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October Brings on a Huge Harvest!

2010-09-17T05:35:00.005-04:00

October not only brings in cooler market temps, but crisp apples and pears. Boyer Nurseries and Orchards is one of our premier fruit growers at Friday's market and they know their fruit. Don't settle for that same old apple from a mass grocery store chain, but enjoy the selection of apples direct from Boyer's orchards. They know their fruit!

PEAR APPLE CRISP
3 ripe pears, peeled, cored & sliced
3/4 c. flour
2 tart apples, peeled & sliced
1/3 c. sugar
2 Tbsp. lemon juice
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
2 Tbsp. apple cider
1/4 tsp. allspice
1 tsp. vanilla
2 Tbsp. butter
1 Tbsp. vegetable oil

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix pears, apples, lemon juice, cider
and vanilla. Put in a 9 inch pie plate. In medium bowl, stir together
flour, sugar, allspice and cinnamon. With a pastry blender or knives,
cut in the butter, then stir in the oil. Spoon the crumbly mixture on
top of the fruit. Bake for 40-45 minutes. Serves 6-8

Recipe compliments of Boyer Nurseries & Orchards

Labor Day Weekend is Here!

2010-09-01T10:56:00.006-04:00

One of the most inspiring aspects of a farmers' market is taking great fresh ingredients from our hard working growers and cooking something really, really good!

This weekend, Quisine 360 owner, Marty Qually will team up with Wellspan Community Nutrition professional, Betsy Wargo to showcase fresh food. Their recipe of choice: Ratatouille!

Ingredients are basic and simple; whole fresh market food: Tomatoes, eggplant, onion, garlic, zucchini and at home staples. Most of the ingredients were grown by Latimore Valley Farms one of our Certified Organic market growers.

Tastings are available, along with great healthy cooking tips from Betsy Wargo and our guest chef, Marty.

The cooking program is from 10-11:30. Regular market hours: 9:30-2:00

So stop by and celebrate not only good food, but all the labor it took to grow it! Pick up the recipe at the market or we'll post it on our blog next week.

Plum Pie

2010-08-25T13:21:00.004-04:00

STREUSEL TOPPED PLUM PIE
Compliments of Boyer’s: I love this pie! It’s easy to make & always a winner.

5 C. pitted, quartered fresh plums
1/3 c. all purpose flour
1/3 c. water
1/3 tsp. granulated sugar
1 1/4 c. packed brown sugar
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
3 Tbsp. cornstarch
1/4 tsp. nutmeg
1/4 tsp. salt
2 Tbsp. soft butter or margarine
1 unbaked 9 inch pastry shell whipped cream or ice cream (optional)
Combine plums and water in 2.5 qt. saucepan. Bring to a boil. Cook 4 minutes, stirring constantly.
Mix brown sugar, cornstarch and salt. Stir into plum mixture. Cook slowly about 5 minutes,
stirring constantly until thick. Remove from heat and cool. Prepare pie shell. Spread plum
mixture in shell. Mix flour, granulated sugar, cinnamon and nutmeg. Cut in butter until mixture forms
coarse crumbs. Sprinkle mixture over top of pie. Bake 375 degrees for 30-35 minutes until
pastry is golden and topping lightly browned. Cool before cutting. Serve with whipped
cream or ice cream if desired.

Table Toppers from the Market!

2010-08-19T10:41:00.003-04:00

Good Bye Summer
The sound of cicadas let us know that we are in August. As school approaches and the weather cools its way into Fall, we are all faced with the never pleasant farewell to Summer. Most of us are planning our last get together before school begins--of course I mean Labor Day weekend. That extra day to gather our strength for the impending Fall allows us the opportunity to utilize the bounties that this Summer has brought Adams County.

Yes, it has been a trying year for our produce people, but they still bring delicious food to the table. Your Corn & Tomato salad has Grandma picking at it before the food is served. The meat department has been watching animals grow slowly due to the crazy June and July heat. However, be it Beef, Pork, or Chicken, that piece of Adams County raised meat you have chosen to place on grill has everyone's mouth watering. You have gotten the BEST Coconut Cake & homemade pies for dessert. You have all that you need to nourish your guests with an incredible Feast.
Now it comes to it, you have everyone gathered. You have the Best of the Bounty of Adams County hand selected by you from your Adams County Farmers Markets...but wait, LOOK AT YOUR TABLE! Something is missing...why the FLOWERS! No picnic set up is complete without beautiful, meticulously arranged local flowers!

