Wednesday Night at the Fulton Street Farmer's Market

Kohlrabi, a member of the cabbage family in the likeness of something, perhaps in a Harry Potter movie (when not cleaned up).

Open on Wednesday Evenings

The Fulton Street Farmer's Market has new evening hours on Wednesday night, which I love.  I visited the market on their opening Wednesday evening last week.  I was pleased with the variety of vendors who showed up.  It was also much less crowded, somewhat empty, in fact.  Here's a little pictorial preview of what I found. 

Raw Honey, and a sweet vendor who doesn't say too much.

Organically grown (but not certified) herbs from PawPrint Farms

Organically Grown But Not Certified

I'm fascinated by farmers who are taking steps to grow organically, even though they do not opt for certification, and I love to chat with them about their practices.  Organic Certification is a very important standard for our food for many reasons - including the testing for and elimination of GMOs.  But this does not mean that we can't find fantastic, responsibily grown,  non-certified products from our local farmers that follow the same (or similar) standards. It's tough to receive organic certification and it's very expensive.  I often find the farmers who grow organically to be just as knowledgeable as those who are able to reach for that coveted seal.  Farmers who grow organically, certified or not, have to work with their neighboring farms to keep their neighbors' pesticides from wafting onto their crops.  That waft of chemicals can be significant and so can the waft of GMOs from farm to farm.   Corn farmers, for instance, need their neighbors who also grow corn to plant non-GMO seeds.  Otherwise their crops can cross polinate with the non-GMO crops that farmers have fought so hard to plant.  Get the picture? 

A little flower power

According to the USDA Economic Research Service, 90% of soy crops produced in the United States, 86% of corn and 93% of cotton are genetically modified.  About 80% of our processed foods contain GMOs (think soy lecithin, sugar from GM sugar beets, and high fructose corn syrup).  Much of this is due to cross-pollination.

It's more important than ever to support our local farmers, especially those who are working toward becoming organically grown.

Paw Print Farms grow some lovely herbs.  Picked up this one that is new to me.  It is supposed to taste like cucumber.  Do you know what it is?

Picked up this herb from PawPrint Farms. It's supposed to taste like cucumber.

 I found some great kale and greens from Sole Powered Farms.  The freshest kale I think I've ever tasted.

A new organically grown farm at the market. Sole Powered Farms.Dognip. Natural treats for your pet. Wish I had a dog to buy them for!

I love the grass fed ground lamb from Crane Dance Farms.   They also have lamb chops.  Try this recipe for lamb chops with rosemary.   Grass fed lamb has 50% of the Omega 3's as salmon (that's alot) and is higher (than grain fed lamb) in Vitamins B12 and B3, tryptophan, and thyroid and immune system-loving selenium.  According to our participating docs, grass fed meat also digests more easily.

I also picked up some terrific eggs.  Beautiful and tasty.

These cloth hats and bowls are fun.

So will I see you at the Market on Wednesday nights?  Stop me if you see me, would love to chat.

More Posts from Elisabeth

Make Me Over Gluten-Free (Review: Mineral Fusion Make Up)

Interview with Alessio Fasano, M.D. (Part I):  Should Anyone Eat Gluten?

10 Steps to Living Allergen-Free and Doing It Well

The Gifts of "No"

My Chat with Crave & The First Gluten-Free Winner of Cupcake Wars!

About Elisabeth

Writer, owner of Blue Pearl Strategies, and lover of all culinary delights, Elisabeth is a Tender Foodie. She started The Tender Palate, a website for foodies with food allergies where she consults with experts from every area of the Tender Foodie life. She believes that everyone should live deliciously and have a healthy seat at the table. Find her at www.tenderpalate.com.