Bean Season
Even in the depths of winter, exciting new products and purveyors make their way to the frozen tundra that is the Greenmarket. Take, for instance, Cayuga Pure Organics, a source for dried beans grown outside of Ithaca and now sold Wednesdays at Union Square. Varieties include black, pinto, small red, navy, and Jacob’s Cattle— a plump heirloom bean with maroon and white markings resembling a spotted cow, and considered by some to be the only variety to use in a New England bean supper.
Sweet February Corn
A new line of frozen produce called Jersey Fresh has turned up in the aisles of Whole Foods, and although it’s not clear whether heating and serving the company’s tasty corn, spinach, and peas is a violation of any locavore bylaws concerning out-of-season snacking, the stuff is grown by real Jersey farmers and packaged in that state. In any event, it’s an option when faced with the winter locavore’s greatest fear: rutabaga fatigue.
Junk Food for Vegans
Nearly as delicious as a bag of Nacho Cheese Doritos and decidedly more nutritious are Alive & Radiant Foods’ dehydrated kale chips, such a hot commodity at Park Slope’s New York Naturals store the arrival of the latest shipment was celebrated with a joyous “They’re Back!” scribbled on a sidewalk chalkboard. Raw, vegan (hence dairy-free), and seasoned with some powdery form of red bell pepper and cashews as well as lemon juice and Himalayan salt, they’re not-inaccurately described as “quite cheesey” on the $7.99 bag. Most reassuringly, they leave an orange residue on your fingertips—the telltale sign of a first-rate snack food (253 Flatbush Ave., at Sixth Ave., Park Slope; 718-230-7094).