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Reading Terminal Market (Part 2)


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Whole ginger root is about $1.99/lb. at most of the larger Asian markets on Washington Avenue. Since I purchase in lots of 1lb. or more to cook up fresh ginger beer on a fairly regular basis, these are the best prices and freshness I've found.

Katie M. Loeb
Booze Muse, Spiritual Advisor

Author: Shake, Stir, Pour:Fresh Homegrown Cocktails

Cheers!
Bartendrix,Intoxicologist, Beverage Consultant, Philadelphia, PA
Captain Liberty of the Good Varietals, Aphrodite of Alcohol

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More about citrus, or at least, price reports from Iovine Brothers.

The prices have held relatively steady except for a whopping reduction in the cost of limes. For the past week limes have been selling for a dime apiece, as reported in the new recession thread. With Hass avocados under a buck (89 cents), it's once more guacamole time.

On to the other citrus:

* Honeybells, small 8 for $1

* Honeybells, large 2 for $1

* Temple oranges, 4 for $1

* Cara Cara oranges, 5 for $2

* White grapefruit, 89 cents

* Jumbo red grapefruit, 3 for $1

* Small ruby grapefruit, 4 for $1

* Navel oranges, 3 for $1

* Mineola oranges, small 4 for $1

* Mineola oranges, large 2 for $1.49

* Jumanji oranges, 2 for $1.49

* Juice oranges, 4 for $1

Also at Iovine's, red peppers 99 cents, greens $1.29, red and green frying peppers $1.29.

Oh, and black truffles, $300/pound, with the two packs I saw priced at $18 apiece. Makes a heck of an omelet.

Bob Libkind aka "rlibkind"

Robert's Market Report

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A sure sign of spring is shad -- even if it comes from Southern rivers. (The local run in the Delaware doesn't begin until May.)

Buck shad sold at John Yi today a $3.99, roe shad at $4.99 and roe sets commanded $7.99.

Based on how good it was a few weeks ago, I bought some haddock fillet at $7.99. I'll pan fry it tonight, perhaps in a panko crust.

Bob Libkind aka "rlibkind"

Robert's Market Report

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No fresh pretzels! At least temporarily, as Fisher's has demolished its existing stand in order to build a new one, which should be open by Flower Show, which begins Feb. 28. When it reopens, Fisher's will be strictly a candy vendor. In the meantime, Fisher's is selling candy in the spaces formerly occupied by Dutch Country Meats and Every Day Gourmet, as shown in the photo.

Across the aisle, Miller's Twists is well along on construction, anticipating opening Feb. 25, which is when you can satisfy your fresh-baked pretzel addiction. (In the meantime, you can indulge on a fine example of street pretzel sold at the Pennslylvania General Store.) As previous reported, Miller's has bought Fisher's pretzel and ice cream business and is moving it to the west side of the Green Court seating area.

Right now seating is scarce in the Green Court, but will be restored to pretty much the previous level when the Fair Food Farmstand makes its move to the 12th Street side in May.

Fair Food Funding Gain

Fair Food is closing in on its funding needs for the move, thanks to a $50,000 state grant being arranged through State Rep. Dwight Evans, who just happen to chair the House's Appropriation Committee.

Members of the Fair Food staff attended Pennsylvania Association of Sustainable Agriculture Conference in State College earlier this month, and in addition to attending various workshops also exhibited a "mini" farmstand. One of the goals was to find new farmers to let them know how the Fair Food Farmstand can help in selling their products.

Stands To Remodel

Lancaster County Dairy needs more space, Old City Coffee's adjacent stand is a jury-rigged mess. Solution: Old City reduces its footprint in a redesigned stall, making the operation more efficient (particularly important on a morning like today, when attendees and exhibitors from the crafts show at the Convention Center caused long lines). And Lancaster County Dairy gets the space it needs.

Bob Libkind aka "rlibkind"

Robert's Market Report

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A shad correction.

It seems my earlier report that the shad at John Yi's were harvested from Southern U.S. rivers was mistaken. According to the signs, these comes from European waters. Further research shows that there are two species of European shad inhabiting eastern Atlantic waters from Morrocco north to Norway, though the commercial shad fishery is centered in the Gironde-Garonne-Dordogne basin of France.

Although these fillets, whole fish and roe sets looked fine, you're probably better off waiting for the local run, which arrives in late April and early May. Or visit the annual Lambertville shad festival, scheduled this year for April 25 and 26.

