The Food Section

MarketWatch: Asparagus, Ramps, Miner's Lettuce, and Crepinettes

Ramps at the Union Square Greenmarket, added to the MarketWatch Photo Pool by Flickr user guessica.

MarketWatch is a monthly report on what's fresh and new at farmers markets in New York and San Francisco. If you've visited a farmers market recently in your own community, tell us what's new in the comments. And, if you have photos, be sure to post them to the MarketWatch flickr pool.

NEW YORK: UNION SQUARE GREENMARKET

News & Notes
As mentioned last month, the construction project at the north end of Union Square has temporarily displaced some Greenmarket farmers and producers. They've been relocated to the busy south end of Union Square, mixed in among the upstart peddlers of beads, incense, used CDs, and other decidedly inedible things. Not everyone is thrilled with the arrangement. "Now you have to schlep through a maze of nonfood vendors to get to the underselling milk; it’s like a frenetic flea market crossed with the long-gone flower district," writes Regina Schrambling on her blog, gastropoda.

The good news is that when the project is finally completed (18 months from now, at the soonest), the Greenmarket will reclaim all of its original space in the North Plaza, which is to be re-paved with hexagonal blocks.

What's New
Ramps, asparagus, fiddleheads, radishes, and scallions are new to market. Strawberries and shad roe have recently arrived as well. And pheasant eggs have now joined the duck and turkey eggs available at Quattro's Game Farm. The trifecta of specialty eggs should be around until July

For the ultimate in urban locavorism, you can purchase seedlings of lettuces, shoots, and peas for planting in pots at home. With water, care, and some good luck, you'll soon be harvesting your own (tiny) produce tableside.

Coming Soon
Depending on the weather, morels should make their debut in May. In June, get ready for snow peas, shell peas, sugar snap peas, herbs, and stinging nettles.

SAN FRANCISCO: FERRY PLAZA FARMERS MARKET

Miner's lettuce, a member of the purslane family, may be used raw in salads or cooked until just wilted in a sauté (image: Lulu Meyer).

News & Notes
Strange weather patterns, waffling between extreme heat and cold (reaching near freezing in some areas), have delayed an early start to the blueberry season. The weather may also affect cherries and other stone fruit. To date, one of the market's peach growers has even reported that he may have lost his entire crop this year.

California salmon will not be available at the market this year, but Shogun Fish Co. has returned with halibut, black cod, sand dabs, sardines, and squid.

Good news? Spring favorites like English, snow, and sugar snap peas are plentiful, as well as rhubarb, artichokes, and pea shoots.

What's New
Stockton Red Onions from Balakian Farms in Reedley, fresh bay laurel leaves, miners lettuce (see photo above), lemon verbena, and other herbs from White Crane Springs farm in Sonoma.

New prepared foods have also arrived. Be on the lookout for fresh goat cheese, as goats are presently in their full milk production mode. Charcuterie The Fatted Calf is selling crepinettes -- sausage patties made with various meats, greens, and other market-driven ingredients, all wrapped up in caul fat. June Taylor is bringing preserves, syrups, and fruit butters, including a seville orange and rosemary syrup. On Saturdays, Cap'n Mike's Holy Smoke is selling a "SF Style Lox Sandwich" served open faced on ACME sourdough bread, garnished with Stockton Red Onions, and slathered with Sally's homemade cream cheese. The seasonal sandwiches go on hiatus during the winter.

Coming Soon
Artichokes, fava beans, watercress, baby lettuces, torpedo onions, baby carrots, and beets. Later in the month, blueberries, cherries, squash blossoms, apricots, and apriums should make their debut.

Heading Out
Asparagus will wind down during May and most likely be gone by June, and any remaining citrus varieties will exit the market as well. 

Sources: Gabrielle Langholtz, Greenmarket Manager of Publicity & Special Projects; Lulu Meyer, Associate Director of Operations, Center for Urban Education about Sustainable Agriculture.

MarketWatch: Sap for Sipping, Baby Garlic, and Eggs of All Kinds

After a two-year hiatus, The Food Section's MarketWatch returns for its Spring 2008 edition. The new version, launching today, will be published monthly, with reports on what's fresh and new at the farmers markets in New York, San Francisco, and other cities (soon). If you've visited a farmers market recently in your own community, tell us what's new in the comments. And, if you have photos, be sure to post them to our new MarketWatch flickr pool.

