The Greenmarket Challenge: Day 8

Rather than supplementing my Greenmarket purchases with purchases from the supermarket as I usually do, I bough all of my purchases from the Greenmarket this week. I set myself a budget of $110, which is only slightly more than what I normally spend for two weeks of groceries. Keep in mind that this budget will cover my breakfasts, lunches, and dinner for the next 12 days; that's $11 a day, a fair budget considering my average lunch in midtown Manhattan is $8. I have allowed myself some leg room to use ingredients such as grains, sauces, and garlic that I already had on hand, but other than that necessary allowance, my entire diet for the week will consist of local foods. Follow along with me as I document local my meals over the next twelve days of my Greenmarket Challenge.

Day 8

Breakfast: Strawberries, yogurt, and honey

Lunch: Spinach salad with hard boiled Knoll Crest egg, sugar snap peas, and roasted asparagus

Dinner: Roast spare ribs from Flying Pigs Farm, sauteed kale with onions, polenta

As if I didn't already get my pork fix at the Big Apple Barbecue Block Party this weekend, I decided to cook my spare ribs from Flying Pigs Farm for the eighth day of my Greenmarket Challenge. I chose this meal more out of necessity-- the ribs were the only meat from the Greenmarket remaining in my refrigerator-- than out of a desire for more pork fat. Nonetheless, they made for an excellent dinner, with the Italian-ish spice mixture I rubbed on them making these ribs very different from the sweet and spicy pork I had stuffed my face with all weekend.

I rubbed the spare ribs with a mixture of salt, pepper, and sage, and roasted them at 325F for 75 minutes. Unfortunately, my camera battery died at the dinner table, so I have no pictures to commemorate the 8th day of the Greenmarket Challenge.