Figs and Pig


Those figs purchased last week at Fair Food made a great dinner (photo above) when served with some of Northland Dairy's Bergeré Bleu from Upstate New York, Faragallo's sesame seed bread, olive oil and Hermann Wiemer's dry riesling. I didn't spot any figs today at Fair Food, but they still had plenty of Mirai corn.

Pennsylvania General Store now offers two, count 'em, two different potato chips fried in lard: 18-ounce bags of Diffenbach's for $3.99 and 12-ounce bags of Good's for $2.99.

Benuel Kauffman had added help at his produce stand today:

That's Emma Rose, Ben's eighth grandchild, six months old, posed here with mom Mary and the head of the clan. In chatting with Benuel today he says his craft items designed for the convention/tourist market and jarred and dry goods have been selling quite well ). He used to close during the winter when he started at the market 15 years ago, but about half a dozen years ago started experimenting with winter hours. The first couple of seasons went slowly, but business is solid now, he reports. As for the produce end of his stall, Benuel has pretty much given up growing his own fruits and vegetables for sale and instead relies on other Lancaster County growers. He tries not to buy from "farmers who grow everything" but instead source his produce from those who specialize on just a couple of products. For example, his supplier of white corn is just about done for the season in order to move on to his pumpkin and squash crops. So Benuel will be turning for his corn supply to his bi-color supplier. (Still no unpasteurized apple sider, but Benuel says it will arrive "anytime soon".)


Rieker's German-style cold cuts, sausages and other products will be added to the mix at Dutch Country Meats soon. Although the former owner of DCM added some German-style products after Siegfried's closed, the new owner eliminated those items. Shoppers asking him for the products convinced him they would be worthwhile adding. (L. Halteman's also offers some similar German style products.) Rieker's Prime Meats is located in the far, far Northeast, practically Fox Chase (where Oxford meets Rhawn). I've only been there once, but the selection is astounding and it's well worth the trip. But the convenience of getting at least some of their wursts at the RTM is most welcome.

Joe Nicolosi of DiNic's reports that among customers asking for greens on their sandwich, slightly more go for broccoli rabe than spinach. Until recently, only spinach was available at the roast pork sandwich mecca. (Pork mecca? Something's wrong with that.)

There's a sign hanging in the former Foster's saying it will be occupied soon. RTM GM Paul Steinke says he's close to a deal that will bring a kitchen hardgoods merchant to the space (no, not Kitchen Kapers). As for the demonstration kitchen in the rear, Steinke says that will remain completely separate from the store and will be operated independently. With space for about two dozen students, he hopes to resume cooking classes after the store is up and running, which should be by the end of October.

There's another large vacancy: Natural Connection/Juice Connection, which went out of business Friday. No tenant, but Steinke hopes to sign a retailer selling groceries (canned goods, dry food goods, etc.) and environmentally-friendly household cleaning products. Steinke said the latter is a small but growing segment nationwide. Traditional grocery sellers who concentrate on canned and box goods haven't done well at the market -- that's one of the reasons why Nell Margerum closed her store in the same space about a half dozen years ago. The thinking, yet to be proved, is that there will be enough demand for the "natural" household items that it would support the grocery end of the business. It would also give RTM shoppers one less reason to patronize Whole Foods.

One other significant vacancy remains at the market: the former LeBus stall near the 12th and Filbert. Nothing brewing for that space yet. It's also likely that L. Halteman, under the terms of its new lease, would absorb what's currently a display area for historic photos of the market.

The Parking Authority has adopted the new regulations for the south side of Arch Street and will put them into effect soon. That means it will be truck-loading only from 5 a.m. to 12 noon weekdays; 30-minute max meters from noon to 8 p.m. weekdays, with a 30-minute limit on weekends, too.

There's a trade magazine for everything: the August issue of Sign Builders Illustrated featured photos and an article on the restored RTM neon sign at 12th & Filbert.

A postcard promotional mailing to go out later this month, targetted to the residents of all the new center city condos, will feature this year's Harvest Festival. It's on the RTM calendar for Saturday, Oct. 13.

RTM traffic is up eight percent for the year, notching 3,446,196 through Aug. 12. For the week ending Aug. 12, traffic was 126,563 vs. 111,670 the previous year (no conventions either week).

GIUNTA PRIME SHOP $21.74
Delmonico steaks
Turkey bacon

IOVINE $1.00
Limes

KAUFFMAN'S LANCASTER COUNTY PRODUCE $5.27
Honeydew melon (half)
Bell pepper
Onion

FAIR FOOD FARMSTAND $16.00
Sugar Baby watermelon
Mirai corn
Cubanelle peppers
Angus burger

LIVENGOOD'S $2.45
Tomatos

HERSHEL'S EAST SIDE DELI $4.50
Lox

LANCASTER COUNTY DAIRY $3.75
Milk

LE BUS $3.75
Rolls

SALUMERIA $1.69
Olives

Summer & Fall at the Reading Terminal

Two trips to the RTM this week, experiencing (and buying) the best of summer, but also getting a sneak peak of fall:

Sweet potatoes and apples at Benuel Kauffman's Lancaster County Produce (photo above) were one sure sign of fall. But Benuel's corn remains at peak perfection (the ears I purchased Saturday were full, defect-free and tasty), and the stone fruit remains plentiful and sweet. It should be only a week or two until Benuel starts selling unpasteurized apple cider. I also picked up a couple Bartlett pears from Benuel.

Fun with fruit. (Yes, eggplant is a fruit, not a vegetable.) This Pinocchio white eggplant was found Thursday at Benuel Kaufman's, which also boasts a fine selection of colored bell peppers (also a fruit) and onions (not a fruit, despite it's vibrant purple color.)

Pears are especially in abundance at Iovine Brothers which offers wide selection: Red Anjou and Bosc ($1.99), Forelle ($2.99), Red Bartlett and Comice ($1.99) and a relative newcomer, originally an Australian variety, Packham (99-cents). In the fungi department, Iovine's was offering black truffles for $300, but sold in $12-$18 packs.

California table grapes have hit the market, and Iovine's has a deal for you: a four-pound clamshell of green seedless for $2.99. The individual fruits looked just a tad small, and I didn't taste them, but that's still a bargain since they rarely go below 99-cents a pound. Iovine's also had Michigan blueberries (the local harvest in NJ and PA has been over for weeks). But if you want local produce at Iovine's there were plenty of offerings from their contract farm, Shady Brook in Bucks County: wax beans 89 cents, corn 25-cents an ear, cantaloupes (musk melons) $1 apiece. Jersey field and plum tomatoes both priced at 99 cents. I don't know where they come from (but I suspect it's New Jersey), but the fava beans are in for $1.99. Another good deal is the seedless cucumbers, two long specimens for a buck.

My gem catch of the week was at Fair Food Farmstand: figs picked that morning from the tree in . . . South Philly. I don't know the variety, but they were green with serious purple blotches/streaks that covered two-thirds of the surface. Half a dozen packed in an egg carton, $3. Very delicate fruits, absolutely sublime. One of the Farmstand staffers recommended halving the figs, topping with a little crumbled blue cheese and a few drops of good olive oil. Gotta try that! Also picked up blackberries ($3.75/pint) to mix with melted leftover peach sorbet for a new peach-blackbery sorbet.

Turkey London broil from Godshall's provided the protein for a simple summer meal last night for visiting cousins from Syracuse. The turkey went on the Weber gas grill for indirect cooking after an hour in a simple brine and a quick drying and coating with a homemade rub (hot and sweet paprika, cayenne, black pepper, garlic powder, salt, ground cumin). Served with tomatoes and cucumbers, cornbread (I forgot to add the kernels of fresh corn! Oh, well, those will be sauteed tonight), and the last of my homemade kosher dills, followed by the sorbet with pizzelles. (Wine: Hermann Wiemer Dry Rosé)

Earlier in the week I made a great lunch of soft shell crabs ($6 apiece) from John Yi's: dredged in flour, dipped in egg wash, coated with breadcrumbs, sauteed in butter, served on plain white bread with remoulade. (Beer: Lord Chesterfield Ale)

I can heartily recommend the whitefish salad at Hershel's East Side Deli. Freshly made and fresh tasting.

Here's my combined shopping list for two visits at the RTM Thursday and Saturday:

GODSHALL'S POULTRY $20.00
Turkey London broil
Turkey bacon

KAUFFMAN'S LANCASTER COUNTY PRODUCE $2.49
Cucumber
Corn

LANCASTER COUNTY DAIRY $3.70
Milk

JOHN YI $12.00
Soft shell crabs

AJ'S PICKLE BARREL $3.25
Sauerkraut (which they spell "Sour Kraut")

HERSHEL'S EAST SIDE DELI $8.10
Lox
Whitefish salad

SALUMERIA $3.99
Pizzelles

EARL LIVENGOOD $5.90
Tomatoes
Basil

FAIR FOOD FARMSTAND $17.25
Figs
Blackberries

Headhouse Square

Peppers, scallions from Blooming Glen Farm

Stone fruit from Northstar Orchards

The red cherry tomatoes at Blooming Glen are tiny, but they are flavor-packed. About as sweet as can be without being pure sugar, but still some tomato acid bite. Great for just popping in the mouth, adding to salad or just barely warming up and adding to vermicelli or the pasta of your choice.

Nicky Uy, market manager, says she hopes to add additional dairy purveyors, if not this season then next, especially one who sells milk and cream rather than just cheese, and raw milk if at all possible.

