Posts Tagged ‘farmers market’
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A Day At NYC’s Tribeca Greenmarket
The 90-plus degree New York City weather didn’t stop shoppers from picking up fresh food in the city’s Tribeca neighborhood this Wednesday. Shoppers who could have easily slipped into the air-conditioned sanctuary of Whole Foods (a mere block away) were opting instead to support local farmers and bakers and stock their baskets at the Tribeca Greenmarket.The quiet, family-friendly market is located on Greenwich Street, between Chambers and Duane Streets, adjacent to a usually busy playground. It’s open year-round on Saturdays; it’s also open on Wednesdays from April 7 to December 22.
Red and Yellow Swiss Chard from Alex Farm, Milford, NJ.
This week’s Wednesday market boasted fresh fruits, berries and juices from Toigo Orchards and Red Jacket Orchards. Homemade baked goods made with local flour and organic ingredients could be found at Bread Alone or Not Just Rugelach.
Alex Farm, located in Milford, New Jersey, sells vegetables like radishes, garlic and kale directly to consumers at farmers’ markets throughout New York. In addition to the Tribeca Greenmarket, Alex Farm has a booth at Bowling Green on Tuesdays and Thursdays and at City Hall on Fridays.
Squash, Beans & Shell Peas From Lani's Farm, Bordentown, NJ.
Shoppers at the Tribeca market can also pick up produce good enough for famed restaurateur Danny Meyer if they stop by the Lani’s Farm booth. Located in Bordentown, New Jersey, Lani’s Farm sells both at the Tribeca Market and to some of New York’s most buzzed about restaurants, including: Union Square Café, Gramercy Tavern, Momofuku, Northern Spy Food Co. and Blue Hill Farm (The Obamas’ choice when they came to New York).
In addition to wonderfully fresh local foods, shoppers can pick up free recipes and produce storage and preparation tips from the GrowNYC Greenmarket information booth.
For locations, hours and vendor listings for all of New York City’s Greenmarkets, see the GrowNYC website.
Tribeca Greenmarket• Greenwich & Chambers Streets, New York, NY 10007
See more great images of the Tribeca Greenmarket on our flickr page!
Tribeca Greenmarket
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Chard Times
There’s Swiss cheese, Swiss chocolate, Swiss Army knives. But what’s so “Swiss” about chard? It’s a mystery. That’s not the only curious aspect of chard. Why does chard, especially the ruby-red variety, taste a lot like beets? And, most
importantly, are Swiss CSA-members as inundated with Swiss chard at this time of year as their Vermont CSA counterparts?Renowned produce expert Elizabeth Schneider is even mystified by the “Swiss” in chard. In her Uncommon Fruits & Vegetables: A Commonsense Guide (William Morrow, 1990) she speculates that “Swiss” could be a long-forgotten seed variety name that stuck to chard, aka Beta vulgaris, subspecies cicla. Which leads us to the next conclusion: Chard and beets (aka Beta vulgaris, subspecies vulgaris) aren’t just cousins, they’re practically clones. Somewhere along the way, plant breeders encouraged one plant to put out fleshy leaves and thick stalks, while other breeders encouraged a second plant to develop roots the size of tennis balls.
While we don’t know of any Swiss CSA-members or FarmPlate followers in Switzerland, we can imagine that a number of Swiss-French vegetable lovers are buying chard at this time of year for a lovely gratin de blettes topped with Gruyère or a tourte aux blettes, a rough pie filled with chard and currants.
We find that a lot of chard preparations benefit from a hint of sweetness to counteract the dominant flavor of the vegetable. When you’re stir-frying chard, for instance, add a teaspoonful of balsamic vinegar or pomegranate molasses (available at City Market and Middlebury Co-op) to balance the flavors in the dish. Slow-cooked Vidalia onions or a handful of dried currants do the job as well.
Check out a farmstand or farmers’ market near you for fresh Swiss chard. Or, you can always beg a bunch or two from a friend whose CSA share has had a lot of chard in it lately.
Swiss Chard Stuffed with Spicy-Sweet Rice
from the FarmPlate Kitchen
Larger chard leaves are good for stuffing like the grape leaves in Greek dolmades. Plan ahead for this recipe—the peas need to soak overnight.
