2004 Greenmarkets

[alacarte]

yechy peaches

our peaches were disappointing too. could the season already be over?

[bloviatrix]

yechy peaches

our peaches were disappointing too. could the season already be over?

If you're willing to eat nectarines instead, Kernan farms had good ones last friday. I know they have a stand at Union Square on wednesday at the south end of the broadway side.

Edited August 31, 2004 by bloviatrix (log)

[SethG]

If I go to a greenmarket, I ususally go to Union Square. So far most of the heirloom tomatoes I've bought have been mealy and tasteless. I can get that in my neighborhood supermarket! (Speaking of which, they usually have mealy and tasteless produce but last week I bought the most delicious Mineola oranges, they were from South Africa, really juicy and sweet.)

This has also been noted by Regina Schrambling in her food blog gastropoda.com.

Buying heirlooms this weird, rainy summer is increasingly a crapshoot, even now that the price has dropped to $2 a pound and every Greenmarket has them by the crateload. The fat yellow-streaked ones that were so luscious the last few summers have been half-mushy, half-woody half the time. All the dark red ones have too often been not a lot more intense-tasting than the regular old field-grown specimens from Cherry Lane Farms at Union Square.

I guess I have low tomato standards. I haven't been disappointed. And I was pretty happy last year as well, while lots of others were griping about the quality.

[Suzanne F]

yechy peaches

our peaches were disappointing too. could the season already be over?

If you're willing to eat nectarines instead, Kernan farms had good ones last friday. I know they have a stand at Union Square on wednesday at the south end of the broadway side.

No, the problem was that HWOE bought the peaches from someone OTHER THAN Kernans. Theirs are consistently wonderful. I made a crisp with the yechy ones (sliced, mixed with sugar, a little flour, almond extract; topped with streusel of oatmeal, flour, butter, white and demarara sugars, and some hazelnut praline paste) that turned out pretty well. Except for the peaches.

This week we'll get from Kernan again, Thursday at WTC.

[hathor]

This morning's haul from Union Sq:

Banana walnut bread

Gorgeous deep purple dahlias

Red carrots (thinking a red carrot/ginger soup could be good this weekend)

Red scallions

Purslane (really long, tall....hope they are not too 'weedy')

Fabulous gigantic blackberries

Squash blossoms

Diver scallops (they had gorgeous flounder, but too big for just the 2 of us...and then I'd have to go out and buy a really expensive copper pot to cook it in...)

Smoked bluefish

Lambquarter greens

Heirloom tomatoes

Yukon golds and cippolini

I was afraid to buy peaches...couldn't remember who the good supplier was...

[bloviatrix]

It's a gorgeous September day, so I decided to stroll up to Columbia Univ. to check out the hubbub and hit the greenmarket. Among the all the students moving back into the dorms sits the greenmarket on B'way at 115th. I recognized a couple of people from 97th street, my usual friday haunt. Anyway, today's haul included:

Corn

Peppers

Cantaloupe

Blueberries

[alacarte]

FYI, the usual Thursday greenmarket at the PATH station near WTC isn't there today.

[hathor]

FYI, the usual Thursday greenmarket at the PATH station near WTC isn't there today.

...and that would be because:

a) the Republicans ate up all the vegetables?

b) the farmers are afraid of random arrests??

I want my city back!!!! Sorry, needed to vent.

And I second what is mentioned upthread: the heirloom tomatoes I bought on Wes were really mealy. I guess the season is just about over, too cool and too wet, perhaps.

[SethG]

FYI, the usual Thursday greenmarket at the PATH station near WTC isn't there today.

Thanks for telling me. My consternation is total, but at least I won't waste my time going down there.

[alacarte]

...and that would be because:

a) the Republicans ate up all the vegetables?

Thanks, I needed a good chuckle. I think we're all feeling a little stressed this week.

[cakewalk]

I want my city back!!!!

ME TOO! I can't take it any more!!

