Throughout any given day, I am usually thinking about the cup of coffee I will have at breakfast the next morning. I know that if I make myself a second cup of coffee sometime in the mid-afternoon, it won't have the same flavor as my first-thing-in-the-morning cup because nothing compares to the steaming mug of delicious bitterness that has revived my consciousness. Even though I am often daydreaming about the...

One evening when I was five years old, I straddled the split-rail fence that guarded our yard from the road. As I perched there with all of my five-year-old grace (which is to say, very little grace whatsoever), I suddenly tipped forward, landed face-first on pavement, and knocked out my two front teeth. When the metallic-tasting blood had stopped flowing but my tears had not, my mother must have given me...

Make this with your favorite local apple!             SaveSave

After talking with the three main orchards that supply Wolff's peaches, three things are clear about this year's peach season: the fruit is tasty, plentiful, and the whole season has been tracking ahead of schedule. Phyllis Shenk works at Cherry Hill Orchards in Lancaster, PA, one of the three growers that supply Wolff's with peaches. For Phyllis, who co-manages the outlet store with her son, this year marks her fortieth peach season,...

Here’s a quick way to use all of those jalapenos maturing all at once in your garden! If you’re not a big fan of spicy, mini sweet ones like Yummy Peppers or Jingle Bells work here, too.  

“I started making these with our own homegrown tomatoes I chose a remoulade sauce that was simple enough not to be a deterrent to making the dish. Everyone loves this dish.” – Andi Wolff    

I finally began to appreciate some of my Pennsylvania Dutch (technically German) heritage a few years ago through some culinary exploring. My favorite dive into this subculture of food quickly resulted in corn pie made with in-season, locally grown sweet corn, like the ears brought in to Wolff's Apple House in August and September from nearby farmers. I always tell people who haven't had corn pie that unfortunately, this means they...

This peach-filled bread pudding is a perfect “comfort food” for the summer months! Top with vanilla ice cream, and add blackberries for a pop of tartness!  

Explore the savory side of watermelon in this new recipe (adapted from “Fresh Tastes” for PBS Food.) It makes a delicious side for your next picnic or barbeque! SaveSave SaveSave

What do you collect? When I was in middle school, I'd begun a serious collection of horse figurines, equestrian gear, and books about horses (whether Misty of Chincoteague, National Velvet, or practical guides to running a stable). Now I collect mostly books and recipes. Since I love to cultivate a vegetable garden, I make sure a large portion of those recipes include zucchini. Zucchini recipes fall into two categories. First,...

With the exception of one favorite coffee mug, the entire contents of my kitchen have been in storage for the past year while my husband and I have been living with his parents. Soon, I hope, I will get to unwrap all my kitchenware, so valuable to me both for its utility and the memories it brings of times with family and friends. I am already getting excited. My heart...

When you're new to gardening, it's all too easy to be a dreamer about what you grow. Anyone who already knows this scenario understands how it's likely to over-plant through well-intended optimism. But then you don't know what to do with all the food you have, and you hope friends and family don't mind acting as willing beneficiaries of your garden soil's offerings. Nan Reinert who owns Chubby Pickle Farm...

Spring Garlic, also called "green garlic," is a culinary treat that does not receive as much fanfare as it deserves. This mild stage of garlic may be hard to find unless you grow your own or have access to a farmers market that sells this delicacy (from March to May). Culinary Uses: In general, spring garlic can be used in any recipe that calls for mature garlic. The end product will produce a...

Two words that mean a lot... Wolff's Core Values As many of our customers know, Wolff's has experienced a lot of challenges in the past two years. Peter Wolff's sudden illness and death was a shock and an incalculable loss to the Wolff family and business. 2016 was a year of regrouping for us all-- moving on, getting through, and thinking hard about what Wolff's Apple House means. How our...

This recipe is a fun, savory, spicy way to use fresh local rhubarb! Pair it with local asparagus on the side for a delicious springtime meal!  

