Saturday's Forage

I have to say, being a grasshopper locavore--one who did not spend the summer storing up for the winter--causes one to take some pretty desperate measures, like going to an outdoor Farmer's Market in the middle of the winter in search of sustenance. (Okay, it's technically not winter yet, but it's cold and white out there!)

This Saturday (12/15), we followed up on a lead to City Seed's Holiday Market at Wooster Square in New Haven (map). City Seed's criteria for vendors are:
1. All farm products sold at the market must be grown in Connecticut.
2. City Farmers' Markets are "Producer Only" markets at which farmers sell what they grow and other vendors sell what they themselves have produced.
Works for me!

I regret to say that I did not take notes about which vendors came out on Saturday. In my defense, it was pretty darn cold and I wasn't interested in taking off my gloves, except to pay or sample cheeses! City Seed has a Web page listing of their usual Wooster Square vendors. Most of them were there on Saturday, which was rather impressive because, like I said, it was pretty darn cold. For this grasshopper locavore, it was well worth the 32-mile trip. City Seed maintains a Web page with the schedule for their Year-Round markets. The next market dates are: Jan 19, Feb 16, Mar 15, Apr 19 -- 10AM - 1PM.

I came home with:
- Artisinal cheeses from Sankow's Beaver Brook Farm in Lyme, CT.
- Chevre from Belthane Farm in Lebanon, CT.
- Fresh yogurt from Trinity Dairy Farm in Ensfield, CT
- Organic kale, butternut squash, brussels sprouts, carrots, and potatoes from Waldingfield Farm in Washington, CT.
- Salad greens. (Deep apologies, but I can't recall the farm name.)

I am delighted that I can continue eating local, sustainable food throughout the winter. I cannot express enough gratitude to these farmers who left the warm comfort of their homes to feed me (and others like me) good and healthy food.

And as an added bonus, Wooster Street is the Little Italy of New Haven, CT! It is home to the original Pepe's Pizzeria, the legendary Sally's Apizza, and a host of other restaurants.