NEW YORK: UNION SQUARE GREENMARKET

News & Notes
If you came to the Greenmarket this past Saturday, you might have noticed that the layout has been temporarily rearranged. Producers normally found on the north end of Union Square have moved south to make way for a construction project to restore the pavilion and beautify the North Plaza.

While we have technically entered spring, based on what's on display at the Greenmarket, it might as well still be winter. Apples, potatoes, and root vegetables are plentiful, but anything fresh and green is still scarce. While the temperature has risen just enough to tempt us out of winter, we're not there yet.

Greenmarket Manager Gabrielle Langholtz turned to poetry to describe the state we're in: "T.S. Eliot said it best: 'April is the cruelest month' Hats and scarves come off and customers come out, but farmers are just now putting seeds in the ground. The first harvests haven't really begun yet."

Nevertheless, a few spring specialties have arrived, and more are on the way.

What's New
Pheasant, duck, and turkey eggs from Quattro's Game Farm and D'Attolico Organic's baby garlic, harvested from garlic cloves planted in the fall, are selling fast on Saturdays. Get to the market early in the morning if you want a chance at grabbing these early spring specialties. The specialty eggs should be around until July, but baby garlic won't be available much longer.

Tired of drinking steaming hot apple cider at the market? How about some cold maple sap instead? Maple syrup producer Andy Van Glad has been selling pure maple sap, the stuff that is boiled down to 4o times its concentration to make maple syrup. The unprocessed sap, sold by the cup, tastes like water with just a hint of maple (its sugar content is 2%). Maple Sap will be available for only the next couple of weeks.

Coming Soon
Goose eggs should make their debut this week at Quattro's. Expect morels, ramps, and asparagus to arrive at the market soon. Depending on the weather, they may be harvested anywhere between the end of April and early May.

SAN FRANCISCO: FERRY PLAZA FARMERS MARKET

What's New
Berries! Strawberries are brand new and will soon be followed by raspberries and blueberries (bear in mind that the blueberry season is short, lasting only around six weeks).

Purple asparagus has been at the market since mid-March, but will be gone before the end of April.

Coming Soon
Depending on weather, look for Torpedo and Stockton red onions, English, Sugar Snap, and Snow peas, rhubarb, basil, and squash blossoms. Cherries and apricots should make their appearance in May and be finished by the end of June.

In Good Supply
Spinach, asparagus, avocados, green garlic, spring onions, kumquats, nettles, broccoli, rapini, artichokes, baby turnips, carrots, mizuna, radishes and radish greens, fava beans, pastured eggs, chard, and baby beets.

Heading Out
Brussels sprouts and citrus.

Sources: Gabrielle Langholtz, Greenmarket Manager of Publicity & Special Projects; Lulu Meyer, Associate Director of Operations, Center for Urban Education about Sustainable Agriculture.

Barber Buys Beans, Pears Premiere, and a Day in the Life of Farmer Michael Hoffman

NEWS & NOTES

The New York City Coalition Against Hunger has a useful Greenmarket google map: the push pins are color coded based on which markets have farmers who accept food stamps/EBT. You can also narrow your search by the day of the week the market takes place and the borough it's in.

Gothamist again reports on blueberries, this time anticipating the imminent end of their season with tips on how to freeze and store.

Tiny Banquet Committee has some beautiful Greenmarket photos.

The New York Post ran an article yesterday on Tim Stark of Eckerton Farms. The piece includes descriptions of several of the tomato varieties he sells at the Union Square Greenmarket as well as tomato insight from Vinegar Factory's Eli Zabar ("never ever" refrigerate them, he says).

CHEF SIGHTINGS

Dan Barber of Blue Hill at the Union Square Greenmarket buying shell beans at Berried Treasures, eggplant at Sycamore Farms, and watermelon from Caradonna...Peter Hoffman, chef at Savoy, being filmed strapping produce on his bike cart...Colin Alevras of The Tasting Room, buying out most of Honey Hallow Farm's chanterelles and eggs (except for a small portion of the mushrooms being saved for Tocqueville), all on August 16th at the Union Square Greenmarket.

WHAT'S IN, WHAT'S OUT

Tomatillos ($2/lb.) from Migliorelli Farm and Oak Grove Plantation...celeriac (celery root, $2/lb.) from Paffenroth Farm...shell beans ($3/lb.) from Berried Treasures...super thin haricots vert ($6/lb.) from Berried Treasures...early blue plums from Locust Grove...yellow watermelon ($1/lb.) from Oak Grove Plantation.