I know, you’re saying, "Yes, but I am feeding all these people, isn't that enough?" And my answer is that people eat with their eyes. Your tasty meal becomes elevated to an opulent feast when you set the table with a few simple bouquets of fresh cut flowers. You are saying Farewell to Summer and Welcoming the Fall with your Labor Day Picnic. These are the days of HOT PINKS and CRISP WHITES and VIBRANT PURPLES which will soon fade to warm tones of gold, orange and browns. The flowers will last long after your party too, bringing warmth and smiles into your home.

Celebrate the end of Summer at your Labor Day Feast. You have everything you need at the Adams County Farmers Markets to make your fete the talk of the town-- from the food that tantilizes the tastebuds to the flowers that you crown your table with.

YWCA Kid's Market Day!

2010-07-27T05:56:00.010-04:00

Great weather on the forecast for this Friday, July 30th. To see the Hourly Forecast for Friday, click here!

Friday's Farm Fresh Market hosted the first YWCA Kid's Market Day on July 23rd.
This event was attended by over 75 Y kids along with chaperons and volunteers.
For over two hours the kids learned about growing vegetables, alpaca farming, Adams County peaches, basket weaving, natural soaps, the history of agriculture, heirloom veggies and each youngster got a chance to design their own market tote bag for the day.
We would like to thank the Outlet Shoppes, YWCA, Penn State Cooperative Extension,
all the volunteers, Healthy Adams County, Adams County Local Food Network and
the market vendors for their time and generousity in making this program a success!

Growing the Next Generation!

2010-07-09T05:17:00.008-04:00

Thanks to Nicole King & Sarah Maclay for bringing their class of future market consumers or growers to Friday's Farm Fresh Market last week.
The goal and inspiration of Nicole's Growing Awareness Camp is to educate the next generation on not only growing fresh food but to show how growers get their products to the marketplace. The stop at the farmers' market was a culmination of a two day tour of Adams County's local good and services.
The students had a question and answer time with each grower and producer at the market.

"All Beef, No Bull"

