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Published: 25 July 2013

Created: 25 July 2013

Last Updated: 25 July 2013

Hits: 16739

Who doesn't love a farmers market? Lucky for us, the farmers' markets in our area are packed with everything from Italian flat beans to fresh seasonal eggs from hens on a natural biological clock. Just about the only thing you won't find in the markets are Cronut™, but then again, that might be a good thing. Two markets are new this year: New Rochelle's Grand Market, held Saturdays on the Library Green at Lawton Street; and Ridge Hill's, held Fridays in the Whole Foods parking lot in the Ridge Hill shopping complex. Also, one change and one loss: Stone Barn's market is now open only on Sundays; and Scarsdale no longer has a farmers market (a mixture of town politics and the endless construction). An alternative to the Scarsdale Farmers' Market is Ramsey's Farm, 17 Ramsey Road (914) 723-3817. The market is open 9:00 am-6:00 pm every day and has a wide variety of seasonal vegetables and plants. So, come out, support our farmers at these local markets and get some great fresh produce.

Wednesdays

Irvington: 3:30 pm-7:30 pm, Main Street School parking lot (110 Main St). irvingtonfarmersmarket.net. Vendors include Big Girl Baking Co., Chutney Masala Bistro, DoughNation, Dutch Desserts, Spice Revolution, Flourish Baking Company, Honey Locust Farm House, Mr. G's rotisserie chicken, and Penny Lick Ice Cream.

White Plains: 8:00 am-4:00 pm, Court Street between Martine Avenue and Main Street. A relatively small market but one worth visiting if you are in downtown White Plains. Vendors include North Winds Lavender Farm, Chatham Brewing, Robibero Winery, Conte's Quality Seafood, and Mead Orchard.

Fridays

Dobbs Ferry: 10:00 am-4:00 pm, corner of Cedar Street and Main. www.dobbsferryfarmersmarket.com. Vendors include Westchester Greenhouses & Farm, Big Girl Baking Co., M&M Italian Provisions, Olive Oils of the World, and Mike the Cheese Guy.

New Rochelle: 8:30 am-2:30 pm, Huguenot Park, near Iona College, www.downtoearthmarkets.com. Vendors include: Alex's Tomato Farm, Dagele Brothers Produce, Meredith's Bread, Raghoo Farms, and Tierra Farm.

Yonkers, Ridge Hill: 11:00 am-7:00 pm. www.downtoearthmarkets.com. A substantial market with weekly tastings, cooking demonstrations and children's activities. Vendors include Baked by Susan, Eden Farms Greenhouses, Go-Go Pops, Ladle of Love, Little Seed Gardens, Mead Orchards, Migliorelli Farms, Naturally Sweet Desserts, Pickle Licious. Each week, a restaurant from Ridge Hill cooks up some of its specialties using fresh, local produce from the farmers market. On July 26, Havana Central will be cooking and offering free samples from 4:00 pm-6:00 pm using heirloom tomatoes.

Saturdays

Bronxville: 8:30 am-1 pm, Stone Place at Paxton Avenue. www.bronxvillechamber.com. Vendors include Aunt Vicky's Bickys (homemade dog treats), Bambino's Ravioli & Fresh Pasta Company, Central Bakery Artisan Oven (specialty and stuffed breads; pizza; pasta sauce and seasonal soups), Do-Re-Me Farms (mushrooms, vegetables & melons), Laura Ferraro (fresh cut flowers), The Gourmet Butter Company, and Kontoulis Family Olive Oil.

Chappaqua: 8:30 am-1:00 pm, Chappaqua Train Station. chappaquafarmersmarket.org. Vendors include Clean Ridge Soap, Coach Farm, Cowberry Crossing Farm, Flourish Baking, Gaia's Breath, Honey Locust Farm, Hudson Valley Duck, Hummingbird Ranch, Joe's Mozzarella, Kings Roaming Angus, Picklicious, The Pie Lady and Son, Pura Vida Fishery, Pure Food Sisters, Raghoo Farms, Ready Set Sharp, Renee's Jams, Rich Brownies, Savor Cookies, Spice Revolution, Stone Barns, Taiim Falafel, Tierra Nut Farm. Arrive early to get fresh eggs, which sell out quickly.

Hartsdale: 8:00 am-3 pm, Hartsdale Train Station parking lot. Vendors include Scotty's County Kitchen, Bread Alone Bakery, and Regar's Natural Soap. There is usually a wide selection of cut flowers.

