Karen Seiger » Markets of New York

Every Weekend is Fashion Week at the Markets!

Nature vs. Future at the Young Designers Market (photo by Yucel Erodogan)

I write a monthly column for The Three Tomatoes, and this month’s piece is about the wonderful fashion designers who sell their unique clothing at the markets every weekend.

The article features five designers:

Roxi Suger of Angelrox Designs – St. Anthony’s Market
Nina Valenti of Nature vs. Future – Young Designers Market/The MarketNYC
Karin Persan of Better Than Jam – Brooklyn Indie Market and the Better Than Jam Coop
Kathy Malone of Fofolle – Brooklyn Indie Market
Grace Napoleon of Folk Couture – Brooklyn Flea

Read all about them on The Three Tomatoes! Even if you do have tickets to the Fashion Week runways, visit the heart of fashion innovation at the markets every weekend.

Photos of the Day – September 2, 2010: Peppers from S.&S.O. Produce Farms

Remember that glorious, perfect day last Saturday? I had the great good fortune to spend it doing a book signing at the Greenpoint Greenmarket in McCarren Park. One of the larger markets, it has been fully embraced by the community, and it is also the perfect destination for people exploring the Williamsburg and Greenpoint neighborhoods. I met many nice families and dogs shopping at the market, with Hillary Hawke and the Flipsides playing the perfect plucky market soundtrack on a banjo, a washboard, and a suitcase for a drum. As usual, the most beautiful things at the market were those that were in peak season.

That day the peppers from S.&S.O. Produce Farms were Best in Show. They came in all shades of greens, purples, reds, oranges, yellows, and every combination thereof. The flavors ranged from tasty school lunchy bell peppers to tiny ones that blow steam out of your ears. I couldn’t pick just one photo to represent the beauty of these peppers or that day itself, so I have posted 4 bonus images from the market. Bully for you if this is your market. If it isn’t, then definitely stroll over to McCarren Park on a Saturday very soon.

Thank you to Market Manager Chelsa and GrowNYC for all you do for the neighborhoods of our fair city!

Photo of the Day – August 31, 2010: Sock Monkeys from Brooklyn Craft

Seriously Cool Skeleton Sock Monkey and Friends by Brooklyn Craft

I seriously love sock monkeys. I have never see a cooler sock monkey than this black skeleton bad boy by Brooklyn Craft. Tamara Stoddard, the crafter, stitcher and designer behind the sock monkeys, also creates other great soft toys, including terrycloth elephants, catnip mice, and many more. Her appliqued onesies sell like hotcakes at the Hester Street Fair, with tyrannosaurs, goldfish, and other creatures. Brooklyn Craft has an Etsy shop as well, where you can purchase baby bibs with appliqued hamburgers and whales on them. Tamara’s dream is to open a Brooklyn Craft store, “a store that’s like a craft fair every day.” I for one, would be first in line on Opening Day. Especially if she calls her store, “Sock Monkeys R Us.”

You can find Brookyn Craft and Tamara stitching away at the Hester Street Fair and Artists and Fleas. Check her very fun blog for locations and details.

Photo of the Day – August 30, 2010: Zucchini Season and The City Cook

Zucchini and Yellow Squash Are In Season

Zucchini is at its finest in the Greenmarkets right now. I saw people munching on mini loaves of mouth watering zucchini bread from Baker’s Bounty as they strolled through the Greenpoint/McCarren Park market on Saturday. What really got me thinking about zucchini, though, was this recipe for Rigatoni with Fried Zucchini from The City Cook, Kate McDonough. It is the perfect recipe for a cook like me because it is incredibly simple and yields a delicious result that is hearty yet refreshing and summery. I’m going to go out on a limb and say that you can probably substitute some yellow squash for part of the zucchini for additional color.

The vegetables pictured are from Migliorelli Farms, the wonderful Hudson Valley farm that participates in almost 45 different farmers markets in the city and surrounding region each week. Zucchini actually has a pretty long growing season, so you have plenty of time to try all the lovely zucchini recipes you want. What is your favorite one?

