BUCKS COUNTY FOOD TOURS

Bucks County Food Tours  is a larger version of what I do on some TeaCup Tour meanders - introduces folks to the wonders of Bucks County's awesome food heritage!  

Friends & family visiting?  Want a quick get away?  Looking for an unusual gift?  Just the ticket!  

The 5-hour tours aren't cheap - $100 per tour - but offers exceptional value for money spent:  

Meat & Greet connects you with the butchers of Bucks, from legendary family-run butcher shops to up & coming charcutiers.

Sweets for the Sweet visits bakeries & Bucks County's artisanal ice creameries. Taste, learn & buy right from the people breaking new ground in the world of ice cream and specialty baked goods. Includes “Sticky Buns 101,” scones made by a nationally known baker and two small batch ice cream makers.

Seize the Cheese - Bucks County boasts wonderful cheese makers. Visit a variety of cheese makers in the area, take a look at how & why they choose to make such special cheeses. 

Vegan Voyage is designed for folks who could care less about meat, dairy and such.  A day for sampling the area's freshest vegetables & grains. These farms are also mostly organic and promote sustainable agricultural practices.

Make Your Own Pizza  Forget fantasy baseball - spend a spend a day collecting all the perfect ingredients to make your own pizza from various local vendors & growers, then doing it in a clay pizza oven with a glass of wine nearby!

A Mixed Bag of Bucks lets you sample a bit of this & a little bit of that, savoring a variety of foods being produced in the area. From meats, cheeses, breads, coffee, ice cream and vegetables.We can also customize a tour, based on your interests.

ALSO - They can customize tours, based on your interests.

In their own words -  Bucks County is fast becoming a mecca for people that love fine, fresh artisanal food. We created Bucks County Food Tours to provide an exciting and delicious experience for tourists and locals alike, promoting local businesses who specialize in producing exceptional food products.

In a world of mass-produced foods, American consumers are finally beginning to consider the source and quality of their food. Bucks County Food Tours is your portal to the best locally created food in Bucks County and nearby counties. “Bucolic” Bucks County has innovative and traditional food artisans that are creating nutritious and delicious edibles, like small batch ice cream, pastured meats, locally roasted coffee, cheeses, baked goods, and more.

Shady Maple WOW!

No better time to go to Shady Maple Farm Market than RIGHT NOW.  Totally well worth the gas!! 

The best way to get a taste of Shady Maple Farm Market is to take a gander at its massive weekly ad ~ or ~ head over to their online store.

The jaunt out to Blue Ball, PA comes with fabulous bonuses.  Lunch at the utterly sumptuous Shady Maple Smorgasbord.  

Walk off your lunch with a lengthy meander around the Flower & Craft Warehouse  that’s practically (but not quite) right around the corner (be sure to get directions, as it can be hard to spot).  

If  you’re not totally tuckered out, meander around the back roads, past pristine Amish farms, maybe head up to the discount shops at Rockvale,  (Then back to Shady Maple for an even MORE spectacular dinner!)

Or leave time to stop by Philadelphia Premium Outlets  in Oaks, off RT 422, many miles from Philadelphia but right off the route home, if you take Rt 422.  ( Ann Taylor,  Banana Republic, BCBG  Max Azria,  Brooks Brothers,  Calvin Klein,  Coach,  Cole Haan,  DKNY,  Elie  Tahari, Gap Outlet,  Guess,  J.Crew,  Last Call by  Neiman Marcus,  Michael Kors,  Nike,  Polo Ralph Lauren,  Sony,  Tommy Hilfiger  and more)

Arrive home well shopped & well fed!!!

Delicious Find in NJ

John & I savored split breakfast's yesterday - he had a meet-up at Fred's while I took the opportunity to nip across the river to play catch-up with Barbara over a latte & an everything bagel (with her fabuloso  homemade veggie cream cheese) at Buck's Ice Cream & Espresso.  Afterward, we tagged up for our 2nd-time EVER backroads ramble in virtually unknown NJ.

Neither of us have a clue WHY it's taken us so long to consciously meander our neighbor state's backroads, but great was our joy last month when we realized what terrific rambles lay ahead.  Felt a bit like when the Europeans finally realized they'd discovered whole new lands, not simply a shorter route to the Orient. (Except, unlike Isabella, we were elated, not downcast.)  Might sound a tad grandiose, but truly captures our joy.