Here's my brief shopping list:

WENK'S FAMILY FARM $10.80
Watermelon
Peaches, nectarine
Pears

BLOOMING GLEN $8.75
Cherry tomatoes
Heirloom tomatoes
Leaf lettuce

RTM Traffic Continues to Grow

Whether it's because tourism is growing or the inceased Center City population because of all the new condos and condo conversions, both or some other reason entirely, visitors at the Reading Terminal Market continue to grow at a hefty pace -- well in excess of 10 percent.

For the week of July 30-Aug. 5, the number of visitors to the market reached 127,582, an increase of more than 15 percent compared the same week of the prior year. For the week of July 9-15, visitors totaled 116,105 this year vs. 104,474 last year, an increase of more than 11 percent. (There were no major events at the convention center or the Marriott during these weeks this year or last year.)

There may be another change in the works for on-street parking. The Philadelphia Parking Authority notified the RTM that it is considering changes along the south side of Arch Street adjacent to the terminal. Under the proposal what's currently a loading zone open to both trucks and passenger vehicles (20 minutes, if I recall correctly) would become 30-minutes for trucks only from 5 a.m. to 12 noon; from then until 8 p.m. it would be metered for 30-minute maximum stay.

Market management is still looking for a tenant for the former Foster's space. Although there's been talk of Kitchen Kapers moving in, there's no deal right now. In his monthly newsletter to merchants, RTM GM Paul Steinke says a priority will to bring back to the market a kitchen hard goods retailer. As for the demonstration kitchen, originally installed under Steinke's predecessor Marcy Rogovin in the late 1990s and later taken over by Foster's when they moved into the space, Steinke says its future is being evaluated in light of the need to repair and upgrade its facilities.

Speaking of upgrade of facilities, Tom Nicolosi says he's purchased the additional ovens, refrigerators and other appurtenances for his capacity expansion. When everything is installed DiNic's will expand hours to 6 p.m. daily as well as start opening on Sundays.

Over at Fair Food Farmstand today, lots of different colored cherry tomatoes, including tiny Black Cherokees (very sweet, hardly any acidity). Although I wasn't in the market for it, there was a nice hunk of boneless lamb shoulder from Meadow Run in the freezer case.

Pomegranites have made their seasonal debut; smallish fruits are available at Iovine Brothers for a buck apiece.

I'll be cooking spare ribs on the Weber kettle tomorrow, hence my trip to the RTM today so I could apply the dry rub well in advance of cooking. As I write they are in close contact with a Memphis rub made from hot and sweet paprika, cayenne, garlic powder, celery salt, black pepper, brown sugar, salt and cumin. I'll probably do a mustard-vinegar mop while they're cooking.

This week's shopping list (not heavy on the produce 'cause I've got a little left and I plan on a Headhouse Square visit Sunday):

FAIR FOOD FARMSTAND $2
Mint

HARRY OCHS $14.39
Spare ribs
Turkey bacon

IOVINE BROTHERS $0.62
Banana
Lemon

SALUMERIA $6.70
Olives
Capers in salt

AJ'S PICKLE PATCH $4.53
Potato salad
Pepper hash

LE BUS $3.75
Rolls

HERSHEL'S DELI $6.00
Lox
Cream cheese

And at the Market, change is often met with resistance

High-rise condominiums are going up around the Market, ushering in an upscale class of potential Market shoppers. Four luxury condo projects within a few blocks are scheduled to open in 2008 and 2009, totaling 548 new homes. Average purchase price: $1.6 million....

Downtown condo dwellers have food-shopping options besides the Market. Specialty grocers such as Whole Foods....

These markets offer downtown condo dwellers something [the] Market does not — a place to shop for groceries after 6 p.m....

More pressure undoubtedly will be put on Market vendors and merchants — particularly those selling food — to stay open later to better serve the downtown condo crowd. That would mark a radical reversal in the up-early, home-early traditions of those who make their living at the Market.

And at the Market, change often is met with resistance.

The diverse mix of farmers, retailers, restaurateurs and artisans rarely agree about anything, and their relationship with Market administration has long been adversarial. Drama and anxiety are part of the character of the arket community.

Will residents of pricey condos insist that the Market abandon its gritty ways? Will the Market's administration respond by gentrifying the Market to meet a demand? And will the Market lose its character as a result?

Sound familiar, Philadelphians? But, no, this quote is not about the Reading Terminal Market. It's from this past Sunday's Seattle Times, and "the Market" is Pike Place. You can read the full story here, at least as long as the paper keeps the page alive. (And thanks to Paul Steinke, RTM manager, for bringing the article to my attention.)

Corn from the Good Ol' Days

It's pretty hard to find old fashioned, non-hybrid corn these days. But Earl Livengood had it last Saturday, and I expect it will also be available from him at the South & Passyunk market Tuesday afternoon and the Fairmount & 22nd market Thursday afternoon. The certified organic ears were priced at 50 apiece .

As expected, these "open pollinated" ears were not nearly as sweet as modern supersweet hybrids. Taste was noticeably but not overwhelmingly "cornier". The ears were much more uniform than I expected to see, though the kernels were on the large side. (I did not strip the ears open to check quality at the stand. I abhor that practice and would rather, pardon the expression, "feel it up" with the husks in place to determine if there are any gross deformities.)

All in all, it was a nice change and a worthwhile reminder of what corn used to taste like and why people would boil the water before picking the corn and then rush it to the pot. But, unless I get nostalgic again, I'll stick to the modern supersweets.

Also at the RTM this past Saturday, lots of local produce at both Iovine Brothers and OK Lee to supplement their regular fare. Iovine's comes from Shadybrook Farm near Yardley, OK Lee's from Lancaster County. Among the items: cantaloupe, wax and green beans, corn. Certainly not local, but a welcome seasonal return nonetheless at OK Lee: Cactus pears, two for a buck. Makes great magaritas.

Suffering succotash! Lima beans at the height of their season. At least one of Earl Livengood's farmhands was popping them raw as a snack this morning. Also new this week: fresh, young, small celeriac. Earl's also got some additional varieties of heirloom tomatoes.

Blackberries and peaches still going strong, of course, at Livengood's, Kaufman's and Fair Food, but also making an appearance in advance of autumn are some early pears at Kaufman's. Benuel says he expects to have Sanza apples next week. (Benuel spells the varietry with a 'z', but I've only seen it with the second 's', Sansa.)

Benuel Kauffman's pears, peaches and nectarines

Earl Livengood's heirloom tomatoes

Here's what I bought at the RTM Saturday:

EARL LIVENGOOD $4.95
Corn
Tomatoes
Celeriac

IOVINE $0.39
Bananas

KAUFMAN'S $3.95
Cherry tomatoes

GIUNTA'S PRIME SHOP $10.10
Chicken

12th STREET CANTINA $3.34
Mexican chorizo

HERSHEL'S DELI $5.00
Lox

Livengood Farm Corn Roast


The rains came and went last Sunday (July 29), then about three or four dozen produce lovers made their way out to Lampeter, Pennsylvania, on the outskirts of Lancaster, where the Livengood family held their annual corn roast and pot luck for customers they serve at Reading Terminal Market, South Street market, and Fairmount market. It was the sixth or seventh year they'd held the event, but the first time I had the opportunity to attend.

Hosts Earl, Joyce, Dwain and Dale Livengood, along with other family members and farmhands, provided the setting (the Livengood's shady side yard), the corn, canopy and table, cold drinks and hospitality, while the guests provided the potluck which mostly took advantage of seasonal produce goodies. (The only meat I spied and tasted was some delicious Biranyi, but the shredded chicken was used more as another flavoring than a main ingredient.)

Following the meal, Earl introduced the family and then presided over the afternoon's entertainment, a skit involving he and his farmhands hoeing their rows while singing Row, Row, Row Your Boat, and then the telling of a tall tale involving a steer in which Earl, a wild and crazy guy, played the steer. Afterword, Earl and Dwain led tour of the farm, and Sam led another one showing the non-commercial produce growing on the Livengood's property, starting out with the paw paw trees in the front yard. Here's a photo of the hoeing entertainment:


Soon after I arrived, Earl's friend and amateur farmer/forager Sam Consylman grabbed me and another guest, Alexandra Stafford (food editor of the Bulletin) to show off his garden, a few miles away. Here are photos of Sam amidst his onions (which will be appear in local farm markets this winter), holding one of his prize beets (a cylindrical variety, which I think are among the sweetest as well as perfectly shaped for roasting), and next to one of his peach trees.




The peaches, btw, are delicious. Sam picked one up off the ground, brushed away the ants and the tiny spot they had just started working on and handed it to me. Incredibly juice, but with a subtle but absolutely peachy flavor. It was a modern white variety, Raritan Rose (obviously, by name, a product of Rutgers' Cook College of Agriculture), and well worth seeking out, so long as you get them as perfectly ripe as the one Sam handed to me, sans ants.

Hand-sliced lox, summer stuff and figs

Between being out-of-town and being sidetracked by some community issues in my neighborhood as well as the Rick's Steak brouhaha, I've been neglectful of reporting on my shopping excursions. So here's a report on my visit to to the RTM today, as well as a bit on last weekend's visit.

Over at Hershel's East Side Deli, Andy is hand-slicing salty belly lox again rather than relying on Acme's inconsistent pre-sliced product. Hooray!