5 tablespoons olive oil
1 medium onion, minced
¾ cup white rice (Texmati or basmati)
1½ cups water
1 teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon cinnamon
A big pinch ground cardamom (optional)
¼ cup yellow split peas or chana dal (split chickpeas), soaked overnight in water
About 20 stalks of white Swiss chard with large leaves
1/3 cup dried currants
¼ cup chopped fresh mint
¼ cup chopped fresh parsley
Freshly ground black pepper
Juice of 1 lemon
Greek yogurt for serving
Heat 2 tablespoons of the oil in a saucepan. Add the onions and cook until soft, about 5 minutes. Add the rice and cook a minute or two until the rice grains are slightly translucent. Add the water, salt, cinnamon and cardamom. Bring to a boil. Drain the split peas or chana dal and add to the pan as well. Reduce the heat to low, cover the pan and cook for 20 minutes.
Bring a kettle of water to a boil. Cut 15 to 18 leaves from the chard stems. Stack the leaves in a colander. Pour the water from the kettle over the leaves followed by running cold water. Spread the leaves on paper towels.
Chop the stems and the remaining leaves. Set aside a couple handfuls of chopped chard. Sauté the remainder in 1 tablespoon of the olive oil until it wilts. Add the currants and cook for a minute or two. Add the chard mixture to the cooked rice/split pea mixture. Stir in the mint, parsley and a generous grinding of pepper.
Drop about 2 tablespoons of stuffing onto the center of one leaf. Fold the wider end up over the stuffing. Fold in the sides, and then roll into a tight cylinder. Repeat with the remaining filling and leaves.
Spread the reserved chopped chard in the bottom of a deep (not cast iron) skillet. Set the chard packages on the chopped chard, seam-side down. Combine the lemon juice, the remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil and 2 tablespoons of water in a small cup. Drizzle over the chard packages. Cover the pan tightly and cook over very low heat for 30 minutes. Transfer the packages to a serving dish and chill.
Serve chilled or a room temperature with a dollop of Greek yogurt.
Serves 6 to 8 as a first course or 4 as a main course
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Itty-Bitty Roasted Vegetables
from the FarmPlate Kitchen
Those “baby” carrots sold in sealed plastic bags at the supermarket aren’t babies at all. They’re tough and tired oldsters that have been trimmed and whittled to a uniform length. Look for true baby carrots with their green tops still attached.
1 pound baby carrots, green tops trimmed to ½ inch
1 pound tiny turnips, trimmed and quartered
8 ounces baby radishes, sliced in half
2 tablespoons olive oil
¼ teaspoon sea salt
A generous grinding of black pepper
8 to 10 thin asparagus spears, ends trimmed, spears cut into 2-inch lengths
1 shallot, minced
1 tablespoon rice vinegar or other mild vinegar
1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
1 tablespoon chopped fresh chives
1 tablespoon chopped fresh mint
Crumbled Vermont Creamery goat’s milk feta (optional)Preheat oven to 450ºF. Line a baking sheet with sides with parchment paper.
Combine the carrots, turnips and radishes in a mixing bowl. Add the oil, salt, pepper and 1 tablespoon of water and toss to coat. Transfer the vegetables to the prepared baking sheet and bake for 15 minutes, stirring once or twice. Remove the baking sheet from the oven. Add the sliced asparagus and shallots and sprinkle with the vinegar. Toss to mix and return the pan to the oven. Roast for 10 minutes more.
Transfer the roasted vegetables to a serving bowl, sprinkle with chopped fresh herbs and toss. If you like, sprinkle with a little crumbled feta.
Serves 4 to 6
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A Summer of Fruit Tarts
The shutters are off the camp windows, the lightning bugs will soon be out in full force and the lake temperature is already 58 degrees. The long days of summer are here. This is no time to be fussing with tricky or sticky pie dough.
Yet there’s a whole progression of summer fruits and berries to be picked, each one begging to be baked into pie. Right now there’s rhubarb in the garden, and once that gets too woody the strawberries and cherries will be ripe and ready. Then raspberries, blueberries, blackberries and gooseberries come into play before the plums show up. A free-form tart, sometimes called crostata or galette, is the perfect way to show off summer’s best, and it’s quick to mix and shape even in a hot and humid kitchen.
You’ll need a reliable crust recipe for warm weather baking, one that comes together easily and bakes tender and flaky. This recipe relies on a few tricks to achieve that: a little cornstarch, vodka and lemon juice all work to keep the dough tender. Rolling the dough out onto a piece of parchment paper makes it easy to transfer.