Follow these tips to keep your hanging baskets and planters healthy and blooming all season long! Is my light right? When you buy your basket, you’ll want to have an idea of where it’s going and how much light that area gets. We can help you find the right plant for the light you have! Here are some examples: Full/Endless Sun: Portulaca, Vinca, Lantana Full to Part Sun: Petunias, Calibrachoas,...

It has been 11 years since my mom passed away, and I miss her more than I ever imagined I would, not knowing much about grief-stirring loss when I last knew her, shortly before I turned 21. One way I love remembering my mom, keeping her in the energy of my heart, is through cooking a toasted egg and tomato sandwich which she often made for herself when she needed...

Avid gardeners know this problem well. We can’t leave for summer vacation without making sure we have a dedicated friend, neighbor or family member who will promise to come over every couple of days to water the garden. But, as you look ahead to your summer planting (and vacation planning), a new product at Wolff’s is sure to come in handy. Organic coco coir from GAPS EcoSys in Broomall holds...

You learn a lot about people when you share a house with them. Since last June, my husband and I have been living with his parents, and I've discovered three things they love: Family. They devote their time to babysitting, cooking meals for family, and otherwise making their kids' lives easier. Sales at a certain department store. Between markdowns, coupons, a store credit card, and the store's rewards program, my mother-in-law somehow...

Love seeing bees and other pollinators in your garden? Then you’ll want to make sure you know as much as possible about these incredible creatures! We’ve got lots of questions for you about how bees see the world, what their lifespan and activities are like, and how you can protect pollinators in your vegetable garden. Take Our Quiz! Let us know how you did! And then be sure to head...

Ever since the first time I made this scalloped potatoes with beans recipe, I have loved what a hearty vegetarian dish it is. It's so hearty, in fact, that when I made this for my in-laws last night, my father-in-law said, "If you told me there was beef in here, I would have believed you."  This isn't much like your run-of-the-mill cheese and potato casserole. It's more like a potato chili or thick...

Do you need some new ideas for salad dressings? Try one of these! From the kitchen of Andi Wolff, any of these dressings make a great companion to our fresh, locally grown greens!      

These sandwiches are great! They are standard deli fare. I thought, why not make them at home. Try to get a thick Russian dressing, the thicker the better. And a good brand of both sauerkraut and rye bread are necessary too. But they are so easy to make and so easy to enjoy.  

Mango float. If you're not familiar with this dessert, no doubt what comes to mind is some form of root beer float. But no, this magical Filipino dessert involves mangoes floating upon a delicate bed of graham crackers and whipped cream. Mm! This was one of those dishes that, as soon as I tasted it, I immediately knew I needed the recipe. I first tasted it last May, after my husband...

Make these with a yeast-based batter, which rises overnight. It’s a little bit of extra work, but the result is an unbelievably light waffle, crisp on the outside and melt-in-your-mouth on the inside! You’ll never go back to the regular kind again.  

One morning, my father stood beside a cutting board, apple-corer poised above a red-and-yellow apple. "Noooooo!" I shouted, saving the apple from its fate. He looked at me in surprise. He had been eating an apple a day for several months now, for the nutritional benefits, and figured that any of the apples in the bowl on the countertop was fair game. Usually, this was the case. But the apple I...

This asparagus salad recipe is courtesy of Ashley Wolff’s mom, Andi. It’s really yummy and can be made ahead of time because it’s served cold.  

  954. That's how many farms harvested kale to sell in 2007... across the entire United States. That sounds a little low compared to the current demand, doesn't it? By 2012, that number more than doubled as 2,500 farms grew the superfood commercially. Today, kale farmers sometimes have difficulty finding enough kale seeds to plant! And kale isn't the only leafy green more farms have been producing since 2007. Slightly more farms have...

  A scene from the British comedy The IT Crowd comes to mind when I consider the importance of eating a balanced diet, rich in fruits and vegetables. Maurice Moss, one of the IT staff members, is asking his friend and fellow IT worker, Roy, questions from a health survey. "Do you get your five fruits and veg?" Moss asks. "Ooooh..." says Roy, uncertain. "I mean, I certainly try to. I would say I...

