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It’s time to break out your grilling tongs and party like its 1776 as America’s semiquincentennial arrives this weekend! While the Founding Fathers didn’t toast the signing of the Declaration of Independence over a big cookout, they would have celebrated with the best farm-to-table fare simply because it was the only cuisine available! Here are some traditional dishes our nation’s earliest foodies would have enjoyed on July 4th and how to make them with local ingredients from the farmers market.

Oyster Gumbo

Gumbo is a stew featuring a combination of meat and/or shellfish, a thickener made from a roux, okra or filé powder, a robust broth, and the "holy trinity" of celery, bell peppers, and onions. Though gumbo as we know it today originated in Louisiana, it represents how global cultures met in the country’s early days. The word “gumbo” derives from a West African word for okra, and early versions of the stew probably came from the foodways of enslaved African cooks. Filé, or dried sassafras powder, is an indigenous ingredient used by Choctaw cooks to thicken soups. French cooks introduced the wheat-based roux version, and Spanish cooks the flavor base of onions, peppers and celery that they call sofrito.

Oyster gumbo was a popular dish in the coastal and Southern colonies in 1776 thanks to the incredible abundance of oysters. George Washington was particularly fond of oyster gumbo, with historical records from his Mount Vernon estate listing it among the seafood delicacies regularly prepared on the plantation.

Pick up some plump and juicy Bluepoint oysters and shrimp from your farmers market seafood vendor to make this tasty Shrimp and Oyster Gumbo:

Ingredients for 8 servings

½ cup all-purpose flour

½ cup vegetable oil

1 pound smoked sausage, cut into ¼-inch slices

1½ cups sliced celery

1½ cups chopped onion

1 cup chopped red bell pepper

3 cloves garlic, minced

1½ tablespoons fresh thyme leaves

½ teaspoon crushed red pepper

1 tablespoon plus 2 teaspoons filé powder, divided

6 cups seafood stock

2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce

1 bay leaf

1 pound peeled and deveined large fresh shrimp, tails on

12 shucked fresh, local oysters

½ teaspoon kosher salt

½ cup sliced green onion

Cooked long-grain rice, to serve

Sliced green onion for garnish

Instructions

In a large cast-iron Dutch oven, combine flour and oil, stirring until smooth. Cook over medium heat until flour mixture turns dark brown in color, stirring constantly, about 10 minutes.

Add sausage, celery, onion, bell pepper, garlic, thyme, crushed red pepper, and 1 tablespoon filé powder. Cook until onions are tender, stirring constantly, about 5 minutes. Add stock, Worcestershire, and bay leaf; bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat to low and simmer for 1 hour.

Stir in remaining 2 teaspoons filé powder and shrimp; simmer for 2 minutes. Add oysters and salt; simmer until oysters are cooked, about 1 minute. Remove bay leaf. Stir in green onions. Serve over rice and garnish with green onion.

Mop Sauce Chicken

Although wild turkeys were hunted and served on special occasions in 1776, domesticated chickens were widely cultivated for their eggs and meat. Mop sauce originated in early American barbecue as a thin, vinegar-based basting liquid used to prevent meat from drying out during long, open-pit cooks. It got its name from traditional Texas and Carolina pitmasters who historically used actual cotton floor mops to baste massive quantities of meat spread across open pits or trenches. The cotton would soak up large amounts of liquid and allow them to quickly slather the meat without washing away the seasoning.

This high acidity mop sauce tastes great on grilled chicken as it adds moisture, slows down the cooking process, and builds rich, tangy layers of flavor:

Ingredients for Apple Cider Butter Mop Sauce

¾ cup apple cider vinegar

¼ cup apple juice

2 tablespoon butter

1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

1 tablespoon stone ground Dijon mustard

2 teaspoon brown sugar

1 teaspoon paprika

½ teaspoon garlic powder

½ teaspoon onion powder

Instructions

Combine all ingredients in saucepan over medium heat. Bring to gentle simmer for 5 minutes until butter is completely melted and brown sugar dissolves.

