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NYC Green Market


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Also - a note about margarine to those who have expressed opinions.  It isn't my favorite - but it's certainly a key ingredient in many homemade baked goods in markets in the south.  I consider its use to be a matter of regional preference - not a badge of dishonor.  Robyn

I am a born and bred Southerner, and consider margarine to be an abomination. And it's not like we grew up rich. Farthest thing from it.

Or maybe I'm the farthest thing from it, since I left Georgia three months after my eighteeth birthday. My underlying reason at the time: there were no health food stores open on Sunday.

I knew margarine was in the same league as CoffeeMate, CheezWhiz, and Cool Whip. I was so glad my grandparents had both in the refrigerator, so that those of us who couldn't stomach the additives could have a choice.

Margarine is an industrial product. It tastes like an industrial (substitute "corporate" if it helps you feel the evil), and it is the shoe polish of condiments.

Getting used to nasty products doesn't make for heritage. My Southern heritage goes back to an American Revolutionary war general in South Carolina. My taste, while marginal, doesn't ever include "margarine" as something that would earn compliments for the cook.

And yeah, people are used to it? So what? They're used to McDonald's, and I don't want to see Chicken McDooDoo sold as anything other than "caloric entertainment." 'Cause they aren't food. Yes, you can make a meal out of them, but they aren't food. Even if I consume fast food, no way do I want to find that kind of crap at my farmer's market. They're there to show ME how it can be.

That's what they'd been doing for years.

Go ahead, take my head off.

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oh the farmer's market. In order to avoid the taxi problem, i try to use our company car to pick things up for the restaurant, and find the "NY Traffic" cops stake out the 8-6 spots. So the question is, do I venture up to Union Square or order from Satur Farms or Blooming hill Farms (natural and organic)? Sure it's great to stroll to the local markets and pick all the lovely seasonal fare, but I fnd myself dealing with local farmers who will deliver to the restaurant. I also find that the farmers who are working that way usually don't work the farmers markets because they are to busy supplying the already large demand.

About the margarine question... My Aunt Lestie (from Macon, Georgia) was a big Imperial Margarine fan for pie crust because she said the product was able to make a very flaky crust but kept the burn factor down.

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Schaem, plenty of the top restaurants -- especially the ones in Midtown and Uptown -- get produce that's every bit the equal of the best greenmarket produce and they don't schlep it themselves from the Union Square greenmarket. Guy Jones, Nancy McNamara, and many others deliver great stuff to all sorts of restaurants -- some of these are the same people who are providing the produce for the CSA groups. The days when you could only get greenmarket-quality produce at the greenmarket are long past.

In fact, I would love for you to call Guy Jones and give him a chance to compete with what you're getting at Union Square. It would at the very least be interesting to know what he has to say.

Blooming Hill Organics

Guy Jones

Route 208

Blooming Grove, NY 10914

845-782-7310

And when CSA season begins in June, let's do some comparisons of the produce I'm getting from Debby & Pete Kavakos of Stoneledge Farm in South Cairo, NY, versus what you're getting from the greenmarket. My impression from previous seasons has been that my stuff is better, but it would be interesting to do some taste tests if you have the time and inclination.

Steven A. Shaw aka "Fat Guy"
Co-founder, Society for Culinary Arts & Letters, sshaw@egstaff.org
Proud signatory to the eG Ethics code
Director, New Media Studies, International Culinary Center (take my food-blogging course)

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Also - a note about margarine to those who have expressed opinions.  It isn't my favorite - but it's certainly a key ingredient in many homemade baked goods in markets in the south.  I consider its use to be a matter of regional preference - not a badge of dishonor.  Robyn

I am a born and bred Southerner, and consider margarine to be an abomination. And it's not like we grew up rich. Farthest thing from it.

Or maybe I'm the farthest thing from it, since I left Georgia three months after my eighteeth birthday. My underlying reason at the time: there were no health food stores open on Sunday.

I knew margarine was in the same league as CoffeeMate, CheezWhiz, and Cool Whip. I was so glad my grandparents had both in the refrigerator, so that those of us who couldn't stomach the additives could have a choice.

Margarine is an industrial product. It tastes like an industrial (substitute "corporate" if it helps you feel the evil), and it is the shoe polish of condiments.

Getting used to nasty products doesn't make for heritage. My Southern heritage goes back to an American Revolutionary war general in South Carolina. My taste, while marginal, doesn't ever include "margarine" as something that would earn compliments for the cook.

