The Amish Market at Joppatowne

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Elmer Lapp Sr. and Elmer Jr. demonstrate the art of making sausage.







 








Farmer's/Flea Market

Amish Market at Joppatowne
Rt. 40 (Pulaski Hwy) & Joppa Farm Rd
behind the Pizza Hut
Joppa, MD

- Article & photos by Allison McAlister -

Although its not a restaurant - even though, technically, there are several tables at which to sit and enjoy the tasty wares from all of the various vendors - we thought it just made sense to provide a review of some of the delicious food available for sale at The Amish Market at Joppatowne. From hot, ready-to-eat foods to made-from-scratch baked goods to butcher shop meats and cheeses, this market has got it all. Best of all, you don't have to travel up to Lancaster, PA for the fresh quality Amish products we all know and love. Located at the corner of Pulaski Highway (Route 40) and Joppa Farm Road, its just a 10-minute drive from Perry Hall and only 20 minutes from the heart of Essex. Really, you haven't lived until you've tried the Joppatowne Amish Market experience. Be sure to visit this weekend - Aug. 18, 19 & 20 - for their special Good Old Days promotion, where each vendor will offer a super special, plus there will be miniature pony rides and handmade ice cream at the door. I headed up first thing on a Friday morning and met my coworker, Kathleen, who's been raving about this place for quite some time. I have to say, we felt like two kids in a candy store - there's so much tempting food, sweet treats and great deals to be had at The Amish Market. We brought a few items from each vendor back to our officemates and had a veritable smorgasbord! Our journey begins at The Dutch Pantry, where Vernon Stoltzfoos sells fudge, candy, bulk foods and more. Like chocolate? You'll get your fix here. They've got chocolate covered bacon, chocolate covered potato chips, chocolate covered pretzels, you name it. We quickly gobbled up the chocolate covered chips, pretzels and fruit, such as pineapple and strawberries. The office was divided on the chocolate covered bacon - some loved it and some just didn't think those two flavors should go together. Try it and see what you think! In the mood for a fudge covered apple? They've got several varieties of those too. The one we enjoyed here in the office got rave reviews, as did the fudge. Especially the orange creamsicle fudge, which one coworker said was so much better than chocolate. In addition to all the sweets, rows of shelves are lined with homemade salsas, every spice you can imagine, pastas, beans, soup mixes, nuts, plus all your baking needs and much more. Get a free half pound of fudge with a $20 purchase this weekend only. Then we headed to Jacob and Kati Stoltzfus Kreative Kitchen, where Kati prepared us a sample of their homemade chicken pot pie and their tomato chicken salad deluxe, both made with rotisserie chicken from Beilers BBQ, a fellow vendor. Consisting of a fresh, juicy whole tomato stuffed with chunky chicken salad, lettuce and shredded cheese, the tomato chicken salad deluxe makes for both a beautiful and really tasty meal. The chicken pot pie, which the office thought was more akin to chicken and dumplings, was awesome. Everyone loved it, saying it had homemade flavor and the dumplings were light, like egg noodles. In addition to chicken salad and chicken pot pie, Kreative Kitchen sells other ready-to-eat items like sandwiches, subs and pasta salad. Their pasta supreme was one of the best pasta salads I've had because I loved the variety of vegetables sprinkled throughout, such as green olives, cucumbers, tomatoes and green peppers. This weekend, deviled eggs are on sale at $1.95 for a half dozen and $3.45 for a dozen, and pickled eggs are just 45 each. From there, we headed over to Beilers Poultry & Bar-B-Que, which sells fresh poultry and some mighty scrumptious ribs. I guarantee the freshest product, said Meno Beiler, adding, If you find a better tasting rib, bring it to me! Those ribs were a big hit here in the office. The sauce is perfect - sweet, tangy, ideal and fall off the bone good were some comments used to describe them. Meno said he overheard two customers talking and one woman said, I don't even like ribs, but I love these! Beilers also sells delicious, hot prepared foods such as stuffed chicken breast, macaroni & cheese, BBQ baked beans and much more. We sampled the stuffed chicken breast, which was so tender and full of flavor, as well as the chicken tenders, which were really tasty. Beilers has fresh cut chicken wings for 99, this weekend only. Next we visited Beilers Baked Goods, run by Eli Beiler and his daughter Sarah Ann. There were so many tasty treats here, it was difficult to choose only a few items to take back to the office. Of course, we simply had to sample the infamous whoopie pies, which come in several varieties, such as pumpkin, red velvet cake and chocolate chip cookie. These went over well, with everyone having their own favorite. Mine was the chocolate chip cookie whoopie pie. Two fresh baked cookies with luscious cream sandwiched in the middle - yum! We also brought back a loaf of fresh baked zucchini pineapple bread, which was incredibly moist and delicious. Our absolute favorite item from Beilers Baked Goods was something called a bee hive cake. A yellow cake with a custard-like filling in the middle and a nut glaze topping was incredible. It was so good, I decided I want this cake for my birthday this year! Another coworker remarked, I'm not a dessert eater, but this cake... its not heavy, its creamy and gooey... its layers and layers of flavors! I hear the cream pies are excellent as well. From fresh