Place spatchcocked (flattened) chicken or chicken thighs on grill at 250°F. Season lightly with salt and pepper. Using a silicone basting brush or traditional barbecue mop made with food-grade cotton, apply light layer of sauce every 15–20 minutes as chicken cooks.

Keep mopping until chicken reaches an internal temperature of 165°F. Let it rest for 10 minutes. Slice chicken and top with fresh chopped thyme and sliced garlic chives. Serve mop sauce on the side for dipping.

Blueberry Peach Pandowdy

The semiquincentennial is the perfect occasion to prepare one of the oldest and greatest of all American desserts — a fruit pandowdy. Abigail Adams, the wife of second president John Adams, was known to love apple pandowdy so much that she regularly baked and served it to White House guests. The name of this simple, unfussy dish describes both its appearance and how it’s made: the pie crust is broken into pieces and pressed down into the bubbling fruit filling, giving it a deliberately messy, "dowdy" look.

This season’s first ripe peaches and blueberries are now arriving in the farmers market so seize the moment by making this Blueberry Peach Pandowdy. Top it with a scoop of plain yogurt or vanilla ice cream for a festively patriotic, historic dessert.

Ingredients

1 pint fresh blueberries, rinsed

3 cups peeled and sliced peaches

⅓ cup granulated sugar

1 ½ tablespoons flour or corn starch

½ teaspoon ground cinnamon

½ teaspoon ground nutmeg

Juice of half a lemon

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Pinch kosher salt

Pie crust for a single crust pie (homemade or store-bought)

1 large egg, beaten

2 tablespoons coarse sugar for sprinkling

Click here for full cooking instructions.

The arrival of summer fruit is something that most everyone can say they look forward to. Strawberries are the first wave of warm weather fruit to hit the farmstalls, signaling the start of the summer harvest season with their plump and cheerful demeanor. And this year’s early strawberries do not disappoint as they are ripe, juicy and bursting with flavor.

While the first taste of these succulent strawberries has us thirsting for more, things will look a little different at our fruit stands as the season progresses towards peak summer fruit. After the brutally cold winter here in the northeast, a heat wave in early April forced fruit trees, grape vines and berry crops to bloom prematurely. This unseasonable heat was followed by a devastating April 19–22 freeze, where temperatures plunged into the 20s. The sudden cold snap at this vulnerable growing stage caused sweeping damage to blossoms and newly forming fruit leading to massive agricultural losses.

This wild ricocheting weather is presenting many climate change-driven challenges to our farmers. The setbacks to tree fruit and berry growers are so significant that some farmers have called this April catastrophe “the freeze of the century”. In its wake, New Jersey Governor Mikie Sherrill recently declared a statewide State of Emergency to assist the agricultural sector, and New York Governor Kathy Hochul has requested that the USDA issue a federal disaster designation. But don’t despair; our fruit farmers tell us that they are seeing reasons for hope every day in their orchards as we head further into spring. Here is what we know so far, what you can expect in the farmers markets, and how to support the farms through this difficult time.

Strawberry Fields

As an inaugural summer crop driven into accelerated development by the heatwave, strawberries had already reached the bloom phase or early ‘fruit set’ during the late April freeze. Fruit set is the critical transition phase in plants where a pollinated flower's ovary develops into a young fruit. It begins immediately after successful fertilization, marking the moment the flower sheds its petals, and the remaining structure begins to swell and grow.

The multiday freeze during this delicate phase of the plants’ life resulted in extensive bud and flower loss to strawberry fields across the northeast. While damage has varied from county to county and farm to farm, state agricultural experts and farmers estimated that the devastating April freeze destroyed about 40% of strawberry crops in New Jersey.

Strawberries are perennials which means the plant’s roots remain alive during the winter and they come back year after year. However, they must be established the previous year to bear fruit in the current season. The good news is that – while their blossoms were lost – the strawberry plants themselves likely survived. Strawberry crowns can compensate for early bud and flower loss by pushing out later blooms and increasing the size of surviving berries.