And yeah, people are used to it? So what? They're used to McDonald's, and I don't want to see Chicken McDooDoo sold as anything other than "caloric entertainment." 'Cause they aren't food. Yes, you can make a meal out of them, but they aren't food. Even if I consume fast food, no way do I want to find that kind of crap at my farmer's market. They're there to show ME how it can be.

That's what they'd been doing for years.

Go ahead, take my head off.

I won't take your head off. I was just observing what I see in many southern kitchens and restaurants. And - FWIW - margarine - along with products like non-dairy creamers and non-dairy whipped toppings - are used extensively in places that serve Kosher food - where you can't serve meat and dairy together. Frankly - I am not very judgmental in terms of what other people eat - as long as they don't try to tell me what to eat. Robyn

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ON MARGARINE

Hydrogenated vegetable oils give you heart disease and even the FDA, usually behind on everything, now recommends ZERO consumption. Butter on the other hand is rich in Vitamins A and D and short-chain fatty acids which are good for you. There is a reason they dye margarine - it's naturally gray, and they'd rather it looked like real food, ie butter.

If you want a flaky crust, use natural lard, which is predominantlly monounsaturated (yes, like Olive Oil, the Queen of Healthy Fats). Flying Pig Farm and Ted Blew at Greenmarket both sell pastured leaf lard.

Vegetarian friends make excellent crusts from olive oil - different texture, but very nice.

ON DELIVERIES

I've often thought, in London, DC and NYC, that there is room for a slocal foods deliver-to-chefs service: a business which takes advantage of the fact that farmers markets (FM) already form a series of city depots where farmers bring slocal foods; this busines would draw up a price list, order from farmers, pick it up at the FM, and deliver to chefs. Thus making life easier for those chefs who are not as dedicated as Savoy's Peter Hoffman, on his bike, and others who use the taxi method. WANTED: slocal foods entrepreneur.

I am on the advisory board of a new farm-to-chef delivery service serving three upstate counties. We'll be glad to hear from chefs about what you need.

ON SEASONALITY and MARKET DATES

If we add all-season foods (namely, dairy products, meat, poultry, fish, and high-quality processed foods (tomato sauce in jars, chutneys), and juice, wine, beer, and spirits (the cider apple brandy at the London markets is superb) most markets in the US can and should be open all year. However, where the weather is rotten it sometimes makes sense to take a break from Jan to Mar.

Covered markets are a wonderful thing but far too expensive for any true producer-only FM. A nice compromise, if the space has other uses and someone can be found to invest in it, is an open-air shed, a simple structure. That solves the main problem, ie rain and sun, which are hard on customers, farmers, and food. (If you are a farmer, btw, tarps and covers is a constant exercise in problem-solving - very time-consuming.)

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If anyone wants to hear more about how the NYC Greenmarkets became the way they are (and how they used to be), this event next month may be of interest:

NEW YORK CITY'S GREENMARKETS: A History and Inside View

Guest speakers include Barry Benepe (founder of Greenmarket) as well as farmers and chefs who use Greenmarket produce. Something tells me we're going to be hearing more about some of the issues covered on this thread -- whether it's intended in the program or not.

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Schaem, plenty of the top restaurants -- especially the ones in Midtown and Uptown -- get produce that's every bit the equal of the best greenmarket produce and they don't schlep it themselves from the Union Square greenmarket.

your essay about the week you spent at Gramercy Tavern and the shopping expedition you took with Mosto to the Greenmarket still run through my head every time i wander through the market and see chefs from Union Square Cafe, Eleven Madison Park, even Mesa Grill stopping in to pickup things.. while i'm pretty sure they're just filling in, rather than relying upon, with seasonal things and stuff that catches their eyes, i do love the union square greenmarket..

it's convenient for me.. it keeps me in touch with what's going on in the world surrounding this city we live in..

the sprout people are great.. some of the best micro greens around as well..

Fred Price's baked goods are wonderful.. our daily bread has decent scones..

knoll crest eggs and chickens.. enough said..

quatro farms meats, duck and other poultry is great..

the organic dairy is nice..

as the spring rolls around into the summer, we'll get more fruit and vegetables and it's a nice way to shop.. leave a lot behind.. wander thru the crowds.. enjoy the sun.. plan a meal with stuff that's local and seasonal..

no it's not ideal.. yes, it could be better..

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So, for those who do not join FG's outright boycott (whether due to principle or the unavailability of a convenient CSA/whatever alternative), shall we start a thread about worthy producers, and what, where, and when they sell? Conversely, we can also identify the margarine-peddling hucksters.

