'Grape' Expectations: Concord Grapes Are Here!
It`s Concord grape season at the Greenmarket. Known as the grape that "tastes like purple," Concords are tangy, tart, and wildly tasty! Slip-skin grapes high in anti-oxidants, these purple gems were first cultivated in 1849 in Concord, Massachusetts, and, to this day, there's nary another grape that packs such flavor. A single one is a revelation.
Concord grapes can be enjoyed many ways from jelly (all hail the PB and J!) and jams to pies and wine and straight off the vine. Sure, theyve got seeds, but these luscious beauties were bred for flavor, not seedlessness.
New York State is the second-largest producer of Concord grapes, so show some state pride and sample this locally grown treat at your neighborhood Greenmarket.
This easy-to-prepare Concord grape jelly makes even an ordinary sandwich spectacular. Extra credit: Learn how to jar and enjoy the rich, unforgetable flavors of Concords year-round.
Recipe: Concord Grape Jam
4 pounds Concord grapes
4 cups sugar
Lemon juice to taste
Wash, stem, and pick through grapes. Combine all ingredients and boil gently, stirring often, until flesh has broken down.
Remove from heat and strain through a fine metal strainer. Return to pot and continue to boil gently for 40 more minutes, stirring often until thickened and a drop of jam doesnt run when placed on a chilled plate.
Transfer to a clean container, let cool, cover, and enjoy. Jam will keep in your refrigerator for several weeks.
Greenspeak Word of the Week: 'Integrated Pest Management (IPM)'
A pest-management strategy that uses knowledge about insects and their reproductive and flight cycles to minimize crop damage.
Through the use of in-field monitoring employing traps and inspections, the farmer can tell what pests are present and in what numbers. If necessary, minimal amounts of biocides can be used to target the problem, rather than broad spectrum applications on a routine schedule whether necessary or not.
Other techniques involve beneficial insects that feed off the pest organism, such as using lady bugs with an appetite for aphids.
This Wednesday: Meet the Queen of Seasonal Cuisine Alice Waters
Join us October 10, from 1PM-3PM, at the Union Square Greenmarket as Alice Waters signs copies of her latest and greatest cookbook, "The Art of Simple Food: Notes, Lessons, and Recipes from a Delicious Revolution." Meet know this legendary figure in the local food movement, and pick up her book and the ingredients you'll need to make one of her many new delicious dishes for dinner!
Click here to watch Alice Waters in action.
Feeling Picky? Take a Pick-Your-Own Trip
The only way to enjoy produce thats fresher than what youll find at the Greenmarket is to pick it yourself. And in autumn many local orchards welcome visitors to do just that. Theres an abundance of apples, pears, and pumpkins through Halloween -- and some orchards offer homemade cider and donuts as well as hayrides. Jump in your car or on a train with some friends to pick your own, and fashion your own fall feast when you get back to the boroughs.
Click here for a list of visitor-friendly farms to plan your "Pick-Your-Own" trip.
Coming Soon: The Big Chill
Forget the calendar. Fall on the farm is signaled by the first frost, bringing an end to summers seasonal delights. This year, the first big chill is a bit tardy, which means theres still time to savor the joys of late summer raspberries, peaches, peppers, field tomatoes, green beans, melons, cucumbers, and summer squash can still be found... for now.
Run, dont walk to your nearest market this week; Mother Nature may be running a little late, but shes definitely on her way.
Insider's Guide to the Greenmarket: Learn to freeze or jar.
At farmers markets, produce is only available when it is being harvested locally. The bad news: that means many fresh foods (from peas and cherries to peaches and tomatoes) are only available for a few weeks. The good news: when theyre in season, theyre abudnant, often a bargain, and absolutely at their peak of flavor. Savvy Greenmarket shoppers load up when their favorite foods are at the market, jar or freeze them, and for the rest of the year feast on fruit jellies and jams, tomato salsa, basil pesto, or corn. The taste is beyond compare.
Featured Farmer: Ken and Eileen Farnan of Buzzard Crest Vineyards and Barrington Cellars
When you think grapes at the Greenmarket, youve got to think of Ken and Eileen Farnan. They've amassed a huge following because of the variety and quality of their grapes. From Cacos and Concords to Delawares and Niagaras, the Farnans stands feature an array of grapes grown with love, organic practices, and more than 30 years experience on 37 acres at their Finger Lakes farm.
Farming is in Eileens blood (she was raised on a farm upstate) and Brooklyn-native Ken enjoys farming because he likes to be his own boss. In addition to the grapes, the Farnans offer mind- blowing grape juices. Stop by their Saturday stands at Union Square, Grand Army Plaza, and Brooklyn Borough Hall now through Thanksgiving for a swig of the Farnans nectar-like juices and to discover your favorite variety of their great grapes.
Paper or Plastic: 'Charge It' at Greenmarket
While cash is still king at the Greenmarket, we are pleased to announce that farmers at four different markets now accept credit cards -- and even more accept food stamps! Wireless battery-operated terminals (think 1980s cell phones) enable farmers to swipe both credit cards and EBT cards. Enjoy this new way to pay while you go green at the Greenmarket.
Click here for more information EBT/Food Stamps and Credit Cards at Greenmarket
Raise Your Voice: 2007 Farm Bill
Do your part to support sustainable food systems, family farmers, and farmers markets. Call your congressional representatives today and let them know you want a Farm Bill that supports building strong, sustainable, local, and regional food systems.
Say no to agri-business interests -- and yes to eating locally with just one phone call!
Click here to find your Congressional contacts.
Click here to find your Senatorial contacts.
Click here to learn more about the 2007 Farm Bill.