So, while strawberry harvests will be smaller than usual this year, shoppers can still expect to find cartons of large, juicy berries in the market. Other berry crops including blueberries and raspberries were also affected by the spring freeze, so we anticipate smaller harvests of these fruits too.

Cherry Orchards

The first of the summer stone fruits to enter the farmers market, sweet cherries are typically ready to harvest by mid to late June. Early-season varieties like Early Robins, Black Pearl, and dark red standards like Bing or Lapins are the first to appear. You may also see local New York-bred favorites like Hudson and Ulster cherries. Highly perishable sour/tart cherries like the Montmorency and Morello varieties make a brief appearance from late June through late July.

Stone fruit like cherries were some of the worst-hit crops in the spring freeze. The warm conditions earlier in the month signaled the cherry trees to "wake up" and begin growing. By the time the freeze hit, the cherries were already in or near full bloom. Because the trees were so far along in their development, they had lost their natural winter cold hardiness. In addition, once cherry trees bloom, the delicate pistil (the center of the flower that becomes the fruit) is highly vulnerable to freezing.

When our fruit vendors were alerted to the incoming April freeze, they sprang into action to help save their crops. Small-scale fruit farmers traditionally use several techniques to protect budding trees from spring frosts. They heat the orchards at night by lighting small bonfires, burn barrels or smudge pots down tree rows; helicopters hover overhead to force warmer air trapped in an inversion layer down into the colder crop canopy via their powerful rotor wash; wind turbines pull warmer air from higher above the ground and mix it with the cold, dense air trapped around the trees. However, the freeze was so extreme in April that many of these go-to methods proved inadequate to protect the trees.

As a result, many New York farmers have reported significant losses of their cherry crops. However, the damage varied greatly depending on the location and elevation of the affected farms. As with the strawberries, we expect to see limited varieties and supplies of cherries in the farmers market this summer.

Other Affected Fruit

The April freeze also impacted apples, grapes, peaches, and other stone fruit like nectarines, apricots and plums. While orchard fruit trees cannot produce a second flush of blossoms in the same season once the primary flower buds have been killed off, grapevines can sometimes recover using secondary buds. These alternative buds typically produce smaller and less predictable yields, which could reduce the harvest and affect local wine production.

Hyderabad: In his powerful PM Modi Hyderabad speech, Prime Minister Narendra Modi urged citizens to contribute towards economic self-reliance by adopting simple lifestyle changes amid rising global challenges. The Prime Minister emphasised Atmanirbhar Bharat and called for collective efforts to save fuel, buy local, and reduce gold purchases. Speaking at a public event, PM Modi highlighted how…

King Charles III and Queen Camilla recently concluded a historic state visit to the United States. During their trip, they attended a lavish dinner at the White House where they were treated to a four-course, French-inspired spring menu. Several of the dishes featured seasonal delicacies as well as ingredients grown in the White House Kitchen Garden.

With Mother’s Day arriving on Sunday, now is the time to treat mom to a homecooked meal fit for a queen! Here’s how to recreate this special royal menu with ingredients sourced from the farmers market.

First Course

The opening salvo of the regal meal featured a "delicate garden herb velouté, silken and aromatic, complemented by a refreshing hearts of palm salad". The salad was finished with crispy toasted shallots and "a whisper of micro mint for brightness and contrast."

Fittingly for Mother’s Day, a velouté is one of the famous five French "mother sauces," made by thickening stock with a roux. Meaning “velvety” in French, it acts as a base for rich, creamy soups that can be served either hot or cold. Indulge mom with this springtime Asparagus Tarragon Velouté that serves up plenty of decadent creaminess without the dairy.