Bob Libkind aka "rlibkind"

Robert's Market Report

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  • 4 weeks later...

Jonathan Best Gourmet Grocer at RTM has the single greatest orange-style juice in the history of mankind, their Honey Tangerine juice. Mind blowing. Apparently honey tangerines are not going to be available for much longer, so get it while it lasts. It's $10/half gallon (apparently they're a real pain to squeeze).

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Jonathan Best Gourmet Grocer at RTM has the single greatest orange-style juice in the history of mankind, their Honey Tangerine juice. Mind blowing. Apparently honey tangerines are not going to be available for much longer, so get it while it lasts. It's $10/half gallon (apparently they're a real pain to squeeze).

Sue's has honey-tangerine juice intermittently, and it is indeed delicious. The acid is a bit lower and it really brings the sweetness and flavor out.

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  • 3 weeks later...

Outside of April 2's two-sentence ramps post, I realize I hadn't added any content since late February. Yes, I was away for a week in Norway (when I write about that I'll post), but that doesn't account for all the missing missives.

When I saw the ramps, I realized why it's been so long between posts: there wasn't much to write about during the winter produce doldrums. How many times can I report the price of citrus fruit?

Now, however, things are beginning to change. Easter and Passover have prompted meat and fish vendors to strut their stuff, the local farmers' markets will open in a month (Headhouse May 3, Fairmount May 7), and, just like the blooming of daffodils and blossoming of pear trees, we are predictably pleased with the end of winter and green onslaught of spring.

About those fish vendors . . . there are still people who make their own gefilte fish for Passover, so John Yi at the Reading Terminal Market has stocked whole carp, yellow perch and whitefish (the fresh, unsmoked variety). The carp (no need for a filled bathtub; it's no longer alive) sells for $2.99, the other fish for $7.99. (Then again, you can buy gefilte fish ready-made at Hershel's Deli.) Another spring fish is much in evidence: buck shad for $2.99, roe shad for $3.99, as well as roe sets (sorry, didn't write down the price). Artic char, a trout-salmon relative, was $12.99 for filets; the sign said it was wild, but most of the char sold in this country is farm-raised, though in a very sustainable and eco-friendly closed-system way.

Iovine store changes

Iovine's has been remaking their layout (again). This time they've eliminated the office on the selling floor (it's now next to the freight elevator in a non-public area) to create a larger prep area and extra selling shelves.

Over at Iovine Brothers, although it's not yet local asparagus has been prominently displayed. The white variety, $1.49, comes from Peru; the green, $1.99, is unattributed but probably hails from either Mexico or California.

Bargain alert: Hass avocados are two for a buck at Iovine's. Red and green bell peppers, 99 cents a pound. California strawberries, two one-pound clamshells for $3. Chilean green seedless grapes, $1 for a one-pound clamshell. Small navel oranges, 5/$1. I didn't check Friday, but Thursday Argentine Bartlett pears were 89 cents a pound. Very large mangos were selling for a buck apiece.

Given the economy, a lot of vendors selling hard goods are cutting back on inventory, which is expensive to carry. When I walked by Downtown Cheese yesterday, I thought Jack was doing the same. But no fear, it must have just been during a lull in restocking. The cases were full Friday.

Pretzels, candies and meats

During my interregnum from posting, the pretzel store reopened as Miller's Twists across the aisle from the original location. Fisher's, which sold off the pretzel and ice cream part of its business to Roger Miller, has since expanded its candy operation to the former pretzel-ice cream-counter area and added fudge as a product.

The contiguous spaces formerly occupied by Dutch Country Meats and Everyday Gourmet remain vacant, although the market has deals for both a butcher, S&B Meats, and a prepared foods vendor, Barb & Suzy's Kitchen, two related businessest. Today, proprietor Moses Smucker was at the stall going over architectural plans. He bopes to open in June. The Kitchen part of the businesses will feature sausage sandwiches and batter-fried veggies, he said.

Cheesesteaks galore

There's no dearth of cheesesteaks at the RTM, with both Spataro's and Carmine's selling them. Now add a third vendor: By George, which fires up the grill Monday.

Sunday Success

The RTM has had to shoo people out the door at 4 p.m. on Sundays. So why fight it? The market has extended its Sunday hours to 5 p.m. It opens at 9 a.m. No Amish vendors on Sunday, some of the lunch operations don't participate, as well as some food vendors.

