February Blahs? Take Our Prescription: Garlic!

Well cured and stored in a cool dry place, Hudson Valley garlic can last well into the new year. At least it might if garlic wasn't one of the most popular items at the Pleasantville Farmers Market. Fair warning: February could be the last abundant month for garlic stored from the fall harvest.

Keep February from being bland by exploring garlic's potential in your menu. Four of our farms have garlic of differing varieties, grown with differing methods and soils. Stock up on recipe ideas by asking Newgate Farms, Cowberry Crossing Farm, Madura Farms, and Little Seed Gardens for their favorites ways to use garlic.

Here's a delicious recipe to consider from the archives of The Valley Table Magazine: Roasted Garlic Soup.
In addition to garlic, notice that many other ingredients can also be obtained from the Market such as onions, heavy cream, bread and honey. If you purchased some Pure Mountain Olive Oil and Guyank Hot Sauce last week your pantry will cover even more ground. If you want to try to create your own chicken broth for the recipe, obtain wings from one of our poultry providers (Raghoo Farm or Yellow Bell Farm) or follow this tip from Yellow Bell Farm: enjoy a roast chicken Saturday night (with lots of garlic), and make a broth from the left overs on Sunday morning.

For an intriguing summary of garlic's place in history, enjoy writer Robin Cherry's article from The Valley Table Magazine by
clicking here.

A final word on the February blahs. If leafless trees, early sunsets and frigid temps are leaving you without energy, know that Hippocrates (the father of Western medicine himself) prescribed garlic to treat respiratory problems and fatigue. And the original Olympic athletes in ancient Greece were given garlic - possibly the earliest (and healthiest) example of "performance enhancing" agents used in sports. Feel more Olympic, and make February more of a delicious good time, with energizing garlic!

WARM INDOORS

Hey! February feels good in here!
The Pleasantville Farmers Market is well placed for winter in the cozy Pleasantville Middle School with hot coffee, hot soups, and well, HEAT! Enjoy shopping comfortably indoors while being able to support over 40 regional farms and food artisans. Some vendors are with us one or two Saturdays per month so check the Map of the Market on our website each week to see exactly which vendors are in.

Market Opens Every Saturday at 9:00am
Please note that our Indoor Market begins 1/2 hour later than the Outdoor Market, open from 9am to 1pm. We thank you in advance for honoring those hours as our vendors need time to prepare for your arrival.