Apples are showing up all over the market: ginger gold apples ($1.20-$1.50/lb.) from Migliorelli Farm and Locust Grove...tydeman apples (tart, $1.25/lb.) from Terhune Orchards and Locust Grove...red free apples (sweet, hard, $1.25/lb.) from Terhune Orchards...paula red apples (tart, hard, $1.25/lb.) from Terhune Orchards...summer pippin (sour, hard, $1.25/lb.)...early macintoshes (semi-sweet, $1.25 lb.) from Locust Grove...early golden ($1.50/lb.) from Breezy Hill Orchard.

The first pears of the season are in too, at Locust Grove and Caradonna ($1-$1.25/lb.).

Berried Treasures has Kiwano, or "horned melon," which is in the cucumber family ($5/lb.). To eat, they recommend slicing the fruit in the center and scooping out the jelly inside.

Honey Hollow Farm's chanterelle production is waning, but porcinis will be in soon.

DAY IN THE LIFE: Michael Hoffman (Honey Hollow Farm)

10 p.m. (Tuesday night): Michael falls asleep in front of the T.V. watching an episode of Six Feet Under. He says he's lucky if he gets ten hours of sleep in a week.

2 a.m. (Wednesday morning): He gets out of bed and eats a breakfast of one hard boiled egg, mashed with mayonnaise and minced onion. He drinks a couple cups of coffee and hops in his van. The real challenge at that hour, he says, is avoiding deer on the drive down the hill.

6 a.m.: Michael arrives at the Union Square Greenmarket and sets up his stand.

7 p.m.: On a long day, he won't leave the market until 7 p.m. Many days, though, Honey Hollow Farm sells out and he can head back as early as 3 p.m.

10 p.m.: Michael arrives back in upstate New York, just outside Albany.

FOCUS ON: Chocolate Chip Cookies

What better way to ease into the work week than a nice, big chocolate chip cookie. Check out the information below for help in choosing the right one for you at the Monday Union Square Greenmarket.

BODY & SOUL Hazelnut Chocolate Chip Cookie (pictured upper left, $2.25)

Notable ingredients: whole wheat flour, white flour with wheat germ, brown rice syrup, hazelnuts, dairy free malt sweetened chocolate chips, maple syrup, canola oil (all organic) Notable qualities: cookie itself is hard, dense, earthy; not too sweet; nutty; low chocolate content but a strong cocoa taste Other baked goods at Body &Soul: an array of organic and vegan pastries, muffins, and cookies

CREEKSIDE BARN Giant Chocolate Chip Cookie (pictured upper right, $1.50)

Notable ingredients: carob chips Notable qualities: cookie is cakey, but not too sweet; very soft, flexible; simple; not too buttery Other baked goods at Creekside Barn: giant oatmeal raisin cookies, brownie cups, muffins, and many other traditional baked goods

CONUCO FARM Chocolate Chip Cookies (pictured lower right, 3 cookies for $1.50)

Notable ingredients: margarine instead of butter Notable qualities: cookie is both sweet and salty; buttery taste; very crunchy Other baked goods at Conuco Farm: peanut butter cookies, oatmeal raisin cookies, vegan granola cookies, zucchini quiches, different breads

BREAD ALONE Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookie (picture lower left, $1.50)

Notable ingredients: oatmeal, cinnamon Notable qualities: cookie is compact and thick, but crumbly; not very buttery; chocolate content is high; chocolate chips are good quality, very soft and sweet Other baked goods at Bread Alone: many different kinds of bread, chocolate chip walnut cookies, oatmeal raisin cookies, peanut butter cookies, scones, muffins, pastries

