Finally open!
It was great to see my summer market friends again 🙂 Here are my faves:
Tabora Farm and Orchid – great stuffed rolls and breads! I’ve been frequenting their stand since the market first opened.
Tabora Farm Stand
Overbrook Herb Farm – my favorite stand at the market. Paul and his wife are the most gracious people with their wonderful produce and amazing knowledge of all plants and herbs. They always have something unique and I always come away having more information and knowledge than ever! Their produce and herbs are phenomenal and their prices are super!
Overbrook Herb – they are on the left
Philly Bill’s Dills……I love pickles. I am addicted to their habanero and jalapeno pickles!
Tub o’ pickles
Mainly Mushrooms….This was a new stand in the middle of the season last year and I fell instantly in love. Chris has such a fabulous collection of mushrooms that he has foraged and also has foraged for him and shipped. Some are also cultivated. He has signage that clearly explains what the mushrooms are and where they have come from. He also has interesting things other than mushrooms – like ramps and fiddleheads and dried mushrooms. My favorite are the locally harvested maitake that come out later in the season. I’ve also had his lobster mushrooms – they TASTE like lobster and you can put them in eggs and risotto. Delicious! Chris will tell you how to cook up your various types of mushrooms in order to get a great flavor from them.
Mainly Mushroom Stand
Red chanterelles on the right, maitake on the left
The spread….
Lobster musrooms – it even looks like lobster meat!
Windy Springs Farm…..I love their produce. It tastes AWESOME and is always priced so well. I frequent their stand for tomatoes, cantaloupe (honestly, the BEST cantaloupe i’ve EVER tasted), and zucchini. In the fall, I get my pumpkins and squash from them! Today they only had honey and beef and eggs. I bought 2 dozen of their eggs that were just laid that morning – talk about fresh! I am planning to try their meat this summer. My neighbor swears by it.
Windy Springs truck…I’ll update later this season with their produce
It was crowded and there were a couple other vendors that I perused….here is a scene:
Random aisle of vendors
It was also the local 4H Plant Sale. I had never been but heard that it was one of the best plant sales around! They have nursery/gardencenter-sponsored plants for sale in all types of species. They also have plants that Master Gardeners have started and planted for sale…..There were some amazing collections! They had a TON of heirloom veggie plants and fruit plants, annuals, perennials, herbs, bushes, shade plants, trees, and pond plants. It was FABULOUS. I know for next year to get up EARLY and stand in line when it opens!
4H Plant Sale
And another view of the plant sale
After runing some more errands, I was ready to start gardening! I love this time of year. Since it was about 3:30 and I was getting a late start, I decided to do my front yard to get it over with. I had 5 azalea to plant and then all the mulching. I loathe mulching, but when I start doing it I realize how easy it really is! I should have taken a before picture…I only have an after picture though.
Front Yard
Sunday is the day for the backyard! After some rest in the morning, it was time to turn the backyard into a thing of beauty. I got ALL of my vegetables from my local farm that I adore – Skippack Creek Farm. They are all organic, chemical/pesticide-free, and their tomatoes are to DIE for, amongst their other delicious produce! They are the reason I have fallen in love with Oxheart Heirloom tomatoes. They are generous and great to talk to!
Anyway, here are my before pics….
Patio and Veggie Garden
Back Garden
Some local compost I got from my brother’s township free community pile:
Compost Buckets
And the after……
Tomatoes in the back, rosemary on the left, jalapeno at far end, and 9 basil plants!
Impatiens, choleus, and milkweed planted and mulched!
Patio looking out
Herb pot….except for parsley, mint, and rosemary which are planted separately
Facing the house
I am exhausted, but sooooo happy that all the plants are in the ground. Now I sit back and watch and water 🙂 I hope everyone else was able to take advantage of the beautiful weather we had this weekend!!!
A Sliver Of Each 
We’ve got to talk about the mushrooms. I can’t find anything local specializes in just ‘shrooms. May need you to go shopping for me. Darcie would love if I put the lobster mushrooms in the risotto
Hahahhahaahhaahha that’s a sin that you cant get any decent mushrooms out there! The lobster mushrooms in risotto would be heavenly.
I need to look a bit harder and I’ll start to ask my farmers market people when they begin to open.
Definitely ask them – they will know who has shrooms in your community.