May 30 2010
Bay Bridge
Saturday was a perfect day in San Francisco. It was warm, clear and beautiful. The farmers market was full of cherries, peaches and strawberries, and I tasted the best apricot ever at Frog Hollow Farm.
Basically it was too nice to stay inside writing about it. Photos will have to suffice today.
Bing Cherries
Green Garlic
Loquats
Peppers
Potatoes
Red Onions
Saturn Peaches
Shallots
White Peaches & Apricots
May 23 2010
Apricots
The San Francisco farmers market was a very different place this week compared to how I last saw it. Cherries, the first pitted stone fruit of the season, first appeared two weeks ago. But today fruit took over the market completely.
I must have tasted cherries from at least a dozen different growers this week, and they were all delicious. But the fruit explosion didn’t stop there. Apricots, peaches and nectarines were all available, and they tasted much better than I expected them to this early in the season. This week also marked the first appearance of local blueberries, which is very exciting.
First Blueberries
White Nectarines
The strawberries that had been somewhat elusive the past few weeks are now plentiful. And they are breathtaking.
Dirty Girl Strawberries
If all this talk of berries and stone fruits is starting to sound like summer to you, I have some more good news. Summer squash is now available at the farmers market and looking delectable. I even found nopales (cactus petals), something that reminds me of the hot summers in Southern California.
Nopales
First Summer Squash
I know all this is exciting, but let’s try to remember not to get too far ahead of ourselves. Spring is still dishing up delightful carrots, greens, peas, artichokes and delicacies such as green almonds. Enjoy them while you have the chance.
Fresh Almonds
Little Carrots
Today’s purchases:
May 16 2010
It is my absolute pleasure to introduce Kamran Siddiqi of The Sophisticated Gourmet. As you can probably guess, I have a soft spot for over achievers, and Kamran definitely qualifies. Not only does he run an immensely popular food blog while finishing his senior year of high school, applying to college and taking AP tests, he also takes stunning food photographs using only a point-and-shoot camera.
Kamran lives in New York City and creates simple but sophisticated recipes that anyone can make at home. I asked him if he would show us around the best farmers market in Manhattan, Union Square.
Follow Kamran on Twitter @ksiddiqi92 and Facebook, and find his photography on Flickr.
Update: Kamran got a new DSLR camera! Congratulations K!
by Kamran Siddiqi
New York is teeming with food bloggers, chefs, lineage cooks, photographers, and food journalists who have a passion for everything food related. Many of these home cooks and food bloggers leave the huge lines at Whole Foods, The Garden of Eden and Trader Joe’s to experience something even more amazing. These foodies swarm the streets, trains, and buses every Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday, to smell, poke, and pinch at in-season fruits and vegetables from one of the greatest markets in the city–the Union Square Greenmarket.
At the city’s top Greenmarket, foodies have access to extraordinary produce, fresh eggs, honeys, cheeses, meats and baked goods. They also have access to the people behind this whole operation–farmers, bakers, acolytes of Alice Waters, and people who believe in sharing great, locally-grown food with others.
A great deal of the foodstuffs are local, organic, and much of it all is naturally grown. Some of the great things that you will see at the Greenmarket include (but aren’t limited to):
Several varieties of potatoes.
Luscious organic greens.
Bushels of heirloom pears and apples.
Pure raw honey.
Fresh eggs.
Edible flowers for decorating cakes, eating in salads, adding to drinks, and for adding to dishes.
Of course this great market has much more to offer! So, if you’re in the neighborhood, be sure to stop at the Union Square Greenmarket, for some great local produce that will have you coming back for more! Trust me, you won’t leave the market empty-handed!
Have you visited the Union Square farmers market in NYC?
May 09 2010
First Cherries
There were cherries today! The first stone fruit of the season finally arrived, and they were surprisingly delicious. I had trouble focusing on much else.
Luckily despite my excitement I still had enough wits about me to grab some heirloom tomatoes, basil and fresh mozzarella. The mission: caprese salad. The verdict: awesome. Yep, the heirloom tomatoes are finally tasty.
Sugar Snap Peas
Basil
Peas and fava beans are huge at the farmers market right now: sugar snap peas as well as snow peas and English shelling peas.
The asparagus season is peaking right now, so be sure you get your fill in the coming weeks.
Asparagus
I also found a rare delicacy today, green almonds. Though they were more developed and less sweet than I remember them from last year, it was still exciting to see them and I’ll definitely be trying them again this season.
Kumquats
Green Almonds
And aren’t kumquats pretty?
Do you have cherries yet at your farmers market?
Today’s purchases:
May 02 2010
Spring Broccoli
Everything I’ve ever wanted out of springtime I found at the farmers market this weekend. The sun was bright and warm and the produce was lush and colorful. I was in heaven.
Finally the strawberries are sweet and abundant. Pea shoots, shelling peas and sugar snap peas are everywhere. And…(wait for it)…the first pimentos de padrón have arrived!
Pimentos de Padron
Organic Strawberries
Padróns are small Spanish peppers that are usually cooked briefly in hot olive oil and sprinkled with course sea salt. They aren’t spicy, except when they are. About 1 out of every 10 peppers is blistering hot, so be sure to have a crusty baguette nearby to soothe your mouth if you ever try them. The bread is also useful for sopping up the delicious oil that becomes flavored with the cooked pepper juices. I adore padróns.
The broccoli and cauliflower were particularly nice looking this week. I ended up getting two different kinds of broccoli, but after seeing this picture I regret not bringing home some cauliflower as well.
Gorgeous Cauliflower
One thing I did get for the first time this week was some baby fava beans. I like the baby ones because they don’t require shelling, the pods are tender enough that you can eat them whole. I like to roast them with garlic, capers, anchovies, kalamata olives and tomatoes. Yum. Just look how tender and fuzzy these little guys are.
Baby Fava Beans
I’m also excited that we’re starting to see tomatoes and avocados at the market together. Mexican food FTW! The tomatoes are even starting to look pretty good.
Hass Avocado
Crazy Tomatoes
I made the mistake last week of buying an organic avocado (it had slipped into the bin with conventional avocados and I hadn’t noticed) at my local market only to discover that it somehow tasted even better than regular avocados. I didn’t even think that was possible. Organic avocados are way more expensive, but I’m now forever ruined.
You also shouldn’t miss the fennel, lettuces, leeks, collards, chard and late season citrus.
Spring Citrus
Baby Fennel
Today’s purchases:
Darya @ The Huffington Post
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