downtoearthmarkets

[downtoearthmarkets]

Tis the season to eat, drink and be merry, with plenty of occasions to raise a glass of good cheer before we make our resolutions and flip the calendar. This year, December 25th is not only a celebration of Christmas but also heralds the start of Hanukkah which falls late in 2024 and begins at sundown with the lighting of the first candle in the Menorah. Then, without skipping a beat, New Year’s Eve follows hot on the heels less than a week later. So, to avoid finding yourself empty handed over the holidays, here are some suggestions for festive libations that are just as tasty spiked with locally distilled spirits as they are served zero proof.

Christmas Cocktails 🎄 Nothing embodies Christmastime quite like a warming mug of fragrantly spiced, homemade eggnog. Eggnog originated from an early medieval British drink called posset that was made with hot milk curdled with wine or ale and flavored with nutmeg and cinnamon. By the 13th century, monks were adding eggs and figs to the hearty concoction which was often used as a cold and flu remedy. Because eggs, milk and sherry were scarce and expensive, drinking eggnog was a luxury reserved for the elite who used it in toasts to prosperity and good health.

Eggnog crossed the pond along with English settlers where it first made its appearance in the 1700s. In the colonies, eggs, cream and rum distilled from Caribbean molasses were plentiful and the drink became more widely consumed. Eggnog was particularly popular during yuletide because of its warm temperature and the addition of spices like cinnamon, nutmeg and vanilla bean that evoke the winter season.

This festive and flavorful eggnog recipe is easy to make at home using fresh, local ingredients from the farmers market. Adding a dash of booze is entirely optional and can be skipped altogether so your holiday nog can be enjoyed by everyone.

Ingredients:

2 cups Goodness Dairy whole milk

6 SOVA Farms large egg yolks

3 whole cloves

2 tbsp + 1 tsp pure vanilla extract, divided

1 tsp ground cinnamon

3⁄4 tsp ground fresh nutmeg, plus more for garnishing individual glasses

1 pinch kosher salt

3⁄4 cup sugar

1 1⁄4 cup light rum (optional)

1⁄4 cup Coopers Daughter Spirits Black Walnut Liqueur (optional)

2 cups half-and-half

1 cup heavy cream

Chanukah Cheer 🕎 Hanukkah, also known as the Festival of Lights, celebrates the rededication of the Temple in Jerusalem in the 2nd century BCE, after the Maccabees–a small group of Jewish rebels–liberated it from occupying foreign forces. When the Jewish resistance fighters entered the Temple, they sought to relight the Temple’s menorah but found only enough oil to keep it lit for one night. Miraculously, the menorah stayed aflame for eight days and nights which was seen as a sign from God.

Olive oil was the fuel used by the ancient Israelites to light the menorah and is still the preferred oil for use in the menorah during Hanukkah today. During the holiday, food fried in oil such as potato latkes and Sufganiyot (jelly filled donuts) are eaten to commemorate and symbolize the Hanukkah miracle.

Another fun way to incorporate the story of Hanukkah into your celebratory treats is to use it in festive, holiday drinks. Adding olive oil into cocktails will give them a bright, peppery flavor, silky mouthfeel and lusciously smooth texture. There are several creative mixology recipes to try, but you can never go wrong with a classic martini. This recipe lets the olive oil shine through using an infusion technique known as fat-washing:

Geoffrey Zakarian Olive Oil Martini:

One 750-milliliter bottle of Coopers Daughter Spirits vodka or non-alcoholic spirit substitute

4 ounces Arlotta Food Studio extra virgin olive oil

2 sprigs fresh thyme from the farmstalls

Dash dry vermouth

3-5 shakes LabelMaker Drinks Tuscan Tears bitters

2 pitted Dr. Pickle green olives plus ½-ounce Dr. Pickle olive brine

If you prefer to save time by skipping the fat-washing prep, this olive oil martini can be whipped up on the spot in under two minutes.

New Year’s Nectar 🥂 The tradition of drinking champagne on New Year's dates back to the 17th century when wealthy French citizens would pop open a bottle of this sparkling wine as a symbol of prosperity. Toasting the ball drop at midnight with a glass of bubbly gets even tastier with the addition of locally pressed apple cider and a cinnamon sugar rim for fun farm-to-flute flavor:

Instructions:

Fill a shallow plate with cinnamon sugar (1 cup granulated sugar mixed with 1 tbsp cinnamon) and dip each rim of glass in water, then in cinnamon sugar mixture to coat. 

Pour each glass 1/2 full of Locust Grove Fruit Farm or Orchards of Concklin chilled apple cider and top with champagne, prosecco or non-alcoholic sparkling wine. 

Chink your glasses together and enjoy!

We hope these locally inspired libations add a dash of festive freshness to your upcoming holiday celebrations! Many cheers to that and we look forward to seeing you at the farmers market this weekend.

[downtoearthmarkets]

The popularity of charcuterie boards has skyrocketed in recent years thanks to their creativity, visual appeal and social media shareability. Given the many different iterations of charcuterie boards that this trend has given rise to, including actual cured meats is optional as the term is now used interchangeably to describe serving boards neatly arranged with any kind of individual-sized, party-ready finger foods. So, if you’re looking to create a fun, festive and tasty charcuterie board this holiday season, here are some on-point ideas using fresh, local ingredients from the farmers market.

CharcuTREE A Christmas tree-shaped charcuterie board made with red, white and green edibles is sure to put your guests in the festive spirit. Plus, you can make it ahead of time, cover it and pop it in the fridge for relaxed, stress-free hosting.

The first step is to outline the shape of your triangular-shaped tree with rosemary sprigs, or deck the board with boughs of rosemary, if you will. Fresh rosemary is not only seasonally aromatic, it also resembles fir tree branches to bring your charcuterie board to life! Next, gather your ingredients and tailor the quantities to suit the size of your board:

Goode and Local By Don Rodrigo salami medallions or sliced jamon – Choose from their reddish, pink meats to stay within the Christmas theme. Options include their Black Peppered Lonza, Hot Coppa, Finocchiona Chubs, Hot Napoli Sopressatta or Iberico Presunto. If desired, you can use toothpicks to string together and artfully arrange your cured meat.

McGrath Cheese Company plain cheese curds or cubed Maplebrook Farm block feta.

Red radishes to add a splash of Santa Claus red to your Christmas board.

Maplebrook Farm Ciliegine -- Ciliegine are bite-sized fresh mozzarella balls that look like Christmas ornaments or snowballs. Drizzle them with pesto on the board for an extra festive touch.

Dr. Pickle green olives of choice.

Dr. Pickle antipasto peppers – Marinated peppers are bright red, perfect for the board.

Fresh parsley – Parsley will give you a fresh pop of vibrant greenery.

Crostini or crackers – Homemade crostini or crackers make the perfect tree trunk.

Coarse salt – Coarse salt sprinkled around the board looks like snow.

To assemble your tree, layer each ingredient in separate rows, starting from the bottom of the triangular tree shape as the longest row and tapering your way up to the top of the tree. Use a star-shaped cutout of cheese or charcuterie to top off the tree.

Plants-a-Plenty Plant-based foods are squarely in the limelight these days due to the myriad of eco and health benefits they confer. Given the lower carbon footprint of a plant-forward diet, it’s no surprise that Plant is spelled like Planet, just minus the e! So, delight your guests with a planet-friendly, plant-based charcuterie board this holiday season featuring locally grown and produced ingredients from the farmers market to bestow it with even greater eco appeal:

Individual slices of bread and crackers will serve as the anchor and main foundation of your plant-based board. Weave in small pieces of Wave Hill Breads or Orwashers Bakery's focaccia, ciabatta, sourdough and baguette throughout the presentation.

Mix Agape Olive Oil’s extra virgin olive oil with their flavor-infused, barrel-aged Modena vinegars for a delicious dipping station in the center of the board. 

Go wild with winter produce to add vibrant colors and refreshing crunch to your board. Think red, purple and white radishes, snappy carrots, crisp celery, cute cauliflower florets, spicy fennel, sweet kohlrabi and more.

Instead of soft cheeses, substitute small bowls of creamy Taiim Shack Mobile or Nana's Home Kitchen's hummus and baba ghanoush.

Simple Fine Foods' salty, savory black olive tapenade is delicious when spread on top of bread or crackers.

Pickles from Dr. Pickle make the perfect tangy, briny accompaniment to a plant-based charcuterie board. Introduce cornichons, pickled mushrooms, stuffed olives, pickled Brussels sprouts, pickle chips and any other pickled or marinated edibles.

Don’t forget a bowl of juicy Kalamata olives from Agape Olive Oil. They’re grown in a small, family olive orchard in Messinia, Greece. 

Balance out the savory components of your board with little pots of Peck's of Maine's seasonal jams which are made using New York State fruits whenever possible.

Dried fruits are a classic charcuterie board staple. It’s easy to make your own by thinly slicing apples and pears from the farmstalls, sprinkling them with cinnamon, lining a baking sheet with parchment paper and dehydrating them in the oven.

Sugar & Spice  Dessert charcuterie boards are all the rage so why not sweeten your holiday with one of these decadent spreads! Our farmers markets have no shortage of scrumptious treats so you can fill your holiday platter with an array of locally made goodies:

Slowcocoa Craft Chocolate's delicious gelt is a mindfully vegan twist on the classic Chanukah treat. Their bestselling 49% dark+oatmilk is slowly hand-poured into individual gelt coins, then lovingly coated in 24-karat edible gold leaf.

Who doesn’t love donuts? Orchards of Concklin apple donuts are flavored with their very own ciders made from pressed orchard fruit.

Pick up a box of Orwashers Bakery’s festive Blue + White Cookies, Rugelach, and a variety of other artisan pastries!

Wave Hill Breads has a full menu of locally baked holiday treats including Panettone, Chocolate Cannoli, Maritozzi, Sfogliatella, Traditional Cannoli, Mixed Berry Crostata and Coffee Cake.

Luxx Chocolat's award-winning, handcrafted chocolate and confections are exquisitely designed to capture the eye, imagination and every taste bud. Their new collections of artisan chocolate include the Honey, Harvest & Hay Cube Collection featuring the viral toasted shredded phyllo pastry and chocolate holiday barks. 

We hope these mouthwatering charcuterie board ideas have filled you with seasonal glee and festive inspiration! We look forward to hearing about the array of creative holiday boards you come up with as you browse our vendors’ stalls at the farmers market this weekend.