Earl Livengood (hosting his annual corn roast tomorrow at his farm on the outskirts of Lancaster; call 717 464-2698 for more info) still has some sweet, dark cherries which he's been storing since the bountiful harvest ended a couple of weeks ago. While not as pristine looking as when fresh off the tree, they remain sweet and delicious, even at $6.50 a quart or $3.50 a pint. Earl also had sour (pie) cherries for $2.95/pint, and blackberries and blueberries at $4.25/pint.

If you want a Hass avocado for guacamole or any other purposes, OK Lee wants 99-cents each, while Iovine Brothers is up to $1.49; last week Iovine's only sought 50 cents each. (Prices almost as volatile as the stock market.)

Figs are in season. Small black figs, roughly 12-15 packed high into a half-pint carton, $4.99 at Iovine, with green figs $2.49. All red and green grapes, seedless or seeded, $1.99.

Cucumbers are plentiful. Persian cucumbers at Iovine's were $1.99 a pound, which gets you about three of these smaller, six or seven-inch "seedless" cukes ideal for chopped salads and other uses. Greenhouse grown English seedless cukes were priced at two for a buck. Over at OK Lee big, fat kirbys, about two inches in diameter and six inches in length, were selling at five for a buck.

While the organic and heirloom varieties of tomatoes at Livengood's and Fair Foods will cost you $2.49 or more, the Jersey and Lancaster County standard field tomato (no slouch in the taste department at the height of the season, as it is now) are a bargain 99-cents at either Iovine's or OK Lee's. Local canteloupes (musk melons), watermelons and peaches are also in abundance.

Everyone's got good local corn now, including Iovine's. But, as anyone who has tasted it will tell you, the Mirai corn sold at Fair Food is special. Only a few ears were left when I stopped by at 10 a.m., most of it having been sold Thursday and Friday. So plan your shopping schedule accordingly next week.

Iovine bell pepper survey: Green 50-cents, yellow $1.49, red $2.99, orange, $3.99. OK Lee: red and green, 99-cents, yellow and orange $2.99. This time a year, I buy whatever color sweet pepper looks good at Benuel Kaufman's stand; today it was a small purplish variety.

John Yi continues to have a nice selection of wild salmon, as well as farmed-raised Atlantic salmon from Norway and other sources. The Alaskan wild varieties included king at $16.99, sockeye (Copper River) at $10.99 (up from $9.99 last week), and Coho at $12.99. Last week I tried the Coho, but its exceedingly mild flavor disappointed me; others, however, might find this just right. Meanwhile, with demand for soft shell crabs at its seasonal high, the price shot up to $6 per. (Come on you crabs: Molt!) Returning to John Yi is char filet at $7.99; char is mostly farm raised in Canada and Iceland, but the farming techniques used for this salmonid are among aquaculture's most eco-friendly.

Later this week I plan to buy some lamb, so I priced it today. Harry Ochs asked $9.99 for a boneless leg, while Giunta's (for what they told me was New Jersey lamb) priced it at $6.99 on-the-bone, $7.99 off. Before applying this week's 15% discount, the frozen Meadow Run lamb at Fair Foods is priced similarly to Ochs; with the discount it's more in line with Giunta's price. I didn't check Martin's, but in the past they've generally been the least expensive lamb purveyor, sometimes pricing leg as low as $3.99 on the bone, $4.99 off.

This week's shopping list:

HARRY OCHS $26.47
Flank steak
Ground sirloin
Turkey bacon

KAUFMAN'S LANCASTER COUNTY PRODUCE $2.42
Bell pepper
Onion

FAIR FOOD PROJECT $2.20
Mirai Corn

EARL LIVENGOOD $10.65
Cherries
Plum tomatoes
Field tomato

IOVINE BROTHERS $2.07
Bananas
Garlic
White and red onions

HERSHEL'S EAST SIDE DELI $4.60
Lox

Here's my shopping list for the previous Saturday, July 21, where most of the vegetables purchased this day, and the following at Headhouse Square, went into ratatouille.

SPICE TERMINAL $4.25
Pine nuts

GIUNTA'S PRIME SHOP $5.09
Turkey bacon

HERSHEL'S EAST SIDE DELI $4.50
Lox

SALUMERIA $6.58
Olives
Cream cheese

JOHN YI $11.30
Coho salmon

OK LEE $0.99
Cilantro

EARL LIVENGOOD $9.60
Blueberries
Squash
Eggplant
Yellow squash
Onion
Lettuce

TWELFTH STREET CANTINA $2.99
Tortilla chips

IOVINE BROTHERS $2.99
Bananas
Avocados
Scallions

Headhouse Square

At Headhouse Square last Sunday, I completed my shopping begun the previous day at the RTM for ratatouille incredients by hitting up North Star for peppers and onions, Wimer's for roma tomatoes and more eggplant, Blooming Glen for bell peppers (as well as cherry and heirloom tomatoes for pasta, sandwiches and just plain enjoying by themselves). The biggest score of all for the ratatouille, though, was at Urban Girl: fresh savory. As one of the Urban Girls herself said, it smells like pizza!

Also at Blooming Glen, beautifully large, sweet and dead-ripe Tri-Star strawberries. This variety bears gorgeous fruit throughout the summer, so growers can expect three crops. They were delicious! I also picked up a pint of blueberries from a stand whose name I can no longer decipher from my scribble.

Here are some photos from Blooming Glen's stand:

Ithaca Farmers' Market

Enroute to a long weekend in the Adirondacks, She Who Must Be Obeyed accompanied me on a visit to the Ithaca Farmers' Market, which occupies a cruciform shed next to the inlet leading to Cayuga Lake, one of the wonderful Finger Lakes, three days a week during the growing season. (We started our trip Friday with a visit to the Herman J. Wiemer Vineyard on the west shore of Seneca Lake, where I picked up two cases of various rieslings, from dry to the American equivalent of trockenbeerenauslese, thence proceeded to Seneca's east shore to Dano's Heuriger where we enjoyed a Viennese tradition, Heuriger, of a mug of simple white wine accompanied by savory spreads, salads, charcuterie and, of course, a Viennese dessert.)

About 40 percent of the Farmers' market vendors are purveyors (fruit, veggies, meat, dairy and sellers of goods like honey, jarred sauces, etc.), with the remaining split between crafts/trinkets and food for on-premise consumption.

As demonstrated by the colorful Swiss chard and the hat atop Jack Goldstein's head in the photos at right, veggies were king last weekend.

But I came for the cheese!

In the late 1990s and early 2000s, SWMBO ran a small company in Ithaca, so I journeyed to Ithaca most weekends and discovered not just the market, but the incredible product offered by Northland Sheep Dairy. Jane and Karl North, who founded the dairy, had very structured ideas about farming, sustainability and holoistic management, as you can see on the website Karl created a few years back. Since then they've turned the dairying and cheese-making over to Maryrose Livingston (photo below).

My favorite among the four cheeses is Bèrgeré Bleu, a singular blue cheese highly praised by Steve Jenkins, and called "an American rival to Roquefort" by Stinky Bklyn, a Brooklyn cheesemonger and one of the few places outside Ithaca selling Northland cheese. I also bought Tomme Bèrgeré, a rustic mountain cheese. If you ever see any of these cheeses, including the barnyardy Folie Bèrgeré, buy them!

Headhouse Square: Week 2

Today was the second week for the Headhouse Square Farmers' Market and I was there.

Over at North Star Orchards, field grown tomatos were much in evidence, $2.50/pound. I purchased three hefty specimens; they aren't pretty, due to skin cracking, but based on the one I enjoyed with lunch, they are superior in flavor. Real tomatoes have arrived!

I purchased a fresh chicken from Mountain View Poultry Farm (they sell fresh and frozen chicken and turkey, as well as grassfed meats, organic produce and organic eggs) which I'll cut up and put on the grill tonight. I'm looking forward to tasting the chicken.

Pictured on the right are some fresh shallots and flowers at the Blooming Glen Farm stall, immediately found upon entering on the Lombard Street side.

The number of merchants seemed about the same as last week, but like then, there were a number of spots that were posted as space for a particular vendor, but no one was there. Perhaps I arrived too early (10 a.m., the market's opening hour) or perhaps they were no-shows.

Since everyone was talking about the daise on egullet.org last week, I bought a bunch from Queen Farm to mix in with the red butter lettuce from Wimer Organics.

Over at A.T. Buzby, they said the canteloupe was a couple of weeks early -- they started picking last weekend. Based on the wonderful melon aroma that wafted throughout my car by the time I got back home to Fairmount, I'd say it's a good melon. We'll crack it open tonight after it's chilled.

Here's my full shopping list for today:

MOUNTAIN VIEW POULTRY ($14.05)
Whole chicken, $3.99/pound

NORTH STAR ORCHARDS ($4.50)
Tomatoes, $2.50/pound

A.T. BUZBY ($5.50)
Canteloupe, $3.50
Corn, 50-cents @

WIMER ORGANICS ($1.80)
Lettuce

QUEEN'S FARM ($1.50)
Daise

Jersey Tomatos

Jersey tomatos have arrived at Iovine Brothers Produce. Everyone else appears to have greenhouse tomatos. But the local field tomatoes should start to appear in two to three weeks. Get ready!

