Small North Jersey town offers big farmers market

Naturally raised whole chickens are $4.75 a pound today at this stand in Closter.

All of the empanadas are available with gluten-free dough.

Closter is a small North Jersey town with about 3,500 people and two faded shopping centers, Closter Plaza and Closter Commons.

But on Sundays, a farmers market blossoms at Closter Commons -- more than two dozen stands offering naturally raised meat, poultry and eggs; prepared food, produce and so much more.

Fresh artisan bread, preserves, sauces and apple-pie filling are among the items offered today at 28 stands. 

I drive to Closter every 5 weeks or so for a haircut at the Dongyang Barber Shop, one of the many Korean businesses in the two shopping centers.

Mr. Park, the owner, cuts my hair with a scissor, shaves my sideburns and the back of my neck with a razor, and vacuums my head to catch stray hairs.


Closter Farmers Market, Piermont Road and Vervalen Street, in Closter Commons. Open Sundays from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Closter Dongyang Barber Shop, 570 Piermont Road, Unit C-7 in Closter Commons; 201-767-4541. Open 8:30 a.m. to 8 p.m., closed Wednesdays.

They are like no other empanadas

If you live in North Jersey, you've probably eaten plenty of Colombian, Peruvian and Cuban empanadas, not to mention Jamaican patties, Syrian spinach pies and other hand-held delights.

But I am sure you've never eaten anything like the oversized, delicious, dough-wrapped treats from Julia's Empanadas in Washington, D.C., our first stop during our road trip. These empanadas are hand-made, with beautifully turned edges and an eggwash, and each filling has its own distinct shape. I had to park two blocks away from the unassuming takeout shop in the Adams-Morgan neighborhood, but it was worth the hassle.

We enjoyed empanadas filled with chorizo, spinach and cheese, Jamaican-style jerk chicken and Indian-style curry chicken. We also had the daily vegetarian empanada. Each was priced at $3.41. The closest I've found in North Jersey is the empanada stuffed with ground beef, half of a hard-boiled egg and raisins at Pollos El Chevere, the Peruvian rotisserie-chicken place in Passaic.

On the take-out trail in Englewood

Englewood is known for its restaurants, but it's also a great place for take-out -- Korean dumplings, French pastry, Jamaican jerk chicken and more.

Yesterday, I started a the farmer's market near the old train station, picking up Jersey tomatoes, bi-color corn and peaches at the Alstede Farms stand. My next stop was Balthazar Bakery on South Dean Street, where I bought a dozen assorted dinner rolls, a baguette and a crispy pissladiere.

About a half a mile south of the bakery is Jerry's Gourmet, where the free lunch lives. I sampled a half-dozen different full-fat cheeses (which I rarely eat), luxurious prosciutto di Parma, bread and toast before I purchased one of Jerry's incredible $6.99 dinners (shrimp, rosemary roast chicken and three vegetable sides), a Neapolitan pizza with vegetables and prosciutto-mozzarella bread (the last two for the freezer). With my wife and son away, there was no need to visit Ashanti's for jerk chicken, Gaboh Inc. for kimchi, Mandoo Inc. for dumplings or the Broadway Coffee Shop for Colombian empanadas.

For dinner, I started with the pissladiere, a pizza with a thin, crackling crust, caramelized sweet onions and four white anchovies radiating out from a black olive in the center. Then I heated the side dishes from the Jerry's dinner: sauteed escarole with beans, green beans with pine nuts and dried cranberries, and a stuffed artichoke, and ate them with some baguette. I also steamed the two small ears of corn (which weren't sweet). I finished with a small sandwich of the rosemary roast chicken.