It’s finally here! For the first time in three years, Saratoga Farmers’ Market vendors will set up their stalls in the greenery of High Rock Park for the first week of May. The farmers’ market’s long-held tradition of moving outdoors in the spring will begin again.

What better way to kick off the new season than with a celebration? On Saturday, May 6, from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., area residents are invited to High Rock Park as the Saratoga Farmers’ Market’s 45th season opens. Market-goers are invited to join local farms and businesses for a  ribbon cutting just before 9 a.m. Then, the market bell rings, music fills the air, and vendors begin offering fresh vegetables and fruits, meats, eggs, baked goods, prepared foods, and much more.

“We are all very excited to return to High Rock Park for our 45th year in operation! We have a great lineup this year of vendors, including many who are returning and several who are new to our market,” says Mark Boscum, the market’s president. 

About 80 vendors will participate in the Saturday market. The Saratoga Farmers’ Market also operates on Wednesdays, from 3-6 p.m., with about 30 vendors.

Bring your shopping list and walk, bike, or drive to High Rock Park, where, twice a week, vendor stalls fill the pavilions and spill out onto the lawns. Grab a coffee made with locally roasted beans and perhaps a light breakfast from one of the many prepared food vendors featuring items like breakfast sandwiches, pastries, and single-serve yogurts with fruit.

And shop.

This year, we encourage you to visit the market via bicycle, if feasible. Purchase a Bike Benefits sticker at the market information table, and earn a $2 coin with every ride to the farmers’ market. We also invite you to bring your reusable shopping bags to reduce waste and the market will have totes available for purchase. We continue our compost collection program and will accept fruit and vegetable scraps, coffee grounds, tea bags, and similar items. We have an ATM on-site, and most vendors accept credit cards. We also accept SNAP benefits.

While shopping, check out the children’s activities like free face painting, and enjoy live music, and information from local non-profit tables.

See you there!

The Saratoga Farmers Market is 9:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m. Saturdays in the food court of the Wilton Mall. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram for previews of what’s fresh.  

Hello  my Foodie Friends!    

One of our family’s favorite foods is pizza. Pizza is customizable. We can add what ever we want to it. Pizza is just a bunch of delicious ingredients put together on a perfectly cooked crust. The possibilities of what we do with pizza are endless. 

Having pizza night and putting on a favorite movie is one of our special things to do to wind down after a busy week from work and life. I have to admit that I love watching gangster movies with Hollywood stars such as Humphrey Bogart and James Cagney. Among my favorites is the Godfather with Marlon Brando, Al Pacino, James Caan and Robert Duvall. Within the movie, food was a powerful way for you to get to know the Corleone family. The family tradition of sitting at the family table and eating the foods of their ancestors was a gigantic part of the movie. 

Recently, Paula and I went on a “Godfather” movie film watch while making some home-made pizza. A key tool that we use is a pizza stone. When using a pizza stone, the unglazed clay surface absorbs and distributes heat evenly, producing a crispy crust, but this is how to do it correctly: Place a pizza stone in the oven on the lowest rack. Placing the stone in a cold oven is very important because if you put the cold stone into a hot oven, the stone will crack and break–it’s called thermal shock. Allow at least 30 minutes for the stone to heat before you cook the pizza. Let the dough come to room temperature before baking. If cold dough is placed directly on a hot stone, the abrupt change in temperature may also cause the stone to crack. Because pizza stones are porous, they absorb odors. Avoid using soap to clean them. Wash with hot water and use baking soda to remove stubborn stains. 

The use of a pizza peel helps you to place pizzas in the oven without spilling any ingredients or toppings. It also lets you remove pizzas from the oven once they are cooked. A pizza peel can be made either of wood (the traditional style) or metal which is thinner and flatter than the wood one. Both help to make it easier to place and remove the pizza onto the stone. Some tips on how to keep the pizza from sticking to the peel: 

Many people dust their pizza peel to prevent dough from sticking to it. It’s most common to use flour cornmeal or semolina flow to dust.

Prepping dough separately: Prep your pizza dough on a separate surface from the pizza peel. Kneading, stretch and preparing the dough on the peel may seem convenient at the moment, but can cause it to stick to the peel later.

