Lazy Sunday at Schenectady Greenmarket

Colorful Vegetables

Today is a beautiful day in Schenectady and I decided to take advantage of it by visiting--for the first time-- the Schenectady Greenmarket.  Located outdoors, near City Hall, local farmers and vendors sell their wares at reasonable prices.

Running the River

Side-by-side colorful tents lined the streets as people walked up and down examining the goods and sampling them too. There was even live Irish music supplied by Running the River. They provided an enjoyable soundtrack to the laid-back setting of the afternoon.
 I was pleasantly surprised by the number and variety of vendors. They were selling everything from granola to goat cheese, pesto to pottery. It all looked so good! I decided to take my time and casually peruse each tent before stopping to make any purchases. I really wanted to stop at Cows & Chicken's Cupcakes - they looked so yummy! But the smells coming from the small red tent of Thunder Mountain Curry quickly drew my attention. I walked over and watched as a chef, hunched over a small hot plate,  threw noodles and julienned vegetables into a screaming hot wok. He deftly tossed them together and in a single fluid  motion filled a container for a waiting patron. I so wanted to try the Pad Thai (next time!), but since it was still early in the day, I opted just to get a Thai Iced Tea instead. Since I've eaten at Thai restaurants before, Thai tea is nothing new to me and there wasn't anything particularly glamorous about this one. Don't get me wrong, it was still good, but how can you really mess up a recipe that is simply strong black tea served with sweetened condensed milk? I did look Thunder Mountain Curry up on Google, hoping they had a local restaurant. Imagine my surprise when I found out they are located at RPI!
Moving forward, I did notice a lot of people selling some kind of granola or muesli.  I'm picky about my granola, so it was hard to decide which one to try. I love granola, especially for breakfast in my Greek yogurt. Though one granola did catch my eye: "Chipmunk's Choice" by Gatherer's Gourmet Granola. Why did I pick them? Their granola had peanut butter. I am a fool for peanut butter! Made also with almonds and maple syrup, I definitely think I made the right choice! OK, I am eating it now and it's addictive!! Someone stop me, please! No, don't. If you're a fan of granola, check out their website: Gatherer's Gourmet Granola. These guys know how to make it right!

Naga Bakehouse

One of my weaknesses is fresh baked bread. At the Schenectady Greenmarket there were certainly no lack of choices. One tent in particular caught my eye. It was that of Naga Bakehoue and their wood-fired bread. Located in Vermont, they grow their own organic grains and other ingredients. I choose the baguette seen at right. It was rye with sunflower and flax seeds. It was just as fresh baked bread should be: crusty on the outside, soft and chewy on the inside. Since it was wood-fired, there was also a smokiness to it that was not unpleasant.

A couple of tents down from Naga's was BuddhaPesto. I think with pesto you either love it or you hate it, there's really no in between. I love pesto; however, I have had some bad pesto. It's been over garlicked, too much basil, not enough oil. When the vendor handed me a sample, I timidly took a bite and oh. my. gawd! This was probably the best Pesto I've ever had! The vendor assured me the basil had been picked fresh that morning and I don't think he was lying. There was the perfect basil/pine nut/garlic ratio. If you're a pesto lover like me look for them at BuddhaPesto. It truly is "enlightenment for your taste buds"! The only thing that slowed me down from buying it was paying $8 for an 8oz. tub. However, I think it was worth it for how good this was and made from all natural ingredients.
When I got home, I scooped some into a small bowl and ripped off a piece of the Naga bread and that was my lunch. It was simple and delicious and completely satisfying. I look forward to going back to the Greenmarket next Sunday and seeing what culinary delights await!

My lunch. Oh yes, be jealous.