Troy Waterfront Farmer's Market

The final stop for the week was Troy's Waterfront Farmer's Market on Saturday. We got there bright and early at 9AM, right as it was starting; people were still setting up their stands. We first made a beeline for the Spill'n the Beans coffee stand to wake us up for our morning of market shopping (did I mention it was early?).

After the coffee, I was able to make my rounds to see what was available, and for how much. There are were so many kinds of products, from carrots, radishes, and bag-your-own-lettuce, to artisan cheeses and fresh baked bread, to flowers, soaps, and even wine. There are also several restaurants vending their foods; the smells so mouth-wateringly delicious, it's difficult to resist. Interesting about the farmer's market (and the part that makes me both excited and uncomfortable) is the competition. There is likely more than one vendor selling the same item (especially in Upstate New York, where in May, there are only about three or four products available to begin with). I was looking for a leafy green of some sort for my salad lunches and ended up with a bunch of green leaf lettuce for $2 (after stopping at a couple nearby vendors and awkwardly walking away because I wanted the cheaper lettuce...). There were a couple vendors who allowed you to bag your own salad mix for about $6. There were also a few different varieties to choose from, including arugula. The item of the season seems to be radishes, but so far, I'm at a lack about what to do with them (besides put them in salad, which I don't like, yuck). Unfortunately we seem to be heading out of asparagus season; I couldn't find any at the market.

Next on my list was eggs. I bought a dozen large eggs for under $3; there were all sizes at varying prices, which was helpful. I also ended up with a loaf of crusty French bread for $4.

However, my favorite purchase so far was my feta and Greek yogurt from this nice woman at Argyle farms. Feta is my salad cheese of choice (just ahead of Chevre, which I can never say), and she let me try a bit of their homemade feta cheese. It had a little less zing than what I usually have, but was amazingly creamy, and in my opinion, not very expensive

at all-- I got a quarter of a pound for $2.75-- not bad as cheeses go. I also bought a small tub of her Creamy Vanilla Greek Yogurt for $3. I got two servings out of it, so I would price compare it to buying Chobani at the grocery store. Except Argyle's really was the best, creamiest, most delicious yogurt I've ever eaten (though a bit of a calorie splurge, since it was made with whole milk). I'm sad that I've already eaten it all. I will have to buy the large tub next week; I've decided it's totally worth the $9--a serving is a meal in itself. I also hear their smoothies are delicious...

So far the Troy market is the only one I've been to in the Capital Region, but it's one of my favorite places to shop. There's something about food out in the open air rather than in shrink wrap that makes it that much more appealing. And then there's the view of the river-- it really is scenic on a warm spring day like Saturday. The Farmer's Market is open 9AM - 1PM all year round. In the winter (November through April) it is indoors, inside the Uncle Sam Atrium in downtown Troy, NY.