FARMER INFORMATION

• Berried Treasures, Cooks Falls, NY. At the Union Square Greenmarket Wednesdays and Fridays.
• Bread Alone, Boiceville, NY. At the Union Square Greenmarket Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays, and Saturdays (800.769.3328)
• Body & Soul. At the Union Square Greenmarket Mondays and Fridays.
• Breezy Hill Orchard, Staatsburg, NY. At the Union Square Greenmarket Wednesdays and Saturdays and the Orchard Street Market on Sundays (845.266.3979).
• Caradonna, at the Union Square Greenmarket Wednesdays and Saturdays.
• Creekside Barn, Orange County, NY. At the Union Square Greenmarket Mondays (845.986.3996).
• Conuco Farm, Nazareth, PA. At the Union Square Greenmarket Mondays, at the Orchard Street Market Saturdays, and at the Tompkins Square Park Market Sundays (917.306.8746).
• Eckerton Hill, Lenhartsville, PA. At the Union Square Greenmarket Wednesdays and Saturdays.
• Honey Hallow Farm, Schoharie River Valley area. At Union Square Greenmarket Wednesdays and Fridays.
• Locust Grove, Milton, NY. At the Union Square Greenmarket Wednesdays and Saturdays (845.795.5194).
• Migliorelli Farm, Tivoli, NY. At the Union Square Greenmarket Wednesdays, Fridays, and Saturdays.
• Oak Grove Plantation, at the Union Square Greenmarket Fridays and Saturdays.
• Paffenroth Gardens, Warwick, NY. At Union Square Greenmarket Wednesdays and Saturdays (845.258.4746).
• Sycamore Farms, Middletown, NY. At the Union Square Greenmarket Wednesdays, Fridays, and Saturdays.
• Terhune Orchards, Salt Point, NY. At the Union Square Greenmarket Wednesdays and Saturdays (845.266.5382). 

Farm Trippin', Early Apples, and (Not Just) Rugelach

NEWS & NOTES

The San Francisco Chronicle reports this week on new measures that Whole Foods plans to take to increase its commitment to sustainable agriculture and local produce, including a requirement that all Whole Foods stores buy from at least four individual local farms, a pledge of $10 million a year in loans to small, local farms, and Sunday Farmers Markets in Whole Foods parking lots.

The Agriculture Department is proposing new legislation that would loosen the standards for what is classified as grass-fed, reports The New York Times. Under the proposed rule, it is possible that animals that were not raised on a pasture and were given antibiotics and hormones could still be considered grass-fed.

Gothamist provides tips on how to prepare and store lettuce, which they like to get from Gorzynski Organic Farm at the Union Square Greenmarket.

GET OUT OF TOWN

The New York Times has a series of articles this week on road trips to various farms, purveyors, and eateries in Columbia County, NY, Long Beach Island, NJ, Litchfield County, CT, and North Fork, NY. If you're looking for more ideas, several Greenmarket farms offer "pick-your-own" or "make-your-own" activities:

• You can pick-your-own fruit at Phillips Farms in Milford, NJ every day except for Tuesdays, from 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. Go now and catch the tail end of the blueberry season. Peaches, raspberries, and blackberries are also ready to be picked (or will be shortly). Call 908.995.0022 for more information.
• Prospect Hill Orchards offers seasonal pick-your-own weekends (9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.). Right now, peaches (donut, yellow, and white) are ripe and ready. Nectarines can be picked starting the second weekend of August. Come mid-September, apples, pears, and pumpkins will be available. Contact Steve, Judy, or Brad Clarke at 845.795.2383 for more information.
• Learn old-fashioned cheesemaking at Valley Shepherd Creamery in Long Valley, NJ. You'll get to make your own cheese wheel, which you leave in the Creamery's hillside aging cave and pick up when it's ready in 60 to 75 days. The next cheesemaking class is September 17th. It costs $129 and includes the cheese class, cheese tasting, a tour, luncheon, and the wheel of cheese. Call 908.876.3200 for more information.

WHAT'S IN, WHAT'S OUT

Baby organic carrots ($1.50/bunch) and hot peppers (6/$1.00) from HydroGarden Farm...hyssop tea ("licorice flavor, heals the lungs") and lemon verbena tea ($1.00) from Berried Treasures...cranberry beans ($3.00/lb.) and yellow plum tomatoes ($2.50/lb) at Migliorelli Farm...blackberries ($4.00/half pint) from Locust Grove and Breezy Hill Orchard...early red free apples ($1.50) from Oak Grove Plantation...more varieties of apples from Caradonna, including red delicious, pristine, golden delicious, empire, mutsu, and cameo ($.75 to $1.25/lb.)...cubanelles ($2.40/lb.) from Keith's.

Due to popular demand, Lynnhaven now has feta in brine (which gives it its characteristic saltiness). Feta crumbles not in brine are still available ($5.00).

Tamarack Hollow Farm is now taking orders for holiday ham, duck, goose, and suckling pig.

Rhubarb and fava beans are essentially gone...cherries are becoming less abundant...only tri-star strawberries are left.