So totally worth the gas!!  Especially yesterday, when we tootled past the HIGHLAND GOURMET MARKET on Rt 519 Stockton NJ.  Let me set up the moment - we'd just driven past some very woofy-haired we-knew-not-what grazing in a small meadown;  something caught my eye on the left, just as we drove past;  turned around to check it out and - voila! - we were introduced to the joys of Highland Gourmet Market, a smallish market worth every drop of gas to get there!

Turns out the woofy-haired critters are grass-fed (obviously - we saw 'em) Highland cattle which are featured in the meat case, all cuts gorgeous, some beautifully aged.  What they don't sell to a devoted following, they whip up as ready-to-serve delectibles OR transform into pot pies & shepherd's pie (waiting in the freezer case).  

And then there are the baked goods.  Thought I had to drive all the way to Delicious Orchards (interesting - also in NJ) for a pie that completely satisfies my tastebuds.  Now, can take a leisurely hour drive to Kingwood.  I normally do not like a crumble-topped pie, but their cherry a total swoon.  

Although not huge, this gem of a find also features a "Wine Coop" with a small but well-chosen selection of wine, liquors & beers, all clearly labeled by types ("smooth & mellow," "large & robust") rather than brand, a boon for someone (like yours truly) not very knowledgeable about wine.  

A beautiful ramble (near Frenchtown, Stockton and Flemington) will take you to this delicious NJ discovery!

Movie trivia tidbit - the cattle grazing in the meadows outside the market are similar to the one featured in the Jimmy Steward/Maureen O'Hara movie, The Rare Breed.  Hard to imagine what cowboys & cattlemen in the American West thought, first seeing these strange looking critters ~  sort of look like bovines from another planet!

"The Highland Gourmet market is proud of our 100% all natural grass fed Highland ground beef, hand cut steaks, all natural chicken, and local honey. Homemade pies, cakes, and cookies are baked in our kitchen daily.  Highland Gourmet has a full service deli featuring sandwiches made with Boar's Head meats and cheeses, homemade soups, chili and hot dishes."

BYERS CHOICE CRAFT SHOW May 12 & 13

Whew!  Mother's Day weekend is mega booked for us, but NOTHING could keep me from skeedaddling up to Chalfont on Saturday for the 1st ever Byers Choice Craft Show!   The juried show is expected to feature about 70 artisans, presenting either a traditional craft or one based on a traditional method or design.  Expect LOTS of demonstrations!  


Tickets are $4 in advance (order online), $5 at the door. 


I love the story behind Byers Choice Carolers & am inspired by both Joyce & Bob Byers.  Have to say up front - their's is a Hollywood wouldn't touch - too unbelievable!  


Joyce ~ wife, mother of two & an amateur artist with a degree in fashion design from Drexel ~ was disgruntled with the Christmas decorations for sale in even the best stores.  Remembering figurines she'd seen on a trip to Europe with husband Bob, she set about recreating her version of them for her family's home, working at her dining room table.  She chose to depict carolers because they looked happy.  Her first set, looking straight out of the jolliest part of Dickens, graced the family's dining room.  Materials included a wire hanger for the structural part, plaster, bits of an old fur coat of her Mom's, and some of her boys' hair!  Family & friends who saw them raved!  


The next year, Joyce made some as presents; one delighted recipient suggested taking some the next year to a local store - they vanished faster than snow in July.  The store, part of a federation of Woman's Exchanges, introduced her figures to other exchanges around the country.  Soon, DOZENS of stores were clamoring for Carolers!

For several years, craziness descended upon the Byers household each autumn, as Joyce pressed her family into service helping fill orders.  The family remembers that every year, they'd swear never to do it again!  But then fate stepped in.

When an economic downturn hit his construction business, Bob decided to devote all of his energies into the business side of Joyce's "hobby" - in 1978, the couple hired their first employee, and turned the garage into a workshop.  The unique appearance and handcrafted quality of the Carolers quickly gained a following. Each year, Bob & Joyce would work with their crew of trained artisans up until Christmas Eve putting the finishing touches on Carolers.

Both sons joined the company after college & play an important role in the growth of the firm, Today, the family now oversees a team of 80 artisans working in their Chalfont, PA headquarters, handcrafting figures first fashioned on a dining room table many years ago. The selection has grown over the years, with many special editions & new designs - including cats & dogs, caroling away like all get out -  but the focus remains on Christmas.  

Through it all, the company has held true to its starting roots: producing a quality product, at an affordable price, and dedicated to serving its customers and the community in the spirit of Christmas.       