Hastings-on-Hudson: 8:30 am-1:30 pm, Hastings Library parking lot, 7 Maple Ave. Live music every week, kids yoga, arts and crafts. Vendors include Bombay Emerald Chutney Co., Bistro du Soleil, Bread Alone, Buddhapesto, Clean Ridge Soap Co., Chatham Brewery, Central Bakery, Cowberry Crossing, Dutch Desserts, Flourish Baked Goods, Gaia's Breath Farm, Grammy's Gardens, Guyank Hot and Sweet Pepper Sauces, Hastings Station Cafe, Honey Locust Farm House, Hudson Valley Duck Farm, Hummingbird Ranch, Lasagna Preziosa, and Let it Bee Honey. You can also get cooked to order pizza at the market.

Larchmont: 8:30 am-1 pm, municipal parking lot off Chatsworth Avenue, near the Larchmont train station. Enter on Myrtle Boulevard. www.downtoearthmarkets.com, Vendors include: American Pride Seafood, Bombay Emerald Chutney Co., Coach Farm, Dr. Pickle, Eden Farms Greenhouses, Gaia's Breath Farm, Kiernan Farm, Kontoulis Family Olive Oil, Lani's Farm, Maura & Nuccia, Migliorelli Farm, Newgate Farms, Orchards of Concklin, Orwasher's Bakery, Plates (prepared food), Stone & Thistle Farm, and Sugar and Spice (prepared foods, baked goods). In season now include purple top turnips, black radishes, chioggia beets (also known as candy cane beets), Italian flat beans and Asian eggplant.
New Rochelle: 9:00 am-2:00 pm, Library Green (Lawton Street). www.NewRochelleGrandMarket.com. More than 16 vendors offering a wide range of produce and fruits, specialty foods, fish, breads, baked goods, cheese, pickles, NYS wines and microbrews, along with services such as knife sharpening, and unique artisanal products like soap, flavored oils and custom-blended spices. Search out the Mexican herb epazote from Acevedo's Farm (Middletown, NY). This herb is traditionally used in soups and quesadillas and offers a light anise and cilantro flavor. Try it for a more sophisticated cheese panini.

Pleasantville: 8:30 am-1:00 pm, Memorial Plaza (next to the train station). www.pleasantvillefarmersmarket.org. Pleasantville-based Foodchester Inc., a local non-profit, runs this market, the county's largest. Some of the more than 50 vendors include Aba's Falafel, Adair Vineyards, All You Knead Artisan Bakers, Bobolink Dairy & Bakehouse (cow's milk cheeses and rustic breads), Captain Lawrence Brewing Company, Conant Valley Jams, Cowberry Crossing Farm, Drink More Good (teas and natural sodas), Dutch Desserts, Go-Go Pops, Hudson Valley Duck Farm, J&A Farm, Krazy for Kazu's (Japanese sauces), Spice Revolution, The Amazing Real Live Food Company (probiotic cheeses and ice cream), The Butterfield Farm Company (goat cheeses and yogurt), and The Peanut Principle.

Sundays

Katonah at Muscoot Farm: 10:00 am-3 pm, 51 Route 100, www.muscootfarm.org. Vendors include: All You Knead Artisan Bakers, Bistro DuSoleil Fine Foods, Bombay Emerald Chutney Company, Bongo & Capacci Pasta, Clean Ridge Soap Company, Conte's Fish Market, Dutch Desserts, Gluten Free Dessert Kitchen, Healthway Farms, Hudson Milk, Hummingbird Ranch, JohnBoy's Farm, Kontoulis Family Olive Oil, Kiernan Farm, Krazy for Kazu, Madura Farms, Meredith's Bread, Newgate Farms, North Winds Farm, and PickleLicious. Pick up a bushel of cherries, an under-acknowledged super-fruit packed with antioxidants, anti-inflammatory agents, and 19 times more vitamin A than blueberries. For homemade kirsch, infuse one bottle of brandy with one cup of cherries and a half cup of sugar. Let stand in a sterilized glass container for one month in the refrigerator.

Rye: 8:30 am-2 pm, parking lot behind Purchase St. stores, www.downtoearthmarkets.com. Vendors include Bombay Emerald Chutney Co., Dr. Pickle, Feather Ridge Farm, Kontoulis Family Olive Oil, Maura & Nuccia, Meredith's Bread, Migliorelli Farm, New York Beef Co., Newgate Farms, Our Daily Bread, Pika's Farm Table, Tierra Farm, and Valley Shepherd Creamery.

