Union Square GreenmarketLocal Farmers at the Union Square Greenmarket Bleecker August 9, 2015 Essential Guides, Featured, Gluten Free Options, Health, Healthy, Hot Spots, Salad, Union Square, Vegetarian If you haven’t checked out the world-famous Greenmarket at Union Square yet, add it to your summer bucket list. The farmer’s market is open all four seasons of the year, but summertime at the market seems more colorful (and more delicious) than ever. Every Monday, Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday, over 140 local farmers and family vendors travel into the city to set up shop in Union Square Park to sell their seasonal ingredients and share their culinary passions. This weekend, grab a friend and take a stroll in the park while enjoying the festival of fresh produce, cheeses, meats, wines, and baked goods. Before you go, take a look at some of the local farmers and food artisans behind the hottest stands at the market this summer. Andrew’s Local Honey As natural busy bees, New Yorkers can’t seem to stay away from the sweet honey and smooth bees’ pollen from Andrew’s Local Honey. A fourth generation urban beekeeper, Andrew Cote connects to nature through his passion for beekeeping, as he looks after 48 beehives from rooftops, balconies, and community gardens throughout Manhattan, Brooklyn, and Queens. A scholar and professor, Andrew founded both the NYC Beekeepers Association and Bees Without Borders, and teaches beekeeping to under-served communities as a way to prevent poverty. Andrew’s honey is 100% pure, raw, “lovingly produced,” and was awarded, by CBS New York, as one of the “four best jars of honey in NYC.” Come by Andrew’s stand, at the Union Square Greenmarket, to satisfy your sweet tooth and meet the bee-loving man behind this local business. Beth’s Farm Kitchen at Union Square Greenmarket From a quaint county in Hudson Valley, Beth Linskey began her business of jams, preserves, chutneys, and syrups in 1981. With over 90 unique jam varieties, the popular stand at the Union Square Greenmarket offers samples of each of the flavors, with the crowd favorite always being their sweet Strawberry-Rhubarb Jam. Beth’s jams are handmade in small batches, of 12-16 jars, and each jar contains 2/3rds pure fruit and 1/3rd cane sugar. The company takes pride in their complete knowledge of where all of their fruit has been grown, and even lists each fruit and their local farm on the company’s website. Bread Alone Bakery Although there are so many delicious bakeries at the Union Square Greenmarket, Bread Alone bakery is special in both the quality of their ingredients and the craft of their baked goods. When owner Dan Leader moved his family to the Catskill Mountains over 30 years ago, with the dream of building a brick oven bakery, he and his family started the Bread Alone Bakery in their rural town of Boiceville, New York. Today, the family-owned bakery takes pride in its use of only organic and simple ingredients, like fresh whole grains, water and salt. The company even donates their leftover baked goods to regional food pantries and neighboring farms. The bakery’s stand in the Union Square Greenmarket is draped with warm, mouthwatering whole grain breads and soft, handcrafted pastries that will make you finish half the loaf on your walk home. Greener Pastures Stewart Borowsky was drinking green juice before juicing was trendy and green became the new black. Locally known as the “Union Square Grassman,” Stewart sells his popular wheatgrass juice and salad greens at the Union Square Greenmarket all year-round, filled with vitamins, minerals and enzymes. Using a combination of organic seeds, climate control, and rotation planting, Stewart’s organic wheatgrass is grown in an indoor greenhouse in Brooklyn, and then cut and pressed into his famous raw juice. Swing by the grassman’s stand to drink your daily dose of greens and see why the company prides itself on its slogan “greener is better.” Migliorelli Farm at the Union Square Greenmarket This upstate fruit and vegetable farm began in 1933 with the Migliorelli family’s immigration from Italy to the Northern Dutchess County in Hudson Valley. Today, the third-generation farm grows over 130 varieties of fruits and vegetables, with seasonal favorites at the market like beets, bok choy, cherries, garlic, and garden peas. The Migliorelli family eventually sold its farm property rights to the Scenic Hudson Conservation to remain as farmland forever and provide beauty and fresh food to communities throughout New York. The vibrant colors of berries and produce at the stand are hard to miss! For more information on the Union Square Greenmarket check out their website.
