The Reading Terminal Market

I have the great fortune of working only a few blocks from one of the greatest indoor food markets in the country. The vendors bring fresh fruits and vegetables in daily from the farms in Lancaster county and south Jersey. The sights and smells in there are amazing.

Yesterday I decided to venture over to the market, I needed a walk and it seemed like the place to go. Normally I only go over there if I know I’m looking for something or to grab a bite at one of the lunch places. I love sitting at the counter service and watching the world go by. 

Yesterday I was greeted with the sweet smell of chocolate as I opened the door. Two of the first vendor stalls are Chocolate by Muller and the 2^nd Street Cookie Company. This is a dreadful thing for your diet if you’re really hungry. I was able to get past them both without drooling on their counters too much (I had eaten lunch before I took my walk). Soon my eyes and nose feasted on the cornucopia of fresh produce; beautiful slabs of fresh cut red meat, chickens, turkeys, and ham; ripe apples, peppers, onions and melons, fresh herbs. This is what heaven must be like. Colors seemed richer, smells seemed to linger in the air around my nose, sales people seemed nicer.

Add to all this bustle the sound of a piano playing in the distance and you have a pretty awesome lunchtime walk. I’m amazed I came home with only one small bag. And it was something I actually needed. I bought some mineral oil for my cutting boards.

Useful tip: unfinished wood cutting boards need to be oiled every so often so the wood does not dry out and crack. I read this somewhere but entirely forgot until yesterday (thanks Mom!). Now all my cutting boards have been oiled and dried and are ready for anything! It’s interesting they look different now. They get a little darker when you oil them. I assume that will continue over time and they'll continue to gain a little color each time.

I've been lax on my thank you notes at the end of my posts so here goes:
Chris- Special thanks for the insider's guide to the Reading Terminal Market!
Thank you to the Eshers and the Zooks for all the bakeware, as you can see they're awesome and perfect for home made bread!
Julie and Jason, love the glass mixing bowl, it's awesome to have 2 bowls for the mixer, I can do 2 different projects without having to completely stop and clean up and start all over again!
Linda and Kathy- thanks so much for the Pyrex! It's perfect for all kinds of things, particularly lasagna.
Bill and Tom for the crystal dish. I'm amazed at how often we use it. It's almost always full of something! We think of you every time we use it.
The Manzo family- Can I tell you how often I use the gloves? Sadly they don't fit Ryan but I love them!
I'm sorry to the people I forgot. I'm sure I'll use whatever I forgot again and hopefully I'll write about it!