Switch peels: If you’re consistently having problems with dough sticking to your pizza peel, you may want to investigate getting a new one. Switching from a peel to peel or having a wooden peel and switching to a metal peel can help to reduce the frequency of the issue. We tend to alternate peels when making multiple pizzas. 

Stop by downtown Saratoga Springs’ Compliments to the Chef, your Neighborhood Kitchen and Cutlery store located at 33 Railroad Place for the supplies you need to make your favorite Pizza. Cuddle up to your favorite movie and make a movie night with your pizza creation. Remember my Foodie Friends! Life Happens in the Kitchen.”

Take Care,

John & Paula

Local food and farming are all about following seasonal rhythms. The Saratoga Farmers’ Market also abides by springtime signals of warmer weather and longer days with its annual return to High Rock Park in downtown Saratoga Springs. But don’t hurry to High Rock just yet. There is one more market indoors at the Wilton Mall on Saturday, April 29, before the customary move outdoors that will kick off on Wednesday, May 3, from 3-6 p.m.

This year’s return of the midweek market to downtown Saratoga offers a more intimate, slower-paced alternative to the Saturday markets. Product offerings include fresh produce, plants and flowers, eggs, baked goods, prepared foods, crafts, tool sharpening services, and more.

For customers, the smaller size of the Wednesday market is a draw with smaller crowds, more convenient parking options, and opportunities for meaningful interactions with farms and businesses selling at the farmers’ market.

“Since there’s less traffic, products don’t sell out as quickly, and there’s not such a rush for customers to get to the market. The atmosphere is very laid back,” adds Charles Holub, owner of Scotch Ridge Berry & Tree Farm.

This season’s Wednesday markets will introduce new vendors like Meltwater Farm, Greener Pastures, The Bread Butler, Caliva Cookie, and others. Market-goers will be reunited with returning businesses like Owl Wood Farm, Squash Villa Farm, Gomez Veggie Ville, Mister Edge Sharpening, Euro Delicacies, Saratoga Apple, and more.

Adding to the Wednesday market’s appeal are this season’s educational workshops, community programs, and events for children and families that will be offered exclusively at the midweek market. 

The Saratoga Farmers’ Market is pleased to partner with Loving Earth Compost to offer an accessible community composting program to market shoppers, promoting sustainability and environmental consciousness. 

A family-friendly affair, this season’s Wednesday markets will offer the Power of Produce Club with themed activities for children of all ages (June 21 through September 6). The 12-week program offers cooking demonstrations, scavenger hunts, crafts, and farmer meet and greets that provide nutrition, agriculture, and exercise education. Each child will be given a $2 POP token to purchase fresh fruit or vegetables at the market.

Market-goers can also expect weekly live music and community guests (including the Cornell Cooperative Extension’s Master Gardeners offering gardening tips and soil). On Wednesdays in July and August, representatives from the Office for the Aging will hand out free Farmer’s Market Nutrition Program coupons for fruits and vegetables at the farmers’ market. Market-goers can also enjoy a free, 1-hour educational workshop series beginning in June with topics covering sustainable living.

The Saratoga Farmers’ Market is open on Saturdays from 9:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. in the Wilton Mall Food Court. Find us online at www.saratogafarmersmarket.org, where you can sign up for our weekly newsletter and follow us on Facebook and Instagram. The farmers’ market will return to High Rock Park on Wednesday, May 3, 2023.

Hello my Foodie Friends!   

Recently my wife and daughter were talking about old family recipes. As they discussed flavors and aromas that tied into the recipes, they both quickly realized that much of what was handed down were flavors that included recipes where measurements were not used. Many of our family members did not measure ingredients, instead, went by the palm or pinch size, smell, and taste. Therefore, finding a recipe file or notes involved scribbles. My wife learned how to cook by watching her mother and grandmother. Culinary masterpieces were created out of throwing ingredients together. The key to learning was to watch and listen. Having the house smell like grandma’s kitchen was a sure sign that she was on the right path to getting it right.

Stocking up on kitchen cookware staples may include replacing some of the items you were “handed down” or adding essentials that you find you are seeking as you pursue your culinary adventures. Often times when we are making larger quantities for a crowd, or making that one-pot dish, we find that we need a stock pot. A Stock Pot can become one of the most important cookware items in your kitchen. The Stock Pot is a tall, wide pot that is typically made with stainless steel and used for stovetop cooking that involves large quantities. Stock Pots are ideal for boiling water, making pasta, simmering, whipping up one-pot dishes, making a stock or broth, stews, sauces, chili, brining, potatoes, and more. 