Ingredients for 6 servings:

2 tablespoons Arlotta Food Studio extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for serving

1 large leek, white and pale green parts only, finely chopped

1 fennel bulb, trimmed and thinly sliced, plus a few fennel fronds for garnish

Kosher salt

2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

4 cups SOVA Farm low-sodium chicken or vegetable stock

2 pounds farmers market asparagus, trimmed and cut into 1 1/2–inch lengths

Small handful minced fresh tarragon leaves, plus more for serving

2 tablespoons fresh juice from 1 lemon

Freshly ground black pepper

Crème fraîche, for serving (optional)

Directions:

Heat olive oil in a large saucepan over medium-low heat until shimmering. Add leek and fennel and a large pinch of salt. Cook, stirring frequently, until fully softened but not browned, about 5 minutes. Add flour and cook, stirring, until incorporated, about 30 seconds. Stir in stock and bring to a simmer.

Stir in asparagus and tarragon. Bring to a simmer and cook for 1 minute. Using a slotted spoon, remove a dozen asparagus tips from the pot, split them in half lengthwise, and set them aside for garnish. Continue simmering soup for 5 to 6 minutes longer. Stir in lemon juice.

Blend soup using a handheld immersion blender, or in batches using a countertop blender, until it's as smooth as you like. Season soup to taste with salt and pepper and serve, garnishing with reserved asparagus tips, crème fraîche, extra chopped tarragon, fennel fronds, and drizzle of olive oil.

Second Course 

The second course presented to the royal couple was a handcrafted Spring Herbed Ravioli. This pasta dish featured herbs from the White House Kitchen Garden, a generous creamy ricotta and morel filling, and a light Parmesan emulsion dressing designed to enhance its essence.

La Trafila is a Brooklyn-based fresh pasta maker that uses ingredients imported from Italy, as well as local and organic whenever possible, to create handcrafted pasta, stuffed gnocchi, sauces, tiramisu and cannolis. Pick up a box of their Black Truffle & Burrata stuffed raviolis and serve them piping hot drizzled with a homemade parmesan butter sauce and garnished with sliced chives and a sprinkle of fresh parsley.

Third Course

The third course enjoyed by the illustrious guests was a Dover sole meunière, pan-fried in butter, accompanied by spring ramps, snow peas, and pavé potatoes.

Dover sole is a European fish found in the Eastern Atlantic and Mediterranean where it’s prized for its firm, white, sweet-flavored meat and excellent texture. Summer flounder or fluke is a not-too-distant flatfish cousin that is abundant in the Long Island Sound from early May to mid-October. Its light flaky flesh makes it another great candidate for a simple yet delicious meunière preparation (click on this link for the recipe and full cooking instructions):

Ingredients for 4 servings:

4 4-6 oz Sound Seafood flounder filets

Salt and pepper to taste

3 tablespoons Arlotta Food Studio olive oil

1 cup all-purpose flour for dredging

6 tablespoons Maplebrook Farm salted butter

1 sprig fresh thyme

1 lemon plus more wedges for serving

2 tablespoons finely minced fresh parsley

For a true White House-inspired experience, pair your fish with new potatoes roasted with wild foraged ramps. Ramps are hitting their crescendo now, but their short season means they vanish from the farmers market by early June.

Dessert Course

An Almond Joconde (French sponge cake) served with crème fraîche ice cream and honey from the White House beehives was the finishing touch to the stately multi-course extravaganza.

Our baked goods vendors will bring an array of sweet treats for mom’s dessert course including pastries, cakes, cookies, pies, tarts and more. Make it extra sweet by topping it with some local honey from SOVA Farm and a dollop of thick Greek yogurt. And, voila, you’ve made mom a palatial pudding that’s fit for a queen (bee).

Wine Selection

Clearly the White House got the memo about how good East Coast wines have become lately! A 2024 "Heritage" Riesling from Hopkins Vineyard in Warren, Connecticut was among only three American wines selected for the evening. This Connecticut wine was specifically chosen to represent the strength of American winemaking along with a Napa Valley Chardonnay and an Oregon Pinot Noir.

Pick up a bottle or two of Rosina's Winery’s award-winning Hudson Valley wines to pair with your Mother’s Day banquet. They are a farm vineyard and winery located on 56 acres in Middletown, NY. With over 8,000 vines in production, they’re proud to be growing the first Barbera and Syrah varietals in the Hudson Valley. They use an Italian-style wine-making process rooted in family and heritage to create great local wines. Mom will taste the love and passion they pour into each bottle of their exquisite wines.

