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!

Cider's In Season At McConnells' Farm!

McConnells' Farm - "Antique" Cider Sign!

LFLF had a chance to run out to McConnells' Farm to pick up some sweet corn.  When we arrived, the sign on the counter said that apple cider was ready.  It's the first of the season for us ... yea!   We noticed the old cider sign on the building as we backed out to leave ...

But ... this is the beautiful fall display that greeted us on the front porch of the barn!

McConnells' Farm - Pumpkins & Hardy Mums

Lots of apples are ready now and we decided on an old favorite, Cortland.  This has been the apple of choice in the past when the family made applebutter .... 7 bushels of apples cooks down to about 70 - 75 quarts of applebutter!  I just settled for a small basket today.  :)

Cortland Apples At McConnells' Farm

Cider Cooler Behind The Big Table Of Apples

We also picked up fresh green beans to go along with the sweet corn.  We'll be back for some squash and peppers another day.

McConnells' Farm - Peppers & Potatoes



New Apples

McConnells' Farm Driveway

The "goal" of the mid-week stop today at McConnells' Farm was to get some peppers & onions for a batch of stuffed peppers.  Mission accomplished.  We also added sweet corn, nectarines, Brunton Dairy ice cream, and apples to the cart.   "Golden Supreme" is an apple variety that was new to LFLF, but they looked great, so we grabbed a bag to try them out.

McConnells' Farm - Golden Supreme Apples

They are exactly what the sign says - crisp & firm fleshed.  Very tasty.  See the blue ribbon in the background?  That was from the Gala apple entry by McConnells' Farm at the local Hookstown Fair last week ...

McConnells' Farm - Blue Ribbon For Gala Apples!

Busy Market Day

Custom Arrangement By Ridgemont Farms

We can't complain about the weather at the Beaver Farmers' Market on Saturday.  It was mild and really sunny, so LFLF got a couple of pictures in to share.  The crowd kept walking in front of the camera too ... sheesh! 

Cabbages are in!

LFLF picked up sweet corn, one of the purple cabbages, green peppers, and some peanut butter cookies.   The cabbage is really fresh & has a sweet flavor at this time of year!

What's Up At McConnells' Farm?

Following The Signs To McConnells' Farm !

LFLF hadn't been to McConnells' Farm for a couple of years ... due to a major bridge closing in the area, the detour home from work eliminated travel past this farm in season.   :( 
What a nice surprise when I visited on Saturday.  A relocated & restored barn is now the focal point of the farm market!   LFLF even got a chance to go upstairs to shoot a few pictures from the (as yet unopened) 2nd floor.  Thank you Mr. McConnell for recognizing a fellow barn enthusiast!

McConnells' Farm Customers Checking Out

McConnells' Farm - Apples, Peaches, & Nectarines

We circled the market and picked up sweet corn, a cantaloupe, tomatoes, nectarines, and a container of ice cream from Brunton Dairy, another local farm.

McConnells' Farm Market - Cukes, Green Tomatoes, & Zucchini

McConnells' Farm Market - Onions & Green Beans

McConnells' Farm Market - Peppers & Tomatoes

We also spotted some great handcrafted soaps ... loved the smell of the Clove Soap ... maybe on the next trip!  

Handcrafted Soap At McConnells' Farm Market

Our next post will show a bit of what's happening outside of the market ...

Of Pumpkins & Peppers!

Douds-Floyd Farm Display!

LFLF has more great pictures from the Beaver County Fruit & Vegetable Growers Association!
The peppers & pumpkins are in full swing right now.  Douds-Floyd Farm has this nice pumpkin nestled in with the sweet peppers & squashes.

Hot & Mild Peppers

 Then there are the hot Jalapenos and milder Poblano peppers ........ time to try a new recipe for the Poblanos?  They look fantastic all piled up in the baskets.

More Pumpkins & Winter Squash From Oak Spring Farm!

Enjoying The Local Harvest!

Stuffed Peppers Into The Oven To Bake!

LFLF usually takes the reader through the markets, but this time, here are a couple of pictures of the harvest being enjoyed.  

Nothing goes to waste .......... Glenda participates too.  Yum - Douds-Floyd Farm sweetcorn husks!

Glenda Cleans Up After The Sweetcorn Is Husked!

Report From Two Markets!

Beaver Farmers' Market Shoppers Picking Out Mums

LFLF didn't have time to put up a post on the Ambridge Farmers' Market Thursday, so we'll just add it in with the pictures from the Beaver Farmers' Market today ......  After a rainy Saturday last weekend, the local shoppers were out in full force this morning!  We saw LOTS of cut flowers and hardy mums being snapped up today. 

Beaver Farmers' Market - Ridgemont Farms Cut Flowers!

We came home with a bag of Cortland apples, but you could have gotten virtually ANY fruit or vegetable today.  We've been seeing fall red raspberries at market lately ..... better get them soon! 
Let's go back to the Ambridge Farmers' Market on Thursday to get a closer look at some of the veggies at the markets now ........

Ambridge Farmers' Market - Oak Spring Farm Variety

 Lots of greens, leeks, garlic, beets, & potatoes .........

Brenckle Organics

 Then we talked to one of the farmers about Marketing 101!  Seems a customer came by looking for a basket of hot peppers, but didn't seem to want to pick them out herself.  After she moved on, our intrepid farmer picked out two baskets of 15 "select peppers" and put her sign on them ...... the shopper came back past the table again and bought one of the baskets of peppers.  Go figure!  Something we've always found is that you need to have more than one of something so folks can have a choice.  :)

One Basket Of "Select Peppers" Remaining - Upper Left

 LFLF of course, couldn't resist these edible pod peas and also picked up some bread to toast for personal pizzas ........

Peppers & Peas

Stuffed Peppers ......

