Hiiii! LEEK is a semi-regular newsletter / market challenge / cooking journal / and community for folx curious about food, and what to do with it. If that sounds like you..
What started out as a simple way to survive a pandemic has turned into one of my favorite hobbies. It’s like a game. Once a week (sure, maybe twice), I’ll grab a tote bag, put on my headphones, take out $40 cash from any ATM I can find, and head to the farmer’s market. Here are the rules of the game: (1). There’s no planning ahead, (2). I can’t spend more than that $40 (unless I have cash left over from my last visit), (3). I have to buy one thing I’ve never tried before, (4). Always get a good loaf of bread, and (5). I have to buy at least one bunch of herbs and one allium (onion, garlic, shallot, LEEK). Then I go home and figure out the rest. The game has been an exciting way for me to expand my creativity in the kitchen, get in a nice NYC stroll, and ultimately, have something to look forward to… 🥲
It’s also taught me a lot about seasonal and local eating. What’s the best produce to eat in the month of November, and how can I take full advantage of that special period of time with it? Example: a squash. Could you buy a butternut squash at Trader Joe’s over the summer? Sure. (And I will). But how does it compare to good butternut or {honeynut} squash grown and harvested 50 miles outside of Manhattan at a farm in Jersey right after Halloween? And how can I make the most of this squash, and turn it into the star vehicle of a dish? What are all the possibilities? The goal of the game is to develop a better appreciation for the gorgeous food offered to us by our sweet Mother Earth and find a million (!!) different ways we can taste it for what it is.
But can you really tell a difference? Why should I care??? Few reasons:
Taste. Period. Crops harvested at their peak moment of ripeness have better flavor.
Supporting local farmers!!
You’ll gain a greater understanding of what you’re eating when you know where it comes from.
Cost! Price of produce goes down when it’s in season.
More environmentally friendly! Listen, our days are numbered. Local = less transportation and fewer chemicals.
It’s just fun! I get immense joy from walking through a market and seeing the bounty that farms all around New York have to share. And there’s nothing better than showing up without a single idea of what you’re looking for and leaving with a full bag and a completely inspired dinner plan. If anything, do it for the fun.
*I want to add that I know not everyone has a local farmers market that’s easily accessible to them, and also sometimes it’s just nearly impossible to find anything. Like, for some reason I’ve decided to launch this newsletter in the dead of winter when good produce is tricky to find in New York. That’ll be fun for me... Plus, sometimes we get impatient and hungry and want a strawberry in February, so do your thing :)
Look - I hardly know what I’m talking about here. But I’m learning more every day, and I’d love to share what I’m discovering. We’ll wander through markets, test out recipes, share cooking stories, jam out (yes, there will be multiple “dinner playlists”), taste new things, and probably (hopefully) mess up…a lot.
I leave you with one of my favorite kitchen tunes..the perfect song to listen to when you’re alone, staring into a pot of salted water, waiting for it to boil, and wondering what the heck you’re doing with your life. <3
Shattered dreams, worthless years,
Here am I encased inside a hollow shell,
Life began, then was done,
Now I stare into a cold and empty well
Stay tuned ~~