Langoustines (a.k.a. scampi, Dublin prawns, etc.) usually sell for close to $20 a pound, frozen, imported from Thailand or other Southeast Asian producers. Golden Seafood had them for $8.99 today, already thawed. I bought a pound (about five langoustines) even though I figured they're on sale because they're already defrosted and have a very short shelf life. They'll get grilled tomorrow (doubt I'll be able to eat them tonight after Pizza Club) and I'll report on the quality.

The Livengood Family will host its annual farm tour and corn roast for customers on Sunday, July 29, on the Morningside Drive farm on the outskirts of Lancaster. The evening meal will be pot luck. For details, stop by the stand Saturday at the RTM, Tuesday at the South & Passyunk Market, 3-7 p.m., or Thursday at the Fairmount Market, also 3-7 p.m. Or call the Livengoods at 717 464-2698.

Cactus pears (also known as prickly pears or, in Israel, sabra), have been back at Iovine's for the past two weeks, $1.99/pound. Usually I find them at O.K. Lee during the season, which runs from now through late fall, but not this week. Among Iovine's other offerings: English cucumbers two for a buck; hydroponic red peppers (slight scars), two pounds for $1; green bell peppers 99 cents, orange and yellows, $1.99.

Local string beans of various types are plentiful. Earl Livengood is charging $3.95 a pint for green beans, wax beans and yellow Roma (flat) beans. Benuel Kauffman's wax and green beans go for $2.99/pound. Since I didn't weigh Earl's, can't say which is a better bargain.

Berries and cherries remain plentiful. Here's the price breakdown. All are from local orchard except Iovine, which is offering West Coast dark cherries).

• Dark sweet cherries: $2.99/pound Iovine, $4.30 pint/$9.00 quart Fair Food Farmstand, $3.95/$6.95 Benuel Kauffman, $3.95/$6.95 Earl Livengood.

• Queen Anne cherries: $4.75/$9.50 Fair Food, $3.95/$6.95 Kauffman.

• Pie (sour) cherries: $4.00/$7.50 Fair Food, $6.95/quart Kaufman, $2.95/$5.50 Livengood.

• Blueberries: $4.00/$7.50 Fair Food, $4.95 pint Kauffman, $4.50 Livengood.

• Red raspberries (half-pint): $4.00 Fair Food, $3.95 Kauffman, $3.95 Livengood. Black rasperries $3.00 at Kauffman's.

A very brief shopping list for me this week, since I'll be visiting Headhouse Square tomorrow:

IOVINE BROTHERS PRODUCE ($2.94)
Lemons
Limes
Bananas

EARL LIVENGOOD (Approx. $8.50)
Dark cherries
Red onion

KAUFFMAN'S LANCASTER COUNTY PRODUCE
Black raspberries

GOLDEN SEAFOOD ($9.26)
Langoustines

HERSHEL'S EAST SIDE DELI ($4.30)
Lox

Confirmed:
Tony in, Rick out out

Rick Olivieri, proprietor of Ricks Steaks, and Paul Steinke, Reading Terminal Market General Manager, both confirmed today that no lease renewal was offered Olivieri. Rick's Steaks is scheduled to vacate its stall when the current month-to-month lease extension expires July 31. The RTM has sent Tony Luke's a formal proposal to take over the space.

The RTM board voted 6-1 not to renew Olivieri's lease and instead offer the space to Tony Luke's. No deal with TL's has been signed yet, and Steinke wouldn't hazard an estimate as to when they would begin RTM operations.

Olivieri said if he had been offered a lease, he would have signed it. "I've been in the market for 25 years, I've spent my life here."

Steinke said Rick's Steaks probably would have been offered a new lease if Tony Luke's had not expressed an interest in coming to the market.

Olivieri and at least one other merchant think his advocacy against mandatory hours as president of the RTM Merchants Association was, at the very least, a contributing factor to the decision not to renew his lease. (Olivieri points out that he is open most Sundays, even though Sunday hours are not mandatory.)

Steinke said that had nothing to do with the board's decision. He acknowledged the differences he's had with Olivieri and other merchants over mandatory hours and other issues, but said the decision was based on the chance to bring to the market a strong local operator who is regarded as the best in the business.

"Tony Luke's is a big draw," said Steinke, noting the recognition its sandwiches have received from both local and national news media. The RTM manager, after acknowledging the impact lease decisions have on individual merchants like Olivieri, emphasized that "the Board believes Tony Luke's will make the market stronger."

He added that the recommendation was brought to the full board by its own leasing committee.

Tommy Nicolosi, proprietor of DiNic's, and several other merchants appealed for the decision to be reversed when they met with the RTM board Monday.

Nicolosi said today that although Tony Luke's would not put him out of business, he's unsure how much impact it would have, especially if TL offered roast pork sandwiches, directly competing with DiNic's, as well as cheese steaks. Nicolosi observed that he doesn't have the space to add a grill for cheese steaks. His menu offers roast pork, veal, chicken, sausage and beef sandwiches.

Steinke said that in bringing any new vendor to the market his goal is to do it in a way that will not undermine the business of existing merchants.

Nicolosi and his son, Joe, said my earlier analysis of the hoagie competition at the RTM was fine as far as it went, but didn't go far enough. Father and son observed that only Carmen's relies on the hoagie business and benefits from the overflow of customers at Rick's. (A situation, I might add, that would no doubt continue or grow if Tony Luke's takes Rick's space.) Salumeria, they said, does a higher volume in cheeses, olive oils and other Italian grocery products than it does in hoagies, and Spataro's hoagie sales are secondary to its breakfast and cheese steak business.

* * *

Those are the facts and views expressed by the identified parties. What follows is pure, unadulterated opinion and speculation. (And, just to remind everyone once again, you get what you pay for.)

• Olivieri won't go quietly into the night, as his petition drive demonstrates. It's unlikely he hasn't consulted his lawyers, and I'm sure articles will start appearing soon in the Inky, Daily News and the center city weeklies. The goal would be to create sufficient public and political pressure to have the board (whose membership includes direct representatives of the mayor and city council) reverse itself.
  
  Such a reversal is unlikely. But if it happened, think about how that impacts the ability and authority of Steinke, or any other manager, to do their job. More important, what would be the implications to the market's historic mission of providing a public market while preserving its financial viability.
  

• The merchants don't like it, but mandatory hours (especially the requirement that merchants stay open for business until 6 p.m. weekdays) are essential. How else can you attract office workers to make a stop for produce and protein after work or compete with Whole Foods? Although I don't work in Center City and would rarely take advantage of later hours, I think extending them to 7 or 8 p.m. would be even better given the increasing residential nature of the neighborhood.
  

• While there may be some impact on DiNic's if TL offers roast pork sandwiches, it's likely to be negligible. TL would be much better off devoting resources to cheese steaks because (1) there's only minor competition and (2) that's what the tourists and most of the office workers who populate the RTM at lunch time want. Even if TL sells pork, it would be a minor part of the volume (except among dedicated eGulleters).

RTM Leases, Round Two

Another public brou-ha-ha between Reading Terminal Market management and merchants boiled over last week, as evidenced by a "Petition To Save Rick's Steaks" circulated at the market Saturday. The petition claims the market has refused to offer Rick's a new lease, thereby forcing the eviction of the vendor. Rick's employees were asking customers to sign it, and it could be found at other vendor stalls as well.

I was unable to reach either Market GM Paul Steinke or Rick's Steaks proprietor Rick Olivieri Saturday, though I am seeking comments from both. It's difficult to believe (but not impossible) that the market failed to offer Rick a new lease. What's easier to believe is that a lease was offered and Rick found the terms unacceptable.

In the most recent round of lease renewals, which began in late 2005, Steinke has been seeking to restructure lease terms and track vendor sales, which is anathema to many of the vendors, particularly the high-volume lunch stands. All market merchants pay what is referred to as CAM, for "common area maintenance". And for virtually all merchants that figure is much larger than the separate "rent" fee. Indeed, merchants who are "purveyors" (sellers of foodstuffs for cooking/preparing at home, i.e., produce, fish, meat, etc.) don't pay rent at all, just the CAM. It's one of the mechanisms the RTM's uses to fulfill its mission of being a public market rather than a food court. Likewise, knowing the sales revenue of the vendors would enable management to charge them rents more in line with their ability to pay.

Since first posting about this on www.egullet.org I've received two separate messages reporting a rumor that Tony Luke's was going to replace Rick's. One of the correspondents thought Rick Olivieri was being singled out by market management because Rick opposes Sunday hours. The other said Olivieri refused to sign a new lease because the rent was being raised.

I have no way of knowing whether the Tony Luke rumor has any basis in fact. Although I am not privy to any lease negotiations between RTM and Rick's Steaks, I would be surprised if RTM failed to increase Rick's rent at lease renewal time.

Here are some thoughts on all of these rumors. Keep in mind they are worth no more than you paid for them.

Rick's purported opposition to Sunday hours has nothing to do with the lease stalemate. He's certainly not the only merchant who opposes Sunday hours (so do all the Amish vendors, as do Pizza By George/Mezza and others). And if Rick did oppose Sunday on principle, why is he open at Citizens Bank Park for Sabbath afternoon ballgames?

Let's face it, this is about money: who gets it, who pays and how that money is deployed.

Replacing Rick's with Tony Luke's is not beyond the realm of possibility, but so what?

