"Step into the sprawling Halal Pastures stand on the primo northern end of Union Square on a Wednesday and it's like stepping into a whole different Greenmarket. Colorful signs over heaped-high greens and herbs and squash and peppers spell out names, flavors, uses, and prices. Hindi pop or Egyptian oud will be playing over the speakers. The farmers and vendors are wearing kufis and hijabs, winding up and down the aisles to offer samples."
"While home cooks are picking out ginger and cucamelons to use at home, you'll hear "Hi, chef - how was Egypt?" "Hi, chef - what did you catch last weekend?" "Hi, chef - how has your kid been acting?" Someone else will enter the stand to explain, "I'm opening a bar with a vegetable-forward menu" and then ask "Do you run accounts?""
"As a 40-something-year devotee of the city's Greenmarkets, I've been fascinated by Halal Pastures ever since it unfurled a small tent on the southwest corner of the square two years ago, and not just because the produce is extraordinary. What struck me was its combination of varied produce with their clear sense of purpose: "Always halal, always organic." This is still a city, after all, that once tried to shut down a mosque near Ground Zero."
Halal Pastures occupies the northern end of Union Square as a lively market stand offering a wide range of organic, halal-certified produce. The stand combines colorful signage, pastoral imagery, and music such as Hindi pop and Egyptian oud to create a village-like atmosphere. Farmers and vendors wear kufis and hijabs and circulate the aisles offering samples and tailored produce bundles for home cooks and restaurant chefs doing R&D. The stand preserves delicate greens with misters and sells specialty items like cucamelons, multiple cilantro varieties, and many lettuces. Married farmers Samer Saleh and Diane Aboushi Saleh began the operation in 2015 on just half an acre an hour north of the city.
Read at Grub Street
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