All I Eat Food!

A Fashionista Gone Hungry!

Farm Fresh Farewell

August 26, 2024allieatfood 4 Comments

Happy Friday! Welcome to the last Farm Fresh Friday of the summer! I debated continuing my fresh food posts into September considering summer isn’t technically over until then but I decided it just made the most sense to end it today, on the last Friday of the month. Besides, everyone is starting to have fall (<3) on the brain anyway.

If you haven’t read my Farm Fresh Friday posts this summer here is a chance to catch up:

Collingswood Farmers Market

Duffield’s Farm

Cherry Grove Farm

DeHarts Farm Market

Honor System

Roadside Farm Stand

Candy Box

Moods Farm Market

Woodbury Farmers Market

Haddonfield Farmers Market

Philly Homegrown

Reading Terminal Market, established in 1893, is not only a historical site, but a tasty one. It is a farmers market unlike any other I have ever been to. Within the indoor market area you will find a wide variety of goods from meat, fish, bakery goods and homemade soaps to homemade canned goods and crafts.

Inside of the open air market are over 80 merchants who bring in more than 100,000 customers each week, both tourists and locals alike.

When you walk into the market you feel cozy and at home, no matter what time of the year it is. Glorious smells surround you and every corner you turn is another unique shop.

Whether you want a great deli sandwich or a soft, bakery cookie, Reading Terminal Market has it. And if you want something more unique such as sushi, vegetarian dishes, Cajun food, middle eastern food or Thai food, they have it.

And speaking of Farm Fresh Friday, there is plenty of fresh produce to be found at the market at well.

The Reading Terminal Market is such a fun and interesting place! You could really spend a whole afternoon just wandering around, tasting and exploring what each vendor has to offer. And trust me, I have done this.

I couldn’t think of a better way to end Farm Fresh Friday and it was the perfect way to go out with a bang, at the best farmers market I know of. If you’re a local reader I hope I’ve inspired you to check out some of the great markets I’ve visited. Or maybe you’ve been motivated to see what you’re local markets have where you live. Either way, I appreciate you reading my weekly farm posts and obsessive produce photos.

Most importantly, I wanted to spread the word about eating local and eating fresh. I hope you’ve enjoyed reading as much as I’ve enjoyed sharing!

FFF in a box.

August 19, 2024allieatfood 3 Comments

Happy Friday!

Would you believe me if I said that this week’s Farm Fresh Friday came out of a box? Indeed, it is true.

Philly Homegrown, a food movement that focuses on fresh, local, and delicious food sent me a box filled with a wide variety of goodies. And while these products didn’t exactly come from a vine, the ingredients used to make them are as fresh as it gets.

This may come as a surprise to some. That Philadelphia, a city known for cheese steaks and soft pretzels is actually filled with restaurants that cook with local foods, markets that carry what is grown close to home, and people that are passionate about eating “real local flavor”.

Some interesting facts about the local Philadelphia food scene:

•Philadelphia has 500 community gardens and 226 are food-producing.

•Reading Terminal Market is one of America’s oldest farmers’ markets.

•The area where the food is grown, produced and shared is spread over 100 miles from “Amish Country to the Atlantic Ocean”!

•There is even local beer in Philly!

What can you do to get more involved?:

•Eat at restaurants that use local products such as Garces Trading Company, Fork, and Talula’s Garden. To find more visit Food Finder.

•Pick your own produce!

•Check out a farmers market.

•Go on a food tour!

When my farm in a box arrived at my front door I immediately tore it open and delicious smells wafted through the kitchen.

Garces Trading Company Coffee, Gilda’s Biscotti, Metropolitan Bakery Granola, and Mind Your Own Beeswax Honey.

Stepped-In-What Tomato Sauce, Greensgrow House-Made Pickles and Tait Farm Jam.

The Mushroom Cap Dried Mushrooms and Snack N Shrooms Mushroom Chips.

North/South Meatery & Canning Co. Pancetta and PA Noble Cheese, Cave Aged Cheddar.

Victory Brewing Company’s Summer Love Ale.

As you can guess, this box was pure foodie heaven. Even better that I knew exactly where each product came from and their exact ingredients. And then the obvious happened and I started thinking about what I could do with the products. Aside from just digging in and eating them individually of course.

On Monday I am going to share what I created using these fantastic ingredients and I promise it is a great recipe. How could it not be?! And better yet, I want to give you some of the products.

It wouldn’t be fair if I flaunted all of this great information and then kept everything for myself! Although I am serious, it was a really tough decision to share!

To win a product all you have to do is:

Like my page on Facebook (All I Eat Food) and leave a comment saying which of the following products you would enjoy most:

Garces Trading Company Coffee

Gilda’s Biscotti

Metropolitan Bakery Granola

The Mushroom Cap Dried Mushrooms

Mind Your Own Beeswax Honey

You have until Sunday night, at 11:59 EST. I will pick 5 random winners out of a hat and announce it on Monday’s post!

I hope that everyone can get excited about Philly Homegrown and enjoy all that the area has to offer whether you are a local or come for a visit.

Dear Fresh Veggies,

Never knew grass existed in the city. Thanks for sharing your goods.

With Love,

Allieatfood

XoXo

Tropical Farm Fresh Friday

August 12, 2024allieatfood 3 Comments

Okay, so I’ll be honest. The only thing tropical about this post is that I am on vacation in Punta Cana and I’m sharing a post about my latest farmers market experience.

But veggies are almost as good as a tropical island. Almost?

This farmers market is located in Haddonfield, NJ, at Kings Court, 150 Kings Highway East. It takes place every Saturday through October 8, rain or shine!

While I have visited this cute, quaint town many times, it was the first time that I was actually visiting the farmers market.