[downtoearthmarkets]

December has arrived in all its festive glory and ushered in an unusually chilly cold snap just in time to launch us into the holiday spirit! While conditions have seemingly ricocheted from one extreme to another, the range of produce on offer at our farmstalls is still redolent of the long stretch of hot, dry fall days that extended the backend of this year’s growing season well beyond its typical expiration. However, all good things must end, and it’s now last call for many tender field-grown greens and other warm season veggies until the soft rains and mild temperatures of spring coax them forth again. Let Us Enjoy Lettuce Lettuce is a shoulder season crop here in the northeast as this cool-weather-loving plant is typically grown in the spring and autumn. In the spring, lettuce bolts when it matures and reaches the end of its lifecycle, which is usually when daytime temperatures head above 75°F and nighttime temperatures remain over 60°F. In the fall, lettuce can withstand light frosts but needs protection from heavy frosts or harsh, freezing conditions. Lettuce is commonly used as a foundational base for green salads thanks to its versatility, mild flavor, crisp texture and ability to showcase a wide range of salad dressings. In contrast to loose leaf lettuce varieties, the leaves of head lettuces such as romaine, butterhead and iceberg form a dense rosette which develops into a tight, compact head like cabbage. If you’re a salad aficionado like me, the unusually warm and sunny autumn has let us (lettuce!) enjoy this refreshingly crunchy and hydrating leafy vegetable in a variety of delicious preparations for weeks longer than normal. If lettuce-anchored salads are non-negotiable during the cold winter months, you’re in luck as some of our small farms like Great Joy Family Farm, Newgate Farms and Sun Sprout Farm have built greenhouses to facilitate year-round production. The panels of a greenhouse allow sunlight to pass through and trap it as thermal energy to heat up the air inside and create a warm, regulated growing environment. The structure itself protects plants from extreme conditions such as wind, heavy rain, frost and snow. When sunlight is unavailable, supplemental heat from gas, propane or fuel is generally used to keep greenhouse temperatures above freezing. Ar-u-goo-goo for Arugula? Another highly popular salad green, arugula is a member of the Brassicaceae, or cruciferous, family that includes cabbage, cauliflower, Brussels sprouts, and kale. This peppery mustard green is native to the Mediterranean region where it has been widely cultivated since Roman times. Like lettuce, arugula thrives in cool weather and is considered a cool-season crop. While it can withstand the recent light frosts in the field, its tender leaves must be protected from heavy frosts and snowfall by row covers or other frost protection measures. Arugula can be sown inside a greenhouse during the winter as it germinates well in cool soil temperatures and will grow in an unheated structure.  Given the challenges of growing arugula outside during the winter, this spicy, tangy green will be harder to spot at our farmstalls after this weekend. Make the most of the last field-grown harvests by scooping up a few bags to make this goat cheese, arugula & pear salad: Ingredients Dressing:

2 tablespoons Sun Sprout Farm chopped shallot, (about 1 small shallot)

1 Sun Sprout Farm garlic clove, chopped

¼ cup Arlotta Food Studio extra virgin olive oil

2 tablespoons Newgate Farms honey or Maplebrook Farm maple syrup

2 tablespoons white wine vinegar or rice vinegar

1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

½ teaspoon fine sea salt

Salad:

5 ounces Great Joy Family Farm arugula

⅓ cup Sun Sprout Farm thinly sliced red onion

1 Locust Grove Fruit Farm green or red pear, cored and sliced into 1/4″ half-moons

⅓ cup toasted walnuts

2 ounces SOVA Farms soft goat cheese, crumbled

2 ounces blue cheese, crumbled

½ cup mixed Guoz Garden microgreens, optional

Freshly ground black pepper to taste

Curb your Herb Enthusiasm While dried herbs can be at our fingertips all winter long, certain non-woody herbs lose their signature flavor, boldness and aroma when dried. Basil, cilantro, parsley, dill, tarragon and chives are just a few examples that will always taste and smell better when enjoyed fresh! Most herbs are delicate plants that require milder, temperate conditions to thrive outside in the field, so will rapidly disappear from farmstalls now that our “second summer” is over. If you stumble upon any lush bunches of field-grown herbs at the farmers market this weekend, grab them while you can and whip up a big green salad, whirl them into a pesto in your food processor, or finely chop them and toss them into an omelet. For more ways to enjoy fresh herbs, consult this handy link. While greenhouse cultivation will enable many of our farms to bring an assortment of fresh greens to the farmers market all winter long, supplies can be limited due to the competing demands and restrictive nature of indoor growing. We’ve been lucky enough to enjoy an extended season for a host of fresh produce, but now that the weather has finally turned, this weekend will be the last call for many tender field-grown veggies. Be sure to make the most of the ones you can find, and we look forward to seeing you at the market!

[downtoearthmarkets]

Get ready for a fun weekend of farmers market grocery shopping because the biggest food holiday of the year arrives next Thursday! Thanksgiving marks a time to gather with family and friends to express gratitude over a feast of turkey and other traditional New England foods. But, while you’re busy preparing the main meal, your guests will need a little something to whet their appetite. Here are a few ideas for tasty yet simple Thanksgiving appetizers that you can make with ingredients sourced at your local Down to Earth farmers market this weekend.

It's a Stickup! Featuring plenty of seasonal flavor, with pretzel sticks as edible toothpicks for ease-of-handling and no fuss cleanup, these maple-glazed sausage bites are sure to be a Thanksgiving crowd-pleaser. The glaze delivers the coup de grace with its irresistible combination of sticky sweet maple syrup, earthy, herby crumbled sage and tangy stone ground mustard.

Ingredients: Makes 16 sausage bites

⅓ cup Maplebrook Farm maple syrup

1 tbsp stone ground mustard

½ teaspoon dried, crushed sage leaves

12 oz Goode and Local By Don Rodrigo, SOVA Farms or Stone & Thistle Farm cooked sausage

16 pretzel sticks

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

In a small bowl, combine maple syrup, mustard and sage.

Cut sausage into 1" slices. Place on a rimmed baking tray.

Bake sausage for 8 minutes. Brush generously with maple glaze. Bake for an additional 8 minutes or until sausage is heated through.

Insert a pretzel stick into each sausage bite for easy serving.

Enjoy!

We’ll Always Have Brussels Brussels sprouts are currently in peak season as this winter vegetable grows best in cool or lightly frosty weather. You can often find Brussels sprouts being sold on the stalk in our farmers markets–just the way nature intended and eliminating the need for any excess packaging. Simply twist the sprouts until they break away from the plant.

These “mini cabbages” are considered nutritional powerhouses as they are high in fiber, potassium, and folate, and are an excellent source of vitamins C and K. They also contain antioxidants and minerals like calcium, iron, and magnesium.

There are many fun holiday appetizers you can make with these cruciferous cuties. Anything with bacon is sure to be a hit, so try whipping up these bacon-wrapped parmesan Brussels sprouts. You probably have most of the simple ingredient list in your pantry already, so pick up a pound of Brussels sprouts from the farmstalls and bacon from Goode and Local By Don Rodrigo and give them a whirl! Or how about these adorable sliders that substitute sprouts for the buns?

If you’re hoping to up the ante with your Thanksgiving appy or just discover a delicious new way to serve Brussels sprouts on any occasion, look no further than this vegetarian recipe. You’ll want to select the largest sprouts available and grab some whole milk ricotta from Maplebrook Farm before they sell out. Also, be sure to watch this short and very helpful instructional video before getting out your paring knife.

Pro Antipasto? Italy’s answer to France’s charcuterie boards, antipasto platters feature an array of classic Italian delicacies including cured meats, cheeses, marinated veggies, olives and bread. In addition to spreading antipasto across a large platter, it can also work great hors d'oeuvres-style when threaded onto individual toothpicks or skewers.

To assemble your antipasto skewers, thread from bottom to top: 1 Dr. Pickle pitted olive of any kind, 1 marinated Maplebrook Farm ciliegine, 1 fresh basil leaf, 1 cherry or grape tomato, 1 slice Goode and Local By Don Rodrigo cured meat (fold over once or twice before threading), 1 Dr. Pickle marinated artichoke heart quarter, 1 Dr. Pickle roasted red pepper slice (fold over once or twice before threading), 1 basil leaf, 1 olive, and 1 small piece of Wave Hill Breads or Orwashers Bakery baguette. Arrange finished skewers on a serving platter.

Sleek As a Leek Party Dip A member of the allium family which includes onions, scallions, chives and garlic, leeks are a fall and winter crop that can be harvested even after it starts snowing. Leeks need to be cleaned thoroughly before using because dirt can get trapped between the layers of leaves. To clean, halve the leeks lengthwise with the root still intact, then run them under cool water.

It’s not a party without a dip and, with only five ingredients, this melted leek dip is the gift that keeps on giving! While making your farmers market rounds, look out for crunchy veggies like carrots and celery and freshly baked loaves that will work great for dipping.

Ingredients:

6 tablespoons SOVA Farms unsalted butter

4 large leeks from the farmstalls, white sections only, halved, and thinly sliced into half-moons

1 teaspoon kosher salt, plus more to taste

½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1 pint full-fat sour cream

Crudités, Norwegian Baked LLC crackers, or toasted Wave Hill Breads or Orwashers Bakery baguette (for serving)

We hope these appetizing appetizer ideas got you primed and ready for Thanksgiving farmers market shopping this weekend. As always, our farms and food makers will have an array of freshly harvested, regionally grown and locally produced goodies to help complete your shopping list and fill your reusable shopping bags. We look forward to seeing you there!

[downtoearthmarkets]

The expression “Think globally, act locally” was coined in the 1970s by environmentalists urging people to consider the health of the entire planet while taking action in their own communities. This popular catchphrase can be applied in a variety of contexts, including Down to Earth’s farmers markets, which support local farmers and food makers, but also feature vendors selling a diversity of internationally themed foods. The “glocal” flavors of our markets combine global cuisine with locally grown and produced ingredients to quite literally let you enjoy the best of both worlds!

Poquito Picante Maylene KIein of Salsa Wallito was born in the Midwest but at an early age moved to Monterrey, N.L. Mexico where she was raised by her Abuelita Anita who taught her how to cook. Today, Maylene’s values and heritage, both American and Mexican, are something in which her family takes pride. A tradition they love to follow is cooking an authentic Mexican dish every week. Salsas are a staple in their home–they always add it to their dishes–both Mexican and American.

Salsa Wallito produces authentic Mexican salsa norteña in five distinct flavors: Bonita, Chipotle, Verde, Siete, and Tequilazo. Their family recipe is a century old and packed with flavors that will enhance your favorite dishes. The salsas come in three different heat levels to ensure there's an option for everyone to enjoy the distinct taste of a true authentic Mexican salsa norteña. Salsa Wallito uses locally sourced ingredients in their products.

It’s All Greek Olive trees first appeared thousands of years ago in the Mediterranean basin, but it is thought to be the Ancient Greeks who first cultivated olive trees and produced olive oil. They believed that olive oil was a gift from the goddess Athena and used it for various purposes, including cooking, lighting, and religious ceremonies. Olive oil was so important to ancient Greek society that it was used as a form of currency, and Olympic athletes were anointed with olive oil before their competitions and awarded wreaths made with olive leaves for winning events.

DEMI Olive Oil is made in Greece from estate-grown olives and brought to the U.S. by the family that makes the oil. Their small-batch, single origin olive oil is the product of a longstanding family tradition: the roots of their olive trees are deeply embedded in the soil and history of Greece. Their team of Greek olive growers tends to the family olive grove with a commitment to quality and tradition that informs everything from how they care for the land and the trees, to how they harvest and press the olives.

