September is peak pepper season at Greenmarket! Which means it’s time for what we’re terming the Annual Pepper Pilgrimage. Right when peppers hit their stride, customers from across the West Indian diaspora flock to @eckertonhillfarm’s stand from all corners of the city and beyond to get their pepper poundage on. Some folks even come from as far away as Toronto and Georgia! At first, when Eckerton Hill Farm joined the market 26 years ago, it was just a handful of folks who knew about Tim’s peppers. But word spread quickly and, each year, more and more people would make their way to Union Square to stock up each September. The main pepper they’re after? The grenadas. These gleaming golden peppers are seasoning peppers meaning they have little to no heat but boast BIG flavor. Think habaneros minus the heat with bright and smoky notes of apricot. They’re purchased by the case. If the grenadas are sold out, aji dulces are next best. It’s not just the seasoning peppers customers are stocking up on. Scotch Bonnets, Fatalis, and Wild Brazilian peppers are also bought by the pounds! 🔥 All the grenadas, as well as a handful of other varieties, are descended from a gift of peppers a customer gave Tim many moons ago (almost three decades to be exact). She wanted to see if he could grow them for her so, he harvested the seeds, planted them out, and began to bring them to market. Ever since, Tim and his team go through the painstaking process of saving the seeds each year. The extra work is worth it as it guarantees the integrity and flavor of the peppers season after season. Some customers even say his peppers are even better than anything they can find on the Islands! 🌶🌶🌶 Today, we met Linda, Leila, and Brenda who are from Jamaica, Trinidad, and St. Thomas Island respectively. They make their pepper pilgrimage once or twice a year from the Rockaways to stock up in a big way!Swipe through to hear about what they’re planning on making. #gmktnyc #grownyc