Our Harvest Home Farmers’ Markets are open and overflowing with fresh fruits and veggies that make you hungry just thinking about them: juicy, red strawberries, crunchy sugar snap peas, crisp radishes, plump asparagus, lots of greens like velvety spinach, crisp Swiss Chard, Kale and different kinds of lettuce. Ripened in the field, freshly picked, our produce comes straight from a nearby farm to our markets. Our fruits and veggies are bursting with the FRESH taste we‘ve been waiting for. With so much produce in our Harvest Home Farmers’ Markets, choosing what to buy this week is the hardest part. 

 Snack on raw veggies; drop veggies into soups and stews for added flavor or serve them with a few herbs and a dash of olive oil.  (See suggestions below)

 Cook veggies lightly.  Please don’t boil them!  Boiling reduces the delicious taste and the healthy nutrition

• Pan-roast: Heat the oven to 400 degrees.  Grab a rimmed cookie sheet, and drop 1–2-inch-sized pieces of veggies on it.  Sprinkle on a little olive oil, salt, and pepper. mix with your hands. Cook for 15-20 minutes, turning once.

• Microwave Steaming: Add 1-2 Tablespoons of water to a microwavable dish with a cover. Add veggies cut into equal-sized pieces.  Cook time varies with the firmness of the veggie: Firm like potatoes or turnips: 5 minutes; softer and moist like broccoli: 4 minutes and greens 3 minutes.

At our markets, you can meet and talk to the farmers who grew your food. You can ensure it’s Fresh, has the Taste you want, and is full of the nutrition you need. Plus our farmers accept S.N.A.P, WIC, EBT, and offer NYC Health Bucks’. Now that’s getting value for your money!

Don’t be fooled by appearances. Sometimes our straight-out-of-the-field produce doesn’t look as perfect as some of those wrapped-in-plastic veggies. Mother Nature is much more concerned with taste than looks. Think of the farmer’s stall as your garden and use your good sense. Any questions?  Ask your farmer! 

Farm to Table

RECIPE: PASTA PRIMAVERA

Ingredients: In one pot

• 12 ounces fusilli or other corkscrew pasta

• ½ pound sugar snap peas, cut in half, or broccoli florets (or a combination)

• 2 carrots cut into small strips

• 1 yellow or orange bell pepper, cut into thin strips

• 3 ounces of cheese: feta, ricotta, goat cheese or cotija

To Make:  To a large pot of water of  boiling water, add pasta and cook for the time given on the label

• Add veggies (peas and/or broccoli, carrots, and bell pepper) to the boiling water during the last 3 minutes of cooking.

• Save ½ cup of pasta water. Rinse pasta & veggies under cool water

• Make the sauce for either warm or cool pasta dish (See Sauces below)

• Sprinkle with ½ cup parmesan cheese

Cooking in one pot helps keep the nutrition

Sauce  for warm pasta

Ingredients

• 1-pint cherry tomatoes, halved

• ¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil

• 4 cloves garlic, thinly sliced

• 3 ounces feta or goat cheese, crumbled or creamy ricotta cheese thinned or cotija cheese

• 1 Tablespoon lemon juice

To Make

• Heat the olive oil in a skillet. Add the garlic & cook for about 30 seconds. Add the tomatoes & ½ teaspoon salt; cook until the tomatoes begin to wilt, about 2 minutes.

• Stir in ¼ cup of the saved cooking water. Pour the tomato mixture over the pasta & veggies.

• Add parmesan  (or any cheese you like.) Toss to mix. 

TIPS AND TRICKS: Cooking

Different pasta/veggie combinations are up to you

• Make a timetable for adding veggies. Take the cooking time for the pasta, subtract the time you want to cook a veggie and you’ll know exactly when to add them

• For crispier veggies decrease the time; for softer ones add another minute.  Cook them the way you like them  Some veggies like carrots (5 minutes) take longer to cook than broccoli sugar snap peas or asparagus. (3 minutes) Chopped greens take 2 minutes or less.

• Any pasta will work. Small Corkscrew pasta works best because it holds the light sauce better for more flavor in every bite

Sauce for Cool Pasta Salad:

Ingredients:

• ¼ cup olive oil

• 3 Tablespoons lemon juice

• 2 cups chopped cherry tomatoes

• ¼ cup red onion

To Make: Whisk together olive oil, lemon juice and red onion. Add tomatoes. Pour over pasta & add parmesan cheese

Suggestion: Add sliced radishes and sliced cucumbers for a summery taste.

Seasoning Veggies: A dash of olive oil

• For Broccoli: lemon juice, oregano or coriander

• For Carrots: dill, chervil, marjoram, oregano, thyme, cilantro....almost anything you like

• For Asparagus: Chervil, tarragon, cilantro

• For Peas: Mint, thyme, rosemary or curry

Adding a bit of finely chopped onion works well