I swoon for June

Oh hello sunshine. How we’ve pined for you. June, of course, means warmer, longer, more leisurely days but it also means our (not so) little market is back on a weekly schedule, opening at 8:30a.m. for you early birds eager to catch the rosiest strawberries and perkiest arugula. It feels good to be back in the summer swing of things.
June is also when we get to unveil new vendors each week, always so much fun.

This week we start with Nicky's Made with Love granola, which warrants its own little narrative.

A couple of months ago, on a particularly cold day at the market, I noticed a very elegant woman wearing a faux fur coat and chic shoes. Her hair had been done.  I thought she looked quite fancy, though not in a bad way, for a farmer's market shop. She went up and down the aisles, taking it all in and she had a big smile on her face. But she wasn’t buying anything. Curiosity got the best of me and I asked her if she needed some assistance.  She said she was looking for the market organizer. I told her she’d found her and with that she opened her purse and whipped out bags of granola. 

Nicky had applied to join the market online. To be honest...the name “Made with Love” had put me off a bit because, when you've been running markets for 20 years, you've met a lot of aspiring vendors who bake, cook, ferment, mix, sew and grow “with love.”  
But her list of pure, unadulterated ingredients and the tone of her email intrigued me. I had asked her to bring samples to the market at her convenience. Not only was her granola outstanding (nutty, crisp, not overly sweet) but Nicky was a delight. After a career selling other people's goods in the corporate world, she is selling something she truly believes in, she says. How good and healthy is it? She recently brought a bag to her cardiologist and the next day he called and ordered 30 bags for his staff and as the official office snack. Nicky samples generously so I suggest you try it. 

Next up: Trotta’s House of Pasta, a mainstay of the Pleasantville Market, Trotta’s is known for their vast ravioli repertoire. They will be here weekly on the upper level, where Bambino's used to be. Please give them a warm Hastings welcome. 

June is a month of graduations and celebrations. If you need gifts (for teachers, hosts, coaches, librarians, dog walkers, tutors) consider a stop at La Petite Occasion for French-style caramels or at Butter+Bow, for exceptional cookies packaged oh so beautifully. 

Of course, Thousand Leaf Gardens Farm is coming in strong with ranunculus this week. Their paper-thin, layered petals last forever! They are also bringing lots of tender salad greens, so very flavorful this time of year. 

Both Titusville and Obercreek Farm will have garlic scapes this week! You can toss them on the grill with our market steak or, make pesto or hummus. Stir in some garlic scape pesto into some white cannellini beans and serve with lamb burgers and grilled asparagus this weekend. R&M  has some fantastic ground lamb right now. 

Titans of Hudson Valley produce, Morgiewicz and Mead Orchards, join us this week much to everyone’s delight. This week's sunshine has been good to Morgiewicz’ black dirt produce and Meade is bringing in the berries. Pick up extra strawberries to make this strawberry bundt cake, a crowd-pleaser if ever there was one.

In coffee news: This summer, 813 Coffee (which sources its beans exclusively from women-owned coffee plantations in South and Central America) will alternate with Boxing Day Café. Yay! (Austin has lots going on in the next few months – he’s getting married in July to the lovely Ilana and we will reveal other exciting news, soon.)

Unofficial Ice Cream will be here twice a month this summer since Abby does have a full time job working admin for Gramercy Tavern. I say ditch the office job! She was meant for ice cream. She’ll be her next week.

You will not see Painted Goat on the plaza this week. After years of coming on the first and third Saturday of the month, they are now coming on the second and fourth Saturday. Same great products, just on different days.

Sometimes, you just gotta shake things up!

See you at the market!