UNION SQUARE — Though only a few days into summer, the city’s greenmarkets are overflowing with locally grown fruit and vegetables that’ll add some variety to your shopping list.
DNAinfo New York hit up Union Square's greenmarket to find out what’s hitting the stands this week.
First, the staples
Cucumbers have been selling out quickly. Norwich Meadows, an organic farm in Norwich, N.Y., will be bringing a few varieties, including Middle Eastern and Kirby, to the market this week. Cruciferous veggies such as broccoli, cauliflower and red and green cabbage are in abundance from farms across the tri-state area, as are scallions, young onions and Swiss chard. Sugar snap peas and pre-shelled peas are piled high on the market tables this week.
Then, the berries
Phillips Farms of Milford, N.J., brought crate after crate of berries to the market this week. Blueberries sold off the quickest, but strawberries, raspberries and red currants are also on sale. While not common in the grocery stores, sweet, tart red currants are commonly used in jams and pies.
Finally, the special items
While we all know that they go with a nice Chianti, most of us probably don’t have a clue as to how to prepare fava beans, which are at the market now. They can be made into a hummus, tossed into a salad or chili or can be delicious in a simple saute with olive oil and garlic after quickly boiling them for three minutes.
Kohlrabi means cabbage-turnip in German, but the root vegetable’s raw flavor is much more palatable than its namesakes. The thorny bulbs have the texture of apple and a taste similar to broccoli. Kohlrabi can be eaten raw with salt and pepper but can also be sauteed, pickled or thrown in a salad or ceviche. They’re in the market now.
Garlic scapes are a delicacy of the greenmarket in early summer. They won't be around for long, so scoop them up while you still can. These stalks of the garlic plant are delicious when pickled, blended with cannellini beans for a dip or sauteed with pasta and other veggies.
Purslane is a trendy green that we expect will catch on faster than you can mispronounce quinoa. Though once considered merely a weed, this plant is now used like a spinach or watercress. It’s slightly sour taste is offset in Greek recipes with feta cheese, tomato, onion and garlic. What makes this green particularly attractive to foodies is it’s abundance of Omega-3 fatty acids and vitamin A and C.