Whatever your tool or vessel of choice is as you create your culinary delights, stop by Compliments to the Chef, your Neighborhood Kitchen and Cutlery store located at 33 Railroad Place, to assist with selecting the right tool for you. Remember my Foodie Friends, “Life Happens in the Kitchen.”

Take Care, John & Paula

Sustainability is a word that we often hear, and although its meaning is understood, putting it into action and accepting it as our responsibility may be more challenging. We recycle, avoid plastic bags, and some plant trees or bike over driving. But how do we take these actions a step further? How do we balance the natural environment, healthy communities, and economic vitality? As we work together to find the answers, local farms and businesses at the Saratoga Farmers’ Market share their earth-minded approach.

“We try to be environmentally conscious with everything we make and do,” explains Ken Rhodes of TogaNola. “We use raw ingredients, and the process has literally no waste. And, we’re all about the packaging.” TogaNola uses biodegradable paper packaging and compostable plant-based cellulose packaging for its products.

Businesses like Junbucha and Moon Cycle Seed Company share similar sentiments, prioritizing environmental stewardship by composting food waste and recycling in their production facility. Filtering systems reduce water consumption during processing.

At Kokinda Farm, composted manure nourishes the soil, ensuring balanced nutrients for a successful growing season. The farm is also committed to reusing and recycling found and thrown-away items. “It’s amazing what people throw away,” says Laurie Kokinda, the farm owner. “We use discarded tomato cages and even found a giant insulated cooler for my farm stand.”

Many local farms compost, rotate crops, and use cover crops to hold soil nutrients. These farming practices are vital in supporting land ecology. Lovin’ Mama and Owl Wood Farm promote no-till, regenerative farming, understanding that undisturbed soil layers build a healthy ecosystem with many benefits—mainly healthy soil to grow healthy food.

Hebron Valley Veal owners Ariel Garland and Matt Campbell carefully manage their farm with sustainable practices. “We rotationally graze our cows and believe in keeping everything super local. We source hay locally and use a local butcher,” Ariel explains.

At Hepatic Farm, Melanie Seserman and Arthur Kraamwinkel have found the best way to raise Certified Organic poultry is in the pasture. “Our poultry is totally all-natural,” says Melanie. “As soon as the chickens hatch, they are shipped to the farm overnight, and we give them organic feed. Every day they are moved to fresh pasture. It’s the real deal.” 

The Saratoga Farmers’ Market is open on Saturdays from 9:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. in the Wilton Mall Food Court. Find us online at www.saratogafarmersmarket.org, where you can sign up for our weekly newsletter and follow us on Facebook and Instagram. The farmers’ market will return to High Rock Park on Wednesday, May 3, 2023.

King Creek Farms, a family-owned Halal meat and poultry farm in Delanson, NY, provides high-quality and ethically sourced meats to the local community. Adhering to Halal guidelines during processing and packaging, the farm ensures that the animals are treated humanely, and the products are of the highest quality. 

King Creek Farms is a trusted supplier of Halal meats for many local Muslim families during Ramadan, offering beef, lamb, goat, and chicken. This year, the farm expanded its reach by selling its products at the Saratoga Farmers’ Market, providing an opportunity for customers to purchase their products directly from the source.

For Muslims, Halal meats are an important part of the iftar meal that breaks the fast during Ramadan. “Finding halal meats is still difficult today, so to be able to provide that option is to promote healthy living within the Muslim community,” says Azim, one of the owners of King Creek Farms. 

The family’s journey began when they moved Upstate to pursue their dream of growing their food and living a sustainable lifestyle. They were shocked to learn that the food they were consuming was raised through industrial farming methods and contained harmful chemicals. 

“It wasn’t easy to find back-to-the-earth, wholesome, natural food [that was] affordable back in the ’90s,” exclaims Azim. This realization inspired them to raise their food free of pesticides, hormones, and antibiotics.

After years of farming on rental properties and teaching in Saudi Arabia, the family saved enough money to purchase an abandoned 40-acre property in Delanson, NY, and make their dream of sustainable living a reality. 

