Last Week of Sweepstakes at the Growers Market

The following is a preview of the West Chester Growers Market, which can also be found on their blog by clicking on the link: here.

With a late October hurricane forecasted to arrive early next week, Saturday is a good time to stock up at the Market!

It is our LAST WEEK of the October Sweepstakes! This week, the prize for this week is a A Basket of Winter Squash!  Make sure to come to the Market this weekend to fill out an entry form for a chance to win. It's your last chance to come away with some great Market Produce!

Although the October Sweepstakes is ending, we will have a special 2-week November sweepstakes for a chance to win a Market Thanksgiving Feast! Stay tuned - more info to come next week.

More to come in the next few weeks - so stay tuned!
Stay updated by checking out the Market Calendar here on the blog, as well as our Facebook Page.  

Bryer Apiary

Bryer Apiary, normally scheduled to be at Saturday's market, will not be present due to family medical situation.  Hopefully your honey supply holds until the market of Thanksgiving week, when plenty of Chester County raw honey and beeswax candles will be available in abundance!  

Ellen April Handcrafted Soap  

Northstar Orchard

What a great time of the year...there are apple varieties galore AND Asian pears! The only problem is deciding which one you're going to eat at any particular time. Honestly, forget "an apple a day"; we're talking 3 or 4! This week, we'll also have a small assortment of veggies, including TWO varieties of dry beans!

Farmer Ike's Pick of the Week is Stellar apples!

This is a great undiscovered, never-to-be-appreciated except by North Star Orchard fans kind of apple. Excellent, sweet flavor and very juicy and crisp. Around here, we like these way better than Honeycrisp, both for its eating qualities and tree growth habit. It will never be a 'commercial' variety because it bruises much too easily, which is a bummer because otherwise, Honeycrisp would be in BIG trouble! It doesn't have the funny off-, sometimes bitter flavor Honeycrisp does. It's sweet without being too sweet and the juice and crunch qualities are awesome.

Besides the bruising factor, the other "strike" against it, from a consumer standpoint, is the yellow color. Over the years, most folks have gotten tired of eating absolutely ho-hum flavorless Golden Delicious, which has made them completely balk from buying yellow apples. But at our stand, you need not judge an apple based on its color or on your previous less-than-satisfactory yellow-apple-buying experiences. So, poor Stellar is nearly doomed except for trees that thrive in a few small orchards like ours because we can appreciate their fine qualities. These are fantastic for fresh eating and they make great no-sugar-needed applesauce as well. We hope you enjoy them as much as we do! The Gold Rush Rush of 2012 is on! Place your orders for bags of gold or varietal cider on our website: http://northstarorchard.com/GoldRush.php
And, with any luck, there may be a few of them to whet your appetite with this weekend at the market!

London Vale Farm

Available this week:
Cauliflower (purple, cheddar & Romanesco varieties)
Napa Cabbage
Baby winter green mix
Brussels sprouts
Winter squash (many varieties to choose from!)
Rutabagas
Turnips (available in quarts & 8lb bags)
Daikon Radishes
Broccoli
Cabbage (red & green varieties)
Bell peppers (red, orange & green varieties)
Potatoes (red & white varieties available in quarts, 5lb & 10lb bags)
Onions (red, yellow & white varieties)
Fresh brown eggs (from our cage-free chickens)

Coming soon!
Grape tomatoes – available next week
Red radishes – available next week
White Cauliflower - available next week
Large tomatoes – approx. 2 to 3 weeks
Spinach – approx. 2 to 3 weeks
Head lettuce – approx. 3 weeks

Lindenhof Farm

We are less than a month away from Thanksgiving! Lots of fresh great-tasting turkeys available! Pasture-raised, all-natural, no harmful additives, just plain countryside goodness! Come to the market to place your order and ask questions and to take home some farm-fresh eggs and meats. You can also order your Turkey online: Turkey Order Form

Applied Climatology LLC:

This week’s featured perennial:

Heucherella ‘Solar Eclipse’– Introduced by hybridizer Terra Nova in 2011; this is one of the best looking Heucherellas that we’ve ever seen!  Its leaves have burgundy-brown centers with lime green edges.  It holds its color throughout the season with little to no fading.  The leaves will change to shades of orange and red in the Fall.  Solar Eclipse has a compact growth habit and will grow to 10” – 16” tall by 16” wide.  This perennial grows best in part shade to full shade locations.  It is hardy in zones 4 – 9 and is reportedly deer resistant.
This week’s featured shrub:

Hydrangea ‘Tuff Stuff’ – This hybrid was introduced by Proven Winners in 2012.  This is a new reblooming lace-cap hydrangea.  Its blooms consist of pink semi-double to double florets. Tuff Stuff blooms on both new and old wood.  It typically blooms from June until the first hard frost in the fall.  Its leaves are dark green throughout the summer and then turn shades of burgundy in the fall.  This hydrangea is great for small spaces because it only grows to 24” – 36” tall & wide.  Tuff stuff grows best in part shade (4–6hrs of direct sunlight) and is hardy in zones 5 – 9.  We will be offering these hydrangeas for the next 3 weeks at an introductory price of only $18.00 each.

Our Fall Clearance Sale continues this weekend!  Many perennials and shrubs are available for as much as 50% - 70% off regular retail prices.
Other Vendors for this week include:

Blueberry Hill Farm

Red Earth Farm

Chile Spot

Fahnestock's Fruit Farm

Lizzie's Kitchen

Maple Hill Farm

Big Sky Bread Company

Elkdale Greenhouse

Oakshade Cheese

Queens Farms

Windy Acres