Parking Rates Rise

It's no surprise that the discount parking offered by the Reading Terminal Market has increased its price to match the city's meter rate increase. What is surprising is that it took so long. the new rates at the Parkway garage supposedly went into effect April 1 ($4 for two hours), but I was charged the old $3 rate when I stopped by the market at midday.

Fair Food Progress

The Fair Food Farmstand remains optimistic they can open at its new 12th street side location by the end of spring. They don't want to miss the big growing season.

Maple Daze

You better like all things maple if you wander into the Reading Terminal Market on Saturday, April 18. From 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. that day, the RTM will celebrate the new vintage of Pennsylvania maple syrup with Maple Daze. You can learn how maple syrup is made, watch a maple sugar-making demonstration, and sample maple baked goods, maple fudge, Bassetts maple ice cream, maple bacon, maple sugar cookies, maple trivia, and more.

St. Pat's Day Redux

It my look a bit like St. Patrick's Day in and around the Convention Center, because about 10,000 are attending the World Irish Dancing Championships April 5-12. Market merchants have been asked to offer Irish-themed specials or spruce up their stalls in a Celtic fashion.

Bob Libkind aka "rlibkind"

Robert's Market Report

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Parking rates at the garage are definitely up to $4. That's what I paid earlier this afternoon while on a Passover grocery run.

Iovine's and OK Lee both came through for me with $1 grab bags of apples, pears, green and yellow zucchini, peppers and lemons that saved me a bundle. The nice young man at Iovine's created a "soup starter" bag for me, when they didn't have the ones like at the supermarket. A big onion, two huge carrots, three ribs of celery, a couple of parsnips and several sprigs of dill for $1.99!! Now that's customer service!

Treated myself to a small matzoh ball soup and half a pastrami sandwich at Herschel's for lunch. It was predictably delicious. Herschel's also sells the "scraps" of pastrami and corned beef for $5/lb. so I picked up a container of those for my underweight kitty cat Turbo. He loves pastrami as much as I do and he needs to put a couple of pounds back on after his thyroid procedure. The pastrami ought to do it! :wink:

Katie M. Loeb
Booze Muse, Spiritual Advisor

Author: Shake, Stir, Pour:Fresh Homegrown Cocktails

Cheers!
Bartendrix,Intoxicologist, Beverage Consultant, Philadelphia, PA
Captain Liberty of the Good Varietals, Aphrodite of Alcohol

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. . . The nice young man at Iovine's created a "soup starter" bag for me, when they didn't have the ones like at the supermarket.  A big onion, two huge carrots, three ribs of celery, a couple of parsnips and several sprigs of dill for $1.99!!  Now that's customer service!

They do go out of their way for customers at Iovine Brothers! I've found that most of the purveyors will make special efforts, but Iovine's seems to go above and beyond with customer requests -- other than Jimmy's refusal to stock paper bags for the mushrooms!

Herschel's also sells the "scraps" of pastrami and corned beef for $5/lb.

That's a great deal! I didn't know they did that. And I love ends! You have a very lucky cat.

Bob Libkind aka "rlibkind"

Robert's Market Report

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When I saw the ramps, I realized why it's been so long between posts: there wasn't much to write about during the winter produce doldrums. How many times can I report the price of citrus fruit?

Well, the two-for-a-buck Meyer lemons and perfect, deep, ripe, juicy blood oranges at five-for-a-buck that I got last weekend? (Drank and ate most of 'em, am set to dry the rest.)

Ramps were phenomenal, nice generous bunches; bought some for a dinner with friends and then went back the next day for more. (Both times, the same clerk warned me about the price before ringing me up.)

Are we getting fiddeheads or not, though? Have been impatiently waiting!

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The prep areas at Iovine Brothers Produce has been consolidated at the Reading Terminal Market. Jimmy and Vinnie Iovine moved their small office out by the freight elevator, tore down walls and actually created a bit more shelf space for their bag specials in the process. It's reassuring to customers to see all the prep before their eyes.

The big bargain this week at Iovine's was the peppers. Organic suntan peppers were two pounds for a buck, while red bell peppers were a buck a pound. But the biggest bargain to me were the frying peppers: three pounds for a buck. I bought 95-cents worth and roasted them in the oven in some olive oil. I've since been eating them in pasta and atop pizza. Tonight I'll sauté some onions and garlic, add the peppers and top hot dogs with the veggies.

