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Market Scene: New York

Posted by Blake Royer, May 5, 2008 at 5:00 PM

I have to admit, reading the Market Scene last week for San Francisco inspired serious amounts of dismay in this New Yorker. Despite their lovely flavor and appealing looks, I am so. Tired. Of. Hearing. About. Ramps. As is, perhaps, that guy above with the blue hair. This past Saturday was overcast and windy, which only added to the despair. Nevertheless, both the Union Square and Fort Greene farmers' markets were full of brave souls.

Of course, it’s not all ramps—though it seems the full harvest has indeed come in, as I saw bunches upon bunches of them in stacked boxes, ready to fulfill the incredible demand. In Fort Greene, a ramp cooking demonstration exhibited these wild leeks with simply olive oil and salt—for those who haven’t heard their gospel already.

Elsewhere in the markets, I spotted asparagus, nettles, rhubarb, young garlic, spinach, and other hardy greens like chard and collards.

In Union Square, Nine-Jay Nursuries, who maintain 2 acres of greenhouse growing space in upstate New York, were featuring their indoor tomatoes for $5.00/pound ($6 for some varieties).

Oak Grove Plantation had a sprawling collection of “hardy, well-established” herb plants aplenty—including multiple basil, mint, sage, and rosemary varieties—for those who might aspire to tending a fire-escape basil plant or two (rosemary is especially resilient). They also had $14 ready-to-go soil beds full of wild salad greens for at-home mesclun mixing.

Red Jacket Orchards is still selling apples, which are from the fall harvest. During the winter, they store the apples in sealed environments where the oxygen has been replaced with nitrogen. I asked them when the next crop would be. “This fall” was the reply. In the meantime, a couple of mutsu apples were as crisp as ever.

Rexcroft farm in Fort Greene was featuring hydroponic lettuces, which were large and beautiful varieties of Buttercrunch, red leaf, green leaf, plus red and green romaine. They recommended storing them at home in a little water for superior freshness.

Rexcroft was also featuring stunning eggs from Araucana Chickens, which are prized for their green shells and, some say, superior flavor. “I’m not sure I believe that hype,” Ted told me, who is there almost every week with Rexcroft.

He explained that he can’t seem to tell the difference in flavor, but nevertheless, after featuring Araucana eggs last season to great popularity, they bought 100 little chicks and are offering the “Green Eggs” all season this year. “They produce only 50%-70% of what a normal chicken lays, and the eggs are smaller, but they sell out,” Ted explained. In fact, I bought the last dozen for only $4, half of the going rate in Manhattan.

Seasonal Produce Guide

In Season Now

Ramps
Asparagus
Rhubarb
Young garlic
Spinach
Hardy greens (chard, collards)
Greenhouse tomatoes
Herbs
Hydroponic lettuces

Coming Soon

Strawberries
Morels
Shiitake mushrooms
Sugar snap peas
Young greens

About the author: Blake Royer lives in Brooklyn and spends most of his free time cooking and writing about it here at Serious Eats and on The Paupered Chef. From 9 to 5 weekdays, he works as an assistant book editor in Manhattan.

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Tags: Brooklyn, farmers' markets, Market Scene, market scene, Union Square