{"id":28511,"date":"2018-05-14T11:27:22","date_gmt":"2018-05-14T15:27:22","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/kennetttimes.com\/?p=28511"},"modified":"2018-05-14T11:27:27","modified_gmt":"2018-05-14T15:27:27","slug":"on-your-table-nothing-beats-fresh-and-local","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/kennetttimes.com\/?p=28511","title":{"rendered":"On Your Table: Nothing beats fresh and local"},"content":{"rendered":"

By Cathy Branciaroli<\/strong>,\u00a0Food Correspondent, The Times<\/em><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>

Early spring greens such as Swiss chard and kale are plentiful at local farmers markets right now<\/p><\/div>\n

All the lovely recent weather got you jazzed up for some outdoor food shopping?\u00a0 A farmers market near you can\u2019t be beat for fresh produce and chatting with food artisans.\u00a0 They are open now and can be found all over Chester County with hours that suit most schedules.\u00a0 A trip to one of these markets can yield nearly all that\u2019s needed to make a spring dinner \u2013 fresh vegetables, tender herbs, salad fixings and even locally raised meat.\u00a0 For good measure, pick up a loaf of just-baked bread to round off the meal.\u00a0<\/p>\n

According to Mike Ahlert and Melissa Sann of the West Chester Growers’ Market, there\u2019s no better time to start exploring these markets than right now.\u00a0 They should know.\u00a0 The market is the longest-running in the area and only food producers may sell there so that visitors are assured that what they are buying indeed comes from local sources.\u00a0 Mike says that buying with the seasons is the key to getting the most from\u00a0 farmers market shopping.\u00a0 Melissa adds that in this way home cooks can not only make delicious meals right now but they can also freeze, store or otherwise preserve their goodies for future eating.<\/p>\n

Here are their tips for shopping:<\/p>\n

Try something new \u2013 Half the fun of market shopping is discovering varieties you might not have heard of before.\u00a0 You\u2019re going to see fruits and vegetables from local farmers that grocers do not stock.\u00a0 When you see a new type or color, just ask about it.\u00a0 During my visit to the West Chester Grower\u2019s Market, I saw pink oyster mushrooms for the first time at the Queen Farms stand and peach\/ginger goat milk yogurt at the Yellow Springs Farm stand which specializes in goat milk products such as yogurt and cheeses.<\/p>\n

Think seasonally \u2013 Knowing what\u2019s in season helps visitors snag the best choices for right now.\u00a0 Looking for strawberries in May after an extremely cold winter will likely lead to disappointment, but in June \u2013 well that\u2019s a different story. Right now stands are laden with cool weather greens, asparagus and rhubarb.<\/p>\n

Strike up a conversation \u2013 farmers and sellers are happy to talk about their goods, explain their uses and offer tips or even recipes.\u00a0 They will help you pick out the best variety of tomato for a sauce or select peaches most suited for pie-making.\u00a0 Just ask.<\/p>\n

Get there early \u2013 If you want the absolute freshest produce and the most selection, arrive bright and early.\u00a0 That special item might easily sell out in the first hour.\u00a0 I experienced this looking for fresh parsley for my Mothers Day pasta dish and had to resort to the grocery instead.\u00a0 Darn.<\/p>\n

Be prepared \u2013 bring your own bag(s), a cooler for perishables and cash to make the transactions easier.\u00a0 Most sellers run cash-only stands.<\/p>\n

The beauty of these farmers markets is that visitors can speak directly with the grower and can be confident of their growing practices such as no pesticides or GMO\u2019s.\u00a0 Having a direct connection also brings money right into local community so spend your dollars at home.<\/p>\n

Just in case you need some more inspiration for cooking with what\u2019s in season, try grilling fresh asparagus.\u00a0 It makes a tasty side dish complimenting nearly any spring main course.<\/p>\n

Grilled Asparagus<\/u><\/p>\n

Take 1 bunch asparagus spears, woody ends broken off, drizzle with olive oil and season with salt, pepper and your favorite seasonings.\u00a0 Place on a heated grill or under a broiler in a single layer.\u00a0 Grill or broil until hot, softened and a little charred, about 5 minutes.\u00a0 Transfer to platter and serve hot or at room temperature.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Below is a listing of nearby Chester County markets:<\/p>\n

Anselma Farmers and Artisans Market<\/u>, Historic Mill, Route 401, Chester Springs, Wednesdays 2PM \u2013 6PM<\/p>\n

Artisan Exchange West Chester<\/u>, 208 Carter Dr. West Chester, Saturdays 10M \u2013 2PM<\/p>\n

Coatesville Farmers Market Association,<\/u> Gateway Park, Routes 82 & 30. Saturdays 10AM \u2013 1PM<\/p>\n

Downington Farmers Market<\/u>, Kerr Park, Thursdays 3PM \u2013 7PM<\/p>\n

East Goshen Farmers Market<\/u>, East Goshen Park, West Chester, Thursdays 3PM \u2013 7PM<\/p>\n

Kennett Square Farmers Market<\/u>, Downtown Kennett Square, Fridays 2PM \u2013 6PM<\/p>\n

London Britain Township Market<\/u>, Nichol Park, Landenberg,, Fridays 2PM \u2013 6PM<\/p>\n

Malvern Farmers Market<\/u>, Warren Ave & Roberts St, Saturdays 9AM \u2013 1PM<\/p>\n

New Garden Growers Market<\/u>, Near New Garden Township Park, Saturdays 9AM \u2013 1PM<\/p>\n

Oxford Village Market<\/u>, 3rd<\/sup> & Locust St., Tuesdays 12:30PM \u2013 6PM<\/p>\n

Phoenixville Farmers Market<\/u>, Under the Veterans Memorial, Saturdays 9AM \u2013 1PM<\/p>\n

The Farmers Market at Elverson<\/u>, Livingood Park at Rt. 23, Saturdays 9AM \u2013 1PM<\/p>\n

West Chester Growers Market<\/u>, Chestnut & Church Street, Saturdays 9AM \u2013 1PM<\/p>\n

West Grove Farmers Market<\/u>, Harmony Park, Thursdays 2PM \u2013 6PM<\/p>\n

Westtown Amish Market<\/u>, 1177 Wilmington Pike, West Chester, Thursday & Friday 9AM -6PM, Saturday 8AM \u2013 4PM<\/p>\n

Cathy Branciaroli also writes about her adventures in the kitchen on her award-winning blog <\/em>Delaware Girl Eats<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By Cathy Branciaroli,\u00a0Food Correspondent, The Times All the lovely recent weather got you jazzed up for some outdoor food shopping?\u00a0 A farmers market near you can\u2019t be beat for fresh produce and chatting with food artisans.\u00a0 They are open now and can be found all over Chester County with hours that suit most schedules.\u00a0 A […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":28513,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[10255,6518,4613,6099,5082,5116],"class_list":["post-28511","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-lifestyle","tag-famers-market","tag-featured","tag-food","tag-fresh","tag-local","tag-local-produce"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/kennetttimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/28511","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/kennetttimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/kennetttimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kennetttimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kennetttimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=28511"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/kennetttimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/28511\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":28512,"href":"https:\/\/kennetttimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/28511\/revisions\/28512"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kennetttimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/28513"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/kennetttimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=28511"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kennetttimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=28511"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kennetttimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=28511"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}