Spring brought construction work to Union Square this year. On Greenmarket days, the farm stands are scattered into a confusing and unfamiliar pattern. Even in this bewildering jumble of white tents, it’s easy to spot Yuno’s Farm. The stand is teeming with shoppers who know where to find some of the best naturally grown vegetables in New York.

In early June I took the train to Bordentown, NJ to visit the farm. Nevia picked me up at the station, and we spent the afternoon touring some of the 100 acres. More than 150 varieties of vegetables and berries are grown using organic standards, natural fertilizers and manual weeding. Farmers must develop creative approaches to replace the use of chemical fertilizers and insecticides. (However, the term “organic” is unofficial without State certification.)

  

Those sweet, juicy strawberries that we savored in June have a history. They are a highly vulnerable crop and exemplify the challenges of sustainable farming. An entire field can be lost overnight if insects attack the plants or if the flowers are exposed to a late spring chill. Kwang and Nevia have developed an approach that works for them.  

Before planting the strawberries a large amount of natural compost is incorporated into the soil to enhance its quality. Irrigation tapes are laid beneath the surface of the field, then it’s topped with dry bark. The bark keeps the surface dry and discourages insects. Any time frost or hail are predicted, row covers (large expanses of a fabric that resembles heavy-duty cheesecloth) must be laid on top of the plants and anchored in some way. As soon as the threat is over, it’s removed. Again and again. All of this just for strawberries when there are 149 more crops to grow. 

Post Script (3/11/10): Nevia now has her own farm. Bodhi Tree Farm will be covered very soon. You can find Bodhi Tree at Union Square on Friday and at Abingdon Square on Saturday.-Carol Dragon

Going Fishing with PE & DD Seafood, Union Square Farmers’ Market

June 28, 2006. 4:00 AM, Riverhead, NY.

Wendy’s Deli is still in darkness. If you were to drive by on your own, you’d be certain it’s closed. But Wendy is behind a dimly lit counter in the back of the store making coffee and wrapping rolls.

5:15 AM, A perfect sunrise. Boarding the Brianna with Phil and Wade Karlin who sell their catch at PE & DD Seafood in Union Square, you congratulate yourself on having chosen the perfect day to go fishing.

A sea course is plotted, and the net is lowered. Now several drowsy hours must pass before the net can be hoisted. You begin to relax. Suddenly the sea heaves and with perverse timing the rain starts, slowly for the first haul then torrentially for the second. The rapid-fire job of sorting fish and throwing back the unwanted and undersized specimens becomes Herculean.

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Okay, now I understand what it takes to catch fish. But what does it take to sell them?

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Selling Fish at PE & DD Seafood

October 16, 2006. 6:00 AM, Union Square Farmers’ Market

A cold October morning. As black as squid ink. The streets have a tension as the early risers squeeze by the night crawlers on sidewalks narrowed by mounds of garbage.Nearing Union Square I hear the distinct clatter of metal poles and see waves of white as the farmers assemble their stands.

This is the 5th time I’ve been a Saturday fishmonger. I’m delighted because today Delores lets me make the sign: Flounder $11.00, Grey Sole $15.50, Squid, cleaned $6.50……..(I take it very seriously and hate seeing it get messy as we sell out of different fish.) Customers are straggling into the market. No one wants to get out of bed today. The slow pace makes it hard to warm up. As I stamp my feet and tuck my hands beneath my elbows, Wade watches and says I’m making him cold . He insists on giving me his jacket.

For the next 7 hours I meet the challenge of dealing with the customers. There are so many great people, willing to wait in a very long line for this bounty of fresh fish. Then there is human nature. But no matter how a person behaves, I am determined to be cheerful.

“Not that piece, that one. No, no, I don’t like that either. Can’t you find a nicer one?”

“You’re not digging down to get me a good one. I want a pink one. Yes, but that one has a little brown speck. Right there. Can’t you see it?”

“I want 4 oz exactly. No, that’s 4.5 oz. Cut another one.”

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I’m the first to leave when it gets slow. Exhausted, I emerge into a sea of distracted shoppers. Tonight I will eat porgy.

- Carol Dragon