I love the farmer’s market this time of the year. I can’t help stopping by the Union Square Greenmarket every few days to take in the bounty. Right now, there’s a tinge of separation anxiety knowing that in the months to come the lush selection will start to dwindle as the cold weather sets in. Every visit I discover such natural beauty, like the stunning rainbow carrots I discovered the other day.
I’ve been buying carrots all summer but these had the sweetest and most intense flavor. Then, I overheard one of the vendors say to a customer, “We still have summer tomatoes” and looking at the ruby red tomatoes I couldn’t resist. These had an unbelievable heady tomato perfume because they were just harvested.
Recently, I took my Weight Watchers film crew on a tour of the farmer’s market sharing some of my favorite tips for shopping. We’ve never taken a group photo so I was very happy to get this memento of my pals. Sadly, our food editor Lisa Chernick and our food stylist Stephanie Browner couldn’t make the shoot. It was a super hot and humid day to be running around the market. I’m surprised we don’t look wilted in this photo. 
Afterwards, we went back to my kitchen for a wok lesson on stir-frying easy side dishes. When vegetables have just been harvested stir-frying accentuates the natural sweetness and texture. Yesterday, I heard Dan Barber on the Leonard Lopate show speaking about how produce is more nutrient dense when it’s at its peak of flavor. It makes total sense. I hope the latest Stir-Fry Guru videos will inspire you too go to your farmer’s market and take advantage of the peppers, tomatoes, corn, zucchini, green beans, cauliflower and more… that are in season! It’s so important to support your local farmers and to experience the extraordinary quality of produce at a farmer’s market.
