As most of you crazy people who follow my blog know, we have been a Grand Army Plaza (GAP) Greenmarket family for a while now. However, after we got a speeding ticket on the Jackie Robinson (which has an unreasonable speed limit of 40 mph), we decided to try out the Union Square (USQ) Greenmarket this past weekend. We had strolled through it before and knew that there were more vendors and variety than at GAP but for some reason, just always stuck to Brooklyn

However after the ease with which we got to the market as well as the bounty we were greeted with, I can safely say we’ve been converted. Bye bye Brooklyn, hello NYC.*

Follow me on a tour of some of the things we bought and saw –

The short seasoned and much foodie-coveted ramps were available in excess when we got to the market at 9:30. I spotted at least three stands selling these yummy wild leeks. Naturally I bought from the stand that had Batali-Bastianich establishment stickers on their sign. I use them the next day on top of a wonderful pizza which I’ll share with you all in another post.

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The mushroom stall at USQ is a lot more “professional” looking than at GAP and surprisingly less expensive as well. I was disappointed they didn’t have any maitake but we picked up some beautiful shiitake and creminis.

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Next was the Windfall Farms stand that sells different varieties of micro-greens and baby lettuces out of bins. This wins my “Best Offerings” of the day prize. You can mix and match in the same bag as long as the lettuces you are combining are the same price. The micro-greens – as you can see from the pic – can be quite expensive at $12 per ¼ pound but they have tons of flavor so a little goes a long way. I got a mix of 2 or 3 micro-greens I’ve never had before along with the cheaper baby lettuces and spinach as filler. For a total of $6, we had a nice side salad the next day to go alongside the pizza mentioned above. Below is a pic of the salad along with some sliced grapes and shallots so you get an idea of how much $6 can get. Not too shabby.

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We stopped by the tuber/onion stand and picked up some Jerusalem artichokes (aka sunchokes), which I love to order off of menus but have never attempted to make myself. We also couldn’t resist the cute red cipollini onions which are destined to be braised and dressed with syrupy reduced balsamic vinegar. Yes, I stick to reusable canvas/cloth totes and avoid using plastic or even paper bags as much as possible. This is why you can quite frequently find me doing a juggling/balancing act at the market.

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Random pretty potted cacti and flowers. There are TONS of plant/flower vendors at this market. I’m looking forward to picking something up from one next week.

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 MmMMm… I have an obsession/infatuation with fresh herbs. Look at that sea of basil and forest of rosemary. I can smell them in my head :)

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Jason lives for farm fresh eggs and we loved that we could pick out our own here. Can’t beat interactivity :)

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This is me waiting in line to pick up some hydroponic tomatoes. We’re really looking forward for the heirloom and summer tomatoes to come into season. We missed the entire season last year as a consequence of a silly little thing called our wedding. Well no excuses this year! I’m ready and waiting!

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We didn’t pick up cookies from here but Jason had to take a picture of the sign anyway. They also have an apple cider donut vendor but to be honest, the offerings didn’t look as appetizing as those sold at GAP.

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Here’s me with my super organized money skills buying milk from Ronnybrook Farms. The first time you buy a bottle of milk it’s $3.00 but when you bring back the empty glass, it’s $2.00. Quite a bargain!

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Some pretty pink rhubarb which irrationally intimidates me. Maybe I’ll pick some up next time to attempt a rhubarb pie. Maybe.

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* At this point, I want to take a minute and point out some irony. I used to live not two steps from Union Square during college and never once thought about going to the Greenmarket. Then I lived on the UES which is a quick express train ride down to Union Square and STILL never went to the Greenmarket. Now I live a B&T ride away and look forward to going back as soon as I leave. Well better late than never I guess…