Beth’s Farm Kitchen » Markets of New York

Smorgasburg Met My Seriously High Expectations

You know that face we all make when we bite into something absolutely delicious? The one that is accompanied by the words, “Mmmmmmmm,” “That’s soooo gooood,” and “Oh. Mah. Gah.” I saw that face all over Smorgasburg on Saturday.

Despite the L Train woes, there was a fine crowd at Smorgasburg on the Williamsburg Waterfront. My friend Jeff Nolan and I toured the market, starting with a visit with Beth Linskey of Beth’s Farm Kitchen, who was doing a food demo and book signing at the Waterfront Greenmarket that is a part of Smorgasburg. This greenmarket is not only a destination for foodies, but it serves the neighborhood by providing farm fresh produce, eggs, cheese, and even lavender, which every household needs.

I was happy to finally meet Matthew Tilden of Scratchbread. He has created the Toast Bar at Smorgasburg, where you can order up something incredibly delicious, like the Tomato Dunk in the photo above, a cup of tangy, thick tomato sauce with whole garlic that comes with two pieces of fresh foccaccia for dunking. And we couldn’t not try the Hot Sticky Mess, “griddled chai sticky buns with vanilla bean and cinnamon.” It’s warm, sweet, and sticky, and yeah, it’s messy too.

The selection at Smorgasburg was really wonderful, including many of the famous regular Brooklyn Flea food sellers, as well as many others. The Red Hook Lobster Pound was there, along with the wonderful people from Peoples’ Pops. We loved the savory brisket sandwich from the Meat Hook. Dough was all but sold out by the time we got there, which no surprise because their donuts are truly amazing. (Dough owner Fany Gerson’s cookbook, My Sweet Mexico was nominated for a James Beard Foundation Award this year.) It was also great to meet Rich Awn of Market Share, selling food products by local food purveyors.

Jeff, Beth and I shared a serving of Sunday Gravy from Table Tales over pasta al dente with fresh grated parmesan. I first tasted this fantastic tomato meat sauce at the New Amsterdam Market, and it blew me away there too. We all made that food face.

It’s no surprise that Smorgasburg serves up such wonderful, innovative food. And it’s no surprise that New Yorkers and visitors are eating it all up. What is a lovely surprise is the flood of happiness that comes over you when you bite into something absolutely delicious. And then you make that food face.

Plums, Crumbs and a Great New Cookbook!

Who hasn’t seen Beth’s Farm Kitchen’s cheerful checked Greenmarket tables, covered in tasty jams, ample samples, and bow-festooned gift boxes, with ladies wearing garden toppers, santa hats, or sparkly deely boppers (depending on the season) ready to help you make a selection? Well, if you haven’t had the pleasure, do stop by for a visit at the Union Square Greenmarket on Wednesdays, Fridays, and Saturdays!

Lucky for us all, Beth Linskey has a new cookbook, Cooking with Jams and Chutneys: Recipes from Beth’s Farm Kitchen. My wonderful husband gave me a copy, and I read it through twice on the same day. Not only does it have recipes for making the actual jams and chutneys, but it provides many recipes for dishes you can cook using the products themselves. Now I have only participated in one attempt to make jam in my life. My dad took us strawberry picking and used the berries that made it home outside of our bellies to make strawberry jam. There was an issue with the pectin, and it became strawberry sauce, which was fine on ice cream, but not so easy with toast. So I was happy to pick up a jar or Beth’s Plum Jam, my very favorite, to try with her intriguing recipe for Aunt Gilda’s Plum Crumb Cake.

We have a group of friends who share dinner every Sunday. We take turns cooking, and two weeks ago it was our turn. James gets excited to make dinner, and I get excited about dessert. To me, the cake part of crumb cake is kind of irrelevant – it’s all about the crumbs for me. And Beth’s recipe is literally two layers of crumbs with a layer of plum jam in the middle. Can I get an “Amen”?

