As I mentioned earlier, I was inspired again by the bounty of the Greenmarket. If you’re close, or visiting NYC this is a great place to hang out on Saturdays. It was actually hard for me to keep tabs on how much cash I was going through in my wallet. I got a bit too excited I think, but wanted to showcase all the great veggies available right now. I went to the market on Saturday, and Trader Joe’s today (Monday - they were wiped out!) I had some time to think about what I wanted to make from my market purchases and developed a menu, I also got inspired by some Barefoot Contessa. I’m still craving cozy fall meals, and the bounty of veggies other than tomatoes at the farmer’s market. I think everyone is getting excited by the pumpkins, gourds, and ruffage offerings that are appearing. Here are the totals for this week:

Farmer’s Market - Union Square

Rainbow Carrots, 3lb potatoes (various colors), turnips, 3 onions - $6.50

Arugula, spinach, shallots, 2lb butternut squash - $5.00

2 Zucchini, 3 eggplants, 1lb green beans - $4.50

2 Organic Duck Breasts - $10.00

Organic local ham - $8.00

1 Bottle of Trader Joe’s Sauvignon Blanc - $3.00

Grand Total: $82.34/2ppl/10 meals = $4.11/person/meal

Going into my seventh year living in NYC I’ve noticed a funny “ism” you could call it about New Yorkers. As soon as the temperature in the fall drops below 75F people begin wearing jackets, scarves, long sleeves, boots, etc. In the spring, maybe March or April depending on the year when it rises to about 55F women especially break out mini skirts, tank tops, and sandals. So it actually doesn’t matter what the temp is outside, it’s about what season it feels like in fashion. On my way to Trader Joe’s on the train I noticed this girl wearing a long sleeve shirt, scarf, wool jacket, jeans and boots- very appropriate if it was 50! Today’s high was 78F. By the time I left Union Square it was about 72F. I wondered what that girl did for the rest of the day - I was glad I had my tshirt, sunglasses and flip flops still on - people from the South tend to never admit a season change and hold on to summer as long as possible, New Yorkers jump the gun. I also found this season-identity crisis at the farmer’s market. I still picked up great looking tomatoes, heirloom and beefsteak, and I still saw sweet corn! This was in addition to pumpkins, squashes, cauliflower - the usual fall harvest as well. I was still glad to pick up some tomatoes, and might as well take advantage. Again this week I was able to avoid Whole Foods all together, although Trader Joe’s didn’t have corn starch, I didn’t need it that bad. By making a couple meals this week vague - a big salad and pizza, I was able to be inspired by what was at the farmer’s market and picked up eggplants, parsnips (which I LOVE), kale, various greens, and fresh oregano, which I haven’t seen every week in the past. In this week’s total, I’m going to include the meats I bought last week and froze. Here are the totals:

Farmer’s Market

Carrots, Yukon Potatoes, 2 heads lettuce, parsley - $10.75

Fresh Organic Bread - $4

Kale, tomatoes, eggplant, parsnips - $9

8 Apples, 2 pears - $5.50

Duck legs - $7

Pork Ribs - $13

Rosemary, Oregano, Thyme - $4.50

Grand Total: $99.28/10 meals/2ppl = $4.96/person/meal

An appropriate symbol of my afternoon

On this Saturday afternoon I suddenly find myself at LaGuardia Airport staring at the overpriced gourmet snack stand waiting for a flight to Atlanta. I was finishing up my farmer’s market shopping for the week - and I had planned to buy everything from the farmer’s (sorry TJ’s and WF) - a new experiment and challenge. Well, I got a call from my Dad, asking if I’d come down to Atlanta for a few days and help my Mom, who hurt her back this week while he was at a large business conference. So here I am, stuffing kale, broccoli rabe, red bell peppers, and NY State apples into my luggage so I can continue to bring you the best recipes, and no food goes to waste. However, I did leave behind the duck legs and fresh baby back pork ribs in the freezer, as well as fresh butter and cheese, and hopefully my awesome parents will contribute to this weeks groceries once I get to the ATL. I wasn’t planning on this week’s menu being as structured as every other week, and wanted to get inspired by what I saw at the Saturday Greenmarket, have a set ($80) budget, and see what I could make of what I bought when I got home. I had a little bit of time to collect my culinary thoughts, and once I pick up a few things in Atlanta, I’ll have a budget total for the week, minus what I left in Brooklyn in the freezer (I’ll add the value of those items next week when I use them). Here’s what we have so far:

Monday: Kale, and hopefully a duck cut of some sort. Johnathan and I have started a group circuit training class with some friends, and our homework this week from the trainer is to eat kale.

Tuesday: Eggplant, maybe roasted?

Wednesday: Tagliatelle with Broccoli Rabe in a cheesy cream sauce (A staple in our house, and I was inspired to make this again when I saw the beautiful broccoli rabe at the market)

Thursday: Something SUPER easy - I fly back to NYC at 3pm, and go to the Food Network Wine and Food Festival at 8pm that night.