Jamón In There Don Rodrigo Duarte of Goode and Local by Don Rodrigo operates a modern 12-acre farm in Sussex, New Jersey and several satellite fields in Warren County where he raises crossbred and purebred Alentejano (Iberico) hogs as well as Mangalitsa pigs. A true expert in his field, Duarte is exclusively certified by the country of Portugal to raise 100 percent purebred Iberico pigs outside of Portugal. Native to the Iberian Peninsula of Southwestern Europe, each Iberico pig is assigned a unique number as a piglet, and their life and DNA are meticulously tracked by the Department of Agriculture in Portugal.

Free to forage and root on the grains and grasses that carpet the landscape, the hogs are also fed an ample supply of blueberries, broccoli, bell peppers and other excess locally grown fresh produce, along with leftover artisanal bread from Teixeira’s Bakery in Newark. Duarte also supplements the hogs’ diet with the foods that the breed has traditionally been raised on -- chestnuts and acorns from Iberia’s Extremadura region.

Goode and Local crafts the finest handcrafted meats, charcuterie, and sausages straight from their farms to your table. The 16-month growth period of their hogs, free from intensive feeding, results in a distinctive and flavorful product. The taste of the meat from Duarte’s hogs, he says, “comes from nature, from the farmland, whatever herbs and flavors they eat.” Acorns are particularly rich in oleic acid (a monounsaturated omega-9 fatty acid), which penetrates the muscle fibers of the ham as it sweats during the curing process.

A Pita My Heart The husband-and-wife team of Serop and Jasmin Mandjian are best known as Coco and Nana. Serop's middle name is Gregory, and in their native Armenian language, Coco is the nickname for Gregory. As for Nana, this is the name their grandchildren exclaim as they throw open the kitchen door, wild in delight for the food soon to be served.

Coco and Nana were high school sweethearts in Armenia and married a few years later. They came to the United States in 1984, and Coco worked as a diamond setter for more than two decades. They have both enjoyed cooking since they were children, and once they married, they shared their love of the kitchen together. "She's my best friend for more than 45 years," Coco says of Nana. 

As Coco retired from diamond setting, they were able to devote more time to their enjoyment of cooking fresh Middle Eastern foods from scratch. Encouraged by family and friends, they decided to offer their cooking to a broader audience and started Nana's Home Kitchen in 2010. The couple offers a diverse menu of savory and sweet Mediterranean foods, including hummus and other spreads, chicken kababs grilled on-site and served wrapped in a warm pita, empanadas, stuffed grape leaves, traditional cookies, baklava, and more.

Pasta La Vista Pasta is believed to have been consumed in Italy as early as the fourth century BCE. Archeological evidence shows the existence of pasta during the Etruscan civilization, which flourished in the regions now known as Lazio, Umbria and Tuscany. In fact, a bas-relief unearthed in an Etruscan tomb depicts tools and kitchen utensils used to roll and form pasta very similar to those still in use today. By the Middle Ages, pasta had become established as a staple food across Italy, with the poor eating it as a source of energy when meat was scarce, while the rich covered it with a variety of ingredients.

La Trafila Pasta is a Gowanus, Brooklyn based fresh pasta business founded by Jiselle & Luigi Speranza. Their passion for cooking and creating brought them together from opposite sides of the world. They use flour imported from Italy, along with local and regionally sourced ingredients whenever possible, to produce handcrafted pasta, stuffed gnocchi, sauces, tiramisu and cannoli. Trafila is an Italian word referring to the bronze cast die traditionally used in the process of extruding pasta dough to create various shapes.

Got Tofu? Great Joy Family Farm has become just that thanks to the vision, agricultural talent and hard work of Wendy Chen and a collective of her family members who moved to the United States a decade ago from a region in south central China known for its rivers, lakes and rice production. They have successfully parlayed their expertise in rice growing from China to the Hudson Valley, where they cultivate a range of different rice crops in paddies by the Wallkill River.

In addition to their array of locally grown rice and specialty Asian grain products like millet, Great Joy Family Farm makes fresh tofu from their non-GMO soybeans. Although widely associated with Japanese cuisine, tofu was first recorded in China during the Han dynasty, around 2,000 years ago. It was introduced to Japan several centuries later during the Nara period (710–794) by Japanese envoys to China who learned how to make tofu and brought it back with them.

Tofu is rich in protein, important minerals and essential nutrients and can be enjoyed by everyone, whether you're a vegetarian, vegan, or meat-eater. It’s low in calories and cholesterol-free, making it especially beneficial for heart health. Plus, cooking with tofu is easy as its mild taste makes it the perfect canvas for any flavor you want to add! Wendy recommends lightly coating it with cornstarch for a crispy texture before pan-frying it. You can add it to stir-fries, salads, or even grill or bake it with your favorite sauce for a delicious and well-rounded meal.

Stock Up On It In the fall of 2019, Edlin Choi, the founder of Reclamation Foods, left a career in tech to apprentice on a regenerative livestock farm that, uniquely, had its own processing facilities right on the farm. As a result, they were able to make use of the whole animal.

When he returned to New York in 2021, he spoke to 30+ farmers and learned that most of them had a hard time selling bones, fats, and even organ meats. Without the processing capabilities to turn them into more easily sellable products, some farmers stopped taking these nutrient-dense parts back from the abattoir altogether.

So Edlin decided to start buying those parts from local farmers and, taking inspiration from his Korean heritage, turn them into nourishing foods and drinks. Today, their award-winning Korean bone broth, a 2024 Good Food Award Winner and a 2024 Shelfie Awards Finalist, is part of a range of pantry staples. Their flagship collection includes two broths (beef and pork). Each is made with just two ingredients: bones and water, meant to be seasoned by you. Their broth is great for sipping, cooking, and even using in lattes! They will soon be launching heirloom cooking fats (tallow and lard) sourced from pasture-raised, grass-fed animals to further help you reclaim the kitchen and your health.

Reclamation Foods is on a mission to create an alternative food system centered on delicious and wholesome foods rooted in culture. They believe in reconnecting with the wisdom of traditional cuisine, honoring the animals we harvest, maximizing every animal harvest, finding harmony through agroecology, and rediscovering nourishment through food.

Wanna Empanada? Growing up in Lima, Peru, Jessy of Jessy’s Pastries - Empanadas & Sweets remembers both her grandmothers baking the most delicious desserts and pastries from old family recipes passed down from generation to generation, each with a specific style and distinctive Peruvian taste. After moving to New York City at the age of seventeen, she was exposed to all the great American desserts. Along the way, just like the genesis of any good pastry, a fusion of Jessy's Peruvian roots and her New York life happened, baking together the best of her two worlds.

Jessy’s Pastries started out as a Peruvian Alfajores cookie business. It has since grown to offer sweet and savory healthy food such as baked empanadas for meat, vegetarian and vegan lovers, all with a twist that makes the recipes Jessy’s very own. Jessy's Pastries strives to offer the finest quality handmade products by making them from scratch and sourcing ingredients from local farmers whenever possible. With Jessy's Pastries, Jessy hopes to bring to you the best foods of her childhood memories, as well as her very favorite ones from her new home.

You Stole My Tart George, the passionate baker behind Lisbonata, has a sweet spot for two things: Lisbon and baking. As someone who’s always been captivated by the vibrant culture and flavors of Lisbon, he found a particular love for the iconic Pastéis de Nata – the famous Portuguese custard tarts that capture the essence of Portugal in every bite.

George’s entrepreneurial journey began in New York City, where he noticed a void in the city's diverse culinary landscape – a lack of truly authentic Pastéis de Nata. This realization sparked a mission: to bring the genuine taste of Portugal's beloved treat to the bustling streets of the city. Lisbonata is more than a bakery; it's his passion project, meticulously crafted and baked to perfection. Lisbonata prides themselves on using locally sourced ingredients and traditional recipes. They offer unique seasonal flavors while maintaining an unwavering commitment to quality and authenticity.

It’s Not Posh Nosh Simple Fine Foods makes farm-to-table sauces, spreads, condiments and heat-and-eat foods inspired by British pub cuisine. They use simple, locally sourced ingredients to craft British pot pies, Scotch eggs, soups and spreads.

Their range of hearty pies are handmade in small batches for the ultimate in quality and taste. So why settle for a mediocre meal when you can enjoy the best of British comfort food with Simple Fine Foods? Pick up one of their delicious pies and taste the difference for yourself! They’re fully cooked and just need to be warmed in the oven for 20-25 minutes at 300 degrees for an easy, no fuss meal.

So, come treat your taste buds to a tour of the world’s diverse cuisines at your local Down to Earth farmers market this weekend! The “glocal” flavors you’ll discover are not only exotically delicious, but they also come without the pricy travel tab and hefty carbon emissions of flying. A win-win on all accounts!

[downtoearthmarkets]

Let’s hear it for New York, New York! The city that never sleeps, where the streets will make you feel brand new and big lights will inspire you. You won’t go hungry in New York either, as taking a bite out of the Big Apple has always been easy. The city has long been celebrated as one of the great culinary capitals of the world and is well-known for its diversity of iconic foods. But you don’t have to head into the heart of Manhattan to indulge in classic New York treats when you can easily source them at your local Down to Earth farmers market this weekend.  

Your Best B.E.C. The B.E.C., which stands for bacon, egg and cheese, is a favorite New York way to start the day. This salty, savory breakfast combo can be ordered at every deli, corner store and bodega throughout the big city and its boroughs. The belly-filling sammy is most often served on a plain or poppy seed roll or bagel and comes wrapped in foil.

The B.E.C.’s origins can be traced back to the Industrial Revolution of the 1800s, when British street vendors sold egg and meat sandwiches on soft rolls to factory workers who needed a quick and hearty meal before their long work shifts. As factories began to appear in the United States, the breakfast sandwich crossed the Atlantic and quickly became a much-cherished New York ritual.

Skip the line at the deli counter this weekend and elevate your B.E.C. recipe with top-of-the-line, locally produced ingredients from the farmers market:

2 rashers Goode and Local By Don Rodrigo Mangalitsa Hickory Smoked Bacon

2 Great Joy Family Farm, SOVA Farms or Stone & Thistle Farm pastured eggs

1 Badass Bagels plain or poppy seed bagel

3 tablespoons Maplebrook Farm or SOVA Farms butter

Plain McGrath Cheese Company cheese curds

Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

Optional: Simple Fine Foods Spicy Chipotle Squeeze

Coffee…Regular Any self-respecting New Yorker washes down their B.E.C. sandwich with a piping cup of “regular coffee” as an essential part of breakfast. A regular coffee in New York means a short coffee with milk and two sugars. It’s the default coffee of the city because it’s easy to make and quick to order, which best suits the fast pace of life in the concrete metropolis.

Pick up a hot cup of regular coffee from Cano Coffee Company to sip as you stroll through the market. Cano Coffee Company is a New York-based roaster that imports beans from their family coffee estate in Colombia. Their range includes ground and whole bean bold, medium and mild roasts, kcups, and growlers of cold brew.

Slice, Slice Baby Iconic New York-style pizza began when Gennaro Lombardi, an Italian immigrant from Naples, opened the country’s first pizzeria in Manhattan’s Little Italy neighborhood in 1905 serving large, wide pies. The quintessential New York pizza has a thin crust that is foldable yet crispy and is traditionally topped with tomato sauce and mozzarella cheese, with any extra toppings placed on top of the cheese. 

