This past weekend I had the pleasure of selling some of my crafts at a yard sale in East Stroudsburg, PA. Even though it was incredibly hot, the time flew by and I met some very interesting people. I had so much fun at the PA sale that I can't wait for my next one in the Catskills this weekend. Anyway, after a long weekend my family and I began our trip back from PA to NYC. The traffic on I-80 was bumper to bumper so we decided to take Route 46. It has been years since we have taken this back route home and we were pleasantly surprised when we came across Marshall's Farm Market.
There is something special about out fashion farm markets and stands, a magic that is lost in the big city. We pulled over at first to take a look at some of the beautiful wood yard decorations and furniture but once we saw the wide selection of fresh produce, we had to explore further. The fresh harvest colors welcome guests to the farm stand. Everything was ripe and it is clear that these farmers know their produce. While the outside is quaint the smell of just picked fruits, vegetables, and herb mixed with the homemade pies and baked goods draw you into the traditional market.
Inside the market, customers are taken back to a time when homemade, made by hand was valued. The wood floors, shelves and barrels at a cozy feel. It is easy to forget that you are so close to a modern interstate filled with trucks delivering mass produced goods. If even for just a moment it is nice to feel a connection with your roots. I loved the large selection of canned goods dips, jams, jellies, vegetables etc. Not only was there a nice selection but there was a table filled with free samples, encouraging guests to be a little adventurous.
While exploring the store I came across a few shelves filled with items from the Irondale "Whistle Stop" Cafe. For those of you that are unfamiliar, this cafe inspired a book which later was translated in the movie "Fried Green Tomatoes." This movie about friendship and the families we make has been a favorite of mine since I was a teenager. I thrilled to see that I could now take home the Whistle Stop's famous fried green tomato recipe and taste the signature dish. I grabbed a box right away and headed back out for tomatoes (buying green tomatoes from my local supermarket just wasn't going to cut it if I wanted that true country taste). My family had never had green tomatoes before and we had no idea how to pick them. After debating back and forth for a while one of the employees explained to us what we were looking for a why. (For those who are as clueless as I was: firm with an even green color- no spotting of white or pink because this means they are beginning to ripe and the colors represent growing sugars in the tomatoes. Green tomatoes are not suppose to be sweet).
In case you bought as much as we did and needed some help carrying all of our farm market treats home there is a lovely room to the side filled with baskets of all shapes and sizes. Along with the baskets is a selection of some other country favorites (soaps etc). And don't forget before you leave to wave goodbye to the adorable puppy that "guards" the back door. While I was not happy about the traffic on I-80 and the resulting added time to my travel time home, I am happy that I found this family owned farm market. If you are ever in the area, stop by and get yourself a taste of the country. And yes, we made the fried green tomatoes last night and they were perfect, every bit as delicious as the book/movie says they are :)
For more information about the Marshall's Farm Market visit their website at:
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