Saturdays, rain or shine, 9am-3pm: Chelsea Farmers Market | Down to Earth Farmers Markets has once again put down roots in Chelsea (on W. 23rd St. near Ninth Ave.). By and large, it’s the same experience as it’s always been (fresh product, friendly people), albeit with a few notable nods to pandemic protocol: If you have not been fully vaccinated, please wear a face mask. There is no food sampling in the market, and all ready-to-eat food and drink must be consumed off site. If you have pre-ordered bring your order summary with you to speed pick up. For more info, click here for our preview of its opening day, May 15. Subscribe to the Down to Earth Farmers Market weekly newsletter by clicking here. In each newsletter, you will find the origin story of a certain product available for purchase. This week, Jaimie tells us about Kombucha.

Jaimie writes: “We’ve all seen it. That bubbly, probiotic beverage that seems to have popped up everywhere. Kombucha has become a staple in health food stores and farmers markets, including Down to Earth Farmers Markets. Drinking Kombucha can help deliver antioxidants, can kill harmful bacteria, and is also rich in beneficial probiotics.”

But what exactly is Kombucha?

“Kombucha,” Jaimie notes, “is a fermented tea drink that’s made by placing a mixture of bacteria and yeast into sweetened black, white, green, or Oolong tea. Maybe a glassful of bacteria doesn’t exactly appeal to your tastebuds, but it’s these bacteria where kombucha gets its nutritional punch. When brewing Kombucha, the beverage needs to go through two fermentation phases. The first fermentation phase typically takes around 7-12 days, though some brewers like to go longer. When the bacteria and yeast are combined with the sweetened tea, they digest the sweetened tea and produce byproducts like acetic acid (as well as other healthful acids) in the process. This bacteria and yeast mixture is called a symbiotic colony of bacteria and yeast (SCOBY for short). This mixture sits in the tea for a few weeks and what’s left is an unflavored, slightly sweet, slightly tart bubbly tea. During the second fermentation, the kombucha tea is flavored and bottled in a sealed container for around 2-4 days at room temperature to create carbonation. So, if you’ve never given Kombucha a try, there’s no time like the present! If you’re already on board, click here to check out the Down to Earth Kombucha vendors.”

Sundays at 11am: Free, In-Person, Historic Flatiron Walking Tours | The Flatiron Partnership (the area’s soon-to-expand BID) has marked another milestone in NYC’s return to “normalcy” (in a town like this, that word always needs quotes), now that their brick and mortar tour of the Flatiron area has returned. The tours tells you all about iconic area structures including the Flatiron Building, New York Life Insurance Building, MetLife Clock Tower, and Appellate Courthouse. Having gone online during the pandemic, a rotating trio of historians will return to earth, so to speak, to lead the tours: Miriam Berman, author of Madison Square: The Park and Its Celebrated Landmarks and New York in Words and Images, a book of New York postcards; Mike Kaback, a native New Yorker; and, Fred Cookinham, author of The Age of Rand: Imagining an Objectivist Future World. The tours take place weekly, Sundays at 11am. For info, click here.

Through Sept. 22 at Hudson Guild’s Gallery II, The Portrait Project: Paintings of Hudson Guild Community Members by Rusty Zimmerman | As we noted in this recent article, Chelsea’s vital community center is back in the brick and mortar business, having resumed live theatrical performances and, with this exhibit, gallery viewings. See the below flyer for details, and click here to visit the Hudson Guild website.
Through Aug. 27, Sunset on the Hudson Concerts | This annual series showcasing local musicians takes place throughout Hudson River Park’s 4-mile footprint. Last week’s July 21 show at Pier 26, featuring Alsarah and the Nubatones, kicked off the 2021 series. On Thurs., Aug. 4, both the performer is  Zach Comtois at Pier 64. Fri., Aug. 13 at Pier 45, it’s Yasser Tejeda. Thurs., Aug. 19 at Clinton Cove, it’s the High & Mighty Brass Band. The series closes out on Fri., Aug. 27, at 14th Street Park. For the series’ page on Hudson River Park website, click here.

THE WEEK THAT WAS: “Aged Out” Events from Earlier This Week

Tues., Aug. 3, 12-6pm: The 10th Precinct Observes National Night Out | Join the police officers of Chelsea’s 10th Precinct and its Community Council, as well as and NYPD Housing PSA 4 for a BBQ, live DJ, games, and more. At W. 17th St. btw. 9th & 10th Aves. (Fulton Houses). See the below flyer for details. For general info about the 13th Precinct, including its Community Council and Build the Block meetings, click here. On Twitter: @NYPD10Pct.

Tues., Aug. 3, 5-8pm: The 13th Precinct’s National Night Out | As with the above event, this one (from the NYPD precinct that protects certain easternmost parts of Chelsea) puts its own hyperlocal spin on National Night Out, and invites all to attend. See the below flyer for details. For general info about the 13th Precinct, including its Community Council and Build the Block meetings, click here. On Twitter: @NYPD13Pct.

—Event Listings Compiled by Scott Stiffler

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