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In our latest takeout commercial, our friend Ian again makes a mad dash through the city in search of Eat'n Park takeout to satisfy his craving for a fish sandwich. Whale of a Cod to the rescue!

Meanwhile, back at home, his furry friends have beaten him to it...



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Hoppy Easter!

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With spring rapidly approaching, many farmers are getting ready to plant the crops that they’ll harvest this summer and fall - which got me thinking about CSAs. CSA stands for Community-Supported Agriculture, and it’s a great way for consumers like you and me to get a great bounty of fresh, local goods while supporting farmers in our own communities.

Here are the basics: a farmer offers a certain number of "shares" to the public. Typically the share consists of a box of vegetables, but other farm products may be included. Interested consumers purchase a share (aka a "membership" or a "subscription") and in return receive a box of seasonal produce each week throughout the farming season.

What’s in the box will vary depending on the farmers involved in each CSA. Here at Eat’n Park’s Corporate Support Center, we participate in the Penn’s Corner CSA. Penn’s Corner is a cooperative of over 30 local growers, including some of the farms that supply Eat’n Park restaurants with fresh fruit and produce. Because Penn’s Corner is comprised of so many different farmers, our weekly boxes contain not only a wide variety of local herbs, veggies, and fruits, but also the occasional jar of honey, pack of fresh pasta, gourmet mushrooms, local cheese, or free range eggs.

But Penn’s Corner certainly isn’t the only CSA available in this area. Last Friday, I was out visiting farms when I came across Janoski Farms in Clinton, PA. This farm has been in operation since 1890, and currently includes thirty-five greenhouses, a retail farm market, a farm bakery, a garden center, orchard, gift shop, country restaurant and over 200 acres of vegetable production. The Janoski’s recently decided to start a CSA, which will run from June through November, and will take advantage of the many vegetables and fruits already grown on the farm.

In addition to enjoying fresh, local produce, another great benefit to CSA membership is the opportunity to try vegetables that you otherwise wouldn’t have considered. Many CSAs, including Penn’s Corner and Janoski’s, provide recipes that incorporate the week’s bounty. You may just discover a new favorite meal!

Penn’s Corner and Janoski’s are just two of the many CSA programs available in this region. To locate a CSA near you, or just to find out more about CSAs in general, I recommend that you visit http://www.localharvest.org/csa/. Just put in your zip code to see a listing of all the CSAs available in your area.

Looking forward to the first harvest,
Jamie



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Lent begins this week, which means that Seafood Specials are here at Eat'n Park! We have some brand new items (just click here to see them all), in addition to classic favorites like our Nantucket Cod, Seafood Pasta Bake, and Baked Lemon Sole. 

Speaking of classic favorites....there's nothing more classic than our Endless Soup & Salad Bar.  And it goes perfectly with any meal, including our new specials! Try it for yourself with the coupon below - take $2 off the Salad Bar when you add it to your meal.  Just click here to print your coupon.

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On St. Patrick’s Day, everyone is Irish…so share a little luck (and sweet green goodness) with Shamrock Smiley Cookies! These seasonal favorites are available in our restaurants and online store now, so get yours while you can.
With this jovial holiday coming up, we got to thinking about St. Patrick’s Day, Shamrocks, and all things Irish. Our curiosity turned up a few fun facts about the holiday and its icon, so we thought we’d share. Read on for green enlightenment:

• The very first St. Patrick's Day parade was not in Ireland. It was in Boston in 1737.
• There are 4 towns in the U.S. named after a shamrock: Mount Gay-Shamrock, West Virginia; Shamrock, Texas; Shamrock Lakes, Indiana; and Shamrock, Oklahoma.
• According to the Guinness Book of World Records, the highest number of leaves found on a clover is 14.
• One estimate suggests that there are about 10,000 regular three-leaf clovers for every lucky four-leaf clover.
• Legend says that each leaf of the clover means something: the first is for hope, the second for faith, the third for love and the fourth for luck.

Looking for more ways to get in the spirit? How about serving those Shamrock Smiley Cookies with a glass of green milk? Or, even better, a minty green St. Patty’s Day Shake at Eat’n Park!

If you’ll be celebrating at home, get the kids together to help with this authentic Irish Soda Bread. It’s quick and easy – especially because you don’t need to wait for the dough to rise. The recipe was actually born out of necessity, since yeast won’t leaven the soft wheat grown in Ireland.

Enjoy!

Irish Soda Bread
From FamilyFun Magazine

Ingredients:

• 2 cups white flour
• 2 cups whole wheat flour
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 2 tsp. baking soda
• 1 tsp. salt
• 4 tbsp. butter, chilled
• 1 cup raisins
• 1 1/2 cups buttermilk or plain yogurt

Instructions:

1. Heat the oven to 350 degrees. In a bowl, combine the dry ingredients.
2. Cut in the butter until it is pea-sized. Stir in the raisins and buttermilk or yogurt. Turn the dough onto a floured surface, knead 1 minute, and shape into a disk.
3. Cut an "X" in the top and bake on a greased baking sheet for 45 to 50 minutes. Makes one 8-inch-wide loaf.

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