Reading Terminal Market (Part 1)

[mrbigjas]

but two pints would be perfect for a 7-inch pie. i bought some 7-inch pie tins from fante's a couple months ago--they're just a couple bucks each and make the perfect amount of pie for two people to share over a couple of days.

[Andrew Fenton]

If you don't have a cherry pitter, they're pretty easy to pit by using a small sharp knife to cut a little hole at the stem end, then just squeezing out the pit.

I've been buying pie cherries for the last couple of weeks: I made a terrific cobbler, and a cherry cake. Cherry muffins are also really good.

[Capaneus]

Or you could do the Portuguese thing: buy a bottle of cheap brandy; drink half; try dancing on a grand piano; once out of Emergency Room, top the bottle with pitted sour cherries; let sit for a couple of years; drink the brandy, eat the cherries. Call ex-girlfriends in the middle of the night.

The last step is optional.

[rlibkind]

If you don't have a cherry pitter, they're pretty easy to pit by using a small sharp knife to cut a little hole at the stem end, then just squeezing out the pit.

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That works, and I used to do it that way. But cherry pitters are cheap and make it easier. One of my few single function (well, double with olives) kitchen tools.

[Megan Kathleen]

Well, this seems as good as any as a forum for my inaugural eGullet post!

It's about time my serial lurking came to an end. I'd like to say hello to everyone and let you all know how rad I think eGullet is. What a treasure- a community of positive, enthusiastic, down-to-earth folks who love everything to do with the world of food. Why, oh why, have I been so shy?

I, too, love the Market. (And cherries.) Over the years, I, too, have found John Yi to be the most consistently reliable fishmonger in the RTM; though their prices tend to be higher than others, I've never been dissatisfied with anything they've sold me. Sensory overload aside, what I love most about the Market is how much of a real cool club it is. Working in the restaurant business predisposes me to seeking out relationships with the people I buy my food from, and I find the climate in the Market to be so friendly and convivial. I've learned at least as much about myself as a food lover in the world from being there as I have from my professional experience.

(Of course, I have those days when I'm not exactly wandering aimlessly, and I'm thinking, "I wish these people would stop blocking the box with their cheesesteaks and jumbo Cokes and just get out of my way so I can get my slab bacon and quail eggs and frisee and.. and.. and.. and..." How do you all cope with that? I apologize if this has been addressed previously.)

The whole Livengood operation is amazing. I once got a whole big stalk of Brussels sprouts from them once that had lost a few to cattle. Teeth marks and everything! I biked home with it sticking out of my bag. Livengood friend and neighbor Sam Consylman (some may have seen the story about him in the Inquirer) brought me some snapping turtle to eat as well as a whole lot of paw paws, following one discussion we'd had about acquainting oneself with wild, indigenous foods. My kind of people!

And please keep the cherries discussion going, everybody, as I might just have to torment my boyfriend by turning on the oven tonight. (The soup is a potential compromise, of course. Thanks!)

[Andrew Fenton]

Welcome, Megan!

(Of course, I have those days when I'm not exactly wandering aimlessly, and I'm thinking, "I wish these people would stop blocking the box with their cheesesteaks and jumbo Cokes and just get out of my way so I can get my slab bacon and quail eggs and frisee and.. and.. and.. and..." How do you all cope with that? I apologize if this has been addressed previously.)

Yeah, that can get frustrating. I'd like to say that I just slow down and operate in a mode of Zen-like flow, but in reality I tend to operate in a much ruder way, darting between slow-moving rubberneckers, aiming for wider patches between stalls, smashing little old ladies in the eye with my elbow, etc. (But then, I'm made of pure evil.)

Livengood friend and neighbor Sam Consylman (some may have seen the story about him in the Inquirer) brought me some snapping turtle to eat as well as a whole lot of paw paws, following one discussion we'd had about acquainting oneself with wild, indigenous foods. My kind of people!

Was that snapping turtle live or cooked? Because he was showing off a live, dangerous-looking snapper at the South & Passyunk market one day last fall. (And yeah, those paw paws are crazy good...)