FOCUS ON: Just Rugelach

Although the labels on their goods and the sign on their stand say "Just Rugelach," perhaps the name on their CENY placard - "Not Just Rugelach" - is more apt. In addition to the traditional Jewish treat, they sell a wide array of baked goods: everything from muffins, strudels, bread, and cookies to more uncommon items. Take the roast pork buns: Roselie Halik, who runs the company with her husband Tom, explains that when she was pregnant she was craving them and Tom developed the recipe for her. They liked it so much that they kept it around and sell it at market to this day. Both times I visited them at the Tribeca Greenmarket, numerous patrons came just for these doughy delicacies, which they sell for $1.00 each.

Tom Halik started the company in 1995 after attending culinary school in Paris and working at the 5th Avenue Epicure in New York (where he met Roselie). He has come to be known as "the rugelach man" in Kearny, NJ, where they are based.  Everything is made from scratch, every day, and Tom is always working to improve his recipes: "constantly developing," Roselie says. She tries all the recipes as her husband works on them, offering advice how they might be tweaked before they are finalized. "I'm his biggest critic," she says with a laugh.

Despite the array of baked goods they sell, Roselie says that "people always come for the rugelach." Right now they offer four different flavors: walnut raison apricot, walnut raisin raspberry, chocolate hazelnut, and cinnamon raisin. She says they try to make seasonal varieties, but always keep their standbys, like the classic walnut raisin apricot. Their rugelach can be bought wholesale or through mail order and at any of their Greenmarket locations throughout the city (see FARMER INFORMATION). Rugelach is 50 cents a piece or $2.00/quarter pound.

FARMER INFORMATION

• Berried Treasures, Cooks Falls, NY. At the Union Square Greenmarket Wednesdays and Fridays.
• Breezy Hill Orchard, Staatsburg, NY. At the Union Square Greenmarket Wednesdays and Saturdays and the Orchard Street Market on Sundays (845.266.3979).
• Caradonna, at the Union Square Greenmarket Wednesdays and Saturdays.
• Hydro Garden Farm, Yaphank, NY. At the Union Square Greenmarket Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays, and Saturdays (631.286.3423).
• Just Rugelach, Kearny, NJ. At the Tribeca Greenmarket Wednesdays and Saturdays, Brooklyn Borough Hall Greenmarket Tuesdays and Saturdays, UN Plaza Greenmarket on Wednesdays,  Bowling Green Greenmarket on Thursdays, and 77th Street Greenmarket and Jackson Heights Greenmarket on Sundays (201.246.9211).
• Keith's Farm, Westtown, NY. At the Union Square Greenmarket Wednesdays and Saturdays (845.856.4955).
• Locust Grove, Milton, NY. At the Union Square Greenmarket Wednesdays and Saturdays (845.795.5194).
• Lynnhaven, Pine Bush, NY. At the Union Square Greenmarket on Wednesdays (845.744.6089).
• Migliorelli Farm, Tivoli, NY. At the Union Square Greenmarket Wednesdays, Fridays, and Saturdays.
• Oak Grove Plantation, at the Union Square Greenmarket Fridays and Saturdays.
• Phillips Farms, Milford, NJ. At the Union Square Greenmarket Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays, and Saturdays (908.995.0022).
• Prospect Hill Orchards, Milton, NY. At the Tribeca Greenmarket Saturdays (845.795.2383).
• Tamarack Hollow Farm, Corinth, VT. At the Union Square Greenmarket on Wednesdays (802.439.5078)
• Valley Shepherd Creamery, Long Valley, NJ. At the Union Square Greenmarket Wednesdays and Saturdays and the Tribeca Greenmarket on Wednesdays (908.876.3200).

Donut Peaches, Tompkins Square Greenmarket, and Squash Blossoms

NEWS & NOTES

In her latest newsletter, Nina Planck, founder of the Real Food Markets, provides a lesson in evolution: if you're wondering why berries only come in bright shades of red, blue, and purple, it's "because they have to be visible to your Stone Age brain, to pop out of all that blurry green foliage somehow, or else you wouldn't stop to pick them, eat them, and spread their little raspberry and strawberry seeds all over tarnation." Color: A procreation strategy for the berries and an indicator of antioxidants for us.

NYC Nosh talks about the mangosteen, a fruit that is illegal to import fresh into the United States for fear of foreign pests, describing it as tasting "a bit like a tangy peach, but with the texture of a ripe cherry."

CHEF SIGHTINGS

Chefs from The Core Club, a Midtown-East private club, buying baskets of peaches at Terhune Orchards and bags of various onions at Paffenroth Gardens...Chefs from Whole Foods trying French arugula at HydroGarden Farm, both on Wednesday, July 26th at the Union Square Greenmarket.

