There’s no better time to celebrate the bounty of local food than at Thanksgiving. In the spirit of the holiday, and to ensure this holiday feast is as delicious as possible, KSQ Farmers Market manager Ros Fenton encourages people to build their menus around fresh, local ingredients.
A dozen vendors will gather for a special-edition Thanksgiving market on Monday, November 21st, from 3pm to 5pm in front of The Creamery (401 Birch Street, Kennett Square). The Thanksgiving market will offer a cornucopia of local goodness—from produce to locally produced cheeses, baked goods, spices, beer, locally made hostess and holiday gift items, and more—everything needed to round out a flavorful Thanksgiving feast.
Because dull knives, Thanksgiving meal prep, and turkey carving are a recipe for frustration, Howe Sharpe mobile tool and knife sharpening will also be at the KSQ Farmers Market on Monday. “Bring the knives you need to carve, dice, and mince this holiday season,” says Fenton, “and Howe Sharpe will sharpen them while you shop. Drop them as early as you can during market hours. To transport your knives safely, wrap each one between a few pages of a magazine, roll it, and secure with a rubber band.” Find pricing and details here.
Lindenhof Farm, one of PA Eats’ five heritage turkey farms in Pennsylvania, is accepting orders for pasture-raised whole turkeys and turkey parts until 2pm today (Saturday, November 19th).
Turkey and all the trimmings—the way they’re supposed to taste
Lindenhof Farm, one of PA Eats’ five heritage turkey farms in Pennsylvania, is accepting orders for pasture-raised whole turkeys and turkey parts until 2pm today (Saturday, November 19th) to pick up at Monday’s market. Please note that turkey pick-up is pre-order only. Eggs and other meats will be available to purchase, though pre-orders are encouraged.
Swallow Hill will also bring “fine produce home grown with love” from their Cochranville farm. Elizabeth and Douglas Randolph, and their crops, have weathered the challenges of this year’s growing season to produce a beautiful harvest. They nurtured this year’s crop of Brussels sprouts, for example, through July’s 90-degree-plus temperatures and intense sun with soil-cooling oat straw mulch. The sprouts have not only survived but thrived and produced a Thanksgiving harvest with an exceptional sweet, nutty flavor. “Swallow Hill’s broccoli shoots, cauliflower, red cabbage, spinach, red butter lettuce, fennel, spinach, and baby red and green romaine lettuce will all shine with freshness and flavor as part of a healthy holiday meal,” says Fenton.
In the dairy department, Tim Sauder will bring his amazing Greek and Swiss yoghurts made with 100% grass-fed milk from his family’s micro-dairy, Fiddle Creek Dairy in Quarryville, as well as milk and beef. Local cheeses shine on cheese boards, and the Miller family make their famous Birchrun Blue and a variety of other cheeses at Birchrun Hills Farm, a small dairy farm in Chester Springs. Perfect accompaniments to Thanksgiving fare include their raw milk cheddars and cave-aged wedges and rounds, in addition to Pimento cheese spread, fromage blanc, cheese curds, a variety of fresh spreads, halloumi, feta, and créme fraîche.
Farmers Elizabeth and Douglas Randolph of Swallow Hill, and their crops, have weathered the challenges of this year’s growing season to produce a beautiful harvest.
Sugar and spice and everything nice
Monday’s market will also feature a host of local producers with delicious and handcrafted goods to round out holiday menus.
Tat’s Yummies will bring pies, cakes, cookies, tarts, and more, including a pumpkin cake drizzled with homemade caramel. Melina is an expert baker specializing in European patisseries that reflect her heritage and family traditions. Those with dietary restrictions can enjoy sweet treats this holiday season, too, as Sunset Park will bring a variety of gluten-free, vegan, nut-free, soy-free baked goods, including cookies, sweet breads, and whoopie pies, to Monday’s market.
Cocky Gourmet will bring their very snack-able and eminently gift-able small-batch toffee and brittle in delicious flavor combinations from salty to sweet to spicy. Nutty Novelties makes fresh nut butters ranging from classic peanut, cashew, almond, and pistachio butter to cappuccino peanut, habanero honey peanut, and the irresistible and limited-edition Pumpkin Spice Peanut Butter. Nutty Novelties’ gift packs make the perfect hostess and holiday gifts, too.
Miranda from Sundry Mornings Spice Co. crafts unique hot sauces, spice blends, and seasoning salts in small batches using local ingredients to make farm-to-table flavor last all year long. She will bring mulling spice and cranapple ginger sauce on Monday, and her legendary Bloody the Vampire Slayer Bloody Mary mix is another great addition to holiday celebrations. Her Cocktail Infusion Kits, with seasonal dried fruits and spices, can be tossed in a jar with a spirit of choice for a flavorful “homemade” concoction.
Deer Creek Malthouse produces craft beer in collaboration with local breweries and offers a range of other products using Pennsylvania-grown grain. At Monday’s market they’ll have a wide selection of brews perfect for holiday gatherings including Amber Lager, their recent PA Pride release. They’ll also bring their Barley Tea in a variety of flavors as well as malty granola, buckwheat pancake mix, and malty pizza mix.
Joel van Bemmelen and his brother Jonah of JVB Brothers’ Co. use local ingredients to create naturally flavorful small-batch pickles and hot sauces free of preservatives, GMOs, dyes, and artificial flavors. Pickles—like their horseradish, garlic dill, bacon, sweet, spicy, and sour varieties—add zest to a cheeseboard and holiday appetizers. Their hot sauces varieties include Jalapeño mango blend, habanero blend, and ghost/reaper blend.
Tree of Life Farm is a new small business making herbal soaps and body-care products using locally sourced herbs and sustainable materials. Amber will bring her herbal-infused soaps, lotion bars, lip balms, aromatherapy mist, healing ointments, and more—all of which also make great hostess and holiday gifts—to Monday’s market.
Deer Creek Malthouse will bring craft beer and a range of other products using Pennsylvania-grown grain to Monday’s market.
Giving thanks for local food and farmers—all year long
In addition to higher nutritional value, fewer food miles, and the positive environmental, economic, and community impact of freshly harvested and locally produced food, it also—quite simply—tastes better. Locals can reap all of these benefits by shopping at the Winter Season market, which continues every Friday afternoon from 3pm to 5pm at The Creamery.
Flying Plow Farm will be at the Winter Market every week with a variety of fresh produce grown on their certified organic farm in Rising Sun. Other weekly vendors include Lindenhof Farm, Green Lion Breads, Heart Stone Pastry, Pear Tree Coffee Roasters, Tat’s Yummies, and Taste of Puebla. Honeymoon Farm will return with mushrooms bi-weekly starting in January, and customers can pre-order mushrooms from Flying Plow Farm throughout December and on off weeks. Bi-weekly and monthly favorites will include Aunt Mamie’s, Brandywine Bee, Fiddle Creek Dairy, Mediterranean Delicacy, Nutty Novelties, Amazing Acres, Deer Creek, Sundry Mornings, Rex Farms Orchard, Dad & Will’s, Botanical Bubbles, Fifth Dimension Farm, and more.
Fenton works hard to curate a combination of vendors to bring a balanced variety of locally grown and produced goods directly to Kennett Square each week, and she encourages community members to continue supporting local farmers and producers through the leaner but still delicious days of winter.
Pre-ordering can make winter market shopping more efficient and ensure availability. Sign up here to receive the weekly Farmers Market Newsletter with all the latest vendor and product updates and pre-ordering options.
The KSQ Farmers Market Winter Season continues every Friday afternoon from 3pm to 5pm at The Creamery.
