Author: Kacie Cotter-Harrigan
What a Grate Plate!
Hello my Foodie Friends!
Over the holiday season, a very dear friend Laurie, shared with me a wonderful gift her daughter (who lives in Oregon) had purchased for her. Laurie was raving about how this item, a grate plate, was such a “great plate” that she used for so many items to grate nutmeg, ginger, garlic, cheese (to name a few) and how beautiful the stoneware colors are. This “cool tool” has now become available for us to offer in our store. The grate plate is a gadget that is made in the state of Oregon. The plate is a ceramic grating plate used to easily grate garlic, ginger, peppers, nutmeg, chocolate, pickles for relish, hard cheeses, and so much more into a fine puree unlocking all of the flavor. It is perfect for making and serving variety of sauces, dips, marinades and gravies! The graters are handmade with stoneware ceramic using food safe clay and glazes. Stoneware is extremely durable, easy to clean and is also dishwasher safe.
The grate plate’s grating surface is softer on your hands so you won’t cut your fingers or knuckles like you could on a traditional metal grater. The plate is made of durable, dishwasher safe stoneware ceramic so it’s easy to clean. The hexagonal shape is intended to fit comfortably in your hand while grating your food of choice.
The Grate Plate is easy to use. Just moisten the grate plate with water or oil. Hold the root of garlic clove and move in any direction to generate a fine garlic paste. Grate your garlic, mix with olive oil, and serve with fresh bread for an easy crowd-pleasing dip.
This 3-piece set includes: one handmade ceramic Grater Plate (4.5” diameter), one silicone garlic peeler, and one wooden handled gathering brush to easily transfer grated foods to your recipe.
Beauty meets function. The presentation-worthy plate combines functionality with a polished finish, making it a perfect gift for hosts, home cooks, or anyone who appreciates a beautifully made and useful kitchen tool. Stop by Compliments to the Chef, your Neighborhood Kitchen and Cutlery store to get those “cool tools” for cooks. Remember my foodie friends, “Life Happens in the Kitchen.”
Take Care,
John & Paula
Local Bakers Continue to Offer Quality Goods
Chocolate croissants, cinnamon rolls, coconut rum cakes, and blueberry scones are just a handful of the freshly made baked goods you can find at the Saratoga Farmers’ Market every Saturday. With choices like these, you can’t go wrong picking a treat to enjoy throughout the week, if it even lasts that long.
The farmers’ market has many talented bakers that bring their ‘from scratch’ goods to sell you each week. There is something for everyone’s taste and necessity, from decadent desserts like triple chocolate teacake from The Chocolate Spoon to wholesome bread like fresh honey oat bread from Kokinda Farm.
Mrs. London’s bakery offers fresh croissants, pastries, bread, and scones at the farmers’ market. Their recipes are rooted in the French culinary tradition and have been perfected over decades to bring you authentic and traditional baked creations from scratch using high-quality ingredients.
The Chocolate Spoon has irresistible baked goods with distinct flavors and unique combinations. Owner Marcie Place has spent years perfecting her classic recipes like banana chocolate chip muffins and chocolate chip cookies, but she never stops experimenting with her baking. Try something new like a sour cream coffee cake with maple glaze or chocolate-orange chocolate chip cookies.
Goodway Gourmet is famous for its Caribbean rum cakes but has other baked options like cinnamon rolls, cookies, macaroons, and pound cakes. The best part about buying their sweet treats is that each purchase contributes to educational opportunities for teens.
The Food Florist is well known for their prepared frozen meals like pot pie and lasagna, but they also make various traditional sweet pies. Pie varieties include classic apple, cherry, blueberry crumb, and quadberry (a mix of blueberry, cherry, strawberry, and red raspberry).
You may be surprised to find baked goods from vendors like the Argyle Cheese Farmer and Kokinda Farm. Argyle Cheese Farmer, known for their prize-winning yogurts and cheese, also makes fresh cinnamon rolls, donuts, finger rolls, and bread. And Kokinda Farm sells a variety of baked bread like honey oat, cinnamon raisin, and honey wheat with pumpkin seeds.
The next time you need fresh bread, sweet rolls, cookies, cakes, or something fresh from the oven, stop by the farmers’ market or preorder online for pickup on Saturdays.
