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Author: Saratoga TODAY

The Mushroom Shop: Fungi for Every Season

Written by Saratoga TODAY on . Posted in Food.

Saratoga’s Wednesday farmers’ market, which concludes its 2021 season at the end of October, is a gem for finding less conventional varieties of fresh, local produce. This season, a crowd favorite has been the diverse offering of seasonal mushrooms by The Mushroom Shop, a new vendor.

Partners Jacob Howard and Elise Olsen have always enjoyed gardening, growing vegetables and flowers, and keeping houseplants. About six years ago, they decided to try growing something new, one of their favorite ingredients to cook with: mushrooms. That hobby turned more serious this past winter when a local farmer offered a part of their land in Salem to build a proper mushroom farm. Thus The Mushroom Shop began.

The past year has been full of learning curves for the young farmers. Through the seasons, weather affects how mushrooms grow – even in a controlled environment. To provide fresh, quality products, they don’t sell mushrooms cut more than three days before markets, so preparing the crop for harvest close to market days can be challenging.

The unpredictability of the crop also makes for happy surprises. This summer, Howard and Olsen changed the recipe for the medium they use to grow their fungi. The lion’s mane variety took very well to this change – just four of the mushrooms weighed over 15 pounds!

An abundance of lion’s mane wasn’t a problem for the couple since it’s their favorite variety to cook. 

“It’s so versatile. Its tender, meaty texture makes for a great seafood substitute, perfect for recipes like lion’s mane “crab” cakes, “shrimp” scampi, or hearty chowder. Or cook it like steak by searing thick slabs in a cast-iron skillet or on the grill,” says Howard.

The Mushroom Shop offers a variety of seasonal mushrooms, both farm-grown and foraged during the couple’s woods walks in Salem. Their products also include dried mushrooms, mushroom seasonings, and grow kits.

This November, The Mushroom Shop will join the Saratoga Farmers’ Market’s winter season at the Wilton Mall with 50 other local vendors. Howard and Olsen look forward to sharing their enthusiasm for all things fungi with market customers, who can expect to see several new cold-weather varieties at their stand this winter, like enoki, beech, black pearl oysters, king trumpets, and nameko.

The Saratoga Farmers’ Market is open Saturdays from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. and Wednesdays from 3 to 6 p.m. at High Rock Park. Find us online at www.saratogafarmersmarket.org and follow us on Facebook and Instagram.

FM ChickenSpinachSalad

“Stop Loafing Around!”

Written by Saratoga TODAY on . Posted in Food.

Hello my Foodie Friends! 

How many of us foodies have cookware, baking products, or cooking gadgets that have been handed down over the generations? As our children have grown and moved out of the house, we have also moved much of our cookware and cooking gadgets with them. Some of the items have been handed down from prior generations. Recently, my wife found a loaf pan that was her grandmothers. It brought back memories of various items that both her grandmother and mother made in that pan.  The loaf pan is a cool kitchen tool and often overlooked for its plain design. It is definitely an indispensable item in the kitchen.  Every kitchen should have a loaf pan to bake a variety of sweet or savory recipes – from meatloaf and lasagne to ice-cream and baked delicacies. A loaf pan is in the shape of a narrow rectangle, a convenient form which enables uniform slicing. 

A loaf pan is great to use when you’re looking to bake a smaller portion of a recipe or are cooking for one or two. This versatile pan is excellent for baking bread loaves, loaf cakes, and zucchini bread. You don’t have to make your own bread, or even bake, to love the loaf pan. Despite their specialized name, these rectangular pans are extremely adaptable to cooking, freezing, desserts, and more. And with all the creative ways you can use them, loaf pans are anything but idle in the kitchen. 

There a many uses for loaf pans. These pans are the ideal shape for the ultimate comfort food, meatloaf. Marinate meats. Keep more of each steak, chicken breast, tofu slice, or veggie skewer in contact with the marinade you made by placing the foods in a loaf pan, then pouring the marinade on top. Cover with plastic wrap, and slip the loaf pan into your fridge for the allotted time. If you have a bit of meat or a few sides of the skewers sticking out, use tongs to rotate them in the marinade for full coverage.

