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.
