Dare I say it? The July 4th weekend is looking pretty darn good weather-wise. Perfect for eating Bucks County bounty on the grill or otherwise.
Grilling it up for the Fourth. If you still haven’t picked up some meat or seafood for the grill, check out some of our past articles. For where to find local meat, look at Where’s the beef? And pork, and lamb, and chicken... How about some nice seafood for the grill? Check out Fresh Seafood in Stockton…and Bucks. And for some wonderful grilling veggies – like summer squash, zucchini, spring onions – and even corn – check out our local farmers’ markets. Our guest blogger Rich Baringer also has some great tips and recipes for grilling. Check out his post, Grilling it up for the Fourth.
Although it may be a little hot, this would be a great week to pick some local blueberries and raspberries. Our recent article, Bucks County is berry, berry good tells you all the places to pick-your-own – or purchase – fresh local berries. (We’re jammin’, we’re jammin’…). Just remember to save some for your hard-working local blogger here.
To market, to market.Well, the big news is that local sweet corn has arrived. I’ve gotten reports from Shady Brook Farm in Yardley and the Milk House Farm Market, so be looking around for other farmers as well. How exciting!
This week you can also expect to find the following vegetables at local markets: Asian turnips, baby cabbage, bok choy, broccoli raab, broccoli, carrots, collards, cucumbers, dandelion greens, fennel, green beans, kale, lettuces, mushrooms, radicchio, radishes, red beets, spinach, summer squash, Swiss chard, tat soi and zucchini. Plus most farmers’ markets also have vendors selling pastured meat (beef, chicken, pork), free-range eggs, dairy products, prepared food, coffee, raw honey, maple syrup, breads and baked goods and much, much more.
Coming up. The First Annual Smallholding Festival takes place next Saturday, July 9th at Linden Hill Gardens in Ottsville from 11 am to 3 pm. What’s it about, you say? Well, if you’ve got a “small holding,” that is even an acre or two, there’s a lot you can do in the way of food production right in your backyard. Keep chickens, raise honey bees, learn how to make mozzarella, eat what you grow and even how to build a clay pizza oven will all be happening. Who will be there? Matt Ridgway, from PorcSalt, will be there to teach about charcuterie and butchery. Look for Jonathan White, from Bobolink Dairy & Bakehouse, as well as his wife, Nina. Jonathan will teach cheese-making along with Lorenzo Gilliberti, and Nina will tell you all about baking. Want to know about chickens? Nina Zeebooker from P&A Feed and Pet will be there along with Eric Van Der Hyde of Barefoot Gardens CSA. Home brewing advice will be available from the Ship Inn’s Lea Rumbolo and Tim Hall and John Stemler from Keystone Homebrew Supply. And much, much more…foraging, earthen oven building, vegetable gardening, beekeeping, canning, fermenting vegetables, composting, spit roasting and creating a kitchen potager. All in one place! Thanks to the Canal House Cookbook creators, Melissa Hamilton and Christopher Hirsheimer, John Schwarz, Schwarz Brand Studio, Kristin Perry of the Kitchen Potager for pulling this all together, and Jerry Fritz, owner of Linden Hill Gardens, for hosting the event. They’ll be food vendors and live music too! Cost is only $12 per carload, so throw all your friends into the car and come on down to learn more about self-sufficiency.
Also, on July 9th, Newtown Brewfest tickets go on sale online. The popular beer festival takes place on September 24th this year at the Stocking Works in Newtown. Lots of beer, music, food and fun. Don’t wait to buy your tickets!
Mark your calendar for Tuesday, July 12th. The Milford Oyster House will be hosting its annual Farm to Table Dinner to raise money for the Hunterdon Land Trust Alliance. Enjoy a seasonal, fresh and delicious four-course dinner by Chef Ed Coss at New Jersey’s best seafood house (as rated by Zagat). The evening begins at 6:30 pm with Mojitos and appetizers, followed by a “farm fresh dinner” at 7 pm, including chilled berry soup, Sweet Valley Farm Corn Fritters, Cucumber and Mint Salad, and more (depending on what is most fresh at the market that week). The cost is $75 per person, wine and desert are included. Space is limited so call the Milford Oyster House at 908‐995‐9411 for reservations.
