Robert's Market Report
Saturday, April 12, 2008
The Season Inexorably Proceeds
Another sure sign of warmer weather (as if we needed confirmation of what the thermometer says): soft shell crabs. John Yi had them today, at $6 apiece (or two for $10).
As promised in its weekly email, wild garlic could be had at Fair Food Farmstand. Over at Benuel Kauffman's Lancaster County Produce, local greenhouse tomatoes have appeared. Missing in action today, for the second or third Saturday in a row, was Earl Livengood. Apparently, nothing to sell yet other than stores of root vegetables from the fall, though I would imagine his spinach should be ready. We're still a while away from asparagus.
Today I picked up a deli treat I've neglected since Siegfried pulled up stakes: leberkase, the German style veal loaf. I ordered half a pound of the onion-inflected version from Dutch Country Meats and enjoyed some for lunch on rye bread from Le Bus.
I'm looking for some pork belly to braise this week, but it won't be from the RTM. Dutch Country Meats only has the salt pork version. I did spy some unsalted belly from Meadow Run Farm in the frozen case at Fair Food, but found the price (about $8/pound) exorbitant. Yes, I know it's expensive for small scale farmers to raise quality pork, but this was simply too much. You can buy quality apple smoked bacon (which, after all, is pork belly) for less -- and the bacon loses water weight, so it should be even more dear. I think I'll get some pork belly at one of the Chinese supermarkets instead.
Over at Iovine Brothers Produce, the price of some citrus fruits is easing. Limes now three for a buck, lemons four. A three-pound bag of end-of-the-season clementines was $3.99. Small navel oranges were selling for 5/$1, medium ones at 4/$1. Peruvian mangoes looked to be one of the better fruit deals, two for $1. They also had those not-so-bad-for-coming-from-so-far-away Bartlett pears from Argentina (I failed to note the price, but in recent weeks they've been priced at 99-cents to $1.49/pound). Red and green peppers from Mexican greenhouses 89-cents, orange varieties 99-cents.
If the rain stays away (it was thundering when I began writing this missive, but now the sun is peeking through) it will be grill time again for dinner. Over at Giunta's Prime Shop I picked up a hanger steak (total of about 1.25 pounds, priced at $6.99/pound) and a small whole Eberly's organic chicken (sorry, don't recall weight, but cost was less than $4). They'll both on the grill, with the quartered chicken to be consumed tomorrow.
Friendly reminder
We're only three weeks away from the opening of the Sunday Headhouse Farmers Market. (Thanks for reminding me, Moriah.)
Another sure sign of warmer weather (as if we needed confirmation of what the thermometer says): soft shell crabs. John Yi had them today, at $6 apiece (or two for $10).
As promised in its weekly email, wild garlic could be had at Fair Food Farmstand. Over at Benuel Kauffman's Lancaster County Produce, local greenhouse tomatoes have appeared. Missing in action today, for the second or third Saturday in a row, was Earl Livengood. Apparently, nothing to sell yet other than stores of root vegetables from the fall, though I would imagine his spinach should be ready. We're still a while away from asparagus.
Today I picked up a deli treat I've neglected since Siegfried pulled up stakes: leberkase, the German style veal loaf. I ordered half a pound of the onion-inflected version from Dutch Country Meats and enjoyed some for lunch on rye bread from Le Bus.
I'm looking for some pork belly to braise this week, but it won't be from the RTM. Dutch Country Meats only has the salt pork version. I did spy some unsalted belly from Meadow Run Farm in the frozen case at Fair Food, but found the price (about $8/pound) exorbitant. Yes, I know it's expensive for small scale farmers to raise quality pork, but this was simply too much. You can buy quality apple smoked bacon (which, after all, is pork belly) for less -- and the bacon loses water weight, so it should be even more dear. I think I'll get some pork belly at one of the Chinese supermarkets instead.
Over at Iovine Brothers Produce, the price of some citrus fruits is easing. Limes now three for a buck, lemons four. A three-pound bag of end-of-the-season clementines was $3.99. Small navel oranges were selling for 5/$1, medium ones at 4/$1. Peruvian mangoes looked to be one of the better fruit deals, two for $1. They also had those not-so-bad-for-coming-from-so-far-away Bartlett pears from Argentina (I failed to note the price, but in recent weeks they've been priced at 99-cents to $1.49/pound). Red and green peppers from Mexican greenhouses 89-cents, orange varieties 99-cents.
If the rain stays away (it was thundering when I began writing this missive, but now the sun is peeking through) it will be grill time again for dinner. Over at Giunta's Prime Shop I picked up a hanger steak (total of about 1.25 pounds, priced at $6.99/pound) and a small whole Eberly's organic chicken (sorry, don't recall weight, but cost was less than $4). They'll both on the grill, with the quartered chicken to be consumed tomorrow.
Friendly reminder
We're only three weeks away from the opening of the Sunday Headhouse Farmers Market. (Thanks for reminding me, Moriah.)