At the risk of splattering my GF-1 with crumbs, I took some pictures of Aunt Gilda’s Plum Crumb Cake from start to delicious finish. Want the recipe? Instructions are at the bottom of this posting!

Start with fine ingredients, including organic flour from Cayuga Pure Organics

Butter makes everything better!

Making the crumbs – no cake required here.

Lovely chunks of tasty plums in Beth’s Farm Kitchen Plum Jam.

Top layer of crumbs.

Into the oven it goes!

Voila! Plum Crumb Cake Topped with Blackberries

Voila! This gorgeous cake is topped with a mound of fresh blackberries and perched on my favorite cake plate by Daisy Dog Studio, which supports animal rescue organizations.

There was not a crumb left on this plate!

Trust me, there was not a single crumb left of on this plate!

BUY THE BOOK! You can purchase Cooking with Jams & Chutneys from Beth herself at the Union Square Greenmarket on Wednesdays, Fridays, and Saturdays, and you can purchase it on BethsFarmKitchen.com. If you would like to carry it in your shop, contact Beth’s Farm Kitchen directly at bfk@bethsfarmkitchen.com!

MAKE THIS CRUMB CAKE! Beth has generously shared the recipe for Aunt Gilda’s Plum Crumb Cake Recipe! Please send me an email if you would like a copy!

This Weekend’s Market Picks: May 14-15, 2011

Wowza! This has been one busy week for me! I’m planning to do a lot of strolling with my camera in tow on Saturday. Here’s where I’ll be:

Saturday:

9th Avenue International Food Festival: I love that they feature local shops and merchants in this street fair, and proceeds go to support neighborhood programs.
West 25th Street Flea: I owe this market some love. I’ll stop by the Antiques Garage also to say hello.

This is also the final weekend of Crafts on Columbus. I went last weekend, and the selection is beautiful and super high quality. And if you are there on Sunday, definitely also cross the street and visit the Greenflea, which is hosting the 79th Street Greenmarket while Crafts on Columbus is running. It’s asparagus season!

I am taking Sunday off to get caught up on all the wonderful market things I want to write about, and to make the Plum Crumb Cake from Beth’s Farm Kitchen’s new cookbook, Cooking with Jams and Chutneys. Book review and photos coming next week! I also need to rest up for the following weekend, which is LOADED with fantastic market events!! I’ll give you lots of advance notice so that you can map out your market excursions.

Note: Beloved Gus’s Pickles is making their triumphant return to the Lower East Side this Saturday at the Hester Street Fair. It’s kind of a big deal.

And thank you to the Meeker Avenue Flea for being open for us 7 days a week! My friend needed a kitchen table urgently, and she found the perfect one here!

Happy Marketing!

Photo of the Day – July 12, 2010: Bread Alone

Organic, whole grain artisanal rolls from Bread Alone, photographed at the Fulton Stall Market

If you’ve ever picked up a loaf of bread at a farmers market in the city, or in New York State for that matter, odds are that it was made by Bread Alone. I have been buying rolls, health loaves, and almond croissants from this bakery for years at the Abingdon Square Greenmarket. Their breads are organic and whole grain, and the pastries are made from all natural ingredients. Every loaf or roll is made with care and a commitment to quality and outstanding flavor.

One of my very favorite snacks is a slice of chewy, rich health bread slathered with organic peanut butter and some artisanal jam, maybe pure strawberry from Beth’s Farm Kitchen or the more complex cherry/raspberry/sage/clove from School House Kitchen. Delicious, healthy – and filling!

You can find Bread Alone’s breads, pastries, cookies, and other sweet treats at almost 50 Greenmarkets and Community Markets and more in the five boroughs and the region each week, as well as multiple retail outlets and online.

Photo of the Day: February 24, 2010

These are some amazing fruit preserves from Beth’s Farm Kitchen in the beautiful Hudson Valley. They make over 90 kinds of jams, marmalades, jellies, chutneys, pickles and relish! You can find these products, and sometimes Beth herself, at the Greenmarkets.