Friday, July 1:
- Stockton Farmers’ Market, Stockton, NJ [1-7 pm]
- Ottsville Farmers’ Market, Linden Hill Gardens, Ottsville [4-8 pm]
- Beer Tasting, Phillips’ Fine Wines, Stockton, NJ [4-6 pm]
- First Friday Crabfest! @ Vintage Grille, Doylestown [4 – 10 pm]
- Friday Wine & Music @ Hopewell Valley Vineyards, Pennington, NJ [5-8 pm]
- Barrel Tappings @ Triumph Brewing Co, New Hope [6 – 7 pm]
- Wine Concert Series @ The Market at DelVal, Doylestown [6 – 9 pm]
- Wine Concert Series @ Shady Brook Farm, Yardley [6 – 9 pm]
- First Friday in Perkasie – Perkasie [6 – 9 pm]
- First Fridays in Doylestown – Doylestown [6 – 9:30 pm]
- Friday Night Fireworks Express – New Hope/Ivyland Train, New Hope [6:15 – 10:30 pm]
- Summer Wine & Music Series @ Crossing Vineyards & Winery, Washington Crossing [7 – 10 pm]
- Summer Fireworks in New Hope/Lambertville – New Hope, PA & Lambertville, NJ [9:30 – 10:30 pm]
Saturday, July 2:
- Doylestown Farmers’ Market, Doylestown [7 am-12 pm]
- Perkasie Farmers’ Market, Perkasie [8 am – 12 pm]
- Plumsteadville Grange Farm Market, Plumsteadville [9 am – 12 pm]
- Wrightstown Farmers’ Market, Wrightstown [9 am-1 pm]
- Stockton Farmers’ Market, Stockton, NJ [9 am-4 pm]
- All-American Weekend @ Old York Cellars, Ringoes [12 – 5 pm]
- Wine Tasting @ Phillips’ Fine Wines, Stockton, NJ [12-6 pm]
- Beer Tasting @ New Hope Beverage, New Hope [3-7 pm]
- Pork and Sauerkraut Dinner @ Riegelsville Fire Company, Riegelsville [4 – 7 pm]
- Saturday Wine & Music @ Hopewell Valley Vineyards, Pennington [5-8 pm]
Sunday, July 3:
- Hunterdon Land Trust Farmers’ Market, Flemington, NJ [9 am-1 pm]
- Saucon Valley Farmers’ Market, Hellertown [9 am – 1 pm]
- Stockton Farmers’ Market, Stockton, NJ [10 am-4 pm]
- Sangria Sundays @ Chaddsford Winery, Lahaska [11 am – 6 pm]
- All-American Weekend @ Old York Cellars, Ringoes [12 – 5 pm]
Monday, July 4:
- All-American Weekend @ Old York Cellars, 80 Old York Road, Ringoes [12 – 5 pm]
- Soupcon Salon by Kindle Cafe @ Manon, Lambertville, NJ [7 – 9:15 pm]
Tuesday, July 5:
- Langhorne Farmers’ Market, Langhorne [3:30 – 6:30 pm]
- Gluten Free / Healthy Living Support Group, Langhorne [7 – 9 pm]
Wednesday, July 6:
- Pierogy Wednesdays @ St. Anne Ukrainian, Warrington [9 am – 12 pm]
- The Farmers’ Market @ Playwicki Farm, Feasterville [4 – 7 pm]
- Global Dinner @ The Cafe at Rosemont, Rosemont, NJ [5 – 8 pm]
- Complimentary Beer Tasting @ the Copper Leaf Grill, Buckingham [5 – 9 pm]
- Schnitzel Night @ United German Hungarians Club, Bensalem [5:30 – 7:30 pm]
- Summer Farm Tour: Purely Farm & Just One Seed, Pipersville [6:30 – 8:30 pm]
- Meet the Brewer @ Spinnerstown Hotel, Spinnerstown [7 – 10 pm]
Thursday, July 7:
- New Hope Farmers’ Market, New Hope [2:30-6:30 pm]
- Uncle Dave’s 94 cents Ice Cream Cones @ Shady Brook Farm, Yardley [3 – 9 pm]
- Lower Makefield Farmers’ Market, Lower Makefield [3:30 – 6:30 pm]
- Sushi Night in the Wine Cellar – The Inn at Lambertville Station, Lambertville, NJ [6 – 10 pm]
For more details on any of these events, please go to our full calendar, Food Events in Bucks County.