MarketWatch Moment: In the Tank

Dave Le added this amazing photo from a Honolulu fish market to the MarketWatch photo pool:

MarketWatch Moment: December Doldrums? Not Here

We've been a little light on posting this week while spending the past week in California (Thanksgiving in the Bay Area followed by a few days in Los Angeles).

On Sunday, my brother-in-law took us to the farmers market in Mar Vista, where I sampled some of the hugest and sweetest raspberries I've ever tasted.

In the blaring sun -- with the temperature reaching the high 70s -- and seeing so much vibrant produce, you would swear it was still summer. Here are a few more photos below

MarketWatch Moment: Shoplifters Beware

MarketWatch Moment: Shoplifters Beware, added to the MarketWatch Photo Pool by Flickr users brian & kristen.

MarketWatch: Ferry Plaza Farmers Market Slideshow

Marketwatch: Summer Report

GET STONED: Stone fruit, like these Dapple Dandy pluots, are at their peak season at San Francisco's Ferry Plaza Farmers Market (click for a  slideshow).

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
"August and September are the most bumpin' times of the year," happily declares Gabrielle Langholtz, Greenmarket Manager of Publicity & Special Projects. Whoa, has hip-hop flava come to the Greenmarket? New Jack Squash? Um, no. Langholtz quickly clarifies that she was referring to the bumper crop of fruit and vegetables on display at the market now and into late summer. Seemingly everything -- from corn to eggplant, herbs, and stone fruit -- is abundant and will stay that way until fall's first frost hits. Bumpin', indeed.

What's New
Field-grown tomatoes, artichokes, and shell beans are new to the market. The first lima beans arrived last week, and expect to see cranberry beans, canellini, and soybeans (edamame) soon.

A harbinger of fall, the first new apples have arrived: "greening" variety Lodi apples are bright green, firm, and tart. 

MarketWatch: Peas, Garlic Scapes, and Corn

ARRIVALS & DEPARTURES: During June, donut peaches make their debut in San Francisco while asparagus heads out of New York (photos added to the MarketWatch Photo Pool by Flickr users beurremanie and Ferryplaza).

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.

Of Note
Epicurious features an interesting interactive map that indicates the peak season for produce state-by-state. Select a month, click on a state, and the tool automatically provides a list of what's fresh where, along with links to recipes featuring those ingredients. Naturally, all the recipes are from the epicurious database, but it's not a a bad way to start getting ideas for what to cook with your farmers' market bounty.

NEW YORK: UNION SQUARE GREENMARKET

What's New
The big news is the arrival of peas. "June is the month of peas," Greenmarket's Gabrielle Langholz told me over the phone, followed by the exclamation, "Yummy!" Sugar snap peas arrived last week, and shell peas and snow peas are just arriving now at the market. Alas, June is the only month for peas, so get them now before they disappear.

Another June specialty which just arrived this past Monday are garlic scapes, the curly flowertops of the garlic plant. The green, succulent scapes are entirely edible (they taste like garlic, only mellower).

Lettuces are presently abundant, and strawberries, which finally emerged in small supply in late May, are now flourishing.

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.

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.

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).