Robert's Market Report

Strawberry Peak

If you haven’t bought strawberries yet, don’t wait. This week has got to be the peak of the season. The pint I purchased from Livengood’s, at Thursday’s Fairmount Farmer’ Market, was the sweetest and most flavorful yet. They simply don’t get any better.

Today at the Reading Terminal Market the prize for lowest priced berries goes to Benuel Kauffman’s Lancaster County Produce, with two quarts for $11, the equivalent of $2.75/pint. A single quart was $5.95, pints $3.95. L. Halteman had the best price for a pint, $3.29, with quarts at $5.99. Fair Food’s conventional berries were $3.50/pint, but chemical-free berries from Rineer’s were $5.50. Earl Livengood’s were $4.25/pint or $8.25/quart.

Livengood’s had some beautiful, thin red scallions (spring onions), for $1.75 bunch. Kauffman’s added yellow summer squash to its offerings today, $2.49/pound.

Over at Iovine Brothers Produce the price of limes went up to four for a buck, after a couple weeks at 10 for a buck. Although loose lemons remained 3/$1, you could bag a bag of six large lemons for the same price. Green seedless grapes in clamshells went up to $1.99 this week, but the tray-wrapped grapes were $1.49. Stone fruits from California and other southern climes are in abundance, including apricots at 99-cents a pound.