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…

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.

Oh! Glory be! The peaches are finally here! I know, every time a new fruit is available, I say it is my favorite one. And you know what? It’s always true

Keenan farms has the first fresh local peaches, and I bought four and couldn’t be happier - except that I am because across from them at the nameless fruit sellers, there were fresh plums. And Honey Hollow had gold chantarelles (1/2 pint for $4), and Evolutionary Organics had gorgeous boxes of squash blossoms.

It’s just glorious. Go! Go forth and EAT!!!

~baconbit

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

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

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.

It’s another perfect day at the Greenmarket. There’s produce everywhere - though the prices are pretty unstable right now. I saw shell peas from $5/lb down to $3/lb, and raspberries for $4 a half pint and $6 a half pint, right accross from one another.

Today I was not going to buy anything - I have a ton of errands to run tonight all over the city, and we only have a half sized fridge at work and….

But then I saw that Honey Hollow was back with his fantastic eggs and fresh porcini mushrooms and all my plans went out the window. I bought a 1/4 lb of his “A” grade porcinis - good lightly sauteed with pasta, or eggs, though in my case it will likely be a little of both, $45/lb. Grade ‘B’ and ‘C’ were giants of things - and he recommends them for soups and stews - the lower the grade, the longer the cooking, and the more of the mushroom you’ll have to peel away before cooking. $40/lb, and $35/lb respectively.

~baconbit

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

I know, I know, the Solstice is the Official First Day of Summer - but it never feels like that to me. It feels like midsummer. Maybe it’s because of the heat wave we had a few weeks back, or maybe it’s the appearance of raspberries at Phillips Farms. That’s right, RASPBERRIES.

Naturally, I got some of these plump delicacies. Since they are the first ones, they are kind of crazily priced at $6 a 1/2 pint, or 2 for $10, but it’s the harbringer of more to come, and that always bring joy to my heart.

More joy? Across from Yunnos I spied quarts of Mt.Ranier cherries - those are the gold ones that have a blush of red accross them like tiny peaches, to which they are (of course) related. Just gorgeous.

Speaking of Yunno, she says this is her last week of shell peas, and that the “avocado” squashes are the sweetest of the selection. Some Japanese eggplant too, for those who love such things. They were gorgeous - practically black they were so purple.

Plump and lovely chickens today at Arcadian Pastures for $6.95 a lb. They take cards which is a goodness as I didn’t have enough cash, and I have guests for dinner tomorrow!

A fine day at the market - I saw pretty much something of everything, from asparagus to raspberries. Truly, it’s Summer at now!
~baconbit

Just a quick post today - everything looks great at the market and it’s just GORGEOUS out - not too hot, not too cold. Go shopping for your veg!

All the usual suspects are there - there’s a lot of variation in shelling pea prices - from $3/lb to $5/lb. Shop around.

Cunomo’s (I can never remember their farm name perfectly) has a little basket in front of their scale that says “Dried Stevia, $5″. Stevia is an herb with 200 times the sweetness of sugar. If you are diabetic, this is a great way to sweeten a pitcher of iced tea without resorting to chemicals, or paying outrageous amounts for agave syrup. And local!

Have a marvelous weekend!

~baconbit