The Union Square Greenmarket is one of my favorite happenings in the city. It's located in--go figure--Union Square (14th Street/Broadway) every Monday, Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday. It has multiple stands of everything fresh and organic your heart may desire. There is everything from cheese to veggies, from fish to apple pies, from soaps to eggs, from honey to flowers and seeds, and probably anything else (or the ingredients therein) that you would find appetizing. Beyond taste-bud titilation, there is always a great energy surrounding the market. People are happy to be there! Honestly, if I could start every day with a trip to this farmer's market I would never have a sour day.
I think most fondly of the Greenmarket on warm, lazy Saturday mornings in the summer. What could be better than fresh-squeezed lemonade while you load up on fresh vegetables to make a killer stir-fry for a late lunch?
Visiting the Greenmarket when the trees in Union Square Park have shed their leaves offers a different but equally wonderful experience. Exchange summer sweat for a scarf and jacket. Instead of refreshing lemonade, try wrapping your hands around a warm cup of Hot Mint Tea (sweetened with a bit of grape juice), Hot Apple (or Pear!) Cider, Sumac Tea, or Mulled Concord Grape Juice. If you can free a hand from the delicious beverage you are sipping, try occupying it with one of the many tempting baked goods, which are inexplicably more satisfying when the temperature drops.
When I stopped through the market today, the first chilly day that has legitimately signaled the end of all warm weather for months to come, I got some Sumac Tea and, in keeping with my pumpkin phase, a Pumpkin Spice Scone. It was huge, moist, and the inside was sprinkled with raisins. It hit the spot and I remembered that I love the Greenmarket in the Fall just as much as I love it in the summer even if a bit of brisk walking takes the place of a sticky stroll.