Joyce & Bob Sr., also a Drexel grad, are known throughout their large & small communities for their unpretentious philanthropy.  Bob, who handed over managerial aspects of the family business to sons Bob Jr. and Jeff, now focuses on the company’s philanthropic initiatives. Byers’ Choice donates 20 percent of its profits to charity. (My favorite Byers-sponsored event was the recent Byers Bucks Fever Art Exhibit, now in its 26th year, this year at Travis Gallery.) 

Nah - Hollywood would never buy it!       

BEER WEEK 2012

Forget Philly as the Cradle of Liberty - so over two centuries ago!  Today,  it can lay claim to being the Birthplace of BEER WEEK!!

Five years is apparently an eternity in the beer world.  Back then, no one had heard of  a "beer week" (then again, precious few of us had a clue what a black IPA was, either).  Now, there are close to 100 Beer Weeks worldwide ~  would I could hop a magic carpet to Australian Good Beer Week, May 12-19, in Melbourne!

But it all started right in my own backyard, back in 2007.  And the rest, as they say, is beerstory!

This year's event kicks off a week from today ~ June 1-10.  The event has grown into a mega beer industry event, with wholesalers assigning staff for the celebration, breweries producing special beers & special tap handles, while bars & restaurants fill every spare space with keg inventories & schedule countless events!

Had a blast last year.  Alas, John's not a beer drinker, so I've had to head out on my own.  Wanna tag along??

SILK ROAD thru LAMBERTVILLE 04/27/12

Kick off Shad Fest celebrations with a visit to our "success partner" - the Bank of Princeton~Lambertville (home of my C.A.T.T. business account) ~ which will open the weekend event on Friday with "The Silk Road Passes Through Lambertville" from 4 to 7 p.m.  The bank's charming art gallery will be transformed into a room from a sultan's palace to include, a silk road caravan of food, music, carpets and dance.  

Participating organizations include Marhaba Restaurant, Pasha Rugs, Farley’s Bookstore, Philips Fine Wines, Wild River Review, Forrest Green Plantscapes Inc.; and Antidote Natural Chocolates and more.  Enjoy meeting local authors and business owners, Joy E. Stocke, Kim Nagy and Angie Brenner.

After enjoying the exhibit, stroll through the delightful riverside town before the next day's crowds arrive.  May we suggest  Marhaba (naturally) for your dining pleasure,  Lily's on the Canal (right across the canal & BYOB), or any one of the many wonderful restaurants in Lambertville  (many of the best, like The Boat House <after-dinner cocktails> & the $$$-but-worth-it Anton's at the Swan, are tucked away, off the beaten path).  We could never show our heads again at Fred's if we didn't give a shout out to The Landing, a quick nip across the bridge in New Hope, with it's delicious menu & best-seats-in-town riverside outdoor seating.


SHAMELESS PLUG - John's mid-summer art show will be at the same charming art gallery!!

Lambertville SHAD FEST 04/28 & 29/12

My Mom & sister Mim were the big shad roe fans in our house - never cared for it myself.  BUT am always up for fun & it happens to celebrate the return of shad to the Delaware, then party on!


Alas, John was unable to finish his Shad Fest 2012 poster design in time to submit by the deadline (a pesky Pet-traits project distracted him from finishing*) to the art event but that won't deter us from have a fab time in our beloved Lambertville this weekend.


Over the decade, the once low-key art show celebration has become the great & glorious SHAD FEST, a nationally recognized award-winning art & fab fun event, featuring the area's finest artists & artisans, great food &  family entertainment. The 2-day extravaganza continues to honor its community roots, serving as a venue for local non-profit organizations to raise much-needed funds.  

There's so much to do from 12:30 - 5:30, Saturday & Sunday, rain or shine ~ ~ and FREE:

Artists and Crafters

Food Court 

Family fun: Face Painting, Cotton Candy, Sand Art, and other children's activities can be found throughout the event and this year kids will go crazy for the rides because they're back! 

Historical Walking Tour of Lambertville.

Live Musical performances both days – listen to rock, blues, jazz fusion and more!

Poster Display and Auction - Over 100 original art posters, created and donated by local artists (boo hoo - not John), are on display during Shad Festival weekend at the First Presbyterian Church, 31 N. Union St. These posters will be auctioned off on Sunday at 3 pm – with monies going to scholarships for students pursuing a career in the arts. Don't miss posters by local schoolchildren, on display at the Justice Center, 25 S. Union Street

* When it's done, we'll give the completed poster to our "success partner" at the Bank of Princeton - Lambertville  ~ Marianne, who takes such good care of us & our BofP business account.  (When we started snapping resource photos for the painting ~ two cats on the bank's cozy comfy porch ~ John came up with the perfect title:  Waiting for Marianne!