Friday: Curried Butternut Squash Soup - I was invited to a wheat free/gluten free/dairy free dinner party, and my contribution is the soup course. I’m a bit skeptical, but I know my friends will cook some amazing food - I’m just so thankful I don’t have those dietary restrictions!

Saturday: (!!!! - hopefully a good extra meal, making 12 meals instead of 10) Stuffed acorn squash - I think I need to try Quinoa as a stuffing.

I was thwarted by my tactic to go early for a pleasant shopping experience. In NYC, I can’t seem to get a break, and enjoy strolling down aisles, picking things up, reading labels - not going to happen. I was at TJ’s by 9:15 am. You would think people would be at work on a Monday morning - of course not! The familiar line around the store, blocking the dairy and vitamin aisle was in full force. I lose this one. But, I got a lot of great food, and I managed to keep my spending to a minimum, even picking up some extras like cereal, milk, and fun colored beans from the farmer’s market. All in all, not a bad shopping day, and I didn’t even go to Whole Foods! That’s truly the prize this week. I did go on Sunday night to pick up a few things for a party my friends’ having, and picked up asparagus that was on sale ($2.72) and organic onions ($2.99). That was it! Next step, buy everything from the farmer’s market…. that’s the next level right there… I also managed to buy fish from the farmer’s market, turkey for a meatloaf, and bacon for the week. I bought more herbs this week but here’s a note: right when you get home, wet paper towels, wrap your herb stems with the wet towel, then store in a large ziploc in the fridge. My parsley from LAST week still looks new - now I have way too much. All my other herbs lasted well after the week was over, so it’s a great way to stretch your money, but still having fresh fresh flavors for your dishes. I also stocked up on the last of the tomatoes, so there will be a couple extra special dishes this week. Note, I break up the farmer’s market totals by the stalls I buy at, so each dollar amount is from a different farm. OK, here are the totals for this week

Whole Foods:

Asparagus - $2.72

Onions, 5lb bag, organic - $2.99

Farmer’s Market

2 white fish fillets - $7.20

Organic potatoes, garlic, sage - $5

2lb butternut squash, Rosemary, Chives, Parsley, pint cherry tomatoes, 2 beefsteak tomatoes - $12

Multicolored beans (new for fall)  - $2

Basil - $2

Grand Total: $77.53/10 meals/2ppl = $3.88/person/meal!!!

So, I don’t want to make this site about restaurants or travel, but I’m going to interject this sort of thing occasionally, and for noteworthy places. I was in Honolulu for a week, and my palate suffered greatly. It kind of reminded me of being a student in Scotland, and only having fried greasy foods to choose from if I wanted to eat out. And eat out we did - every night, and most lunches. Of course I had some wonderful fresh fruit and coffee (Kona) but after breakfast my stomach did flip flops and I did not really look forward to eating other than eating with good company. So if I wasn’t going home to my kitchen, San Francisco was the next best thing. Johnathan is here for a business trip and I get to do more exploring. When I arrived late into the Bay Area we popped into Jack in the Box. This was my first try of the West Coast fast food chain. It wasn’t horrible, but after airport and Hawaii food, I was topped. So the next morning I went to our favorite breakfast place - probably ever, including New York. Dottie’s is on Jones and O’Farrell Streets, right behind our hotel we always stay at. There’s always a line, but we figured out if we get there about 15 minutes before they open we can get in the first seating and get out in time for Johnathan to walk to work off of Market Street. I wandered over by myself, and waited for about 30 minutes for a single counter seat near the door. The food is so good, I was not deterred by my undesirable seat. While I waited in the 60 degree breezy morning, reading the New York Times like any diligent New Yorker I listened with one ear to a couple of waitresses waiting in front of me chatting. I picked up some new hot spots and listened to the drama that always ensues in the service industry. It took me a while to get through the latest Palin article in the election section, but it makes the time go by. The picture above is what I ordered - Black bean cakes with eggs over medium, grilled cornbread and home fries. Just the rescue my palate needed. And the coffee is great. If you get to this gem, the menu is pretty typical, still yummy, but the greatness lies in the specials on the white board in the back. They also make all their own bread and baked goods. Today, I made my way to the famous Ferry Terminal for the Farmer’s Market. This is where I get choked up about traveling and not having a kitchen. Colorful, abundant, mostly organic produce calling my name! So I settled for the Ferry Terminal cookbook - slightly disappointed. The purveyors inside the terminal are just as exciting as the tents outside. No matter how many times I go here, I’m always excited, and my senses go into overload. I also have the problem of toting heavy goodies home to New York. I’ll admit I did get a bottle of California Olive Oil that was creamy and nutty, and great for dipping bread. There’s also a great selection of restaurants, and great views of the bay. This week, I have another Farmer’s Market at City Hall, and on Thursday it’s up to Marin County - a guaranteed gold mine. Stay tuned….