Pan Of Stuffed Peppers! 

LFLF has been working on this pan of stuffed peppers all week.  There were 2 more full sized peppers in another smaller pan & they were the first to go!  This is the kind of food that tastes better when it's re-heated.   Tricks to this recipe?  It calls for tomato sauce - substitute spaghetti sauce.  It calls for rice - substitute spanish rice.  Spanish rice calls for chopped tomatoes - substitute stewed tomatoes.  It calls for mozerella cheese - substitute specialty Italian cheese blend!  :)  We'll be on the prowl for more local sweet peppers this weekend.
Looking for local meat?  Check out the Beaver County 4-H Stockman's Club 39th Annual Livestock Market Auction tonight at the Hookstown Fair!

Hookstown Fair - Pork Cuts Chart!

If you miss this one, there's always the 4-H Auction next week at the Big Knob Grange Fair.

Before & After

It took a few days, but the peppers from Douds-Floyd Farm at the Beaver Farmers' Market are stuffed. In fact, after a few days, the green pepper turned an orange/red color.

A few tweeks of the recipe --> Substitute your favorite spaghetti sauce for the plain tomato sauce. Substitute prepared spanish rice (cooked with stewed tomatoes) for the plain white rice. Vary the cheeses on top .......

Your Roving Reporter in the Field ....

There'll be a little more here than the usual pictures of great local food from the Beaver Farmers' Market. The market is LOADED with great produce right now! The peppers & tomatoes are really colorful ...... we got a beautiful multi-colored selection of peppers to stuff from Doud-Floyd Farm. Each week brings new varieties of apples. We picked up Cortlands this time for a change. This is the apple that LFLF uses for making applebutter every few years --- of course, that family project takes about 7 bushels!

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

LFLF arrived at market around 12:15 PM, which is a little later than usual. The market is located in the Beaver County Courthouse rear parking lot. While parking, about 30 people were noted out in front of the courthouse and other people were trickling in to the area. One truck had a Lycoming County decorative plate on the front bumper. Yes, we arrived at the same time as folks were setting up for a Tea Party at 1:00 PM in front of the courthouse. Not one to miss out on a photo op and a nice crowd (after loading down the market bag), your local blogster joined the group out front as it gathered and snapped a few pictures. Seemed to be more than 200 people out there. Lots of homemade signs and a big "tea-stained" American flag in crowd. Kids, senior citizens, bikers, some folks in wheelchairs, etc. Looked like a pretty average crowd on the steps and the lawn ..... didn't see any astro-turf. The first shot is the group bowing their heads in memory of the victims of 9/11. After that are a couple of the signs. Double click for close-ups.

The final installment ......

Finally, a look at some of the fruit that was available at the Sewickley Farmers' Market. There were also loads of peaches at the market, but the picture came out fuzzier than the peaches. Oh well ...........

The last person that I got to talk to was Lynne from Dream Thyme Farm. She spotted my Waynesburg Sheep & Fiber Fest T-shirt and we got into a discussion on sheep & fiber (!). Dream Thyme had some interesting peppers, winter squashes & pumpkins, as well as handmade soap. And here's something unusual --- they feature goat meat. Check out their web-site for more information.

http://www.dreamthymefarm.com/

Sewickley 2.0 - Me & Mrs. Jones

Me & Mrs. Jones ---- how many times have they heard this line?!? I came across a couple of great products at the market on Saturday after just missing the morning rain. I didn't get to meet Mrs. Jones, but I did sample her potato salad and her "Multi-Purpose Sauce!". http://www.mrsjonesthesauce.com/ After heeding the call to "Taste What You've Been Missing", I brought a jar of the sauce home. I was making stuffed peppers for dinner with a recipe that called for 1 & 3/4 cups of tomato sauce ....... I used 8oz. of tomato sauce and substituted Mrs. Jones Multi-Purpose Sauce for the rest of the sauce. The stuffed peppers were great! It added great flavor & a bit of a kick to the stuffed peppers. What next ....... brush on as a barbeque sauce?

One of the farmers at the market who suggested the use of the sauce as a beef marinade or barbeque sauce was Dave McElhaney of McElhaney Family Farm. http://www.familyfarmbeef.com/ They have a steady stream of customers buying their dry aged beef from the freezer truck. Later in the season, I'd like to get over to their place and get some pictures at the farm ...... stay tuned. Here's a great chance to get local beef to stock your freezer or for the grill!

More about the market on my next post ........

Food & food for the soul!

What a great market this afternoon in Ambridge! The weather was fantastic. I arrived around 5:45 today and the tables were still overflowing with a great variety of baked goods, veggies, flowers, and fruit. I also spotted the first apple cider of the season.

As I walked through the market, I saw several people picking up large quantities of tomatoes and peppers for canning & freezing from the farmers. Keep in mind that many of the farmers will accept orders for large quantities of produce if you're into preserving. The heirloom tomatoes in the bottom picture are "Hillbilly" & "Mortgage Lifter" from May-Malone Farm.

Need ideas on how to use tons of tomatoes? Here's a link to check out. http://www.uga.edu/nchfp/how/can3_tomato.html

The peppers pictured above are from Douds-Floyd Farm. I bought 6 bell peppers for stuffed peppers this weekend. Two baskets of hot peppers disappeared in front of me as I tried to take the pictures ........ If you like hot peppers, now is the time to hit the market!

Finally - food for the soul. Check out the gorgeous magenta colored Celosia (aka cockscomb) from Ridgemont Farm. I picked up the 2 large stems to dry for a winter arrangement. Several of the cut flower arrangements contained flowers that could be dried. Why not ask for a custom bouquet of flowers to make a dried arrangement?

Here's more info on dried flowers ----> http://www.dried-flowers-galore.com/