On Tour

Our good friends Silka and Jake, aka the Butcher & the Baker, do almost all their shopping at the Union Square Farmers Market. I admire their knowledge of seasonal produce and dedication to supporting local farmers. While I know my way around the market when it comes to buying plants, vegetables and fruits, I often pass by the meat, fish and dairy vendors. It's not that I'm not interested, but the prices tend to be higher and less items are on display, allowing a pile of jewel-like radishes to grab my attention instead.

I'd like to learn more about these vendors so today I shadowed Silka and Jake on their weekend shopping trip. They gave me a run down of their favorite places to buy meat and dairy, and let me in on their favorite selections from each.

I came home with a pint of half & half from Milk Thistle Farm, a bouquet of zinnias, homemade cider donuts, and seckel pears-- still no meat. I've decided that I'll go back this week more prepared with a recipe in mind and list in hand.

Open Air

London has its fair share of open air markets. We sampled our way through Borough Market and Camden Lock, tasting homemade Toulouse sausage, ginger-grapefruit iced tea, piping hot churros filled with dulce de leche, and chunks of salted caramel fudge.

Boston Market

We snagged a few carrots (and photos) at the Harvard Square farmer's market while we were in Boston last Sunday.

In Season

Late June brings us sour cherries and scapes at the farmer's market.

Brooklyn Larder

When I was living in Park Slope, Ronak and I frequently drove back and forth between the two boroughs-- across the Manhattan bridge, down Flatbush, and right on 7th Avenue. One warm day we decided to continue on straight to Prospect Park for a picnic. We pulled over and popped into Brooklyn Larder, an epicurean oasis on one of Brooklyn's busiest traffic arteries. We grabbed egg salad & bacon sandwiches, tabasco potato chips and fizzy lizzies-- a combination that still makes our mouths water.

Green Day

Friday afternoon at the Union Square Farmer's Market.

Savoring Summer

This past weekend our friends Max & Joanna invited us to the Hamptons for a little getaway, and to bid our final farewells to Summer. We never got out our swimsuits, but instead our sweatshirts, and embraced the crisp autumn air and traces of campfire smoke.

On our way out we stopped at one of the many farm stands and stocked up on fresh sweet corn. As soon as we got home we ate the first couple of ears with butter and black truffle salt. Delicious. The remainder of the corn I combined with ingredients from the Union Square Farmers Market and made a Corn Chowder with homemade bacon bits. It may have been the first homemade soup of Fall, but it still had all the flavors of a beautiful Summer.

Outdoor Markets, Istanbul

We're still kicking ourselves for not having tried to freshly-squeezed pomegranate juice along Istikal Street.

We 2, Flee 2, Brooklyn Flea!

As a first stop on our rainy Brooklyn weekend, we stopped by the famous Flea Market in Fort Green.

Our hunger brought us to the mexican stand, where we got some homemade fish tacos. The fish was battered on order, and cooked in a tabletop deep frier in front of our eyes. The result was a bit bland, but the salsa verde and red cabbage definitely helped! Set against the gray skies, the colors of our plate seemed even more vibrant and saturated!

Our next food stop was the south American stand, where we got cheese and jalapeno stuffed corn pancakes (cachapas)... now, these were greasy but absolutely delicious treats that made us feel like we were in the streets of Venezuela.

Nice and full, we wandered around the event... the rains brought in less vendors and crowds, which set the tone for a nice leisurely stroll. We were enchanted by the globe terrariums, each with their self sustaining eco-systems of wildlife. At that moment, with our stomachs full, enjoying the sites, sounds and smells, amongst the diverse crowd, we realized that the Brooklyn flea was a terrarium of its own and all at once, we felt satisfied and complete.