Down to Earth Markets is proud to occasionally feature one of our farms and food makers in this section of the weekly newsletter. While not every vendor we profile participates in all our farmers markets, our aim is to give shoppers an inside peek into the local food system and the people working hard to make it hum. This week we are delighted to spotlight Jack’s Dad’s Hummus.

We recently chatted with Jack Newton, founder of Jack’s Dad’s Hummus, to learn more about how he turned a favorite family recipe into a budding business enterprise.

They say that necessity is the mother of invention and Jack’s Dad’s Hummus was born out of such necessity. Tell us the story of that historic Christmas day when things got started and how it evolved from there.

It’s the father of invention here. My dad is one of the best chefs I know; he’s one of those people who just understands the nuances of food and ingredients, almost to a supernatural degree. The kind of guy that doesn’t use measuring cups or scales when making recipes, he just *knows* what’s right.

That said, one Christmas day (candidly we forget the year, probably 2012) my dad was preparing a spread of appetizers for our family. He made a pretty mean hummus, and he was in the midst of prepping a batch when fate dealt him a curious hand. He realized we had no tahini in our kitchen. Now it’s Christmas and all the stores are closed. So that’s it, hummus is off the table right?

Nope. My dad didn’t want to leave his family hungry and searched for a tahini substitute. The ever-inventive chef, he found some miso in our fridge - the fermented condiment known for its savory taste. On a whim he added the miso to the chickpeas, olive oil, lemon juice, and spices then blended it together. He served it to our family without mentioning his substitution…

The result? I said something along the lines of, “Dad what the [REDACTED] this is the best hummus I’ve ever had”. The miso imparted a savory depth and complexity we didn’t know was possible with hummus. It was also naturally sesame free due to the lack of tahini. Miso hummus became a family delicacy, served for years on special occasions such as birthdays, graduations, and holidays. Sorry Santa, the best present wasn’t delivered by reindeer that year.

Did you always plan on becoming a food maker or was this just a happy coincidence?

I’ve had an entrepreneurial spark since college - I wrote my senior thesis on evaluating the steps of successful entrepreneurship. Part of the thesis included founding a fictitious but operational company on campus.

And what do college students in upstate New York want more than anything? Study guides! Just kidding, beer. I got into the food and drink business by filling a “market demand” on a college campus; I made a beer brand and brewed suds.

My favorite takeaway was that good founders begin with a vision and only a vision. Everything after that is a hypothesis to be tested. Hypothesis proven correct? Keep on going. Hypothesis proven incorrect? Pivot until you get positive customer feedback. Creating something that people enjoy and pay for is a privilege, not a founder’s rigid idea to be dictated.

I was hooked on founding a food or drink brand since then; there’s no better feeling than creating a product that lights up folks’ eyes. And I’m happy to say that I pivoted to making something healthier than beer.

Do you still make Jack’s Dad’s Hummus at home in the family kitchen?

Absolutely not. I’m content with making hundreds of tubs a month at our shared commercial kitchen; it’s the same process as at home with bigger pots and blenders. Shoutout to the Entrepreneur Space, if you have an idea for a food business look them up.

In addition to miso, how do the ingredients in Jack’s Dad’s Hummus differ from most supermarket hummus? 

This is a real family recipe. I repeat, this is a real family recipe undiluted by corporate ingredients. A large reason why I founded JDH was as a reaction to hummus brands commonly found in supermarkets. They have cute names and slick branding… then you read the ingredient list. Sunflower oil? Sodium benzoate? I don’t want to eat those. My dad didn’t use seed oils or chemical preservatives when he served hummus to our family, so neither do we at the farmers market.

The absence of tahini also makes our hummus accessible to those with sesame allergies. One of my favorite farmers market memories was seeing a new customer, who had developed a sesame allergy, literally jump for joy when she discovered she could eat hummus again.

