Union Square Greenmarket

To everyone's valuable suggestions I would add Rock Hill Bakery's incredible bread--I recommend the whole wheat sour dough, peasant bread and chocolate-cherry bread (makes awesome toast), Quattro's poultry stand--one of my faves, top-quality chicken, duck, goose, pheasant, etc.,amazing pheasant sausage (I prefer the sweet to the hot) and the freshest eggs this city slicker has ever had--they are huge, with enormous deep gold yolks and when you break one, the white stands up in a collar round the yolk, which I'm told is the sign of a truly fresh egg, and Little Rainbow Chevre, especially the aged cheeses. Next to the pretzel stand (west side), on Saturdays anyway, is a purveyor of exquisite organic greens--recent successes have been baby spinach and arugula and pea shoots--but talk about attitude! The folks who run this stand are so blase and world-weary that it's a wonder they do anything so uncool as acknowledge you--could it be so they may relieve you of the $16 per pound they get for their jewel-like offerings? Best cut flowers are from the folks who park their truck right by the manager's stand--everything they sell is unbelievably expensive, but I've had lilies from them that have lasted almost two weeks.