[Megan Kathleen]

Thanks, Andrew! It's good to be here.

As far as being made of pure evil, that may well be a prerequisite for success (or at least long-term survival) in the restaurant business. The secret, to me, is not to let civilians in on my dark identity! Among other things, pure evil means I'm not at all sorry for the meat of the cloven hoof I consume so regularly and with such gusto. Pow!

The snapper I mentioned was neither alive nor cooked. He brought the meat to me, already broken down for my enjoyment. I've got pretty good knife skills, but I'm not sure I'm ready to take on something that prehistoric-looking. I ended up turning it into an old Pennsylvania recipe for a rustic, yummy soup with potatoes and the like. I am so sorry I missed the live one at the market. That must have been out of control! Sam is so cool.

I made paw paw pudding for my friends. It ruled. Though I lost some material to them, my dogs liked chewing the many, many pits clean.

[mrbigjas]

Yeah, that can get frustrating.  I'd like to say that I just slow down and operate in a mode of Zen-like flow, but in reality I tend to operate in a much ruder way, darting between slow-moving rubberneckers, aiming for wider patches between stalls, smashing little old ladies in the eye with my elbow, etc.  (But then, I'm made of pure evil.)

i do a lot of sighing and eye rolling. muttering isn't out of the question either.

[Andrew Fenton]

The snapper I mentioned was neither alive nor cooked. He brought the meat to me, already broken down for my enjoyment.  I've got pretty good knife skills, but I'm not sure I'm ready to take on something that prehistoric-looking.

It was pretty amazing: twenty-odd pounds of sheer reptilian terror, like the Creature from the Amish Lagoon. I only wish I'd had my camera with me!

Sam is so cool.

Word to that.

[rlibkind]

It's great to welcome another RTM enthusiast to eGullet, Megan Kathleen. Don't hesitate to add your finds there.

Watching tourists gawk is part of the RTM's charm. I've taken to very loudly saying: "COMING THROUGH, PLEASE". Andrew, of course, forgot to add that he curses them in Latin.

Among other things, pure evil means I'm not at all sorry for the meat of the cloven hoof I consume so regularly and with such gusto. Pow!

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Funny, "Megan Kathleen" doesn't sound Jewish (nor Muslim)!

Sam is so cool.

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So true!

I made paw paw pudding for my friends. It ruled. Though I lost some material to them, my dogs liked chewing the many, many pits clean.

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As good as they are fresh, I've got to expand my repetoire with them. Last year I did ice cream, which, if my ice cream making technique was better, would have been a killer; as it was, even though the texture was sub-par the flavor was spot-on. Pudding sounds more do-able for me, I'll try it this September.

I've bumped a sour cherry cooking topic from last year, so it should be easy to find. Someone mentioned making a milk shake. Sounds Yummy. Here's the link.

Andrew: Wow, I missed that turtle! I think if Sam lived in the Pine Barrens rather than Lancaster County, one day he'd appear with the Jersey Devil drawn, quartered, stuffed and ready to cook. Here's a photo of Sam last fall at the Fairmount & 22nd Market:

[KatieLoeb]

Megan Kathleen, a hearty welcome to 'ya! Glad you've decided to come out of hiding and play. Looking forward to your future contibutions here. You should try and join us on one of our many eating frenzies that are well announced in advance and generally well attended here in the PA forum. I look forward to meeting you in person when you're able to accompany us...

[MarketStEl]

Hello and welcome, Megan!

If you're at the Market at midday on a Saturday (or maybe on Friday in the summer), you might bump into me!

Which is one of the other glories of the RTM: It is one of Philadelphia's few true common grounds, where you can find the whole of the city -- rich, poor, and in between, white, black, Latino, Asian, and Native American, male and female, gourmet and gourmand (sometimes inhabiting the same body) and indifferent -- interacting civilly (by and large).

What the RTM does is what food should do: Bring us together.