Pocantico Hills: Stone Barn Farm, 10:00 am-4:00 pm, 630 Bedford Road. www.stonebarnfarm.org. Every Sunday come for farm-fresh Stone Barns produce, meat and eggs. Baked goods from Red Barn Bakery and assorted dairy products from Real Life Amazing Food Co. round out the offerings. Meat and eggs are now available in the Farm Store, during regular Center hours: Wednesday-Sunday from 10:00 AM - 5 PM. Stone Barn Farm runs CSA (Community Supported Agriculture), a farm share program that creates a closer relationship between farm and community. CSA members have access to vegetables not available anywhere else, including trial varieties from Stone Barn's collaborative seed breeding partnerships including Hansel and Gretel eggplant, Shimonita and Rosa Lunga di Tropea onions, Orazio fennel, Red Ace beets, Mokum carrots. So inquire about joining while you are visiting the farm.

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Published: 01 August 2013

Created: 01 August 2013

Last Updated: 01 August 2013

Hits: 5621

We received terrific feedback from the piece we posted last week, called "What's Eating You," about the tone of comments on Scarsdale10583. We thank our supporters, welcome the critics and continue to enjoy the discourse. Here are a few of the interesting responses we received:

Comment #1: Just went on to Scarsdale10583 and read what you wrote about some of the negative comments you've received. Just remember that people who are happy are less likely to tell you. You've developed a great site with interesting and informative content. I look forward to reading it each week and I'm sure many other Scarsdale residents do as well.

Comment #2: Hi – I wanted to thank you for your piece, "What's Eating You." In particular, I wanted to make two points:

1) I know that many, many friends in town greatly appreciate all of your hard work and effort on Scarsdale10583.com. While it's always an excellent source of community news, it was particularly valuable during the Sandy aftermath, which was greatly appreciated.
2) I'm particularly glad you commented on the tone in many of these anonymous comments. It is disgraceful that adults feel they can address their neighbors in this way, whether they disagree vehemently or not! Of course, these anonymous comments, while incredibly impolite, are also cowardly! Consider changing your policy to either require people to use their real names or enabling you to delete uncivil comments (I recognize neither is a perfect solution – maybe an online reader poll on the best way to address the problem?). Anonymity on the internet has promoted a greater coarsening in society, unfortunately, and I'm glad you spoke up to address the issue.

Comment #3: My mother, who passed away this week at the age of 92, always said "if you can't put you name on it, don't say it". She never went on the Internet or read a blog, but just maybe she knew more than we do about living a civil life in a wonderful community.

Comment #4: As a usual anonymous poster, here's my issue: I want people to know that among you are people who disagree with the median opinion... who AREN'T Democrats, who support gun rights, who believe in G-d, who oppose affirmative action and race/religion/culture/sexual orientation laws. You (the generic "you") should know that in your midst are educated, intelligent, honest, fair neighbors who didn't vote for Obama, don't like school testing, oppose high taxes, and are horrified by the invasions of privacy sanctioned by the government.

But I don't post my name, and have no intention of changing that. My work colleagues, neighbors, clients, other community contacts don't need to see my name published. Rather, they - and the rest of the community - should know people like me exist. But you don't need to know who I am. You just need to know that you can't assume the person you are speaking with agrees with what you're saying. And let me say - as a staunch conservative in a Blue state, that is an assumption I have to make all the time.

You are absolutely entitled to post strong opinion pieces. It's your website, after all, and you should be able to use this forum to express yourself. And... set rules for the replies (no direct insults, no curses, no "outing" people, etc); and be sure to respect the privacy of your neighbors and friends whenever possible. For ex: it wasn't news to publish the names of persons with handgun permits. It was just an invasion of privacy. But don't be surprised when people respond accordingly.

(Editor's Note: Scarsdale10583 did not publish the names of people with gun permits. Those appeared in the Journal News.)

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Published: 17 July 2013

Created: 17 July 2013

Last Updated: 17 July 2013

Hits: 3884

On Wednesday July 11th, the Scarsdale Board of Trustees and Robert DeGiorgio of Dvirka and Bartilucci Engineers met once again with residents to discuss, and hopefully agree upon a "modified modified" plan to mitigate the stormwater issues in the Fenway Golf Club Area.

For those unenlightened, the Fenway Golf Club Area, or critical Sub-Drainage Area SR 3, has been deemed a FEMA flood hazard area. These flood areas are determined using statistical analyses of records of river flow, storm tides, rain fall, information obtained through consultation with the community, floodplain topographic surveys, and hydrologic and hydraulic analyses. Due to its particularly low elevation of 225 feet, all 271 acres of the Fenway area are deemed a flood plain. But some specific areas within SR 3, namely Canterbury and Cayuga Road, are particularly vulnerable to flooding issues because of their proximity to Cayuga Pond, which tends to overflow and flood during intense storm events.

