Hastings Farmers Market OUTDOORS at the LIBRARY LOT FROM 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday, April 10
t's just a tease, like this April (!) summer swelter, but the Hastings Farmers Market is going outdoors this Saturday.
We're still on the once-monthly, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. "winter" schedule until June 5th, when the outdoor season of weekly markets starts in earnest. And, we won't have our usual bells and whistles (no live music, yoga, storytelling etc..). Still, Saturday should offer a lovely taste and peek of what's to come.
Check out some of the new vendors who will be joining us this summer: meet Steve Geisel, a.k.a., The Jam Man, who makes homemade jams & jellies like"black and blue" (blackberry and blueberry) or "apricot jalapeno" which are packed with fruit and flavor - not sugar.
Aditi, of Calcutta Kitchens (based in Norwalk) will also be here selling her tomato-based Makhani Simmer Sauce, with ginger and garlic: perfect for coating cooked meat, fish, vegetables, tofu or for paneer. Her soups -- like the Bengali Red Lentil with Kale and Tomato are flavor-bold yet surprisingly delicate.
Some vendors like to stick to just one product and do it well. Such is the case for Buddhapesto, which makes pesto sauce and nothing else. An extraordinarily good (and painterly green) pesto sauce that should by no means be relegated to penne or capellini. I loved it on scrambled eggs, on Capt. Rick's scallops and slathered on a roasted pork sandwich with lambs lettuce or chickweed from Honey Locust, and red peppers from Picklelicious. At $9, it's pricey...but one tub goes a long way since a simple dab will do ya. (And the stuff lasts about six weeks in the fridge.)
Of course, we love Pika's pesto sauce too - we especially love that it's a great option for people with nut allergies as it pine-nut free!.
Finally, check out Clean Ridge Soap Company from Pound Ridge, NY. They make all-natural soaps using flowers, plants and herbs like peppermint and chamomile from local farms. The lavender lotion smells divine (not like your grandmother's knicker drawer) and is indispensable now that we're prematurely baring our dry, winter skin.
Speaking of flowers, the folks at Battenfeld Farm in Red Hook are bringing their gorgeous anemones again. Last month mine lasted ten days and even when they went limp with petals splayed, their jewel tones still took my breath away.
Hallelujah! Concklins Orchards, which hasn't been coming to the indoor market, will return with an ample supply of cider donuts and some plants to kick start your garden.
Madura Farms, which has been bringing us fresh hoop-house and greenhouse greens all winter long, farms mushrooms in Goshen and they will bring a wide variety to market on Saturday. Why not buy a festive mix to slice and scatter atop a homemade pizza? Or just a fistful of delicate oyster mushrooms for a Sunday morning egg scramble or omelet...
Did you known that Maitake mushrooms are considered immune boosters? And that the Japanese use Shiitakes to combat the effects of chemotherapy?
Mushrooms are expensive and fragile to treat them well: they are best stored in a brown paper bag in the refrigerator. If you're not going to use them for a while (though why wouldn't you?) leave the bag out on the kitchen counter and allow them to dry out. Then you can use them in soups or risottos.
See you at the market!
Pascale
Bring your recyclable bags...and remember the hours are 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.!
ALSO YOU CAN RENEW YOUR PASSPORT AT THE MARKET TOMORROW...the mobile passport unit will be parked in front of the market between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m.!!! Bring your birth certificates/expired passports and a passport photo and save yourself a lot of grief!
DON'T FORGET YOUR DULL KNIVES!!! Matt and Andy will be here spinning their wheel...
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