Robert's Market Report

Headhouse Weathers Weather

At least for the hour after it opened, both vendors and customers were a tad scarce at the Headhouse Square Farmers' Market yesterday, each group deterred by the threats of the second successive Nor'Easter. Maybe it picked up after I left shortly before 11, when the weather appeared less threatening.

Although some merchants were among the missing because of the recent rains (Young's Flowers, for example, couldn't pick because of the South Jersey showers), most of the regulars were selling their goods. Tom Culton was back with his brassicas and winter banana apples, Beechwood, North Star and Three Springs showed off the fruits of their respective orchards, Savoie proudly displayed its variety of hard-to-find potatoes, Queen Farm put forth its usual enticing display of oyster mushrooms and specialty Asian vegetables, and tables of both Blooming Glen and Weaver's Way groaned under the burden of radishes, beets, turnips, chards, lettuces and other garden goodies, including some of the season's last tomatoes.

Birch Run's sign reminded me that, addition to intriguing cheeses, they also deal in veal. One cut that got my attention for future cooking was brisket, $9/pound. I've only had it once, at the expansive brunch served at Lacroix in the Rittenhouse Hotel. In that case it was corned (brined) before braising. Basically, it's meatiest part of a breast of veal without the bones.