Bountiful Berries

The fresh berry season starts in June at the farmers’ market, and you can find berries and berry-licious products throughout. Discover local products to pair with these seasonal delicacies: cheeses, breads, meats, peanut butter, chocolate, yogurt, and much more. Shopping the market is a culinary delight!

Here are some fun and exciting berry facts as you shop:

1. The tiny hairs on raspberries and blackberries are called ‘styles.’ Styles serve to protect the berry from damage and are edible.

2. Raspberries and blackberries are aggregate fruits, meaning that the big piece of fruit you enjoy is dozens of tiny fruits growing together. These little fruits, or bumps, are called drupelets. 

3.A true berry is a fruit that grows from one flower with one ovary. Strawberries, raspberries, and blackberries are considered aggregate fruits since the flowers they grow from have more than one ovary. Blueberries, tomatoes, bananas, and avocados are considered actual berries since they grow from flowers containing one ovary.

4. On the outside of each strawberry are about 200 tiny seeds.

5. The silver color on blueberries is called ‘bloom.’  Bloom acts as a natural barrier to seal in moisture within the blueberry.

At the Saratoga Farmers’ Market, you can discover fresh berries on Wednesdays and Saturdays at Burger’s Market Garden, Owl Wood Farm, Scotch Ridge Berry Farm, Gomez Veggie Ville, and Saratoga Apple. Gifford Farm attends on Wednesdays, and Talmadge’s Vegetables attends on Saturdays.

Baked goods with berries can be found seasonally at the farmers’ market on Saturdays at Katie Bakes Gluten-Free, Night Work Bread, Parchment Baking Company, and Sweet Treats by Jennifer. Jams are always available at Kokinda Farm on Mondays in Clifton Park and Saturdays in Saratoga.

Thorn + Roots offers berry-packed smoothies on Saturdays, and Slate Valley Farms brings berry lemonade every Wednesday and Saturday.

This Saturday’s market on June 29 features music by Chloe Sova (9-10:30), The Acorns (11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.), and Ethan Crowley.

Visit the market’s information booth to grab a berry-licious scavenger hunt. Complete it at the market, return it, and you’ll have the chance to win a bag with $100 in market prizes. Plus, there will be a cooking demo at 11 a.m. on the side porch of the information booth.

The Saratoga Farmer’s Market is open on Wednesdays from 3- 6 p.m. and Saturdays from 9 a.m.-1 p.m. at High Rock Park in downtown Saratoga Springs. The Monday market at Clifton Park is open from 2-5 p.m. at the Shenendehowa Methodist Church on Route 146. Find us online at www.saratogafarmersmarket.org, where you can sign up for our weekly newsletter, and follow us on Facebook and Instagram @SaratogaFarmersMarket.