Carmen E.
Yelp
Sunday was my first time trying this Farmer's Market. I usually go to Union Square or to Inwood on Sundays. I woke up too late for the Inwood market and decided to check this one out. Turned out to be great. It's not as big as Union Square, but big enough to purchase great local organic goodies. The entire Farmer's Market is sectioned off right behind the Museum of Natural History. It's right on Columbus Avenue between 80th and 79th Streets. They have a beautiful flyer in the entrance so you can't miss it. In addition, there is a section for any questions customers might have. What's even better is that this farmer's market is opened year round. So, if for example, one is too tired to head all the way downtown or miss the uptown markets, this is a perfect medium (as its located on the Upper West Side) for the other two extremes.
My favorite moment was buying Vegan treats. One of the vendors sold entirely vegan goodies. We bought a cranberry scone, a blueberry muffin, and a chocolate chunk cookie. They were perfect! Great balance of flavors. It was sweet enough to satisfy the sweet palate, but just enough that you could also feel the earthiness of the flour and oats used in the treats. I will be coming back again for more vegan treats.
There were also two huge vendors that carried the bulk of the produce sold at the market. They had what's in season: spinach, Brussels sprouts, orange/purple/white cauliflower (which was awesome as I never had any of the other varieties of cauliflower), sweet potatoes, leeks, potatoes, lettuce, cabbage apples and other fruits. The farmer's were Asian and extremely nice. I noticed that the Farmer's were speaking to a customer who was inquiring about WIC Checks. Apparently, Farmer's market accept checks provided to mothers who apply for a nutrition program once they have children. I think this is great and a positive way to encourage people to eat healthier alternatives and provide access to the places where they can acquire these choices. My only criticism is that some of the produce already looked old and the farmers were still selling them. They didn't look rotten, but just look old. They should try to keep selling the optimum quality produce.
I kept looking for vegan foccacia, but couldn't find any. There was a man there performing puppetry and children stood around him watching his show. I thought it to be amazing that people are still keeping this art alive and exposing children to it is exactly what will allow them to continue performing. We stood there for a while with our daughter watching the show. Then we headed off to look for an Autumn favorite: Apple cider. I bought a big gallon for us to drink.
We also looked around the vendor that sold soaps and other bath products. The air smelled like lavender. His products seemed reasonable.
This was an awesome day at a good market.