It’s like a market in a small French town where the locals come to shop for produce from the region’s farms. In this case, the marketplace is at the Ocean Grove Woman’s Club at 89 Mt.Carmel Avenue, corner of Pennsylvania.
Miss Pegi (Pegi Costantino) the President of the OGWC has a background in coop produce buying, so she gets the best Jersey fresh fruits and vegetables, and this OG coop marketplace has been a big hit this summer, with fresh produce brought in each week. Tom Costantino, the OGWC produce shlepper with the red pick up truck, does the heavy lifting and provides good humored assistance to the the customers.
Miss Pegi orchestrates the event, attended mostly by Grover girls, but a few men are present to add a genial dose of testosterone to the happening. Pegi is a whirlwind of activity as she fulfills the orders while also dispensing expert advice. While waiting, the customers find the market to be a great place for socializing and meeting neighbors. A few weeks ago we met a couple from Bradley Beach.
Today Pegi had Gala apples which she likes for cooking and eating fresh. The zucchini is regular and 8-ball, and the other special item today were the Asian pears. If you ask her for a pear, you will get two, so be sure to spell it out.
Also on hand were fresh corn, frying peppers, peaches, egg plants, cantelopes, heirloom tomatoes, Jersey round tomatoes, and plum tomatoes which you can order by the case or half case. Eileen likes to freeze the plum tomatoes for later use in sauces, soups, stews, etc. We will be posting a piece by her regarding how to save the abundance of tomatoes and zucchini currently available.
You need to sign up to participate and place orders. Just go to the OGWC Facebook page or contact Miss Pegi at 609 575 5585 ( or email her at pegi@comcast.net.) If you sign up, you will be notified as to what items are available that week. The prices are posted on the OGWC Facebook page.
You must place an order for produce by Wednesday noon. Delivery is on Fridays from 4 pm to 7 pm, and bring cash and bags to the OGWC headquarters where the elite meet and where size matters—uh, referencing zucchinis and egg plants, of course.
Here is a link to the Blogfinger article from one year ago, all about the OGHWC: Link to BF OGWC article 2014
Tom says, “Thank God I’m a country boy.” Here’s JOHN DENVER, another country boy:
Click on any of these photos and follow the arrows.
Leave a Reply