Farmers' Markets

In the September issue of Bon Appetit there is a great article about farmer's markets as the best dining scenes out there right now. As someone who loves Smorgasburg in Brooklyn, I can say that I fully agree with this assessment.  Restaurants are amazing, of course, but there is something charming about wandering through stalls of fresh produce, vegetables, flowers, baked goods, and delicious restaurant quality meals in the informal setting of a market. As a New Yorker, I am lucky to have a wide variety of amazing farmers' markets (that serve every kind of food imaginable in addition to letting shoppers browse fresh fruits and vegetables) at my fingertips.  While I am sure that the farmers' markets of other cities are probably more beautiful and surrounded by far more greenery, for me, the markets interspersed among concrete here are a chance to feel like some form of nature is not that far away.

One of my favorite times of the year is fall.  In addition to all of the seasonal activities of fall that I adore, I always feel nostalgic for the country fair I would attend every year in my hometown.  With everything from a "grease pole" where you could win a dollar if you shimmied up the entire pole (one of my crowning glories was dong this--in a dress!) to scarecrow contests, hayrides, and pumpkins for sale, the country fair was probably my first exposure to informal market food fare.  Though my palate was decidedly different back then--fried dough, anyone?--the idea was the same: samples of freshly made, delicious food that you could walk around with or plop down on the grass to eat. Love.

Today, I am off to one of my favorite farmer's markets in New York City.  While this market does not have the same variety of food selection that Smorgasburg has, I love wandering through it just the same.  Union Square Greenmarket is filled to the brim with fresh cheeses, homemade local honeys and jams, and beautiful stems that are just waiting to cheer my apartment.  If you happen to be in the city on a Wednesday, Friday, Saturday, or Monday, this is just the thing to do! If you are looking for far more food stalls and less of the produce, try The New Amsterdam Market held on Sundays...like Pavlov's dogs, I drool thinking about Luke's Lobster (rolls) there....  If this is the new food revolution, sign me up.

All images via Pinterest! 

If you are looking for a great cookbook on farmer's market food purchases, I wouldn't know anything about that! That said, my friend who is obsessed with anything local, sustainable, organic, etc. has told me that the book Edible: A Celebration of Local Foods is not only filled with insight, but delicious seasonal recipes just ripe for those who shop at farmers' markets. 

Happy eating and reading!