It has been more than SIX months since I moved to New York City. Say what? Time just flew and it sure took time for me to adjust to this new New Yorker lifestyle. I still feel like an alien in a mad world that is always is a rush to reach somewhere. There are tons of places to see and so many things to do in New York City. It will be a wishful thinking on my part if I aspire to do them all, but there are a few must-visit places and Union Square Green Market is definitely on top of the list. So, on a fairly overcast Saturday morning, we set off to explore the city as much as we can. The plan was to meet at the market and then move on to other places like Brooklyn Bridge, China Town, Little Italy, Chelsea Market etc.
This post is a part of the Farmer's Market Series I do whenever I visit a new city. First one was on Mountain View (California) and another featuring a market from back home. It has been a while since the last feature and am so thrilled that I could be photograph this beautiful NYC market filled with gorgeous seasonal produce and artisanal products. Enjoy!
Fresh Carrots, not the ones that are bagged and frozen from our local grocery store
If there is one place bursting with life and something that makes me immensely happy, it is our local vegetable market. By 5 am every single morning, a variety of vegetables pour in from nearby places and vendors setup their stuff at allotted places before the morning rush comes in. This market is called "Madannapet Mandi" and is located in suburbs of Hyderabad.
I love my morning market visits especially with my dad and have been accompanying him since I was a kid. Till today, this is our favorite time together. It was pure fun to walk around with my DSLR in hand the other day and capture few moments. Along the way, the big camera did garner some attention from many curious onlookers and some even asked if I worked for any newspaper. How I wished that was true! :-)
Are you ready to have a peek at a market I have been going every Sunday for the past two and half decades. Scroll down and Enjoy!
Fall is here and so are the bounty full of beautiful fruits and vegetables in the markets. No, I am not talking about the Super markets like this & this where water is sprinkled all-day-long to give a fake-fresh-look to the fruits & vegetables. Yes, I am talking about our age old 'Farmer's Market' where we get to see & meet the *real people* who have grown the produce. It has been almost 2 weeks that we moved to Mountain View & it was time for us to check out its popular Farmer's Market, which is open only from 9am to 1pm, every Sunday.
Make sure you have lots of cash & a recyclable (optional, just make you feel more greener) bag to fill up the produce before you hit the market. You get almost everything here - from the freshly baked bread to juiciest & sweetest asian pears to squeezed pomegranate juice, in its purest form (with no added sugar).
All those who are enthusiastic about gardening can pick up fresh herbs for a very reasonable price to grow in your balconies or backyards and if you wish to know tips & tricks about how to grow them, all you need to do ask the guy there. He will be more than happy to share all his trade secrets with a huge smile on his face. :)
Hitting early to the market is a good idea as then you can have the best ones to choose from. Also, almost every stall has free samples of their produce, so don't have your breakfast. *wink*. Trust me, by the time you reach the last stall, you will burp with contentment.
Fresh basil and an my invisible foodie-mate, standing right beside me was screaming for some home-made pesto.!
a variety of peppers, almost in every color. Beautiful.
These sun-dried apricots were absolutely delish.
As we were running low on cash this time, we didn't shop around much at Farmer's market. Next week, we are determined to get lots of stuff. I will take some pictures then and share with you all.
Inspired by her raw vegan challenge, WE have decided to eat raw food at least once a day, from next week onwards to kind to detoxify our bodies. A challenge we have never done before. So, wish us all the very best and I will keep you posted about our progress. :)