How about, as well, a thread on alternatives to the Union Square Greenmarket?

Steven A. Shaw aka "Fat Guy"
Co-founder, Society for Culinary Arts & Letters, sshaw@egstaff.org
Proud signatory to the eG Ethics code
Director, New Media Studies, International Culinary Center (take my food-blogging course)

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Moderators, even Directors, are permitted to start threads, are they not?

How about a directory, cut by geographical location, season, and product, of retail (i.e., not trade-only) purveyors to seek out and to avoid, Greenmarket and otherwise, something like an old-fashioned fat-guy.com critical survey, kept up-to-date? A mere Zagat-style compilation of threads, even those by the storied and scholarly eGullet Membership, might insufficiently critical to be perfectly useful, but it would be a start. (No, I'm not volunteering.)

"To Serve Man"

-- Favorite Twilight Zone cookbook

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ON MARGARINE

Hydrogenated vegetable oils give you heart disease and even the FDA, usually behind on everything, now recommends ZERO consumption. Butter on the other hand is rich in Vitamins A and D and short-chain fatty acids which are good for you. There is a reason they dye margarine - it's naturally gray, and they'd rather it looked like real food, ie butter.

If you want a flaky crust, use natural lard, which is predominantlly monounsaturated (yes, like Olive Oil, the Queen of Healthy Fats). Flying Pig Farm and Ted Blew at Greenmarket both sell pastured leaf lard.

Vegetarian friends make excellent crusts from olive oil - different texture, but very nice.

I have a simple theory about fat. It's fattening (100 calories a tbsp.). And if you eat too much of it - you get fat. So I eat it sparingly. But - when I eat it - I want a fat that's appropriate to the dish. That wouldn't usually be margarine - but there are certainly people who cook terrific pies who swear by their Crisco. I'm sure I've eaten many a sweet potato pie with a Crisco crust at local fairs (I've doubtless eaten many with lard crusts too).

Olive oil in a pie crust. Yuck. Ditto with oil olive in chocolates (I've had some of the new trendy ones with olive oil and they're not worth the calories IMO). But these are just my personal preferences. It's a free world - and I think people should be able to eat anything they want to eat. And for whatever reason (whether it's because it tastes good - or because it's a matter of political, religious or some other "non-taste" preference). Only thing that makes me mad is people trying to pass laws that attempt to impose their standards on me.

By the way - my husband is old enough to remember when it was illegal to dye margarine before it was sold - and you had to mix the margarine with a package of dye that was sold with it to make it yellow (the law was passed at the insistence of the dairy industry). He recalls the natural color as white (just like Crisco). By the way - he grew up in New Jersey. Families used margarine then because they couldn't afford butter. And that's one reason margarine is used in many somewhat old (e.g., 50 year old) family recipes. Robyn

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ON SEASONALITY and MARKET DATES

If we add all-season foods (namely, dairy products, meat, poultry, fish, and high-quality processed foods (tomato sauce in jars, chutneys), and juice, wine, beer, and spirits (the cider apple brandy at the London markets is superb) most markets in the US can and should be open all year.  However, where the weather is rotten it sometimes makes sense to take a break from Jan to Mar.

Covered markets are a wonderful thing but far too expensive for any true producer-only FM. A nice compromise, if the space has other uses and someone can be found to invest in it, is an open-air shed, a simple structure. That solves the main problem, ie rain and sun, which are hard on customers, farmers, and food. (If you are a farmer, btw, tarps and covers is a constant exercise in problem-solving - very time-consuming.)

There is a market in Chattanooga like you describe - open air shed. Very pleasant even in the heat of summer (at least in the morning).

The foods that you describe as "all season" are for the most part (except perhaps fish) - but they aren't necessarily local - or anywhere near local. So what's the point of buying them at a "farmers' market"? It's like we have a million roadside "Georgia" peach stands here - but all the peaches are from areas more than 100 miles away - and the people selling them along the roadside buy them from commercial distributors. I think I'd rather buy my peaches at Publix. Robyn

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ON MARGARINE

Hydrogenated vegetable oils give you heart disease and even the FDA, usually behind on everything, now recommends ZERO consumption...

P.S. Forgot to ask a question. Since you have run markets in the past - and will probably do similar work in the future - does this mean you'd ban pies from markets if they have Crisco crusts - but allow the ones with olive oil crusts? Regardless of how they taste? Robyn

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MARGARINE and PATRICK MARTIN'S PIECE

Robyn - I couldn't agree more that you want different fats for different purposes and I wouldn't dream of telling you what fats to use - just my reasons for doing what I do. I don't fancy olive oil crusts myself but many vegetarians don't care for Crisco.

