Bounty Bursts In Farmers Markets
The East End Farmers Markets are about to open and I can’t wait!
If you’re planning a special Mother’s Day meal, what can you expect from your local farmers right now? Quite a bit. Suffolk County is New York State’s most productive agricultural county and here’s just a sampling of what’s in season right now: arugula, baby lettuces, bean sprouts, chard, collards, Egyptian onions, flowers, herbs, kale, parsnips, potted plants, radishes, scallions, sorrel and spinach. Rhubarb is right around the corner and you know what comes after that—strawberries! Can corn and tomatoes be far away?
Of course many of our local farmers also offer fresh chicken eggs. As the days get longer, hens lay more. Most of the layin’ gals in these parts pump ‘em out around 9 a.m. Of course there’s a wealth of local shelf-stable goods available too, like Art Ludlow’s Mecox Bay Dairy cheeses. He’s trying to move his “Sigit,” a gruyere-style cheese, from 18 months of aging to two years. I love that he’s such a perfectionist. Sigit is of course named for his 93-year-old mother. Once a girl from Yonkers, Sigit became a good farm wife. As Art says, “I ate good food all my life.”
Taste of the North Fork is our largest local processor offering fine jams, jellies, spreads and vinegars for gift-gifting or to spoil Mom with breakfast in bed.
And there’s always local wine…and honey and sauerkraut.
The Westhampton Beach Farmers Market opened last Saturday. It will operate every Saturday from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. through November 17. Voted the East End’s best—it is the East End’s largest. Don’t miss it!
Right now there’s the Fair Foods Market at Bay Burger at 1742 Bridgehampton-Sag Harbor Turnpike outside Sag Harbor on Saturday from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. On Saturday, May 19, that market will be gone, but the Sag Harbor Farmers Market will open on Bay Street, in front of the Sag Harbor Yacht Club. New at the Market this year will be Goodale Farm’s cow and goat milk, butter and soft cheeses! Local milk in glass bottles is making a comeback at last! Also new to the Market are Sunset Beach Farm’s produce and Gula Gula Empanadas available in Bison, Fish and Vegetarian.
On the other Fork, May 19 will see the re-opening of the Greenport Farmers Market. In this, its second year, it has moved to the
United Methodist Church at 621 Main Street. It will run every
Saturday from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.
through October 13.
Watch for free cooking demos.
Memorial Day weekend kicks off two popular markets—the East Hampton Farmers Market
on Nick and Toni’s parking lot at 136 North Main Street. It opens
Friday, May 25, and will be open 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Fridays through September 28. Watch for an announcement of their annual visit from llamas this summer.
The Hayground School Farmers Market
also opens on Friday, May 25. It will run on Fridays from 3 to 6:30 p.m. on the Hayground School grounds at 151 Mitchell Lane
in Bridgehampton. This market runs through August 31. Take a free tour of the Hayground School’s garden with a very young, enthusiastic farmer. It’s the best stop you can make between city and country.
The Sunday Southampton Farmers Market will re-open on June 3 and run through October 7 at 25 Jobs Lane, the west grounds of Parrish Art Museum. This market operates from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Operating just two blocks to the north of this market is the Southampton Historical Society’s White House Flea Market, held every other Sunday, beginning May 13 at 159 Main Street from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Oodles of open-air shopping in Southampton.
The Route 27 Farmers Market
will reopen under new management at the American Legion Post 419
on Montauk Highway and Abrahams’ Path in Amagansett. This is your mid-week stop for everything fresh and local, it operates on
Wednesdays from 2 to 6 p.m.
This market is open from June 7 through November 1.
The Shelter Island Farmers Market at 16 Ferry Road will re-open on Saturday, June 16 and run through September 22. Open 9 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., this market offers everything you need to survive a weekend on “The Rock:” eggs, honey, jams, baked goods and veggies.
And last, but never least, “The End”—The Montauk Farmers Market
will return to the Village Green in the center of Town every Thursday from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. from June 21 through October 11.
Whew! Get out there people. Eat, drink and be merry locally!