home!

A Trip To Sewickley!

Pisarcik Greenhouse & Flower Farm At Sewickley Farmers' Market

LFLF made a loop on Saturday.  We needed something to take to a poetry reading & potluck lunch nearby & I knew that the Sewickley Farmers' Market was open for the season.  They would certainly have some delicious baked goods!  I picked up some great cookies and then did a little shopping for myself.

Flat Of Herbs From Pisarcik Greenhouse & Flower Farm

The flowers & herbs were really nice and there were also tomato plants at the market if you're in the mood to coddle them for another month!  :)

Gray Farm Mushrooms

We picked up some mushrooms at the Gray Farm booth and then got some pea shoots at the Dillner Family Farm booth.

Dillner Family Farm Produce

Several other vendors were there with lettuce & greens, honey, beef, and yarn!  Of course all of the prepared food vendors were out in force!  It turned out to be a nice day after early morning rain ...

Underhill Farm Artisan Yarns - Great Colors!

Clarion River Organics