And as for those outings: There are two planning threads currently in progress. You're more than welcome to come along if either of them interests you.

[Megan Kathleen]

Bob, as a retired vegan, I can tell you my former issues about pork (and goat, for the record) consumption had more to do with health and economics than religious concerns! Good news is: the net result of all the years I spent orienting my food philosophy around abstinence is creativity and a sense of adventure in the kitchen!

And that is a fantastic picture of Sam. He's such an inspiration!

Going out to eat sounds good, Katie! Now that I'm on desk duty at (full disclosure!) Audrey Claire and Twenty Manning after years on the floor (and a tenure in the kitchen) at the former, I've got most evenings free. I'm still psyched about routinely eating my own cooking again, but I can certainly make time for grubbing with my fellow enthusiasts.

MarketStEl, PREACH IT! We should all be so positive. Thank you. My Saturday market itinerary (following Clark Park) is Livengood's and Nanee's Kitchen, without scowling or tears. I get around on an econo gray roadbike with a touring setup. Hot peppers on the grips! See you there!

True story about the aforementioned fresh chickens at the Farmstand. I bought one this morning. They come from the venerable Philip Landis of Meadow Run Farm, who also has lamb organs available in what look like individual serving bags! Lace 'em with lardons, mix 'em up with lentils... a little bit of OK Lee's superior frisee... yum yum! Emily said something about Eberly being in the mix when it comes to getting fresh chickens from small producers like Philip to us local consumers; I was too spaced-out from lack of coffee (not local) to really be paying attention, unfortunately. I'll have to ask her again.

Another Farmstand favorite of mine is the tofu from Fresh Tofu, Inc. in Allentown. I find it to be superior in quality and pedigree to pretty much anything else on the market. It's soy the way it should be. They've got some that expires today, and another shipment in. Grab some!

[mrbigjas]

True story about the aforementioned fresh chickens at the Farmstand. I bought one this morning. They come from the venerable Philip Landis of Meadow Run Farm, who also has lamb organs available in what look like individual serving bags!

funny you should mention that--just last night for a little dinner party i had, i made a salad of butter lettuce and radishes topped with sliced lamb tongue i got from fair foods (from bixler's, not meadow run or jamison). it was fantastic. lamb tongue is like beef tongue but sweeter and more delicately flavored. still takes like 2-3 hours to cook though...

[Andrew Fenton]

Thanks for the reminder about the lamb organs. I noticed them at Fair Food a couple of months ago, and noted that they were labeled as dog food. I meant to ask about them, since I basically eat like a dog anyway...

[mrbigjas]

i thought the dog food packages were just the trimmings from the carcass. the organs are usually labeled as what they are. i mean there might be a box called dog food, but the packages themselves are labeled by the part.

[Andrew Fenton]

Ah, I was probably mistaken, then. Thanks!

[lancastermike]

We were in today and the place was just jammed with members of the NEA convention. Just about all of the food vendors were just mobbed. The noble educators seemed particularly enthralled with the Amish section. I could have used some of the techniques mention above for crowd management. My baguette from Le Bus could have been used to prod along gawking teachers. Did manage a little shopping but the mob chased us out into Chinatown.

[rlibkind]

We were in today and the place was just jammed with members of the NEA convention. Just about all of the food vendors were just mobbed. The noble educators seemed particularly enthralled with the Amish section.  I could have used some of the techniques mention above for crowd management. My baguette from Le Bus could have been used to prod along gawking teachers.  Did manage a little shopping but the mob chased us out into Chinatown.

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I was there from 8:40-10:40 a.m., and although the NEA was there in force, it was quite maneuverable. Ya gotta get in earlier, Mike.

[MarketStEl]

I was there around 11:45 a.m.

The crowd was large but manageable then, and I managed to strike up some small talk with a teacher from Florida buying produce at OK Lee's.

Sorry I missed you, Mike!

[Moderator note: This topic continues in Reading Terminal Market (Part 2)]

Edited June 17, 2013 by Mjx
Moderator note added. (log)