West Chester Winter Market Days

By Margaret Gilmour

Saturday was a balmy 45 degrees, which made the very first West Chester Winter Market even better. Forget the gloves and the hat: I headed out with my family in a warm coat unzipped a bit, and my bundle of canvas bags swinging alongside of me.

I knew to get to the market before 10:00 a.m., just before the vendors finished spreading out their goods to offer up everything for sale. Because when the bounty isn’t so plentiful, and the selections limited, winter market is all about quickly sizing up who’s selling what, and making menus up as you go along.

Here, like at the Phoenxville Winter Market, you need to make your purchases first (while supplies last), then hang out and visit with locals later.

I was happy to see that even in January the market had many of the loyal farmers and artisans that show up every Saturday during the growing season. What made me even happier was seeing one of my favorites—-Windy Acres Produce—selling chemical-free arugula picked Friday morning, bags of spring mix, radishes, mini-carrots and a mountain of sweet potatoes.

Just across from their table Oley Valley Mushrooms set out a showy display of exotic mushrooms with the smoky grey oyster mushrooms casting a pearly center stage.

winter market is all about quickly sizing up who’s selling what, and making menus up as you go along

Right there I decided dinner would be roasted mushroom and leek soup. My favorite recipe comes from Stonewall Kitchen’s Harvest, my well-read, favorite eat-in-season cookbook.

So owner Angela Evans bagged one and half pounds of the organically grown crimini mushrooms for me as she explained how to cook the white and wavy lion’s mane mushroom (Hericium erinaceus)—also called pom pom or bear’s head.

I’ve never tried the lion’s mane, but Angela says to sauté them, unwashed, in a little butter, and that they taste a lot like lobster. Perhaps I’ll give them a try another time.

I slipped away from the long line of mushroom buyers and followed my six-year-old to Big Sky Bread Company where my son chose a blueberry muffin to nibble on as we made our way back toward the car.

Before leaving I stopped to admire Lindenhof Farm’s supply of grass-fed chicken eggs and long list of all-natural meats, including the ready-made chicken potpies another buyer was requesting.

And even though my bags were full, I was tempted to grab a jar of Jeff Porter’s Chile Spot hot sauce, but decided to wait and pick some up at the next winter market.

Then again, you never know who will be selling their goods at the February 20th winter market, or if it will be snowed out like December’s. But that’s just another reason why I like going: You never know what’ll be available. So it’s always a surprise.