(Thanks, I needed that.)

(Psst, hey, I have an idea what we can do with all them mealy termaters.)

[bloviatrix]

Guys, it'll all be over in less than an hour. Yipee!!!

[Suzanne F]

FYI, the usual Thursday greenmarket at the PATH station near WTC isn't there today.

...and that would be because:

a) the Republicans ate up all the vegetables?

b) the farmers are afraid of random arrests??

I want my city back!!!! Sorry, needed to vent.

Yeah, I found that out when I dashed over there around 11:30.

I asked someone in the LMDC information booth, who said yes, it was because of the convention. (I was a good girl; I counted to 50 before saying anything else. ) Maybe THEY are afraid that the delegates staying at the Millenium would start having flashbacks to the days of ex-Wall-Streeters selling apples on corners???

But get this: I then said to the LMDC information booth person, "But the market will be here on Tuesday next week, right?" To which she replied, "Oh, no, it's only here on Thursday." Well, I ALMOST kept my cool, but said through gritted teeth, "The market people have been saying for 3 weeks that they'd be here Tuesday starting after Labor Day. Maybe . . . . . . YOU SHOULD CHECK YOUR INFORMATION." and huffed off before I lost it and started impugning her self or her employers.

hathor: I thought Republicans don't eat vegetables. That's why they're______________________ (fill in the blank yourself; I don't want to get in any more trouble. )

[bloviatrix]

I had the pleasure of introducing one my friends to the joys of the 97th St Greenmarket on friday. I think she fell in love. Unfortunately, most fridays she has to be at work by 7:00 am.

You would have thought I hadn't bought any produce in a week rather than the day before as I came home with:

Assorted heirlooms and sungolds

Thyme

Japanese Eggplants

Zucchini

Nectarines

Basil

Corn

Green Leaf lettuce

Sesame pugliese, parker house rolls and walnut-raisin rolls

While taking a stroll up Broadway on friday night, I learned that the Columbia greenmarket is also held on sunday. I'm thinking of checking it out.

[alacarte]

It was such a pleasure to stroll thru the Union Square greenmarket yesterday, even though fewer vendors were there than usual due to Labor Day. No protesters, no police barricades. Just fruits and vegetables.

I bought:

Lima beans in the shell from Vickie Race farms. What nice people at that stand, and nice produce too.

String beans

Yukon gold potatoes

Fresh sesame rolls and morning glory muffins

Multi-colored peppers

[Suzanne F]

I was cloistered all day, so I didn't get to enjoy TUESDAY AT WTC

[hathor]

Wow Suzanne! I thought you went this morning....! I tried, but realized I needed some scuba gear to get around. Hopefully the farmers will be there later today. Quite the rainy day.

[SethG]

I made it to the Thursday downtown market too late for most of the stands, but I acquired an impressive bunch of "Sammarzano" [sic] plum tomatoes, which I peeled, seeded, diced and used to top two pizzas.

Yesterday in Brooklyn I bought peaches and nectarines (from Kernan), some zucchini blossoms, green beans, boston lettuce, some beefsteak tomatoes (the last few weeks have definitely been disappointing, tomato-wise), and some of those tasty cape gooseberries about which Florence Fabricant wrote this week.

I wanted raspberries but they were moldy, right there in the boxes at the greenmarket!

Edited September 12, 2004 by SethG (log)

[bloviatrix]

Thursday I picked up some zucchinis and beans at the Columbia greenmarket. I supplemented that with a trip to 97th street on Friday. Since we were invited out to dinner I tried to limit my purchases to bread, mint, tomatoes, nectarines from Kernan which is being turned in nectarine-basil sorbet, sweet potatoes (the ones at Kernan are massive!!), lettuce, and carrots. Blovie made a trip down to Union Square for yellow beefsteaks and came home with 10 pounds of ugly soft tomatoes which will be turned into soup and assorted grape tomatoes.

