USQ Farmers Market/ Greenmarket

Growing up in China, I was jealous of the American style supermarket grocery shopping: orderly lined produce, clean and beautiful, straight and clear without haggling... After I came to the US, I became like many Americans- jealous of Italian and French style small market grocery shopping: fresh produce with soil and buds of morning mist, seasonal fruits and veggies, meats and cheeses from your neighbor farmer. What's the difference between Italian or French market vs Chinese market? To me, mostly are the cleaness of the market, the passion of the sellers/farmers, the aroma in the air and the romance in the feel.

I did not expect to see farmers market in NYC. What a delightful surprise! For me, going to the Union Square Farmers Market (also called "Greenmarket") brings faint memories of my grocery shopping experience in China, resembles my visits to markets in Italy and France while vacationing there, loads me up with local flavors in America, from farms in upsate NY and NJ.

Join us for treats from the USQ Farmers Market.















One of my favorite items from the market in early summer is peas. One can even eat it raw, very sweet. A simple salad is the best way to cook and savor it. I flash boil them in salted boiling water for one minute, then shock them in icy cold water. Drain, split the shells open, season with home-made herb olive oil, kosher salt and pepper. The peas were refreshing, tender, crisp, sweet and aromatic (from the herb oil). Oh, life is so good!
















Lychee cocktail. I mixed with lychee juice, Japanese yuzu juice, tequila and greentea tapioca. To top it up, I placed a lychee across with a bamboo stick.

(No ingredient was from farmers market in this drink.)

Below: baby squash with prosciutto. There is a vendor in the farmers market that specializes in squash flowers and other edible flowers. Italians like to batter and fry them. We are not into fried food. I just cooked it the same way as the shell-on peas above and wrapped them with prosciutto.

I am always amazed by the creativity in food from people from all over the world. Italian prosciutto is an impressive example. How did they come up with the idea of "cooking" raw pork with salt? How did they figure out the perfect formula of saltiness, temperature, humidity and time? I did not study it and I don't know. But I know the best place to get prosciutto in NYC is Di Paolo, an Italian meat and cheese store downtown. I always request "the sweet end", the part near the ankle. Because it is furtherest away from the cut part on the leg where the salt was, it is the least salty and has natural sweetness. At Di Paolo, they slice it when you order it, so it's always fresh and soft.















The market often is filled with aromas of basil in the summer. Can't resist. I put them together with slow roasted campari tomatoes and mozarella cheese. (For detailed roasted tomato recipe, see my post on Costco-inspired cooking).
















Organic strawberries and blue berries, petite, but sweet and flavorful!