The Saratoga Farmers’ Market is open Saturdays from 9:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Find us online at saratogafarmersmarket.org and follow us on Facebook and Instagram. For online pre-ordering and curbside pickup, visit localline.ca/saratoga-farmers-market.
Risk vs. Reward: Lessons Learned
In the crucible that is COVID-19, there are lessons to be learned. We have collectively faced many challenges over the last 12 months, but the focus of this piece will be using the pandemic as an opportunity to reevaluate one’s finances. Risk takes on many forms in the investment world. The most visible and easiest to understand is the volatility that occurs on the bottom line of one’s account statement. We all like to see our account values go up, and we don’t necessarily think about the risk it took to get there; in fact, sometimes we don’t care. That is until the other side of the coin presents itself and your portfolio takes a hit. This past year has us re-evaluating many things in our life. For the sake of your financial future, the following considerations should be made with regards to your finances.
First, an evaluation should be done of your entire financial picture. Don’t stop at your investments. Assess insurance coverage. Quantify debt to equity. Run some retirement projections. Identify opportunities for improvement. If you are already retired, look at your budget and withdrawal rates. It is easy to get caught in the hysteria of daily fluctuations in the stock market but viewing the entire picture can provide peace of mind or a better idea of where to focus efforts moving forward.
Next, examine the risk in your portfolio. Ask what types of risk you are taking. Are you concentrated in a certain style, sector, or region? Is there enough diversification in your portfolio? While markets are green, it is easy to say that a certain level of risk is appropriate. What happens during events like March 2020 gives a taste of what true risk tolerance is. We have all heard the axiom that more risk equals more reward. A slight, but necessary, adjustment to that statement is that more risk equals the potential for more reward. That’s the nature of risk. If it were guaranteed, it would be a CD at a bank. History was written in such a way that markets immediately bounced back, but there is no guarantee of that occurring in the future.
Finally, focus on things within your control. Unfortunately, we have no way of controlling what happens in the stock market. We can, however, control how much we save on a regular basis. Investment returns are the sizzle, savings rates are the steak. For those still in the accumulation phase of their career, savings rate is much more important than rate of return. For those already in retirement, spending rate is where to focus. A financial journey is a never-ending process and having an objective second set of eyes can help with all the above.
Ask the Expert… Helping Seniors Make their Move
Thinking of Moving? Need to Downsize?
Just the thought of moving can be overwhelming and stressful. Years of accumulation and too much stuff, not knowing where to start…
That’s where Lori Tracey and her team of Project Managers at ORGANIZE SENIOR MOVES SARATOGA comes in. They work with seniors and their families to help make moving less stressful.
“We are not movers,” said Lori Tracey. “We will oversee the entire move with the Movers.” Lori is a certified Senior Move manager and belongs to NASMM, a national association of Senior Move Managers Worldwide.
Organize Senior Moves Saratoga specializes in a wide range of relocation services. It is a step by step process and we make it easy!
OUR SERVICES INCLUDE:
· Floor Plans & Measuring
· Sorting & Downsizing
· Complete Packing
· Unpacking
· Set up of the New Home
STEP-BY-STEP…
The first step is to call our office and schedule a Free One Hour Consultation!
Lori will first meet with each client to assess their living situation. Upon Lori’s first meeting, she will explain the benefits of using all the services we offer. Lori always says, “You can hire us for as much or as little as possible…”, depending on your needs. Once the client is onboard, Lori will assign one of our Project Managers to work with the seniors and their families during the process. Our entire staff has compassion, knowledge and patience when completing all tasks.
The second step is creating a floor plan with measurements of the new space in order to decide how much furniture will fit. This is a very important step because clients always ask: “How much can I take…? And will it all fit…?” Once the floor plan is done we now know exactly what furniture our client will take with them on move day.
The most overwhelming and daunting task, is the third step: sorting & downsizing. We help clients make decisions on what to keep, possibly sell, donate or give away. They may also want to pass along cherished items to family members. We partner with a number of local donation sites to find a second home for items our clients no longer need or want. Some of the more treasured items can be sold.