You’re sure to find plenty of fresh-picked rhubarb at the Capital City Farmers’ Market and other local markets this weekend. If you’re lucky, there might be a pint or two of perfect strawberries as well. They’ll make a lovely strawberry-rhubarb tart, a perfect way to start your summer of fruit tarts.
Summer Fruit Tart —A Basic Recipe
from the FarmPlate KitchenFor super-juicy fruits like cherries or berries, sprinkle 3 or 4 tablespoons dried, unsweetened tart cherries in the bottom of the tart before adding the rest of the fruit.
For the dough:
2 cups King Arthur unbleached all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons cornstarch
2 teaspoons sugar
¼ teaspoon salt
1½ sticks cold unsalted butter, cut into pieces
1 tablespoon vodka such as Sunshine Vodka from Green Mountain Distillers
1 tablespoon lemon or orange juice
Ice waterFor the filling:
3 cups fresh fruit, diced or sliced if fruits are larger than your thumb
½ cup light brown sugar
1 to 2 teaspoons instant tapioca
1 tablespoon lemon or orange juice
Demerara sugar, for sprinklingIn a food processor, combine the flour, cornstarch, sugar and salt. Add the butter pieces and process in bursts until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs.
Measure the vodka and orange or lemon juice into a measuring cup and add enough ice water to make ½ cup. With the machine running, add the water in a slow stream and pulse until the dough just comes together.
Dump the dough onto a pastry marble or clean countertop. Bring together into a mound about 9 x 9 inches. Starting at one corner, use the heel of your hand to smear a small amount of dough against the work surface (French pastry chefs call this le fraissage). Press and smear the whole mound of dough, then gather it up into a ball. Wrap in plastic wrap and chill for one hour.
Just before rolling out the dough, preheat the oven to 400ºF. Toss the fruit, brown sugar, tapioca and lemon juice in a bowl.
Dust a work surface with a little flour. Place a 12 x 12-inch piece of baking parchment on the work surface and dust that as well. Place the chilled pie dough on the parchment. Roll to a large circle whose edge extends about 2 inches beyond the edge of the parchment.
Transfer the circle of dough with the parchment stuck to the bottom to large tart pan or baking sheet with sides. Mound the fruit in the middle. Fold in the dough edge to cover the fruit part way. Sprinkle the exposed fruit with Demerara sugar.
Bake until the crust is golden brown and the fruit is bubbly and fragrant, 45 to 50 minutes.
Serve summer fruit tarts with dairy-fresh vanilla ice cream such as that handmade at the Mountain Creamery.
Serves 8 to 10
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A New Business Model for Farmers’ Markets
Farmers’ markets might be the easiest way for a consumer to connect directly with the farmers that grow their food. Outdoor markets are a social scene in themselves–a weekend venue where community members can connect, socialize and buy fresh food that supports the local economy.
Why then, aren’t more people shopping weekly at farmers’ markets? A new article by The American Prospect highlights the areas in which the farmers’ market business model could be improved to address problems facing low-income consumers: high prices, limited availability of food staples and awareness of farmers’ markets.Picking up a few items at a farmers’ market to make dinner can get pricey quickly, especially if you choose to eat organic. For some consumers, the price point of the farmers’ market just can’t compete with the low cost of canned items in a grocery store or a meal from the dollar menu at McDonald’s. Farmers’ markets in low-income neighborhoods struggle without the support of the majority of the community and are at risk of being put out of business by chain grocery stores that offer discounted prices.
To make shopping at farmers’ markets financially possible for low-income families and profitable for farmers, government programs need to be extended to farmers’ markets. Though some farmers’ markets currently accept food stamps, vendors who do not accept debit card purchases often cannot process food stamp payments, since food stamps are currently issued on debit cards (EBT or Electronic Benefit Transfer) instead of on paper.
Some farmers’ markets have developed creative strategies for working around these obstacles. In Washington, DC, FreshFarm Markets has implemented a food assistance program that doubles funds for low-income customers through a public-private partnership. The market allows EBT purchases and has put up tents where a food stamp recipient can easily swipe his or her EBT card in exchange for tokens that can be used at the farmstands.
To make farmers’ markets more accessible to families in need, the USDA’s Women, Infants, and Children Farmers’ Market Nutrition Program received expanded funding in 2009. The program “provides supplemental foods, health care referrals and nutrition education at no cost to low-income pregnant, breastfeeding and non-breastfeeding post-partum women, and to infants and children up to 5 years of age who are found to be at nutritional risk.” The program issues “Get Fresh” checks to be used specifically at farmers’ markets.
