Alvina Frey -- A Great Farmer

EXTRA: On January 9, 2010, we lost a great Greenmarket pioneer, one of the first farmers in the market, Alvina Frey. She was a fine farmer, one of the amazing people who attracted excellent restaurants as well as other lovers of good, healthy, and inventive foods. She introduced all sorts of wonderful beans and was the first to bring in haricots verts, haricots jaunes, and mini zucchini and other tiny squashes. Her corn was amazing and her unique vegetables inspired other farmers to try interesting new ideas.

Rick Bishop of Mountain Sweet Berry told Beth Linsky the following: “Alvina kept saying she would retire and she kept coming back to the market. She was going to give me all her secrets to planting and picking. Her haricot verts were the best and I planted lots of them but she just couldn't bring herself to retire. Finally she asked me to come to her farm and we just sat and talked for several hours, discussing varieties, planting and growing methods. Putting her advice to work afforded me the ability to inherit the incredible restaurant trade she had developed and her mentoring catapulted me into the limelight with all of the best restaurants. I'm indebted to her.”

Although Alvina retired a while ago, her influence is still felt in the Greenmarket. We’ve missed her good cheer and her supportive and inventive presence. I've been waiting to get some information before posting this. I was very fond of Alvina and her produce and have missed her.

Rillettes!!! Mesclun!!! Duck and Pheasant Eggs!!

Oak Grove has MESCLUN -- their tiny tasty mix. D'Attolico has new kale and SORREL. Paffenroth has onion chives and Mountain Sweet Berry has their special frozen beans. Northshire has fresh dandelion greens and Stokes has beautiful herb plants as well as flowering plants and cut rosemary and thyme. Cato is here with tasty cheeses and Norwich has wintered over baby carrots. Miglorelli has sweet wintered over parsnips. Anna has gorgeous tulips.

Violet Hill has guinea hens, Belle Rouge chickens, and great looking chicken livers, hearts, and gizzards. Quattro's has beautiful chickens, ducks, and pheasants, as well as pheasant and duck eggs. Flying Pig is here with pork cuts, fried pork rinds, pie crust, and rillettes.

Pork Rillettes!! Pea Shoots!! Blue and Green Eggs!

As she promised, Nevia of Bodhitree Farm has pea shoots! She also has delicious salad and braising greens and bok choi. Oh, and pullet eggs. The ostrich stand has fresh emu and ostrich eggs as well as empty shells for decoration. Tamarack is here with pork cuts and free range chickens. Flying Pig has fried pork rinds, pork rillettes, and lard pie crust in addition to their sausages and pork cuts. DiPaolo is here with various turkey items. Pura Vida has several varieties of fish.Tello has blue and green shelled eggs.

Norwich has root vegetables, bok choi, and scallions, in addition to pickles and other jarred vegetables. Two Guys have salad greens and herbs. Madura has several kinds of mushroom. Tremblay is here with their excellent honeys and Deep Mountain Maple Syrup has their wonderful 2010 new supply of grade Fancy. Beth's Jam has strawberry rhubarb, raspberry, peach, currant, and other jams and jellies, as well as great chutneys and pickled vegetables. The wheat grass truck is here, too, with sprouts and cat grass.

Cayuga's Whole Wheat Bread!! Miglorelli's Parsnips!!

The biggest news in today's Greenmarket is the sweet wintered over parsnip to be found at Miglorelli's stand. The newest tasty item is the gorgeous whole wheat bread that Cayuga brought in today along with their excellent flours, grains (including their newest flour -- all purpose), and beans. One of the restaurant buyers reminded me that Rick Bishop said there will be ramps on March 31, but as for now, we will be happy to settle for Windfall's tasty greenhouse greens, Madura's mushrooms and greens, and Oak Grove's great herb plants and windowsill herb gardens.

I'm having a slice of Cayuga's bread with Ronnybrook's sweet butter as I write. Delicious!

I've been missing the good canvas bags they used to sell in the Greenmarket and just found out today that I can get one from Greenmarket's online store. For those of you who used to use and like them, here's the url:

http://www.cafepress.com/greenmarket

Too Early!! Might Have Missed Something!! Anna is here with great tulips!!

Anna has beautiful tulips today -- cheered me up, which I needed after walking around in this dreary morning. Loni has greenhouse greens and there are several orchards, including Red Jacket. I must say it is possible to be too early and I really was today. There will be other stands with fruit, potatoes, and other vegetables, but it's still Winter today -- except for the tulips!!

QUATTRO'S HAS PHEASANT EGGS! STOKES!!! TULIPS!!! AND IN A COUPLE OF WEEKS, RAMPS!!

STOKES IS BACK!! It's their 35th year in the market and they're here with fragrant potted rosemary, potted herb plants, cut rosemary and thyme, and beautiful pansy sets.

Van Houten is also here with beautiful flower sets and Oak Grove has gorgeous herb plants and windowsill herb gardens. Scatuck Fish and Shellfish is here for the first Saturday with clams, razor clams, mussels, softshell crabs, oysters, and a wide variety of fresh fish. Norwich has fresh spinach and kale along with root vegetables and eggs.

It's the LAST DAY for Three Corner Field Farm until the first week in May, so get your tasty lamb and yogurt while you can! Anna of Newfield Farm is here with glorious cut tulips!

Rick of Mountain Sweet Berry says that he may have RAMPS on Wednesday, March 31!!!

Locust Grove has flowering willow and cherry branches. Flying Pig has pork products, eggs, and chickens. Northshire has wintered over sucrine lettuce, Japanese bunching onions, quail eggs, and radishes, as well as honey. Violet Hill has their many colored variety of eggs as well as sausages, bacon, and belle rouge chickens. Quattro's is here with small and large chickens, ducks, and other poultry, sausages, and eggs.