Enjoy a slice of New York with Wave Hill Breads’ artisanal pizzas that are parbaked for easy prep. Simply remove the plastic wrap and pop them in the oven at 450 degrees for 12-15 minutes and enjoy:

Margherita: Italian tomatoes, mozzarella, grana podano, basil

Quattro Formaggi: Mozzarella, gorgonzola, asiago, pecorino romano

Zucca e Limone: Zucchini, mozzarella, grana adano, basil pistou, lemon zest

Salsicia: Italian sweet sausage, sweet onions, roasted peppers

Veggie: Yukon gold potatoes, rosemary, garlic, mozzarella, green onions

In a Pickle? New York City was destined to become the “pickle capital” of the United States after Dutch farmers began growing cucumbers in Brooklyn in 1659. These settlers pickled the cucumbers and sold them from barrels on the street. Without modern refrigeration, pickles provided the early colonists a way to eat veggies during the barren winter months when there wasn’t much else available. When a heavy influx of Eastern European Jews arrived during the late 1800s and early 1900s, they introduced their pickling traditions, along with kosher dill pickles, to New York City.

Get into the New York spirit with a pickle-on-a-stick or a whole container of tangy, briny pickles from Dr. Pickle. The Nadel brothers of Dr. Pickle grew up doing every step of the pickle business while working for their father. Now a third-generation company, they’ve always created their products as naturally as possible, often sourcing from local farms in New York and New Jersey. And while the generations may change, the time-soaked recipes do not.

The Big Oyster When Henry Hudson sailed into New York Harbor, there were miles of oyster reefs stretching in every direction that supported up to half of the world’s oyster population. Huge, plump oysters growing up to 10 inches long could be easily plucked out of the water and eaten fresh like fruit off the vine.

For an entire century, the port of New York was known as the oyster capital of the world, with millions of discarded shells used to pave its roads and make mortar and lime to fuel the city’s building boom. Unfortunately, unsustainable consumption, habitat destruction and sewage pollution decimated wild oyster populations, with the last New York City oyster bed closed for harvesting in 1927. Today, oysters harvested from the coast of Long Island Sound are considered some of the best in the world. Blue Point Oysters are the most famous local variety and have been a fixture on New York City restaurant menus since the early 1800s.

Get your shucking knife sharpened and ready for action and stop by American Pride Seafood to scoop up some freshly harvested Blue Points. The world may be your oyster, but there’s nothing quite like a full-blown, over-the-top New York-style shellfish extravaganza!

Who Let the Dogs Out? Hot dogs are one of the most famous street foods in New York City, with New Yorkers consuming more hot dogs than any other demographic in the country. The classic New York dog is served inside a soft bun with steamed onions and a pale yellow, deli-style mustard. 

You don’t have to settle for a ho-hum hot dog when Goode and Local By Don Rodrigo is cooking up their delicious Smoked Bacon Cheddar Sausages onsite at the market! These mouth-watering Mangalitsa pork bratwursts are served on a potato roll with generous toppings of tangy Hungarian sauerkraut and Goode and Local’s very own chili.

Think you need to schlep somewhere for real NYC food? Fuhgeddaboudit! Just head directly to your Down to Earth farmers market this weekend for the freshest, locally sourced and tastiest iconic New York treats. We look forward to seeing you there!

[downtoearthmarkets]

A message from Dacotah Rousseau, Managing Director, Down to Earth Markets: I am pleased to share our second-ever impact report with you, covering the work that Down to Earth Markets did in 2023. Last year we started this reporting initiative to better express our values as a mission-driven B Corp and certified NY Benefit Corporation. As a small company in a niche field, it also gives us an opportunity to pull back from the busy life of a farmers market manager to look at the big picture. Like cleaning the dirty panes of a large window, stepping back allows us to see the effect we are having, and it can be satisfying, inspiring and challenging (sometimes frustrating) all at the same time. The change is measurable but there’s always a lot more to do. When we shift perspective from the tasks at hand to the larger view we can also take in the vista beyond our window. Out there are things we don’t control but that we want to understand, and that can influence and inform our work. This Impact Report delivers to you, a stakeholder in our farmers markets and a stakeholder in the food system, an explanation of what we do, how we do it and why we do it. There are few clear boundaries when we start to think about all the ways in which food, its production, acquisition and enjoyment, weaves through our lives, but we focus on a few significant areas of impact:

The food growers and makers, whose success is at the core of our mission

The communities where we have our farmers markets

The environment, which registers our impact from seed to table

We call you a stakeholder because, whoever and wherever you are, where our food comes from and how it’s made is significant to your bigger picture. Even if you are not selling your food through our markets, buying your groceries from our vendors, or otherwise directly connected to Down to Earth’s operations, what we do to build the local food system here in the New York City area has ripple effects.    In our 2023 Impact Report we share some of the data collected by the U.S. Department of Agriculture in their 2022 Census of Agriculture, a survey of American farms conducted every five years. This includes everything from the tiniest plots of land hosting market gardens to the biggest monoculture farms fueling America’s cars with corn ethanol. Our dip into the report looks at the state of New York’s farms specifically. What you learn may surprise you if your mental image of the American farm is of a massive combine working endless corn fields, or concentrated animal feeding operations in factory-like buildings. The food you see when you look down at your plate also comes from a complex and often overlooked segment of the food system that depends on small scale farmers to play their role. This isn’t simply a question of knowing where our food comes from. How small-scale farmers are doing makes a difference to the variety of food crops available in the world, the environmental impact of farming, our dependence on global food shipping and the availability of food in times of crisis, even the nutritional value of the food we eat. We all need our small farms to survive and thrive, but even though the need is obvious the outcomes are not. There has to be a place where small-scale farmers and food makers can sell their products at a fair price that allows them to cover their expenses and plan for the future. Shaping the food system requires making a market. Read on to learn about the difference Down to Earth’s work made in 2023 and how your support helps us hold space for the farmers and food makers we rely on to feed us delicious things and to keep our food system healthy and whole. -Dacotah

[downtoearthmarkets]

It’s hard to boo-lieve that Halloween is almost upon us, given the extended stretch of warm and sunny weather we’ve enjoyed so far this fall. If these glorious conditions continue, we’re certainly in for more meteorological treats and fewer tricks! But no matter what the temperatures say, the calendar doesn’t budge, and autumn is already in full swing. So, to help get you in the Halloween spirit before next Thursday, here are some superbly spooky recipes whose ingredients are easy to shop for in the farmers market this weekend. Return of the Mummy Apples Fall is prime apple season so it’s no wonder that apples of all kinds feature heavily at Halloween hoedowns. From candied apples to apple bobbing, shiny apples give glowing pumpkins a run for their money in late October. Halloween’s favorite fruit offers a refreshingly healthy alternative to the ubiquitous sweets that are collected in droves this time of year. So, lure your kids away from their neighborhood candy haul with these perfectly petrifying apple mummies that take no time to pare and prepare. Quick tips 

Choose apples that don’t oxidize and turn brown quite as quickly such as Pink Ladies and Honeycrisps. Avoid Granny Smiths which tend to turn brown almost immediately. 

Serve your apple mummies with a fun fruit dip to add extra appeal to these tasty tomb dwellers.

Ingredients (for eight mummies)

4 Central Valley Farm Honeycrisp or Pink Lady apples

16 mini chocolate chips, halved Central Valley Farm seedless grapes, raisins or dried blueberries

Creamy Peanut Butter & Yogurt Dip Ingredients (Yields 1 cup) 

½ cup plain yogurt 

¼ cup natural, creamy peanut butter 

5 tablespoons farmers market maple syrup 

½ teaspoon vanilla extract

Instructions

Cut apples in half vertically and carefully remove their cores. 

Starting at one edge, use a vegetable peeler to remove haphazard strips of apple peel. 

Lay each apple half on a plate or serving tray and press two eyes into the apple in an area where the peel has been removed. If you're using mini chocolate chips, push the pointy end in first. If you're using raisins, grapes or dried blueberries, use the paring knife to make a tiny divot in the apple where you want each eye to go, and then gently press the eyes in.  

Spooky Spider Deviled Eggs Take another welcome break from all the cavity causing candy with deliciously devious, devilishly delectable, spooky spider deviled eggs. They’re sure to be a sinisterly savory sensation at your Halloween hoopla. Ingredients

6 Central Valley Farm or Great Joy Family Farm hardboiled eggs, halved 

3 tablespoons mayonnaise

1 teaspoon Dijon mustard

1 teaspoon Arlotta Food Studio vinegar

⅛ teaspoon salt

⅛ teaspoon pepper

Horman's Pickles pitted black or green olives

Instructions 

Cut eggs in half lengthwise. Slip out yolks and mash.

Stir in mayonnaise, Dijon mustard, vinegar, salt, and pepper.

Refill egg white halves with the yolk mixture.

Cut whole olive in half lengthwise.

Put one half on mashed yolk for the spider’s body.

Thinly slice the other half of the olive for the spiders’ legs. Put four legs on each side.

Scary Black Rice and Butternut Squash Salad  The colors orange and black have long been the hallmarks of Halloween because they symbolize the duality of life and death, light and darkness, and the transition from summer to winter. Black represents death, darkness and night while orange represents the warmth of life, bonfires and the bounty of the harvest season. Orange is also the color of pumpkins, which are a traditional harvest item. Embrace the vibrantly dramatic contrasts of orange and black in this colorful Halloween salad that is as nutritious as it is festive. Ingredients for the dressing: 

2 ½ tablespoons Arlotta Food Studio olive oil

1 tablespoon Arlotta Food Studio balsamic vinegar

1 teaspoon Dijon mustard

1 teaspoon spice mix of chipotle pepper, chili flakes, cumin seed, sea salt, oregano and cilantro 

1 teaspoon farmers market maple syrup

Pinch of salt

Ingredients for the black rice & butternut salad: 

1 cup Great Joy Family Farm black rice

2 cups Great Joy Family Farm chicken broth

1 medium size Halal Pastures Farm butternut squash

1 Halal Pastures Farm yellow onion, large

½ cup whole pecans, raw

⅓ cup golden raisins

2 handfuls arugula from the farmstalls

Kraken Pasta with Eerie Eyeballs This spooky squid ink pasta is topped with beef ragu and macabre eyeballs to startle even the most seasoned of spooky eaters. Once you get past the fear factor, this dish makes a warming and hearty meal before heading out to trick or treat. Click here for full cooking and prep instructions. Ingredients

1 lb La Trafila Pasta squid ink pasta

1 lb Great Joy Family Farm or Halal Pastures Farm ground beef

1 tablespoon dried minced onion

1 tablespoon Italian herb seasoning mix

4 ounces Cielegine “cherry size” mozzarella

2 ounces sliced Horman's Pickles black olives

24 ounces La Trafila Pasta marinara sauce

   We wish you a spookily spectacular Halloween and look forward to seeing you at the farmers market this weekend. Costumes are optional but encouraged. Muahahaha 😊.

[downtoearthmarkets]

Make room for mushrooms this week as National Mushroom Day is observed every year on October 15th! Fall is the perfect time to celebrate the fascinating world of fruiting fungi, as the damper, cooler conditions usher in prime time for a host of these deliciously tasty morsels.

