While Fran, Pete and Ashley Wolff work every Labor Day, they’re grateful for the opportunity to help people appreciate their goodbye to summer with great foods and ideas for good spots for picnics. And they like that they close at 4 p.m., too, so they can get together with the rest of their family as a food-ready adieu to summer.
“I love the idea of a day that is nationally recognized and set aside for most people to have off from work so they can spend time with family and friends,” Fran says. “For me, it’s the simple pleasures. We, as a family, don’t try to have Labor Day be any more than simply a nice, relaxing afternoon cookout in somebody’s backyard with food, family and fun.”
And working so constantly in a seasonal market means any time off is a nice treat.
“In a family business, a lot of family interaction tends to be business-related, so holidays are a great opportunity to take the focus completely off of business and onto family,” Fran adds.
Some scenic picnic location possibilities Fran mentions are Ridley Creek State Park, Tyler Arboretum (where memberships or fees are required), Smedley Park, Rose Tree Park, Scott Arboretum at Swarthmore College, Glen Providence Park and Thornbury Park.
Fran’s childhood is peppered with memories of venturing to parks to appreciate meals with his family in his early days.
“I am the youngest of eight kids, and my parents enjoyed going to places where there was lots of room and open space,” Fran says. “So parks were a natural fit for us when I was growing up.”
His niece, Ashley, has plenty of palate-hugging recommendations for picnic foods from Wolff’s Apple House.
“Our classic chicken salad is extremely delicious and popular,” she says. “Another favorite is our apple BBQ pulled pork. The pork is great with our Asian slaw. We also have three awesome potato salads, tabouli, lemon tortellini pasta salad and other great sides. I also love our fresh salsas made with locally grown produce, like our tomato salsa, peach salsa, corn salsa and black bean salsa. They are a great appetizer at a picnic or BBQ.”
And of course fresh sweet corn is a must for any Labor Day picnic, Ashley says. Wolff’s can certainly help in supplying many a cob for your family.
“I am personally also very fond of the heirloom tomatoes. My favorites are pineapple and Brandywine,” Ashley adds. “Peaches right now are also great! They are as big, sweet and juicy as they get all season! It’s not hard to turn them into a great dessert either. Cut them up and use them to top vanilla ice cream or shortcake. Or even skin, halve and then grill them for a unique treat.”
Wolff’s also carries made-from-scratch pies baked by MyHouse Cookies in Philadelphia, with locally grown fruit sourced from Wolff’s, when available. And picnics and pies go together especially swimmingly as a farewell to summer and a friendly hello to autumn.
Rachel VanDuzer, the marketing consultant for Wolff’s, offers a delicious dip. It carries healthy fat content through her guacamole made more curious with corn from Wolff’s.
Feisty Roasted-Corn Guacamole
Ingredients
- Kernels from 3 ears fresh corn, or 2 cups frozen corn, defrosted
- Olive oil
- Sea salt and freshly cracked black pepper
- 1 bunch green onions, sliced
- 2 tablespoon fresh cilantro, finely chopped
- Juice of 1 lime
- 3 avocados
Instructions
(Important note: Do these steps ahead of time.)
- Preheat the oven to 450 degrees; line a baking sheet with aluminum foil.
- Remove the kernels from the corn, put them on the baking sheet and toss with oil, salt and black pepper to taste.
- Roast for 20 minutes, until the corn is a nice caramelized golden brown.
- Remove from heat and allow to cool fully before adding to guacamole. (You can always place it in the fridge or freezer until it cools if you need to save time.)
Final Food Efforts— - In a mixing bowl, combine the roasted corn, green onion, cilantro and lime juice.
- Pit and chop the avocado.
- Gently stir in the avocado. Season with salt and pepper; garnish with additional cilantro and lime slices.