July 2, 2008
The Fair Food Farmstand at Reading Terminal Market
There is a quiet yet very real food revolution happening in Philadelphia right now. Slow Food, the idea of supporting, promoting, featuring and savoring locally grown food, especially locally grown and raised regional specialties, has reemerged as a beautiful, desirable way to approach your relationship to the world around you. Common in Italy, where food takes a more central role in the rhythms of life, slow food has started to take hold here at home.
The White Dog in University City has built a great network of local farmers who grow fresh specialties that supply local restaurants… restaurants who used to buy everything from far away. Now that network is expanding on a great many fronts at once, with food grown here in the city, in the suburbs and in the surrounding counties, ending up in college cafeterias, hospital meals, and now… your kitchen!
The Fair Food Farmstand in the Reading Terminal Market is, for me, a delightfully exciting place. Instead of arriving there looking for something to fulfil the requirements of a recipe in hand, I love stopping in to see whats what, buying a few items and then designing something yummy around what I’ve bought.
My last visit there, I bought almost frighteningly robust scallions and some very reasonably priced and surprisingly handsome mushrooms, both of which ended up sauteed in omelettes for my wife and kids the next morning. It’ll be a slow but steady journey from supermarket food to more hands-on fare, but I invite all to cross their threshold and just have fun exploring!
The Fair Food Farmstand website has weekly updates about what is in season, and where its from. They even have grass fed meats with recommendations for your July 4th barbeque!
They’re open Wednesday through Sunday. You’ll find them on the Arch Street side of the Market, across from the Metropolitan Bakery, and facing Foster’s.
Enjoy!
Reading Terminal Market
12th & Arch, Philadelphia, PA 19105
(no responses)
July 2, 2008, 9:12 am
Sarah Cain says:
Thank you so much for all your kind words! I’m Sarah, the co-manager of the Farmstand, and I did want to clarify just a couple of things. We are open also on Tuesday, so only closed on Mondays, and we are open year-round! Unfortunately Fosters is no longer there, so that neighbor is now Amy’s. Another great neighbor of ours is Be Natural, with fantastic Local honey and other bee-by-products from Delaware. Come visit us!
July 2, 2008, 9:12 am
Imane Hanine says:
Thanks for the recognition! We at the office are very proud of the Fair Food Farmstand. Here’s an edit for the blog. The Fair Food Farmstand is a part of the Fair Food Project, run by White Dog Community Enterprises. I listed our correct web address so that you all can visit!
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