Rillette!

Today I made a special lunchtime discovery: Pork Rillette at Tamarack Hollow Farms! $15 for a jar… impress your friends at that 4th of July barbecue with this French goodness. Handmade for you. Hurry while supplies last…

The Whole Truth

Today I want to report about something plain and simple: my favorite bread at the market. Have you discovered this bread yet?

Bread Alone makes this fabulous whole wheat sourdough loaf. The texture is wonderful, the taste is divine, and because it is a round, it lasts for a long time without going stale. Favorite way to prepare: toasted slice with Ronnybrook unsalted butter, or occasionally with a roasted garlic and olive oil spread. First thing I do when I get home is put a slice of this bread into the toaster.

Road trip snacks

I’m heading on a road trip this afternoon with my sister, we are off to NH to visit family. I’m in charge of our car snacks, so I picked up a few things at the market…a big bag of Martin’s Pretzels, sugar snap peas from Berried Treasures, sweet cherries and nectarines from Terhune Orchards, and of course, chocolate chip cookies from Our Daily Bread. I bought a gorgeous bouquet of flowers from River Garden for my aunt for her birthday. Their bouquets are truly lovely. I also bought some fresh lavender- the car is sure to smell great!
~dq

Cherries!

Cherry season is in full swing at the market today. Wow. Many kinds, mounded up, high and glistening everywhere.

At my little community garden, the sour cherry tree is fully ripe. I picked a quart’s worth and brough it home and put them in vodka to make Sour Cherry Cordial. I can’t find the recipe online right now, but when I do, I’ll give the credit. You can make this with sweet cherries too.
Sour Cherry Cordial

Ingredients: 3 cups vodka, 1 quart cherries, 1.5 cups sugar, a cool dark place, a large container.

Put the vodka and washed, unpierced, whole cherries (sans stems) in a  large container. I like to use my old 5lb honey jar.

Let sit in a cool dark place for 1 month. Shake occassionally.

After a month add sugar, and let sit another month, shaking when you think of it.

Strain, bottle, and age four months.

Drink as an apertif, or digetif, chilled or warm, in tiny little glasses, and remember summer.

*****

In other news: Norwich Meadow Farms has gorgeous favas today!

ETA: Hey - I got that Cherry Cordial recipe from Homestead Farm. Credit, where credit is due, my friends.

~baconbit

Monday Seafood and Maxwell Artichokes

PE & DD Seafood has an abundant selection of fish and shellfish this morning… I went for the cod (comes from “North of Montauk”). Wild oysters are big, similar to blue points.

And Maxwells has artichokes! $4/lb.

And Yuno has the usual extraordinary selection of greens… arugula and mizuna are nice today.

I wanted to report on the LAMB MERGUEZ sausage from Arcadian Pastures that I bought recently… was delicious! Seasoned really well, all I added was a little sauteed spring garlic and scapes. Highly recommended.

Lobster

A quick note to pass along- I noticed lobster for sale at the fish vendor’s stand (NW corner of the market). This is the first time I’ve seen lobster- check it out!
~dq

BACON bag! Blueberries! Cherries! Oh my!

beingreen took a bunch of FANTASTIC photos (all below) today at the market. I, like BG, got gifted with an “I Love Bacon” bag that I will cherish and wear with pride. Just a quick note: blueberries are here along with cherries! Philips & Keenan have blueberries, but Keenan’s are less expensive than Phillips. Near Keenan is a farm stand with cherries at $5 per pound. Fantastic! That’s it for me - the rest is all beingreen.
~baconbit

Today is my lucky day! As I sauntered through the market this morning, I was lured to Tamarack Hollow by the sight of sausages. Mike sold me on the Maple Breakfast sausage, which he says is a rare find because it is difficult to make. Say no more, I had to try it… and with my purchase he gave me a bonus “I Love You Bacon” bag that I will cherish forever. Hurry over to get your bacon while supplies last! ~bg

The next delight that caught my eye were the CHERRIES at Locust Grove Farm. These are the first cherries of summer at the market, as far as I can tell, and they are GOOD. ~bg

Blueberries have arrived at Kernan Farms, and so have the mounds of summer squash which are exciting to explore once again… ~bg

And Kira’s garlic and mixed greens are fabulous at Evolutionary Organics. Last night I had blackfish and greens sauteed with a whole bulb of Kira’s fresh garlic… early in the summer it is more tender and mild than late summer garlic, so don’t be afraid to eat a lot of it! The green mix has bonus “wild greens” ie, edible weeds, from Kira’s farm, such as wild spinach and purslane. I love adible weeds and believe that they are truly good for our health and have no nutritional data to back this up. ~bg

Another exciting farm is the French Vegetable and Green Farm (for lack of knowing their name) that has great greens today. Chervil (I have no idea how to use this yet… send us your ideas please) is hot, and I received a recommendation from a fellow shopper for the french baby leeks. I promptly purchased them for a sautee this evening. Will report back. The wild arugula here looks precious. Definitely requires a special preparation… beyond salad. ~bg

Berried Treasures has nice looking red potatoes and Tristar Strawberries! Tristar are a cross with a wild strawberry…the taste is so much sweeter! ~bg

Migliorelli Farm has buckets of fresh basil for your salads and shell peas are $4 per pound now.

And lastly, Cherry Lane Farms has greenhouse heirlooms! So early!

Market Monday

Greens galore! The market is chock full of greens- in every imaginable shade. Yuno’s look truly lovely. I am now receiving a Community Supported Agriculture farmshare in Brooklyn on the weekends, so I’m trying to resist buying greens during the week (never fear I will still report on availability and of course will continue shopping for meat, seafood, eggs, grains, and dairy). The fragrant basil at Yuno’s stand beckoned me, and I could not resist. The smell just shouts summer to me. There are also lots of other herbs available. I noticed John Madura’s stand had expanded- baconbit frequently reports on his mushrooms- in addition he now has a variety of greens, spring garlic and green onions. Prices seem to be varying pretty widely for produce, so be sure to shop around a bit if you are watching your wallet. Bread prices at Bread Alone have gone up again. Also available at the market today: grass fed beef, seafood, breads and cookies, eggs, pretzels, plants, jams, honey and more! That’s it for now.
~dq

Lovely Friday and samples at the market

Hello. I had a chance to scoot through the NW corner of the market on my way to work this morning. The market is in full swing. Still lots of strawberries, greens, herbs and spring onions. My favorite lately is mint. I’ve been tying with yarn and hanging it up to dry. Once dried, I keep it in a glass jar for really fragrant mint tea all year. Eve’s Cidery is at the market today. They have really delicious ciders- stop by and they will gladly give you a taste. I also spotted the Bobolink Dairy with their popular grass fed cheese and wood fired bread. They also are happy to give you a taste of their cheeses. I love their cheddar, but find that it’s best consumed the day I buy it. Perfect for adding a little kick to a lunch salad. I also spotted DiPaola Turkey Farm. I’m addicted to the spicy turkey sausage. So flavorful and delicious. And, you guessed it, they have samples! That’s all for now. Enjoy your weekend.
~ dq

Strawberries Galore

Almost every berry vendor has strawberries right now… buy a few quarts, and when you get sick of eating them, freeze them for January! You will be so glad to have them to help chase the winter blues away!