Other deals I spied Saturday: juice oranges 6/$1, navels 5/$1, small red potatoes 69-cents/pound, white seedless grapes $1 for a one-pound clamshell. The various lettuces, however, seemed dear at $2.49-$2.99/head.

Earl's Return

Earl Livengood was back at the Reading Terminal Market Saturday, with a much wider array of products for sale than I would expect this early in the spring. And next week, Earl whispers, he might even have a small quantity of asparagus!

Saturday he offered four varieties of potato, spinach, turnips with tiny tubers and beautiful greens, dandelion greens, and another green which even Earl couldn't identify; he said he found it growing in his lettuce patch, and it tasted good. Pussywillows were also available.

Is It Summer Yet?

You might have thought so looking at John Yi's fish case, for there amid the regular denizens were soft shell crabs, at a pricey $5.99 apiece. The shad roe sets were $6.99.

Fair Food Funding

With $168,000 of its $215,000 goal funded, the Fair Food Farmstand is forging ahead on plans to move to the former Rick's Steaks space along the RTM's 12th Street side. To fill the funding gap the Farmstand will hold an after-hours party at the market on May 7, featuring a couple of bands as well as some of the Farmstand's farmers. Admission will be $20, but they'll welcome additional donations.

Sarah Cain co-manager of the Farmstand, has a sideline thanks to her recipe for Vrapple, an oink-less "scrapple" of her own invention. Since the Vrapple won second place at the market's Scrapplefest competition a few weeks ago, orders have jumped considerably, says Sarah.

Garbanzo Bean Flour

I love garbanzo beans (a.k.a. ceci or chickpeas) so when I saw a recipe recently using garbanzo bean flour I sought out the product, which you can buy at Jonathan's Best at the Reading Terminal Market, as well as other emporiums. (Usually it's Bob's Red Mill brand.) The inspiration was Tortillitas with Shrimp from Mark Bittman's "Minimalist" in the New York Times.

It was delicious and will join the regular rotation in my kitchen. The bean flour is mostly found in South Asian cookery, frequently as a deep-fried batter for veggies (asparagus comes up often in recipe searches). But its role as a thin pancake carrying savory ingredients is a workhorse use of this pseudo-grain. The tortillitas can be made 50-50 with all-purpose flour, which are sturdier than the lacey all-garbanzo flour versions.

Bob Libkind aka "rlibkind"

Robert's Market Report

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Oprah (the website) visited the Reading Terminal Market with Paul Rozin, a 44-year veteran psychology professor at the Univwersaity of Pennsylvania. The purpose was for Rozin to expound on the psychology of the pleasure of eating, in between tastes of crusty nut-raisin loaf, spanakopita, and Bassetts' ice cream.

As the article's author, Michelle Staley writes:

Oddly, the foodstuff that thrust Rozin into that landscape had more to do with pain than pleasure: It was hot chili peppers. In the early 1970s, Rozin's then wife, cookbook author Elisabeth Rozin (they divorced in 1991), was writing The Flavor-Principle Cookbook. In it she reported on how various cultures use hot peppers as a central flavoring element. But why, Paul Rozin wondered, did it ever even occur to people to eat chilies—substances that cause pain when first encountered?

Find out why here..

Bob Libkind aka "rlibkind"

Robert's Market Report

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Few ever noticed it, but the background to L Halteman’s fresh produce shelves, a rustic depicting of Lancaster County farming, came down when Iovine Brothers Produce consolidated most of its prep operations last month.

The mural was no great shakes as far as art goes, and it certainly wouldn’t be added to any museum’s collection of American folk art. Still, it was a nice little touch that added to the Reading Terminal Market’s eccentricity.

On the plus side, it gives Halteman’s stall greater visibility.

Bob Libkind aka "rlibkind"

Robert's Market Report

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All four of the dedicated produce vendors at the Reading Terminal Market featured asparagus today. Earl Livengood was selling his Lancaster County bunches for $4.25, while Iovine Brothers offered South Jersey’s best for $3.99. I didn’t catch the price at Fair Food’s Farmstand. Over at OK Lee’s, no local spears were available, but what appeared to be California bunches were selling for 99 cents.

At Fair Foods another featured items were hop shoots — yes, the same plant from which beer gets a good part of its flavor and aroma. There weren’t many takers, however, since a small bunch that might serve two with very small portions was selling for $8. Too dear for me. It is said they have an asparagus-like flavor and are ideal served in an au gratin with bechamel sauce. But I’ll never know, at least at that price.

