Vegetable Heaven - Blooming Hill Farm, New York

Since our pesky jobs always seem to interfere with our shopping at the Nyack Farmer’s Market, Beth and Sonia and I make what is now a traditional “pilgrimage” to Blooming Hill Farm for (all organic!) Thanksgiving vegetables. Why, you might be asking, are you going there when you got that big ole haul from your vegetable co-op just last Thursday? Well, I needed a few things to round out my ingredients for Thanksgiving cooking, but in truth, I just like to be there.

Their market is in beautiful old wood building heated by wood burning stoves and lit with strings of lights.


There’s a café that sells fresh baked pies and cookies, and there are always a few yummy brunch entrees available. On Sunday we devoured some excellent black bean soup with croutons, salad and cheese.


You can typically find some unusual items that aren’t in the supermarkets, like burdock, celeriac, and fingerling potatoes, and even some suggested recipes. (The farmers themselves are super-nice people who have also been known to give generous discounts on post-season pumpkins for school fundraisers.)

I’m always impressed with their decorative cuttings, too. They have what is known as a “Foraging License, ” which allows them go into restricted state-owned properties and gather fresh rosehips, winter berries, red dogwood branches, witch hazel, teasel, fern centers, moss sumac and various greenery like white pine, juniper and cedar.

I’m hoping to go to one of their upcoming wreath-making workshops (every Sat.in Nov/Dec.)