April 3rd, 2021

You know our summer season is right around the corner when master gardener Nick Storrs turns up at the market with his red van packed with carefully-tended seedlings.

This Saturday, Nick will be bringing seedlings of three types of arugula, Chioggia and Touchstone Gold Beets, De Cicco and Waltham Broccoli, Long Island Improved Brussels Sprouts, Golden Acre Cabbage, Chard, Cilantro, Collards, Dwarf Blue Kale, Lacinato Kale, Winterbor Kale, Kohlrabi, Leeks, Onions, and Spinach.

You can pre-order here.

Nick Storrs has been working in and around gardens for the past decade. He was a gardener in Central Park before he managed the Randall's Island Urban Farm for 8 years. There, he raised over 200 varieties of fruits and vegetables while leading an education program teaching others about the importance of fresh, healthy food and our relationship to it. In addition to teaching about gardening and plant propagation at the New York Botanical Garden and Lyndhurst Mansion, Nick consults on home garden planning.

Nick pushes for home gardens to become less of an "outside decoration" and more of an extension of the home itself. "Whether it's a large kitchen garden or just a few pepper pots on the window sill, a home garden should be a place we return to week after week to feel rejuvenated, to receive sustenance and to bring beauty into our lives," says Nick. Amen. We are so happy to have him back!

Abandoned Cider is also here this week with their hard, dry ciders in several varieties. They won't be back until mid May so why not pick up a few variety packs?

Noble Pies has added quiches to their lineup for those days when you're craving savory, but just one bottom crust will do. This week they are bringing a sausage, egg and cheese quiche made with tangy cheese from The Grazery in New Paltz and sweet sausage from Sweetmans Farm, their neighbors at the pie shop in Warwick. For dessert, they are bringing an Italian Ricotta Pie with Pineapple made with fresh ricotta from Jersey Girl Cheese. This creamy, dense pie is a hallmark of their Italian family's Easter Sunday.

Luxx Chocolat and Raw Chocolate Love are both here to help upgrade your Easter basket. Luxx is bringing artisan Easter bunnies as well as their popular salted-caramel-covered Matzah. Remember, their deadline for pre-ordering is 9 a.m. Thursdays.

Lastly, we are delighted to be joined by guest vendor, Charlotte’s Home Kitchen, a Hudson Valley-based baker who established her business in 2020 during the pandemic after a long career in fashion. Charlotte channels her fashion sense into her baking and makes cakes that are as pleasing to look at as they are to eat, pairing unusual tastes together to make beautiful vegan and gluten free cakes filled with vegetables from her backyard garden and fair trade, locally sourced ingredients. Any cake from her limited menu will be a gorgeous ending to any Easter brunch (if that's your thing). She's bringing a rich chocolate cake made with home grown butternut squash and fair trade raw cacao, a light crisp lemon cake made with olive oil and a bright citrus drizzle, a nutty, lightly-spiced carrot cake with a delicious cashew cream glaze, a zingy gingerbread make with fresh beets, and a special edition calendula cake with crisp lemon and fresh blueberries. We know you'll love her as much as we do!

I am writing this market message from Santa Monica this week where I have moved my mom back into her (and my childhood) home. I want to thank the Hastings Farmers Market community, shoppers, board members, volunteers and vendors, for always making her feel so special at the market during her three-year stint in New York. She will miss your kindness and her weekly fix of skate wing, saucisson sec and monk fish.

I will not be at the market this week but Rebecca Gomez, our wonderful market manager will be running the show.

Happy Easter!