2010-06-22T14:52:00.002-04:00

There has been a lot of discussion about Grass-fed versus Grain fed livestock. As a beef producer, I have witnessed first-hand the difference between the two. The two sides do have positive and negative qualities to extol and condemn. I am writing to tell you why OUR farm and OUR family chooses to raise and consume all-natural, grass-fed beef and why we only eat all-natural, grass-fed chicken and pork.
What is a cow? The immediate response of my 4 year old is a hairy, four-legged, animal with horns and hooves that can be any color except pink. They are depicted in Paleothic cave paintings. They are one of the first animals to be domesticated. Most importantly, the cow is probably the most efficient converter of the sun’s energy into protein that exists, which is why they have always been so valuable to man.
Cattle can produce milk continually. When the cow gets too old or the meat is needed, the animal produces more than 500 pounds of protein. So how do cattle convert the sun’s energy to protein? By eating a diet of grasses, legumes, and other vegetation, the animal grows larger over time. Cows have evolved to eat this sort of diet. Contrary to popular belief, the cow has 1 stomach which has 4 compartments; each designed to help breakdown vegetation and convert it into muscle mass. When the cow first eats, it chews the food just enough to swallow it. The unchewed food travels to the first two chambers, the rumen and the reticulum, where it is stored until later. Its rumens, the first chamber, can hold 50 gallons of chewed grasses!
When the cow is full from this eating process, she rests. Later, the cow coughs up bits of the unchewed food called cud and chews it completely this time before swallowing it again. The cud then goes to the third and fourth chambers, the omasum and abomasum, where it is fully digested. Some of this digested food enters the bloodstream and travels to a bag called the udder, where it is made into milk that will come out of her teats, while the rest goes towards the cow's nourishment
I bring this information to light because you have to understand how the cow eats before you tackle what it should eat. When the cow consumes what it is designed to eat, the animal is healthier—logically. Its body can perform the tasks it is designed to do. On a grass-fed diet the animals are higher in Omega-3 fatty acids, higher in vitamins, lower in fat and calories. It does not require antibiotics, because it rarely has cause to get sick with a healthy immune system. Without a synthetic growth hormone, it does not grow too fast, therefore not stressing joints and connective tissue. When you leave the animal to do what it was meant to do—eat & grow—they are healthy, happy, productive cows.
When you feed an animal grains, especially corn or anything else designed to make the animal fat, bad things start to happen. With corn and grains, the animal still eats until it is full. The problem starts in the rumens. The corn and grain begin to ferment in the rumens, causing an infection. I have heard feedlot cattle cough and hack when first introduced to this diet and it sounds awful. The logical next step is to feed the animal antibiotics to eliminate the infection, but as long as the animal eats a diet of corn and grains, it will continue to be sick and continue to need antibiotics. Its immune system is constantly compromised.
Another additive to a grain-fed cow’s diet usually includes a synthetic growth hormone to help them gain weight faster. This additive makes the cow grow faster than it is designed to, stressing the body further. The muscle mass is put on faster than it can adjust leading to weakend connective tissue and putting undue stress on the joints. So a feed-lot animal has horrible digestion issues and it hurts to move, which is good, I guess, if you want them to grow fat. This diet and lifestyle lead to a less nutritious animal. The animal spends its energy on getting healthy instead of being healthy.
Grass-fed animals rarely require antibiotics, because it rarely has cause to get sick with a healthy immune system, so the animal feels good. Without a synthetic growth hormone, it does not grow too fast, therefore not stressing joints and connective tissue. It can move and graze at its leisure.
I won’t get into the discussion of whether these antibiotics and hormones get into the proteins that humans then eat. I think you can decide that for yourself. But would you rather eat a healthy cow that has done what it was designed to do, or eat a sickly animal laced with antibiotics and growth hormones that stands in its own business because it hurts to move?
Regardless of whether you choose our Scotch Highland Beef or some other local producers, ask how the animal lives and what it eats. We respect the cow for what it is and what it can do. As Michael Pollan says, “You are what you eat eats.” Consider that the next time you choose your meat products.
We at the Sheppard Mansion & Sheppard Mansion Farms are happy to discuss this topic with you at our July 2nd BBQ at the Friday’s Farm Fresh Market from 10-12pm. Executive Chef Andy Little will be on hand to cook up some delicious local, all-natural, grass-fed offerings. Both Andy and myself will also be offering ideas on how to cook more unusual cuts and techniques…or even the old stand-bys—roasting, braising, even grilling. We hope to see you on July 2nd and I personally hope that you think a little more about where your meat comes from.
Heather Sheppard Lunn
Sheppard Mansion Farms

A Cherry Picking Success Story!

2010-06-15T07:32:00.004-04:00

Boyers instituted Pick Your Own Cherries back in the 70's when Bill Lower decided to open the orchards for the public to pick. As luck would have it, a reporter from the Washington Post chanced to come up and enjoy our new venture. He subsequently went back to DC and wrote an expose on the farm and the rest is history!
Currently, Boyers has over 300 families from Washington, DC, Arlington, VA metropolitan areas that have been coming back for generations to pick cherries.
Boyers has approximately 35 acres of cherries, both sweet and sour. General ripening time for sweets is mid-June, with sours arriving with the 4th of July. Each year is different depending upon the weather. This year the cherries are ripening 10 days earlier due to the unseasonable warm weather back in April. Cherries do not like rain, as their skins are not permeable and split or crack. This would account for their popularity as they are indeed a precious Adams County commodity!
Currently, Boyers has over twenty different varieties of cherries with colors ranging from red to dark black to pure yellow. There's the well known Bing, as well as Hedelfingen, Lapins, Ulster, Van, Kristin, Sam, Sue, Emperor Francis, Starks' Gold and more. Now is the time to visit us at Fridays Farm Fresh Market to satisfy your appetite for cherries.

Meet 2010's Herb of the Year, Dill !

2010-05-29T19:26:00.025-04:00

Although dill now grows throughout North America in both cultivated and naturalized forms, it is not native to our continent. It is thought to have originated in Asia. Dill is an annual that in the northeastern and mid-Atlantic states is sown in the spring and by July or early August produces feathery foliage and bright yellow umbels. It is easy to grow and often self seeds if seed heads are left unpicked. Flowers and foliage are very aromatic and can be used fresh in salads, omelets and to flavor fish dishes. The seed heads are used most often to flavor pickling cucumbers. Some varieties of dill like Dukat and Bouquet make interesting additions to cut flower bouquets and arrangements.

