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RYE, N.Y. -- Maria Reina was preparing zucchini-beet fritters Saturday afternoon from her stand on Purchase St. with fresh ingredients from local farms."You can't get anything this fresh in the supermarket," said Reina, pointing out the robust green leaves still attached to the yellow beets she was using.
Reina is a private chef based in Port Chester but also performs food demonstrations for Community Markets, an Ossining-based organization that manages farmers markets throughout the county, including Rye's.
The organization supports local farms in the Tri-State area with a high concentration in New York.Produce is brought in the very same day of any given farmers market and the farmer is often right there selling it."There's a real connection between the farm and the product," said Matt Keyser, who does promotion for Community Markets.
Keyser added that not only is the produce organic and supports the local economy, it is better for the environment because it does not have to travel as far as food produced on distant industrial agriculture farms, and thus leaves a smaller carbon footprint."You really get the best ingredients," said Reina.
The Rye Farmers Market is held every Sunday from 8:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. in the parking lot on Theodore Fremd Ave.
Do you shop at the farmers market? What do you think about supporting local farms?
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