Greenmarket Groceries
Happy Father’s Day to my dad and all the other great dads out there. It’s on holidays such as these, that we are reminded of the people we love and want to do the best to take care of them and ourselves so we’re together as long as possible.
Eating better is one way we can certainly make an effort to do that, so I made a trip to the Columbus Ave Greenmarket this morning to pick up some things for breakfast and dinner and thought I’d share a little encouragement to make your own trip to a local farmer’s market. I may not be able to convince you of the wonders of the greenmarket meal over a blog, but I will do my best to paint a picture for you as to why it’s at least worth trying. Once you taste the meal prepared with farm fresh ingredients, I hope you will agree that it’s worth every penny and can taste far superior than a meal you’re willing to tip someone for.
Affordable:
First things first: cost. You look at the price at a local stand and think “some of this stuff is more expensive than what I pay at the store.” It’s all relative. Compare the cost of farm fresh food to all your dining options, as well as the quality of ingredients.
- Brunch OUT at my favorite UWS joint: $12.88 {food, tax, tip, no drinks}
- Egg on a roll DELIVERED from the local deli: $4.72 {food, tax, tip, ignoring min. delivery requirement}
- Breakfast COOKED with deliciously farm fresh organic, antibiotic and hormone-free greenmarket ingredients: $1.77
Let’s break this down even further. This is what I bought:
1 Loaf ‘Not Just Rugelach‘ 7-Grain Bread (~20 slices): $4
1 Quart NJ Organic Strawberries (~40 berries): $6
1 Dozen Grazin’ Acres truly Free Range Pullet Eggs: $8
Grocery Total: $18
Cost / Breakfast: $1.77-$2.43
Assuming you make 12 breakfasts out of what I just bought (1 egg per meal), that $18 turns into $1.77 per meal. And if you’re the kind of person who likes 2 eggs in the morning, it’s still only costing you $2.43!
Flavorful:
Ok, the math works, but $8 for a dozen eggs you scream! $6 for a quart of strawberries?! I can buy a dozen Free Range, Organic eggs for half that cost at the grocery store and 2 quarts of strawberries for the same cost as what you just spent and lower the cost/breakfast even further than that. True, you can. But do those same purchases taste anything like what I just bought? NOT EVEN CLOSE.
Here’s why. The strawberries are field grown, with absolutely no pesticides or unnatural fertilizers. What that means is they grow with nature, at the speed nature intended. Often when chemical fertilizers are used, the growing process is accelerated and produce retains more water, diluting the sweet, natural flavors of a plant that is allowed to grow without these additives. I can’t let you taste how sweet these strawberries were through the power of the Interwebs {at least not yet}, but take a look at how RED they are all the way through each berry and you will get a sense that this is no ordinary store bought fruit. Buying from a local market allows you to talk to the farmers {who woke up at the crack of dawn to bring you this goodness} and ask them about the size of their farm and growing methods. The bigger the producer, the more “help” they need to maintain the volume required to supply grocery chains. Buying local and buying from smaller farms often means there is more attention given to what is being produced and what ends up on your table.
Color IS an indication of flavor.
And the eggs. Oh, the eggs! Yes, I admit, $8 for a dozen eggs sounds crazy. BUT, if you have read The Omnivore’s Dilemma, these are the happiest little egg-producing chickens out there. These gals live in an eggmobile {love it} and follow around Grazin’ Acres Grass-Fed Cattle, munching on nutrient-rich larvae from the cow poop {mmm!}, fertilizing the grass that the 100% Grass-fed beef eat and contribute to a finely tuned symbiotic relationship from grass to cattle to hens to us. Read more about it here, if you’re interested. The bottom line: truly free range, organic, antibiotic- and hormone-free eggs that results in yolks a shade of orange you have never seen before, with a nutrient rich flavor I could never even begin to convince you of on a computer screen. Try them, if only once for curiosity sake.
Smarter:
No chemicals, no added hormones. Period. There are plenty of experts out there arguing the negative health impacts of industrial farming where pesticides, chemical fertilizers and added hormones make things grow bigger and faster. I won’t bring those arguments in here, but I’d prefer take a bite out of something that hasn’t been tainted with potentially harmful chemicals, wouldn’t you?
The Skim: I’m not getting all tree-hugging hippy on you, I’m just telling you that the breakfast I had tasted better than any $50 brunch you could throw at me from any high end, place-to-be-seen NYC hot spot. By visiting the local market, you can pick up some seriously premium tasting ingredients without spending a fortune {and hey, it’s better for you too}. So tell your friends to bring the mimosas, cook up some ridiculously good $8 eggs and give Pastis a run for it’s money. Who knows, maybe you’ll even earn some tips.
Like This? So Does Michael Pollan:
Michael Pollan Agreed With Me, $8 Eggs Are A Good Idea
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8.ate@eight 