As for ingredients at the farmers markets I run, we do not write rules about ingredients, but we do choose producers based on our idea of what good foods are. That might include asking about butter v margarine but wouldn't be a single litmus test for participation at a market.

For any market manager, a range of foods (including ones one doesn't eat or care for) at a range of prices is usually the best goal.

If the PRODUCER-ONLY rule for London Farmers Markets is of interest, I will post it.

PATRICK ON THE REGIONAL MARKET FOR SLOW FOODS.

I should clarify my position. I strongly believe we need to develop the market for slocal foods and that means many new businesses, distributors, and sales outlets, including hybrid food markets such as Borough Market in London.

But I do not believe FARMERS MARKETS should change their local foods policies.

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Here is one example of a fairly strict producer-only rule, at London Farmers Markets. The rules at Local Foods in DC are similar. Our only STANDARDS OF PRODUCTION, as you will see, are access to pasture for grazing animals (including poultry), and no hormones or routine antibiotics.

LONDON FARMERS’ MARKETS

Producer-Only Rules

1. PRODUCER-ONLY You, the Producer named in the application, must raise, grow, produce, catch, gather, or bake everything you sell. You must attend the Market. You may not sell items on behalf of, or bought from, anyone else. The term Producer includes you, your family, and employees who are directly involved in production.

2. REGIONAL and LOCAL FOODS The goods you sell must be raised, grown, produced, gathered, caught, or baked within 100 miles of the M25 (‘the Region’). When possible, we invite Producers who are within 50 miles or less of the M25.

3. DEFINITION of PRODUCER We allow three kinds of Producer. Different rules apply. You may be in more than one category. For example, a beef farmer (Primary Producer) may make jam from raspberries grown in the Region (Secondary Producer).

PRIMARY Producer—Raises raw ingredients such as apples or beef in the Region

SECONDARY Producer—Makes products with major ingredients from the Region (soup, jam)

BAKER—Makes baked goods. Produce and major ingredients such as meat must be regional

4. PERMITTED PRODUCTS You may sell fruit, vegetables, herbs, eggs, fish and shellfish, meat, poultry, game, dairy products, honey and bee products, wine, spirits, cider, beer, juice, preserves, baked goods, flowers, and plants. You must ask our permission to sell any items not listed here and not listed on your application.

5. DAIRY Milk and cream must come from your own herd. You must make cheese, yoghurt, and other processed dairy products yourself from milk from your own herd. Grazing animals must have regular access to pasture. All animals must be free to move around. You may not feed hormones.

6. MEAT You must raise the animals for pork, beef, lamb, buffalo, venison, and any other farmed meat. Half of each of your animal species must be born on your farm, except beef. Beef young stock may be bought as stores. Animals not born on your farm must spend half their lives on your farm. Grazing animals must have regular access to pasture. All animals must be free to move around. You may not feed hormones or routine antibiotics.

7. POULTRY and EGGS You must raise table poultry on your farm from day-olds. You may buy laying hens as pullets. Birds must have regular access to pasture and must be free to move around indoors. You may not feed hormones or routine antibiotics.

8. FISH You must raise or catch the fish and shellfish you sell. You must hold current permits and licenses.

9. GAME You must hold a current licence to deal in game, raise at least 25% of all game sold at the Market on your own or rented land, and have full knowledge of the production system of other game you sell.

10. PROCESSED MEAT, FISH, and GAME Primary Producers must raise or catch meat, game, or fish in processed foods such as sausages or smoked fish. You may purchase minor ingredients such as spices. We prefer that you make your own processed meats. However, in some cases another party may make these foods from your ingredients. If so, you must: a) ask our permission; b) supervise recipes; c) show that the raw ingredients are yours; and d) sell mostly unprocessed meat or fish.

11. BOTTLED DRINKS You must press, mix, bottle, and mature wine, beer, spirits, juice, and cider exclusively from ingredients you grow. You may buy minor ingredients such as spices and ginger.

12. FRESH JUICE You may make fresh juice on the market using at least one ingredient you grow. Other produce you juice must be bought on the market. You must name the source of regional ingredients. You may buy minor ingredients such as spices and ginger.

13. PLANTS and FLOWERS You must grow the flowers and plants you sell including Christmas trees. You must make arrangements yourself from your own plants. Where it is legal, you may gather plants, flowers, and herbs from the wild.

