Visited: July 24th, Friday Late Afternoon
Open: 8-5, Tuesdays and Fridays, June-December.
SIZE
On the small side – around 8 stands. No meat of any kind.
VENDORS
Pretty friendly vendors – none outwardly greeted me, but then again there was a lot of business.
Samples: A great selection! Offered Yellow Peaches, Honey (they even have a live bee and honeycomb display!), Blueberries, all types of Cheeses.
QUALITY OF FOOD
Excellent. Peaches are especially delicious! Not all fruit is organic, but used mild pesticide sprays if any. All vegetables sold at this market are organic.
VARIETY
Vegetables:
Sweet White Corn, Zucchini, Potatoes (Red and White), Squash, Basil, Cucumbers, Green Beans, Escarole, Yellow Swiss Chard, Carrots, Beets, Onions, Cabbage, Lettuce (Romaine and Red Leaf), Spinach, Radishes.
Fruit:
Fresh: Yellow Peaches, Blueberries, Tomatoes (Sungold and Regular), Cherries, Sugar Plums, Nectarines, White Peaches… I think Apples are available but they might have all sold by the time I got there.
Apple Cider.
Animal Byproducts (Valley Shepherd Creamery):
Cheese: Raw Sheep’s Milk Cheeses, Bleu Cheese, Aged and Fresh Cheeses.
Yogurt: “Ewegurt” – Sheep’s Milk Yogurt.
Butter
Bread Products:
Fresh Breads
Pizza
Baked Goods: Shortbread, Cookies (Peanut Butter, Sugar, Apple, Oatmeal, Chocolate Chip, Ginger Snap), Brownies, Macaroons, Apple Cider Donuts, Blueberry Loaf, Coffee Cake, Pies (Apple, Blueberry, Peach, Coconut, Pecan, Strawberry Rhubarb, Cherry).
Miscellaneous:
Honey (Andrew’s Honey) – 9 different kinds.
Flowers – sunflowers, bouquets.
SEASONAL CONSISTENCE
The seasonal produce that was in season in late July but not offered by this market was broccoli, garlic, peas, peppers, eggplant and rhubarb.
WHAT’S UNIQUE?
The City Hall Farmer’s Market is unique in that it sells pizza and it displays the bees that make the honey! Although it is a small market, its presence definitely impacts the community because it opens pedestrians’ eyes to the market culture. It is right next to the picturesque City Hall Park, whose green and sunny notes play off those ingrained in the nature of the farmer’s market. The market also sells bouquets of flowers – generous and beautiful gifts to give a loved one on a sunny day.
PRICING
Medium Prices.
Blueberries: $4.00/box
Honey: $5/jar and up
Tomatoes: $3.00/lb
Peaches: $2.00/lb
Apple Cider: $5.50/gallon
ACTUALLY LOCAL?
All food was from either New York or New Jersey. The location of the farms ranged from Goshen, New York to Long Valley, New Jersey.
CONVENIENCE
Chambers Street is a fairly popular and tourist-full shopping area, so there are a lot of passers-by who stop at the market. However, I did not see many people buying bags full of groceries – most just stopped to taste something or buy a piece of fruit. Perhaps this is because they do not sell any meat products which, for many, form the base of a meal.
NAVIGATION
Very easy to navigate due to the small size.
EBT Stamps Not Accepted
FINAL COMMENTS
This market is similar to the 106th Street and CPW market, as it has no meat or seafood. If some meat sellers set up shop at this farmer’s market it would make a more practical go-to place for people to buy meal ingredients. One thing to remember when planning to visit this farmer’s market is that on different days, the market has different farms represented – thus, one might not see honey on one day, but then see it on another. On any day, however, one can view (and taste) a great simple cooking demonstration in which the Greenmarket employees whip up a fresh recipe using the food from the stands around them!