Wednesday, April 21, 2010

Unidentified Green Object- Identified!

So this past weekend I was out on Long Island visiting my parents and sisters. I thought we would not get to the market since we were leaving early in the morning (and I am not an early riser), but when I found myself awake at 6 am the plans changed. I found myself with an asparagus hankering; a hankering that would not hold out another week. So I got up and out of bed by 6:30, and got on the train in order to get the jump on the sleepyhead shoppers. I was greatly helped by the coldish, rainy weather.
When I arrived at the market the vendor's were still setting up, some had not even arrived yet. I felt like this was the best way to see the market. Farmer's had time to talk, the crowds were not in full force and nothing was sold out yet. I made a beeline for the stall where I bought the unidentified green object. The milk crates where fuller than last week and the greens were bigger and more unruly. I couldn't find the UGO! So I asked the lady behind the stall. She came around to my side and started asking me to describe it. When I told her it was thirst quenching and almost sweet I had her stumped. She named a few of the greens and pointed to them; nothing looked like the greens I had been eating all week. She (I still don't know her name) said that John the farmer was getting breakfast and he was sure to know what I was talking about, but lets try to figure it out....She started having me eat some of the greens to see if we could match the flavors. We got it on the second tasting try.
It is SORREL.
I am hooked on this stuff. It's in my sandwiches, in my eggs, I put it on top of the asparagus instead of the lemon juice, I even brought some out to Long Island to share (but no one wanted any- my dad asked "Why are you storing weeds in the refrigerator?'). I am going to try to make some sorrel infused water to see if it will be like lemon water.
When John the farmer (who looks every inch the grizzled farmer by the way, but more on him at a later date) came back I was getting ready to leave, rearranging my packages behind their stall. The farmer lady (wife? I don't know) told him she did good manning the stall on her own, even had helped me find what I was looking for. When she told him I had been looking for something thirst quenching, he said "Sorrel right?"

Here's what else I bought: a dozen eggs (at the cheapest 3.50 a dozen)
1.5 lbs of asparagus (6.00)
2 bunches of Sorrel (2.50 each)
1 bunch of pea greens (taste like peas! 2.50)
1 bunch of rhubarb (2.50- everything at Farmer John's stand is 2.50)
1 loaf of pre sliced farm bread (7.00)
1 loaf Kalamata Olive Sourdough (4.00?)
2 yogurt smoothies (1.75 each)
1 bunch ramps (3.00)
1ish lb of broken Marten's Pretzels (5.00?)
Total cost this trip: about $40 this will get us through the week with some left overs

4 comments:

Gwynne Watkins said...

Wow! You can buy sorrel as a beverage in the West Indian places -- I had no idea it was a leafy green.

regina said...

a friend said it was a west indian thing, and her grandma used to make a drink out of it, i'm hoping she can get me a recipe. what does it look like in drink form? what does it taste like as a drink?

InventingLiz said...

It's not that I didn't want any sorrel - I didn't want any eggs! Can't stand them unless they are hard-boiled or wrapped around a whole lotta other stuff in an omelette.

Keely said...

I've decided- again- that you can come and cook for me whenever you like.

Really, you can.

(Also- my captcha word is 'wondenda.' Isn't that magical?)