Visited: August 5th, Wednesday Mid-Afternoon.
Open: 8-4, Wednesdays, Year Round.
DAG HAMMARSKJOLD PLAZA WEBSITE
SIZE
Small-Medium sized. Perhaps around 10 stands.
VENDORS
Helpful, informative vendors.
Samples: A concentrated few. Vendors offer samples of the wide array of tomatoes they have. When one asks, one can get cheese samples from the Artisan Cheese and Yogurt stand.
QUALITY OF FOOD
Amazing corn, granola. However, most of the apples have holes in them, but the vendors display a sign saying “Any nicks or bruises are not due to insect damage; they are due to hail damage.” Produce is not organic, but sprayed only when necessary. Some produce stands are “as close to organic as [they] can get.” Angus beef is grass fed, no antibiotics, no hormones, and either grass or grain finished. Most of produce is hand picked, hand washed and hand packed. Chicken, veal and pork are grass fed and grass finished. They are only given grain at very specific points, and minimally.
VARIETY
Vegetables:
Artichokes, Basil, Beets, Bok Choy, Broccoli, Cabbage, Carrots, Celery, Cilantro, Corn, Cucumbers, Dill, Edamame, Eggplant, Escarole, Garlic, Herbs (Various), Lettuce, Okra, Onions, Parsley,
Peppers (Hot, Regular), Potatoes, Purslane, Radishes, Romaine, Scallions, Shallots, Sorrel, Squash, Wax Beans, Zucchini.
Fungi (Rexcroft Farms):
Mushrooms (Portobello, Baby, Regular)
Fruit:
Whole: Apples (Jonagold, Mutsu, Ida Red, Empire, Golden Delicious, Cameo, Fuji, McIntosh, Tydeman), Blueberries, Peaches, Plums, Strawberries, Tomatoes (Beefsteak, Heirloom, Low Acid, Grape, Baby).
Fruit Products: Apple Cider, Apple Sauce.
Bread Products:
Baked Goods: Granola, Scones, Muffins, Pies, Loaves, Cookies, Cakes, Cobblers, Rugelach.
Breads: Baguettes, Sandwich Breads, Rolls.
Meat:
Beef: Angus – Sausage, Patties, Ground (Maple Ave Farms).
Chicken: All cuts or Half or Whole Chicken.
Pork: Most cuts.
Veal: Most cuts.
Seafood (Pura Vida):
Clams, Mussels, Oysters, Striped Bass, Gray Sole, Monk, Triggerfish, Hake, Flounder, Bluefish, Bonito, Codfish, Sea Bass, Scallops, Squid.
Animal Byproducts:
Eggs
Cheese: Aged and Fresh.
Yogurt
Butter
Miscellaneous:
Honey
Flowers
SEASONAL CONSISTENCE
The produce in season that the market did not offer on this day was leeks, spinach, turnips, blackberries, cantaloupes and currants.
CENYC.org Information for this market
WHAT'S UNIQUE?
This market is quite special in its consistence with the vegetables in season; it only lacks three vegetables to be completely consistent. The ground beef and patties offered at the market make for convenient hamburger meat, an American favorite. In addition, the market offers an array of mushrooms, the category into which they fall I had never listed in a review: Fungi. New Yorkers love mushrooms of all types; one can almost always find mushrooms on a menu in a Manhattan restaurant or in a home cooked dish. Thus, not only are they a must for grocery shoppers, but for chefs, too, which makes this market all the more alluring to Manhattan chefs. Veal is a delicacy in itself, and this market is one of the only ones to offer it. The market’s neighborhood is very neat and prim, with sculptures and fountains surrounding the market and making the site even more beautiful.
PRICING
Great prices!
Beef Patties: $8.00/lb.
Apple Cider: $1.00/pint
Romaine Lettuce: $1.25/head
Eggs: $4.00/dozen
Chicken: $4.25/lb (whole chicken), Breast: $9.00/lb
Edamame: $6.00/lb
Clams: $5.00/lb
Artichokes: $5.00/lb
ACTUALLY LOCAL?
Some of the food at this market is very local and some is not. Maxwell’s Farm Stand comes from Maine, while Pura Vida seafood comes from Hampton Bays, New York.
CONVENIENCE
Great location for a market. The Plaza has a great deal of room to mill about, browsing the stands, and the stately building in the background reminds the pedestrian that the area is very corporate and Midtown at its core. The marble steps and benches evoke a relaxed atmosphere in which to gather ingredients, which is perhaps the reason that the market gets constant business.
NAVIGATION
Very easy to navigate because the market is not very large.
EBT STAMPS Not Accepted.
FINAL COMMENTS
The Dag Hammarskjold Plaza market pulses with intrigued buyers looking to cook a great meal. The culture of the area resonates in the squiggly sculpture on the platform above the market and the grey, sparkling skyscrapers surrounding it. The names of the farms from which the food in the stands came were unclear or sometimes not even displayed at all. If the vendors put up signs advertising the farm, the consumers might gravitate towards those stands, as they can match the food with its source much more easily that way. Nonetheless, this market is a joy to go to; if only it were open more often!