WHAT'S IN, WHAT'S OUT

Donut peaches ($3.50/lb., $5/quart) from Phillips Farms and Red Jacket Orchards..."super sweet" corn (3/$1) from Paffenroth Gardens, as well as a matching decrease in price for the bi-color corn at Migliorelli Farm...organic heirloom tomatoes from HydroGarden Farms...mixed heirloom and gourmet tomatoes ($3/pint) from Oak Grove Plantation, including yellow plum, green grape, rose quartz, sun gold, garden peach, and Matt's wild cherry varieties...low acid tomatoes ($2.50/lb.) from Kernan Farms..."revolutionary" red watermelon ($1/lb.) from Oak Grove Plantation...shiro and early wizard plums ($3/lb.) from Locust Grove...squash blossoms are abundant (see FOCUS ON)...hot Portugal peppers ($0.25/ea.) at Keith's Farm.

Peppers at Oak Grove Plantation: pepper plants ($8.75) as well as a half dozen other varieties ($3-$4/lb) with advisories on spiciness, ranging from the "mild to medium hot" jalapeño to the "extremely hot" serrano.

TRY A NEW GREENMARKET: Tompkins Square Park (East 7th Street and Avenue A, Sundays, 8:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.)

Tompkins Square Park, in the middle of East Village, hosts this Sunday Greenmarket in its southwest corner. Some of the same farms that sell at Union Square appear here: DiPaola Turkey Farms, Sprout Creek Farm, Conuco Farm, and Fantasy Fruit Farm all have stands. There are many other farmers who do not sell at Union Square or even elsewhere in New York. There is more of a focus on organic food at this market, with many farmers selling certified organic produce. Lots of vendors offer samples and live music often plays in the park during the market.

FOCUS ON: Squash Blossoms (Yuno's Farm, 4/$1; Locust Grove, $3/quart; Evolutionary Organics, $5/box; Windfall Farms, $5/box).

Squash blossoms, also known as zucchini blossoms or zucchini flowers, are currently in their peak season, available from several farms selling across the city. These bright orange blossoms are delicate: hold them under a light stream of running water to clean. Dry with a paper towel and store in an air-tight plastic container in the refrigerator. Squash blossoms have to be used within a couple days of being picked or they will go bad.

Squash blossoms have much of the same nutritional punch as their sister plants summer squash and zucchini: all are filled with vitamins A and C, potassium, and calcium.

Find them in New York...fried with mozzarella cheese at Gusto...stuffed with cheese, battered with panko bread crumbs, and fried at Oceana...made raw-vegan at The Plant, stuffed with "ricotta" (actually, a puree of almonds, cashews, pine nuts, and garlic scapes).

Make them yourself...Locust Grove recommends sautéing, stuffing or throwing them in a salad...Yuno's recommends stuffing them with ricotta or mozzarella, dipping them in egg batter with flour or corn meal and frying...Evolutionary Organics recommends stuffing them with cheese and herbs and sautéing, battering and frying, or putting them on pizzas or in omelettes...Windfall Farms has a handout at the Union Square Greenmarket with recipes for battered squash blossoms and squash blossom quesadillas (a similar recipe for squash blossom quesadillas can be found at The Food Network).

FARMER INFORMATION

• Conuco Farm, Nazareth, PA. At the Union Square Greenmarket Mondays, at the Orchard Street Market Saturdays, and at the Tompkins Square Park Market Sundays (917.306.8746).
• DiPaola Turkey Farm, Hamilton Square, NJ. At the Union Square Greenmarket Wednesdays, Fridays, and Saturdays, and at the Tompkins Square Greenmarket Sundays (609.587.9311).
• Evolutionary Organics, New Paltz, NY. At the Tompkins Square Park Market Sundays (845.256.1355).
• Hydro Garden Farm, Yaphank, NY. At the Union Square Greenmarket Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays, and Saturdays (631.286.3423).
• Keith's Farm, Westtown, NY. At the Union Square Greenmarket Wednesdays and Saturdays (845.856.4955)
• Kernan Farms, Bridgeton, NJ. At Union Square Greenmarket Wednesdays.
• Locust Grove, Milton, NY. At the Union Square Greenmarket Wednesdays and Saturdays (845.795.5194).
• Migliorelli Farm, Tivoli, NY. At the Union Square Greenmarket Wednesdays, Fridays, and Saturdays.
• Oak Grove Plantation, at the Union Square Greenmarket Fridays and Saturdays.
• Paffenroth Gardens, Warwick, NY. At Union Square Greenmarket Wednesdays and Saturdays (845.258.4746).
• Phillips Farms, Milford, NJ. At the Union Square Greenmarket Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays, and Saturdays (908.995.0022).
• Red Jacket Orchards, Geneva, NY.  At the Union Square Greenmarket Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays, and Saturdays (800.828.9410).
• Terhune Orchards, Salt Point, NY. At the Union Square Greenmarket Wednesdays and Saturdays (845.266.5382).
• Windfall Farms, Montgomery, NY. At the Union Square Greenmarket Wednesdays and Saturdays.
• Yuno's Farm, Bordentown, NY. At the Union Square Greenmarket Mondays and Fridays.