In the veggie garden, do not plant dill close to fennel as they will cross pollinate. To store dill for later use, you may freeze stems in a plastic bag. Just cut off what you need and return the rest to the freezer. To dry the leaves, spread them over a nonmetallic screen in a dark, warm, dry place for several days. Then store in an airtight container. Don't crush or grind until ready to use.

Find us and other quality growers at Friday's Farm Fresh Market.

Ann Ruppert - Windborne Farm Flowers

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Freedom Transit (http://www.ridethetrolley.com/) has now included frequent transit stops at the Outlet Shoppes at Gettysburg. So enjoy the ride to and from the farmers' markets at the Outlets! Let the driver know you wish to be dropped off at the market.
Don't forget, seniors ride free!

Thumbs up to the Outlet Shoppes at Gettysburg for supporting the Adams County Farmers' Market Association! The Outlet Shoppes management and staff have done a great job supporting the development of our markets and assisting us with signage, marketing and market necessities! We couldn't do what we do without the Outlet Shoppes support.

A Rainbow of Radishes.

2010-05-28T05:14:00.003-04:00

My niece Jenny is helping us this summer and one of her harvest duties yesterday was picking and washing radishes. Crisp, clean and fresh radishes will be on sale with Farm to Chef Gettysburg. We have French Breakfast and Easter Egg radishes.
Plus don't forget the greens. Lots of salad greens, kale, some spinach & Tim Brown's strawberries just picked this morning.
See you at Friday's Farm Fresh Market!
Posted by Kathy with Farm to Chef Gettysburg

Why Turn the Oven on this Weekend!

2010-05-25T15:47:00.003-04:00

Memorial Day weekend is the kick off to summer, with picnics, outings, vacation or just a friendly barbecue with neighbors. It's also the start of Mother Nature turning up the heat here in Southcentral Pennsylvania. So why would you turn on your oven? Not just because it's hot, but because you can buy all your homemade goodies at Fridays Farm Fresh Market.
Now in season is rhubarb and lots of rhubarb pie.
Hidden Acres Farm Bakery has a beautiful rhubarb pie with a crumb topping that is absolutely out of this world. Plus shortcakes to pair up with strawberries and lots more.
Shop with Carol from Hidden Acres and many other fine local growers & producers this weekend at Fridays Farm Fresh Market.

Opening May 28th for the 2010 Season!

2010-04-20T03:34:00.007-04:00

Can't shop on the weekend, well stop by Fridays Farm Fresh Market conveniently located at the Outlet Shoppes at Gettysburg.

This year we will be opening on May 28th which is also Memorial Day weekend.

Frequently check out Fridays Market Blog for updates on great seasonal products, weekly specials, new products and grower features.

To sign up for our newsletter just go to:

http://www.acfarmersmarkets.org/ and click on the link.

A Look Back to 2009 and Looking Forward to 2010!

2010-03-06T05:46:00.013-05:00

With the 2009 market season behind us, the market vendors from Fridays Farm Fresh Market are looking forward to the 2010 market season.
This year we plan to open on Friday, May 28th of Memorial Day weekend!
This past season brought us great cooking events, a chance to learn about one of our local alpaca farms, taste fresh food and to serve many of our loyal customers that shop with us weekly. Thank you for your continued support and we looking forward to seeing you this spring.
Produce Growers Returning:

Kathy Glahn from Farm to Chef Gettysburg will return with all the great produce including salad greens, lettuces, heirloom tomatoes and of course kiwi berries in October.
Richard Sawyer from Grateful Acres will bring in kale, collard greens and of course his wide assortment of peppers and lots more.
We welcome also Kathy Paterson new to our market this year. Kathy grows produce on their Littlestown farm.

Our fruit lineup can't be none other than Boyer Nursery & Orchards. With over 600 acres in the Adams County fruit belt region, just harvested fruit will be available at the market. From many varieties of cherries, apricots, peaches, nectarines and endless apples, don't forget the fruit at Fridays Farm Fresh Market.

There's nothing better than fresh flowers to cheer up your home or to to cheer up a friend. Ann Ruppert from Windborne Farm Flowers will bring fresh bouquets, stems and her creative creations to the market.
Finally, don't forget all the fresh bakery breads & sweets from Hidden Acres Farm & Bakery and New Oxford Coffee Company.

Looking for grass fed beef. See Heather with Sheppard Mansion Farms for beef and pork cuts.

Tara Wilson from Wash Your Mouth Out Soap company will return with her line of natural bath and body products.
See you this spring at Fridays Farm Fresh Market.