Greenmarket cooking for New York City families

Craft’s James Tracey with daughters Julia (left) and Hannah

Photograph: Natalie Blank

Buying locally grown food is not exactly a new idea in the city. In the 1800s, Brooklyn was among the nation’s top-producing agricultural counties. But “Buy local!” only recently replaced “Buy organic!” as the cri de coeur for socially conscious New York parents. While there may be an ideological reason to shun Chilean blueberries, a more earthy incentive to buy local—food grown within 100 miles of your home—is flavor. Food tastes better when it’s fresh. And the pretty produce found at Key Food, or even Whole Foods, typically travels 1,500 miles from where it’s grown to reach your child’s plate. This affects not only taste but nutritional value, which starts to decline when produce is picked. A solution to these problems may be found at any of the city’s 49 Greenmarkets.

Jacques Gautier, chef-owner of Pan-Latino restaurant Palo Santo (palosanto.us), frequents the markets at Union Square, Brooklyn Borough Hall and Grand Army Plaza. “I like the interaction with the farmers,” he says. “I put a lot of care into my dishes, and I want to receive products from a farm where an equal amount of care is put in.”

James Tracey, chef de cuisine at high-concept restaurant Craft (craftrestaurant.com), heads to the Union Square site four times a week during the summer. His dedication to buying local benefits not just his customers but also his daughters, Hannah and Julia, ages five and three. “We go to the Berkshires to pick strawberries or raspberries,” Tracey says. “It’s fun for the kids.”

But buying locally farmed produce at its peak is more than just a lark: It can translate into simple dishes that appeal to kids’ picky palates. Both chefs advise serving summer berries sans sugar. “They’re sweet enough as they are,” Tracey says. To win over the salad-averse, Gautier suggests combining seedless watermelon, fresh mint, goat cheese, oil and balsamic vinegar. Sometimes, though, the best plan is no plan at all. “Go to the market without a recipe,” Gautier recommends. “Talk to the farmers and figure out what’s at the height of season, and go from there.” (See “Now, forager!,” below.) Parents lacking in kitchen improv skills can plug their Greenmarket gets into online recipe finders such as allrecipes.com or cookstr.com.

Not all kids are automatically won over by the locavore experience—Tracey jokes that the best way to get Hannah to eat farm-fresh veggies would be to buy them at the market and then stick them in the freezer. But parents who want to give their brood the backstory on breakfast should consider a trip to one of Union Square’s education stations. Each Monday, Wednesday and Friday through November, the Greenmarket will host cooking demos, produce tastings and other events. Who knows? Familiarizing your kids with the folks who grow their food may make the green stuff more enticing. “My mom always had a vegetable garden,” Gautier recalls. “Once I saw how much work she put into growing her tomatoes and broccoli, there was no way I wasn’t going to eat them.”

Now, forager!

You’re set on making a trip to your local farmers’ market, but you don’t know how to pick your produce. Jacques Gautier, chef-owner at Park Slope’s Palo Santo, and Craft chef de cuisine James Tracey weigh in on what to buy and when.—AA

Peaches
Look for: Flesh that’s firm to the touch but yields to gentle pressure. Also, if they’re heavy for their size, that means they’re really juicy. Peak: End of July through early August

Watermelon
Look for: Melons with waxy, dark green skin that are heavy for their size. “When you thump one you should hear a nice hollow sound, like a drum,” Gautier says. Peak: Mid-June through late August

Summer squash
Look for: Small (no more than six inches long), with firm, shiny skin and small seeds. Big seeds makes them more watery when cooking. Peak: July through August

Strawberries
Look for: Small and dark red throughout, which indicates a long growing period. Peak: Depending on the variety of strawberry and the location of the farmer, you may see good berries as early as May and as late as September.

Sweet corn
Look for: Bright green, snug husks and plump, small kernels that burst when you pierce them. Big kernels get mealy. Peak: July through September

To find the Greenmarket nearest you, visit cenyc.org.

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