The Dirt: What To Get At The Farmers Market This Weekend

September is an intense month for local produce. Why? Well, because all of the summer stuff is still here and going strong, but the autumn weather stuff is beginning to roll in as well. Take advantage of these shoulder seasons by stocking up on flavors from both seasons!

Fennel – Love the licorice sweetness of fresh fennel? Root Mass Farm will have young bulbs for sale at Headhouse this weekend! Not crazy about fennel yet? Try it raw with some salad dressing or hummus. Though cooking concentrates its flavor, leaving it raw males for a juicy, sweet snack.

Pumpkins – Though we maintain that it’s still too early for pumpkin-spiced anything, it’s not necessarily too early for actual pumpkin. AT Buzby Farm will have the first of the season – alongside lingering peppers, eggplant, and sweet corn  – at the Headhouse market this weekend

Brussels Sprouts – The darlings of the brassica family, brussels sprouts are cute, tiny little cabbages ideally suited to shredding into a slaw or cooking with bacon. Pennypack Farm & Education Center will be bringing these to Clark Park on Saturday.

Fish Peppers – Once popular for cooking alongside seafood, Three Springs has beautiful striped and multicolored fish peppers for sale. Though not ghost or habañeros, fish peppers have noticeable heat and have pleasant, multi-colored flesh.

Elderberries – Hugely popular for use in health tonics and soda syrups in Europe,  Margerum’s Herbs has deep purple elder berries available.. Cook up a syrup to help alleviate cold symptoms once flu season sets in, or for mixing with gin…

Apple Cider – Early apples are now making their way into the ciders of Frecon (Bryn Mawr, Rittenhousee)  and Three Springs (Headhouse).

Find something great at your local market? Instagram it and tag accordingly: @foobooz #fooboozthedirt