Mushrooms can provide a wonderful substitute for meat and seafood in many recipes, including your Thanksgiving and holiday spreads. We carry fresh mushrooms in all our farmers market locations, where you can find them being sold by our dedicated mushroom vendors and at some of our diversified farmstalls.

We recently chatted with Ted Hall from Mushrooms.NYC to learn more about their grow spaces in the southern Catskills and the range of edible mushrooms they produce year-round.

How did Mushrooms.NYC get started?

I have a background in climate policy studies with Columbia University Earth Institute, while my wife Anne was a chef. We are passionate about food security and access, regenerative farming and nutrition health and education. In 2017, we were expecting our second child and had started an urban farm in Far Rockaway. We found out about a mushroom farm in New York City that was looking for soil and needed help turning around its operations to stay afloat.

Anne expressed interest in taking over the reins of this farm and working with restaurants to supply them with locally grown, gourmet fresh mushrooms, while I managed the on-the-ground aspects. We took a leap of faith and, along with another friend, we were able to turn around the operation from losing money to becoming economically viable. According to Cornell Cooperative Extension's Urban Agriculture and Small Farms program we were the first and only mushroom farm in all five boroughs as of 2019!

Unfortunately, we had to demolish our New York City grow space during the lockdown of the Covid-19 pandemic. We moved our operations to Ellenville, NY where we currently employ a team of nine people. Mushrooms.NYC is part of a Baha'i "Storehouse Cooperative” so we continue to share our profits and vital resources with everyone in Manhattan who we’ve worked with before.

What type of mushrooms do you cultivate year-round?

We have one small, highly controlled indoor grow space and another larger space that’s less regulated like a ventilated greenhouse using natural sunlight and heat to keep things from freezing in the winter.

Both areas are set up to be as passive as possible and use the least amount of energy while working with the existing weather patterns. These spaces allow us to consistently produce mushrooms year-round using a hands-on approach that is a lot less automated and energy intensive than other mushroom growing operations. Winter is always a bit trickier though as we have to use heat when conditions get really cold.

We organically cultivate many kinds of mushrooms that are packed with essential vitamins, compounds and minerals that support healthy individuals. All our mushrooms provide Vitamin B-12 when they are slow-cooked:

Shiitake: Shiitake mushrooms feature all nine amino acids which make them a full and complete protein and a great substitute for animal-derived protein.

Oyster (Blue/Silver, Brown, Gold, Pink, White): These common culinary mushrooms are prized for their delicate texture and mild, savory flavor. Oyster mushrooms also provide a full protein.

King Oyster/Trumpet

Lion’s Mane: These beautiful mushrooms look like waterfalls or icicles. When blanched in salted water, lion's mane mushrooms take on the flavor and texture of succulent shellfish such as crab or lobster, so make a great plant-based substitution.

White Coral: A relative of lion’s mane that’s more textured. It’s harder to cultivate so we don’t always have it.

Pioppino: An Italian species that’s also known as Black Poplar Mushroom or Velvet Pioppini. These mushrooms are very flavorful, almost like a taller, slender shiitake. Their flavor spreads on everything to just cover a dish.

Black Pearl: A species that lies somewhere in-between a King Oyster/Trumpet or a Blue Oyster.

Hen of the Woods: This species also provides a full protein but it’s very tricky to cultivate. But we just had our first successful cultivation using spores sourced from growers in Pennsylvania!

For our indoor cultivation, we use a growing medium made up of milled hard woods and certified organic grain that is the by-product of other operations. We were using propane to pasteurize our medium, but, in our ongoing quest to become more sustainable, we have switched to electric-generated steam. We would ideally like to convert the process to using solar or biogas, or even methane if we can do it in a well-ventilated area.

We also have outdoor cultivated growth in a forested area just under an acre in size that mimics a natural environment, which means we must watch for pest activity. These mushrooms are grown in substrate that’s free of contamination from other spores, so we know exactly what species we’re harvesting. The mushrooms are watered entirely by natural precipitation and are loaded with Vitamin D thanks to their exposure to natural sunlight.

We grow Gold and Silver Oyster, Lion’s Mane, Pioppino, Shiitake and sometime White Coral in this outdoor space. We can even produce a small amount of blue oyster and shiitake outside towards the end of winter as long as there is a little bit of snow melting during the daytime. These winter mushrooms are insanely tasty!

However, late spring and late summer-early fall are the sweet spots for mushroom growing, both indoors and outdoors. There is a big explosion of forage during these periods and our operations line up much better with the climate at that point.

What types of mushrooms do you forage for?

We’ve always foraged for wild mushrooms, but up until recently we were just doing it recreationally. Two years ago, we were able to obtain a license to forage nationally, which is not easy to come by as most folks only have a state foraging license.

Foraging has become more challenging these days as there are now commercial entities that are over-harvesting wild mushrooms and shipping them in from the west coast. There’s a lot of pressure to over-harvest mushrooms for profit. Some recreational foragers are also harvesting so much that it’s destroying the ecological integrity of the mushrooms' ecosystems.

Mushrooms.NYC is committed to harvesting our wild forage in a way that’s sustainable and sensitive to the ecosystem surrounding our farm. We are a mission-driven cooperative so are not trying to sell as many mushrooms as possible. The way we forage is a lot more labor intensive and less extractive, so the quality of our harvest is higher and relatively more expensive.

In addition to the pressures of over-harvesting, wild mushrooms are also sensitive to climate change. Mushrooms need snow as part of their lifecycle. Because of temperature change here in the Catskills, the winter-round snowpack is receding and has retreated to higher and higher elevations. A lot of well-known patches that had been there for generations are not producing edible mushrooms anymore. We are seeing a lot of erosion in our intact forests which is an indication that their mycological foundations are starting to give out. This means we are having to venture higher up each year to find our wild mushrooms.

We haven’t had much luck with Morels. We were able to find a small number last year, but it wasn’t enough to bring to the farmers market. However, we do collect and sell several types of locally foraged wild mushrooms including:

Black Trumpet

Chaga

Chanterelles

Chicken of the Woods

Coral

Hen of the Woods

Honey

Lobster

Reishi

Turkey Tail (we forage for several medicinal varieties)

Regional varieties like Bolete that are super tasty!

Thank you, Ted, for sharing these fascinating and fun fungi insights. In addition to their variety of fresh, gourmet mushrooms, and as part of their mission to spread access to fresh, nutritious food, Mushrooms.NYC also sells ready to fruit “grow blocks”. These kits are as easy as growing basil and will fruit for a couple of years so you can grow your very own culinary mushrooms at home.

[downtoearthmarkets]

Many people are surprised to learn that rice is being cultivated and grown in New York state, right up the road in the Hudson Valley! While rice production has traditionally been associated with tropical regions, rice farming has become more common in the northeast thanks to warming temperatures and flooding of agricultural lands caused by climate change.

Located on a former champion horse farm in Pine Bush, New York, Great Joy Family Farm was established in 2018 with the goal of restoring the land into a workable, productive and diversified farm. In a few short years, Great Joy Family Farm has become just that thanks to the vision, expertise and hard work of Wendy Chen and a collective of her family members who moved to the United States a decade ago from a region in south central China known for its rivers, lakes and rice production.

In addition to raising pastured animals and growing a wide variety of fruits, vegetables, flowers, and grains, Great Joy Family Farm offers several products that are reflective of their unique cultural background and heritage, including fresh tofu made from their own soybeans and rice they grow in rice paddies by the Wallkill River.

Down to Earth Markets recently had the pleasure of touring Great Joy Family Farm and their rice paddies while chatting with Wendy to learn more about rice cultivation in the Hudson Valley and to watch the rice being harvested.*

*The conversation with Wendy outlined below has been supplemented with general information about rice growing in the northeast and Asia.

What are the main requirements for growing rice in New York state?

To grow rice, you have to find the right spot. Rice doesn't need to be flooded to grow, but flooded paddies are a way that farmers through history have partnered with nature to grow food. Flooding rice fields can improve growth, reduce the risk of uneven rainfall, and increase yields so it makes growing rice a lot easier. The water in flooded fields also acts as a natural herbicide, drowning weeds while the rice plant is unaffected.

In New York state, rice requires an already flat area, as if it’s bumpy or hilly it won’t work unless you do a lot of grading, which the Department of Environmental Conservation doesn’t generally allow. The land can’t be rocky, and the soil also has to be very clean as growing rice places a lot of demands upon it.

We found out that our friend has a farm with a piece of land that is close to the Wallkill River that he thought might be flood prone. We started to think about if we could grow rice there and if we should consider trying it. We had tried to grow rice on our farm before in a different area. We had dug a reservoir in which to collect the rainwater and had drilled a well. But drilling an irrigation well is very costly and the well was only producing 5-10 gallons of water per minute which is not enough to flood a rice paddy with. On our friend’s land, the well we dug produces 68 gallons per minute, which proved perfect for our needs. We also use rainwater which we collect in a reservoir near the rice paddies. We recycle the water too as, when we drain the fields, the water is sent through trenches back into the reservoir.

Rice does not need a lot of attention to grow. There are two critical stages when it needs work and oversight. The first is during flooding when you need to watch the water levels and the second is when the rice is flowering. However, the management of rice fields requires a lot of knowledge! My uncle and relatives have a lot of experience from back home in China. Plus, all the workers on our farm have specialized knowledge. Each person knows how to operate a particular machine involved in rice cultivation.

What are some of the traditional Chinese rice growing techniques that you employ?

1. Rice-Duck Farming We use a flock of our ducks to help with weed and pest control. This practice is known as integrated rice-duck farming and has been used in Asia for centuries. The ducks are command trained with a bell or voice signal to enter the paddies. They first go out into the paddies at only a week old as, once they get too big, they can damage the rice plants. The ducks won’t eat the rice plants because the silica in rice leaves irritates their bills.

There are many benefits to using the ducks in the paddies including:

Pest control: Ducks eat pests like snails, slugs, and insects that can damage the rice crops.

Weeding: Ducks tear up weeds.

Fertilizing: Ducks leave behind manure that serves as a natural fertilizer.

Oxygenating water: Ducks stir up the water as they wade around, which helps create a healthier environment for rice growth.

Loosening soil: Ducks' movements help loosen the soil, which improves oxygen circulation.

Reducing need for chemicals: Using ducks reduces the need for chemical pesticides and fertilizers.

The ducks help in the rice paddies for the first 6-8 weeks after rice planting. They are removed once they get too big and the rice starts flowering as they will eat the flowers. After their work in the rice paddies which they love, they are taken to the farm for egg laying. In the winter, the ducks are harvested, and they are very yummy to eat!

In China, we also grow freshwater fish in the rice paddies. Rice is considered the perfect accompaniment to fish. Rice-fish culture has been practiced in China for at least 1,700 years. Like the ducks, the fish help with insect and pest control and help fertilize the soil. We might consider trying a rice-fish system in the future. We harvest and eat the fish at the end of the rice growing season and it tastes very good, but because it’s freshwater fish it can be bony.