Today, King Creek Farms continues to grow and expand while remaining committed to ethical practices, high-quality products, and sustainable agriculture. The farm’s dedication to Halal practices and its role in providing high-quality meats to the local Muslim community during Ramadan has made it a beloved and trusted supplier in the area.

You can find King Creek Farms’ Halal meats and poultry at the Saratoga Farmers’ Market every Saturday from 9:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. and at High Rock Park beginning in May. Their products are also available at the Schenectady Greenmarket and their year-round farm store in Delanson. 

The Saratoga Farmers’ Market is open on Saturdays from 9:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. in the Wilton Mall Food Court. Find us online at www.saratogafarmersmarket.org, where you can sign up for our weekly newsletter and follow us on Facebook and Instagram. The farmers’ market will return to High Rock Park on Wednesday, May 3, 2023.

Hello  my Foodie Friends!   

This weekend will draw upon many of our family traditions in what we make for the Easter Holiday. It could include: decorating Easter eggs, baking, gathering around a table with family and friends, fun events like egg rolling or the classic Easter Egg hunt!  For many families, Easter would not be complete without attending a worship service at their church.  

Growing up in an Italian, Catholic household my mother was very strict on making sure church and family were part of our Easter celebration. I can remember as a child, dressing in my best suit attire to attend Easter morning church services. Getting five children ready each Sunday to attend church was very much a challenge for my parents. However, we were always up and ready on Easter morning. My sisters were usually dressed in pastels with pretty sashes around their waist with a bow. I was required to wear my best attire with my hair purposefully slicked (I have very curly hair so that was interesting to do). After church, we would head to our cousin’s house for the traditional Easter egg hunt. Our Easter baskets were like getting Christmas stockings. I loved my basket and the contents filled with chocolates, and little colorful surprises within.  

Easter dinner would often include ham and delicious accoutrements. I can recall the tantalizing aroma of ham baking in the oven and the spread of vegetables, potatoes, and homemade rolls all that would soon land on the dining room table. Often times, I would get the “honor” of helping to set the table and decorating it for the holiday. 

There are several important tools to have this holiday: a good roasting pan and roasting rack, and an instant-read thermometer.

The roasting rack sits at the bottom of a roasting pan so that the meat doesn’t “stew” in its own juices in a pan or burn. The rack is a means of lifting the food off of the bottom of the pan. If you are going to use a metal rack, some cooks prefer flat racks, and some prefer the V shaped racks. Flat rack proponents say that a flat rack allows the meat to “spread out” and roast more evenly while V shaped racks “squeeze” the meat and prevent thorough cooking. The V rack helps keep the meat in a more uniform shape so that it will cook more evenly. 

Do not forget to always check the internal temperature of your meat. Everyone should have an instant read thermometer in their kitchen, as it gives you better control over everything from chicken thighs to caramels. It is so named because it gives a temperature reading very quickly, an instant-read thermometer is an essential food safety and sanitation tool. An instant-read thermometer consists of a stainlesssteel stem that serves as a temperature probe, and either a dial or a digital readout. One advantage of the analog type (the kind with the dial) is that they can be calibrated relatively easily, so you’ll be sure of always getting a true reading.

Enjoy the holiday weekend with family and friends. Stop by Compliments to the Chef, your Neighborhood Kitchen and Cutlery store, located at 33 Railroad Place to get your tools to assist you with your cooking creations. Make memories with your family and those you love, especially at the dinner table. Remember my Foodie Friends; “Life Happens in the Kitchen.” 

Take Care, John & Paula

This week holds much significance in celebrating Passover, Good Friday, and Easter. Traditions may be cultural, spiritual, or individual, and this Saturday, Saratoga Farmers’ Market invites you to shop locally for your holiday feasts, festivities, and Easter baskets. 

Let’s begin with an Easter staple: eggs. Lovin’ Mama Farm, Kokinda Farm, Squash Villa Farm, Jireh Farm, and King Creek Farms have fresh, delicious, multi-colored eggs perfect for your Easter brunch and for dying in various colors—dying multi-colored eggs results in deep, earthy hues. You can even make natural dye using kale, beets, and onions.

