Celebrating Food Revolution Day in New York at GoogaMooga & Grand Army Plaza Greenmarket

Recently I was in New York City for one week, attending a conference, a food and music festival, and just roaming around discovering food. My previous blog post was about Food Revolution Day, the world wide celebration about standing up for real food and the event going on in Central Florida. Since I was out of town that Saturday, I was able to experience Food Revolution Day in New York in my own way. That day I was going to a food and music festival at Prospect Park in Brooklyn, NY. Walking into The Great GoogaMooga Festival, I discovered there was a booth dedicated to Food Revolution Day.

 


photo taken by fellow Foodspotting Ambassador Meng (click image to enlarge)

The Food Revolution Day booth presented some information about the movement, with a person taking photos and video. Someone from the booth took a photo of me for a website and filmed me speaking about “what food revolution day means to me”, but I have no idea where it ended up. Hopefully I will find it and I will post a link.

 

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The Food Revolution Booth was set up in the UrBARN area of the festival. There were food related demos that were available for people to watch.

 

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A large crowd was around for this demo, educating people on the process of butchering a pig. The entire crowd was able to watch with the mirror above the station. click image for a closer look…

 

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The UrBARN was just one of many areas of the GoogaMooga festival. The rest of the festival featured food from NYC restaurants and chefs, with lots of food and craft beer available to buy and consume. Full event coverage coming soon from GoogaMooga, with more educational food demonstrations, food celebrities, and food photos from the ExtraMooga part of the festival. For now, let’s skip back to…

An hour previous to GoogaMooga…

 

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I took a cab to Prospect Park in Brooklyn, NY where The Great GoogaMooga was taking place. I was dropped off in the North end of the park at the Grand Army Plaza Greenmarket. Unexpectedly, this is where my Food Revolution Day started off. I was greeted by a wonderful local Farmers Market filled with local produce and products. So on my way to walking to the festival, I got a chance to explore the market…

 

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Find the Grand Army Plaza Greenmarket on Facebook and Twitter. A great stop if you are in Brooklyn on a Saturday morning during the warm season. If I had more time in New York, I would have definitely purchased some of the goods at this Farmers Market to enjoy. Lots of local vegetables grown in the New York and New Jersey area.

Want to know what’s in season or what may be the featured seasonal item at your local restaurant? Explore your local Farmers Markets and see what is currently being harvested and sold. It sounds obvious, but many people who like to dine out don’t really get a chance to explore what’s in season in their area. A perfect place to shop for those who love to cook and looking for the freshest ingredients.

 

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At the TECHmunch NYC conference the day before, a panel informed us that mommy bloggers are the ones who made Kale popular. True story.

 

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Booths with local artisan products, like the one above selling organic whole grain breads, are available at your local Farmers Market. Buy local and support your local businesses.

 

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Fresh produce and artisan bread are not the only items found at your local Farmers Market. Many animal products such as farm fresh eggs, local dairy cheeses, and locally butchered meats are readily available.

 

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This Scarborough Fields Herbs booth featured fresh local herbs.

 

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Walking around the Grand Army Plaza Greenmarket was my impromptu start in celebrating Food Revolution Day. The choice to find locally sourced produce and make it a part of my current diet is something that I am already doing at home. Next time you shop for food, consider a local Farmers Market for your fruits, vegetables, and produce. It’s a start down a good path for eating healthier and eating local. Whether you’re in your local area or visiting from out of town, there’s always a choice for eating local when you can.

Check out photos from the Slow Food Orlando Facebook page gallery during the Food Revolution Day in Orlando at the Winter Park Urban Farm.

So that’s my story for Food Revolution Day in New York. From the Grand Army Plaza Greenmarket to The Great GoogaMooga festival. It was a long day, but a fun day. Stay tuned for more coverage from GoogaMooga… See the photos from Foodspotting’s recap.

 
Words and photos by Julius Mayo Jr.
Content and photos © Droolius.com 2012

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