Nevia's Greens!! Edible Lavender!

River Garden has beautiful willow branches and dried flower arrangements. Oak Grove has herbs, baked goods, pork, and popcorn, and will have their delicious tiny mesclun tomorrow. The lavender people have edible lavender as well as scents and Two Guys From Woodbridge have lettuces, micro mix, mesclun, and herbs. Pura Vida has good looking fish and shellfish. Nevia of Bodhitree Farm has hot curly cress, two kinds of arugula, salad and other greens and eggs and will have pea shoots next week.

Mesclun on Saturday? Ted Blew Hopes So!

Ted Blew of Oak Grove has a wide selection of large and small potted herbs today. He says he may have his excellent tiny mesclun in the market on Saturday! There's definitely a feeling of Spring in the market, although the only new items (at 8:30 A.M., at least) were beautiful Spring flowers. You can still get lamb from Three Corner Field Farm before she stops for a while during lambing season.Windfall Farm has greenhouse greens.

Locust Grove, Breezy Hill, and other orchards are here today. I'm having Breezy Hill's apple raspberry crisp for breakfast right now! Beth's Jam is here with St.Patrick's Day gift ideas and Ronnybrook has ice cream.

Duck Salami!! Tasty Cheeses!! Anna's Tulips!!

I wasn't going to go to the Greenmarket at all today, but it is a good thing I changed my mind! In addition to Consider Bardwell Farm's excellent variety of cheeses, we now have Hudson Valley Duck's tasty salami, smoked duck breast, duck confit, and proscutto! Race is here with pastries and Anna of Newfield Farm has her gorgeous tulips (also here on Saturday). Loni's Farm, the other half of what was Yuno's Farm, is here with a wide selection of greens. Tello is here with excellent eggs and Red Jacket has fruit flavored ciders.

Parrot Tulips!!! Poultry and Soups!!! Eggs!! Lamb!! Yogurt!!

Anna of Newfield Farm is back!! She's got beautiful parrot and other tulips and will be here on Saturday for the season!! It was worth getting shoved around by the wind to find her there and to pick up her lovely flowers.

It really is pretty rough out there, but Quattro's was there with my chicken order and Ronnybrook had the garlic butter I need for my roast chicken, so I was glad to be able to pick up the things I needed. I also got some of Milk Thistle's low fat milk and got carrots and turnips for my stock from Paffenroth. Miglorelli and Breezy Hill are here with apples and Three Corner Field Farm has lamb and yogurt. There are plenty of root vegetables to be had and D'Attolico is here with greens and sprouts. Windfall has microgreens and other vegetables as well.

There are actually many stands here considering the weather!!

Nevia!! Ostrich!! Lavender!! Greens!!

Nevia's Back!!! She has her own farm, Bodhitree Farm, and will be here on
Fridays with the wonderful vegetables, eggs, and other goodies that we have
come to love. She's here today with delicious greenhouse greens.

For those of you who like to stray from the regular track, the Ostrich farm
is here for its second week. They have eggs, meat, and feathers!

Some farmers who are here on Fridays and Saturdays say they may not be here
tomorrow because of the strong winds and rain that are expected. Judging from
what was going on today, I may not be there either!

The lavender people and Two Guys (beautiful greens) are here today.

Brigid's Abbey!! Blood Orange Marmalade!! Cat Grass!!

Another beautiful day! I ran into one of the chefs who still come to the market despite the season, picking up microgreens from Windfall, and we commiserated on the winter slump and our hopes for the appearance of ramps, fiddleheads, reasonable morels, asparagus, and rhubarb, all of which won't be showing up for a while. We talked about Three Corner Field Farm's lamb and the fact that they won't be here much longer -- back in May! I bought some Bridgid's Abbey from Cato (this is its best time of year, by the way), and talked about Anthony Bourdain's visit to their farm, which aired recently.

Cayuga is here with beans and grains and Locust Grove, Breezy Hill, and Terhune, among other orchards, have apples and cider. Ronnybrook has milks, drinkable yogurts, and butters, and Madura is here with mushrooms. Red Jacket has various fruit flavored ciders. Beth's Jams, Our Daily Bread, Knoll Krest, and other stands are also here.

Flowering Branches at Phillips!!

It's finally a beautiful day for the Greenmarket! Quattro's is here with great poultry and smoked poultry. Violet Hill has excellent bacon, sausages, and their wonderful Belle Rouge chickens. Flying Pig has pork and poultry and Three Corner Field Farm has lamb cuts, yogurt, and cheeses, as well as wool and soap. (She'll be gone for lambing in a couple of weeks, so carpe diem!)

D'Attolico is here with crisp and tasty greens and sprouts, Windfall has various turnips and greenhouse greens, Norwich has a few greens along with their root vegetables, and Paffenroth and Mountain Sweet Berry have great potatoes.

Ronnybrook and Milk Thistle have milk and cream and Ronnybrook has yogurt, butters, and cheeses. Beth's Jam still has some of their seasonal marmalades as well as their excellent jams and chutneys. Cato is here with cheeses and Shushan has greens and tomatoes. Norwich has jars of vegetables.

The birds were chirping all over Union Square!!

It's kind of miserable out there, but Flora Perfecta has beautiful lilies, Shushan has cherry tomatoes and other hydroponic tomatoes and greens, and Tamarack is here with pork products and poultry. Windfall Farm has greens and Cayuga is here with beans and grains. There are a few orchards here and Ronnybrook has milks, yogurts, and cheeses.