Farmers Market Fare
Early Fridays out of work are the best, and with the weather actually being normal for once, I decided to hit up the Union Square Farmers Market. I’m so glad I was finally able to experience it on a weekday because it’s nuts if you try going in the afternoon on a Saturday. I decided to check out the Flying Pigs Farm booth to see if they had any pork belly left. The last time we tried was on a Saturday and they were wiped out. What’s so special about Flying Pigs Farm? Well, their pork comes from (quoting their website) “rare heritage breeds of pigs, raised with care on our fields and in our woods.” It’s family owned and operated which is nice. We’re talking about some high quality pork. Lucky for me, they still had some left! I snagged it up and can’t wait to cook it along with the other pork belly piece I got from my friend at work from her CSA. As we all know from my last pork belly disaster, I made sure these pieces had some nice meat on them. I also bought some heirloom cherry tomatoes, yellow and orange carrots, hen of the woods mushrooms and a nice baguette.
Oof, please excuse the dirty window in the back!
Living in the East Village, you’d think that the only farmers market in town is the Union Square one. Wrong! About 3 blocks down from us is Tompkins Square Park and every Sunday, they have their own farmers market. Granted, it’s not as big as Union Square’s, but it still has some great finds, like these cipollini onions and carrots we cooked the other night.
Of course, you can’t beat cipollini’s sautéed and roasted in duck fat (a shout out to Dr. Awesome’s mom for giving us that!) It’s not an everyday occurrence, but sometimes it’s necessary. Like I mentioned in my other post, you really can’t beat the taste and the freshness of produce and other items procured at the markets. I know it’s hard trying to shop like this everyday, but if you’re able to find the time, I highly recommend it. You’re supporting local businesses and you in turn know exactly where your food is coming from.
I YUM New York 