West 57th St. Greenmarket

The West side? I knew I'd have to make the journey across town eventually, but I didn't think it would happen as a spur of the moment thing. I had some free time, I needed some food, so I decided to actually go through with it. It was quite an adventure. As you know, on the West Side, people wear shoes on their heads and hats on their feet, and their clothing is all inside-out by comparison.

More seriously, it was pretty accessible getting over to 57th and 9th where this Greenmarket is located. Admittedly, it wasn't the most exciting trip ever, but I did get to see some sights and I suspect that for a large number of people this market is very conveniently located. It runs from 8 AM to 6 PM on Wednesdays, from April to December, so it's also pretty good for a hump day produce run.

However, I can't really say that it is convenient. It might be in the right place for some, but I found it lacking in a lot of ways. There was basically a fruit and vegetable stand, and a baker stand. Earlier in the day, apparently, there was some kind of salad-making demo, but I missed it. So it goes. Perhaps more vendors were present earlier; I'm going to try revisiting some of these smaller markets at their opening times in coming weeks, to see if they have more stalls present.

Again, I also found problems with the "local" nature of this market. Call me picky, but I don't think that PA is really close, nor did I find the stall from a farm there to be particularly interested in what I'd call sustainable farming. They didn't seem to have indications about the use of organics or sustainable techniques in their farming processes, they looked really sort of industrial, and it just generally left me with the stark taste of "marketing" in my mouth. I mean, don't get me wrong, I don't have a problem with nicely printed materials and a clean storefront with good produce. But when that is present, I want to also see the extra commitment to letting me know how the farm is staying sustainable, green, and healthy. Maybe my standards are too high, but if I'm strict about it, then my readers can at least make their own informed decisions.

Seriously? PA?

Examining their website I find that they have a commitment to pesticide-free growing, which I can respect. In fact, they even use Integrated Pest Management, which means using natural deterrents and beneficial insects. However, they don't say if all their produce is subjected to this kind of treatment, or only a fraction of it. It also bothers me that they traveled about 211 miles to bring me heirloom tomatoes. They don't even distribute in Philadelphia; instead they reach all over Virginia and all the way to Washington, DC. A network like that, I feel, is defeating some of the purpose of "buying local."

I also took issue with this jar of tomato soup. Here is an unfortunately blurry picture of the ingredients list:

For one thing it bothers me that this product contains butter. Olive oil would be a superior choice for that kind of soup from a food perspective, though perhaps they used butter because it is available locally. One ingredient that isn't available locally, though, is evaporated cane juice; that stuff isn't growing in Shippensburg, PA, and the only reason that they add it is to get away with "no sugar added" on the front of the jar. I find that pretty sneaky. I also wonder if the tomato puree that they use is made from their tomatoes or is a generic industrial tomato puree, and why there is modified food starch (a thickener) in here if there is already heavy cream and butter in the recipe. I dunno, this tomato soup is not what the front of the label seems to be. Toigo Orchards, I have doubts about you.

On the other hand, Meredith's Bread presented me with the only purchases I made at this market. For $8.50, I ended up with two sliced loaves of bread, from what was an impressive selection for the small stand pictured above. One was a sourdough rye that has turned into an excellent bread for coldcut sandwich lunches over the past week, and the other was a rustic whole wheat bread which I turned into a modified Tuscan bread soup, the recipe for which will be found in my next entry. It utilizes Brooklyn Breweries' Brown Ale, and so I'd like to talk about the soup when I talk about that. Look for it! The rustic bread also makes pretty good toast, so if you see Meredith's out there, try it. Nothing like a tasty local bakery.

As a less green, more food-oriented aside, on my way back I needed some internet and a cup of tea, so I ducked into a Starbucks (I know, I know, not exactly the paragon of sustainability, but at least they do try) and was offered some kind of free sample. This free sample was of hot chocolate, but some new super-expensive super-rich line of it called "signature." Mine was an unsigned work, as far as I could tell, but what was interesting about it was that on the whipped cream, I don't know if you can see in the picture below, they put some sea salt. I was skeptical, but I thought I'd be adventurous and try it. Turns out, sea salt really enhances hot chocolate. If you don't believe me, I recommend some delicious experimentation with a hot chocolate that you like.

Apparently Starbucks has a "taster" size cup. Does it get a bizzarely Italian sizing name, or like tall, does it get some non-glorious nomenclature? I, for one, will call it "Little Tall," for the sake of its feelings.