CENYC Greenmarket 2008

(The Green Market at Union Square - painting  by Hedy Pagremanski)

Someone shared this listing (assembled by the Council on the Environment of NYC - CENYC) of greenmarkets in NYC with me.  From now through the summer months I plan to visit as many of these markets as I can and see how green and good they are.

The information looks amazing - promoting buying local products, listing the chefs who buy from the markets, the farmers who sell, they have gear (t-shirts, etc.), and many markets accept credit cards and food stamps via a swipe for tokens.  Very cool.

The CENYC has all kinds of information about recycling programs: recycle textiles at Grand Army Plaza in Brooklyn, chef tours and tastings, environmental education projects, and film presentations to inspire us to recycle, care for ourselves and the earth.

I know, I know, this sounds so good and green.  So, I'm going to put this market list to the test!

I should mention that my expectations have changed since a group of 10 people (including me) decided that we should submit ourselves to a diet challenge where we earn points for positive behaviors (exercise and fruit & vegetable consumption, drinking water) and lose points for negative behaviors (eating junk food, sweets, & chocolate, drinking soda & alcohol - excluding wine); so far it is going well.  Now I crave more unusual products with natural and organic ingredients and a greater variety of produce, so I think I must check out these markets soon!

Checkout This

For Star Wars fans who love organic foods, this video is for you.

http://youtube.com/watch?v=hVrIyEu6h_E

Frenchy Cookbook Writer's Blog

Clotilde Dusoulier has a pleasant and well-mannered site and blog about her eating adventures. More recipe than grocery blog, but I'm sure the connection is recognizable.  

I particularly enjoy her post from April 28 about hotel breakfasts.  It is true, breakfast can be a barefoot and sleepy-headed experience at home.  I have to admit, perhaps shamefully, that I partake in a caffeinated beverage with a bagel, scone, or the like nearly every morning on the way to work, so I don't get the same feeling as Clotilde.  Breakfast, for me is more of a warm up on the go for the day.

However...I have recently been a regular at a hotel in the Princeton, NJ area and the breakfasts are quite questionable: funny looking scrambled eggs, canned fruit, high fructose corn syrup enriched syrup (not maple) for their waffles.  On mornings where they have "omelets" rather than scrambled eggs, I make a decent egg-and-cheese-on a croissant sandwich.

Anyhow - check out the Chocolate and Zucchini website - I want to look into Clotilde's book and even try some of her recipes.

What in the Fishmonger?

Just in case you were wondering...click on the title.

Declining Markets

This article appeared in today's NYTimes.  Scary how the corner grocery is disappearing, even in Queens.  I better go home soon to make sure the markets in my 'hood are still there!

Supermarkets for Design-Minded Folks

This is an article from Dwell - very intriguing design.  I really want to visit MPreis and would love to hear from anyone who has been.  Click on the title of this post to view full article.