Baby goats, garden inspo and hands-on planting at the market this week!

Did you miss us as much as we missed you?! We hope you all had a lovely spring break. The Irvington Farmers Market is back for our one and only April market, and have we got a doozy of a line-up in store!

There's no shortage of adorable dogs at the market, but this week, there’s even more furry cuteness afoot: baby goats, some just a few days old.  It's officially "kidding"season at Sugar Shack Creamery, purveyors of goat milk, yogurt and chees, so they are bringing some of the latest additions to their herd. (Those of you who know goat farmer Charlie’s sense of humor might add that it’s always kidding season with that guy.) If you missed out on holding a baby goat when they were at the Hastings Market last Saturday, now’s your chance to make up for it. 

Spring is arguably the most beautiful time of year, and I hope you’ve all been taking as many photos of the burgeoning blossoms as I have. As the crocuses and hyacinths sprout up in my yard, I’ve been eyeing my few empty pots and dreaming of garden vegetables to come… so what fantastic news that Homegrown Nurseries will be here this Sunday! Master Gardener Nick Storrs has been working in market gardens and farms for over a decade, including managing the Randall’s Island Urban Farm in NYC for eight years. Word on the street — or, in the soil, rather — is that he is the loveliest plant whisperer and gives super helpful advice! He’ll be here with a great variety of flower, herb and vegetable seedlings, from artichoke to lovage to nasturtium, all grown from organic seed and selected for reliability in our Westchester climate! Whether you’re growing in containers, raised beds, or in the ground, Nick’s your guy. If you’re looking for me, I’ll almost certainly be peppering him with questions (about peppers).

We’ve also got Bonnes Saveurs back at the market this week after a winter hiatus.They will be joining us for the summer season so it's safe to get hooked on their lemon pepper pita chips, or their Kitchen Sink dip, made with garbanzo beans, sun-dried tomatoes, artichokes, and herbs.

Fresh herbs should be starting to make an appearance. Grab some dill from Titusville Farms, olive oil from Agape Premium EVOO, and Boogie Down Bronx Honey, to make this zesty dill vinaigrette! Perfect for dressing up a spring salad of baby spinach or kale adorned with sprouts from White Pine Community Farm. Or maybe you’d like to stop by White Moustache and Pura Vida Fisheries, for Greek yoghurt and salmon, respectively, to make this baked salmon with dill sauce.

Matt from Ready Set Sharp! will be also in attendance this Sunday, so bring those dull kitchen knives and pruning shears as part of your garden prep and spring cleaning efforts. This week, I have plans to work my way through my pantry before we enter the salad months. I have big plans for my Wild Hive Grain Project polenta, courtesy of LeRoux Trading Co. I’ll be making these fried polenta slices, the perfect side to some R&M lamb shanks in a red wine sauce… or, perhaps some braised mushrooms - since this April's ricochet weather turns cool again. Though, if I’m honest, the main thing I’m after at Tivoli Mushroomsthis week is the elusive ramps (wild delicate leeks) and fiddlehead ferns. Check out what Pascale had to say about them here, in the blog for our lovely sister market, Hastings-on-Hudson, and keep your fingers crossed that these fleeting beauties are still around!

And if you didn't get enough Easter treats — I'm looking at you, parents who watched the chocolate bunnies disappear without biting any heads off yourselves — we've got Raw Chocolate Love at Irvington this week to remind you that chocolate is the perfect unadulterated sweet all year round. Speaking of desserts, when we were approached by someone making Japanese cream bombs, we didn't think this would be a very popular farmer's market item. Boy, were we wrong. Naoko sold out at the last market in Hastings and we're confident that will happen on Sunday too. Who knew?

Finally, this month is Earth Month, so make sure you’re tapped into all the amazing events happening in our River Towns, whether that’s the All-of-April Scavenger Hunt, (yes, the IFM is a stop) or the annual Riverkeeper Sweep on May 2nd. I'm helping organize the Riverkeeper Sweep, so come ask me questions at the market manager tent!

Meanwhile, we have our very own Earth Month activity at the market on Sunday: The Irvington Arts & Culture Committee and the Irvington Green Committee are joining forces for a Community Native Planting & Mural Painting, from 10 am to 12 pm. event at the market. Come help plant NATIVE plants for the public Butterfly Garden, which will later  be displayed on Main Street. This project will raise awareness about pollinators and the essential role that native plants play for them. Please bring your own garden gloves and tools and get your hands dirty for a great cause.

What a fantastic Sunday we have in store for you! Hope to see you there!