Rectangular pans are perfect for lasagna or baked ziti, especially if you’re only serving a few people. If you cut recipes in half, a square baking dish may be too big. Use a loaf pan instead. Savory pies like shepherd’s pie or chicken pot pie don’t have to be round just because that’s convention. You can bake them in a loaf pan and still have a hearty one-dish meal.

At Compliments to the Chef, your Neighborhood Kitchen and Cutler store located at 33 Railroad Place, we carry several different size loaf pans. Make some memories with the heirlooms that you have collected over the years. Remember my Foodie Friends: “Life Happens in the Kitchen.” 

Take Care,
John & Paula

REARDON FrozenPBandChocTerrine 

Marc Conner Inaugurated as 8th President of Skidmore College

Written by Saratoga TODAY on . Posted in Education.

SARATOGA SPRINGS — Skidmore College celebrated the inauguration of Marc C. Conner as the College’s eighth president on Saturday, Oct. 16 at the Arthur Zankel Music Center. A combination of in-person and virtual events were held to mark this time-honored tradition that recognizes the College’s profound academic mission, proud history, and exciting future. 

Marc C. Conner became the eighth president of Skidmore College on July 1, 2020. Conner came to Skidmore following 24 years at Washington and Lee University in Virginia. 

Camp Stomping Grounds Hosts Community Fall Festival

Written by Saratoga TODAY on . Posted in Education.

MIDDLE GROVE — Camp Stomping Ground, a new summer camp located on the old Boyhaven property, will host a fall festival to officially commemorate its doors opening to the larger Saratoga community. The campground is located on Middle Grove Rd and Route 29, and they operate 8 weeks each summer with hundreds of campers and staff. The organization partnered with local businessman John Munter to acquire the property and renovate the existing infrastructure. 

“For the past six years Stomping Ground had to rent a facility to run our summer program. Now we are thrilled to be in Saratoga Springs, settled into our permanent home. This area is a perfect fit with such a vibrant community and purpose,” said Executive Director and Co-Founder Laura Kriegel. “We want to invite our neighbors and local partners to see what camp is all about.” 

Previous owner John Munter, Founder of Munter Construction, bought the property from the Boy Scouts of America after the town’s plan to buy the land fell through. Camp Stomping Ground acquired 70 of the 300 acres and transformed the antiquated buildings and grounds with new infrastructure, vibrant paint jobs, and extensive landscaping. The camp is now looking towards another season of programming, with registrations already booming for the summer of 2022. 

“This past year had its challenges that we were able to surpass with great dedication from our year-round team,” said Kriegel. “To balance the maintenance of a new 70-acre property with a global pandemic, we have had to be more flexible and innovative than ever.” 

But Camp Stomping Ground persisted, and the work shows. While losing opportunities to host work weekends and large crews due to COVID-19, their year-round team and small volunteer force were able to transform the grounds, unused since 2015, into a facility that will host over 750 campers over the course of a summer. The camp received significant support from several local Capital Region natives to make this possible including the Munter family, the Dake family, and (former Boyhaven Alumni) William Byrnes and his wife Lisa. 

After wrapping up a successful first summer at the Saratoga Springs property, Kriegel and her team will host “Fall Fest,” an event that will welcome local families, neighbors, and partners to see the site and venture through the campgrounds. There will be pumpkin carving, hayrides, face painting, food, and live music happening from 1-4 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 30. 

Admission to the event is free for all who wish to attend, but folks are reminded to bring money with them for food and beverage vendors. 

“We are so grateful to the warm welcome and vast support we have received since opening in Saratoga Springs,” said Kriegel. “We want to invite everyone to visit camp for the day and have some fall fun with us.” 

Kriegel and her team have also announced that 25% of camper slots are being reserved for local families and partnerships with discounts available as well. To find out more about Camp Stomping Ground and program offerings, visit www.campstompingground.org and follow along on their Facebook and Instagram pages. 

Attention Parents: Saratoga Seeking Members to Join the District Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Committee

Written by Saratoga TODAY on . Posted in Education.

SARATOGA SPRINGS — The Saratoga Schools district is seeking four additional parents/community members to join the District Diversity, Equity & Inclusion committee.  Parents and community members are required to be residents of the school district.

