On this bright, beautiful morning in NYC, I got up early to head to the Union Square Greenmarket. I teach Pilates in the Union Square area but rarely make time to walk through the market for any purpose other than getting to the subway. I’ve decided to change that, at least for the summer.
I’ve established Farmer’s Market Fridays for myself (and anyone else who’d like to join me, by the way). If I can get to the market at least two Fridays out of every month this summer (and ideally into the fall), I’ll be happy. And you’ll get to be entertained by my attempts to cook everything I buy before it goes bad. Help me with suggestions in the comments if you feel so inclined. I would appreciate it!
Fresh, local produce has been a part of my summer for most of the 10+ years I’ve lived in New York. Farmer’s markets are abundant in the city, and the one at Union Square is enormous. Last summer, I joined a CSA in Long Island City, Queens – where I live – but sadly found that the pick-up location was just a bit too far from home to be practical every week. When I did manage to pick up my share, oh my god was it AMAZING stuff! I still talk about the radishes from the organic farm in Jersey that the CSA supported. I have yet to find radishes as spicy as those…like horseradish spicy. And I used fresh dill – chopped up and frozen in ice cube trays the day it came off the farm – all fall and winter in soups and other dishes. I’m hoping that my bi-weekly trips to the farmer’s market this summer will help fill the void of no CSA.
Here’s what I bought today (all locally grown) and links to the farms when available:
- Fresh garlic (seriously yummy stuff…a must try if you like garlic)
- Early season tomatoes from McEnroe Organic Farm
- Spelt berries from Cayuga Pure Organics (very excited to try this in salads and as an alternative to brown rice)
- Bok choy
- Tuscan kale (not sure if the Tuscan has anything to do with Italy, but I love all things Italian, so…)
- Arugula
- Organic strawberries
- Fuji apple juice from Red Jacket Orchards
- Maple sugar from Deep Mountain Maple (because it was there and I have a sweet tooth)
- Multigrain boule from Bread Alone Bakery
Stay tuned for what I did with it. And, as I said, share your ideas for what I should do with it in the comments. I can use all the help I can get! 🙂
