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Secrets of the Green Market

By Daisy Carrington | dcarrington@am-ny.com

12:31 PM EDT, May 13, 2008

A man picks out fresh broccoli rabe at the Union Square Green Market. (Dennis W. Ho)

Now that summer is on the horizon, it's time to abandon some of your bad habits. First off, skip the supermarket food and head to the Greenmarket. Secondly, now is a prime time to get to know the farmers who raise your food.

Though there are several advantages to getting to know them, one of the most obvious is getting a heads-up on some high-quality eats. We've talked to a few of the regional farmers and we recommend you get out there and do the same.

Kortney Scott, Wilklow Orchards; Highland, NY Wilklow Orchards sells produce at the Brooklyn Borough Hall Greenmarket on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays, and at the Grand Army Plaza and Fort Greene Greenmarkets on Saturdays. At Grand Army Plaza, they sell pasture-raised beef on Saturdays.
How long have you been at the farmers' market? We've been at the Borough Hall market for almost 30 years.

What's special today? Rhubarb, ramps [wild onions] and currants. Also, the skirt steak and flank.
What do you feed your cows? Oats, grains and honey. They also wander around the woods and fields, so they get what they need.
What should you look for when buying beef? The marbling. The fat means flavor.

Franca Tantillo, Berried Treasures Farm; Roscoe, NY Berried Treasures Farm sells a variety of produce at the Union Square Greenmarket on Wednesdays and Fridays and at 77th Street and Columbus Avenue on Sundays.
How long have you been at the farmers' market? Since 1986.
What was it like when you started? The lines would be waiting for us as the truck door flew open. People were going crazy waiting for mesclun. It was the beginning of the era of specialized vegetables.
What's special today? Potatoes. They sell more in Spring than in the Fall. And ramps [wild onions] of course. Now's a good time to make ramp and potato soup. The wild watercress and fiddleheads ferns have also begun.
What do you do with fiddlehead ferns? Fiddleheads should be treated like asparagus. They have to be cooked, and can be used as a side dish, similar to asparagus. When they're breaded and fried, they're phenomenal.
What should you look for when picking out ramps or fiddleheads at the market? For the ramps, you want to be sure the leaves are nice and fresh and attached. Fiddleheads, you want to make sure they're not all black. They will have a papery coating that you can wash away in a bowl of water.

Michael Yezzi, Flying Pigs Farm; Shushan, NY Flying Pigs Farm sells rare heritage pork at the Union Square Greenmarket and the Grand Army Plaza Greenmarket every Saturday.
How long have you been at the farmers' market? Since October 2001.
What's special today? Ribs have been really popular lately. Liverwurst and bacon are always popular, and we have some sliced ham.
You raise rare heritage pigs. What does that mean? We have three breeds of pigs: Large Blacks, Gloucestershire Old Spots, and Tamworths. A lot of factory farms may say they have heritage pigs, but they don't resemble the pigs from 100 years ago. These breeds are nearing extinction and we're dedicated to keeping them alive.
What should you look for when buying pork? The main thing is, you want to know where the pork comes from and what the animals are being fed. Their diet will affect the flavor of the pork.