Photo of the Day – August 27, 2010: Soigné Hand Painted Tees

Painter and Designer Soigné with His Colorful Menagerie in Union Square

Soigné doesn’t just hand paint his vivid menagerie of creatures on brightly colored shirts and canvasses. He creates stories to describe the worlds they live in. Each wide-eyed beastie has a name, like Dad E. Longlegs, one of the newest residents of Soigné’s tabletop at Union Square (pictured on the blue tee-shirt on the far left). Every design is painted by hand, so you will never find two that are exactly alike. (You can wash them in the laundry too.) One of my favorites was a snake with big eyes and a sweet expression that draped all the way around the collar of the tee, just as you would expect a snake to do. Soigné is a painter and a model, and he enjoys selling his creations on Union Square several days out of the week. Stop by and meet his bugs, bats, and smiling aliens, and if you’re lucky, he’ll tell you stories about all about them.

Soigné can be found in Union Square several days a week. He is out there today in fact, so go find him at lunchtime. Today is the perfect day to spend an hour browsing through the Greenmarket and artisan vendors on the square.

Photo of the Day – August 26, 2010: Agneta P Millinary

Agneta P Millinary Creates Fine Nordic Knit and Felt Fashions

As I was strolling among the tents at Crafts on Columbus last fall, the sumptuous knit caps and felt hats by Agneta P made me long for the dead of winter. Agneta P is an extremely talented designer, knitter, and milliner. Her sense of color and texture is distinctly Nordic yet with a New York flair. Her knits are fine, stylish, and comfortable, with a variety of different shapes and stitches in rich wools, silks, and cashmere. The felt hat styles I saw in last year’s collection were reminiscent of the Roaring 20’s and fashionable 1930’s. You may have seen some of her collections at Bergdorf Goodman.

Agneta P will be participating in this fall’s Crafts on Columbus on October 2/3 and 9/10. You can see her latest designs on www.nordicaffair.com – click on the “Fashion” link. Her fall collection will go online in September – I can’t wait to see it!

Photo of the Day – August 24, 2010: Debbie Wilburn at the Hell’s Kitchen Flea Market

Prada Shoes in Excellent Condition: $25 from Debbie Wilburn at the Hell's Kitchen Flea Market

As I wrote in Markets of New York City, the Hell’s Kitchen Flea Market is where fabulous shoes go to find a new and worthy home. It’s as if Carrie Bradshaw emptied her closet every weekend and brought her gently worn shoes to the flea market. Jimmy Choos? Ferragamo? Prada? I regularly catch up with all of these dear friends on the tables of Debbie Wilburn at the Flea. In addition to fabulous shoes, Ms. Wilburn has racks filled with designer clothes. She recently had a blowout sale of Escada skirts and jackets.

Here’s a story for you: I stopped by to see what Ms. Wilburn had three weekends ago. I noticed a pair of handmade black suede loafers by John Lobb. I was simply drawn to the obvious craftsmanship of these shoes and the fact that they fit me like a glove. They also have a handwritten serial number and the name “Cherry,” which lead me to believe that they had been custom made for my shoe twin somewhere out there. John Lobb, Bootmaker was founded in 1849 in London and became part of Hermes in 1976. The company holds Royal Warrants to His Royal Highness The Duke of Edinburgh and His Royal Highness The Prince of Wales. Other clients have included Enrico Caruso, and James Bond. According to Departures Magazine, bespoke shoes start at $4000. Mine set me back $20, and I didn’t have to wait a year to get them.

Photo of the Day – August 23, 2010: Spices and Tease

Broaden Your Cooking Horizons at Spices and Tease at the Fulton Stall Market

You might first see the long tables covered in hot pink cloth with row after row of spice-filled bowls, or you may smell the rich, intense fragrances emanating from the bowls, especially on hot summer days. Spices and Tease sells an incredible variety of spices, mixes, black teas, and herbal teas at the Fulton Stall Market and several other markets in the city. Their bowls are overflowing with colorful curries, cinnamon sticks, and spice mixes from around the world, including Herbes de Provence, Cajun mixes, and many many more, including a favorite, Onion Bacon Salt. They also have herbal digestive teas, rooibos red tea, Earl Grey and black teas.