What flavors does Jack’s Dad’s Hummus come in?

We have four flavors, all made with miso instead of sesame tahini: The Original, Smoked Pepper, Za’atar Herbs, and Lemon Sumac.

Dad came up with the Original all those years ago, and I made the three spiced flavors.

What are some creative pairings with your hummus as well as any unexpected ways to use it in the kitchen?

I probably shouldn’t say this, but an unexpected pairing is how parents “sneak” the hummus into meals for their kids to get beans into their diets. As a testament to what I said earlier on founder visions, I did not envision JDH as a kids’ food. But kids love it, not that much sneaking is involved. My favorite hummus hack was a parent blending our Original with sweet potato and using it as a filling for ravioli in their kids’ dinner.

Maybe I’m a child at heart, but I want some of that ravioli…

I see that Jack’s Dad sometimes helps staff your booth in the farmers market. Is he considered a celebrity sighting and does he get asked for his autograph?

Well, if nothing else he considers himself a celebrity at McGolrick; I don’t want to put words in the mouths of customers. And yes, when he makes an appearance he certainly does offer autographs on hummus tubs. The operative wording there being “he offers”.

Jokes aside he loves being at the market. It’s very humbling to him, I think my dad views customers more like celebrities than he sees himself as one. People are taking time out of their days to stop by and get his hummus? That means a lot to him.

Is Jack’s mom a hummus fan and does she ever make an appearance at the Jack’s Dad’s Hummus booth?

My mom is very much a fan of JDH and the farmers market. I don’t have consultants or a board of directors, so when I have hard hitting business questions I’ll ring up momma for advice. Every tub of hummus has a quote from her on the lid, “The Best Hummus in Town~ Jack’s Mom”.

She actually worked at the booth a few months ago while I was away. And unbeknownst to me she brought my baby pictures and put them on the display stand… yippee.

When my dad texted me with a picture of the grand reveal I responded, “Is that helping sales?”. His response: “A little early but the Horman’s Pickles vendor loves it”.

What does the future hold for Jack’s Dad’s Hummus?

I don’t know where the future of JDH lies, but our first home outside our actual home will always be McGolrick Park Farmers Market. It’s the wildest thing in the world to take miso hummus from our kitchen table to the farmers market, having repeat customers and watching people’s eyes light up over samples. Thank you for turning a dream into reality.

As we kick off January, it’s time to take a fun peek into the coming year’s most compelling food trends. I’m happy to report that a focus on eating whole, unprocessed foods is an overriding trend for 2026. Consumers are moving away from overly processed options towards fresh fruit, vegetables and other nutrient-dense foods that have always been the mainstay of our farmers markets.

Here is more on what soothsayers predict will influence American’s eating habits in 2026 and some easy ways to incorporate these trends into your farmers market shopping and home cooking this winter.

Cabbage is Cool Cabbage has entered the conversation in full force with Business Insider predicting that 2026 will be the year of the cabbage. Cauliflower was the “it” vegetable for over a decade thanks to the low-carb craze of the mid-2010’s. But the humble cabbage has since stolen the cruciferous crown and is getting a culinary glow-up in a diversity of dishes.

Cabbage is not only affordable, versatile and available year-round in our markets, it’s a low-calorie, fiber-rich food. With fibermaxxing (intentionally maximizing dietary fiber intake to boost gut health and satiety) currently all the rage, cabbage is a budget-friendly way to introduce plenty of fiber and other nutrients onto your plate. This German Red Cabbage dish is a staple in my household over the winter as we love the sweet, tangy, tart yet creamy flavor that results from the combination of Granny Smith apples, vinegar and butter. Or indulge in this Bacon Fried Cabbage recipe for a hearty preparation that’s both tasty and filling:

Ingredients

4 slices Goode and Local thick-cut bacon, cut into ½" pieces

1 small Halal Pastures Farm yellow onion, finely chopped

1 small head of Jersey Farm Produce green cabbage, cored, chopped into 1" pieces

2 tsp. light brown sugar

Kosher salt

Fresh ground black pepper

Finely chopped Great Joy Family Farm fresh parsley, for serving

Directions

In a heavy skillet, cook bacon over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until crisp, 5 to 7 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer bacon to a paper towel–lined plate, leaving fat in skillet.

