In the beginning, there was the Main Street program…and we saw that it was good…for a start.  But today, we are our own force of nature…and none of what I’m about to write would be possible without the imagination and dedication of, and countless hours spent by the LEDC, Lansdowne Borough Council, and an army of dedicated volunteers.  So make sure you thank them every now and then… Farmers know that when you plant a seed, great things can happen.  Given enough time and effort …

CAVEAT:  As I write this, Hurricane Florence is making her way to the coast.  Please check the LFM FaceBook page for updates on our status for Saturday.   Fingers crossed. But as for last Saturday, again we defied the drops.  Despite the weather, the vendors set their shoulders, set up their stands and the weekly LFM settled in for the day… by 10 a.m. we had chased the rain away to wherever it is the rain goes.  Oobladi, ooblada. Part of the wonder of September is …

OK, I’ve had a few days to let it sink in…it’s really September.  Time to get over it and get with the program. And really, what’s not to like about September?  The humidity dissolves, the lawn is no longer in overdrive, and the sun takes on a slightly more mellow cast as it slides towards October.   But there’s still plenty enough sunshine to go around, and the Lansdowne Farmers Market is still a great place to enjoy it!  We’re here ’til Hallowe’en, folks! That …

August 28, 2018 There’s a rumor floating around town that this writer was recently seen swiveling, stomping and strutting her usually decorous stuff …and it’s all true!  Or not. (Is truth really truth?) In any case, and in my defense, I call your attention to the lost boys of the Lost Northern Tribe, who managed to find their way to the Lansdowne Landing this past weekend and laid down their zany zydeco beat.  It was a Cajun chaos conspiracy! Short story: It’s true what they …

August 21, 2018 Did anyone besides me notice it?  In spite of the humidity? That little shiver when you passed Fruitwood Farm’s table?  Apples! Oh, they were sly about it…shyly green they were, hiding in plain sight…but make no mistake.  The message has been sent…the gauntlet thrown. Winter is Coming!   Ahhhgh!  Lulululu! But we won’t let go of summer without a fight.  Not while there are sweet corn and peaches and melons, oh my!  We’re gonna hang on to it ‘til the Granny Smiths grin …

August 15, 2018 Rumor has it that last Wednesday was National Sneak a Zucchini onto your Neighbor’s Porch Day.  I didn’t…couldn’t…make this stuff up.     And just yesterday, right on schedule, my neighbor (you know who you are) appeared at my doorstep with a basket full of peppers, squashes and some lovely roma tomatoes (a la San Marzano) that I immediately turned into the base for my next batch of red gravy.*  Thanks, D.!   I, in turn, shared some of my LFM nectarines and …

Aug 8, 2018 To Market, to Market to buy some good stuff.   Had my basket and wallet…thought that was enough.  But when I arrived, where there should have been  Tents and commotion… there was none to be seen!  Where was everybody? I said to the air.  But the Landing was empty.  I slumped in a chair.  Where were the people who put up the tents?  I expected a market.  This just doesn’t make sense.  No people, no produce, no music, no chatter?  Nothing and no one.  What could …

July 31, 2018 Full disclosure:  I missed the Lansdowne Farmers Market last Saturday, although I did hear that Kids’ Day was a great success…and something about stacking fruit boxes that I hope someone caught on video. Good times. Anyway…I was in the Endless Mountains of PA.  If you’re familiar, you know that there’s a large Polish community up there.  And a local roadhouse/bar (shout out to Chet’s!) with cabbage and noodles on the menu.  Haluski.  And whatever the Polish word is for delicious and for …

July 18, 2018   Another beautiful Saturday at the LFM.  Are you bored yet? I didn’t think so. How could anyone be immune to the barrage of bounty…and by mid-July, it’s at its peak.  A circuit of the produce vendors says most of the crops are right on schedule. Local peaches (clingstones now, freestones a little later) will be increasingly abundant in the coming weeks; and tomatoes are now honest-to-goodness sun ripened.  You can get a tan just eating one. BTW:  if you read my …

July 11, 2018 A bright blue sky and a cool breeze were all that was needed to bring the crowds to last Saturday’s LFM.  That and possibly the chance to listen to our own Minas roll out their Brazilian bosso beat. But whatever reason got you there, the main attraction was the eye-popping bounty that was bursting out of the produce tents. The first of the peaches, tomatoes, cantaloupes, cauliflower and carrots in every shade from white to maroon.  It’s all here! Let’s hear it …