At The Philadelphia Headhouse Square Farmers Market- May 31, 2009
When I plan a trip to my hometown of Philadelphia, I try to be in Center City on Sunday morning to hit the Headhouse Square Farmers Market. In season, the dog-friendly market runs from 10am-2pm, and offers a wide array of local produce in addition to a plethora of artisanal products. Cheeses, chocolates, breads and pastries, honey, maple syrup, doggie treats and fresh flowers are among the many delights to be had at the market.
The Headhouse market is run by The Food Trust, an organization whose mission is to provide access to healthy food for everyone. TFT also advocates for children and adults by affecting public health policies. One of the most impressive efforts that TFT drives is called The Kindergarten Initiative-an early intervention program that provides in the classroom education as well as healthy fruit and vegetable snacks from local farms.
New to the market this year are two food vendors. Not that generous, free samples are not a good thing-it’s great, but sometimes perusing from stall to stall works up a real appetite!
Sweet Lucy’s is a terrific BBQ joint located in an old warehouse space in Northeast Philadelphia-about a 20 minute drive from Center City and easily accessible from I-95. Los Taquitos de Puebla sells tacos al pastor and quesadillas, and the former is what Frank and I opted for.
Three grill-marked, soft tacos are topped with spit-roasted pork, pineapple, fresh salsa verde and cilantro made for a perfect $7 brunch. It was quite entertaining to watch the pineapple on top of the spit get sliced and fly right into the tacos! It would be great if the DC area markets offered food vendors like this- I believe it would be great to cross-promote locate eateries with local food.
So, what did I buy? Busy Bee Farm lavender honey from Tabernacle, NJ-I love to add this honey to chai tea and fage. Grade B maple syrup from Spring Mill Farm in Dalton, PA is perfect for topping pancakes.
Hillacres Pride’s hickory-smoked cheddar had just the right amount of smoky flavor-this will go on salads and of course be just eaten out of hand. The family-owned farm raises Jersey cows, and milks them twice daily to make their Colby, Cheddar, Mozzarella, Ricotta and Fromage.
Oh how I wish I could have bought more! If you go, be sure to visit Blooming Glen Farm’s stand (pictured in the above collage). This stand reminds me of Next Step Produce at the Dupont market. They grow vibrant, chemical-free produce that would make a 4-year old eat their spinach. Wild Flour Bakery supplies many area eateries, and makes breads and pastries that would make even the most vociferous Atkin’s dieter pray at the carbohydrate alter.
John and Kira’s artisan chocolates (pictured above) give new meaning to the notion that we eat first with our eyes. I wouldn’t know whether to hang their boxes of chocolate on my wall, or eat them! John and Kira started their socially-conscious company in 2001. They source their fresh ingredients locally, and give back to the community by supporting programs such as an urban school garden in West Philadlephia. Supporting a business that gives back to the community is just one more reason to eat chocolate-it’s almost guilt-free!
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All in all it was a gorgeous morning spent at a lovely market that provides city-access to some of the freshest produce, baked goods and artisinal and farm products from the Pennsylvania and Southern NJ regions. If you find yourself in the area on a Sunday morning, be sure to check out this market, and of course, until the next At The Market, eat and buy local when you can.
he Food Trust, a nonprofit founded in
1992,
strives to make healthy food available to all.
Working with neighborhoods, schools, grocers,
farmers and policymakers, we’ve developed
a comprehensive approach that combines
nutrition education and greater availability of
affordable, healthy food.
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