Purples and Browns At The Union Square Market
MONDAY, JULY 27TH 2009
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I love it when I subconsciously focus on something and it resurfaces later - in this case as a beautiful collection of purple and brown photographs. By the way, have you ever seen purple beans? They were quite a surprise to me today!

Union Square Market
WEDNESDAY, JULY 8TH 2009
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It was an overcast day, which made me appreciate the bright punches of colour in the market all the more. Rainbows of plums are popping up here and there. Do you see the plentiful bounty I brought home? Fresh pumpernickel, leeks and... fennel! I've never eaten fennel before - I've never even seen it before! I embarrassingly admit that living in NYC is really my first experience grocery shopping for myself. So, I brought this curious little vegetable home and made roasted fennel and potatoes as a side for dinner. It is such a fragrant food and whilst cutting it strong licorice scents burst from it - the herb that grows from its stalks is anise, by the way. However, once cooked the vegetable and its flavour soften and have a sweet, lingering flavor.

Union Square Market
WEDNESDAY, JUNE 17TH 2009
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Since moving to NYC I have had a growing interest in gardening. Back home, my mom had a large, thriving garden full of herbs and vegetables, and I took for granted the delicious addition of fresh herbs to our meals. I came to NYC armed with two books to prepare me for "apartment gardening": Your Backyard Herb Garden and Garden Anywhere.

The Union Square Greenmarket is one of the best sources in NYC for herbs, from freshly sprouted seedlings to well-established mature plants. Last week I snagged a lemon basil plant which, although tasty, was more potent than I expected. This week I purchased sweet basil (shown above, with other varieties) and peppermint. The plants are still immature and require replanting, but within a week the mint will be ready for picking and the basil will closely follow.

Union Square Market
WEDNESDAY, JUNE 10TH 2009
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I awoke relatively early and headed down to Union Square, a small public park where every Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday there is a farmers market. The selection varies each day, but generally includes locally grown/made vegetables, fruits, plants, breads, eggs, cheese, honey and occasionally meats and fish.

Unlike the West Side Market, the Union Square Greenmarket has temporary booths that are entirely outdoors, much like an arts and crafts festival. It becomes very crowded by a plethora of people; tourists with cameras, nannies with strollers, people on bikes, elementary school tours and weekly shoppers.

I was overwhelmed by the food and the people, and I took very few photographs. I did, however, walk away with a fair amount of tasty goods, including pumpkin raisin bread and a lemon basil plant!