When I first walked up to a table covered in jars at the White Plains Farmers’ Market (held on Court Street between Main Street and Martine Avenue on Wednesdays), I asked the person behind the counter for a cracker so that I could taste one of the jellies or jams. That person was Lynne Goldman, and her reaction was priceless. “Just one?” She asked. “You’re going to need more than just one.”
It’s not often that finding something at a farmers’ market changes your entire view of a food category, but my outlook on jam was altered this week, and it’s because of Coyote Kitchen LLC, based in Cornwall-on-Hudson in Orange County and run by Goldman. And while it’s certainly odd (in Westchester anyway) to stumble across a weekday vendors’ gathering, let alone one that is packed, people from all over the growing metropolis were out in force in White Plains this past Wednesday to sample breads, fruits, vegetables, and ready-to-eat dishes from several local restaurants.
Goldman is a mad scientist, creating small batches in her own kitchen, which she describes as being about the size of the tent we were standing under (not very large). What makes her jams, jellies, and marmalades different is her creative mix of ingredients, including more than 20 different concoctions ranging from the ordinary, like peach or orange strawberry, to the incredibly different, like Hot Jumble (a spicy mix of sour cherries, blueberries, red jalapeños, and blackberries). Some other favorites included blueberry lavender, organic wild Maine blueberry, and mango strawberry banana.
An important element to the Coyote Kitchen story is batch sizes. Goldman sometimes produces as few as 20 jars of a variety and sells them at one of 10 different farmers’ markets, including Larchmont, Croton-on-Hudson, Piermont, and of course, White Plains. There’s almost nothing she won’t try, and that makes checking out Coyote Kitchen a must the next time they’re in your area.