Once the floor plan & the downsizing are finished, we can schedule a pack & move date. On pack day, (the day before the move), we send in a team to carefully pack everything up (except what the client needs overnight.)
The next day is move day. We tell our clients to go relax, find something fun to do for the day. They will get a call around 4 or 5 p.m. that day, to let them know everything is completely done.
The BEST PART about hiring Organize Senior Moves Saratoga is on move day we put everything away, we make the bed, hook up electronics, hang the art, and remove all packing supplies that we’ve provided! All by 5 p.m. on move day.
We then reveal to the client their new home all set up and ready to enjoy senior living!
After the move, selling a family home can be emotional. Many realtors recommend us prior to putting the home on the market. Organize Senior Moves Saratoga can help with staging a home, an estate sale, and junk removal if needed.
Be sure to visit www.organizeseniormovessaratoga.com
How Floods Created the Great Sacandaga Lake
Before the 20th century, the upper Hudson River was used commercially as a conduit to ship timber logs downstream to the paper mills along the river. Logs were stored in pens until the spring melt in the upper Hudson region significantly increased the flow of the river. When the flow rate was right, the pens were opened and the logs were sent careening downstream to the mills. The Sacandaga River joins the Hudson River at Hadley, with each river providing approximately equal flows. The watershed of the Sacandaga River alone is approximately 1000 square miles, so the melt of the winter snowfall could provide a large amount of runoff.
Each spring, the flow of the Hudson would increase significantly, but periodically there would be a combination of warm temperatures, high local rainfall, and a large snow cover to produce extraordinary runoff over a short amount of time, called a freshet. Flooding was also a major concern to the paper mills and other businesses along the river, causing severe economic dislocation
For almost 300 years floods had devastated the upper Hudson from Luzerne to Albany and points south, as recounted in Munsell’s Annals of Albany, 1850
April 30-May 3, 1639 “Whilst I was at Fort Orange, the 30th of April, there was such a high flood at the island on which Brand-pylen lived, – who was my host at this time – that we were compelled to leave the island, and go with boats into the house, where there were four feet of water. This flood continued three days, before we could use the dwelling again. The water ran into the fort and we were compelled to repair to the woods, where we erected tents and kindled large fires.” – Description of the Hudson flood of 1639 by a visitor to Albany named DeVrie
March, 1646. “The winter which had just terminated, was remarkably long and severe. The North (Hudson) River closed at Rensselaerswyk, on the 24th November, and remained frozen some four months. A very high freshet, unequalled since 1639, followed, which destroyed a number of horses in their stables; nearly carried away the fort, and inflicted considerable other damage in the colonie.
March,1790. Flooding on the Hudson River, as described by the Albany Register for March 29, 1790, was initiated by a week of heavy rains. “The weather for a week past being uncommonly moderate, and attended with considerable falls of rain and some slight snows, raised the river to such a degree on Saturday last, completely to carry off the ice; and as by accounts from Poughkeepsie, &c. the river has been some time since clear.
March,1818. This flood appears to have been quite sizeable according to Munsell. “The water rose to great height in the river the night of the 3d March, so that several families in Church St. would have perished if they had not been rescued. The water was two feet deep in the bar room of the Eagle Tavern, on the southeast corner of South Market and Hamilton streets. Sloops were thrown upon the dock, and the horse ferry boat was driven about half way up to Pearl Street. A family occupied a house on the island opposite the city, who were rescued by the people of Bath. So great a freshet had not been known in forty years.”
Flooding continued on a regular basis, but 1913 was to prove the turning point. At Fort Edward -the highest recorded flood level – 34 feet – was reached on March 14, 1913 causing general devastation in the area . The floods waters were severe enough that year to wash out the bridge connecting Glens Falls and South Glens Falls. The bridge fell on March 27, 1913 at 9:55 p.m. This flow rate caused major flooding to the downstream communities of Glens Falls, Waterford, Green Island, Cohoes, Rensselaer and Albany.
There were enough similar events, loss of property, and damage to infrastructure that the communities and businesses along the Hudson River asked the New York State Legislature to take action to control the water flow. These organizations and municipalities provided the funds to build the reservoir as a water storage facility.