This is a family-owned business, and they are always happy to give you ideas and advice about what spices to use for any recipe you’re cooking. Maybe some of their spices will inspire you to start exploring whole new worlds of cooking. The website is under construction, but keep checking in at www.spicesandtease.com for their upcoming online store.

Photo of the Day – August 19, 2010: New Amsterdam Market

New Amsterdam Market Goes Weekly in September

This Sunday is the last monthly New Amsterdam Market of the summer. But don’t despair: starting next month, the market will be back by popular demand on a weekly basis!

There are two very special and delicious events going on this weekend at the market on Sunday:

Ice Cream Festival: Featuring six amazing artisanal ice cream and sorbet makers: The Bent Spoon, Roberta’s, Early Bird Cookery, Marlow & Daughters, MilkMade Ice Cream, and Van Leeuwen Artisan Ice Cream. Tickets for this tasty event are $20 (including copious servings), and the proceeds go towards supporting the market

Tomato Fest: A special event to support the New York City Food Systems Network, an membership organization “working toward universal access to nourishing, affordable food.” They are promising a dazzling array of tomatoes to taste at the peak of ripeness. Tickets to this special event are also $20, but if you buy tickets to both, it is only $35 total.

I will be doing a book signing from 11 – 1 at the market too. I promise to try not to drip any ice cream on your book. But there are no guarantees.

The Glorious Flavors, Colors, and Shapes of Heirloom Tomato Season

This past weekend was the first big day for heirloom tomatoes at the Greenmarkets. These tomatoes have intriguing names like Black Pineapple, White Beauty, Italian Heart, German Stripe, and Green Zebra. I was lucky enough to be spending the day at the Ft. Greene Greenmarket last Saturday, and so I was surrounded by these plump, gorgeous beasts. Between the tomatoes and the sweet corn, this is my favorite season at the markets. It’s the one time of year when veggies do not go bad in my crisper drawer. They’re lucky if they make it home from the market without being eaten up.

I wrote about the tomato samples from Wilklow Orchards last week. I had the chance to chat a bit more with farmer Albert Wilklow of New Paltz, NY at the Ft. Greene Market. He says that not only are we having a bumper crop of heirloom tomatoes this season, but the relatively low rainfall levels mean that the tomatoes, melons, and pretty much all other vegetables and fruits have more intense flavors than usual. When there is a lot of rain, it stands to reason that the flavors are watered down. Have you tried this season’s peaches? Case and point.

Sustainable agriculture experts Gary Ibsen and Dagma Lacey of TomatoFest.com define commercial heirloom tomatoes as varieties that have been in circulation since 1940 and before. Varieties that have been passed down for generations are also considered family heirlooms.

We’ve grown so used to seeing perfect red orbs in our grocery stores. They look great, but I stopped eating them years ago because they taste like they’ve been strip-mined somewhere in Texas (thank you for that image, Garrison Keillor). They are mushy, spongy, and watery. They aren’t tasteless though. They taste like bitter sadness. And they don’t rot on your counter; they mummify.

So it is a great pleasure to pick out heirloom tomatoes in all their misshapen glory. Mere adjectives are insufficient to describe the array of flavors because they are extremely diverse, often subtle, and usually surprising. I bit into an heirloom yellow cherry tomato from Tello Farms, which was tangy and sharp. Then I popped a chocolate cherry tomato, which was much darker and smoother, with a softer skin. The colors are remarkable. There are bright reds, pinks, oranges, corals, yellows, purples, greens, browns, and even more shades of all these colors.

Try a few varieties of heirloom tomatoes from the markets this week. Slice them all up and serve them up with just a sprinkle of sea salt. Then close your eyes and savor the flavor of this abundant season.