Ratatouille after “Ratatouille”

From More Posts About Markets & Food by Eamon Molloy

July 16, 2009

My youngest son likes the movie and the dish “Ratatouille”. After we saw the movie last year, he asked me if I could make ratatouille like Remy did in the movie. I said “sure” and promptly forgot about it. When zucchini and tomatoes started showing up in farmers markets a few weeks ago, he asked me again. I debated whether or not to wait for eggplant to come in and decided not to. So here is my attempt. I want to try it again with eggplant but this version came out pretty well.

If You Call It Local Will They Buy It?

From More Posts About Markets & Food by Eamon Molloy

May 13, 2009

On Tuesday, five potato farmers rang the bell of the New York Stock Exchange, kicking off a marketing campaign that is trying to position the nation’s best-selling brand of potato chips as local food. - Kim Severson, NY Times May 12, 2009

The audacity and ingenuity of the marketing teams at the multinational food corporations is amazing. Frito-Lay has decided that pushing the local farmer angle will help them sell more chips. While I admire their desire to use the notion “know where your food is from” to sell more chips, I think the company misses the larger point driving the buy local movement.

Continue reading If You Call It Local Will They Buy It? »

Are Cooking Habits Changing?

From More Posts About Markets & Food by Eamon Molloy

March 12, 2009

JudithK asked in her latest blog post if the current economic state “will cause the type of lasting generational changes of the Great Depression.” I don’t know if people are eating down their pantry but it looks like people are stocking the pantry differently.

From my perspective as a farmers market manager,eating and food buying habits were already shifting when the recession started. The economic climate has merely accelerated the change. Since I manage markets year-round, I am able to watch what people buy nearly every week. There is nothing more price sensitive and more competitive than food. Prices can change within a single market session and buying patterns within a few weeks. By May 2008, I was already noticing a shift in buying habits. Vendors selling the basics like produce, meats, breads, cheeses were seeing little variation in sales week to week. In fact, sales were much stronger than the same week a year before. Prepared foods on the other hand, were starting to see fluctuations in sales week to week. In mid-June, there was a noticeable decrease in sales for most prepared foods while the basics were selling at about the same rate. Most prepared foods were experiencing flat sales or a drop from the previous year too.

Continue reading Are Cooking Habits Changing? »

Winter Markets - If You Build It They Will Come

From More Posts About Markets & Food by Eamon Molloy

February 17, 2009

The NY Times finally got around to writing an article about winter season farmers markets (see article). The Greenmarkets in NYC have quite a few year-round markets scattered in the five boroughs. The two markets in the article are located in Westchester County (Briarcliff Manor and Mamaroneck). I am really excited to see winter markets expand beyond the urban core and move into the outlying communities. Everyone wins. The communities can buy locally year-round and the farmers have a winter income.

The markets, run by Community Markets, appear to have a nice product selection. (The high tunnels mentioned in the article are undoubtedly big help for the farmers. It can get really cold in the Hudson River Valley.) I really like the fact that these markets are agricultural markets (no crafts). Focusing on locally grown, raised, and produced foods is so important. The message gets muddled when markets stray beyond farms, foods and nurseries.

Continue reading Winter Markets - If You Build It They Will Come »

Cold Morning To Set Up A Market

From More Posts About Markets & Food by Eamon Molloy

January 25, 2009

We weren’t expecting to have a snowy market but we did. Turned out to be a good day anyway. Nearly every vendor came and we had a nice crowd. Here’s a photo from about 9:30am.

Fall Food Quote

From More Posts About Markets & Food by Eamon Molloy

November 12, 2008

I’m waiting for the day when I can order a morel hot dog at a high school football game; that would be the ultimate fall treat. — Rosecrans Baldwin

Sounds good to me.