Visited: June 12th, Friday Midafternoon
Open: 8-6, Monday, Wednesday, Friday, Saturday, Year Round.
SIZE
Huge! Maybe 10 blocks long. Covers every food group and more.
VENDORS
Extremely friendly, helpful. Not too forward, which is refreshing.
Samples: Endless.
QUALITY OF FOOD
Great quality; cheese is delicious, fruit is fresh, and pastries are flavorful. Some of the food is organic and some is not, but none of the farmers use harsh pesticides (regarding the plants) or any hormones or cruelty (regarding animals). Most of the meat is grass-fed, and most of the animals have not been injected with hormones.
VARIETY
Literally everything one could imagine (on Saturdays), from strawberries to ice cream to duck to bacon to compost to tea to honey!
Vegetables:
Leafy Greens: Cilantro, Thyme, Mint, Dill, Parsley, Spinach, Romaine, Fresh Chamomile, various spices.
Root Vegetables: Squash, Onions (Red, Yellow), Cucumber, Pickles, Squash, Potatoes, Garlic, Scallions, Radishes, Artichokes, Beets, Shallots.
Fungi:
Mushrooms (5 different types).
Fruit:
Fresh: Strawberries, Apples, Olives, Tomatoes (Baby and Regular).
Jam/Preserves: Blackberry, Strawberry, Blueberry, Raspberry, Apricot, Ginger, etc.
Wine: Red, White.
Seafood: Flounder, Scallops, Fluke, Trout, Cod.
Meat:
Lamb, Sheep, Pork (Bacon, Ribs, Leaner Cuts), Chicken, Steak (All Cuts), Bison.
Animal Byproducts:
Milk (Whole, 2%, Skim, Chocolate)
Ice Cream (3 Flavors – Ronnybrook Farms)
Cheeses: Aged (such as Manchego) and Fresh (such as Ricotta), made from Cow’s, Sheep’s, and Goat’s milk.
Butter
Yogurt (made from Whole Milk or Reduced Fat Milk, Flavored and Plain) from Goat’s, Cow’s, or Sheep’s Milk.
Bread Products:
Pastas: Ravioli, Linguini, Tricolor, etc.
Baked Goods: Cookies, Brownies, Pies, Croissants, Breads, Donuts, Granola, Pretzels.
Miscellaneous:
Wheatgrass, Juice
Honey, Maple Syrup, Maple Candy
Flowers
Popcorn
Plants
Soap
Yarn
Compost (Dirt) by the bag!
Clothing & Textile Recycling
SEASONAL CONSISTENCE
The only produce that was in season but that Union Square did not offer was broccoli, cabbage, peas and rhubarb.
CENYC.org Information for this market
WHAT’S UNIQUE?
Most of the items in the miscellaneous category of this review are unique to the Union Square Farmer’s Market. The mere variety of this market is more than notable in itself. Not only does the market provide food in every category, but there are also multiple farm providers for every category of food. The ice cream is also something one doesn’t find in many farmer’s markets.
PRICING
Higher prices than other farmers’ markets.
Lettuce: $1.25/head
Organic Tomatoes: $4.50/lb
Ronybrook Farms Ice Cream: $4.00/pint
Bag of mixed potatoes: $5.00
ACTUALLY LOCAL?
Almost all farms located in New York, with a few exceptions such as Nazareth, PA. All use trucks and vans to transport their food, and most are within 200 miles of Union Square.
CONVENIENCE
The market was swarming with people as it always is. Union Square is a prime location for a farmer’s market because it is a multicultural neighborhood with eager consumers and tourists.
NAVIGATION
If it were organized more into food groups it would be easier to navigate, but due to competition, that would be nonsensical. As it stands, the vendors form a rectangle around the park at the center of Union Square.
EBT STAMPS Accepted.
FINAL COMMENTS
There is most definitely a sense of community at the Union Square Farmer’s Market. The sheer volume of people make shopping for food a social event and quite a bit of fun! Because of the variety, one can spend an afternoon learning about different farms’ techniques of growing/raising food and tasting what is available to taste. The market had almost all of the produce in season in mid-June and a whole lot more. All that were missing were peas, broccoli, rhubarb and chard. Also, please note that due to the expanse of the market, I could not cover every food item they had to offer or interview every vendor; therefore, this review could lack some information about the market.