14. HONEY and BEE PRODUCTS You may sell honey collected from your own hives kept within the Region. Honey must be your main product, but you may also sell candles, soap, or other products you make from your honey and wax.

15. PRESERVES Secondary Producers must mix, cook, and bottle preserves, including jam, pickles, salsa, sauce, and chutney, from scratch. Major ingredients, such as berries in jam, must be from the Region. You may make marmalade with local honey if honey is more than 50% of the ingredients. You must name the source of regional ingredients.

16. BAKED GOODS—BREAD, CAKES and DESSERTS Bakers must make baked goods from scratch. You may buy flour, spices, and other minor ingredients such as lemons not grown in the Region. If produce is a major ingredient (as in apple pie), produce must be regional. You must name the source of regional ingredients.

17. BAKED GOODS—SAVOURIES and PIES Secondary Producers must make soups, meat pies, quiches, and other foods from scratch. Major ingredients such as produce in soup, eggs in quiche, or meat in pies must be from the Region. You must name the source of regional ingredients.

(Note: These rules are not complete. Other rules for participation in London Farmers Markets, not concerning the ‘producer-only’ criteria above, apply. The rules are subject to change; before quoting them please request a current copy from info@lfm.org.uk or 011 44 20 7704 9659.)

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These rules are pretty intense, however, they would make for a very interesting market if there is sufficient diversity of production in the region. This might be difficultmore difficult to achieve in the US due to local laws regarding production, although I might be wrong. The only rule I question is that of the cheesemakers. Is it essential that the cheese be made by the same farm thatraised the animals and did the milking? I would think that cheesemakers could easily fit the bill as secondary producers so long as they identified the source of their milk and it was from within their region.

John Sconzo, M.D. aka "docsconz"

"Remember that a very good sardine is always preferable to a not that good lobster."

- Ferran Adria on eGullet 12/16/2004.

Docsconz - Musings on Food and Life

Slow Food Saratoga Region - Co-Founder

Twitter - @docsconz

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Here is one example of a fairly strict producer-only rule, at London Farmers Markets...

Nina - It must be great to have a really large sophisticated city so close to many producers who can follow these rules. If we had rules like that in most Florida markets - you'd wind up with about 2 vendors :smile: . And I'm glad you don't have many litmus tests (the couple you do have seem reasonable to me for a FM).

This is a bit off topic. My husband and I will be in London next month. Can you recommend any markets which are reasonably close to central London (we'll be staying on Park Lane) for some sightseeing and general munching? Robyn

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If you set the rules high and recruit farmers with energy and commitment, you find the farmers. In Britain everyone told me you couldn't require the dairy farmer to make the cheese as well, and in a couple of years we had every kind of dairy product imaginable. They said the same about grow the apples, press the juice. Suddenly the orchards were all buying presses.

The general rule is how well does the rule serve these values: shorten the food chain, meet the producer, traceability, information about methods of production (eg what the animals ate) BALANCED by intelligent consideration of supply, demand, and particular conditions of production of that product. (A good example is on-farm, own-apple cider pressing in the US - the FDA made it harder (more expensive) to do: but Greenmarket's unwise answer, I believe, was to grandfather all existing off-farm cider pressers and force new cider pressers to press on farm. Meanwhile the customer is not told what the rule is. I think you either have a single standard (and allow time to comply) or you don't.

(This is one are where Local Foods has compromised, btw - it's hard to find cider pressed on-farm in the DC area at all - but we will notify customers so there is transparency.)

I think Florida could have great authentic producer-only farmers markets if there were dedicated management.

You are right about the FARMER SHORTAGE myth (in general) - at every well-managed FM I know, there is a waiting list of farmers. Where there is ahealthy network of FM, new farmers appear to meet the demand. We need to work to develop meat, dairy, poultry, and egg producers all over the US. Active recruitment and services (like electricity and publicity) is key to making animal foods welcome and encouraging small farmers to sell local foods.

In London, see www.lfm.org.uk for markets. The best are Islington and Marylebone (both on Sundays), Notting Hill and Pimlico Road/Belgravia (both Sat). All easy by bus and tube.

An outstanding food market I can claim no credit for is Borough Market south of the Thames, a hybrid market with farmers, wholesale, retail, imported stuff - the works.

Enjoy.