Touch Your Tomatoes, Spotted Pig Spotting, Gooseberries, and HydroGarden Farm

NEWS & NOTES

Augieland responds to a letter about how to choose farmers at the Greenmarket. His thesis? "Make a habit of touching produce and you will know all you need to know about who has the best what." He gives tips on how to feel for the best tomatoes, lettuce, corn, and more.

On July 17th, Sustainable Food News reported that the USDA is attempting to add an additional 13 substances to the list approved for organic certification, including coloring agents, preservatives, antibiotics, and other synthetic substances. Contact the USDA if you have something to say about this; SFN reports that "[i]ndustry and the public are invited to comment on the proposed recommendations by Sept. 15." 

Celebrating the 30th anniversary of the Greenmarket, both New York Magazine and The New York Times write on the current state of the beloved New York institution. The New York Magazine article discusses the history of the market and profiles five Greenmarket farms; The New York Times focuses on the dichotomy between Greenmarkets servicing low income neighborhoods and high profile Greenmarkets like Union Square and Grand Army Plaza.

Gothamist provides some tips on cooking with blueberries, which are now abundant at Greenmarkets across the city. Fantasy Fruit Farm has some tasty and comparatively less pricey ones at the Union Square Greenmarket ($3.50/pint, $6/two pints).

CHEF SIGHTINGS

April Bloomfield, head chef at The Spotted Pig, buying a cart's worth of produce at the Union Square Greenmarket on July 12th...Rene Ortiz of La Esquina, buying gooseberries at Locust Grove with his wife and baby for a red tomatillo sauce on July 19th.

WHAT'S IN, WHAT'S OUT

Sweet plums ($3.00 to $4.00/lb.) from Terhune Orchards (red and yellow varieties), Locust Grove ("oshi washi" variety), and Caradonna...raspberries ($4.00/lb) from Terhune Orchards and Locust Grove...apricots ($4.00/lb) from Terhune Orchards and Migliorelli Farm. To find a ripe apricot, shake and listen for a loose pit rattling inside...red currants ($4.00/half pint, $6.00/quart) from Berried Treasures and Locust Grove...ginger gold apples ($1.50/lb.) from Locust Grove...lodi apples (super sour, $1.25/lb) from Caradonna...gooseberries ($3.00 to $4.00/half pint) from Locust Grove and Caradonna...eggplant ($1.25 to $1.50/lb.) is now at Cherry Lane Farm and Caradonna in addition to Kernan Farms...black currants ($3.00 to 3.50/half pint) from Fantasy Fruit Farm and Berkshire Berries...cantaloupe ($1/lb, $3/each) at Oak Grove Plantation and Kernan Farms.

Long squash ($2.00/lb.) and its runners ($2.00/bunch) are new at Migliorelli Farm. Long squash is sweeter than regular squash, and the runners are sweet as well. Migliorelli Farm recommends sautéing the runners, using them in stir-fry, or adding to pasta.

Sugar snap peas are half price ($2.00/lb. instead of $4.00/lb.) at Berried Treasures because of spots on them due to the recent rains. 

Phillips Farms has three new fruit spreads: a triple berry spread, a spiced apple spread, and cherry apricot preserves ($5.50/small jar, $7.00/large jar).

FOCUS ON: HydroGarden Farm

You know it as the farm that always has samples of marinated tofu and kimchi. The actual name is hard to come by: the ubiquitous green CENY farmer identification placard is often hidden and their banner is missing a few letters. To make things more confusing, it seems they have two names: Hydro Garden Farm and D & J Organic Farm.

