There is nothing I love more than walking Ollie down to the Union Square Green Market to fondle beautiful vegetables on a Saturday afternoon. Yesterday was warm, breezy, overcast, yet a perfect day for perusing the market. My lovely friend Rachel met us there in the early afternoon and we were off for a gastronomic adventure!
It had a been a couple weeks since I was last at the market and I could not believe how it had grown... almost quadruple in size! It wrapped and snaked all through the park a good solid 3 blocks. How fantastic! My mouth began to water with the anticipation of spring ramps, asparagus, artichokes, greens, and so much more. Much to my dismay... it was still the same selection of produce that had been there for the past several months, parsnips as large as my arm, onions, carrots, potatoes, a sad selection of apples. And even more disappointing the Honey Crisp Apple that has renewed my interest in apples - and the only apple I would spend $4/lb for - has finally come to the end of its season.
Rachel and I sifted through apples and pears trying to find our week's snacks, discussing the oddness of the Little Lady Apple, roughly the size of a golf ball. Rachel was far more intrigued than I, and she bought a bag. I was pleased that I hadn't bought any when we shared one while pushing through the crowds; they were too mealy for my taste. Our vegetable and fruit adventure was cut short when we realized that the spring produce we were salivating for still hadn't arrived. However we found something that excited us just as much... PLANTS. Beautiful spring flowering plants, tomato plants, herb plants, plants that her and I hadn't seen since leaving the lush neighborhood gardens of Georgia. Even Ollie was intrigued as he licked water off the leaves and buried his little nose in primrose and crocus blooms.
We became obsessed! We spent more time evaluating cherry tree branches with tiny buds from this stand and that stand than we had about anything else all day. Rachel finally settled on some beautiful willow branches and then moved her obsession to house plants. As we tossed around what plants would do well in a dark New York apartment with only an hour of light a day, I spotted a gem across the way. A big, beautiful, lone tomato plant in a two gallon pot with a "$10" sign sticking out was calling my name. I snatched up Ollie and weaved my way through the on coming people and staked my claim. It was the last one and it was mine! All mine! I could just taste the fresh tomato sandwiches, gazpacho, and tomato basil salads soon to be in my future.
The smell of the gorgeous tomato plant had intoxicated me. I asked the nice man who was reshuffling plants around what kind of tomato plant my new found love was. He looked at me like I was off my rocker. "Tomato," he replied.
"Of course, but what kind of tomato?" I asked again with a big smile.
"Uh, it's a patio tomato," he said and then quickly walked away.
A patio tomato?? Was this some sort of new type of heirloom tomato or was it just a location for me to grow it? I imagined a tomato that would only be comfortable on a plain burger or sandwich with white bread and processed cheese. But you know what, I didn't care. Whatever kind of tomato, patio and now roof, it was going to be wonderful in about three or four weeks!
Rachel and I wandered through the rest of the market, me with Ollie and my new huge plant, and her with her willow branches, tiny apples and new houseplant and talked of our big dreams of having our rooftop garden for the summer. Even though we didn't get what we went there for, we felt accomplished in our quest for lush vegetation and good food.
My top picks from the Farmer's Market
1. Shallots - in rare form this week
2. Herb Plants - especially the 3 for $6 deal that I kept seeing
3. Tomato Plants - besides the Patio variety, they also had Brandywine which is the creme de la creme of heirlooms!
4. Fresh yogurt and milk - need I say more??
5. House plants - gorgeous and cheap, but inspect for bugs first
6. $5 4-foot Willow Branch Bunches - sooooo pretty in a vase
7. Savory Scones - we all agreed that it was delish... even Ollie!
Things to Pass On
1. Little Lady Apples, for $1.50/lb - just get a whole apple
2. Parsnips - they shouldn't be as big as my arm
3. Fig Trees - unless you want to invest the decade it will take it to bear fruit, and not to mention the ground that it should be planted in
4. $22 "Mixed Herb Pots" that only had 3 little sad herbs in them - make your own for $6 down the way
BTW: My new tomato plant is very happy in it's new home on my rooftop. Ollie and I visit it several times a day.
I love it! Your culinary outing made me feel like I was at the market too.
ReplyDeleteHere is a great savory recipe for wild Alaskan Salmon:
1 lb. skin on Salmon filet – rinse, pat-dry and place in a flat dish.
Coat salmon with a buttery tasting extra virgin olive oil – not a green and grassy EVOO
Sprinkle salmon flesh with Lemon Sea Salt (Coastal Goods)
Moderately cover salmon flesh with a Three Lemon Pepper blend (Coastal Goods)
Turn the filet over in the dish so that the salmon flesh will absorb the extra virgin olive oil – cover and place salmon in the refrigerator for 20 min.
Remove the salmon filet from the refrigerator and place on a covered baking sheet with aluminum foil
Place the salmon flesh down on the covered baking sheet
Bake at 475 degrees for 5 minutes
Turn the salmon filet over and lightly cover with Brownwood Farms – Cherry Barbeque Sauce (award winning sauce)
Bake for another 4 minutes.
Serve with a green salad, asparagus, and seasonal fruit.
Enjoy! It is delicious.