Where is the best farmer's market in lower Westchester? (New York: houses, to buy)

[jjinla]

I realize that the season is just starting, but are there any really big markets in the area...especially in the evenings or weekends?

I'm used to these huge extravaganzas in CA with entertainment, ready-made food, bouncy houses, etc. The only one's I've seen so far are very small and underwhelming.

Thanks.

[Dockside]

If you want a fabulous farmer's market you have to go into NYC for the Union Square Greenmarket. It's incredible, with edibles you'll never see in a supermarket. Just remember, you have to lug everything home. Check it out here - Union Square Greenmarket | GrowNYC

In lower Westchester my favorite is in Pelham at Community Markets | Pelham Farmers' Market (http://www.communitymarkets.biz/market.php?market=27 - broken link)

But for total fun, especially if you have kids, check out Muscoot Farms. Here - Muscoot Farm

And here is their farmer's market - Muscoot Farm

[ABQConvict]

I don't think that Farmer's Markets are noted for their extravagance or entertainment value in New York. They are mainly places to buy locally produced foods.

This
http://www.communitymarkets.biz/images/tomatoes.jpg (broken link)

Not this
http://t1.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcT5MwrtqQGn_EBGKfK5yoeDacXbMBMkn ojqEm9eN1hgtlaoDBCuFw&t=1 (broken link)

That said, there are festivals and country fairs in Westchester and the Lower Hudson in general, especially in late summer early fall. That may be what you are looking for. Just avoid the 'Westchester County Fair' which is a large commercial venture.

[7 Wishes]

Originally Posted by Dockside

If you want a fabulous farmer's market you have to go into NYC for the Union Square Greenmarket. It's incredible, with edibles you'll never see in a supermarket. Just remember, you have to lug everything home. Check it out here - Union Square Greenmarket | GrowNYC

In lower Westchester my favorite is in Pelham at Community Markets | Pelham Farmers' Market (http://www.communitymarkets.biz/market.php?market=27 - broken link)

But for total fun, especially if you have kids, check out Muscoot Farms. Here - Muscoot Farm

And here is their farmer's market - Muscoot Farm

A bit closer but still in NYC is the farmer's market at Inwood Hill Park, in extreme northern Manhattan on the border of Riverdale.

Given that you live in Mamaroneck, you may also want to see if there are any in CT.

[tammy42]

Having moved here from L.A., we had become quite spoiled with the farmers market in Hollywood - year-round and fabulous. If you are looking for anything close in Westchester, stop...we toured most last summer and found nothing close. Not only in size...but quality. Having local farmers bringing unripe peaches to a farmers market should be unacceptable, but at market after market last summer, it's what I found (after treading much ground, I ordered my peaches from FrogHollow Farms...expensive but I cannot go the season without true, ripe peaches). Berries and cherries were good...but nothing exceptional. Unless I hear of something new this year, I'm going to stick to our small green grocer in Bronxville who has the best produce I've found - Green Wood Mart. It's tiny, but he's got everything from cut flowers to freshly made tofu...and great produce of course. Even at the peak of farmers market season I found his produce to be just as fresh if not fresher, and of better ripeness and quality. I'm hoping there is a farmers market we missed last year and someone is going to chime in here though!

[jjinla]

Thanks so much for all of the suggestions. I'll have to check out Greenwich for farmers' markets and that grocer in Bronxville, too. As you correctly noted, Tammy, you do get completely spoiled with produce quality in LA. Once we finally buy a house here I hope to have a great summer garden, but yes, fruit trees are no longer an option.

[dma1250]

This is for upper Westchester, but here is a round-up of some good markets:

Northern Westchester Home

My personal favorite way to get local produce is picking it with the kid at Hilltop Hanover Farm, but that does take a little time. For quality of produce, the Meadows Market produce is consistently excellent.

[TDNY]

California produces most of the fruit and veggies in the US, so yeah, the farmers markets there are going to be better.

The best stuff that is locally grown here usually goes to the NYC Greenmarkets, especially in Union Square, where much of it is snapped up by restaurants. Much of it is also bought directly by the restaurants under contract. The stuff we get in Westchester is usually left overs.

Growing up in Bedford we had an actual working farm down the road a mile or so called Henkers Farm, and we went right there and got things just after being picked. I used to love the corn especially. Now, sadly, the place where the farm was is a development. The road's name is, of course, Henkers Farm lane.

[bg7]

There's really no good reason the farmer's markets in Westchester cannot be better than they are - the fact that there is such an amazing greenmarket just a few miles south at Union Sq. tells you that. The produce is available. To work in Westchester though a market needs to be 1) widely advertized and 2) accessible by car with decent free parking.

[onyx1361]

If you don't want to trek all the way to Union Square, I've found the Saturday Morning Farmer's Market in Bronxville to be a nice substitute:

[url=http://www.bronxvillechamber.com/farmers-market/]Bronxville Farmers’ Market | Bronxville Chamber of Commerce | Bronxville, NY[/url]