I say tomato!
Since our last market, the tomatoes I have growing on the fire escape have been ripening one at a time, so I've been able to incorporate them into delicious salads for dinner. It's such a pleasure to be able to grow food, even on as small a scale as I'm doing, which is why I can't wait to introduce you to Hudson Valley Organic Nursery: they sell local herbs, vegetables, and tomatoes in seedling form, as medium plants, and mature plants so you can enjoy fresh produce from your own home to supplement what you buy at the market. Happy planting!
I'm a huge fan of mint, and I've found it's one of the easiest herbs to grow and incorporate into meals – both savory and sweet. It garnishes pasta beautifully, and you can pick up fresh mozzarella from DiRiso or Maplebrook Creamery and basil from Stoneberry Farm for this bright weeknight meal. Mint can also add some brightness to Çilbir, a Turkish dish that would be perfect for those cozy weekend mornings, sidling alongside some sunburst eggs from Wright's or R&M Farm. Mint is also great in cocktails of course and scattered over ice cream or stone fruit cobblers.
Great Joy Family Farm has bunches of vibrant Swiss chard, which you can use in white lasagna. Get your gruyere style cheese from Cooperstown Cheese. Or, use your chard in this new take on bruschetta with smoked trout from Pura Vida, Or make this wilted chard and tomato concassé using both tomatoes and garlic from Madura Farm. I'm imagining this over atop a bowl of farro or couscous, or topped with eggs. Get as creative as you want.
Speaking of creative, Jody's Kitchen is back from vacation this week with her seasonal soups with always interesting flavor and ingredient combinations. Yay!
Shoppers are telling me that they've been doing a lot of pruning in their garden this summer due to the swampy wet weather wreaking havoc in their flower beds. Make sure to bring your pruning shears that need sharpening to Ready Set Sharp! Also, you'll need a very sharp knife to cut through Great Joy Farm's watermelon!
As always, you can pick up juice from Fairy Juice Bar, iced tea from Teagevity, or coffee from Don Carvajal Café—the Greca blend is my new favorite—while you stroll through the market and enjoy the delightful music of Island Jim and the Bonefish. Dough Nation is here of course, but if you want something other than pizza consider grabbing a bite from the plant-base XOLO Food Truck. Their breakfast burrito is off the hook! As are their tamalesand tortas.
One vendor will be missing from our lineup. Nutmeg Bakery and Cafe has shuttered their cafe in Tuckahoe and is ceasing all operations—for now. It's hard to imagine the market without Cindy and Noel and their wonderful staff as they have been an anchor vendor for as long as anyone can remember. They started with pies and crostatas and then grew, and grew and grew to offer so much more. They will be missed personally and culinarily. We wish them so much luck and happiness in the next chapter of their journey.
We'll see you at the market!
Your market manager
Sierra
