Ash Saturday!

When Ash Hopper Botanical first approached us to join the market, Rebecca and I knew they and their product was special. Their whole gestalt, from their farm to skincare philosophy, to their pretty pretty presentation, to their passion for clean soaps and clean living, was so appealing and a good fit for us.  Both Matt and Thena had good-paying jobs before the pandemic hit and they upended their lives to make pine tar soap together. You can read all about their leap of faith, and the journey through vats of Indigo Lime soap,  in this lovely feature in Dirt Magazine. 

Is there something about the word Ash? We got the same good feeling from our new maple syrup vendor Laurel & Ash Farm, from Holmes, NY, joining us for the first time on Saturday. Though we did not meet in person, they sent us samples of their barrel-aged syrup that were so artfully packaged it took our breath away. Then we tasted the syrup and understood why it had to be so beautifully presented. Their wood-fired syrup comes in all grades of amber and they are also experimenting with a barrel-aged maple vinegar that is outstanding. Please give them a warm Hastings welcome.

And please do the same for Simple Motive Brewing Co. a new brewery in the Yonkers Arts District that serves up crisp, finished beer inside a landmark building. One of the co-founders is NYC firefighter Andy Galagarza.

You can read all about this local upstart, and their line of cleverly named beers, here.

The tomato, queen of the nightshades, is having her moment right now. Each week it seems our farmers are bringing more and more heirloom varieties, and cherry tomatoes in so many colors, from honey gold to sunburst orange to fire engine red.

 Since Eltee’s Goods is not here this week, why not try your hand at your own tomato jam for your next cheese and charcuterie board?  

For a simple yet classic summer lunch, throw together this luxurious twist to the traditional BLT recipe. Find great slicing tomatoes from Morgiewicz Produce, bacon from R&M or Good & Local and arugula from Stoneberry Farm. If you are trying to steer clear of classic pork bacon, try the chicken bacon at R&M Farm. Same umami flavor...just a little more heart healthy.

Or you can make this fetching cherry tomato Caesar salad. Serve with a Simple Motive beer and some Wave Hill Breads miche and you’ve got yourself the perfect summer lunch.

Along with our new vendors, we bring you new music this week: Lulu’s Bronx Soul Vision. 

Have Thierry from Escargot Voyageur make a crêpe for you, or get something a little more elaborate from The Fearless Cook and enjoy the tunes at one of our cafe tables.

See you at the market!