Some Farmer’s Markets are more than a place to buy fruits and veggies. We love the Irvington Farmers Market and the White Plains Market for this reason, and we heard rumors that Martha Stewart loves the John Jay Homestead Farm Market (and her house is just down the road). We decided to check it out and see what all of the fuss is about.
Located on a 62-acre historic site that was once a working farm, the John Hay Homestead Farmers Market has a lovely, open feeling. There was a band playing and families sat on the lawn listening to the music and eating lunch and ice cream. With many lunch options, like tasty Indian food from Chutney Masala in Irvington, and plenty of food to sample you can come at the beginning of the market (9 am) and leave after lunch.
I’m sorry we didn’t bring home a Roasted Beet and Goat Cheese tart (see above) from Red Barn Bakery. At $25 each, they aren’t cheap but add a simple salad and you have dinner for four. I was tempted by all the goodies from Red Barn Bakery and I have the perfect excuse to go back to the market.
My little ones loved Johnny Gelato’s homemade ice cream, which is made from fresh, local ingredients. Johnny Gelato comes in 24 flavors and today’s flavors were coffee, cookies and cream, brownie batter swirl and strawberry lemonade sorbet. We ordered the strawberry lemonade sorbet and tasted slivers of lemon rind and strawberries. We ate our sorbet while watching the band and I looked around at the other shoppers. Nobody was in a hurry to be anywhere and a lot of people seemed to know each other.
We tasted pickles from Doc Pickle that were crisp, perfectly sour and tasted like pure summer. I sampled luscious peppermint, spearmint lemonade and exotic iced Mango Ceylon tea from Burren Farm while marveling at their soothing Organic Herbal Healing Bath Teas and their Bug Bugger, made from organic eucalyptus, rosemary, tea tree essential oils and hydrosol water.
Mt. Kisco Seafood also had a magnificent assortment of seafood including fat, juicy scallops that would have been perfect to bring home for dinner. Another sign of an excellent farmers market is that you can’t wait to go back and taste more.
John Jay Homestead Farm Market: 400 Jay Street, Katonah. Open every Saturday until October 12 from 9 am to 1 pm.
