Fantastically Fresh: Union Square Greenmarket

‘Tis the season for amazingly fresh produce and nothing beats the quality you will find at the Union Square Greenmarket during this time of year (I’m looking at YOU, Wholefoods). The Union Sq. Greenmarket is open every week on Monday, Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday from 8AM-6PM and you are guaranteed to find amazing fruits, vegetables, meats, cheeses, fish, flowers, wine, cider, and so much more. Did I mention that many vendors offer free samples? Yeah…you need to make it to the market pronto.

But don’t just go for the food – it’s the whole shopping experience that makes this greenmarket so memorable. The people watching is fantastic and rubbing elbows with famous chefs while inspecting the seasonal produce and wares definitely heightens the magic. The best part is that you can actually speak with the farmers themselves about how they grow and harvest their produce and learn about the backstory of where your food comes from. You definitely can’t get this kind of information at your friendly neighborhood D’Agostinos.

My favorite time to visit the Union Sq. Greenmarket is bright and early Saturday morning before the crowd hits. The market tends to get pretty busy later in the day so here’s fair warning that you need to be mentally prepared to navigate the farmer tents while making your way through a sea of fellow New Yorkers. But I suppose that’s where the good people watching comes into play.

As I mentioned in my earlier post, I paid a visit to the greenmarket this past Saturday and was not disappointed. The sun was shining and the sights and smells of Autumn were in the air. After wandering through the market for a bit, I picked out a spaghetti squash ($2.50) and also sampled some cold ginger cayenne tea ($2.00) along with a carrot raisin cookie ($3.00).

If you live in NYC or are even just passing through for the weekend, I highly recommend making your way to Union Square early Saturday morning and checking out the greenmarket for yourself. You won’t regret it.

Here are a few snapshots from my recent visit:

Seasonal pumpkins and squash ready to be carved up or made into a delicious meal. If only I could cook…

Radishes fresh off the farm.

The bees were a-buzz at the greenmarket this past weekend.

Beth’s Farm Kitchen makes delicious jams and they always offer free samples.

Bee heaven.

Carbs.

Carrots and parsnips galore.

Sometimes two heads are just better than one when navigating the Union Square Greenmarket.

The Greenmobile.

Indian corn hanging from a vendor’s stall.

Hey Hay IS for horses!

Lil guys just trying to get some sun.

I sampled all of the different teas before going with a full cup of this ginger cayenne concoction. Although it’s served cold, this stuff had a spicy kick and woke me up straight away. The vendor also let me know it’s a great tea for aiding digestion. I can tell why!

My spicy tea among the pumpkins.

I told you it was a sunny morning! I guess it was just too sunny for some…

The delightful Union Square Park. A perfect place to picnic and taste-test my greenmarket finds.

The bright color of these cookies caught my eye. I just had to sample one of these carrot-raisin creations for myself.

I got upclose and personal with the carrot raisin cookie. Turns out that it was pretty delicious, but much softer and chewier than your average run-of-the-mill chocolate chip variety.

Let me know if your wanderings lead you to the Union Square Greenmarket and tell me what you think!

Forever wandering,

– Kristen

Weekly wanderings…October 1st-7th

Hello there.

It’s starting to look and feel a lot like Fall in New York City. There’s a chill in the air and Trader Joe’s is regularly selling out of any and all pumpkin flavored/spiced/labeled products. I’m gearing up for my 10K next Sunday and finally bought some new running kicks. All in all, life is good. Go ahead and take a look at a few of my wanderings from this past week:

1. Look Ma, I can bake!

Ok so…I cheated a little. My hands-down favorite pumpkin-related product from Trader Joe’s is the easy Pumpkin Bread & Muffin mix. Just add 2 eggs, 1/2 cup of vegetable oil, and 1 cup water to the magical mix and voila! – pumpkin muffins that are not only edible, but seasonally delicious.

2. Don’t get in the way of a Girl and her Bike.

Just don’t. It will never end well for you. (Taken in Grand Central Terminal)

3. Just Do It.

How awesome is this drawing on the wall in the Nike Running Store? I don’t think my feet are that flexible though, even in my brand spanking new Nike Frees. More on that later.

4. The Grapes of Wrath.

I was meandering through the Union Square Greenmarket on Saturday morning and caught this Yeti of a dog sniffing up the grapes. Grapes can be pretty toxic for our canine counterparts so thankfully his owner intervened. Plus, grape juice on that beautiful white coat would just be a major faux pas paw.

5. Nuts.

As I was taste-testing some of my greenmarket finds, this little fella scampered past at full speed. I’m just glad he wasn’t stalking me for my food since these creatures no longer harbor any fear of human beings. Unless of course, you try to steal their nuts.

Can’t stop. Won’t stop.

Forever wandering,

– Kristen