The American Prospect article cites the Ward 8 farmers’ market in Washington, DC, as an example of how changing the farmers’ market business model increased revenue for farmers while serving a low-income community. The market got directly involved with the community, working with customers to determine what products were most desirable so farmers could anticipate demand. Jody Tick, the director of the Capital Area Food Bank’s Harvest for Health initiative, started a youth gardening project to educate children in the area about eating healthfully. The conveniently located market started accepting EBT payments, and leftover produce from the farmers’ market was donated to convenience stores to extend the market’s reach through a partnership with the D.C. Healthy Corner Store Program.
Focusing on the community, facilitating collaboration between consumers and producers and accepting payments from subsidized government programs are steps every farmers’ market can take to expand their reach and build a prosperous market where both the consumer and the producer are beneficiaries.
More National News
May 24: The USDA announced the availability of the compliance guide for mobile slaughter units. USDA
May 22: The “Know Your Farmer, Know Your Food” initiative has received criticism from senators claiming it favors small, organic farmers and slights “conventional farmers who produce the vast majority of our nation’s food supply.” Kansas City Star
May 21: Raw alfalfa sprouts have been linked to salmonella outbreaks in ten states, causing a nationwide recall of Caldwell Fresh Foods alfalfa sprouts. FDA
Regional News
May 23: Vermont Senator Patrick Leahy is asking Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano to close the Canadian border crossing at Morses Line, rather than expand the facility, which would require land to be seized from a family farm. Associated Press
May 22: The Vermont Department of Fish and Wildlife designated the animals (including the now famous Pete the Moose) at the Big Rack Ridge Preserve a “special purpose herd,” which spares them from being killed as a measure to prevent the spread of disease. Associated Press
May 21: Green Mountain Power is moving forward with plans to build what will be Vermont’s largest wind farm. The farm will be large enough to power 20,000 homes. WCAX
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A Pie for a Balmy Sunday
There’s an awfully good chance you’ll be in shirtsleeves while shopping for the ingredients for this Sunday’s Easter feast. With temperatures forecast in the 70s, warm sunny thoughts and flavors will be on everyone’s mind.
Even if you’re planning on roasting a succulent Vermont leg of lamb or a delicious ham, you might want to include a vegetarian entrée on the menu. Hortapita is a traditional Greek savory pie made with wild greens gathered in the springtime that’s often part of a Greek Easter meal. While you can’t go foraging on a Vermont hillside just yet, you can find tender local greens at area co-ops and farmers’ markets (Middlebury, Montpelier and Rutland’s farmers’ markets will be open). And you don’t have to go to all the way to Greece to find an authentic feta for your pie.Allison Hooper and Bob Reese, cofounders of Vermont Butter & Cheese Creamery, experienced the distinctive tangy sheep and goats’ milk feta characteristic of eastern Mediterranean cuisine while at a cheese conference in Greece. Their Vermont feta captures the essence of the original. The cheese is soft, flavorful and not overly salty, making it perfect for your Vermont-style hortapita.
Spring Greens & Feta Pie (Hortapita)
from the FarmPlate KitchenIf you like, make a simple sauce of Cabot Creamery Greek-style yogurt and chopped fresh mint to serve alongside the pie.
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Roast Chicken, Five Ways
There are many good reasons to live–and dine–in Vermont. Breathtaking vistas, strong communities, world-class cheeses, the best apples, superb craft beers and chickens that taste like chicken. The flavor difference between a naturally raised chicken and a fac
tory-farm bird is unmistakable. One has flavor, the other does not.Even novice cooks can master a perfectly roasted chicken with ease. The first step is to buy a flavorful local bird. Try Hardwick’s Buffalo Mountain Co-op for quality, Vermont-raised poultry. You can also buy frozen chickens at many farmers’ markets: Check out winter, now spring, markets in Middlebury and Rutland this weekend. While you’re at it, look for organic chickens from Gaylord Farm at Montpelier’s Capital City Farmers Market. Area markets including Shelburne Supermarket and the Brattleboro Food Co-op regularly stock naturally raised Misty Knoll chicken. Someday Farm in Dorset, Vermont, is another great source for locally raised organic chickens.
For the perfect roast chicken, you’ll also need a V-rack to raise the chicken off the bottom of the roasting pan. This allows the air to circulate around the chicken so the dark meat and light meat cook more evenly.
