Amish Market

[menton1]

On a Pennsylvania thread we were discussing Amish meats, and this market came up. Someone said that there was a market in NJ with vendors from the Lancaster Pa. area. It is somewhere on Route 27 near New Brunswick. Would anyone have more specific information on this market-- exact location, hours and days open, vendors, and is it open all year round? Thanks for the help!

[Arpad]

There is an Amish market that operates thurs/fri/sat maybe wed on rte 27. It is on the northside before the rte 518 turnoff coming from New Brunswick and is in a derelict shopping center. No good landmarks nearby . I haven't been there for at least 6 months so am not sure its stll there.

[erie1]

There is also one in Flemington right behind the Shoprite. Open Thu,fri,sat.

[fitz]

I haven't lived in the area for about a year and a quarter, but the Amish market was definitely on the southbound side of Route 27, probably about 8 miles south of New Brunswick proper.

Whether it's worth your while to check out depends on your tastes. There were lots of pastries and pies (not my thing), homemade salads and salad dressings and such (think sweet honey mustard bacon dressing), as well as various cheeses and meats.

It was crowded the few times I stopped in (on weekends), and lots of folks were taking advantage of the chance to grab a quick bite on the run. Don't know if they still do it, but the first Saturday of every month, they had a massive pig roast. (That intrigued me at the time, but my perceptions of BBQ in general have changed since I've been living in Texas! )

The folks running all the concessions were terribly nice, though.

[Kim WB]

this link should be here, too.

http://forums.egullet.org/index.php?act=ST...hl=amish+market

[gregtz]

Yep, the Amish market is still there Thurs-Sat. The directions in the link above are right.

It's best for the meats and poultry, which have been raised healthily, and good dairy (check out the tub butter). Cheeses are strictly American mass market-style -- nothing particularly artisanal or interesting, though they're above-average renditions of what you'll get at Stop & Shop. In general I just prefer shopping for meat and dairy from small purveyors like this than even getting Bell & Evans from the supermarket. (And there's no equivalent for good non-fowl meats north of Princeton up to the Edison/NB area, that I know of.)

Some of the pickles and preserves are good too -- the ketchup is much more tomatoey than anything Heinz or Hunt's puts out, and it's chunky though also too sweet. The Kirbys are fresh and snappy, though not terribly sour. The dills are my favorites, but my partner finds the mild, sweet greens very refreshing, especially in summer.

And the people are great.

Greg

[menton1]

Last time we went to Lancaster the Amish had a fabulously interesting cheese called Cup Cheese. It comes in a small tub, is slightly sour, and unlike anything I've ever had before. So I disagree with you about the cheese. I hope this market has Cup Cheese, I will try to get down there in the next couple of weeks.

[gregtz]

Have not seen the cup cheese. Will look for it next time I'm there, and report back. I stand by the statement that most of the rest of the cheeses are unimpressive.

[menton1]

From a web site, "History of the Pennsylvania Dutch"

Cup Cheese, Berks

This well known Dutch specialty, sold in all the farmer markets in the Dutch country, is made at its best in the following manner. Thick milk is scalded by placing a pan of it in the oven and baking the curd. Then the water is drained, the curds put in an earthen vessel and kept in a moderate temperature. Each day for a week new curds are added and mixed with the rest. Then the curds are poured into a heated pan and let simmer slowly and brought to a boil without stirring. Then a pinch of salt, a cup of cream, 1/2 lb. of butter, and a teaspoon of baking soda are added, and the mixture is boiled for 15 minutes, with 2 or 3 beaten eggs added. Then the mixture is poured into cups and let cool.

[erie1]

Stopped into the route 27 market today. It is carbon copy of the flemington one except the flemington market is newer and less crowded. Even recognized some of the same vendors. Must be run by the same family.