D & J stands for Davie and Julie Yen, who started the twenty acre farm after retiring from the jewelry business. Their face at the Union Square Greenmarket, though, is John Silver, a towering man who is constantly offering passersby tastes of a new green or three kinds of tofu on a toothpick. John wakes up at 4:30 a.m. on weekdays to be at the Union Square Market (on Saturday, he "gets to sleep in" until 5:30 a.m.) and doesn't get back to Long Island until late in the evening. This doesn't seem to sour his disposition; John is infinitely proud of the farm, telling anyone who will listen about the 76 year old woman who makes the kimchi, a recipe that has been in her family for generations.

John breaks down the philosophy of the farm as providing produce that "truly builds the health of the people who enjoy it." Hydro Garden Farm is a certified organic farm, but purity of food is not their only concern; as you might have noticed, they often have rare variations and uncommon products for sale. "We're always looking for a unique thing," John says, pointing to thier baby arugula (spicier than regular arugula), French sorrel (more lemony than regular sorrel), shiso, Japanese seedless cucumber, and tai choi cabbage.

Stop by the stand for a taste of these and a friendly hello from John, every Monday, Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday at the Union Square Greenmarket.

FARMER INFORMATION

• Berkshire Berries, Chester, MA. At the Union Square Greenmarket Mondays and Wednesdays (800.5BERRIES).
• Berried Treasures, Cooks Falls, NY. At the Union Square Greenmarket Wednesdays and Fridays.
• Caradonna, at the Union Square Greenmarket Wednesdays and Saturdays.
• Cherry Lane Farm, Bridgeton, NJ. At the Union Square Greenmarket Wednesdays and Fridays.
• Fantasy Fruit Farm, Afton, NY. At the Union Square Greenmarket Mondays, Wednesdays, and Saturdays (607.639.2075).
• Hydro Garden Farm, Yaphank, NY. At the Union Square Greenmarket Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays, and Saturdays (631.286.3423).
• Kernan Farms, Bridgeton, NJ. At Union Square Greenmarket Wednesdays.
• Locust Grove, Milton, NY. At the Union Square Greenmarket Wednesdays and Saturdays (845.795.5194).
• Migliorelli Farm, Tivoli, NY. At the Union Square Greenmarket Wednesdays, Fridays, and Saturdays.
• Oak Grove Plantation, at the Union Square Greenmarket Fridays and Saturdays.
• Phillips Farms, Milford, NJ. At the Union Square Greenmarket Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays, and Saturdays (908.995.0022).
• Terhune Orchards, Salt Point, NY. At the Union Square Greenmarket Wednesdays and Saturdays (845.266.5382).

Onions on Orchard Street, Lemon Cucumbers, and The Plant's Kristen Reyes

NEWS & NOTES

Meg Hourihan reported on her blog Megnut that heavy rains have been devastating the crops of many northeastern farms. The President of the New York Farm Bureau just wrote a letter to the House of Representatives on June 29th, saying that “unless decisive action is taken at the federal level,” many farms are in jeopardy of going out of business. 

WHAT’S IN, WHAT’S OUT

Okra ($4.00/lb.), cantaloupe ($4.50/each), eggplant (regular and neon, which is sweeter and has less seeds, $1.25/lb.), peppers ($2.00/lb.), nectarines ($2.25/lb.), and beefsteak tomatoes ($2.50/lb.), all from Kernan Farms…plums (early golden and sugar varieties, $3.00/lb.) from Caradonna…white peaches ($3.00/lb.) from Oak Grove Plantation…lemon cucumbers (a kirby variety –“great cucumber flavor, a bit juicer”– $2.50/lb.) from Berried Treasures.

Mixed mushroom baskets are now available from Honey Hollow Farm for $5.00, which include their chanterelles and black trumpets (which can also be bought separately), as well as oysters, and several other types of mushrooms.

Purslane, featured in The New York Times last week, is available from Hydro Garden Farm ($3.00/bunch, $5.00/two bunches) if you go on a day Paffenroth Gardens is not around.

Strawberries are still hanging on. Berried Treasures has a few pints left of their Tristars for $4.00.

DEMONSTRATIONS

On Sunday, July 9th, at the Orchard Street Greenmarket, Julie Taras and Tasha Garcia, owners of Little Giant, were on hand. Julie sautéed spring onions with garlic oil and lemon salt and Tasha prompted her with questions about how she was preparing them. When she asked what they would go well with, Julie replied conclusively: “Scrambled eggs. Which,” she added, laughing, “you can get all day at Little Giant.”

On Wednesday, July 12th, at the Union Square Market, a representative of CENY Greenmarke