One of the my correspondents thought this would be terribly harmful to Tommy DiNic's. I doubt it would undermine Tommy's business. The RTM supports more than one hoagie outlet. Last time I looked, Carmen's, Salumeria, and Spataro's all competed to stuff your face with cold cuts, salad, cheese and bread. What makes a Pork Italienne sammie any different? And although it's not a hoagie shop, The Original Turkey can easily be considered a competitor. So can Mezza and its sister shop, Pizza By George, which sell "Euro" sandwiches. A cold meat sandwich is a cold meat sandwich; they all compete with what is, in essence, an interchangeable product. My guess is there's plenty of business for both DiNic's and Tony Luke's. As it is DiNic's and Rick's compete today (both sell hot meat sandwiches) just like Carmen's, Salumeria and Spataro's compete. Heck, Rick's competes with Spataro's, too, since Spataro offers cheese steaks these days.

If they were any real concern that a TL operation would put DiNic's out of business, a lease agreement for Tony Luke's could be written to limit the operation to steaks (and DiNic's amended to prohibit Tommy from adding steaks). TL's would either accept or reject the lease on that basis.

Now let's talk capitalism. Assuming Rick's rejected paying higher rent, it stands to reason that the RTM would seek to replace him with a similar vendor willing to pay a higher price. If a Tony Luke's, or a John's or any other cheesesteak vendor is willing to pay that higher rent, and Rick is not, well, that's what makes markets.

Now let's talk socialism. Why would RTM management seek to increase rents from vendors like Rick's? The critical reason would be to assure affordable rents for the purveyors of fresh foods (fish, meat, produce, dairy). They, not the hoagie and cheese steak vendors, are the heart and soul of the Reading Terminal Market.

If RTM management could not generate additional revenue from those with the highest profitable volumes (predominantly the lunchtime sandwich and meal vendors), rents would have to be raised across the board. This would harm the OK Lee's and Dutch Country Meats of the market much more than the Olivieri's and DiNic's. If the rents were based solely on square footage -- rather than also considering profitability (which is the way we measure ability to pay) most of the fresh food purveyors would be priced out of business.

Who operates a cheese steak stand makes a big difference to the owner, but it is of only passing interest to me. What I fear much more would be the deterioration of the Reading Termnal Market into just another food court. That's the likely outcome if increased revenues from vendors who can afford to pay are not captured to support the fresh food purveyors.

Goodbye Boston mackeral at $2.49. Hello $8 cheese steaks.

Cherries Aplenty

I restrained myself this week from going overboard in buying fruit at the RTM. All I purchased was a quart of pie cherries, a pint each of sweet red and sweet Rainier cherries, a pint of blueberries, bananas and limes. That should hold me 'til Tuesday afternoon's farmers market at South & Passyunk. (BTW, last week's cherries went into a delicious sorbet; this week they're bound for a cobbler.)

Fair Food featured sweet red Summit cherries and yellow/red Rainiers for $4.50 and $4.75 a pint, respectively. Over at Benuel Kaufman's the reds and Queen Annes were $3.95, pie cherries $2.95 per pint, strawberries $5.95/quart. (Ben's black raspberries were gone by 10:30 a.m.) Earl Livengood's pints were priced at $2.95 for sours and $3.75 for sweet reds. Blueberries were $4.50/pint, red raspberries $3.95, strawberries $3.75. L. Halteman's sweet cherries sold for $3.19 while strawberries were $4.39/quart.

Benuel Kaufman also had the elongated red beets I love. I find them even sweeter than the most round beets. And Earl Livengood featured Lancaster County corn; seems early by a couple of weeks to me, but I couldn't resist.

Time for lime sorbet, margaritas or limeade. Iovine has nice, heavy juicy limes for a dime apiece; lemons are still a relatively pricey 25 cents. Hass avocados $1.49 each. Deals can be had on eggplant (two pounds for a buck) and kirby cucumbers ($1 a pound).

Copper River sockeye still available at John Yi at $12.95; Alaskan king for $17.99.

Here's my abbreviated shopping list for today:

IOVINE BROTHERS PRODUCE ($2.47)
Bananas
Limes
Lemon
Juice oranges

EARL LIVENGOOD ($19.20)
Sour cherries
Sweet red cherries
Blueberries
Lettuce
Corn

BENUEL KAUFMAN ($6.90)
Beets
Queen Anne cherries

GIUNTA'S PRIME SHOP ($13.82)
Hanger steak

* * * * *

Coke Backs Off

I spoke with two Coke reps this week (neither of whom wanted to be identified in any way shape or form) who confirmed that while Coke did plan to make the push I outlined, when they learned of RTM management's objections, they canned their plans. They still hope to do sandwich-and-drink type promotions with individual merchants, and will continue to supply refrigerated cases and beverage dispensers with their logo, but you won't find the Coke logo or representations of the classic bottle plastered all over the RTM. (One idea they proposed, and was shot down by the RTM, was to put new seat cushions on the the stools at Golden Bowl, Carmen's and perhaps other eateries in which a silhouette of a coke bottle would appear. Nothing like shoving a bottle up your . . . )

I made my calls to Philadelphia Coca-Cola Bottling Monday and Wednesday. Funny, but later RTM Manager Paul Steinke got a call from the bottler's president assuring him that Coke will abide by his wishes and refrain from the more visible push. I'm guessing my inquiry drew their attention to Paul's publicly posting his newsletter to merchants.

Let it not be said that Coke isn't sensitive to the preferences of their various markets. They wouldn't have become as successful a company as they are otherwise.

BTW, don't write, call or e-mail Coca-Cola Enterprises on this issue. It turns out that while CCE does own a number of bottling companies, the Philadelphia company (formerly a minority-owned business in which Julius Erving was initially involved and was led by J. Bruce Llewellyn) is not one of them. The local bottler was sold to the parent Coca-Cola Company in Atlanta (the syrup maker). They apparently have shifted strategic direction and seek to have greater control over their products so are now acquiring bottlers. For the parent company's Bottlers Investment Group, formed in 2006 to bring company-owned bottling units under a single coordinated management, Philadelphia Coke is its first major bottling acquisition in the US (most of their bottlers are overseas) and they are using it as a test, with strenuous multiple marketing efforts.

Cherries makie debut

Local cherries made their seasonal debut Saturday at Earl Livengood, who offered both pie and sweet cherries. Benuel Kaufman also offered sweet cherries. The pie cherries were small, but nicely tart. Today I'm turning a mix of the two types into sorbet. Earl also had had red raspberries this past week.

Salad season has begun, and both Livengood and Fair Food Project are selling beautiful heads of lettuce. If a starchier salad is your thing, go for Livengood's fresh dug new potatoes. This week I added sliced French radishes and Vidalia onion to the potatoes and tossed with a mayo-vinegar-sugar-pepper-mustard dressing.

If you want fresh local goat cheese, the only place to acquire it at the RTM is the Fair Food Project. Neither Downtown Cheese nor Salumeria sell any goat cheese that's remotely local: most of their offerings come from France or California.

Over at Iovine Brothers Produce the California stone fruits have arrived: peaches, nectarines, apricots. If you're making a fruit salsa or chutney, the under-ripe California fruit works just fine; but for eating out of hand, I'll wait another month or so for our local produce. OK Lee displayed mammoth artichokes priced at three for a buck.

Over at Lancaster County Dairy that Trickling Springs Creamery heavy cream in glass bottles I kvelled about last week is now joined by whole and 2 percent milk in glass, as well as cultured buttermik. The whole and 2 percent sell for $2.25, plus $2 bottle deposit. The heavy cream and half-and-half is also available in conventional containers.

Everyday Gourmet Market figures to open Monday, June 18. It's located in the space formerly occupied by Andros and is similar in concept: Variety of dishes to take home to reheat and eat. Their brochure lists a six-week rotating menu, with each week featuring four different entrees (a red meat, a poultry, a fish and usually, but not always, a vegetarian offering), as well as a regular roster of sandwiches, salads, soups, and casseroles. As an example, this week's entrees are Expresso Rubbed Flank Steak, Turkey Meatloaf with Spicy Ketchup, Baked Tilapia with Balsamic Cucumbers, and BBQ Chicken with Firecracker Stuffing. Most of the dinners-to-go, priced at $9.50 ($7.75 for vegetarian fare, like the Stuffed Portobello or the Polenta and Roasted Vegetable Napolean to be offered in future weeks) includes a starch and vegetable. The website is www.everydaygurmetmarket.com, but as of this writing nothing was posted there.

Thursday afternoon I stopped by the Fairmount & 22nd Street Market, where Earl Livengood was joined by three or four other vendors, including Griggstown Quail Farm. Today I'll be cooking the two poussin I purchased Thursday. We have already, however, consumed, Griggstown's cherry pie: delicious. We enjoyed four small cuts from one $5.50 pie.

On this week's menu:

Poussin served with potato salad, asparagus.
Cherry sorbet
Composed salad of roasted beets, goat cheese, walnuts with raspberry vinaigrette.
Green salad with leftover meats, cheese.
Herring salad.
Bratwurst and kraut

Here's my RTM shopping list for the Saturday:

EARL LIVENGOOD ($27.35)
Lettuce
Asparagus
Strawberries
Pie cherries
Sweet cherries

IOVINE BROTHERS PRODUCE ($5.60)
Bananas
Garlic
Lemon
Walnuts

FAIR FOOD PROJECT ($7.50)
Goat cheese

HARRY OCHS ($4.95)
Turkey bacon

DOWN HOME CHEESE ($3.99)
Pumpernickel, party-sized

OLD CITY COFFEE ($6.90)
Coffee

HERSHEL'S EAST SIDE DELI ($4.73)
Lox

Coca Cola attacks RTM

The Philadelphia Coca Cola Bottling Co. late this spring launched an all-out assault to brand the Reading Terminal Market market as a Coca Cola fiefdom. It may well be the biggest threat to the market since the bankrupt Reading Railroad sought to shut down the city's historic market nearly 30 years ago.

