A Very Awesome Thing

I may have moved out of Rockland County, but I still feel obligated to let you know about the goings on there. For example, unable to sleep I scrolled through my twitter feed and noticed one from the Suffern Farmers Market. I've known it to just be a summer thing, but it appears they now have an indoor market!

They hold the market every other Saturday from 10am-2pm in the community center (41 Washington Avenue) . The indoor market runs until May, when they move back outdoors.

Check out their blog (suffernfarmersmarket.wordpress.com) for more information, or follow them on twitter (@suffernfarmmkt)

Now, I will attempt to go back to sleep. Busy day ahead...

Dream Puff Marshmallows

I can’t believe it took me this long to finally try this.

Tuxedo Farmers Market Purchases

Finally putting these pictures up. Word is that the apples are ready… and being September, it’s apple picking time. So if you’re in the area, check out the Tuxedo Farmers Market (Saturdays, 9-2). It’s on the way to Masker Orchards, as well as the Renaissance Faire and Warwick Valley Winery.

Expect heavy traffic on Route 17, so leave early or find an alternate route (I think on the Masker website they give directions to avoid the Ren Faire crowds).

Oregano

I picked this plant up from the farmers market at Union Square. I was looking for one that I didn’t already have, and found this. Mexican oregano. It looks more decorative than something you would use in your cooking, but it was with all the other herbs… so a cooker it is.

It’s in a sad state up there. I accidentally crushed the plant on the way back home. But not to worry folks, MO pulled through.

Suffern Farmers Market Opens Tomorrow

It runs until October. If you're in the area, please check it out.

You can find it over by the train station (commuter parking lot on Orange Ave.).

You can check the for updates on the market over at their blog.

Unfortunately I will be in a conference all day tomorrow, so I can't check it out. But I've got all season. And since I'm talking about farmers markets, the Tuxedo Farmers Market opens on the 19th.

Rensselaer County Farmers Market

According to the Rensselaer County website, the market will be starting this Thursday. From what I recall of it, I was more likely to purchase my produce from here rather than Troy's farmers market on Saturday. Mostly due to the fact that I could hit it up and for under five dollars get more than enough fruits and vegetables. Plus it didn't give off that vibe that Troy's FM tends to.

And speaking of farmers markets, what ever happened to the one in Watervliet? It was on Tuesday I think... in Hudson Shores Park?

House Hunting

This has been the second weekend that M and I have been looking for houses. We've seen nice ones, and not-so-nice ones. Big ones and small ones. Driveway with ample parking to the wretched parking on the street. Heck, we even saw a former funeral home (it was falling apart).

Saturday was a short day as our Realtor needed to leave early for open houses. But we saw two we really liked, and hoped that they wouldn't get snatched up before we had a chance at it. We were back in Troy after noon and I suggested to check out the farmers market. I was hoping Thunder Mountain Curry was there... but alas, it wasn't. And it looked like in their absence the First Caribbean table was making a killing. New to the market (or just new to me) was the Mexican stand. I have no idea what they were offering, but I saw plenty of paper food contains with corn husks. I was intrigued but M would not have any of it. After one lap of the market, we walked down the street to grab some lunch buffet at Shalimar. The Saturday buffet has not cone up to $7.99, which still isn't too bad.

Hitting the Farmers Market

An exam on Monday (I know! I want a long weekend!) is keeping me downstate, and missing the markets in the Albany/Troy/Schenectady area. Not to worry, because there are plenty of markets here (although most of them are in Westchester... boo).

I first checked out the Suffern Farmers Market. It's held every Saturday from 9:00 - 1:00 (June - November) in "Parking Lot A." If you live in Suffern or commute from there, then you will know where exactly lot A is. For those of us who have no clue, it's the parking lot at the train station. There were a handful of vendors this morning, and as promised on their website, live music. I did a quick lap around before settling on one vendor with reasonable prices on her vegetables. I picked up the red leaf lettuce for $1.50 and the radish bunch for a dollar. Not too shabby.

Since I was already in Suffern, I figured I would check out the market up in Tuxedo. The only reason I know about that one is because I would pass it on my way to Greenwood Lake. It's on Route 17 North, which is the same way to get to Maskers Orchards (go go go... those apples don't pick themselves, you know!).

Just like the SFM, the Tuxedo Farmers Market is held at a train station from 9:00 - 2:00 until the end of the month (btw, the farmers market in Ridgewood, NJ is also on a Saturday... but I didn't check it out today). There was live music, but they were doing covers which I liked better. The market in Tuxedo is more in line with what you would find at the Troy market, but on a smaller scale. There was a wine vendor, a Mozzarella truck stocked with fresh made cheese, coffee and tea vendors... basically, I really liked this one. I picked up a bunch of leeks for $2.00 and the carrots for $1.50. It's not in the picture, but I also picked up a squash (not exactly sure what kind it is, but my mom said it's kalabasa... english translation - not a clue) for $1.50. Very wallet friendly indeed.

Escape to Albany (Part One: Farmers Market)

Hey everyone! I hope you had a good weekend... I sure did.

It's been a long time since I made it back to the Troy Farmers Market. M and I weren't even planning on stopping there, but somehow we turned too soon and found ourselves by the Uncle Sam parking garage. It seemed like there were more vendors there than I remember the last time, but perhaps a lot of them closed up before we got there (which was usually right before they started to break stuff down). There was no Thunder Mountain Curry, which kinda sucked, but it looks like there's a new Mexican food stand.

It looks like the Colebrook Wine lady is back. And FYI, she is out of the Honeydew Pinot Grigio. We did sample the Blueberry PG, and ended up buying a bottle. The wines tend to be on the sweet side, so if you're into that (and I am one of those people) stop by the market and pick up a bottle. I think they range from 12 to 17 dollars a bottle. Don't tell anyone, but I think I'll be throwing a bottle or two of these in my Christmas gift baskets!

After our purchase we headed into Albany to check out Oktoberfest. M figured it would be easier to take Rt. 32 into downtown Albany, and on the way we passed up the Capital District Farmers Market. Compared to the market in Troy, the one in Menands was much smaller, but we may have caught the end of it (when we showed up people had just finished packing up). It's a lot better during the week, but that's the wholesale market, and you should probably hold off unless you plan on splitting it with a few people or are planning to throw a party. A huge party.

From Farm to Campus

So the other day I saw a sign in the cafeteria for a Farmers Market. Sounds cool, right? Well... there it is. I shouldn't expect much, because it is a small school, and I have zero faith that these young people understand the concept of healthy eating (I am so guilty of that). I would have bought some stuff, if I didn't have another few hours of class afterward... and if it wasn't so freaking expensive. No wonder I didn't see students out there. Just us second degree kids.

Another thing I found annoying about this "market?" The fact that all the produce was from Long Island. There was a big sign hanging there emphasizing this fact: "GROWN IN LONG ISLAND"

Not saying that LI grown produce is bad (it isn't!). The issue I have is that in this area alone, there are many farms. I get the eat local, buy local thing... but hey, 20 minute trip to the farm vs. 3 hours?

Well, at least they're trying. Maybe they'll wise up and take advantage of the true local farms.

Union Square Greenmarket

Is it just me, or is that place super packed lately? At least I got to buy lots and lots of great fruits and veggies. And of course the pretzels and some peanut butter chocolate chip cookies.