Katy Phan

Working nearby greenmarket at Union Square more than two years, but I have never actually visited and shopped at this market. My opinion before coming to this market was the products’ overpriced. However, last two week, Prof. Krondl opened my mind about this market, as well as its products.

At the beginning of the field trip, Prof. asked us to find various types of potato and apple. I was thinking about the mission, “Isn’t there just only green and red apple?” Yes, he was right. There wasn’t only green and red apple, but there was a lot of kind of apple. In my notebook, at least twenty types of apple were written down. As same as apple, potato also has the various kind. For instance, Satina, Purple Peruvian, Sun Chokes, White Potato, Russet Potato, Ruby Crescent, etc. While walking around, Prof. introduced several kinds of food which commonly chose by chefs or local restaurants. I also discovered one spot in the greenmarket that was selling black chicken (Silkie). As I knew, Silkie’s origin in China. It has several other unusual qualities, such as black skin and bones, blue earlobes, and five toes on each foot, whereas most chickens only have four. The silkie weight wasn’t heavy; it’s around 1,5 pounds to 2,5 lb. My family usually cooked it along with herbal ingredients. They said it’s a tonic for blood system.

Visiting greenmarket on Halloween holiday, I could see a lot of pumpkins that were in different shape and size. I felt the cooling air and smelt the smell of the autumn season. After the trip, my view of point about this market was entirely different. I appreciated the experience, as well as I have learned about the quality, origin, and variety of food. Now, I understand the reason why their price was high.