Lady M.
Yelp
How can I not yelp about a place I go to almost every weekend? My fiance has a running joke with his parents.
"Did you go to the farmer's market?"
"Is it Saturday?"
Yes, we go every weekend that we are home. Luckily, it's only across the street from us so it's convenient. I love the FRESHNESS of everything that is available there. You just can't get fresher veggies and fruits without growing them yourself.
BUT it is expensive. Really expensive. Spending $100 there every weekend for a single tote bag worth of items only to have to still go to the grocery store to get another$75 food items with which to cook with adds up. I keep seeing articles saying to shop at your farmer's market for cheaper produce and it's just not true for this market. So minus 1 star for that. (FWIW the little summer farmer's market I used to have by my old place in Williamsburg was much cheaper than the giant food bazaar so it's not all NYC farmer's markets, just this one and Union Square, imho)
Since wedding saving is paramount, I had to reduce the amount I shop here so it's just the items that freshness makes a huge difference for me that I purchase. So on my weekly shopping list:
Eggs - Bradley Farm's -the best at the market (also the most expensive at $7/dozen)
If they are out, the Maple Syrup Farmer's eggs and Tello's eggs (which have gotten WAY better!) are tied for second best, imho, and a more reasonable at $5/dozen (depending on size) (while still blowing the supermarket's highest quality eggs out of the water, especially in the spring-fall). In the winter, good eggs are good eggs- I can taste less of a difference but that's just because the chickens don't have the same naturally available food supply in the cold months and lay less frequently. The pastured meats guys and the goat cheesemonger's eggs are the prettiest in the market with their creamy pastel colors.
Bread - if it's sourdough we want, we like the baguettes and the boules at the little artisan baker smack dab in the center of the market (they do a brisk bisiness on topped flatbreads, too) as their sourdough starter/base is just wonderful. But if we want toasting bread or sandwich bread, it's Baker's Bounty for us. Their maple oat, pumpernickel, challah, and whole wheat sourdough is top notch. In the summer, when I can't bear the thought of turning my oven on, I make a beeline for their stall for my weekly loaf of bread.
Not weekly but when I run out or have a specific use in mind:
Milk/Cream- Ronnybrook. There is simply no other milk that I can get my hands on that isn't ultra pasturized. When I make butter or whipped cream from their cream, it is sweet and delicious. When a recipes calls for milk or cream, I try to always make sure I have some Ronnybrook on hand. I will not make yogurt or cheese with any other kind of milk.
Honey - The honey stand is not often crowded, but it should be. They're Wildflower honey is my favorite of all the honeys and they've expanded to offer honey based products. Honey is expensive everywhere and I use it daily so I think it's worth the splurge to get the good honey over the Chinese honey (most supermarket honeys are Chinese or unknown in country of origin) that was made by bees in upstate NY. I was also able to sweet talk the booth attendant, once, into bringing me some solid beeswax for a hand lotion bar project I wanted to work on, too.
Wheatgrass - Evolutionary Organics. (for my cats and dogs) It is cheaper at the farmer's market than the pet store.
Tomatoes, peaches, nectarines, corn, and strawberries I always get from Madura Farms(? They never have a sign of the farm but they have the spot usually between Baker's Bounty and the Duck Farmer). I am usually able to negotiate a decent rate for a flat or 2 of their amazing strawberries for my jam making for the year, a week ahead of time with their foreman.
Ramps are only at Wilklow Orchards, when they have them but way expensive. Fresh Direct has cheaper ramps and I never think of FD as cheap.
Sour cherries, rhubarb, garlic scapes, and spring onions, are also occasional visitors to my farmer's market bag, when I see them, though they pop up at more than 1 stand. I can't get the quality I do of those items at the supermarket but you will pay an arm and a leg for them for that very reason.
ALSO, if you only have a debit card with you, go to the information booth. They have a debit machine that they can give you market tokens as cash for a small transaction fee/donation towards the Greenmarket. All the vendors accept the tokens.