There are those white eggplants again!

It was fairly small but there were a ton of great products to look at.

And everything looked really fresh and there were many varieties of fruits and veggies.

I found these mushrooms the most interesting. It seemed a little unusual to see oyster mushrooms at a farmers market but I loved that they are available.

I was also able to try some of this long bean salad, which was amazing. (Made with the long beans pictured above.) It tasted a little spicy and there was definitely some basil in there. Why didn’t I ask for the recipe?!

This market was especially fun because there were so many other vendors and stores that set up tents and tables along the street that you could wander around all morning checking out the different items. Kind of a two for one deal.

And if you’re ever visiting the Collingswood farmers market, you should definitely check out this one! Or vice versa. They are so very close but unique in their own way.

Enjoy your weekend while I bask in the sun!

Farm Fresh Friday–Unexpected Treasure

August 5, 2024allieatfood 3 Comments

All summer I have been hearing about Woodbury’s Farmers Market. Each Friday this market is held on Cooper Street & Railroad Avenue by train station parking lot in Woodbury, NJ from 2pm-6pm.

While this farmers market has been going on Friday after Friday, summer after summer, since 2003, it was the first time I have stopped by. And while I have wanted to visit practically every Friday this summer, it was the first time I was able to check out this unique hidden gem.

My favorite stop was this little organic stand, where the woman said she and her husband grow everything. When I asked if they had a farm that you could visit she told me that they actually just intended to eat what they grew but there too much so whatever they couldn’t eat they sold at the market.

See the whitish/green eggplant on the bottom? I never knew this but she told me that that was how eggplant was first grown, in the shape of an egg and it had a white color. As she held it in her hand it made perfect sense! Why had I never questioned this before!? I always just accepted that a big, purple vegetable was called eggplant.

After snapping some photos and capturing some photos I was so glad that I finally visited this unexpected treasure that I had always heard about. In fact, I loved it so much… I’m going back today

Farm Fresh Friday: Mood’s Farm Market

July 29, 2024allieatfood 5 Comments

Have you ever visited a farm early in the day when the sun hasn’t reached its highest heat and the grass is still dewy?

A few weeks ago Wendy and I took a visit to Mood’s Farm Market, a place where you can not only buy produce and homemade goods, but also pick your own fruit!

And you can buy corn, but by all means do not shuck it there!

Of course there were some essential rules. And no, this does not mean you get to pick which rules you want to follow

Before you pick you decide what fruit you will be picking. There is a list which also includes pricing. You then pay for a permit to pick in the respective area, purchase a cardboard container and begin!

We started picking blueberries first.

If you have never picked blueberries before let me tell you that it is not easy! I was definitely confused when I thought it would be a simple task. But there are a lot of berries that aren’t ripe, some that are bruised or wrinkly and others were just downright gross looking! So you’re trying to be quick but careful at the same time and it winds up taking a lot longer than you’d expect.

Wendy and I kept asking each other how we were doing and we knew that we were making progress once we weren’t hitting cardboard anymore. In other words, we had filled the bottom of the box completely and were actually getting somewhere. This made me laugh as we were picking. I think we should coin the term “hitting cardboard” don’t you think!?

Next, we headed to pick peaches.

This might have been the biggest peach I ever saw!

We were warned that they were extremely ripe and they really were! Most were so ripe that you’d touch them and they would turn to mush. And their juices were dripping out of them begging to be eaten. While it was hard to find some that were okay to take home, the few that we did take were so delicious and sweet.

After we were finished picking our fresh fruit we headed back, paid for our goods and were on our merry way. In a few short hours we were able to experience what goes into picking fruit and bring home some juicy berries and peaches. I’d call that a successful summer mornin’.

Enjoy the last weekend of July!

Farm Fresh Friday: Nature’s Candy

July 22, 2024allieatfood 2 Comments

If you’ve ever thought that fruit tastes like candy you wouldn’t be far off.

Because The Candy Box not only sells amazing, melt-in-your-mouth chocolate, but also fresh, sweet, fruit (and veggies) !

As you pull up to this cute and quaint candy shop, you can grab some produce all summer long.

Did you know that Jersey is known for their peaches too?

It is easy to understand why this little shop is called a box. The actual store is only the little building on the left. It’s the kind of place you might just miss while driving by but it would be a shame if you did.

If you’re ever in town or you are a local reader, make sure you stop in The Candy Box and try their chocolate. You are definitely in for a treat. Just make sure you grab some fruit on your way in – it will help balance things out and I promise it is as sweet as the candy

Farm Fresh Friday: In the Garden

July 15, 2024allieatfood 3 Comments

TGIFFF! Or, thank goodness it’s Farm Fresh Friday

As I always mention, one of the perks of buying your produce local is that you know where your food is coming from.

And in this week’s case, I really know where this food is coming from. That’s because it is coming from a family friends’ garden. If you’re reading, Hi Diane!

From their garden –> table top farm market –> my family’s kitchen.

And we are once again asked to be honest. Honesty is the best policy people!

Rows of tomatoes, zucchini, cucumbers, peppers, eggplant and fresh flowers growing.

I love being able to see a garden and can’t wait to have one of my own! Maybe it is the little kid in me that loves being able to see the veggies growing and then in baskets for sale.

Another reason to buy produce from local stands is because it is so much less expensive! Even if grocery stores claim that their products are local, their prices are always going to be higher.

As my Mom and I drove away on quite possibly the most beautiful day of summer I tried my best to make a memory of a perfect morning when we drove through New Jersey’s countryside in search of fresh finds. And how moments later we’d be purchasing fresh fruit and chocolate. But that’s a tale for another day…

Hope your weekend is fresh and fun!

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