union square farmer's market

October is just an all around wonderful month.  It's the start of fall, the cooler weather, the changing leaves- it's truly magical in my eyes and one of my favorite times of the year!  With the weather cooling off, I decided that the first project I wanted to take on was making a soup- a nice comfort food and something to warm up my spirits!

Saturday morning I decided to venture to the Union Square farmer's market.  Since it was the weekend, I decided to go early and see if it was all that it's cracked up to be.  I'm a big fan of farmers markets and outdoor markets- I think the Public Market in Seattle is still one of my favorites and of course the marketplace near Las Ramblas in Barcelona.

To find so much fresh food in the middle of NYC was a great surprise.  I loved the market!  The Market stretched around 5 blocks and housed fresh fruits, vegetables, baked goods, fresh cheese, honey and crafts from Upstate New York and New Jersey.  It was a food lovers paradise!

I could have walked around all day just sampling cider and trying breads and muffins and admiring the beautiful flowers in all colors of the fall!

The market was just a beautiful collage of all the fall colors.  After picking up some things I needed for my soup and a quick stop at trader joe's, I was ready to begin when I got home!

I created my own recipe for this hearty spin on a minestrone.  It was based with tomato soup and vegetable broth, spiced with oregano, salt and pepper and contained whole wheat pasta, red potatoes, white beans, onion, garlic, corn, green beans, and fresh carrots!  Sprinkled on top with a little parmigiana cheese it was a delicious and hearty soup!! I was very excited about the final product! 

Yumm!! Happy Fall everyone!!!