I did invest in some cream cheese from from Hail’s Family Farm near Wyalusing, Pennsylvania. At $6 for eight ounces, Hail’s is expensive compared to deli or supermarket bricks, but since it’s the only cream cheese I know without vegetable gum (not necessarily a bad ingredient) but I thought I’d try it on my salt bagel with belly lox from Herschel’s tomorrow morning.

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Livengood’s also featured rhubarb ($3.95/pound) as well as this green, which turns out to be flowering turnip greens. Earl said an Asian lady who works for him urged him to sell what she regarded as a delicacy. It looks a lot like broccoli rabe (another member of the brassica family), so that’s what Earl’s sign calls it, though he’s the one who told me it’s flowering turnip greens. He also still had lovely small white turnips with pristine greens, as well as spinach, a variety of potatoes, and pussywillow stalks.

Speaking of broccoli rabe, Tommy DiNic’s had a surprise visitor late Thursday afternoon: Bobby Flay. He ordered a pork with provolone and greens, of course.

Back at Iovine’s, although the citrus season is waning there was still a nice selection, including juice oranges at 6/$1, medium navels 4/$1, and cara cara navels two for $1.49. Champagne mangoes were $1 apiece, more common mangoes two for a buck. Jimmy Iovine was ecstatic about the smoked garlic he had this week, but none was available this morning. He plans on getting some more.

Ramps remain $3.99/bunch, but Iovine’s now has fiddleheads, though they were sourced from the western U.S., and Jim thinks the Eastern ones are better. Spring garlic and onions were in evidence, too, along with flowering chives. (Even the chives in my backyard pot, overwintered, are starting to flower, and the peppermint pot is getting fuller daily.)

If you can’t wait for local strawberries, Iovine was selling two one-pound clamshels from California for $3; one-pound California clamshels of berries were selling for 99-cents at OK Lee, but they didn’t look quite as ripe. Green pepers at Iovines were 99-cents, as were frying peppers, but the colored varieties were $1.99.. Grape roma tomatoes were $1/pint, salsify $3.99/pound, tumeric roots $2.99.

Over in the fish aisles, Golden added an item I hadn’t seen before: conch meat, selling for $9.99/pound. They also had a soft shell crab special, four for $20.

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I never noticed it before, but last year’s rearrangement of aisles at Iovine Brothers Produce created a pleasant vista from the side: each set of shelves is progressively taller from front to back, allowing a clear view of each aisle and its contents. In addition to its aesthetic attractions, I’m sure it helps Jimmy and Vinnie Iovine keep an eye on kleptomaniacs.

Bob Libkind aka "rlibkind"

Robert's Market Report

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Terminal considers adding farmers' market

There’s nothing Paul Steinke, general manager of the Reading Terminal Market, would like to add more than a genuine farmers’ market. Over the last three decades local farmers would give it a try, but most have opted instead for participating in the neighborhood and suburban farmers’ markets associated with either The Food Trust or Farm To City. Only Earl Livengood has hung on as a direct-to-public farm seller at the RTM.

Now, Steinke is talking with Ann Karlen of White Dog Community Enterprises (The Fair Food Farmstand’s parent organization) about asking many of the Farmstand’s 90 producers to participate in a once-a-week market. If enough farmers’ sign on, the market would be held from 4 to 8 p.m. one day a week, probably Thursday, on either the 12th Street sidewalk or on the sidewalk across the street next to the open air parking lot.

Steinke said he would also ask the lunch counter merchants located on the 12th street to open voluntarily during those hours. Those merchants include Bassett’s Ice Cream, Pearl’s Oyster Bar, Golden Bowl, Carmen’s Hoagies and Cheesesteaks, Kamal’s Middle Eastern Specialties, Delilah’s, Profi’s Creperie, Sang Kee Peking Duck, Old City Coffee, and Famous 4th Street Cookie Company.

Meanwhile, the Fair Food Farmstand is looking forward to opening at its new location along the 12th Street side of the market this summer. Their architectural plans were approved by the market’s renovation committee this week and will soon go before the Philadelphia Historical Commission, which must approve all major renovations and alternations within the market.

The date for the Fair Food Farmstand’s fund-raising party is in flux due to conflicts with other events. Right now it’s tentatively scheduled for May 21, but that could change.

In other market stall news, Old City Coffee plans to make their temporary pad on the Arch Street side permanent.

Bob Libkind aka "rlibkind"

Robert's Market Report

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That's great news about the farmers' market!  Not least because of the hours: there are a lot of people who would like to stop by RTM after work, but are stymied by them closing at 6.

