Real Food markets in NYC

[emsny]

Just a reminder that Nina Planck's "Real Food" markets will be getting under way on Saturday, June 17th. I'm curious to see what sorts of products will be available - my impression from reading about the enterprise is that everything will be from our region, but that the rules will allow a broader range of raw and prepared products. Could make for interesting eating. Hope so. They're going to be downtown: Lafayette and Spring/Kenmare; and Sixth Avenue and Bleecker/Houston, according to her web site.

[Jason Perlow]

I'm surprised there isn't more coverage of this. I interviewed Nina recently and she's got some very compelling things to say about the future of Green Markets in general, as well as some very stong opinions as how we should all be eating nowadays (click).

Edited June 8, 2006 by Jason Perlow (log)

[emsny]

Well, there was a page in NY Mag, and a story in the NY Times, but, true, there certainly hasn't been much chatter about the markets here on eGullet.

[JohnL]

Just a reminder that Nina Planck's "Real Food" markets will be getting under way on Saturday, June 17th. I'm curious to see what sorts of products will be available - my impression from reading about the enterprise is that everything will be from our region, but that the rules will allow a broader range of raw and prepared products. Could make for interesting eating. Hope so. They're going to be downtown: Lafayette and Spring/Kenmare; and Sixth Avenue and Bleecker/Houston, according to her web site.

←

Frankly, I am getting a bit tired of all this "philosophical food stuff. (curmudgeon that I am).

Family farms, regional produce, in season, outta season, organic, natural, gluten free, macrobiotic, micro biotic, symbiotic (neurotic!), free range, farmer's markets, save the tuna, save the whales, save...--blah blah blah! (we didn't start the fire)

Just shut up and sell good quality stuff.

I am beginning to long for the days when passionate people with their own high standards just provided products and services for fair prices

---without all the mission statements and altruism.

I don't care where my tasty tomato comes from (in today's world of rapid transport/shipping) who grows it or how they grew it--as long as it tastes good and doesn't cost $29.95 a pound!

Numerous threads here have attested to the utter confusion over what exactly is "organic" or even what a family farm is and how one defines "local."

If farmers--with or with out families located wherever in the world produce good things then great.

I-- for one have bought (and passed by) plenty of crap from highly touted green markets and purveyors of "ethically" produced food items (I have also bought lots of really wonderful things too).

If Ms Planck's "Real Food." is tasty and high quality and fairly priced--she should do well and would be a welcome addition to the market place.

[Nina Planck]

Just a reminder that Nina Planck's "Real Food" markets will be getting under way on Saturday, June 17th. I'm curious to see what sorts of products will be available - my impression from reading about the enterprise is that everything will be from our region, but that the rules will allow a broader range of raw and prepared products. Could make for interesting eating. Hope so. They're going to be downtown: Lafayette and Spring/Kenmare; and Sixth Avenue and Bleecker/Houston, according to her web site.

←

Frankly, I am getting a bit tired of all this "philosophical food stuff. (curmudgeon that I am).

Family farms, regional produce, in season, outta season, organic, natural, gluten free, macrobiotic, micro biotic, symbiotic (neurotic!), free range, farmer's markets, save the tuna, save the whales, save...--blah blah blah! (we didn't start the fire)

Just shut up and sell good quality stuff.

I am beginning to long for the days when passionate people with their own high standards just provided products and services for fair prices

---without all the mission statements and altruism.

I don't care where my tasty tomato comes from (in today's world of rapid transport/shipping) who grows it or how they grew it--as long as it tastes good and doesn't cost $29.95 a pound!

Numerous threads here have attested to the utter confusion over what exactly is "organic" or even what a family farm is and how one defines "local."

If farmers--with or with out families located wherever in the world produce good things then great.

I-- for one have bought (and passed by) plenty of crap from highly touted green markets and purveyors of "ethically" produced food items (I have also bought lots of really wonderful things too).

If Ms Planck's "Real Food." is tasty and high quality and fairly priced--she should do well and would be a welcome addition to the market place.

←

[Nina Planck]

Hello Eaters,

I couldn't agree more with the comment to this effect: to hell with ideology, does it taste good?

My pet peeves include insipid baby vegetables and overpriced heirlooms. I think every fruit or vegetable should taste good (and ahem, it should also produce well, for farmers) and it doesn't matter whether it's a hybrid or heirloom. We grow both in Virginia. May I suggest avoiding Great White, a truly useless tomato? Lady Luck, by contrast, is an excellent hybrid. As are Pink Girl and Lemon Boy.

A big impetus for starting the farmers' markets in London was the wilted, tasteless, imported, but organic (!) produce I bought from what were called 'box schemes.' I also went to health food shops where they looked down their noses at me over their wilted, tasteless, imported, but organic (!) produce.

I used to day dream of bringing my parents' two-pickup, 8-layer load of vegetables packed for one of the larger weekend farmers' markets to England on Concorde and putting it on the street in front of these health food stores to show people how good food looks and tastes.

I wanted fresh food, organic or not, and I thought the fastest way to get it was to have farmers sell it directly. In 1999, the London Local & Organic Food Police told me two things: 1) 'You've got to be really local - 25 miles, not 100, from London' and 2) 'You've got to be 100% organic.' In order to do what? To pass their litmus tests. We did neither. We were steadfastly for regional food for Londoners and for producers - ecological or otherwise.

I do prefer ecological methods when I can get them and I don't buy poultry that never goes outside. I've been in those chicken houses. As for produce, the most important things for flavor are soil fertility, good varieties, and picking at peak maturity. Some farmers understand and bother with these things; some don't.

Just for fun, here are the folks we're expecting at the Real Food Markets on Sat 17 June.

