What's New....
North Star has been reaping the benefits of our hot summer! Last week they had delicious peaches and plums!
Forks Farm will be at the market this week with a great selection of pasture raised beef.
Mitchell Program will also join us at the market this week with a variety of summer veggies!
Jack's Farm has many summer veggies including, Beans wax and green, okra, cuke, zuke, new potatoes, and flower bunches!
Handcrafted Cookie has put a call out for your best fall cookie recipes. Check out the contest details here!
|
***************************************
The
Phoenixville Farmers' Market is a producer/grower market committed to
providing locally grown, fresh food; to preserving our agricultural
heritage; and to building community.
**************************************
|
Phoenixville Farmers' Market
Saturdays
9am-1pm
Under the Gay Street Bridge
Accessed from Taylor Alley
Behind Family Dollar
Phoenixville, PA
*********
Artists at the Market
on Second Saturdays
*********
Health Screenings
by Phoenixville Hospital
on Third Saturdays
|
|
Hello Market Shoppers,
It is hard to believe that it is already July! Support your food independence by stocking up on 4th of July supplies at the market. We have all the fruits, veggies, meats, breads, cheeses, and sweets you'll need for your festivities.
We also want to remind our you that the lot next to the market is a metered parking lot. Each parking space has a number. When you park, make a note of that number and then go to the small kiosk (at the other side of the lot, not the market side). The kiosk only takes credit cards and quarters. You have to tell the kiosk your parking space number, because it doesn't give you a ticket to put on you dash, it just recognizes your space.
There is free parking behind the Chester County District Justice Building at 347 Bridge St.
Melissa, a market shopper, has been writing her own One Local Summer Challenge blog, where she and her husband are making a meal from locally sourced ingredients once a week. Check out her blog! If you are interested in sharing your local made meals and photos, reply to this email! Since the One Local Summer Challenge isn't happening on Farm to Philly this year it would be fun to get something together locally!
Our food drive will start NEXT week at the Buy Fresh Buy Local Festival. Bring your non perishable items, or pick up perishable/non-perishables at the market to donate.
|
Producer of the Week
Backyard Bison
Rod
Wieder and Family
685
Crowthers Road
Coopersburg,
PA 18036
(610)
346-6640
It is always a pleasure to chat with Rod of Backyard Bison at the market and this week I really enjoyed getting to know a little bit more of his history and philosophy.
Rod is the fourth generation in his family to farm on his land, but he is the first to raise bison. After watching them in a pasture nearby a friends wedding reception, Rod's interest was piqued. He researched and decided to give them a try. That was over 10 years ago, and now Rod's love and commitment to the animals is so strong that he would have them at his farm even if no one was interested in the meat.
So far, that has not even come close to being a problem!
Bison meat is lean, tender, and a little sweeter than beef. It is best served rare to medium and the key to successfully achieving your preferred doneness is to cook the bison on LOW heat and SLOWLY! Because it has very little marbling, the meat tends to cook much faster than beef. By following the above rule, bison can be used interchangeably with beef in recipes.
Rod prefers not to use trendy marketing lingo in his descriptions of how he raises his bison. You will see, though, that this is just a reflection Rod's desire for transparency in his farming methods. In his words, "At Backyard Bison, we heavily use
our grass pastures, and we feed a lot of harvested grass (hay and
green-chop),
but we are not a pure grass farm. I have read a lot about grass vs.
grain,
but, if you visit the wild Buffalo in our National Parks, you will see
them occasionally
nibbling on the seed-heads of the prairie grass. Seed heads are grain,
and
we do supplement with some grain as necessary. We use lower protein
grains, which are more similar to the grass seed heads the Buffalo eat
in the
wild, and, to ensure the quality of our feed, we grind and mix it
ourselves. Our Buffalo are not force-fed anything. "
Visit Rod at the market for more in depth insights and try out some delicious bison this weekend!
|
|
|
Recipe
Thai Bison Salad
Ingredients ¼ cup red cabbage, shredded
1 stalk of lemongrass (from Jack's Farm)
1 bunch of green onions, sliced
How to make Thai Bison Salad
1. First, shred the cabbage and combine with the shredded red
cabbage to add some color.
2. Now add 1 tbsp of the fish sauce and juice from half of the lime.
3. Toss to mix all the flavors and set aside to marinate.
4. Next, season the strip steaks with pepper, garlic, and salt-make
sure to get both sides.
5. Place the steaks on a preheated grill
and cook on each side for 3 minutes. When the steaks are done, let them
rest for 8 to 10 minutes so that the juices redistribute.
6. Now, cut off the stem and root end of the lemongrass, remove the
tough outer leaf and mince. Add the serrano chili, the green onions, and
the shallots.
7. To the ingredients, add the other tablespoon
of the fish sauce and the juice from one and a half limes.
8. Continue chopping to mix all the flavors and then add the mint
and cilantro and give it a rough chop.
9. Add this marinade to a bowl.
10. Thinly slice the bison steaks against the grain to make sure the
meat stays moist and tender and add to the bowl. Toss to coat.
11. To plate this exotic dish, add the marinating cabbage salad and
top with the bison.
|
Looking Ahead
Next week the Phoenixville Farmers' Market will be kicking off Buy Fresh Buy Local week with a festival! Mason Porter will be playing for us and the children's area will be packed with activities including a cherry tomato put put, games, and prizes! We will be having a wine and cheese tasting with Paradocx Vineyard and Penns Woods Winery, along with several local artists!
And for your sweet tooth, Marci's Morsels and Iced by Betsy will be back at the market next week.
|
|
|
|
|