Don't plan your summer Thursday evenings around this quite yet, Andrew. It is a great idea, but an awful lot things have to fall in place for this to work. I think the hardest part will be finding farmers willing to stay in the city late when they may have a two-hour drive back to the farm, then have to get up early the next morning.

Bob Libkind aka "rlibkind"

Robert's Market Report

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  • 3 weeks later...

Saturday’s visit to the Reading Terminal Market saw the produce stands starting to bulge with spring produce, and even a bit of fruit!

Benuel Kauffman’s Lancaster County Produce was selling pints strawerries for $4.95, or two for $9. Ben said they were grown in the field, not under hoop houses. Meanwile, Iovine Brothers Produce had California berries at $1 for a one-pound pack, which looked to be the equivalent of about a quart. I bought a pint of Ben’s and they were intensively flavored, sweet and of medium size. The berries at all the markets will only get better over the next few weeks. Break out at the whipped cream and pantry ingredients for short bread!

Earl Livengood lacked strawberries, but his greens were overflowing: endive ($2.50/bunch), Napa cabbage ($2.95), kale, collards and chard ($1.95), lettuces ($3.25), and spinach ($2.95). Rhubarb was $3.95, and small bunches of Lily of the Valley were $2.95; he also had peonies. Earl’s Asparagus was $3.50 a bunch.

The Fair Food Farmstand had its usual broad selection from the region’s small farmers. The fiddleheads were dear but pristine at $19.50, though they still insist on calling them wild-crafted. What’s wrong with wild-harvested? Asparagus was $3.85 for chemical-free, $3.00 for IPM (integrated pest management). Rhubarb was $5.50/pound for chemical-free, $3.00 for conventional.

Over at Iovine Brothers limes were a bargain at 10 for a buck; it seems that one of the wholesalers was stuck with many cases of 200-size limes, which are just a tad on the small side, but shoppers at Iovine reaped a bounty; these little guys still had plenty of juice. White grapes from Chile, where it’s the end of the season, were 89-cents for packs of about a pound each. And let’s not forget the pepper report, which I’ve skipped lately: green bells 79-cents a pound, orange and yellows $2.49, reds $2.99, and hot and frying peppers, 99 cents.

Two days earlier at Iovine I priced juice oranges at 5/$1, and bags of California clementines (three pounds each, I believe) at $5.99). The clementines’ meat is loose in the skin, but they’ve got great taste. Mangoes are showing up in abundance; Champagne mangoes from Mexico were 2 for $1.50, regular “tropicals” from Guatemala $1 apiece. Hawaiin Ataulfo’s were $1.99.

Boston mackerels are plentiful, $2.99/pound at John Yi. Soft shell crabs could be obtained $5.99, or four for $20.

Over at Giunta’s Prime Shop, Charles is selling duck legs from Pennsylvania’s Joe Jurgielewicz & Son for $5.99. Giunta’s organic chickens are from Coleman, $2.99/pound for whole birds.

Bob Libkind aka "rlibkind"

Robert's Market Report

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Iovine Brothers Produce recent rearrangement of shelves and cases includes a more prominent presence for some items you’d normally pick up at other stores: dairy and juices.

Milk, butter and a small range of other popular dairy items, along with eggs and juices, are now located by the checkout closest to Filbert Street, a.k.a. Harry Ochs Way. Iovine’s has had dairy products for a couple of years, but they’ve been in the far corner of the store. With the move, the vendor figures to move more milk.

A few checkout aisles over is where mushrooms and a few other refrigerated produce items have been moved.

Bob Libkind aka "rlibkind"

Robert's Market Report

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Staff and merchants know that the aisles of the Reading Terminal Market have names. But few others do.

That may change with the reinstallation of street signs.

The broad north-south aisles between Arch and Filbert are the letter-demarcated “avenues”, the east-west aisles running from 12th Street to the market’s loading alley are the “streets”. Until the early 1990s wooden signs marked each intersections.

The sign have been rescued fromn the market’s basement and cleaned up and are now being installed at the intersections, like the one pictured above.

The market started the reinstallation just in time for the annual dinner this past Saturday held by the Reading Terminal Market Merchants Association, which included an 11-minute video which included photos of the signs in days past.

Now, if only the map of the aisles on the market’s web site included the street and avenue designations.

Bob Libkind aka "rlibkind"

Robert's Market Report

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