As a result of the 1913 flood, the Legislature passed the Burd Amendment allowing the use of 3% of the New York State Forest Preserve for the purpose of creating reservoirs to regulate stream flow. In 1922 the Legislature formed the Hudson River Regulating District. The purpose of the Regulating District was “to regulate the flow of the Hudson and Sacandaga Rivers as required by the public welfare including health and safety.” In 1927 construction began on the Conklingville Dam. The dam was completed three years later and the flooding of the reservoir began March 27, 1930. After almost 300 years It took the major flooding of March, 1913 to finally get the Legislature to move forward on authorizing the building of the Sacandaga Reservoir.
Fred Wilhelm is a retired General Electric engineer who lives along Great Sacandaga Lake. He has an interest in not only how the Lake was built and controlled, but WHY it was built-in the first place.
Ayurveda & the Farmers’ Market: Local Foods Support a Balanced Diet
Ayurveda is the sister science of yoga and translates to “science of life.” Application of Ayurveda requires foundational knowledge of three constitutions, called doshas. Doshas are energetic systems of the body that influence body type and characteristics.
There are three doshas, Vata, Pitta, and Kapha, derived from the five natural elements; air, ether, water, fire, earth. Vata is composed of air and ether (think light, flowing, movement). Pitta is of fire and water (think powerful, transformational, bold). Kapha is of earth and water (think grounded, calm, cohesion). In short, the goal of Ayurveda is to keep these doshas balanced for good health.
What you eat influences your doshic health. Seasonal, organic, and local fresh foods are the best to consider for dosha balance. Ayurveda’s taste types are sweet, sour, salty, pungent, astringent, and bitter. Each taste has a specific effect and can be aggravating or balancing to a dosha type. For example, pungent foods like hot spices, garlic, onions, chiles- which stimulate digestion- can aggravate Pitta and Vata but can balance Kapha. On the other hand, oils can aggravate Kapha but balance Pitta and Vata. These elemental influences are not only present in your body but correspond to the seasons and climate.
Enjoy these simple recipes, using ingredients you can find at the Saratoga Farmers’ Market! Use as a main dish for vegan and vegetarian options, or pair with a meat protein. You can find turkey, chicken, beef, fish, pork, goat, veal, and lamb at the farmers’ market. [Ramble Creek Farm, Squashville Farm, Longlesson Farm, Bunker Hill Creamery, Hebron Valley Veal, Pura Vida Fisheries, Moxie Ridge Farm, Elihu Farm]. Don’t forget to stop by Muddy Trail Jerky Co. to spice things up. Moon Cycle Seed Company recommends these recipes for hormone health and to pair with your seed cycling protocol for women’s health.
The Saratoga Farmers’ Market is open Saturdays from 9:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Find us online at saratogafarmersmarket.org and follow us on Facebook and Instagram. For online pre-ordering and curbside pickup, visit localline.ca/saratoga-farmers-market.
My Job to Carry the Torch
Hello my Foodie Friends!
During our current coronavirus pandemic, many of us are spending more time at home. Cooking has meant consistency at a time when everything has changed. This past year has been a time of trying new things to make and bake in our kitchens. The silver lining of having so much time on our hands has led to much more baking and trying out the desserts we have been longing to make. Let’s talk about desserts, a confectionery course that completes your meal or maybe more than that, brings joy to everyone’s face after a delicious bite. There is no denying the fact that desserts bring us some level of happiness. My father-in-law’s favorite part of the meal was the dessert. Although he would always finish everything on his dinner plate, he would have room for the anticipated dessert that was to come. I have to admit that I have a bit of a sweet tooth as well.
