Greenwood Lake is Orange County’s largest freshwater lake and, as a result, it continues to attract a diverse group of visitors from throughout the region, on any given weekend day – particularly in summer – to enjoy a trip to a farmers market and a chance to enjoy some good baked goods, some fresh honey, and, perhaps for later, the makings of a salad: fresh-picked lettuce, still warm from the garden, scallions, zucchini, baby carrots, and tomatoes.
“We wanted to get away for the weekend and appreciate the town,” said two visitors from Bergen County, NJ, who recently stopped by the Lakeside Farmers Market to see what the many vendors had to offer. On Saturday, vendors were swamped by a larger-than-expected crowd that quickly went through existing display inventory. Jersey Girl Cheese discovered; that their Burrata cheese was a popular item. Heather Bradford, the Laker Baker, had only a few muffins and cookies left; she is also handing the dessert course for the upcoming Black Dirt Feast in Pine Island next Tuesday. Trattoria Italiana chef/proprietor, Carmine Samperi, was pleased to see a lot of fresh-baked bagels and specialty loaves of bread in high demand.
Nadine’s Flower Cakes, including a variety of cupcakes and other baked goods were especially appealing to a family that enjoys fresh-baked pastries. They were attracted by both the colorful visual appeal of the displays that are typical of how Nadine likes to merchandise her cakes, as well as the aroma.
Meanwhile, both Locust Grove Fruit Orchards and J&A Farms were busy with a steady stream of questions from customers as well as requests to sample some of the more distinctive fruit that are less well-known. This season’s harvest has been favorable to orchard-growers due to both the amount of sun and heat. Peaches, apricots, plums, cherries (both dark red and Rainier varieties) are available now and in high demand. And there are a growing number of currants available in several varieties.
Currants were once banned in New York due to a period when disease-resistant cultivars began to be developed, according to IFLScience.com. “White pine blister rust required nearby currants and gooseberries to be infected by their fungus in order to spread the next generation of afflicted fruits. Later fears about the threat to pine trees had been embedded in people’s memory for some time by then, plus the fact that most consumers had never tasted a black currant and so were not clamoring for their reintroduction.” Now there’s a whole generation of consumers who have never tasted a currant or gooseberry.
It wasn’t until 2003 that the ban was lifted in New York State, which was once the center of black currant cultivation in the country. Researchers at Cornell University confirmed that currants and related fruits could be cultivated again without concern. And it’s diversity in our diet that offers a broad range of nutritional benefits. On your next trip to a farmers market be sure to ask the farmer about the ways to prepare many of the fruits and vegetables that are available and ask to try something different!
The Lakeside Farmers Market is open each Saturday from 9AM-1PM on Winstanley Park in the village of Greenwood Lake. [VillageofGreenwoodLake.org/lakeside-farmers-market] Vendors will be available through the end of October, 2024. The market features live entertainment and a good mix of community-minded organizations with free or low-cost services for families, like the MarketBucks program, which gives greater access to fresh veggies and fruits to residents.