2. Hand Harvesting When I was growing up on our farm in China, we would hand harvest all the rice and use our feet to separate the kernels. We still do some hand harvesting of our rice, but it’s to preserve seeds for planting the following year. We use a U-shaped knife to hand harvest the best seeds of each type of rice we grow for purity and to stop contamination. The machines can also damage the rice, which is another reason we do some hand harvesting to ensure the best seeds are preserved for next year’s crops.

3. Sun Drying Industrially grown rice is dried in large silos heated by propane. During this process, the rice requires turning which can cause the kernels to become crushed and damaged. We harness natural sunlight to dry our rice in sunrooms. This traditional method of rice drying is not only sustainable, it also preserves the integrity of the rice kernels. We lay the rice out on the floor of the open-sided rooms that are covered with a glass roof. It takes three to four good sunshine days to dry it completely. What are the different types of rice that Great Joy Family Farm grows?  We currently grow the following kinds of rice:

Akitakomachi Brown Rice

Akitakomachi White Rice

Black Rice

Fragrant Brown Rice

Fragrant White Rice

Neches Sweet Rice

Our long and short grain rice varieties produce between six to seven thousand pounds of rice per acre! Our sweet rice and black rice have less yield, so they don’t produce as much rice per acre. The black rice has always been our best-selling rice.

We grow rice in a field for three years in a row and then let the field rest for a year. After a season of rest, the land needs to be prepared once again for planting by removing weeds and evening out the surface.

The fields of our different rice varieties change colors through the course of the growing season. At first, they all start out vibrant green when the young transplants from our greenhouses are planted in the spring during the month of May. As the rice flowers and ripens, the fields turn different hues of yellow as we approach harvest time.

What are some other differences between supermarket rice and the fresh rice that Great Joy Family Farm produces?

Most rice produced in the United States is grown in the Rice Belt states (Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi and Texas), California and Missouri. Much of this rice is industrially grown in vast quantities and stored and bagged for long periods of time before it ends up on supermarket shelves. Our fresh rice is considered a boutique, specialty grain that comes straight from our farm without being stored and without the use of any preservatives. This fresh rice cooks much faster and tastes different to aged rice. When you open a bag of Great Joy’s rice, you can often smell a sweet fragrance that is unique to fresh rice. When customers try our fresh rice and other products, they come to us and say that we are changing their diet, and it’s definitely for the better!

Thank you, Wendy, for treating us to this captivating overview of your local rice production and for introducing us to the wonders of New York state grown rice. To learn more about Great Joy Family Farm’s rice growing, click here to watch this video.

You can find Great Joy Family Farm and their range of unique, specialty products at our Cunningham Park, Larchmont, Ossining, Park Slope and Scarsdale farmers markets.

[downtoearthmarkets]

Located on 65 undulating acres in Gardiner, NY by the Catskill Mountains, Willow Pond Sheep Farm makes a verdant setting for a flock of highly contented dairy sheep and a couple of equally happy humans. Carrie and Brent Wasser recently treated the team at Down to Earth Markets to a tour of their property to learn more about the farm’s day-to-day operations and meet some of its wooly residents. Here is a recap of our fascinating conversation with Carrie.

How did Willow Pond Sheep Farm get started?

Brent and I were both working in jobs related to agriculture and farming when we met in Vermont in 2015. I was the editor of a quarterly local foods magazine, and Brent was a teacher at the Culinary Institute with a background in cheese and ice cream making. We knew we wanted to start a livestock farm, but it wasn’t certain what we would do until Brent said to me that he thought I would really like dairy sheep.

I grew up in an urban setting in Greenwich Village but have always been interested in animals. My parents had the foresight to buy this land in the 1980s as they wanted a second home in the country. I spent much of my childhood up here, but my mom was still shocked when I told her all those years later that I wanted to start farming on this land.

We started sheep farming in 2018 and were initially selling lamb for meat. At the height of the pandemic in 2020, we introduced our dairy flock and started milking for the first time. We continue to sell the meat that is a by-product of our dairy operation, however our bottled sheep’s milk and the yogurt we make onsite in our farmstead creamery are now our flagship products.

How are sheep’s milk and cow’s milk different?

For starters, sheep’s milk is incredibly difficult to find because sheep dairy is challenging economically. You’re doing the same amount of labor as on a cow dairy, but sheep produce much less milk.

There are many humane issues with cow dairy which is typically produced in massive volumes at industrial scale. There has been a lot of breeding of Holstein cows to select for unnaturally large udders to promote milk production. The udders have become so big that the animals are weighed down and aren’t able to engage in natural behaviors such as grazing and prancing. Plus, sheep are better for the environment in hillier areas. The impact of cows on hills creates a lot of soil erosion, whereas sheep are lighter on the land and don’t do as much damage.

Sheep dairy is more digestible than cow dairy. While there is lactose in sheep’s milk, the way the fat is structured makes the lactose more digestible. Many of our customers who can’t tolerate cow dairy can consume and enjoy Willow Pond’s sheep milk and yogurt without issues.

How does sheep’s milk taste?

Dairy sheep produce nutritionally dense, protein-packed milk that is delicious to drink and makes super creamy yogurt. An easy testament to this is that kids are some of our biggest fans! It’s rare that we encounter a child who doesn’t like our yogurt because it tastes so mild and creamy. Some people mistakenly conflate sheep’s milk with goat’s milk, but they are two very different tasting things. So, there is often an education curve that we just need to overcome.

What is a day in the life of a Willow Pond dairy sheep like?

Our sheep have a very nice life. In fact, it’s much easier than my life! From April through Thanksgiving, they spend their days and nights outside grazing and sleeping on pasture. They have a livestock guardian dog called Yarrow that lives with them and protects them from coyotes and other predators.

We practice rotational grazing so that the ewes have fresh grass to graze upon all the time. We keep the paddocks small so that they eat as much grass as possible. From spring to fall, the bulk of our labor involves collecting the fence and moving it down and repeating that process to keep the grass supply coming. The sheep don’t return to the same pasture for forty days as that’s how long it takes for the parasites to die off in the sun.

During the summer the ewes are brought inside to be milked twice a day at 5:30am and 3:30pm. The sheep know when it’s time for milking and want to get inside as they know they will be treated with organic grain while they’re being milked. It’s sort of like potato chips for them. They’re ready for it and it’s a very loud affair. It’s no problem getting them up the ramp into the milking parlor as sheep are accomplished mountain climbers and they’re definitely motivated to get up there! 

We have a 12-stanchion milking parlor so milk our current flock of 36 ewes in three groups. Sheep have two teats versus cows which have four teats. We use a vacuum system to empty the milk that mimics the sucking reflex and rate of a nursing lamb. It lasts for around 1.5-2 minutes so it’s very quick to milk each sheep. After they’ve been milked the sheep go back outside to the pasture.

Our sheep come indoors after Thanksgiving once there is no more grass. They spend the winter in an open-air barn that keeps them comfortable and protected from the elements. We feed them high quality second-cut hay from New York State. The ewes have their lambs inside the barn during lambing season in March and April. When they’re let back out to pasture in the spring, they’re super joyful and prance around the field.

Overall, we have a nice healthy flock who are all very tame. I know all their names and the best time of the day for me is walking in and out of the barn with forty sheep following closely behind.

What factors impact milk production? 

Since 2020, our milk production has gone up from ¼ gallon per day. The amount of milk produced per ewe depends on the time of year. At the height of the season, we now get about ¾ gallon per sheep per day. Around September, the production naturally slows as the weather gets cooler and it lessens to around ½ gallon per sheep per day. It’s not very much considering how much feed and labor you’re putting into the sheep.

We follow the genetic sheep lines very carefully and pay close attention to the production per ewe and the health of the ewe. It takes time to achieve this through your ram. The rams go into the pasture to breed in a couple of weeks’ time. We have one ram per twenty ewes, and they breed for around six weeks. Choosing a good ram, tracking who your best producing ewes are and saving those ewe lambs are key to increasing milk production.

The other factor that affects milk production is feed. If the ewes have been on a good pasture, we can see the results in the morning milking. Plus, the grain we give them during milking, their mineral licks and the hay they consume during winter all affect milk quality and production. We work with a nutritionist who is very precise and performs blood tests to make sure our ewes aren’t deficient in any minerals.

I’m on the board of the Dairy Sheep Association of North America. One of our goals is to get U.S. producers to have good enough genetics so that we can increase the amount of production per ewe. The answer isn’t to buy more sheep, it’s to make the sheep you have more productive per unit. You can then sell that extra milk for more than it costs to provide them with extra feed.

Tell us about what your farm produces.

Brent takes care of all the details on the dairy end and does the work in the creamery making our yogurt. Time and temperature are the most important elements in yogurt making. We’ve found a specific yeast from Wisconsin that works best with our milk and produces our delicious tasting yogurt. I never thought that it would be this good! It’s all that early research that resulted in this high-quality product. Plus, it’s a testament to how well our sheep are raised and Brent being a dedicated dairy guy who just loves dairy processing.

I stay on the animal husbandry side of things. Our philosophy on our farm is to use the entire sheep so nothing goes to waste. That’s how we respect the animal and honor the animal.

We shear the ewes once a year for wool and make gorgeous blankets and scarves that you can buy in the farmers market. When the lambs are sent to the butcher, we ask that they save the skins and have them tanned in Vermont at one of only two organic tanneries in the country. They use a solution made with tree bark to soften the leather. The bones of our animal are also saved and sold for stock and the fat is now being saved so that we can start making candles with it.

We also do lamb tours during our spring lambing season. You can book a tour to meet and hold the lambs before they get too big. But the tours are very popular and sell out quickly!

Thank you, Carrie and Brent, for taking the time to show us around your beautiful farm and introducing us to your very happy, well-cared for flock. You can find Willow Pond Sheep Farm and their range of premium sheep products on select Saturdays at our year-round Larchmont Farmers Market.

[downtoearthmarkets]

Rosh Hashanah is a festival celebrating the start of the Jewish New Year that occurs in late summer or early fall. This year Rosh Hashanah begins at sundown next Wednesday, October 2nd and ends at nightfall on Friday, October 4th. It marks the start of the Jewish High Holidays, a ten-day period of reflection and repentance, leading up to Yom Kippur, also known as the Day of Atonement.

Like many religious holidays, Rosh Hashanah’s origins are connected to the agricultural cycle. In Semitic cultures of the ancient Near East, the new year was celebrated in the fall after the harvest was gathered and the growing season is over. This is a time of great bounty when fresh fruits and vegetables are at their peak abundance.

The culinary customs at Rosh Hashanah reflect the bounty of the harvest season and often include symbolic foods called simanim which are eaten to help ensure a good new year ahead. As you plan your holiday menu this year, here are several traditional foods that you can easily find in the farmers market this weekend.

A Sweet Start 

It's customary to dip sliced raw apples in honey at Rosh Hashanah to symbolize the hope for sweetness and health in the coming year.

Honey was the sweetener of choice in biblical times, as neither sugar nor maple syrup were known to the Israelites. Israel is described in the Bible as flowing with “milk and honey,” so enjoying honey at Rosh Hashanah is a reminder of the historic connection with the Holy Land.

Apples are eaten for both their healing power and their sweetness.  The apple tree is honored in biblical passages for its specialness among the other trees of the forest, as well as for the sweetness and attractive aroma of its fruit.