Yummy vegetarian tacos, with LOTS of room to make them your own. Don’t like mushrooms? Substitute zucchini, or carrots, or potatoes! Have kale, but not swiss chard? Just don’t use the stems! And feel free to play around with the garnishes, however you like.  

Did you know Wolff's website has a HUGE database of recipes? We've combed back through our site and realized that many of these delicious recipes don't have a photo that does it justice! So this year we'll be highlighting some of these once again, this time with a mouth-watering photo.  I've been trying to cook more veggie-rich recipes, like salads and sauteed vegetable dishes, on a regular basis - and...

Some squashes are sweeter than others, depending on variety, weather conditions, harvest time, temperature, the phases of the moon—you name it. Have you ever roasted a bright, beautiful winter squash only to find that it tastes like… well, nothing? Well, this recipe, from the home kitchen of Wolff’s chef Chuck Smith, adds complementing flavors to the sweetest of squashes, while jazzing up those squashes that might not otherwise be the...

A boy once saw a gleaming jar of hazelnuts. He loved hazelnuts and, just at the sight of them, he could taste them already. So he stuck his hand in the jar and gathered a huge fistful of the nuts. But he'd made such a big fist that when he tried to pull his hand out of the jar, it was stuck. This is one of Aesop's lesser-known fables, and...

“Besides being delicious, this salad also looks beautiful with its red, white and green. It’s a great Christmas salad.” -Andi Wolff  

 Escarole is a cold-hardy leafy green with a slight cabbage flavor. This side dish is reminiscent of an elegant sauerkraut.    

Scents and tastes have a way of transporting us back to some wonderful memories. That's what happened when I made these maple pecan sticky buns, which happen to be free of refined sugar! Imagine that - a cinnamon bun with NO refined sugar! More on why I chose to go sugar free later, but for now, let's reminisce.    The first bite of these sticky buns had a wonderfully overwhelming maple...

A fantastic idea for your holiday hors d’oeuvres! From the kitchen on Andi Wolff! This is a truly different and tasty guacamole.    

Keep this sauteed greens dish clean & vegan or make it a hearty meal by adding sausage and garnish with parmesan cheese.

This is a great recipe if you think you can’t make a tart from scratch! It is actually quite easy, and this is a free-form tart (or “galette”) so it is supposed to look rather rustic. Serve with soup or a simple salad and you’ve got dinner!    

Get ready to make some new friends—this recipe makes three delicious loaves! A yummy fall or winter treat!     SaveSave

Being too busy to live nowadays, which is often a norm in our culture, means that we don't always have time or energy to make meals that take a lot of effort. Many jobs requiring employees to do the workloads of several people and living in a culture where accomplishing tasks is more valued than resting are some reasons for this overwhelming norm. And that's why when we’re at home and...

Wolff's Apple House: Always in Season "Always in Season" is our motto around here.  We get as much locally grown produce as we can, but did you know that this includes the cold, "out-of-season" months as well?  Our close relationships with local farmers allow us to procure the best of what they grow in October, November, December-- even thoughout the winter and into spring! What Grows in the Winter? Thanks to a...

A recipe for Brussels sprouts sauteed in olive oil and topped with parmesan cheese for a delicious side dish.     SaveSave

Even though winter is just around the corner, that doesn't mean gardens can't have value during the cold season. In fact, several Wolff's Apple House employees attended the Independent Garden Center Show East in Baltimore, Md., last year and heard Martha Stewart speak about this exact point and how a lot of people just don't realize autumn is a great time to plant. In autumn, roots can focus on growing since...

It is easy to make a traditional Italian Meat Sauce from scratch, and that way you can fill it with vegetables and know exactly what's in it. We recommend making it with Lone Star Farm's dry aged beef.  

Let Wolff’s do half the work for you! This yummy and moist baked chicken dish has all the great flavor of our Fire-roasted Tomato Bisque.    