Simple Roast Chicken
from the FarmPlate Kitchen
One 4-pound whole chicken
2 tablespoons butter, softened
1 tablespoon minced fresh herbs (parsley, thyme, chives and/or tarragon)
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Olive oil for brushing
1 cup water or hard cider such as Woodchuck draft cider -
Federal Funding Coming for Farmers’ Markets
The USDA’s Know Your Famer, Know Your Food initiative has earmarked $5 million in funding from the 2010 Farmers’ Market Promotion Program for grants to develop new farmers’ markets and enhance existing markets, roadsides stands and CSA programs as part of Michelle Obama’s Let’s Move campaign.
USDA Deputy Secretary Kathleen Merrigan announced the grant funding on a visit to New York City last Thursday, where she said, “The benefits of direct-to-consumer marketing are two-fold. Consumers are provided with fresh, healthy, affordable and locally grown products, while meeting the farmers that produce it. Farmers, on the other hand, are able to expand their economic opportunities and grow their incomes.”The grants are an effort to reduce what the first lady has labeled as “food deserts,” areas in the country that don’t have access to healthy foods from supermarkets or farmers’ markets.
According to the USDA, there are 5,274 farmers’ markets in the country. This figure marks a 13 percent increase in farmers’ markets since 2008. Despite this increase, there are still many areas nationwide that do not have farmers markets. Click on the Local Foods tab then select “Farmers’ Markets” on the USDA Economic Research Service’s recently launched Food Environment Atlas for a visual representation of the so-called “food deserts.”
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One Big Block Party
Move over Crescent City. It’s Burlington’s turn to let les bons temps rouler. The Magic Hat Mardi Gras Celebration in downtown Burlington, Vermont, opens with music at Higher Ground on Friday night. On Saturday, live bands on Church Street will fill the air with Cajun/Creole sounds as pubs and cafes will serve up tasty New Orleans fare.
The King & Queen of Mardi Gras Costume Contest begins at noon outside City Hall. Winners are each awarded $500 and will help lead the Grand Parade with Magic Hat’s Alan Newman and Mayor Bob Kiss. The event, now in its fifteenth year, will benefit the Women’s Rape Crisis Center.• If you go, keep in mind: Smart revelers park their cars at Magic Hat HQ on Bartlett Bay Road in South Burlington or Burlington High School and take the free Mardi Gras shuttle into town.
• Buy your beads to throw at the Magic Hat Mardi Gras Headquarters located in the old Maplehurst Florist shop on Church Street in Burlington. Sales benefit the WRCC.
• It’s going to be chilly! Fingerless gloves are best for catching the beads, authentic Louisiana moon pies and Lake Champlain chocolates as they fly from the floats!
• Families with children under 7 years old are welcome to catch the parade from the Little Jambalaya Viewing Zone, on the corner of Main Street and South Winooski.
More Regional Events
(All events take place in Vermont unless otherwise noted.)
Thursday, February 25
Ron Krupp, local author of Lifting the Yoke: Local Solutions to America’s Farm and Food Crisis offers up practical actions for Vermonters. 7 to 9 pm at Kellogg-Hubbard Library in Montpelier. Free. -
Wyoming’s Food Freedom Act Gains Momentum
Wyoming’s proposed House Bill 54 known as the Wyoming Food Freedom Act could exempt food producers selling “cottage foods,” or foods prepared in home kitchens, from state licenses, certifications and inspections when selling directly to consumers. Sue Wallis, a Republican member of the Wyoming State House of Representatives is sponsoring the bill.
Last year, Wallis worked to pass state legislation that made it legal to sell non-hazardous home-produced foods like jams, cookies and bread at farmers’ markets and stands in Wyoming without regulation. The bill was enacted on July 1, 2009. Prior to that date, homemade foods made in a non-licensed kitchen could only be sold at church or charity events.The proposed Wyoming Food Freedom Act would no longer ban potentially hazardous foods, including dairy, canned foods and sauces, produced in uninspected, non-licensed kitchens from being sold direct to consumers.
Those in favor of the Wyoming Food Freedom Act say it will make it possible for small farmers and food producers to sell direct to consumers without allocating the disproportionate amount of capital required to get proper certifications—a financial burden that can put small farmers and food producers out of business.
Others say the bill poses great risk to the consumer. Bob Harrington, the Casper-Natrona county health department executive director told the Casper Journal that without being able to inspect the kitchens where food is being prepared, the customer is no longer safeguarded against problems arising from unmonitored personal hygiene standards and the level of cleanliness of the environment in which the food is prepared.
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