On the morning of Saturday, May 14th, just as the high school team was pushing off for their time trials at the New York State Junior Rowing Championship, the middle school girls were headed to the Union Square Green Market to explore the realm of healthy, locally grown produce.
During their wanderings at the market, the girls sampled sheep’s milk cheese, sipped hot cider, spoke to a farmer about the health benefits of grass fed beef, and marveled at the size and color of emu eggs (they are huge and dark green!), among many other agricultural adventures. Seasonal produce they found in abundance included asparagus, radishes, ramps, fragrant lilacs, and a leafy green called lovage, which they learned is packed with vitamin A, iron, and beta keratin.
After an hour’s walk around the market, the girls traveled back to the Row New York office for a “Chefs in the Erg Room” cooking class. In a cooking lesson led by rower and Row New York volunteer Sarah Johnson, the girls used Green Market produce and a portable stove to make pasta primavera with fresh asparagus, mushrooms, and green onions, and a sauce of apples and rhubarb, which they had for desert with vanilla ice cream. Special thanks to Sarah for the cooking instruction and delicious recipes!
