Liberty Farmer's Market

On a Friday afternoon, I visited the Liberty Farmer's Market in the Catskills. To my gleeful astonishment, I found the familiar, friendly faces of the Gorzynskis behind tables full of perfectly ripe vegetables. Gorzynski Ornery Farm produces over 500 varieties of vegetables that are grown to specifications higher than the USDA's degraded organic label. The farm gave up its organic certification in 2003, after the infamous "relaxing" of the organic standards - the term "organic" simply no longer represented the food that was grown on the farm. The Gorzynskis call their produce "beyond organic," but it's really much more. John and Sue Gorzynski understand the magic of good, well-tended soil, healthy seed, clean water and sunlight. By utilizing age-old methods of crop rotation, fertilizing with seaweed and ground rocks and even allowing the land to lie fallow at times, they have been successfully growing crops without ever using any chemicals in any stage of production.

So, what does this mean to us? Well, do you want nutrition? This is where you get it. This is the food the "nutrition experts" talk about when they say that it doesn't exist anymore. Here is the best news for us, New Yorkers - Gorzynski Ornery Farm is at the Saturday Union Square Greenmaket from March through December.

Inspired by this fabulous bounty in the land of Wal-Mart and Pizza Hut, I created my all-time favorite brunch.


Layers of chard, green beans and new potatoes are topped with a couple of eggs, all buttery and salty. A bowl of red and orange tomatoes sprinkled with basil, chives and sea salt and dressed with olive oil and balsamic vinegar adds just the right burst of fresh flavor.

I sauteed the chard and green beans in raw butter and garlic, added a sprinkle of sea salt and parsley, and voila! The potatoes were roasted with onions, garlic, and bacon (thanks Paul!) in a 450-degree oven. The eggs were fried in some raw butter and sea salt just until the whites were cooked through and the yellows were still rich and liquid. And, it all took less than 30 minutes...beat that, Rachel!