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Posts Tagged ‘Phillips Farms’

Fresh from the Farm

Posted in food, Home Stuff, Life, Nature, Photography, tagged , , , , , , , , on September 1, 2019| 21 Comments »

I know I have waxed ecstatic periodically about the joys of having so many wonderful farmstands dotting the backroads of my county (the highest agricultural county in this state, BTW), so at the risk of perhaps repeating myself …

Look at this gorgeous produce I picked up yesterday! On the way home from food shopping at the supermarket in the afternoon I stopped at Phillips Farms to pick up a few fresh items, and as I approached the little red “house”, I heard one of the staff talking to a customer about Black Velvet Tomatoes. I was all ears! She pointed out the darker tomatoes above, and described them as much sweeter that the average field tomato, and therefore, great for salads, but could take over in a sandwich.

Don’t you love it when people know their stuff? So I picked up a few. Now as an artist, I also found them quite interesting, as I did when that yellow summer squash caught my eye. I’d never seen one with dark green ends, and was told they were really good, too. So with my black velvet tomatoes, field tomatoes for sandwiches, and a summer squash for I-don’t-know-what, my food shopping was complete for the week.

Once again, I am so grateful that fresh, beautiful produce is available to me from spring’s first asparagus to fall’s last apples and pumpkins.  And that it’s no more than 10 minutes away, or at any number of farmstands brightening my drives as I go.

Yesterday wasn’t a corn run, but I suspect that will be on the agenda before long!

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Take Me Out to the Farmstand

Posted in Home Stuff, Life, Nature, Photography, tagged , , , , on August 24, 2012| 3 Comments »

I’ve always said it doesn’t take all that much to make me happy, so if I can drive to my local farmstand, buy wonderful fresh produce, and photograph it as well? Hey, that makes me happy. Hope these photographs taken at Phillips Farms in nearby Holland make you happy, too.

Plants, herbs and usually fresh flowers are for sale

Oscar keeps an eye on the stand and promotes the whole “Jersey Fresh” concept. I’ve suggested they try him at the edge of the road to promote business, but really, you either know where the farmstand is or you don’t. Located on a typical 2-lane blacktop in the middle of a variety of farms, it’s not the most highly traveled road.

Tomatoes of every kind. They had some Brandywine tomatoes; I don’t know what they are, but I got home and wondered why hadn’t I gotten some to find out? There’s always a next time, and tomatoes are still coming in. In fact, early Gala apples were already in.

Beautiful produce of every kind plus berries and greens in the nearby fridge. If only I had a parallel life I could just cook and bake with all this fabulous stuff. Although I didn’t photograph the peaches, I did buy enough to make something delicious over the weekend.

Corn! Today they had bi-color, which as long as it’s sweet makes no matter to me.

Hope this inspires you to go find or visit a farmstand by you this weekend and enjoy what nature has to offer while it’s still summer. Before you know it, it’ll be fall and the apples, squash and pumpkins will be in!

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One Reason Why I Love Summer

Posted in food, tagged , , , , , , , , on July 29, 2012| 3 Comments »

It can pretty much be summed up in one photo … fresh, local farm produce.

They don’t call New Jersey the Garden State for nothing! And even though many people have the sadly mistaken idea that New Jersey is all about the refineries and crammed highways that occupy a very small portion of the eastern part of the state, far more of the state is devoted to agriculture. In fact, New Jersey is the number one producer of blueberries in the nation, and second in cranberries. And anyone who’s ever been here knows there is nothing like a Jersey tomato.

This morning I passed the small farm stand in Alpha where I’d stopped last week. The corn is outstanding – I bought bi-color and white, both super-sweet – tomatoes, white peaches – yum! (see above) and a few other items. Starting in the spring, and straight through summer and fall, there are farmstands and farmers’ markets everywhere, and you can easily find whatever is in season. A farm more local to me, Phillips Farms in Holland Township, has “outreach” if you will, into the city. Their produce is featured in farmers’ markets in Manhattan, Brooklyn and Queens. If you live in the city, check here to see where great produce is near you.)

So you can keep your heat, your humidity, and crazy weekend shore traffic.  My summer leans towards great fresh food!

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