Home to Au Bon Pain and Cafe 601, Strong Memorial Hospital now opens yet another venture to relieve UR students from 7 consecutive days of microwaveable meals and Starbucks breakfast sandwiches, as delicious as they may be. Every Wednesday from 3:00-6:00 pm, Flaum Atrium in the Medical Research Building transforms into foodie central. Organic greens, warm desserts, assorted jams and real meat (cuts so clean it won’t be a mystery what you’re eating). Not convinced? Well I have two words for you… FREE SAMPLES.
Photo Courtesy of Abby Wang
Photo Courtesy of Abby Wang
Photo Courtesy of Abby Wang
First stop, Bolton Farms’ booth for some full, leafy greens that even hardcore carnivores might go veggie for. Their lettuces are grown hydroponically – taking in water instead of in soil – organic and pesticide-free. Dress these lightly with olive oil and basalmic vinegar for a springy salad that will make you forget April is still snow season in Rochester.
Photo Courtesy of Abby Wang
Strawberry, check; raspberry, check; blackberry, check; grape, check. You get the picture: when it comes to jams, we’ve all been there and done that. It’s time for something new. Brought to you by Nordic Farms, this blueberry vanilla jam is wonderful with buttered toast or spread on a warm lemon poppy seed muffin. If you’re in the mood for something a bit more exotic, go all in for the hot jalapeño or pecan jams.
Photo Courtesy of Abby Wang
Be warned, Jon John’s bakery features sinful desserts which will tempt every last dollar out of you thinning wallet. It’s as if they’ve charmed the prize winning recipes out of every grandma’s cookbook. Their dark chocolate covered peanut butter balls have the same creamy peanut butter filling and smooth dark chocolate coating as my Nonnie’s, but, dare I say it, have a bit of an extra crunch that blows the texture through the roof. Also popular is their lemon-blueberry pound cake and pecan pie.
Believe it or not, that’s just a taste of what the Farmer’s Market has to offer. Also noteworthy are meats from Seven Bridges Farm (their hamburgers stack up to about three times the width of what you can get at The Grill), Raymor Cellars’ home-brewed fruit and grape wines, and Newbury Park Pastries’ pot pies (Amy’s frozen ones will be forever behind you).
Check out these articles to become a savvy farmer’s marketeer:
From Farm to Landfill: Food Waste in the United States
Farm Fresh: A Guide to Fall Farmer’s Markets