Endless Knots

Old Friends Farm

Just this.

 

Ah, Brooklyn

Stunning day yesterday in the best borough. Step out the door and be entertained by the martial arts/music/dance practitioners of Capoeira, performing on the sidewalk on Flatbush. First two pics are the dancers/martial artists; third is their musical accompaniment.

 

Then truck on up the street to Grand Army Plaza where the Farmers Market is now in full swing. Here's just one stall with the most spectacular flowers and herbs.

And then there's this from a nearby street. If only I could upload the aroma of the first lilacs of the year.

Cold turkey

Oh so very cold at the Grand Army Plaza Farmers Market in Brooklyn today but the purveyors turned out anyway, seemingly more than shoppers. Last week, even colder and with prediction of snow, there were only a handful of stalls, even fewer shoppers.

Speaks for itself (great turkey, btw)

 

What's that? Cauliflower!

Get your cold apple cider!

Eat your veggies

Yesterday's Boston Globe food section (lead article by Devra First, "Health Food Mecca?") was about the predictable: how to eat right after eating wrong. Many tofu recipes plus reviews of local veggie and vegan restaurants (yes, skeptics, you can now eat raw in Boston). And, apropos, last night, we had dinner with dear friends for which I made Mollie Katzen's triumph (and old-time family fave), Enchanted Broccoli Forest.

(Note to cooks: I made two versions, one totally heart-healthy for my friend, B, who has successfully lowered his LDL from 130 to 40 by maniacally eliminating nearly every calorie of fat from his diet, the other for the rest of us, which I souped up, as usual, with grated cheese and beaten eggs. FYI, I always use brown rice for greater texture, sometimes add lentils for more protein, and occasionally add sesame and/or sunflower seeds. Recently, I made it with broccoli and white and purple cauliflower. Basically, you can do anything with this recipe. It's delicious and beautiful on presentation.)

All of which is a perfect excuse to post these photos, taken just after Thanksgiving at the Grand Army Plaza Farmers Market in Brooklyn.

 

  

Farmers marketing...at Grand Army Plaza

New York was ahead of the curve with green markets. I remember going to my first such more than 20 years ago in Union Square. Now there are green markets all over the boroughs, my current fave, due to its proximity to the daughters and son-in-law, is at Grand Army Plaza in Prospect Heights, Brooklyn.

I wondered if it would be teeming with people on July 4 and whether all the farmers would come in. They did and the vegetables, fruits, flowers, eggs, fish, meats, and mushroom purveyors were out in force.

Snap peas (which I just snapped - delicious)

 

Eat too many and you'll have cherry belly

 

Summer's here when its namesake squash appears

I should have made strawberry shortcake

 

My mother, born and raised but two miles from here, loved geraniums

 

Swan River Daisy (Brachycome)

To market, to market (via Public Radio Kitchen)

Our local public radio station (ok, one of them but the one I listen to) is doing all kinds of fun stuff with its interactive social urges, as per my post about Ken George, the station's New Media Director, a few weeks ago. Today comes the news that some dedicated soul at WBUR spent the weekend putting together this "play with me" map of all the farmers' markets in Massachusetts. Take a look and get out your baskets, folks. It won't be long now (she says, longingly, knowing it's another nearly three months before the ones in my hometown open).

While we're at it praising WBUR's initiatives, let's point toward Public Radio Kitchen itself, the site for "public radio fans passionate about food." Enough said. This is making me hungry and I have one more conference call before I eat.