Two Local Shoutouts

For those of you who live in the Spring-City / Royersford area, I wanted to let you know about two great family businesses Amy and I have discovered nearby. I'm a big fan of supporting little Mom & Pop operations over the big chain stores when at all possible, especially when their offerings are as good as these two.

The first is called "GreenWorld Farmer's Market", and it's just over the river from us in Spring City, next to the car wash on Bridge St. Now despite it's name, I wouldn't really call it a farmer's market in the local sense of the word, seeing as the produce I've bought has sticker saying "Grown In Canada." But regardless, they have some really nice food for dirt cheap. Red peppers for $1.69 a pound, romaine lettuce at $0.99 for 3 heads, etc. I got all the food shown in the photo to the right for less than $15! Already it's saved us a ton of money on our weekly grocery trips. I will say that you have to pick through the stock at times, since some of the food appears a little bruised. But for as little money as we're paying, a little digging is fine with me. They also sell a really mean batch of wasabi peas at prices way cheaper than the local Giant, for those of you with adventurous taste buds.

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The other local standout is Renninger's Farm on 2nd Avenue, just south of where Royersford is. All summer we've enjoyed their wonderful peppers, peaches, and tomatoes (I especially recommend the peaches, they are amazing). Some of their tomatoes have been the size of large softballs! They also sell fresh herbs and flowers. As fall approaches, I'm excited about seeing what their squash offerings will be.

Yummy Food for 5/22/07
As those who know me will tell you, I'm a bit of a food nut. I love cooking in general, especially when it's off-my-head, spur-of-the-moment style. I can't bake worth a damn (all attempts usually end up either flat as a pancake, or exploding in flames), mostly because it requires such precise measurements.

So, in the great tradition of food bloggies such as Jennifer from Last Night's Dinner, or even Houseblogs.net's own Reluctant Remodeler, I've decided to start posting some of my own creations from time to time. So, without further ado, I give you:

Seared Bay Scallops With Tomato Dill Sauce

This was my first attempt at using the more petite cousin of scallops, and I'm happy to report I found some success with them.


I've been told that the most important thing when picking out scallops is that they smell fresh and salty, and not at all fishy. I then thoroughly rinsed them to rid them of any leftover sand (I don't like my seafood that crunchy), and patted them dry with a towel.

Before searing the scallops, I sauteed some turkey bacon and garlic in the pan to release a little fat and flavor. I then set the bacon aside, and sauteed the scallops for about 3 minutes with just a little salt and pepper as seasoning. You don't want to overcook them because they will become very rubbery.

Next, I poured in about a cup of Chardonnay (Jacob's Creek, of course :)), half a can of diced tomatoes, and a palmful each of dill and parsley (I used dry but I'm sure fresh would be nice as well). This mixture was simmered for around 5 minutes, at which point the scallops were put back in to be warmed through.

For an accompaniment, I steamed some edamame and snow peas. Edamame is a wonderful side that both Amy and I enjoy... too bad it's so expensive!

Finish by sprinkling some of the bacon over top of the scallops, and voila!