Parents and community members who are interested are encouraged to apply by filling out the SSCSD Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Committee Interest Form by October 29.  Volunteers are expected to attend a monthly virtual meeting and participate on one of several subcommittees.

The District Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Committee will meet virtually every month and will be held via WebEx. The meeting can be viewed by all community members. The WebEx link for each meeting may be found on the district website calendar.

For more information visit www.saratogaschools.org 

SSCSD Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion BOE Workshop

Written by Saratoga TODAY on . Posted in Education.

SARATOGA SPRINGS — The Board of Education will be holding a Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion (DEI) workshop on Tuesday, Oct. 26 at 6 p.m. The workshop, which is open to the public, will update board members and community members of the work the District Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion Committee has been doing and how it aligns with the NYS Board of Regents Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Framework. 

What is Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion? The district describes the work their committee is doing that will be shared with the BOE on Tuesday in the following statement on their website: 

“The District Equity & Inclusion Committee supports our district’s Pathways Vision and ongoing work in creating a more equitable, inclusive, safe, and welcoming environment for all students, staff, and community members. The committee has been engaged in conversation and is developing action plans to recommend policies and implement practices designed to promote diversity, facilitate growth in becoming a culturally competent school community, and improve access, opportunity, and outcomes for all students.” 

Superintendent of Schools Dr. Michael Patton stresses that the district’s DEI policy has never been discussed as, and is different from, Critical Race Theory.

However, some local parents feel the policy is just another name for CRT. 

“Why are whites supposedly automatically racist, and why are minorities supposedly victims,” said Brian B. of Saratoga Springs. “I’ve known plenty of blacks and Latinos who were downright brilliant. These systems hold everyone back. My family is mixed race and these policies make me sick.” 

Another concerned parent was surprised when his son came home and said that the principal at Maple Avenue Middle School had made an announcement that students should wear an orange t-shirt next week to support the district’s commitment to DEI. 

“DEI is just a kinder, gentler way of saying CRT,” stated Ed S. “When you use a term like ‘marginalized students,’ which is a broad label applied to minority students, and the policy is to uplift the marginalized students by having the non-marginalized student realize they are privileged, and because of their privileged status, yield to marginalized students, how is that any different from CRT?” 

Ed added, “When I look at the members of the committee putting this together, it doesn’t seem like a fair representation of conservatives and progressives. I am just looking for it to be a conversation or series of conversations with other concerned parents to share our thoughts collectively on this topic.” 

Want to learn more about the Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion policy and get involved in the discussion? Stay tuned to the district website events calendar at www.saratogaschools.org for links and further information on how to attend the workshop and future District Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion meetings.

Debt is Not a Four-Letter Word

Written by Saratoga TODAY on . Posted in Business.

With so much recent focus on this country’s all-too-regular debt ceiling drama, I want to spend a moment to make a proclamation: debt is not a bad thing. The caveat (as I will tell my son with his Halloween candy) is some is good, but too much can be very bad. I will even take it a step further and say, when used correctly, debt can be a very powerful tool to maximize one’s wealth. It gets a bad rap from the media and famous financial authors because it is very easy to misuse, but let’s examine with a practical lens what exactly debt represents and how it can help or hurt.

In the financial world, the word “leverage” is sometimes used to describe the amount of debt that a person or company has. Looking at the base of that word, we can see the primary use for debt: using a little to move a lot. The easiest example is taking out a mortgage to buy a house. With $40,000 of cash, assuming the standard 20% down-payment, you can purchase a $200,000 asset by signing a few pieces of paper promising to pay it back. Of course, you must pay interest on the amount borrowed, but the instantaneous increase on the asset side of your balance sheet is the effect of leverage. This can be seen in all areas of our economy. From residential housing to small business loans to government bonds – borrowed money is the lifeblood of our economic system. It allows us to take risks and companies to innovate.

Continuing with the example of the mortgage, a very common question arises in our line of work: “should I pay down my mortgage faster?” As we like to say around here, “it depends.” By paying a mortgage down faster or selecting a 15-year instead of a 30-year, you are limiting your options and potentially incurring an opportunity cost with that money. Some people sleep better at night knowing they won’t have a monthly auto-draft from their checking account, but that mentality does have its costs. For one, as you put extra money towards your house, the equity you build is not exactly liquid, meaning if an immediate need arose, good luck getting the bank to rush that home equity loan to pull some money out. Secondly, money that gets used to repay the bank could be deployed elsewhere into  even a modest investment strategy. With interest rates being so low, the rate of return “hurdle” to clear is barely off the ground. 