Some of the best locally grown apples for Rosh Hashanah are those that are bursting with sweetness like Gala, Golden Delicious, Fuji and Red Delicious. Their sugary crispness will pair perfectly with the premium local honey you can find in our farmers markets. Our honey vendors’ products are influenced by the surrounding environment, or “terroir,”, that the bees feed upon, which gives their different honeys unique and complex flavors. 

Putting Your Heads Together 

In Hebrew, Rosh Hashanah literally means “head of the year,”and including some sort of head on the menu is a symbolic representation of that. It’s a way to start the year off by moving forward and making progress, rather than lingering in the rear. When served, it’s customary to recite the blessing “May we be heads, not tails”, as a reminder to be like heads—leaders and changemakers—and not tails, or followers.

Traditionally, sheep or fish heads were eaten, but you can achieve the same effect by serving a whole, locally caught fish from American Pride Seafood or P&S Seafood. For the vegetarians and vegans at the table, a head can be incorporated in dishes made from vegetables with a head such as cauliflower, cabbage, garlic and lettuce.

The Pumpkin Homonym 

The Hebrew word for pumpkin or gourd is karah, which is similar in pronunciation and spelling to the word meaning “to be torn or ripped away” and the word meaning “to proclaim.” The homonyms gave rise to a tradition of eating pumpkin on Rosh Hashanah to convey the hope that one's merits and good deeds from the past year will be proclaimed and any evil decrees will be ripped up. As the gourd is consumed, a blessing to this effect is recited.

Pumpkin and winter squash come into season in late summer and early fall, which further strengthens their associations with Rosh Hashanah. Plus, pumpkin's rich golden color is linked with happiness, a common wish for the coming year. Enjoy this recipe for Moroccan Pumpkin Soup which is a popular choice for Rosh Hashanah.

Round it Out With Challah 

It’s traditional to eat challah on Shabbat and other Jewish holidays. However, on Rosh Hashanah, challah is specially baked in a round shape to symbolize many things including continuity, the wheel of the seasons, and a spiral of upward progress.

Challah is also made a little sweeter than usual for the new year, and sometimes raisins or apples are mixed in. Of course, many people bake homemade challah for Rosh Hashanah. But, if you’re pressed for time, our bread vendors carry round challah to make your holiday prep just a bit easier.

We wish Shanah Tovah to all that celebrate, and we look forward to seeing you in the farmers market this weekend!

[downtoearthmarkets]

We have grape news as September is prime grape season in our farmers markets! Not only is New York state famous for its apples (we are the Big Apple, of course), it also produces the third largest volume of grapes in the United States, behind only California and Washington state.

New York has a long history of grape cultivation that began in the 17th century when Dutch and Huguenot settlers planted grapes in the Hudson Valley. These colonists initially attempted to grow French and European vines that they brought with them across the Atlantic. However, the foreign vines quickly succumbed to pests, diseases and the harsh winters. Instead, the settlers cultivated native grapes that had been part of the native American diet for over 10,000 years.

The Hudson Valley went on to become an important table grape producer and the birthplace of American wine. In 1827, Richard Underhill established the first commercial winery in the region, making wine from native grapes. From 1920-1933, Prohibition illegalized the manufacture, transportation, and sale of alcohol and many New York wineries were forced to close. Those that survived switched to growing grapes for non-alcoholic uses, such as raisins, jam, and grape juice. 

Today, New York state is known for its famous wine regions and its tasty table grapes. While the uniformly sweet and simple flavor of supermarket grapes is designed for mass appeal, farmers market grapes boast complex flavor profiles with depth and dimension. Here are several locally grown grape varieties that you can easily find being sold at our fruit stalls this month.

Catawba Grape The Catawba grape originated on the East Coast, somewhere between the Carolinas and Maryland. This pinkish, purplish grape is thought to be a cross between the native North American species Vitis labrusca (also known as fox grape) with the European species Vitis vinifera. It was first cultivated in the early 19th century by German settlers in the Catawba River valley of North Carolina.

The Catawba grape was widely grown in central New York in the mid-1800s. It became wildly popular for its use in sparkling wines and rosés, gaining recognition as one of the first distinctively American wine grapes. Today, it is still highly regarded for its unique flavor profile and continues to be celebrated as an important part of American winemaking history. The grape has a pronounced "foxiness", which refers to the earthy and musky aromas commonly associated with Vitis labrusca grape varieties. When eaten fresh, Catawba grapes are seedy, firm and juicy with a sweet and spicy flavor.

Niagara Grape The North American Niagara grape is a variety of Vitis labrusca. The grape was developed in 1868 by Claudius L. Hoag and Benjamin W. Clark in Niagara County, New York through a cross of Concord grapes and white Cassady grapes. It is used as a table grape and for making wine, jams and juice. Niagara is the leading green grape grown in the United States.

Niagara grapes are poor shipping grapes, so are usually found being sold near to where they are grown in New York, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Michigan, Washington and Ohio. While rarely available fresh outside these areas, Niagara grapes are well-known as the source of most of the white grape juice consumed by Americans.

The fresh Niagara grape is large and juicy, round to oval-shaped with a pale greenish-white color. The grape’s sweetly pleasant “foxy” aromas have been likened to that of candied lemon rind, Riesling, flowery jasmine, and high-toned, sugary muskiness.

Concord Grape The Concord grape is named after the town in Massachusetts where it was developed. Another Vitis labrusca cultivar, the Concord grape is the most well-known foxy grape and is considered to be the quintessential American grape. Concord grapes are prized as table grapes and juice grapes. They also are used to make grape jelly, grape pies, grape-flavored soft drinks, and candy. The fruit is sometimes used to make wine, particularly sacramental and kosher wine. Thanks to its popularity, the grape is now cultivated in many parts of the world.

The skin of a Concord grape is typically dark blue or purple and often is covered with a glaucous epicuticular wax "bloom" that can be rubbed off. It is a slip-skin variety, meaning the skin is easily separated from the fruit. Concord grapes are richly flavorful, musky and sweet. They have large seeds that are safe to eat and contain healthful nutrients, flavonoids and fiber. If you prefer not to eat the seeds, you can chew the whole grape, then use your teeth and tongue to sieve out the seeds.

We hope that all this juicy grapevine gossip has made your mouth water! There are plenty more New York state grape varieties to be discovered before the weather turns and grape season is over until next year. So be sure to head to your Down to Earth farmers market this weekend to pick up lush bunches of these delectably tasty, locally grown fruits.

[downtoearthmarkets]

September is National Food Safety Education Month in the United States, a month for raising awareness about the importance of food safety and how to prevent foodborne illnesses. Food safety matters everywhere food is sold, prepared and consumed, but here are some guidelines for safe food handling from the farmers market to your dinner table.

Keeping it Clean Maintaining a clean and sanitary environment while you’re shopping and when you’re back home in the kitchen is one of the basic underpinnings of food safety. We encourage you to bring reusable shopping bags to the farmers market to help reduce unnecessary plastic pollution. Don’t forget to frequently wash your fabric grocery totes in the washing machine or by hand and line dry or put them in the dryer. You can wipe insulated bags with a disinfecting or sanitizing cloth, especially along the seams.

When selecting fruit and veggies at the farmstalls, inspect for large bruises, cuts and insect holes which can harbor mold and bacterial growth. You can cut away damaged areas with a knife but toss very damaged pieces. Farmers market produce undergoes less handling than supermarket produce, but is often sold ripe and minimally treated for pests if at all, which may lead to superficial dings.

Rinse your fruits and veggies under running water to remove pesticides, dirt and bacteria, even if you plan on peeling them before eating. Unlike the fruit and veggies grown on large industrial farms, our small farms use little to no pesticides and other chemical inputs but sometimes produce such as potatoes and other root veggies carries residual soil or sand. This harmless residue is an indication of the direct connection these foods have to the ground in which they were cultivated. There’s no need to remove any more than loose dirt before storing, as it’s best to wash fruit and vegetables just before their use. Once they’re wet, the surfaces become a moist environment where bacteria can thrive.    

Once it’s time to start prepping your farmers market haul, wash your hands in hot, soapy water for at least 20 seconds before and after handling food. Wash cutting boards, dishes, utensils, and countertops with hot, soapy water after working with each food item. 

Maintaining Boundaries It’s important to prevent cross-contamination while shopping at the farmers market by placing animal products, such as raw meat, poultry and seafood, into separate reusable bags apart from fresh produce and other items. Always wash bags that have been used to carry animal products after every use.

In your kitchen, the same principles apply. Store raw meat, poultry, seafood, and eggs away from other foods in your fridge and make sure that the packages aren’t leaking. Use separate cutting boards for fresh produce and raw meat, poultry and seafood.

Chilling Out Keeping things cold and refrigerating your farmers market purchases promptly are critical for preventing spoilage and bacterial growth. Bring an insulated bag or cooler with ice packs to the market to keep raw meat, poultry, seafood and dairy cold until you get home. Purchase raw meat, poultry, seafood and dairy after making your rounds to select fresh produce and other less perishable and non-perishable foods. In the summer or on hot days, go straight home after finishing your shopping to avoid spoiling your food in a hot car.

When you’re back home, be sure to refrigerate or freeze meat, poultry,  seafood, cheese, eggs and other perishables within two hours of purchasing or cooking. Refrigerate within one hour if the temperature outside is above 90° F.

Here in the U.S., eggs are wet washed after being laid to rid the surface shell of salmonella and other pathogens. However, washing removes the cuticle, also known as the bloom, which is a natural layer on the shell that protects the egg from bacteria and air. This is why eggs must be refrigerated after purchase.

Unlike pre-washed, pre-peeled and pre-sliced supermarket produce, the vast majority of farmers market produce is sold intact and whole. This preserves its freshness and nutritional content, eliminates the use of excessive packaging, and reduces the risk of pathogens. Refrigerate cut or peeled fruits and vegetables within two hours.

Cooking Things Up When you’re cooking, foods need to get hot and stay hot as heat kills germs and pathogens. Use a food thermometer to ensure that your raw meat, poultry and seafood are cooked to a safe minimum internal temperature to destroy any harmful bacteria. Use the following guidelines to ensure that your food has reached the optimal temperature:

Beef, Pork, Lamb 145 °F

Fish 145 °F

Ground Beef, Pork, Lamb 160 °F

Turkey, Chicken, Duck 165 °F

These basic food safety best practices apply in any situation where food is being sold, prepared and consumed. Happily, by shopping at the farmers market, you’re selecting the freshest, locally grown produce that’s free of the effects of extensive travel, handling and other exposure that can cause contamination and bacterial growth. Plus, our meat and poultry come from healthy, unstressed animals raised with plenty of space and unfettered access to the outdoors. We look forward to seeing you in the farmers market!

[downtoearthmarkets]

When the season transitions from late summer to early fall, so do our schedules, as we switch overnight from vacation mode into the familiar routine of back-to-school and back-to-work. This post-Labor Day period can often be a demanding time while we readjust to calendars full of busy, structured days and their many obligations. The good news is that your local Down to Earth farmers market is currently teeming with a bounty of fresh produce and seasonal foods that can make cooking healthy, delicious weeknight dinners a breeze.