Among the plethora of baking items that our customers have been coming into the store for, the cooking torch has become a must-have kitchen accessory for any gourmet home chef. The cooking torch lets you achieve that crunchy, caramelized layer of sugar on top of your custard. The cooking torch is not limited to just crème brûleé, though. You can use it for bread puddings, baked Alaska, and even for melting cheese on top of soup. Here are some other ways to use your cooking torch: Although we love adorning fiber- and protein-packed oatmeal with fun and healthy toppings, some mornings need a little more than a drizzle of honey. Torching your toppings is the perfect way to give your oats an exciting new makeover. Not to mention, it’ll totally wake you up. Top your bowl with fat-blasting unsweetened cocoa powder and cinnamon, and torch away to lend the spices some smokiness. For those with a sweet tooth, make a simple bananas foster oatmeal by mixing a few drops of vanilla extract into the oats and then garnishing with sliced bananas, cinnamon, and honey. Then, allow the torch to caramelize the toppings. Whether you’re layering slices on sourdough or sprinkling the good stuff on a bowl of homemade French onion soup, perfectly melted cheese can be achieved in minutes with a kitchen torch. For meat that’s best served a little undone—like lamb, prime rib, and roast beef—lightly char the surface with your torch before popping the protein in the oven. This method also works well with fish. Just scald the skin on your salmon fillet for that extra bite. And for a crowd-pleasing appetizer, wrap grilled asparagus in turkey bacon and set it aflame to up the flavor factor and impress your guests before dinner is even served.
Stop by Compliments to the Chef, your Neighborhood Kitchen and Cutlery store to get the tools you need to make delicious desserts and when you are asked to “carry the torch.” Remember my Foodie Friends: “Life Happens in the Kitchen.”
Take Care,
John & Paula
Bridging the Gap: Kindness Links Us Together
This month marks the one-year anniversary of the school shutdowns because of COVID-19. It’s an opportunity to reflect, and a time to ask – how have you been carrying your trauma?
THE INVISIBLE BACKPACK
One of the lingering effects of COVID is the mental trauma it has caused.
Through this collective experience, we’ve all been carrying around thoughts and feelings that can be difficult to handle – and may seem invisible, but are, indeed, still there.
At Geyser Road elementary school, they are learning empathy and to envision everyone as if they were carrying around an invisible backpack filled with the weight of this year’s trauma.
Teachers have been witnessing the effects of this trauma in their classrooms and experiencing it themselves. Within a sea of changing schedules and technologies, they have been tasked with the responsibility of creating an environment where children feel safe, supported, and ready to learn.
“I’m so proud of them. It’s been hard, really hard work. It’s been difficult professionally and personally but they’ve let down walls, and shared personal experiences. This is typically not the conversation that you’d hear in school. They’ve been vulnerable and a lot of trust has been put out there,” said Geyser Road Principal Michele Whitley.
MAKING SPACE, GIVING GRACE
The school is part of a district-wide heart-centered approach to lighten the mental load of educators, their students, and families.
It’s about finding balance.
“Educators are incredibly giving of themselves, so it’s about making space and giving ourselves grace,” said Whitley.
Consultants specializing in Social-Emotional Learning (SEL) have guided the staff to new insights on the importance of compassion, forgiveness, and acceptance.
There’s music at faculty meetings, a premium put on making people smile, practicing mindfulness, and finding time for stillness.
The high school created a Virtual Calming Corner and an online Kindness Wall where uplifting messages are added so the staff can hear from each other about the wonderful things they do.
“It all boils down to kindness. A note or an email, that’s what we need right now. Showing appreciation and that we’re thinking of each other. These are small moments of joy and there is so much happiness that they can bring you. Reciprocation between teachers and families, that is joy.”
UNDERSTANDING THE FLIGHT-FIGHT-FREEZE IMPULSE
Confidently embracing uncertainty begins with being able to recognize it.
At Dorothy Nolan elementary school, they promote positive affirmations, mindfulness, and exercise to improve mental health.
They are also studying the specific strategies laid out in trauma expert Jennifer Bashant’s book, Building a Trauma-Informed Compassionate Classroom.
These techniques help educators identify the body’s natural reaction to threats (the flight-fight-freeze response) and understand how it shows up in children as daydreaming, defiance, or over-sillyness.
Last year, #518Rainbow went viral, brightening our world with a reminder of hope. This year, on March 22– April 1, Dorothy Nolan is hosting a week of rainbow-themed activities.
“These are uplifting activities that everyone can be involved in. They are some of the rituals that feel so good to the kids (and to the school as a whole). That good feeling trickles down into overall holistic well-being,” said school Social Worker Cindy Teplitzky.
To watch archived videos of the district’s online Parent University workshops for families, go to saratogaschools.org/parents. More information on mental health resources is available at www.mentalhealthednys.org.