Lest we go too far with what may seem like a love of borrowing money, let’s snap back to reality and realize the sobering fact that it is far too easy to get carried away and borrow more than is affordable. The wounds of the housing bubble are still fresh almost fifteen years later. Credit card revenues are built on people spending money they don’t have and those balances can balloon in the blink of an eye. How can this be avoided? Approach your finances with the eye of a credit bureau. Look at not only the total amount of debt you carry, but also the monthly payments it takes to service that debt. Cash flow and household balance sheets go hand in hand. Another way to efficiently manage debt is to focus on productive assets with your debt. A house that should appreciate in price over the life of the mortgage = good. The all-inclusive vacation with the unlimited drink package that gets put on the plastic = not great. Car loans would be a gray area because a car is a rapidly depreciating asset, but interest rates are at a level where a loan would be palatable.

Many of these money decisions don’t have a right or wrong answer. Everything exists on a continuum. Personal finance can be an emotional topic and debt can magnify those emotions. During our process, we examine the entirety of your financial situation and make suggestions from an objective viewpoint. So what do you think? Is your debt working for you or against? If you’d like to talk to us about it, reach out and let’s dive into the nuances together.

David Rath, CFA is the Director of Portfolio Strategies at Continuum Wealth Advisors in Saratoga Springs. For more information, visit www.contwealth.com 

Northwestern Mutual Announces New Location in Saratoga Springs

Written by Saratoga TODAY on . Posted in Business.

SARATOGA SPRINGS — Northwestern Mutual’s Anderson Financial Group, a leading financial security firm based in Saratoga Springs, has announced the opening of a new office located at 3257 Route 9. 

The team, led by Wealth Management Advisor Joseph M. Anderson, has continued to grow over the past few years. The office space is freshly renovated and includes a newly finished second floor, as well as a gym, well-equipped kitchen, and other amenities for the staff. Clients will appreciate the modern, professional atmosphere, easily accessible parking, and spacious meeting rooms. 

“We look forward to welcoming our clients to our new office and continuing to be part of the fabric of the Saratoga Springs community,” said Anderson. “Our firm has been helping secure the financial futures of families and businesses locally, and across the country for more than 40 years. We now have an amazing space to allow for our continued growth and higher level of service for our current and future clients.” 

In honor of their grand opening, The Anderson Financial Group presented a $5,000 check to the Warren & Denyse Mackey Foundation, which provides support for youth, under-served communities, and health initiatives. 

B&B Plumbing and Heating Continue Operations

Written by Saratoga TODAY on . Posted in Business.

SARATOGA SPRINGS — Billy Benton, the founder of B&B Plumbing and Heating, passed away last week.

The company, which has been in business for over 20 years, will continue its plumbing and HVAC operations, and their 24/7 emergency line is still active.

A message from the company read “Billy was our fearless leader and he put all the workings in place to make sure we can keep operating just as well as we always have.”

For more information contact 518-584-4440.

Arrow Named to Piper Sandler Sm-All Star List for Financial Performance

Written by Saratoga TODAY on . Posted in Business.

GLENS FALLS — Arrow Financial Corporation (NasdaqGS® – AROW) is pleased to announce it was recently named to the prestigious Piper Sandler Sm-All Stars Class of 2021, a list of 35-top performing small-cap banks and thrifts in the country. 

Investment banking firm Piper Sandler Companies evaluated 386 publicly traded banks and thrifts with a market cap below $2.5 billion based on eight metrics, including: growth, profitability, credit quality, and capital strength. The field was then narrowed to the top 35. 

Arrow Financial Corporation is one of just five New York financial institutions on the list and the only one headquartered locally. 

“Arrow is pleased to once again be recognized nationally by Piper Sandler for our strong performance,” said President and CEO Thomas J. Murphy. “This achievement is a direct result of the Arrow team’s continued hard work and commitment.”