The Who Farm Bus

Today’s shopping trip was a bit less dramatic than last week, but something did make me realize I’d become immune to the oddities of NYC living. As I was walking with my 15lb bag from Trader Joe’s to the Farmer’s Market, I spotted a man, reading a book on the steps of Union Square - then I looked closer - he had a large desert-type lizard on his shoulder, also enjoying the warm summer air. I giggled, and kept moving. Then I thought, you can’t make this stuff up when you live in urban environments. No where else, except in a large city do you find a normal lookin’ guy sunning himself with his lizard, literally. After making a pass through the Green Market, I saw this double bus promoting an organic farming project. After looking at their site, they apparently bought this weird bus from Jerry of Ben & Jerry’s (now, it makes sense, right?). They will be traveling cross country - it’s quite a sight to see - if you’re on their list of stops, check it out.

I had great luck at the Farmer’s Market, as well as Trader Joe’s. The tomatoes were perfect, and the corn was still really sweet. I also found another baker that charges $1 less for an artisnal loaf of bread. I bought my prosciutto and salmon from TJ’s as well as the dairy. The price difference between those sorts of items there and at Whole Foods is pretty large. The only “fresh” things I purchased at WF was the Taleggio cheese, which I’ve never tried - so why not now? I also noticed that both stores had some pretty bare shelves I assume from the weekend. I also splurged on an authentic New Mexican Red Chili sauce at WF, which I think will be well worth it. But overall, I was very happy and excited with my purchases today. Here’s the break down.

Green Market Totals:

4 Ears of Jersey Corn, 6 Ripe Tomatoes, Green Onions, Cilantro, Parsley, Basil, Jalapenos, White Nectarines: $12

Fresh Artisnal Bread: $3.75

Grand Total: $94.11/week/2people/10 meals (plus whatever else I can come up with)

Total of $4.70/person/meal!!

This is really difficult - posting my grocery receipts - it’s very… well…exposing. I have not looked this closely at my grocery bills or prices of what I’m buying since I was a student (all of 2 years ago). This is a great excercise! It requires more time standing in front of the meat case, choosing the cheapest per pound of chicken that is still antibiotic free while getting colder by the minute and fielding glares and bumps from other busy shoppers around me. It was also hard not to get sucked into the Kettle Chips or Honest Tea sale at Whole Foods; I did however buy the organic grapes that went down to $1.99/lb which I’m currently enjoying for a healthy snack. So, I’m going to share a couple observations, starting first with Whole Foods. After reading the NYTimes article about them cutting prices, I went in with a higher expectation of lower prices and much more scrutiny. My trip to the Union Square store was not as their banner outside stated “Shop Like You Deserve It!”. Weren’t they trying to get past the Whole Paycheck nickname? Sure I deserve good food, but at what cost? Anyway, I rummaged and stood idly often, trying to collect my thoughts and only buy what I had on my list - you have to admit that they display everything so nice - you always think you need some exotic mushrooms and some weird fish you have no idea what to do with. I went back to the egg case twice, and realized I could get the 1/2 dozen free range eggs $.20 cheaper if I bought this other brand. The Whole Foods brand I must say is substantially cheaper in general. The coffee was $2.00 cheaper per pound than what I was ordering from Fresh Direct. Unfortunately/Fortunately I came to the infamous, aromatic cheese case. I love parm - I think that’s why Jamie Oliver and I are secretly best friends, but $16.99/lb - yikes! I decided to check out Trader Joe’s the next day and see what they had.

Today, I wandered the Union Square Green Market. I still had my list, and I was stickin’ to it! As you can see, I hand wrote the market receipt. If you go to a farmers market, especially if you’re just starting, like yours truly, take a whole tour first, look at what’s in season - which will be most of whats out- and LOOK AT PRICES! I thought everyone was selling the Jersey Corn for 2/$1.00 - alas I was taken! I found someone else who had 3/$1.00. Herbs are also something that vary by as much as $1.00 between sellers. Something I’ve started buying is a fresh artisnal, organic, sliced bread that costs $4.75. However while looking at other local organic breads sold at Whole Foods, I had sticker shock - $5.69! So, this Green Market bread is something we never waste, makes amazing sandwiches and toast, and supports a great local bakery - Bread Alone.

Next, I ventured into the always tumultuous Trader Joe’s. Even at 11am on a Monday the tell tale guy with a sign marking the end of the line was posted around the store. I pressed on, and beelined to where I knew my last items lived. Their Parm was $12.99/lb - so much better in the grand scheme of Parm. I also succumbed to the freezer case and picked up some lemon sorbet for $1.99 - a great treat after long summer days. Something that I had to also get this week, which always puts a kink in my budget is olive oil. Trader Joe’s is definitely the better choice, although with much fewer selections than Whole Foods. So there went $7.99 for oil, which I hopefully won’t have to buy again for a while.

This is week 1 of shopping - the more stuff you can get at the Farmer’s Market that’s in season the better. However I do hope to get my costs down each week, and figure out this balance of food, fun, and health.

Union Square Green Market

1 bunch of Scallions - $2.00

8 ears Jersey corn -$4.00

5lb ripe tomatoes - $7.00

1 head of lettuce - $1.50

Organic bread - $4.75

Grand Total: $106.86/2ppl

10 meals/week

= 5.35/person/meal!!