In same skillet, cook onion over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, until translucent, about 7 minutes. Add cabbage and brown sugar; season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until cabbage is just tender, about 5 minutes.

Return bacon to skillet and toss to combine. Cook, stirring, until heated through, about 1 minute. Top with parsley.

Meat is Back High-protein diets continue in popularity thanks to a focus on wellness, weight loss, satiety, and muscle gain. However, skepticism about “fake meats” with unrecognizable ingredients and ultra-processed supplements is driving consumers to derive their protein from simple, transparent, real food. Meat, seafood, eggs, lentils and other naturally protein-rich “whole” foods are taking center stage in 2026!

Red meat like beef is back on the menu and even organ meats are sought after due to their affordability, nutrient-density, and the movement towards nose-to-tail eating that ensures every part of the animal is consumed or used. Ethically minded shoppers are turning away from factory-farmed products and emphasizing meats that are sustainably and humanely raised, like the pastured meats and poultry sold in our farmers markets.

In addition to meat-based protein, this classic beef stew recipe delivers a hearty bowl of “Nonna-stalgia” or “Grandmacore”, a 2026 culinary trend embracing heritage-based, family recipes that provide simplicity, comfort and tradition.

Ingredients for 4 servings

1/2 tbsp vegetable oil

1 lb. Great Joy Family Farm beef chuck stew meat, cut into 1" cubes

1/2 medium Halal Pastures Farm yellow onion, chopped

1 carrot, peeled, cut into rounds

1 stalk Halal Pastures Farm celery, chopped

2 cloves Jersey Farm Produce garlic, finely chopped

1/8 cup tomato paste

3 cups low-sodium beef broth

1/2 cup red wine

1/2 tbsp. Worcestershire sauce

1 sprig of fresh thyme

1 bay leaf

1/2 lb. Jersey Farm Produce baby potatoes, halved

1/2 cup frozen peas

1/8 cup chopped Jersey Farm Produce fresh parsley

Kosher salt

Freshly ground black pepper

If you’re looking for whole-food plant-based protein alternatives, The Lentil Co. offers a range of pre-seasoned, ready-to-cook lentil mixes in glass jars. These carefully crafted mixes deliver a symphony of flavors, blending premium lentil varieties with vibrant spices for a taste that's as delightful as it is nutritious. From mouthwatering dahl soups to savory stews, their mixes make cooking with lentils a breeze, offering a rich source of plant-based protein, fiber, and essential nutrients. The Lentil Co. sources their lentils from a fifth-generation family farm on the west coast, and their oats and other grains come from local farms in New York and New Jersey.

Coffee Moderate coffee consumption (3-5 eight-ounce cups a day) has been linked to numerous health benefits including increased longevity and reduced risk of chronic diseases. More recently, a study of over 47,000 women shows links between coffee drinking and healthy aging. In addition to its health and wellness benefits, America’s thriving coffee culture and unrelenting thirst for this versatile brew has solidified its status as a key food trend in 2026. From simple black coffee to coffee enhanced with functional ingredients like adaptogens and mushroom extracts, your daily cup of Joe delivers a mighty dose of polyphenols and antioxidants in every sip.

Cano Coffee Company’s single-origin specialty coffee is grown on small, family-owned microlots in the high mountains of El Huila, Colombia and roasted in New York. Their beans are handpicked at the fully developed stage by experienced cafeteros, then spring water washed and sundried to perfection. 

Cano Coffee Company’s hot and cold brew coffee is available with three different flavor syrups: Vanilla, Hazelnut and Caramel. Plus, they offer four milk choices to pair with your coffee: almond, oat, regular and half and half. Enjoy a cup of their delicious fresh brewed coffee in either plain or flavored while you stroll through the market or pick up a bag of their locally roasted whole or ground beans to take home.