Adams County Farmers Market (ACFM) welcomes new and returning vendors this season promising to sate even the most serious sweet tooth.
Pop-up pours of kombucha will be available periodically at ACFM, courtesy of The Kombucha Lady, Liz Dodson.
Using the freshest fruit and herbs from her organic garden, Dodson has been creating distinctive kombucha concoctions since 2016, she said.
While kombucha, a fermented tea drink, is not a traditionally sweet beverage, Dodson’s bubbly sweet-tart tea incorporates fresh, organic fruits and herbs for a cool summer refresher.
“Our secret is the water in Rocky Ridge and Thurmont, it is highly mineralized that gives the kombucha it’s flavor,” she said.
Dodson is constantly researching, fermenting, and testing different flavor profiles for her kombucha process, she said.
“I always say I am a crazy scientist, I am always experimenting,” she said.
Some of the most prominent flavors offered by the Kombucha Lady include strawberry mint with a hibiscus tea base, and orange lavender with a Tulsa tea base, according to Dodson.
Those who have never had kombucha are often quickly drawn into the tea’s unique tartness and those who already love kombucha are often quickly taken with the Kombucha Lady’s quality and flavor combinations, she said.
“It’s not high-end prices, but it is high-end ingredients,” she said.
Dodson can be found selling quart pours of her homemade kombucha at ACFM periodically. For more information about the Kombucha Lady visit http://thekombuchalady.com/.
If crispy confections are more a market patron’s craving, Macs by Ceci offers over 20 flavors of homemade French macarons.
New to ACFM this season, owner and baker, Cecilia Pinera of Abbottstown is proud to bring her sweets to such a welcoming environment.
“It’s nice to walk around and talk and get to know the vendors. Everyone has been so friendly,” she said.
What started as a surprise birthday batch of macarons for her sister, eventually blossomed into a business passion, according to Pinera.
Now the Little Macaron Trailer serves handcrafted decadence to the community, offering classic flavors such as chocolate ganache, seasonal flavors like lemon blueberry, as well as “kid at heart” varieties with sprinkles galore.
Pinera is always happy to hear feedback from customers and incorporate new flavor combination ideas, she said.
French macarons are naturally gluten-free and Macs by Ceci’s variety packs provide options for those looking to try something new, she said.
“You can buy them as gifts and they’re something different to bring to dinner,” she said.
More information about Macs by Ceci can be found at https://macsbyceci.com/.
Shaking up this year’s market season is a visit from the PA Dairymen’s Association and their farm show famous milkshakes.
“Ordin-dairy-ly” found at the PA Farm Show, this year, due to the pandemic, the PA Dairymen’s Association has been serving up milkshakes around the community with its “Milkshake on the Moo-ve” truck.
The milkshake pop-up events help promote the dairy industry while connecting with the local communities with handcrafted creamy milkshakes, according to the “milkshake girls,” Tina Leinberger and Tonya Traver.
“We like helping local farmers markets,” Leinberger said.
A smaller operation then the one for the farm show’s annual crowd of thousands, the milkshake mobile lets the PA Dairymen’s Association visit local communities more often and on a more personal scale then just once a year at the farm show, she said.
Coming in three flavors, vanilla, chocolate, and “mix,” the creamy milkshakes are made with local dairy and are a huge hit with all ages, according to Traver.
Proceeds from the milkshakes go toward promoting and supporting the agriculture industry including college scholarships, she said.
More information about PA Dairymen’s Association and the “Milkshake on the Moo-ve’s” schedule of locations can be found at https://padairymens.com and various social media.
Wafting the nostalgic festival scents, sounds, and tastes of freshly popped corn throughout the market is Ella’s Old Fashioned Kettle Corn.
Entering their 10th farmers market season, Ella’s is a branch of the larger produce stand, Hilltop Farm Market Farms, according to vendor Nate Stock.
Stock’s favorite aspect of the kettle corn stall is familiarity of the market and the interaction with the customers, he said. Stirring the pot of corn, sugar and salt for kettle corn batches provides the opportunity to talk with members of the community consistently, according to Stock.
“It’s about seeing regulars week after week, supporting all we do,” he said.
Ella’s can be regularly found at ACFM packing buckets with fresh sweet and salty kettle corn, sure to satisfy even the most indecisive taste buds.
More information about Ella’s Old Fashioned Kettle Corn can be found at http://www.hilltopfarmmarket.com/.
Information about Adams County Farmers Market full time and rotating vendors can be found at https://www.acfarmersmarkets.org/.
A.L. Grabenstein, reporter, is a graduate of Philadelphia's La Salle University with a B.A in Communication and has been a journalist since 2016. She has reported for the Gettysburg Times and the Times Herald in Norristown, PA. Grabenstein moved to Gettysburg from Montgomery County in 2019. She was born in San Antonio, TX., and previously lived in Virginia, and North Carolina. Grabenstein is actively involved in the borough of Gettysburg and loves giving voices to the local community.