Icecream Journal

Driving downtown through Lancaster City, the oldest inland city in the United States, one of the first qualities you’ll notice is the beautiful architectural designs and statues. Among some of the interesting architecture in the center of Lancaster, known as Penn Square, is Central Market. Founded sometime in the 1730’s or 1740’s (the exact date is not known), Lancaster’s Central Market is famous for being the nation’s oldest publicly owned, continuously operating farmers market. The building that currently houses Central Market was built in 1889 and was designed by James H. Warner.  Over the past century, the building has become a symbol of the cultural significance of Lancaster County’s heritage and agriculture.
 
Central Market is the place for farmers to sell their goods – from cheeses and fresh baked goods to their famous Lebanon bologna and shoofly pie. Over 60 stands provide a diverse assortment of fresh local produce and ethnic favorites such as baklava. The market is open on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 6:00am to 4:30pm and Saturdays on 6:00am to 2:00pm. At right is a photo of Esther Sangrey’s stand in the market (that’s Mr. Sangrey in the photo). Esther’s jellies and jams are legendary. Thanks to Mitchell Roth for letting us use that picture.

This week’s Taste of Lancaster County prize will be a sampling of what Central Market has to offer. We’re still not sure what we’ll buy for this week’s winner (whatever it is, it should be able to withstand a few days of shipment), but you can bet it’ll be good!