I am a huge lover of farmer’s markets, and I try to check them out whenever I have a chance. I love buying produce from the people who actually make it; I love talking to them and seeing if they are proud in what they are selling or indifferent. I make a decision to buy or not partly by that factor. I love of course finding the seasonal, sustainable, organic, free range, grass grazing food- words that should make everyone happy. But I also love people’s creativity and what they make and sell with so much care and pride.
That is how I got into the car with my family and went all the way to Stockton Farmers Market in West NJ. It’s a year round market that operates indoors during the winter. http://stocktonfarmmarket.com/
From the outside it looked slightly disappointing: I thought that I got into a small store but once we got inside, we found a much bigger space that had so many wonderful farms, and vendors participating. Since my whole family shares the curiosity of trying new food we got to try a large variety.
We started off buying some local French feta cheese, and Califon Tomme, a semi soft raw mixed cheese that was aged in a cave for 3 months.
Then we spotted the Mexican stand El Mariachi. Being back from a vacation in Mexico recently my kids were ecstatic. One quesadilla was immediately devoured, and then a vegetable tamale- excellent! I also bought an aromatic and dark mole sauce and I am planning to cook some chicken in it.
As we were sitting there my carnivore husband spotted the acclaimed Mighty Quinn BBQ where they sell mini sliders with fatty goodness. He bought a sample of each offering: Smoked brisket, pulled pork. We were unanimous that the smoked brisket was heavenly. If you want to read more about them: http://www.brooklynflea.com/2011/11/16/featured-vendor%E2%80%94mighty-quinns/
We also had a Mexican hot chocolate with ice cream in it from Half Pint Kitchens- One cup was too much for all four of us- that is how rich it was but it’s delicious. Mexican chocolate, cinnamon and cold ice cream- how bad can that be???
At this point we were a bit tired from all the tasting but then we spotted two more wonderful vendors.
One is the Tunisian guy from Mediterranean Delicacies from whom we purchased red mixed Zaatar- a mix of Zaatar, Sumac, and Fennel, Roasted sesame seeds, Anise, Coriander, Cumin and salt. It’s delicious on the feta cheese and on bread with olive oil which we of course bought from him because who can resist a man who tells you that his family has an olive grove in Tunisia and they bring it from there?
The second was oh so charming! Simple Living 101 http://simpleliving101.net/- This guy makes home-made jams, pot de crème, and cute red velvet cakes in these beautiful jars… My son had one taste of the vanilla pot de crème and knew it had to be his.
It was a fun day; we tried many things and met passionate and nice vendors. Highly recommended.
Definitely going next week! Thanks for sharing.
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