Sesame Salmon Bowls Seafood is known to contain a variety of nutrients that help promote healthy growth and development in school-age children. In fact, the current Dietary Guidelines for Americans advise that children under the age of 18 should consume several ounces (depending on target caloric intake) of cooked, low-methylmercury seafood per week.

This simple but tasty one-pot New York Times recipe features salmon, which is among the best choices for childhood seafood consumption. Not only will the kids enjoy it, but it’s sure to be a hit with the seafood-loving adults in the household too:

Ingredients for 4 servings

¼ cup rice vinegar

3 tablespoons granulated sugar

1 teaspoon flaky salt, plus more for seasoning

1½ Great Joy Family Farm Akita Komachi short-grain white rice, rinsed until water runs clear

1½ pounds skinless American Pride Seafood salmon fillet, cut into 1-inch cubes

½ teaspoon toasted sesame oil

¼ cup low-sodium soy sauce

3 tablespoons distilled white vinegar

2 tablespoons safflower or canola oil

2 tablespoons coarsely chopped Newgate Farms scallions

2 tablespoons minced Lanis Farm fresh ginger (from one 2-inch piece)

3 Newgate Farms mini cucumbers, thinly sliced

8 ounces chopped green and red Newgate Farms cabbage (coleslaw)

1 avocado, halved, pitted and thinly sliced

Lemon Garlic Mushroom Pasta When you’re back at home after a busy first day of the week, make your Meatless Monday a no-brainer with this easy Zesty Mushroom Pasta. You can seamlessly adjust the ratio of ingredients to your family’s tastes and the number of servings required:

Cook any La Trafila Pasta fresh pasta of your liking to al dente in a large pot of salted water.

Reserve 1 cup of pasta water before draining and put to one side.

Heat Arlotta Food Studio extra virgin olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat and sauté minced garlic and sliced Mushrooms.NYC shiitake or oyster mushrooms.

Stir in zest and juice of one lemon plus salt and pepper to taste. Toss in the pan with cooked pasta, reserved pasta water, grated parmesan cheese and Lanis Farm fresh basil. Coat well.

Serve immediately in a bowl with extra basil and grated parmesan.

Hearty Hamburger Soup Get the home team pumped up for dinner with healthy, hearty hamburger soup. It combines the enticing appeal of hamburgers with a host of nutritious, in-season ingredients. Plus, it’s ready in just 30 minutes and works great for leftovers! Be sure to use fresh farmers market produce in this recipe to prevent getting mushy vegetables while cooking.

1 pound Great Joy Family Farm, SOVA Farms or Stone & Thistle Farm lean ground beef or turkey

½ Sun Sprout Farm white or yellow onion, diced

32 ounces Great Joy Family Farm, SOVA Farms or Stone & Thistle Farm beef stock or broth

2 medium Great Joy Family Farm Yukon gold potatoes, peeled and diced

2 medium Sun Sprout Farm carrots, peeled and diced

1 cup fresh Great Joy Family Farm green beans, sliced into thirds

14½ ounces diced Newgate Farms tomatoes

2 tablespoons tomato paste

1 tablespoon Newgate Farms garlic, minced

1 teaspoon thyme, dried

1 teaspoon oregano, dried

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon onion powder

½ teaspoon black pepper

Our farmstalls are awash in a kaleidoscope of colorful produce and seasonal bounty just in time to make your back-to-school meal planning a pleasurable and truly appetizing experience. And don’t forget all our ready-to-serve options, from kebabs to artisan pizza, made from scratch for those moments when the schedule is too full to do more than eat and run. So, get your shopping list primed and ready and come see us in the farmers market this weekend!

[downtoearthmarkets]

The unofficial end of summer is almost upon us as we prepare to kick back and relax around the barbecue this long Labor Day weekend. Labor Day commemorates the efforts of those who fought for workers' rights during the labor movement of the late 19th century and the benefits and protections we now enjoy as a result.

The first Labor Day celebration took place in New York City on Sept. 5, 1882, with thousands of workers marching in a parade organized by local union and labor organizations. A big outdoor barbecue to symbolize the group camaraderie and unity quickly became a central feature of these large annual gatherings. In fact, the first notable Labor Day barbecue took place in 1888 when the Volunteers Firemen’s Association roasted a 1,200-pound ox in a Bronx neighborhood park.

Over one hundred and thirty years later, the Labor Day barbecue tradition is still going strong as backyard chefs across the U.S. prepare cookouts for family and friends. In keeping with this spirit and in tribute to workers and farmers everywhere, here are some classic grilling ideas to get you cooking with coal this holiday weekend!

Grilled T-Bone Steak It may not be a whole ox, but T-bone steak gives you the best of both worlds with a strip loin on one side and a filet mignon on the other. The bone in the center of the cut is especially useful when grilling, as it helps hold in the flavor and juiciness of the meat as it cooks:

Ingredients

T-bone steaks from Great Joy Family Farm or SOVA Farms

Arlotta Food Studio olive oil

Maplebrook Farm or SOVA Farms butter

Fresh herbs from the farmstalls, finely chopped to mix with butter

Fresh Caradonna Farms chives, finely chopped

Coarse salt & freshly cracked black pepper

T-Bone Grilling Instructions 

Preheat grill to high at 450°-550°.

Brush both sides of the T-bone steak with olive oil.

Season both sides of the steak with sea salt and fresh cracked black pepper.

Place steaks on grill and cook for 4 minutes.

Give the steaks a quarter turn and cook for 2 minutes.

Flip steaks over and cook for 2 more minutes. This entire cooking process will render a rare to medium-rare internal temperature.

Remove steaks from grill and let rest for 3 to 5 minutes.

Pour melted herb butter over top of steaks and sprinkle with fresh chives.

Slice and serve hot.

Fresh Corn Salad This fresh corn salad incorporates the very best of the season’s farm-fresh produce and positively bursts with the essence of late summer. It pairs perfectly with grilled options and balances out heavier main dishes. Plus, it requires zero cooking!

Ingredients

3 cups raw corn kernels (from about 4 Norwich Meadows Farm cobs) 

1 medium Great Joy Family Farm tomato, chopped (about ½ cup) 

¾ cup chopped Caradonna Farms green onion 

1 cup quartered and thinly sliced Norwich Meadows Farm cucumber (preferably English cucumber) 

½ cup chopped Caradonna Farms fresh leafy herbs (choose from basil, dill, mint, parsley and/or cilantro) 

½ cup chopped Great Joy Family Farm radishes 

1 medium Norwich Meadows Farm jalapeño, very thinly sliced 

¼ cup Arlotta Food Studio extra virgin olive oil 

1 tablespoon Arlotta Food Studio wine vinegar 

2 medium Caradonna Farms cloves garlic, pressed or minced 

½ teaspoon fine sea salt 

Freshly ground black pepper, to taste 

⅓ cup crumbled Maplebrook Farm feta cheese

Grilled Plums Your barbecue is already pre-heated so why not conserve some of that energy by using it to grill Caradonna Farms plums or other sun-ripened stone fruit for dessert? The heat will caramelize the fruits’ natural sugars and enhance their embedded sweetness.

Grilled plums are delicious when drizzled with Goode and Local By Don Rodrigo or SOVA Farms honey and enjoyed as a simple light dessert. They will also pair wonderfully with ice cream, Maplebrook Farm ricotta cheese or yogurt. Grilled plums can also be strewn with fresh rosemary or sage, sprinkled with flaky salt, and served as a sweet and savory accompaniment to your grilled main dish.

As we celebrate Labor Day and the unofficial end of summer, we hope you enjoy the last true weekend of grilling season before the weather begins to turn and fall arrives in all its glory. We look forward to seeing you in the farmers market!

[downtoearthmarkets]

The influx of fragrantly ripe, sugary melons into our farmstalls by late August is always a cause for seasonal delight. Just as tinges of autumnal ochre and vermillion start to creep across leaves and into the undergrowth, crates of these satisfyingly sturdy, juice-filled fruits are making a big splash in the markets. This year’s melons are particularly sweet and crisp due to the plentiful heat and sunshine we’ve had so far this summer. So, jump on the melon cart while you can to fully embrace the joys of the season.  

Watermelon Melons are much celebrated for their high-water content which is a common characteristic across all varieties. But among them all, watermelon is the all-time thirst-quenching champion thanks to its unmatched 92% water content and naturally high levels of electrolytes including potassium and magnesium.

Thought to have originated in Africa’s Kalahari Basin over 5,000 years ago, the first recorded harvest of watermelon is depicted in hieroglyphics on the walls of ancient Egyptian structures. European colonists and enslaved people from Africa are believed to have introduced watermelon to the New World in the late 1400s. In 1576, Spanish settlers began growing watermelons in Florida, and Native Americans quickly adopted them into their fields after which they became a widespread staple crop.

You’ll find both seedless and seeded varieties of watermelon in our farmers markets. Seedless watermelons are non-GMO – they are produced by crossbreeding or ‘hybridizing’ plants to specifically select for the seedless trait.

Head to the farmers market this weekend for all the ingredients you need to whip up this supremely summery Watermelon, Feta & Cucumber Salad with Honey Lime Dressing:

1 small Caradonna Farms or Great Joy Family Farm farmers market watermelon, chilled

1 Norwich Meadows Farm English cucumber

1 packed cup Caradonna Farms mint and basil leaves

½ cup SOVA Farms feta cheese

2 tablespoons Goode and Local By Don Rodrigo honey

2 tablespoons Arlotta Food Studio extra virgin olive oil

Lime juice

Kosher salt

Cantaloupe Also known as muskmelons, cantaloupes became popular across Europe in the 15th century thanks to their sweetly scented orange flesh bearing tropical floral notes. The name "cantaloupe" comes from the Italian town of Cantalupo di Sabina located in the Sabine Hills 30 miles north of Rome where the papacy had a country estate. It's said that the luscious melon was grown in the papal gardens there for the sitting pope at the time who held an obsessive penchant for the fruit.

You can savor what is often called “summer’s sweetest melon” in this New York Times recipe for cold cantaloupe soup that takes a mere 10 minutes to prepare!

1 farmers market cantaloupe chilled, peeled and seeded

Juice of 1 lime

Salt to taste

2 teaspoons Arlotta Food Studio balsamic vinegar

Canary Melon Canary melons are easy to spot in farmers market stalls by late August – just look for the American football-shaped fruit with a vivid yellow rind and light green flesh on the inside. This melon's name is derived from the Canary Islands where the fruit was widely cultivated thanks to the region’s ideal growing conditions.

Canary melons are closely related to honeydews, but have a tangier profile like that of cantaloupe. They are a type of winter melon with a hard rind that gives them a long post-vine shelf-life, meaning they can be stored for extended periods. Their crisper, firmer flesh works deliciously in cooling, refreshing smoothies, granitas and sorbets.

Indulge in the summer weekend vibes by picking up a bottle of locally crafted liquor from our spirits vendors and adding a splash or two to this recipe to make your very own canary melon boozy granita.

We wish you happy melon hunting in the markets this weekend. Don’t forget to bring your sturdy totes, baskets and carts along for the ride to help lug your melon-heavy haul back home. We look forward to seeing you there!