Locust Grove had squash blossoms, but after craving them all summer I lost my interest.

Edited September 12, 2004 by bloviatrix (log)

[tupac17616]

Bloviatrix, how good does the produce/cheese/meat from the Columbia greenmarket tend to be? I actually go to Columbia, and walk by every week, occasionally just buying a cookie or some bread or something. Once I bought some apples, but they were nothing special. Almost bought some lamb sausage last week, but was in need of a pan to cook it in :) I am just curious what you might have bought there in the past, and how it all turned out. Now that I am a sophomore, no more stupid meal plan, and it's time for me to get down to some cooking

[bloviatrix]

Bloviatrix, how good does the produce/cheese/meat from the Columbia greenmarket tend to be?  I actually go to Columbia, and walk by every week, occasionally just buying a cookie or some bread or something.  Once I bought some apples, but they were nothing special.  Almost bought some lamb sausage last week, but was in need of a pan to cook it in :) I am just curious what you might have bought there in the past, and how it all turned out.  Now that I am a sophomore, no more stupid meal plan, and it's time for me to get down to some cooking 

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I can't really comment on the quality as last week was the first time I went up there in 15 months. My usual greenmarket is 97th street (btw Columbus and Amsterdam) on Friday morning. Of the limited produce I've bought at the Columbia market, everything's been good. My suggestion is to make a single pass through all the vendors to get an idea of what looks good and then go back to the ones that appealed most.

When did you pick up the apples? If it was last spring there's good reason to be disappointed by mid Feb/March they're already getting soft and mealy. The new crop is beginning to come in now so it's worth trying them again.

Good luck this semester!!

[tupac17616]

Wow, that was fast. Thanks for the quick reply. I had no idea there was another greenmarket so close. I don't have Friday classes, so I'll have to take a walk down to 97th street and check that one out.

I picked up the apples just the week before last week, actually, on the 2nd. I can't remember exactly what variety they were, although I do tend to prefer more tart-tasting apples rather than sweet, so it was probably something with that kind of description. The apples were not bad. Far from it. They just didn't taste that much better than the apples from the dreaded Morton-Williams supermarket across the street. I will definitely give the apples from the greenmarket another shot, though. Who knows, perhaps it was just the type of apples I chose.

BTW, thanks for the kind wish for luck this semester. I appreciate it

[bloviatrix]

My preferred tart apple is the Rhode Island Greenling. They're not in yet, but if you can hold out a couple of weeks the guys at Locust Grove (at 97th st) will have them. Locust Grove has the best apples, IMO and they will point you to the apple variety that best meets your wants. Last fall I was going through several pounds a week.

[alacarte]

I've noticed they are selling red okra at the USquare greenmarket. Anyone ever heard of it before or tried it before? This is in addition to green okra, which I find mystifying enough by itself!

[intraining]

I went to Union Square today, and failed in my two prime objectives.  I apparently missed gooseberries by a number of hours.  And I asked around for beeswax, and was just a bit too late again.  The folks at Susan's Beeswax Candles told me that they had just sold their only block of beeswax to someone who wanted to melt it with grapeseed oil in order to season canele molds.  This can only mean that I was bested by a fellow eGulleteer, perhaps even because of my mention upthread of needing beeswax for this very purpose. 

So, fair is fair.  Fess up, whoever you are, and share your beeswax with me!  They said you bought a big block-- you only need a couple ounces, you selfish beeswax hoarder!

Anyway, I bought some squash blossoms, which look lovely.  I plan to fry them, even though when I look at them I can hardly believe they're edible. 

And I bought two half-pints of black currants, with which I hope to make some kind of jam-- my reserved copy of Mes Confitures awaits me at the NY Public Library.

And I bought some Italian spring onions, with which I hope to make an Italian onion pie, courtesy Carol Field.

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i might be wrong, but for beeswax, trying a rastafarian haridressers, i believe beeswax is best for dreadlocks!!!