Here's what RTM Manager Paul Steinke wrote in a June 9 update to market tenants:

In recent weeks representatives of the Philadelphia Coca Cola Bottling Co. have been discussing various ideas for inserting the Coke brand into individual merchant stores through signage, menu boards, seat cushions, clocks and other means. There is nothing wrong with a beverage company pitching their products and services to a merchant. But we cannot go overborad in allowing them to splash their brand identity all over the Market. We are a collection of small independent businesses and we take that distinction seriously. Let's not permit Coke to seduce us into unduly compromising our integrity. If Coke or any other outside company is talking to you about renovations to your store, please discuss it with me before you agree to any of their proposals. Remember, as Landlord we have the right of refusal of any tenant renovations that we believe may be out of character with the Market, which is a precious and fragile historic resource. We all need to take that role seriously in order to preserve the Market's integrity and character.

That's strong language. And for good reason: plastering the market with the Coke label beyond the usual fountain dispensers and refrigerated cases would turn the market into one gigantic billboard.

I urge all who care about the market to let Philadelphia Coca Cola Bottling Co. and it's corporate parent, Coca Cola Enterprises, know that such a campaign is unwelcome and unwanted:

Philadelphia Coca Cola Bottling Co.
info@phillycoke.com
Phone: 888.551.6800

Coca Cola Enterprises

Corporate Offices
Coca-Cola Enterprises Inc.
2500 Windy Ridge Parkway
Atlanta, GA 30339
USA
770-989-3000

Ombudsman
Coca-Cola Enterprises Inc.
2300 Windy Ridge Parkway, Suite 145 South
Atlanta, GA 30339-5677
888-272-COKE (2653) or

Got back to the RTM today after a three week hiatus, mostly spent in Wisconsin. (Here's a report of my beer and brat haul.)

We left town as the early local strawberries were starting to come in, and returned just in time for the tail end of the season. As we neared home this past Tuesday, we made our last rest stop of the trip at the Pa. Pike's Allentown service plaza where one vendor was selling delicious berries as well as sugar snaps and lots of other stuff. (Only one vendor is there weekdays; additional vendors sell their produce on weekends when highway traffic is busier.)

On Thursday afternoon I visited my neighborhood farmers' market at 22nd & South where I picked up spinach and a couple of greenhouse tomatoes from Earl Livengood; radishes and eggs from a new vendor whose name I didn't get; and a baguette from Baker Street.

Back to the RTM . . .

Everyday Gourmet, in the former location of Andros, getting closer to opening. The new take-away vendor is shooting for a June 19 opening.

No word yet on an occupant for Foster's, which will be shutting down its RTM operation by the end of the month and opening at it's new consolidated store at 4th & Market about mid-July. As it is, stock is pretty thin as Foster's winds down.

Someone named Chef Harry (Harry Schwartz) will be at the RTM Wednesday, June 13,11:30 a.m. - 2 p.m. He's a PBS chef touring the country in his "Watermelon Bus" to promote awareness of childhood obesity. He'll be making watermelon salsa at center court. Other events coming up: Ice Cream Festival July 28, Pennsylvania Dutch Festival Aug. 9-11.

The RTM Corporation board has once again extended the Sunday "experiment" through Sept. 30. Apparently it's beyond their ken to just acknowledge that Sundays have been a measurable success and make it permanent.

According to RTM Manager Paul Steinke's monthly merchant newsletter, Sundays are the fourth busiest day of the week, which is quite an achievement considering center city offices are closed and about half the merchants don't open. However, there will be added competition for the summer, beginning July 1, when the Food Trust opens a Sunday farmers market at Headhouse Square.

Here are the RTM's average hourly counts:

1,570 weekly average
2,203 Saturday
1.799 Friday
1.528 Thursday
1.498 Sunday
1,477 Wednesday
1.308 Tuesday
1,183 Monday

Now, onto the food...

Over at John Yi "Copper River Salmon" was selling at $14.99 vs. $10.99 for non-geographically identified king salmon. At that price, it's got to be sockeye, not king. Fitting to its alternate name of "red" samon, the sockeye was a beautiful deep red color.

Over at Iovine the price of limes has retreated a bit since I last visited -- five for a buck (four for a buck at OK Lee). Hass avocadoes were $1.49 each, vs. 99-cents at OKL. Also at Iovine, Atulful mangoes a dollar apiece. Strawberries from Iovines contract grower in Bucks County, Shady Brook, were $1.99/pint. Benuel Kaufman was selling his for $5.99/quart, while Earl Livengood's organic berries were $6.25/quart. Benuel also had beautiful kirby cucumbers, ideal for pickling.

New at Lancaster County Dairy is heavy cream in glass bottles from Trickling Springs Creamery. The cream (not ultra-pasterized, thank heavens) is $3.25 plus a $2 deposit on the shapely bottle.

This week's shopping list:

IOVINE BROTHERS ($3.68)
Bananas
Vidalia onion
Dill
Garlic

FAIR FOOD PROJECT ($14.38)
Ham
Sugar snap peas

EARL LIVENGOOD ($6.25)
Strawberries

KAUFFMAN'S LANCASTER COUNTY PRODUCE ($2.74)
Cucumbers

LANCASTER COUNTY DAIRY ($5.25)
Cream

HERSHEL'S EAST SIDE DELI ($4.35)
Lox

HARRY OCHS ($9.90)
Bacon
Turkey bacon

SALUMERIA ($4.71)
Olives

Strawberries arrive





As you can see in the photos local strawberries made their first appearance this weekend. They were $4.95/pint at Benuel Kaufman's (top photo, with asparagus). The only other vendor selling local berries was Fair Food (bottom photo, along with snow peas and sugar snaps). Expect Earl Livengood and Iovine Brothers to have local berries in abundance next week.

Sometime in early summer, according to RTM Manager Paul Steinke, a new take-away establishment will occupy what had been Andros. The new vendor, The Everyday Gourmet, will be operated by a former manager at Commissary and a former chef at Jill's Vorspiese. (The later reestablishes a market connection, since Jill's was a long-time RTM outpost of quality prepared foods.)

No word yet on what will go in Foster's space, though Steinke said he's in discussions with another kitchenware retailer, though it won't be Fante's. (That leaves one other major regional kitchenware retailer among the possibilities.)

An abbreviated shopping list for me this week, since I'll be out of town until early June.

BENUEL KAUFMAN ($4.95)
Strawberries

EARL LIVENGOOD ($3.50)
Asparagus

HERSHEL'S EAST SIDE DELI ($4.94)
Lox

GIUNTA'S PRIME SHOP ($14.15)
Hanger Steak
Turkey Bacon

SALUMERIA ($1.26)
Olives

IOVINE BROTHERS ($1.89)
Crimini mushrooms
Shitake mushrooms

Fairmount Market opens Walked over to the Fairmount & 22nd market which opened for the season today. While pickings were slim, Earl Livengood had a raft of different lettuces, plus those beautiful collard leaves and beautiful asparagus. Since I am still fairly well stocked on lettuces, I limited myself to a bunch of fresh (yes, fresh) garlic. Also at the market was another returnee, Sam Stolfus. Although I don't care for his baked goods, his spring veggies are excellent. From him I purchased a bunch of fresh mint and the first spring radishes I've seen. Nicky Uy of The Food Trust, which sponsors this as well as the 12th & St. James Market (Tuesdays, 2-6 p.m.) and is also sponsoring the Headhouse Square market which opens in July, says in future weeks there will be additional vendors at Fairmount. A highlight for me will be Griggstown Quail Farm! This central New Jersey producer is renowned for its specialty poultry. Can't wait to purchase a poussin. And Nicky says she understands they will be selling fresh, not frozen, birds. They are also selling at the Clark Park Market, 43rd and Baltimore. Also scheduled to sell at Fairmount starting next week, according to Nicky, is Gotschell Farms, operated by Steve and Nicole Shelly, formerly of Somerton Tanks. Carol Margerum will be back with her produce, herbs and condiments a bit later in the season. From all reports, unless a bunch of rain descends during picking time, it looks like a fantastic strawberry season. Both Earl Livengood and Jim Iovine (who gets his local berries as part of his contract deal with Shady Brook Farm in Yardley) report the crop looks to be both big and excellent in quality. Last Friday at the RTM I picked up Earl's morels, gathered by his neighbor Sam Conslyman. Dear at $85/pound, they were well worth the price. They were big, nearly bug-free and absolutely delicious. I sauteed them with some of Iovine Brother's "bargain" fresh porcini (the ones he'd have to trash otherwise because they weren't pristine) and a bit of shallot, then made a frittata with lots of gruyere, some lightly steamed asparagus, a mere touch of thyme, salt and pepper. Very yummy. Served with a green salad and Metropolitan baguette. Sam doesn't think he'll see more morels, but expect Earl to have more lilacs. They were in profusion last week and, although they've finally started to dry out, they still perfume the house. Here's last Saturday's shopping list: IOVINE ($8.55) Black grapes, seedless Shallot Honey tangerines Porcini mushrooms Frisée Red bell pepper Vidalia onions LIVENGOOD ($43.75) Lilacs Morels Asparagus Romaine lettuce SALUMERIA ($10.38) Gruyere cheese METROPOLITAN BAKERY ($2.50) Baguette HARRY OCHS ($4.29) Turkey bacon HATVILLE DELI ($1.50) Eggs

BARGAIN FISH, TASTY DEWS

Great deal on mackerel at John Yi's today, $1.99/pound for either Spanish or Boston varieties. And the quality looked very good. Until this week, the Boston mackerel has been on a scrawny side, with Spanish mackerel being more attractive. This week, the Bostons were nicer sized (not huge, just not tiny like they have been) and both fish were pleasingly plump and healthy-looking. Also at Yi's, soft shell crabs came down in a price to a more normal two for $10.