Nina

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If you set the rules high and recruit farmers with energy and commitment, you find the farmers. In Britain everyone told me you couldn't require the dairy farmer to make the cheese as well, and in a couple of years we had every kind of dairy product imaginable. They said the same about grow the apples, press the juice. Suddenly the orchards were all buying presses.

The general rule is how well does the rule serve these values: shorten the food chain, meet the producer, traceability, information about methods of production (eg what the animals ate) BALANCED by intelligent consideration of supply, demand, and particular conditions of production of that product. (A good example is on-farm, own-apple cider pressing in the US  - the FDA made it harder (more expensive) to do: but Greenmarket's unwise answer, I believe, was to grandfather all existing off-farm cider pressers and force new cider pressers to press on farm. Meanwhile the customer is not told what the rule is. I think you either have a single standard (and allow time to comply) or you don't.

(This is one are where Local Foods has compromised, btw - it's hard to find cider pressed on-farm in the DC area at all - but we will notify customers so there is transparency.)

I think Florida could have great authentic producer-only farmers markets if there were dedicated management.

You are right about the FARMER SHORTAGE myth (in general) - at every well-managed FM I know, there is a waiting list of farmers.  Where there is ahealthy network of FM, new farmers appear to meet the demand. We need to work to develop meat, dairy, poultry, and egg producers all over the US.  Active recruitment and services (like electricity and publicity) is key to making animal foods welcome and encouraging small farmers to sell local foods.

In London, see www.lfm.org.uk for markets. The best are Islington and Marylebone (both on Sundays), Notting Hill and Pimlico Road/Belgravia (both Sat). All easy by bus and tube.

An outstanding food market I can claim no credit for is Borough Market south of the Thames, a hybrid market with farmers, wholesale, retail, imported stuff - the works.

Enjoy.

Nina

I agree about single standards - while giving reasonable time for compliance.

I think Florida could do ok assuming the geographical area for certain things wasn't all that limited - and the geographical area for other things wasn't limited at all. There are many things that can't be grown here due to the climate - apples for cider is one. Peaches. All manner of more northern fruits and berries. We don't have the requisite number of chill hours for most fruits - except citrus. And even with citrus - in north Florida and the Panhandle - we're more than 100 miles away from the prime citrus areas (as well as the tropical fruit and winter vegetable areas) in the south.

I've been to local FM - as well as markets in south Florida, central Florida (like Gainesville) and the Panhandle (like Tallahassee). Have also seen food purveyors at some of the local county fairs. The quality is generally ok - it's just that there aren't a whole lot of different things for sale (even the local honey industry has had problems lately because of difficulties with the local bee population - which is why I plant a lot of things that bees enjoy).

Also - when it comes to local seasonal products - something like - for example - fresh collards - and more importantly - fresh black eyed peas - our local supermarkets seem to do a good job of stocking those items at the appropriate times of year.

Anyway - if you say it can be done - I'll keep my fingers crossed :smile: .

Thank you for the information about the food markets in London. Robyn

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I don't fancy olive oil crusts myself but many vegetarians don't care for Crisco.

This is semi-off-topic, but why would vegetarians object to Crisco? It's vegetable shortening.

"Tea and cake or death! Tea and cake or death! Little Red Cookbook! Little Red Cookbook!" --Eddie Izzard
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There was a letter from a former bronx farmer's market operator & current Greenmarket offical of some sort in the Times today objecting to fiddling with the NY greenmarkets in response to Ms Planck's editorial...

I didn't really see any merit to anything she said...

"And by bringing farm-fresh food to New Yorkers for almost 30 years, the council has earned the right to continue its vital control of Greenmarket sites in the same way that botanical gardens, zoos and even the Metropolitan Museum are allowed to maintain their share of parkland. "

How does 30 years of control undermine an argument for continued innovation?

-MJR

edited to correct letter writer's position

Edited by mjr_inthegardens (log)

�As I ate the oysters with their strong taste of the sea and their faint metallic taste that the cold white wine washed away, leaving only the sea taste and the succulent texture, and as I drank their cold liquid from each shell and washed it down with the crisp taste of the wine, I lost the empty feeling and began to be happy, and to make plans.� - Ernest Hemingway, in �A Moveable Feast�

Brooklyn, NY, USA

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This quote convinces me even more that the Greenmarkets must change.

John Sconzo, M.D. aka "docsconz"

"Remember that a very good sardine is always preferable to a not that good lobster."

- Ferran Adria on eGullet 12/16/2004.

Docsconz - Musings on Food and Life

Slow Food Saratoga Region - Co-Founder

Twitter - @docsconz

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