Monday Market Haul - 2/2/2015

Monday means Monday Market Haul!!

So for the once in in a blue moon situation where I want some jam on toast, I stopped by Beth’s Farm Kitchen jam stand. It was pretty awesome there. After trying nearly every jam they had, I finally settled on one jar of black raspberry. The moment I tasted that one, it brought me straight back to Connecticut summers where my mother has wild black raspberry bushes all over the property.

A whole nother discussion in itself is the fact that food and memory is a pretty profound thing. I swear, even though Saturday was a bitter cold January day in the middle of New York City and I was covered from head to toe in winter weather wear, it was like the second it hit my tongue, I’m seven years old, dripping wet fresh out the pool on a hot July day, sun warming my back, grass between my toes, and I’m feasting, popping one by one tiny black raspberries into my mouth.

picking berries this summer from around the yard

Anyways, back to Beth and her jam, I can get behind anywhere that has a frequent “jammer” card. To top it off she served me a tiny cup of homemade squash soup and a two-bite sample of a grilled cheese sandwich that had some of her jam on it with the cheese. Genius. It really sorta made my day.

It still astounds me what I can get on my weekly market run --- jam, wine, short ribs, sausage, and all the seasonal veggies and fruits I could want, all the while supporting small, local businesses and farmers.

I’m pretty excited about those short ribs. Are you?

Monday Market Haul - 1/26/2015

Sweet italian sausage, eggs, honeycrisp apples, bosc pears, yellow onion, yellow and orange carrots, ricotta (not pictured)

It’s Monday!

And for that you get a Monday Market Haul! Guys, the things I had to do to get this haul this weekend.

While Saturday was not, ahem, a "snowpocalypse" or anything (which I am experiencing currently.) It was still bitter cold and on top of that raining. What I coulda done was slept in, stayed in my pajams, made some coffee, and tucked in to a new book (Cat’s Cradle.) But what I did was --- head to the farmer’s market. Because if I didn’t, there would be nothing to blog about or eat for the week!

I don’t know if it comes across, but I’d say 90% of all the food that I create for this blog as well as what I consume on a daily basis comes directly from the farmer’s market. That's why I show my Market Haul on Mondays. It's important for me to show that I do my best to practice what I preach and that I am committed to my local, seasonal eating mission. Obviously here and there, I purchase things through regular means -- citrus is anything but local and I don’t always buy my meat from the market. But overall I’ve found it’s a very important part of my life now -- it gets me out of the house even in the middle of winter, it forces creativity in the kitchen as I am forced to cook only with what’s available in the season, and I’ve learned how important it is to support local sustainable farming when at all possible. 

So many farmers were so appreciative for the people that came out this past weekend. It’s important to support their hard work and presence at the market especially on a cold rainy day. As a creature of habit, I’d gotten used to going to the same vendors all the time for the same things. This past weekend, not all the farmers could make it into the city because up North it was snowing and icy. I had to broaden my search for what I was looking for and I found some different farmers and producers I hadn’t met yet.

p.s. how cool is that cutting board?! many thanks to mah girl, Jack!

Monday Market Haul - 9/1/2014

And here it is. September 1st.

Rejoice in the season of pumpkin spiced lattes?! I think not. It’s been wicked hot the past few days (that’s what I rejoice in.) Summer’s last hurrah! And yet people are still excited about slurping down piping hot chemically flavored syrup. August hadn’t even ended yet and it was already out! I thought that they were at least waiting ‘til September for that!

Anyways, I’ll be away from the city every weekend the month of September, but I'm gonna try and find a way to hit up some different farmer’s markets in the places I’ll be. Even as I was leaving the Union Square Green Market this past Saturday, I doubled back and picked up what I am sure will be my very last pint of strawberries. I’ve been trying my best to budget my farmer’s market trip. At the beginning of the summer I was so overwhelmed and overjoyed at the abundances the summer finally brought that I straight up could drop 50 bucks, no problem. So this past weekend, I was being strict as I have been, and sticking to my list. But I was half way to the subway, under budget I might add, and thinking….those berries….summer’s over...they’ll be gone...THIS IS IT. So I went back and got them. #worthit

I mean blueberries were no where to be found. No where. My heart. It breaks.

Dramatic, I know.

As you can see I did grab blackberries. I couldn’t let summer go without making one last batch of blackberry sauce.

So don’t mind me, I’ll just be over here in denial drinking my black iced coffee.

Monday Market Haul - 8/18/2014

Guys. It’s August. AUGUST!

How is summer practically over already?! I’m already mourning it’s end and it hasn’t even happened yet. All I can do is scoop up and make the best of the summer’s bounty --- which I’ve been doing obsessively. I’ve been buying and inhaling blueberries by the pints and snapping up suspicious strawberries with no concern for the cost.

I dragged home a few pounds of tomatoes because of all the things that summer brings, they seem to be the most precious of them all. It’s all I can do to not eat them all in tomato sandwich form.

Here’s my dilemma -- the end seems so near and I’m feeling the need to somehow have these short lived summer gems live forever! (Or as long as physically possible.) So while I could just eat everything in it’s truest form, berries plucked straight from the pint container or tomatoes just sprinkled lightly with salt, I’ve been tucking sweet, sweet berries into muffins and biscuits, and making lots of sauce.

So that hopefully, one day, in the encroaching, dismal, frozen future, when the polar vortex is paying the Northeast a visit, I can dip into my freezer and pull out just a little bit of summer.

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If you'd like, check back here later today. My Cousin Evelyn is a whiz with the vegetables and she fed us something so simple yet so completely satisfying that I asked permission to share it. Also later this week, I'll be sharing my way of capturing summer for later. Thanks for stoppin' by all!

Monday Market Haul - 7/28/2014

Finally! It's time for another Monday Market Haul! 

It was so nice to stroll the strands this weekend at my favorite farmer's market after so many weekends away!

Here's what I picked up:

Peaches, yellow and red plums, blueberries (who's farmer's selling point was "nothings been on them but rainwater!" Love it.) The strawberries were a surprise and I was slightly suspicious because I thought the season was over, but they were so cute and sweet and wild looking I snagged 'em up anyways, an italian pepper, parsely, a buncha squash including one the size of my arm, and squash blossoms - which I've never had before but I'm excited to experiment with.

So nice to be back! The farmer's market might be my happy place. :)

Monday Market Haul - 6/30/2014

Every Monday, I plan to show off all the fabulous things I bring home from the Farmer’s Market the past weekend!

Welcome to the first Monday Market Haul!

Red Russian Kale, Green Cabbage. Red Onions, Broccoli, Carrots, Strawberries, Red Cabbage, Radishes, Sweet Cherries

Okay, so I may have gotten a tad carried away at the farmer’s market on Saturday. Summer is here people! And the stands were abundant with proof of that. I had to keep in mind that I can’t make ALL THE THINGS! Somehow (berry wise) I was able to limit myself to only last of the season strawbs and first of the season cherries. But the raspberries, were calling my name, and throughout the market there were whispers of blueberries...but fortunately for my wallet and soon to be too full crisper they had already sold out by 11am! Meanwhile the pounds of veggies I brought home are bursting out of my bottom fridge drawer. I’m envisioning many a picnic salad for the upcoming holiday. Better get cookin’!

Beauts