🍑 Shore farmers’ markets | Outdoorsy Newsletter

The dog days of summer are here.

In today’s edition:

• Down the Shore: See what’s in season at the best farmers markets.
• A “Super Bowl” in summer: It’s BLT season. Local heirloom tomatoes drive the obsession.
• Cleaner energy: A study shows how geothermal HVAC systems could serve Philly schools.

🥵 Your weekend weather outlook: It’s muggy, steamy, and shower-y. A heat advisory is in effect through Saturday night.

— Paola Pérez (outdoorsy@inquirer.com)

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Grab a tote

With the nationwide cyclosporiasis outbreak on the mind, more folks are flocking to farmers markets for fresh goods.

But if you’re true to this, you already know they are the best places to get delicious fruits, veggies, and other tasty treats directly from your local farmers, bakers, and artisans.

There are a bunch in the Philly-area, but if you happen to be soaking up the sun down the Shore, be sure to check these out:

🍑 Try the Ocean City Farmers Market for cherries, peaches, cucumbers, corn, and tomato pies.

💐 Stop by the Ventnor City Farmers Market to stock up on fresh-cut flowers and free-range meat products.

🎶 Explore the West Cape May Farmers Market, rain or shine, for a plethora of produce and some live music to boot. It runs late afternoon-to-evening.

Use our map to see the Jersey Shore’s top farmers markets.

News worth knowing

• Costs to transform a dilapidated property into a public park in Tredyffrin have ballooned to $1.7 million. Officials say it’s an investment, but some residents worry it’s too high.
• A new study shows it is possible to tap the earth for more efficient heating and cooling for two Philadelphia School District buildings at once, providing a potential path to cleaner energy.
• Cira Green in Philadelphia was named one of the best sunset spots in Pennsylvania. Pittsburgh and Erie also got nods, the former ranking in the top 10, as did two in Delaware and three in New Jersey.

🌳 Your outdoorsy experience

Last week, I asked if you’d noticed any spotted lanternflies in your area this season. John S. in Manayunk shared what he’s seen:

The lantern fly population is stable here although I do not tolerate their presence.

The little ones as big as specks appear in mid April. Through July 4th there are the bigger stage red and black ones. Finally the adults appear second week in July. Their presence dwindles by mid October.

I suspect there are folks that are unaware of lantern flies. The presence of lantern flies in the house, car, and on people are a problem.

Definitely. It’s a shame they’re rather strangely beautiful (mostly when their bright red-and-black underwing is visible inflight.) Thanks for the dispatch, John!

📥 I want to hear from you, too. What are you seeing or doing outside these days? Tell me about your recent adventures or favorite places in nature. Pictures are always welcome. You may see it featured here.

BLT season frenzy

🎤 Now we’re passing the microphone to food writer Kiki Aranita.

Philadelphians know it’s officially peak summer thanks to a recent announcement: the beginning of BLT season at Middle Child, where the seasonal sandwiches draw lines down the block.

“We become Pat’s and Geno’s but instead of making cheesesteaks all day, we’re making BLTs,” said Matt Cahn, the owner of the Center City sandwich shop Middle Child and Fishtown’s Middle Child Clubhouse. You won’t see fresh tomatoes on the menu at any other time of the year, but come mid-July: “It’s just BLT, BLT, BLT,” said Cahn.

You could say tomato season is Middle Child’s Super Bowl. It is intense but short. BLTs are only made for about four weeks, when tomatoes are at their best. It started on July 22 and each location makes roughly 200 to 250 sandwiches per day.

While there are other top-tier tomato sandwiches in town — don’t miss the River Twice entry, adorned with gamtae and a quenelle of caviar, for example, or Loretta’s in Headhouse, with herbed aioli and the same vaunted produce as Middle Child’s — none stir up quite as much fervor. — Kiki Aranita

Read on about the star heirloom tomatoes that drive the BLT craze.

Paola’s picks

🐸 An art series: Sci-fi frog appreciation.

🦩 A read: The only zoo in my native Dominican Republic provides a safe haven for exotic animals that were confiscated.

⚓ A wild discovery: Water is dropping so low in the Danube that World War II ships are emerging.

🥍 A shoutout: The Women’s Lacrosse League is preparing to make history in the Philly area.

🌅 A tune: “Warm Nights” by Royel Otis.

A lush view

Check out this New Hope-area estate and its magical gardens. It used to be open to the public as Paxson Hill Farm Nursery and Gardens until 2024. The property just hit the market this week.

👋🏽 See you out there.

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