Weekly Greenmarket Preview: Plum Delicious
Posted in Around the Garden, Programs and Events on August 21 2012, by Matt Newman
Don’t fold up your handkerchief just yet! You’re going to need something to keep your hands dry this Wednesday, because August may still be National Peach Month, but the fuzzy fruit’s friends–the juiciest plums and pears–are sliding right into their summer harvests. That means Bartletts, Seckels, and more Italian plums than you can stuff in your reusable bag, all waiting to make the trip from this week’s Greenmarket stalls to your own personal dining room still life. You do have a fruit bowl at home, right?
Whether it’s that first, tangy-sweet bite of a plum you’re craving, or an afternoon spent snacking on pear slices in the last of the hammock weather, you’ll find ripe fruits, vegetables, baked goods and more stacked high for Wednesday’s NYBG Greenmarket. It runs 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., and as always, one-hour parking at the Mosholu Gate entrance and Garden grounds admission are completely free. As with many of the greenmarkets around NYC, attending growers also accept EBT, WIC, FNMP and NYC Health Bucks.
The weather’s been all kinds of forgiving over the past few days (whether it’s an early teaser for fall, or a complete fluke, I’m not complaining), so make a point of coming out to do your shopping while it’s comfortable! In the meantime, head below for a touch of kitchen inspiration that’ll turn these summer picnic handfruits into unmissable culinary creations.
Weekly Walking Club – Meets every Wednesday at 10:30 a.m. by the NYBG information table.
Join Public Education staff for an invigorating 1.5 mile loop around the Garden. Wear your walking shoes and bring a bottle of water for a walk that makes a great part of a healthy lifestyle.
Recipes
Tawny Port and Pear Butter
By Leda Meredith, NYBG instructor and author of The Locavore’s Handbook: The Busy Person’s Guide to Eating Local on a Budget
Ingredients (yields 2 half-pint jars)
2 lbs. ripe pears, peeled, cored and chopped into approximately 1-inch pieces
1/3 cup tawny port
1/3 cup honey
Juice and grated zest of one lemon
Instructions
- Place all the ingredients in a slow cooker. Cover and cook on high setting for 4-5 hours, until pears are soft.
- Use a slotted spoon to transfer the pears to a blender. Puree, adding just enough of the cooking liquid from the slow cooker to get a thick, spreadable consistency.
- Transfer to clean half- or quarter-pint canning jars, leaving half-inch head space. Screw on 2-piece canning lids. Process in a boiling water bath for 20 minutes.
Chilled Red Plum Soup
From the Viking Culinary Center
Ingredients (serves 8)
2 1/2 pounds red plums, pitted and chopped
1 quart apple juice
Spice sachet, with 1 large slice fresh ginger, 1 whole allspice berry, and 1/2 cinnamon stick
1/4 cup honey
Fresh lemon juice
6 tablespoons sour cream
2 tablespoons almonds, slivered and toasted
Instructions
- Combine plums, apple juice, sachet, and honey in a soup pot over medium heat. Bring to simmer and cook until plums are tender; about 20 minutes. Remove and discard the sachet.
- Puree soup until very smooth. Season to taste with lemon juice, then return the soup to the pot.
- Place the pot in an ice bath and stir occasionally until cool, 1 to 1 1/2 hours. Transfer to the refrigerator for another 2 to 3 hours to chill.
- Serve in chilled bowls, with a dollop of sour cream and sprinkling of almonds.