Real Food Markets www.RealFood.info

We'll be keen to hear all your comments and wish lists.

Best wishes, Nina

Angie’s Exotic Bakery, homemade pies, cakes, rolls, BAKER

Balthazar, traditional bread & pastries, BAKER

Cayuga Fields, pastured pork, FARMER

Murray’s Gone Local, regional milk, cream, butter, eggs & cheese, PURVEYOR

Eden Brook Fish Company, trout, cress, regional wild fish, FARMER/PURVEYOR

New York Beef Company, grass-fed beef, FARMER

Norwich Meadows Farms, organic vegetables, FARMER/PURVEYOR

Picklelicious, traditional pickles from local produce, ARTISAN

The Seafood Shop, regional wild fish & shellfish, PURVEYOR

Stone Ridge Orchards, tree fruit, berries & juice, FARMER/PURVEYOR

Valley Farmers, beef, pork, poultry, FARMER CO-OP

Wheelhouse Pickles, traditional pickles from local produce, ARTISAN

Wine Cellar Sorbets, wine sorbet from New York wines, ARTISAN

Edited June 13, 2006 by Nina Planck (log)

[weinoo]

I'm looking forward to it!

[Megan Blocker]

I'll be there, bright and bushy-tailed, first thing on Saturday. Can't wait!

[JohnL]

Hello Eaters,

I couldn't agree more with the comment to this effect: to hell with ideology, does it taste good?

My pet peeves include insipid baby vegetables and overpriced heirlooms. I think every fruit or vegetable should taste good (and ahem, it should also produce well, for farmers) and it doesn't matter whether it's a hybrid or heirloom. We grow both in Virginia. May I suggest avoiding Great White, a truly useless tomato? Lady Luck, by contrast, is an excellent hybrid. As are Pink Girl and Lemon Boy.

A big impetus for starting the farmers' markets in London was the wilted, tasteless, imported, but organic (!) produce I bought from what were called 'box schemes.' I also went to health food shops where they looked down their noses at me over their wilted, tasteless, imported, but organic (!) produce.

I used to day dream of bringing my parents' two-pickup, 8-layer load of vegetables packed for one of the larger weekend farmers' markets to England on Concorde and putting it on the street in front of these health food stores to show people how good food looks and tastes.

I wanted fresh food, organic or not, and I thought the fastest way to get it was to have farmers sell it directly. In 1999, the London Local & Organic Food Police told me two things: 1) 'You've got to be really local - 25 miles, not 100, from London' and 2) 'You've got to be 100% organic.' In order to do what? To pass their litmus tests. We did neither. We were steadfastly for regional food for Londoners and for producers - ecological or otherwise.

I do prefer ecological methods when I can get them and I don't buy poultry that never goes outside. I've been in those chicken houses. As for produce, the most important things for flavor are soil fertility, good varieties, and picking at peak maturity. Some farmers understand and bother with these things; some don't.

Just for fun, here are the folks we're expecting at the Real Food Markets on Sat 17 June.

Real Food Markets www.RealFood.info

We'll be keen to hear all your comments and wish lists.

Best wishes, Nina

Angie’s Exotic Bakery, homemade pies, cakes, rolls, BAKER

Balthazar, traditional bread & pastries, BAKER

Cayuga Fields, pastured pork, FARMER

Murray’s Gone Local, regional milk, cream, butter, eggs & cheese, PURVEYOR

Eden Brook Fish Company, trout, cress, regional wild fish, FARMER/PURVEYOR

New York Beef Company, grass-fed beef, FARMER

Norwich Meadows Farms, organic vegetables, FARMER/PURVEYOR

Picklelicious, traditional pickles from local produce, ARTISAN

The Seafood Shop, regional wild fish & shellfish, PURVEYOR

Stone Ridge Orchards, tree fruit, berries & juice, FARMER/PURVEYOR

Valley Farmers, beef, pork, poultry, FARMER CO-OP

Wheelhouse Pickles, traditional pickles from local produce, ARTISAN

Wine Cellar Sorbets, wine sorbet from New York wines, ARTISAN

←

At last!

Some common sense.

I too have tired of produce that is touted as organic or locally grown or biodynamic or

whatever with hefty prices to match the rhetoric. (how about prices that match the quality of the produce?).

Once I was driving out in New Jersey some thirty or so miles from Manhattan. I saw a charming farm stand at the edge of a large cornfield. I was in the mood for some good fresh Jersey tomatoes. As the person running the stand bagged my purchase, I asked if it was hard to grow really good totmatoes as they were so hard to find.

The reply--"I have no idea, we get these from the Hunt's Point market in New York City.

(by the way--they were fairly decent)

I am also tired of food retailers who sell a philosophy or a way of life rather than just offering good quality food.

Once, not long ago we had a lot of small locally o and o purveyors of produce and meats and poultry, baked goods etc etc etc. The better ones were run by people who had a passion for providing good quality and value--their altruism was their business--maybe a little league support sticker in the window or a jar for donations to MD or heart disease on the counter.

I live next door to Whole Foods and I find myself going less and less.

I go to Amy's for bread and other small Ninth Avenue shops.

I miss the Nevada meat market and the original Balducci's--the "chaining" of once great individual owned operations is lowering the level of quality to that just above the supermarkets.

Your approach is refreshing--I will give you a try.

best of luck!!!

[Bond Girl]

I am there as well (with dog in tow)

[Megan Blocker]

I went to the Real Food Market yesterday...not a lot of vendors (about four or five by my count), but everything on offer looked great! I bought a loaf of white bread from Angie, and went home to make a chicken salad sandwich. The bread was delicious!