Farmer's India Market: A Culinary Destinationin Albany
If you’re looking for India ingredients, Farmer's India Market in Albany has it all. From its giant produce section to its bright, colorful aisles, which are meticulously stocked with spices, teas, jarred curries, and tons of sweet and savory snacks, it’s the most pristine, impeccably organized supermarket I’ve ever set foot inside. The vast frozen food section has a wide array of ready-to-heat fare and loads of intriguing desserts. The in-house halal butcher sits beside to a drink station serving fresh coconut water that’s served out of an actual coconut! Farmer's India Market also has an international aisle featuring an array of Nepali, Sri Lankan, Bangladeshi, Jamaican, and African products. It’s a wonderland for home cooks.
Based on all the love for Tamanna, the Catskills gas station serving Indian takeout, I thought you might be interested in taking some Indian flavors home. Or maybe you just need to stock up on rice? Dude, I’ve never such an awesome rice selection in my life.
Farmer's India Market in Albany has all the rice.
The supermarket, which has 4 other locations besides its Albany store, has tons of great-looking produce—all the standard stuff along with harder-to-find items, like giant whole jackfruit. (See photo below with Pete for scale!)
This pile of whole jackfruit is shown beside my 5’10” husband for scale.
Need Indian spices, snacks, sweets, or tea? They’ve got aisles and aisles of everything you could think of. Need rosewater or orange flower water? They’ve got all the brands—the biggest selection I’ve ever seen. I’ve never seen recipe that called for mint water or kewra water, but they’ve got those in stock, too. (I’m an Irish-Italian-American—not an expert on this cuisine—but I have a stack of Indian cookbooks and love cooking Indian food at home.)
Rosewater, orange flower water, mint water, and kewra water at Indian Farmer’s Market in Albany.
The Farmer's India Market has an in-house butcher offering fresh Zabiha halal meat and poultry, and the frozen food section is a destination in itself. I was drawn to the Italian Masala Paneer Double Decker (and I also think this could be fun a DJ duo name for me and my friend Harpreet! HA!) but alas, Pete and I were waiting to have our car serviced nearby and felt like frozen foods would melt into ickiness before we made it home. Totally buying this next time.
An Italian Masala flavored Paneer Double Decker at the Farmer's Indian Market.
And the fresh coconut water? When you order one, the cashier calls a guy to jab a young coconut with a knife, and then he hands it to you with a straw to carry around. It’s hydrating and delicious. It’s also fun to carry a coconut around.
“That’s a cute cup!” said one of the friendly employees of Capital Volvo service center (which I highly recommend) when we returned to pick up our car.
That’s me, in the early morning, living my best life, drinking out of a coconut in an Indian supermarket parking lot in Albany.
Our shopping included crunchy chickpeas and a delicious Indian snack mix that I sprinkled on salads. I picked up tamarind paste to make my favorite homemade salad dressing—a concoction that includes maple syrup, lime, fresh ginger, and cayenne pepper. We picked up several kinds of tea, digestive biscuits, plump, sweet dates, and a jar of green chutney to serve with chicken and rice.
Our shopping hall from the best Indian grocer near the Catskills.
Farmer’s India Market is located at 1814 Central Ave., Albany, NY; 518-869-2200. It is open every day from 9am to 9pm. For specials and sales, follow them on Instagram.
