Sarah Hemmerle

Professor Krondl

11/11/18

Oozing local honey with buzzing bees, purple potatoes, freshly baked bread, and funnily shaped pumpkins are just some of the fun finds at this local market. Union Square Greenmarket can be found on 14th street and is open Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays, and Saturdays. It was founded in 1976 in order to protect farms upstate and the lands being destroyed. Greenmarket is a farmers market made up of 70% NY state farmers and other local farmers from VT, CT, and NJ. I thought it was interesting that the items and produce brought to the market has to be 250 miles within driving distance of the city.

At this market, there is so much offered, from baked goods, soaps, to floral bouquets, local beer, and apples of all shapes and sizes. I loved how many different varieties of apples and potatoes there were. I had never heard of a Mutsu apple or a goldrush potato. I enjoyed learning about the foods offered and how texture, taste, and smell plays a big role when picking out produce. What I thought was unusual was the local honey stand had bees flying in every direction around the goods. It was hard to get near an item or even smell the soap they had without touching or getting in the way of a bee. What I thought was interesting is that there were so many people at the market on a Wednesday morning. I saw a lot of individuals shopping with their carts and mothers with small children as well as young hipsters.  

My favorite part was seeing all the different varieties of foods and seeing what good quality looks like in fresh produce. I enjoyed getting to try the honey, jams and smell the lavender. This is definitely something I recommend to people of any age because it’s interactive and a good learning experience.