For those highly-anticipated Easter baskets, Saratoga Chocolate Co. makes Easter easy with an assortment of chocolate bunnies in dark, milk, and white chocolate and in salted caramel. They will also have marshmallow, caramel, and chocolate eggs, and jelly beans. Brighten up baskets with crisp apples and apple chips from Saratoga Apple. Ballston Lake Apiaries has honey sticks for another sweet option. Cookie Lab Confections has your favorite Easter candies baked right into their individually packaged cookies, like lemon jelly bean and M&M cookies. 

For festive decor for your holiday table, Ballston Lake Apiaries’ pure beeswax candles molded into large decorative eggs, and Lovin’ Mama Farm has spring’s first freshly-cut tulips.

For main course options, Hebron Valley Veal will have bone-in veal breast and pork loin roasts. They will also bring ham steaks perfect for smaller celebrations. Squash Villa Farm will bring fresh ducks, goat legs, and shoulder roasts. Hepatica Farm will have whole chickens and individual cuts. And Longlesson Farm has beef roasts, steaks, and ham steaks. 

Maybe you’re looking for vegetarian options and seasonal vegetables. The Mushroom Shop has various mushrooms, and Lovin’ Mama Farm and Gomez Veggie Ville will be fully stocked with seasonal produce like potatoes, leeks, onions, carrots, lettuce, and much more.

For the dessert, Parchment will have a selection of Scandinavian pastries, cookies, and bread. Try their shortbread made with fresh zest and organic berries. Parchment’s egg-shaped almond Kipful cookies are perfect for dessert platters. Argyle Cheese Farmer has various baked treats like cupcakes, cookies, and brownies.

Freshly baked bread, local spirits, jams and jellies, and much more will be available.

We encourage you to bring the whole family to the farmers’ market! Children may enjoy a free Easter egg wreath activity and a special Easter egg rolling race for ages 3-5 held every hour on the hour. String Duo will perform various classical and pop music on the viola and cello. 

The Saratoga Farmers’ Market is open on Saturdays from 9:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. in the Wilton Mall Food Court. Find us online at www.saratogafarmersmarket.org, where you can sign up for our weekly newsletter and follow us on Facebook and Instagram. The farmers’ market will return to High Rock Park on Wednesday, May 3, 2023.

Hello  my Foodie Friends!   

Fishing season begins this Saturday, April 1. I have so many great memories of my Dad and his love of fishing. It did not matter if it was the ocean or a little creek in Vermont where he grew up. He loved fishing and we loved going with him. My brothers were more successful than I was at this sport. I think I talked too much back then as a child. 

As I reminisce on the experience of fishing with my father, I realize that fishing was a way for him to relax and reconnect with his love for the outdoors. At that time, he worked 12 hours a day, Monday through Saturday, which did not allow a lot of time to spend with his family. However, when he began getting one afternoon off during the week in the summer, I was excited when he chose to make that afternoon our special time to go fishing together. 

My father’s prep assignment for his three boys was to dig for worms and have the poles ready to go when he got home. I think that the digging for worms was my favorite part. 

As I got a little older, my favorite part about fishing with my father was the many hours talking about his childhood and my dreams for the future. We didn’t catch many fish, but my memories are a much greater treasure than any mess of fish.

The memories and experience of fishing was something I tried to transfer and share with my son and daughter. When my son John was younger, I would take him fishing as often as I could. It turned out that by age five, he was better at fishing then I was. He would say to me “Daddy, you talk too much and scare the fish away!” To this day, I still give fishing my best, and consider it a successful day if I can get my son to spend six hours with me. We do share our love of eating fresh fish. 

One important tool that is handy when flipping and lifting fish from a pan is a fish spatula. The fish spatula is an elongated and thinner version of the common metal spatula, designed to easily slip under delicate fillets of fish. It also has long slots that allow any liquid (for example, when poaching) to drain away. A fish spatula can be used for more than just flipping fish; it’s a versatile tool that can slide as easily under pancakes as it can hefty burgers. The slats in the blade allow any drippings, liquid, or grease to slip through, while the offset helps slide the blade over the edge of the pan and under whatever you want to turn. 

Take time with your family to try out the time-honored sport of fishing. Stop by Compliments to the Chef, your Neighborhood Kitchen and Cutlery store located at 33 Railroad Place. Pick up the gadgets that help you cook up your catches. Try fishing for compliments this spring. Remember my Foodie Friends, “Life Happens in the Kitchen.” 

Take Care, John & Paula