Where to find everything you need for a Pennsylvania Passover seder

If you waited until the last minute to shop for Passover, don’t fret. We have you covered.

While, it might be easier to get everything for your Passover meals from a grocery store, if you’re looking to shop small and local, there are countless options from Pennsylvania farms, food producers, and markets.

Here’s where to find everything you need for your Passover seder.

Matzah, the famous unleavened bread, is integral to all things Passover. Whether it’s Matzah pizza, Matzah brei, or chocolate-covered matzah, there are many ways to get creative with it. But, first, it’s important to start with some good matzah.

Essen Bakery, which calls itself “a little Jewish bakery in South Philly,” has homemade matzah, some plain and some with everything spice.

Of all the items on your menu, this will likely be easiest to find. You can pick up a pint at nearly anyJewish deli any time of year. Here are a couple suggestions:

» READ MORE: How to build a better matzah ball

On Passover, we eat horseradish as a reminder of the bitterness our ancestors experienced while they were enslaved in Egypt.

To get a truly home-grown horseradish on your table this year, get a jar of Long’s Horseradish, handcrafted made in Lancaster County since 1902. The five generations of the Long family say they still make their horseradish by hand in small batches, “just like the old days.”

Gefilte fish can be a comically divisive food for many Jewish people — you either love it or hate it. We, personally, love the unique and briny fishiness.

You can’t go wrong getting gefilte fish from a tried-and-true deli like Hymie’s Merion Deli. (They also have a full Passover menu.)

Global supply chain issues have even hit the Passover seder. Bralow’s Fresh Fish & Seafood in Philadelphia used to sell gefilte fish, but stopped due to the rising price of carp.

At House of Kosher Gourmet Market on Bustleton Avenue — which one local rabbi told us is like “stepping into a little Jerusalem” — you can buy charoset by the pound. Their take is a classic mash of walnuts, cinnamon, and apples.

And that will come in handy if you have anyone coming to your seder like us, who could eat an entire pound of charoset alone.

Kosher shankbones for your seder can be hard to find because they’re not carried at your standard grocery story, so we’re going to recommend House of Kosher once again. (For our Jersey readers, the Kosher Experience at two Cherry Hill Shoprites is another option.)

If you don’t mind whether your shankbone is certified kosher, you can buy a lamb shank from Primal Supply Meats, a woman-owned butchery that partners with local farmers.

OK, we get it, you might not want to drive around and pick up Passover items individually. Here are some places are offering you a full meal kit.