Over at Iovine Brothers, Vinnie was passing out samples of some honeydew melon, $1.99 each. Unexpectedly tasty for an out-of-season (here) melon. Vinnie said he got to the Food Center and saw some ugly melons and figured they had to taste good. They did.

Also at Iovine's this week, red peppers either 99 cents or $2.99, depending on size, yellows at 99 cents, greens at $1.49, orange peppers at $4.99. Bags of last of the season clementines (taste more like tangerines) $4.99; I bought a bag, and unpeeled three once I got one -- two were perfectly fine, one was a tad dessicated. Still, a reasonably good deal.

The price of ramps went up to $3.99 a bunch this week. But avocadoes fell to a buck apiece.

Next Saturday, April 21, is Scrapplefest at the RTM. Alas, I'll be foraging at the Dane County Farmers Market around Capitol Square in Madison, WI, seeking morels and cheese, so I won''t be able to pay homage to one of my favorite pig products. But I hope to post about what I find in Wisconsin!

Here's this week's abbreviated shopping list:

Iovine Brothers ($8.42)
Clementines
Red bell pepper
Prepared fruit salad

Harry Ochs ($4.42)
Turkey bacon

Fair Food ($11.29)
Angusburger

Hatville Deli ($0.75)
Eggs (half-dozen)

Hershel's Deli ($4.60)
Lox

If ever there were signs of spring at the Reading Terminal Market, two of them reappeared Saturday: Earl Livengood's farmstand and ramps at Iovine Brothers.

Earl's offerings are necessarily limited. Overwintered spinach (not the greenhouse variety) may have the occasional white spot on the leaves, but Earl's crinkly spinach is the real thing. (Benuel Kaufman also has fresh local spinach, and it certainly looks more picture perfect: that's because it's greenhouse spinach.) Earl also is selling a variety of root vegetables. I picked up some German butterball potatoes and parsnips; they were great pureed together for dinner tonight.

Over at Iovine Brothers big bunches of ramps (photo at right) were selling for $2.95, enough to serve four. I chopped and sauteed them in just a tiny bit of chicken fat (I didn't have bacon fat, which would have been preferred) then served them atop sauteed scallops (about $13/pound for the dry scallops at John Yi, iirc).

Dutch Country Meats is "closed for renovations". It's been sold to a new owner and should open in a few weeks. I hope they keep selling the German style wursts and loafs which they added to their lineup after Siegfried's closed.

Another sign of the change of seasons was the reappearance of soft shell crabs at John Yi's. Always pricey, they were particularly dear at $6 apiece today.

Jim Iovine says he expects to have fiddleheads in about 10 days. He's working with his contract farmer to add new crops this year and expand production. If the weather doesn't deteriorate he expects fine crops of strawberries and raspberries, along with all the other staples. This week he was selling Florida strawberries for $1.49 for a one-pound clamshell (O.K. Lee had them for 99 cents). Key limes were $1.99 for a one-pound bag, kumquats $2.99 for a small box. Another sign of spring: morels, $74.99/pound (porcinis were $49.99). String beans 99 cents, avocados $1.99 each ($1.29 at O.K. Lee). Limes were 3 for a buck, vs. 4 at the competition.

Opposite the seating area behind the Beer Garden the RTM has updated its display of photos and artifacts (photo at left). The added archival photos include a poster depicting individual merchants circa 1984. Check out the mustache on Charles Giunta!

This week's shopping list:

IOVINE BROTHERS ($7.95)
Scallions
Carrots
Crimini mushrooms
Grapes, green seedless
Onion
Ramps
Celery

JOHN YI ($6.75)
Dry scallops

12th STREET CANTINA ($1.50)
Flour tortillas

EARL LIVENGOOD ($6.30)
Pussywillow branches
German butterball potatoes
Parsnips

GIUNTA'S PRIME SHOP ($13.91)
Hanger steak

HERSHEL'S DELI ($4.15)
Lox

More merchant changes: the Pet Lady (pet toys) is gone. Bee Natural will extend its stall into that space, on the opposite side of the seating area nearest Arch Street. As reported last week, Andros has also give up its stall.

The Scrapplefest is set for Saturday, April 21. So far, the RTM has lined up Hatfield as a major sponsor. In his monthly newsletter to merchants RTM General Manager Paul Steinke is asking the merchants to come up with prepared foods featuring scrapple. Like, scrapple ice cream. (Hey, if an ice cream shop in Bar Harbor can do lobster, Bassett's can do scrapple!)

Customer counts through March 4 are running better than five percent ahead of 2006, according to Steinke's newsletter. This year the RTM counted 875,706 vs. 832,500 for the same period last year. Both years represent counts prior to the opening of the Flower Show, but do include other big convention center shows, including the wholesale crafts exhibition which is a large draw.

As of Friday, Iovine no longer offered those one-pound clamshells of Florida strawberries for a buck, though they do have one-pint containers for a dollar. However, O.K. Lee was selling the one-pound packs for only 99 cents.

It's the end of the clementine season. If you find them at all they are likely to be expensive. However, Iovine had a reasonable deal on Spanish mandarins (tangerines): a five-pound box for $4.99. Mexican Altaulfo mangoes are a buck each.

Still a couple of weeks away from seeing ramps. No fiddleheads yet, either, though in some years they appear as soon as early March.

Here's my shopping list from Friday:

HATVILLE DELI ($0.75)
Eggs (half dozen)

LANCASTER COUNTY DAIRY ($3.30)
Milk

MARTIN'S QUALITY MEATS ($3.45)
Turkey bacon

FAIR FOOD FARMSTAND ($6.26)
Ground beef

GIUNTA'S PRIME SHOP ($3.64)
Chicken, boneless, skinless breast

12th STREET CANTINA ($5.75)
Enchilada sauce

IOVINE BROTHERS ($8.58)
Mandarin oranges
Spring mix salad
Baking potatoes

SALUMERIA ($15.80)
Olives
Torrone

HERSHEL'S EAST SIDE DELI ($5.50)
Lox

Another vendor has closed shop at the Reading Terminal Market: Andros. I'm told the owner of the prepared food outlet, whose education and background is in financial services, simply got an offer in that industry he could not refuse.

If smoke got in your eyes Saturday at the RTM, it wasn't because of the strains of an old song wafting through the air. A mishap with the roaster at Old City Coffee sent the unappetizing aroma of burnt coffee, along with a lot of smoke, through the market at noontime. It even set off the smoke alarms. I only got furrowed brows and mean stares when I asked one of the OC workers if I could have some extra drark roast.

Still waiting for more definitive signs of spring. The closest I could come was the $1 one-pound clamshells of Florida strawberries at Iovine Brothers. This batch was much more flavorful and sweet than the ones in late January and early February.

Foster's Gourmet Cookware will be closing shop this summer. Ken Foster told me he'll be combining his the RTM shop with his Third Street store (Foster's Urban Homewares) at a new location, Fourth & Market. The 12,000-square foot, single-floor facility will have four times the combined footage of the two stores it replaces. Ken said he'll also have truck bays for his growing web store business.

Here's my shopping list from Saturday:

IOVINE BROTHERS ($7.54)
Strawberries
Shallots
Fruit cup (medium)
Black seedless grapes

LANCASTER COUNTY DAIRY ($3.39)
Milk

FAIR FOOD FARMSTAND ($6.54)
Raw milk cheddar
Blue cheese
Sweet potato

GIUNTA'S PRIME SHOP ($7.26)
Ham steak

HERSHEL'S EAST SIDE DELI ($5.60)
Salty belly lox

MARTIN'S QUALITY MEATS & SAUSAGE ($3.30)
Turkey bacon

We're still five weeks away from the vernal equinox, but another sure sign of spring (besides shad) showed up at the RTM this week: pokeweed. Earl Livengood has it. The poke comes courtesy of Earl's friend and neighbor Sam Conslyman who gathers the poke in the fall then buries them in sand and waits for them to pop. Otherwise this week, Earl's offerings were limited to root vegetables, winter squashes and chestnuts.

Hershel's East Side Deli had hoped to be open this weekend but wasn't. Last time I spoke with the proprietor he said he was waiting for final city permits.

After Mark Bittman published his article about mackerel, which he called the "Rodney Dangerfield of the fish world" because it doesn't get any respect, it seems there might have been a run on the species. None was to be found at the RTM today, though last week it was plentiful at $2.49-$2.99/pound. However, Spanish mackerel, a closely related variety and which can be treated the same way, was available at $2.99 at John Yi's and Golden.

