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Inside The New York Botanical Garden

This Week at the Greenmarket: Seed-Saving Smorgasbord

Posted in Programs and Events on July 9 2013, by Matt Newman

GreenmarketIt’s Tuesday, which means it’s almost Wednesday. And Wednesday, of course, means Greenmarket goodies! Come 9 a.m. tomorrow we’ll be out along Garden Way with our visiting vendors, buying our fill of fresh-picked fruits, vegetables, and baked treats. That said, we would love some company from our visitors.

As of last week’s Greenmarket offerings, we saw heaps of fresh blueberries, grape tomatoes, cabbage, bok choy, potatoes, green beans, and beets from Gajeski Produce. From Migliorelli Farm, there was all manner of flavorful herbs, along with summer squash, zucchini, peas of different kinds, and all the kale, spinach, and collards that could possibly fit in your crisper drawer. From Red Jacket Orchards, apricots, strawberries, and cherries, along with buckets of fresh chilled fruit juices. And of course there was Meredith’s Bread, which supplied us with stacks of fresh-baked pies, breads, scones, and muffins. They even had quiche!

Chances are we’ll see similar offerings on the table tomorrow, but with so many harvests beginning and ending in July, there may be a few surprises. In the meantime, head below for a recipe from our Ruth Rea Howell Family Garden crew.

The NYBG Greenmarket runs from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. each Wednesday through November 27, with free short-term parking for Greenmarket shoppers and—as on every Wednesday—free Grounds Admission for visitors. The market accepts food stamps, EBT, WIC/FMNP, and Senior coupons, in addition to cash and credit or debit cards. Learn how to use EBT, WIC and FMNP at the Greenmarket.

Gardening Demonstration with Bronx Green-Up

Stop by the Bronx Green-Up table for information on community and school gardening. Learn about volunteer opportunities in your neighborhood! Pick up a schedule of free workshops taking place throughout the Bronx, or grab a few seasonal garden tip sheets. Community gardeners will be on hand to answer gardening questions. For this week’s Greenmarket, we’ll be offering a seed-saving demonstration for visitors.

Greenmarket

Sweet Cabbage with Caramelized Onions

Serves 4

Ingredients

  • 1 1/2 pound green cabbage (half a large head)
  • 1/4 cup vegetable oil
  • 1/4 teaspoon cumin seeds
  • 1/2 teaspoon fennel seeds
  • 1 teaspoon sesame seeds
  • 1 medium-large onion (about 7 ounces), peeled and cut lengthwise into fine half rings
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1/8-1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
  • 1 tablespoon lemon juice
  • 1/2 teaspoon garam masala

Instructions

Remove coarse outer leaves of the cabbage. If you have a cabbage half, cut it in half again lengthwise, and then core the sections. Cut each section lengthwise into very fine, long shreds. A bread knife or chef’s knife is ideal for this. (You can also use a food processor.)

Put the oil in a wide, preferably nonstick or cast-iron pan, and set over medium-high heat. When the oil is hot, put in the cumin, fennel, and sesame seeds. As soon as the sesame seeds begin to pop, put in the onion. Stir and fry for 3 to 4 minutes or until the onion has browned a bit.

Put in the cabbage. Stir and fry for about 6 minutes or until the cabbage has browned somewhat. Put in the salt and cayenne. Turn down the heat to medium-low and cook, stirring now and then, for another 7 to 8 minutes or until the onions appear caramelized and soft. Note: you may need to do this in a couple batches.

Add the lemon juice and garam masala. Stir to mix. Taste and adjust seasoning.