Greenmarket Dirt
January 2012 |
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When our seasonal markets go on holiday for the winter months, so do many of Greenmarket's farmers. And while we'd be the first to tell you that there's still plenty on offer at the 21 Greenmarkets throughout the city that remain open all winter long, you might wonder where some familiar farmer faces have hibernated to. Alex and Stephanie Villani of Blue Moon Fish jet off to the warmer waters of the Florida Keys, Jorge Carmona of Amantai Farm returns to his family's coffee plantation in Colombia and Hector Perez, who relaxes by taking long drives, hits the highway to road trip down to his native Mexico. Come April, they'll all be back at market hawking fish and spring's first strawberries, but until then we encourage you to hibernate in your New York City kitchen and cook up all the local fare that is on offer at the market during the snowy season. See our tips for winter eating below.
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Greenmarket Grains Delegation Heads to NOFA and PASA
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On January 20th and 21st, staff from Greenmarket's Regional Grains Project will travel to the Northeast Organic Farmers Association NY's winter conference, where they will join partner organizations, grain farmers, millers, and researchers to discuss the grains value chain from seed to final product. Participants will have the opportunity to discuss their role in making regional grains more available to consumers, learn new varieties and uses for local grains, and taste diverse products made by local bakeries.
The Greenmarket Regional Grains Project will continue spreading the word about regionally-grown grains at Pennsylvania Association for Sustainable Agriculture's Farming for the Future conference on February 3rd and 4th. Greenmarket will team up with the Organic Growers' Research and Information Sharing Network (OGRIN) to host a formal tasting event, where participants will taste breads made from Pennsylvania-grown heritage and modern wheats to compare and evaluate their flavor. To learn more about regional grains and how you can support their role in the local food system, stop by our workshops at either conference. To learn more about the work Greenmarket is doing to strengthen the regional grain system, visit our
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Greenmarket Youth Education Project
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A Few Words on a Lot of Fresh Food from Speaker Quinn
| | On our first market day of the New Year, City Council Speaker Christine Quinn visited Union Square to herald a 20% increase in the use of EBT/Food Stamps at GrowNYC's Greenmarkets across the city in 2011. The New York City Council has generously provided funding for this program since it was launched in 2005. In its first year $1,000 was spent in SNAP benefits at a handful of markets. Thanks to the City Council's support, now 43 Greenmarkets across all five boroughs are equipped to process electronic benefits, resulting in over $620,000 worth of sales in 2011, benefitting New Yorkers and regional farmers alike. Learn more about EBT at Greenmarket here.
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Greenmarket Winter Challenge
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| Test your commitment to shopping locally and sign up for the Greenmarket Winter Challenge 2012! The 12 week challenge begins now and runs through the first week of April. Sign up at your participating neighborhood Greenmarket (see list below) and check in at the info tent every time you shop: Check in for 3 of the 12 weeks and receive a Greenmarket tote bag. Check in for 6 of the 12 weeks and win a beautiful Greenmarket print by artist Claudia Pearson. Check in all 12 weeks in a row and win a surprise Greenmarket neighborhood-proud prize and serious bragging rights!
Participating markets: 97th Street, 82nd Street, Abingdon Square, Carroll Gardens, Courtelyou Road, Dag Hammarskjold Plaza, Fort Greene, Grand Army Plaza, Jackson Heights, McCarren Park/Greenpoint, Tompkins Square Park, Tribeca, Tucker Square and Union Square Monday.
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Is It in the Bag for January?
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We checked in with some shoppers at Union Square to see what they're taking home to cook right now. 
Be sure to visit the Union Square info tent throughout the winter to catch cooking demonstrations, market activities and pick up seasonal recipes like the one below. Follow Union Square Greenmarket on Twitter @UnSqGreenmarket and Facebook for updates on special events, guest chef appearances and the latest news on what's available right now.
Potato and Kale Soup
Recipe courtesy Joshua Stokes
of Grill-A-Chef "Advice from Scratch"
1/4 lb. Bacon, diced
1 Medium onion, diced into 1/2 in. cubes
3 Cloves garlic
1 Medium/large russet potato, peeled, diced into 1/2 in. cubes
1 Large Yukon gold potato, peeled, dices into 1/2 in. cubes
1 bunch Kale, stemmed and sredded
6 cups Stock, chicken or vegetable
Over medium heat, render the bacon until it just starts to brown. Remove from fat using a slotted spoon.
In the bacon fat, sauté the onions until translucent about five minutes, add the garlic and go for one more minute.
Add the potatoes, rendered bacon and the stock. Bring the whole thing to a simmer and cook until the potatoes are just cooked.
In a blender, puree half of the soup. Bring it to a boil once more and drop in the kale. Simmer for two more minutes.
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Partner Event:
| | Feeding Gotham: New York City Markets, 1790-1860
Culinary Historians of New York
Thursday, January 26, 6:30 p.m.
Mount Vernon Hotel Museum & Garden
417 East 61st Street (between 1st Avenue and York)
Join the Culinary Historians of New York as Gergely Baics explores how public markets, city policy and seasonality influenced food provisioning and urban growth. More info here.
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GrowNYC Updates
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Want information on recycling, community gardens, and more from GrowNYC? Update your email preferences here.
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