Farmers Markets in New York City

New York City has about 50 Open-Air Farmers Markets open throughout the year, side by side with trendy restaurants, standard mall favorites and the kinds of stores you'll find in a fashion magazine. It just depends on the neighborhood you're shopping in. We love to enjoy the harvests of the local farmers, ranchers, bakers, dairies and more. It's a sight for our senses. The products vary with the season but they always have something - from flowers in springtime to Christmas Trees in December. They're there all year and we shop there all year. Expect some surprises too, like amaryllis and aloe and ostrich eggs - really!

Once we get there it's hard not to take home something - it might be something nutritious like you'd expect to find: turnips for soup or fruit from a small family orchard. Sometimes it's local fish whose summer business is all in NYC this time of year. Or it might be something sinful like ice cream or wine and cheese for a dinner gift. The variety is part of the fun: the fabulous shopping and the joy in knowing we'll always find something... It might even be some advice from a chef who's shopping for his restaurant that evening.

The amazing green-markets in NYC are a bonus in a city full of so much culture and energy. Going to these markets gives you the opportunity to chat with the people who really know their stuff. They've grown it, cared for it, baked it, made it. They can act bored while they bag your apples or lure you in with sprigs of lavender. They're not sales people because they'll sell out before the day's over anyway but they'll answer your questions. It's fun shopping. It's a fun way to spend an hour.

Last week there were fresh pumpkins lining the street along with the usual Autumn cornucopia of flowers and apples and our family is a regular visitor. We go early to get the XLarge brown eggs because they taste like fresh eggs. If we go after 11:30 we have to settle for Large or smaller. Our favorites also include the fresh preserves and the honey. Holiday time there will be wreaths and new fragrances to block out the urban noise that surrounds us city-bound folk. We can find beautiful candles and delicious homemade pies, the best cider and then across the street, it's the NYC I love with all the hype and the bustle we came here for. I can't help but smile when I see people eating fast-food while admiring the carefully chosen foods brought in to town. So New York! Today I came home with apples, cider and squash - I'm cooking something in particular and my refrigerator is bursting. I'm low on honey, garlic, and some other wonderful new items I found are intriguing. They'll be there next week and so will I. Choosing will be the hard part.