During the most recent meeting between the Board of Trustees, D&B Engineers and the residents of this area, neighbors shared stories and pictures of their own personal battles with excess storm water, arguing over who had the highest water level in their basement, almost as if it were a contest. To someone who hasn't dealt with much flooding, I was dumbfounded when I heard that during the last intense storm event, two different residents each reported finding a snapping turtle in their basement. However, I was alone in my bewilderment. These residents are so accustomed to dealing with these flood issues that none were even fazed. Seconds later, another resident shared a picture of his backyard, which looked virtually identical to a swamp. Once again, I was alone in my enthrallment.

Despite their novelty to me, these flooding issues are certainly not breaking news, as the Village has been battling excess storm water since 2004, when they first retained engineers Dvirka and Bartilucci (D&B) following a Storm Water Drainage Condition Survey. Five years later, in 2009, D& B formulated the 2009 Comprehensive Storm water Management Plan, which proposed certain modifications to the current drainage structure. Since then, there have been dozens of alterations to these plans, particularly for the Fenway area.

During the previous meeting on May 14th, D&B proposed the "Modified Plan." This plan focused on improving water flow from Cayuga Pond into the open watercourses along Cayuga and Canterbury Roads to the culvert at Canterbury Road. The plan was for Cayuga Pond to be converted from a recreational pond into a storm water detention basin to manage excess storm water runoff. Another aspect of this modified plan was improvement of the culverts (drain pipes that allow water to flow under roads) on Cayuga and Canterbury Road. These improved culverts were meant to allow for better water flow and balance through the piping systems.

While this proposal seemed to show promise, much of the work involved needed to be implemented on private property and restrictive deeds and covenants obligate the homeowners to underwrite a portion of the project. In addition, some residents just simply did not agree with the logistics of the plan and felt it would not provide sufficient stormwater mitigation.

In response, the Village Board of Trustees decided to hold another meeting last Wednesday in hopes of reaching a consensus on the newest "Modified Modified Plan." Currently, the open watercourse is impacted with sediment accumulation that needs to be removed in order for the depth of water flow to be where it should be. There are 8 inches of pocket sandbars, which limits the capacity of the pipe to carry water at peak flows. This limits the ability of the system to drain significantly. So in order to increase the systems draining ability, the Village felt that the best option is to create an open channel, allowing water to flow in to the system on the opposite side of the road, as well as continue down the middle, thus creating a balancing effect. Currently, water on Canterbury Road takes a sharp 90-degree bend and enters a manhole, which is creating the water backup. By having water cut straight across the road with an open channel, you allow water to flow across the street and disperse more evenly in a more natural pattern. Simply put, there would be two paths for the water to flow, rather than one, thus giving the system capacity to receive more water. In addition, there will be a large grate spanning across Canterbury road, so one will actually be able to see inside the watercourse. This makes the system easy to inspect and clean out, which is important when considering the amount of sediment in the culverts. In addition, this plan involves Village engineers performing hydrostatic analysis on the system down stream to see if there is potential to capture some detention in the village owned property by the medical center.

An important distinction between this "Modified Modified Plan" and the previous "Modified Plan" is that this one deliberately does not involve private property. The village does not want to perform any structural modification to private homes because that would raise a plethora of new financial and legal issues. That could ultimately delay this process even further, and it could take another two years before any changes are made. To avoid this, the village plans to work solely on public infrastructure, curb line to curb line, within their right of way. Despite various concerns and differing opinions, everyone agreed to move ahead with this project, which is expected to begin next spring.

While everyone was relieved to reach a consensus, which was necessary in order to get construction started by spring, many residents remain cautious and concerned. They are happy that SOMETHING is finally being done to mitigate flooding in their neighborhood, but many wonder if that something is enough.

With these modifications, the system should be able to withstand a mild storm that produces about 3-3.5 inches of rain, without any major flooding issues. However, residents are still concerned about larger storm events. The Village recognized this concern, stating that they do anticipate positive results with moderate storm events, but realize that large storm events (which produce 6+ inches of rain) will likely still cause some flooding.

With the looming threat of continued flooding from large storms, residents were anxious to expand this project to private property in order to increase their homes defense against flooding. Some residents were willing to spearhead working with the village to have all residents private streambeds cleaned out, which would make a big difference in terms of peak water elevation and flow. Keeping them clean on a regular basis would help immensely in terms of flooding. The village stated that they would gladly work with all the homeowners to come up with a plan like this in the near future. But as for right now, they feel that this modified modified plan is holistically positive for the entire watershed and will yield a massive improvement because the improved flow won't allow a for a backup of water.