This recipe is very forgiving, and always yummy! Have fun! Here are some variations: You can add to the food processor: ½ cup of raw veggies (like carrots, zucchini, greens, celery, etc.) 1 cup of shredded cheese ½ cup fresh herbs of your choice 
½ cup nuts or seeds—add toward the end of processing  

A federal agent is standing in the middle of an apple orchard, giving orders for the trees to be burned to the ground. Is this a scene from a dystopian science fiction movie? No. It's from the strange world of Prohibition-era America, when the federal government restricted the production of hard cider, and, actually, non-alcoholic cider too... just to play it safe. Some orchards were razed during this time, and some farmers simply gave up...

This is a super-indulgent, delicious kind of cold brew iced coffee. It takes a full day to steep, but the result is a brew with a texture that’s rich like chocolate milk, and delightfully strong without ever being bitter. Try it with the locally roasted Burlap and Bean Coffee we sell at our market!  

8 Apples (medium/large) ½ cup (or more) Fresh Apple Cider Sugar (to taste) ½ Tsp. Cinnamon (if desired) Choosing your apples: You can use any kind of apples that you like to make applesauce. Apples that are sweet/tart (like Stayman Winesap, Jonathan, Jonagold, Honeycrisp, Empire, Granny Smith, Crispin, Pink Lady, etc.) are a good choice b/c as they cook down they mellow in tartness. Very sweet apples with little tartness...

Nearly two years ago, our cousin came to visit for a few days to explore the new area where we had moved. After a few days of eating some regional dishes, we were ready for a change. He and my husband were planning a day of snowboarding, so they wanted to eat a good, protein-rich breakfast. His suggestion? His mom's German Pancake recipe. "Pancakes? As a filling breakfast?" I'm sure you...

Seckel Pears are back! We've reached an annual milestone at the Apple House: Seckel Pears have arrived for the season!  Every year, as early as mid-September, these diminutive gems become available from local orchards, and Delaware County residents are all the better for it. You may not know this, but Seckel Pears have been available at Wolff's Apple House since the beginning!  When Frank Wolff started his orchard back in 1908, Seckel...

Want to use Wolff’s local broccoli in a vegetarian dish? Try this great curry over rice!  

Does fall make you sigh with relief for the cooler temperatures? Do you feel more comfortable when it's cool and breezy? But maybe you feel pretty glad that the ground is still warm beneath your feet? That's basically how your perennials feel (well, except for the feet). But, just like you, perennials enjoy the cooler temperatures and the ground that clings to its summer warmth. Their roots grow fast in...

October 2016 Kids' Newsletter: Squash, Candy Apples, Coloring & More! Get the Printer-Friendly Version Here, or pick up a copy in our store! September 2016 Kids' Newsletter: Kale, Word Search, Coloring and More! Get the Printer-Friendly Version Here, or pick up a copy in our store!   August 2016 Kids' Newsletter: Eggplant, Jokes, Matching and More! Get the Print Friendly Version Here! July 2016 Kids' Newsletter: Local corn, Summer Fruit & a joke to tell your...

It’s super easy to pickle jalapenos and red onions, and you’ll be adding pizzazz to your tacos, burritos, omelets, pizzas—whatevers!—for months! Try these recipes soon, while they’re still locally grown!

One especially worthwhile perk of investing energy in gardening is the freebies which sometimes reward you the next season. This can happen without much effort on your part thanks to seeds of certain flowers dispersing and finding their way into the soil. But did you know you can also make a conscious effort to save seeds as they're ready to be harvested? While you can do this with a lot...

I’m on a total yogurt kick. Somehow I managed to survive pregnancy without being much more hungry than normal, but once I started nursing my son I found that I was ravenously hungry ALL the time. Instead of reaching for junk food though, I wanted to make sure I was getting good calories that would satisfy my hunger, help my digestion and be a good source of nutrients for me and...

Yesterday I tried something that didn't work at all. And to make matters worse, I spent about 10 hours on it and roped some family members into the process. I tried making candied watermelon rind. I was pretty excited because not only would this be delicious (surely, surely) it would also be frugal, repurposing a useless, maligned part of the watermelon. So, I woke up at 6 a.m. and started chopping watermelon,...

“Oh my goodness, this is so delicious! It is a tart-tangy dip that can be served with chips or veggies or used as a spread on pita sandwiches” – Andi Wolff Save