Iovine Brothers has some smallish California navel oranges priced at four for a buck, a relative bargain considering the West Coast freeze. In case you haven't noticed, Iovine's now sells milk; it's organic and located in the refrigerated case next to the Filbert Street checkout.

Last month Jim Iovine told me he and his brothers were considering moving their production into the RTM's basement and converting existing "back office" space to additional selling footage. That won't happen anytime soon: Jim says the costs and complexity of installing pumps to dispose of wastewater from the produce washing process make it part of "long term plans" rather than anything in the immediate future. Jim, by the way, is hobbled after tearing his Achilles' tendon while challenging his children in basketball, which required surgery two weeks ago; means he has to give up his winter golf trips to sunnier climes.

Not all the meat at the Fair Food Farmstand comes frozen. Check the refrigerator case and you may find Countrytime pork chops or Meadow Run lamb cubes like I did today. What's available fresh varies each week, depending on stock needs and supplier deliveries.

Here's my shopping list from today:

IOVINE BROTHERS ($6.20)
Black seedless grapes ($1.99/pound)
Fruit salad (one-quart container)
String beans ($1.99/pound)

MARTIN'S QUALITY MEATS ($3.20)
Pork sausage links

EARL LIVENGOOD ($2.15)
Fingerling potatoes
Parsnips

LE BUS BAKERY ($3.50)
Brioche bread (one-half loaf)

OLD CITY COFFEE ($12.50)
(Mocha-French Roast blend)

FAIR FOOD FARMSTAND ($11.25)
Pork chops (2)

Foster's is leaving the Reading Terminal Market. Proprietor Ken Foster intends to devote all his entrepreneurial energies to expanding his successful presence in Old City. No timing announced other than "later this year" according to the newsletter distributed to merchants.

Foster left bookselling to open the RTM kitchenware store. It soon outgrew its old location (now Blue Mountain Vineyards) and expanded to today's store.

The history of Foster's current space is interesting. When I first started shopping at the RTM in the early 1980s it was the home of the Market Diner, a stainless-steel sided structure within the RTM that, if placed on a roadside, would have been the pluperfect diner. In the mid-1980s the Market Diner was taken over by Jack McDavid and renamed the Down Home Diner. (The illuminated clock from the Market Diner still hangs in today's Down Home Diner on the opposite side of the market; some of the booths and other furnishings, including stainless steel, were transferred there from the original.)

When the Down Home Diner moved the market turned the space into a seating area. Later (about 10 or 12 years ago, iirc) under then RTM Manager Marcy Rogovin a show kitchen was built. Frequent cooking demonstrations and special events centered around the kitchen drew hundreds of spectators at a time, including a series of all-day cook-a-thons in which chefs from local restaurants would rotate throughout the day preparing a wide range of dishes.

Since Foster's expansion into the space the kitchen has been significantly under-utilized. Today it is used only for a modest schedule of cooking classes. As part of a store the kitchen is totally unsuitable for attention-getting events. Now when a demonstration needs to be held with room for more than a half dozen spectators (like the recent Bobby Flay-Delilah Winder mac 'n cheese cookoff), a temporary kitchen must be set up in center court.

Foster's impending move out of the market presents an opportunity to revitalize the kitchen and redevelop it as a traffic-generating facility, which would be good for all merchants at the RTM. Certainly a kitchenware vendor needs to be found to replace Foster's, a project Market Manager Paul Steinke plans to pursue, but there's no need for that vendor to locate in the same space as Foster's.

Instead, the existing kitchen should be returned to its original importance, with a seating area reintroduced. To compensate for the loss of rentable space, the RTM could take the existing seating adjacent to the Fair Food Farmstand and return it to vendor space (which it was until about three or four years ago).

With a restored seating area, the kitchen can once again become the center of culinary celebration and education it was meant to be and serve as traffic-building tool for all the RTM's merchants.

Not too many people noticed (and that's the problem), but the Reading Terminal Market skipped its monthly "Third Thursday / Meet The Producer" event last month.

In fact, the merchants and RTM managers decided to "suspend" the program and instead focus on adding couple of additional special events to the market's calendar, according to Kelly Novak, RTM's Marketing Coordinator.

At this point in time, the RTM is considering a revival of "Maple Daze" for March when Pennsylvania gets sappy, and a "Meet the Producer / Taste the Harvest" event for September. These would be in addition to established special events, like this month's Roots Festival, the Pennsylvania Dutch Festival, and the Sidewalk Sizzle.

Hershel's East Side Deli is nearing completion at the RTM, as seen in this photo.

They hope to be in business in time for the weekend of February 10. The menu will be pretty basic. Corned beef, pastrami, brisket, turkey, chopped liver, chicken salad, tuna salad, egg salad and whitefish salads in various sandwich and platter permutations, hot dogs (Hebrew National; I wish they would have used a more interesting kosher style dog, like Best Provisions or Sabrett); soups; latkes, kugel, and kasha varnishke (buckwheat groats and bow tie pasta); and knishes. They also will serve breakfast, including challah French toast. Lox will also be available. On the beverage front, egg creams and various Dr. Brown's sodas, including Cel-Ray.

I'm going to have to try lunch at one of the fish vendors. Golden offers oysters and clams on the halfshell, at $5.50 and $3.50 for a half dozen, respectively, served with lemon and sauce (that's cocktail sauce; no mignonette sauce, alas). At least for the oysters that's just about the best price in town, save the happy hour oysters at Sansom Street. Another market purveyor, Coastal Cave has oysters at $6.95 and clams at $3.75 per half dozen.

This seems to be the time of the year when fish is at its most expensive. Prices for halibut ranged as high as $17, and cod fillets were nearly $9. The best deals were in whole fish, mackeral ($1.99-$2.49) and spanish mackeral ($2.99); buck shad could also be had for $2.99 if you like to deal with its intricate bone structure. Golden is still selling whole sardines (herring) at $2.99/pound. The least expensive mild white fillets from wild-caught fish were for scrod at $6.99 at John Yi's.

Super Bowl Sunday is coming up, and one traditional food serve to is guacamole. Today at Iovine Brothers Hass avocadoes were selling at the very low price of two for a buck; however, they were drop dead ripe and need to be prepared and eaten today or tomorrow at the latest. If they are still offering avocados at this price Friday or Saturday, and they haven't gone over the hill into battery acid territory, buy them.

Signs of that California freeze are clear in the citrus section: three smallish navel oranges for $1, lemons also three for a buck. Clementines, no matter what their source, are up to $7.99/box. Best buy in citrus are Florida tangelos and temples; the latter were posted at 25-cents apiece today. The one-pound clamshell packed Florida strawberries, $1.99, smelled good. Green seedless grapes from Chile, 99-cents; black seedless $3.49. Red and green bagged peppers, $1. The South American peach crop is in; I've never found them to my liking for in-hand eating, but I suppose they'd be fine cooked or baked in some fashion.

Spotted a new item in Iovine's refrigerator case near the Filbert Street checkout aisle: pre-cooked, prepared French chestnuts, $4.99 for two 200-gram (two seven-ounce) vacuum packs, suitable for quick reheating in water or microwave.

Jimmy Iovine says the brothers are contemplating moving all their prep and packaging operations to the RTM's basement. That would open up a fair amount of additional spelling space they would devote to a wider range of items, expanding Iovine's into more of a grocery store, according to Jimmy.

Seems to me this would build on the success of Sunday openings in making the RTM more attractive for residents of Center City and nearby areas who actually shop there. Such an Iovine's expansion no doubt will help them compete when Whole Foods eventually moves closer to the RTM when it opens the 16th & Vine location.

Some musical chairs in vendor locations noticed this weekend. Terralynn has abandoned the center court cart. Instead, Terralyn's soaps and skin care products will be sold in the stand where Young's Flowers has been recently. That stand actually had been Spataro's prior to the RTM's mid-1980s renovation and you can still see the Spataro's "Drink Buttermilk" signs atop the stand. Young's moves to a cart in center court opposite Mezze.

Right across from the Young's cart work is proceeding apace for Hershel's Deli. Counter tops were due to be delivered today (Monday, Jan. 22), and the store could be open in two or three weeks.

Earl Livengood was selling potatoes, turnips, rutabagas, winter squashes, carrots, kale, and the last of his leeks and scallions Saturday. Earl will make occasional appearances on Saturdays when has produce to sell, but otherwise he won't be making regular appearances until early spring when the first green things start to pop out of the ground. For the time being, it's almost exclusively root vegetables.

Speaking of root vegetables, the RTM will host it's annual Roots Festival Feb. 17. You can have your photo taken with one of the strolling costumed root vegetables, so mark your calendar.

Rather than roots, the RTM goes to the heart of the matter three days earlier, on Valentine's Day, Feb. 14. That's when Judge Jeffrey P. Mineheart will marry six couples in Center Court at 11 a.m.

Valentine's Day brings to mind chocolate, of course. The Pennsylvania General Store has been selling John & Kira's chocolates for six or seven months, but you wouldn't know it unless you asked. Now proprietor Mike Holahan has put up a sign to let you know about them.

Over at Fair Food Farmstand you can get white spelt hot dog buns to go with your uncured frankfurters.

Even though spring is still two months away, it's been imported from Florida: shad. John Yi is selling whole buck shad for $2.99; they are also packaging shad row and red snapper filets together in a single package. Mackeral is available as either whole fish ($1.99) or filet ($2.99). Wild striped bass (a.k.a. rockfish) is selling for $4.99 whole.