Fall Visit To The Spring-House

The Spring-House in Eighty-Four, PA

LFLF made a trip down to the Eighty-Four Livestock Auction today and then popped over across the street to have lunch at The Spring-House.  The signs are up and the flyers are out for Thanksgiving - you can order fresh turkeys and lots of other homemade food for the holiday.  Keeping with the spirit, I had an open-faced hot turkey sandwich with mashed potatoes & turkey gravy ... mmmmmm!
After lunch we browsed the store and also picked up some thick bacon.

Pie Pumpkins & Gourds With A Crabapple Garland!  

 Coming around past the gourds & pie pumpkins was this wonderful variety of winter squash, aka "Grumpy Frumpy Pumpkins"!  They're always my favorite for display and then they can be used for cooking.

The Spring-House Display of "Grumpy Frumpy Pumpkins"!

The Spring-House is loaded with all kinds of home-made and local baked goods, candy, honey, and other canned goods.  Here are some of the all natural breads on display ...

The Spring-House All Natural Breads

Finally, here's a picture of the dairy case ... after all, this is The Spring-House and it all started as a dairy farm! 

The Spring-House Dairy Case - Farm Fresh Whole Milk

Brisk Market At Beaver

Beaver Farmers' Market Customers Bundled Up!

Saturday was probably the first of the really cool days to come.  It got up to 45 degrees, but coming off of 70 degrees a week ago, it seems bone chilling!  That and a little rain still didn't keep the customers at home yesterday. 

Picking Out A Cabbage From Oak Spring Farm

It does change what people are buying though.  Big bags of leafy greens and leeks, cabbage, potatoes, and apples were the order of the day.  We got a bag of one of our hard to find favorites - Melrose apples.
In our previous post, LFLF mentioned Thanksgiving decorations ... that proved to be a prophetic comment.  Look at the great display of winter sqaushes that can be used for decoration and then cooked up later ...

Douds-Floyd Farm Centerpiece Squashes!
 

Breads, baked goods, & apple cider were also being snapped up off of the tables ..

Colorful Halloween Cookies At Pat's Pastries

Shopping For Apples



Some Markets Wrapping Up!

Green Tree Park Farmers' Market - 10/30 Last Day

It looks like some markets will be having their last session this week.  LFLF came across this poster in the Green Tree Borough Building.  Be sure to visit the market and thank your farmers for a great 2014 season.   Think "Thanksgiving decorations" & you might be able to get a good deal on pumpkins and winter squash this weekend!  :) 

Local Farm Story

LFLF has visited and had several posts this year from McConnell's Farm in Aliquippa.  Click here for a feature  STORY featuring this long time family farm from the Farm & Dairy this week.  

Mazur's Greenhouse & Farm Pumpkins

Mazur's Greenhouse & Farm Signs

It's that season again - time for LFLF to get our 10 "fence post sitter" pumpkins!   We were returning from Zelienople, PA and decided to follow the signs to Mazur's Greenhouse & Farm.   We'd never been to this local farm market before yesterday.  Travel is back a lane along a big pond or a small lake (depending on your perspective!)  ... and then over a railroad track to the greenhouse & market.

Mazur's Farm Welcome!

We weren't disappointed!  Lots of pumpkins here and we went back past several greenhouses.  A couple of them were filled with tomato plants reaching up to the top of the houses and forming a tomato canopy. 
I filled a sweet corn sack with pumpkins and chatted for a while ... I got to meet owner Jerry Mazur and he says that the tomatoes are doing well and will be putting on another flush of growth soon. 
Now to put the pumpkins out on the fence posts ...

LFLF Home With A Sack 'O Pumpkins!

Sweet Corn At Schiefelbeins's Farm Market

Schiefelbein's Farm Market

LFLF made it a point to stop in at Schiefelbein's Farm Market yesterday to get some pictures.  You can see a lot of the produce growing in the fields right along Route 151.  We pass by and stop a couple of times a month, but never seem to have the camera in hand!  I didn't get any pictures of the sweet corn, but it was one of the best batches I've had all summer.

Schiefelbein's Farm Market Tables & Cooler

The tables were loaded with tomatoes front & center and surrounded by a colorful display of ornamental gourds, mini-pumpkins, & decorative corn.  Peppers filled the back side.  Click on the pictures to see what's in the cooler case - local milk from Brunton Dairy and fresh eggs from Seibel's Farm.


Decorative Corn & Mini-Pumpkins

In the background the tables are full of butternut & acorn squash, zucchini, cabbage, potatoes, beets, large pumpkins, and a good selection of local apples.  Along with the sweet corn we picked up a box of radishes, a cabbage, & some egg noodles.  You can also get PA maple syrup and local honey here.  The local beekeeper is J. Lee Miller - retired Beaver County Cooperative Extension Director ... aka "J-Lee-Bee-Glad" ... famous for his honey and prize winning gladiolus flowers!  :)

PA Maple Syrup & Honey From J. Lee Miller

Finally - how about this decorative cross-cut saw sign hanging over the canned goods & honey display?  Perfect for the fall season!

Schiefelbein's Farm Market Crosscut Saw Sign

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