baked pies and pastries to homemade sticky buns, you're sure to satisfy your sweet tooth here! Homemade cinnamon raisin bread is on sale for $1.50 per loaf this weekend. At Dutch Delights, they specialize in hand-rolled soft pretzels and pretzel logs, stuffed with filling such as bacon, egg & cheese, pepperoni & cheese, ham & cheese or hot dog & cheese. These pretzel logs were outstanding. Everyone gobbled them right up! The breakfast log filled with bacon, egg and cheese was a favorite, with one coworker saying she was going back the next day for another one. Vernon Stoltzfoos also sells ice cream, smoothies, fresh squeezed lemonade and more at Dutch Delights. Their special this weekend is homemade ice cream for $1 a dip. From there we moved on to Kings Cheese & Deli Meats where Rubin King and his daughter Linda sell, you guessed it, cheese and deli meats, as well as dairy and more. This is where Kathleen discovered orange cream milk, which tasted just like an orange creamsicle. They also had strawberry banana milk. We sampled some cheese, deli meat and hot mustard from Kings. The farmers vegetable cheese is by far the creamiest, tastiest cheese I've ever eaten. Everyone also loved the sweet lebanon bologna with the Fishers sweet dipping mustard. Its delicious! one coworker said. I also discovered a new treat for the calorie-conscious among us. The Coco Lite multigrain popcakes, which are made on site and pop out the machine in which they're made, are very tasty, not like the rice cakes from the grocery store that taste like styrofoam. These are so light and crispy, and they're only 16 calories each! They were especially delicious with some of the cajun crab spread, which was awesome - so creamy and spicy. Kings also has fresh barrel cured sauerkraut, all kinds of pickles, dips, flavored cream cheeses and much more. This weekends special is the cajun crab spread for $5.75 per pound. On to Ruth's Grill and Lapps Fresh Meats, where Ruth Lapp cooks up hot breakfasts and lunches at Ruth's Grill while husband Elmer Lapp sells beautiful cuts of meat next door. From Ruth's, we sampled scrambled eggs, pancakes and bacon. The pancakes didn't need butter, one coworker described. I really, really enjoyed the bacon, said another. It was perfect. Yet another coworker said shed discovered a new food combination - pancakes and ribs, pairing the pancakes with Beilers ribs. Forget chicken and waffles, pancakes and ribs is where its at, she laughed. Though we didn't bring back any of the biscuits and sausage gravy to sample, it looked quite delicious. Ruth's Grill also sells sandwiches, french fries and drinks. We sampled the cheesesteak sandwich, which was out of this world. Made with thin sliced ribeye steak, the sauce on this sandwich was outstanding. Everyone at the office was raving about it. Buy any sandwich and get the second one of equal or lesser value 50% off, this weekend. At Lapps, the display case of meat beckons with its prime cuts of beef. The steaks looked wonderful and the prices are great. They also make their own sausage, and I was lucky enough to witness a batch coming out, ready to be tied into links. Elmer and his son Elmer Jr. made quick work of it, saying a batch consists of 20 pounds of sausage. About four sausage links equals a pound. Lapps Fresh Meats also features pork chops, pork tenderloin pounded paper thin, stuffed peppers and more. Their special this weekend is fresh ground beef (80/20) for $2.19 per pound. Our last stop of indoor food vendors was All Fresh Quality Seafood & Produce, the only stand not run by an Amish person. John Walters hails from Dundalk, where his parents opened a produce stand 65 years ago that is still in operation today. John says he's carrying on the family tradition. With fresh seafood and seafood products such as jumbo snow crab clusters, shrimp, whole clam strips, crab pretzels and much more, the stand also highlights fresh Maryland produce. Tomatoes, cantaloupe, all kinds of fresh fruit and vegetables are showcased here and at reasonable prices. We sampled the shrimp salad, which was extremely tasty, with just the right mix of spices. We also brought back half a watermelon, which was so sweet and juicy and flavorful. The featured deal this weekend only is fresh-picked Maryland back fin crab meat for $12.99 per pound and 16-20 count Texas Gulf shrimp for $7.99 per pound raw or $39 for a five-pound box of frozen. Although we finished with our tour of food vendors, what's an Amish market without handmade furniture? Next door, you'll find Homestead Designs, where Jason Stoltzfus sells home decor and beautiful, handcrafted Amish-made indoor furniture. While they do carry the traditional pine furniture for which the Amish are known, most of their inventory consists of fine, quality furniture. One line of furniture, called Creations by Sam, is especially charming with its distressed and timeworn look. Save up to 15% off all entertainment centers, this weekend only. Right next door is Garden Spot, where Jason's son Mahlon Stoltzfus sells exquisite outdoor furniture. From picnic tables, gazebos and poly furniture to wishing wells, birdhouses and play sets, you're sure to find everything you need to make your backyard lovely and inviting. There's a wonderful selection of lighthouses as well. This weekend only, save 10% on poly lawn furniture. If you cant make it for the Good Old Days celebration this weekend, don't worry - there's great food and great prices EVERY Thursday, Friday & Saturday at The Amish Market at Joppatowne. Hours of operation are Thursdays, 10 a.m. - 5 p.m., Fridays, 9 a.m. - 6 p.m. and Saturdays, 8 a.m. - 3 p.m.

 

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