The best way to stay healthy during cold and flu season is to take preventative steps before you feel that first sniffle. If you become sick, resting, staying hydrated, and getting proper nutrition are some of the most important things you can do to feel better and recover faster.

Many locally grown and sourced foods are packed with immune-boosting nutrients to keep your body strong, healthy, and ready to fight infections.

Vitamin C is primarily associated with a strengthened immune system and may help to reduce cold and flu symptoms. Brussels sprouts, potatoes, tomatoes, and fresh herbs like parsley and thyme are high in vitamin C and currently available from local farms.

Pasture-raised chicken is available at the farmers’ market and can be boiled down to make nutrient-dense broth. Bone broth/stock is rich in minerals, amino acids, and essential fatty acids and has many health benefits. To get started, place 1 gallon of water, 2 tbsp apple cider vinegar, 2-4 pounds of bones and meat, and salt and pepper in a large pot. Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer, and cook for 12-24 hours. The longer it cooks, the better the broth will taste and the more nutritious it will be.

Freshly harvested leafy greens like spinach and kale can also help boost your immune system as they contain vitamins E and C. A green smoothie or a raw salad can offer a daily dose of these essential, health-building vitamins.

Whether you’re looking to alleviate a cough or boost your immune system, honey is an excellent food to consume on its own or in a cup of tea. Honey is known for its antibacterial and anti-inflammatory properties. Bee products such as propolis and bee pollen are high in zinc, magnesium, and B vitamins.

Garlic has been used in alternative medicine for centuries. Scientists have found that plant compounds in garlic are immune-supportive and anti-inflammatory even when consumed raw in small doses. 

Turmeric, a spice well known as an ingredient in curry, contains a chemical called curcumin, which might reduce swelling. Tumeric is also regarded for its antioxidant and antiviral properties. It’s also grown locally!

While no food alone can cure sickness, eating the right foods may help support your immune system and relieve certain symptoms. 

The Saratoga Farmers’ Market is open on Saturdays from 9:30 a.m.-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 @SaratogaFarmersMarket.

Hello my Foodie Friends!   

Thanksgiving is right around the corner. It is time to start the preparations of items needed to create your fabulous feast. At Compliments to the Chef, we have some gadgets which can make your Thanksgiving prep and serve a little easier. Good tools are essential to good cooking just like good tools are helpful to a carpenter building a house. 

One tool I think a lot of foodies don’t have or know how to use is the thermometer. It is one of my must haves in a kitchen. Undercooked Turkey is a recipe for Salmonellosis! Your turkey should be cooked to a minimum internal temperature of 165 degrees for 15 seconds. You should check the temperature in at least two places and in the thickest part of the turkey. Do not discount how much this tool means to not just you but your whole family. Pre-school age school children’s immune systems are not yet developed, and elderly people’s immune systems are failing. 

Our recommendation is a simple Bi-Metallic stemmed thermometer. There are others, such as digital but this is the simplest, easiest and most cost-effective choice. It’s easy to calibrate and if you stop in to our new place, I’ll personally teach you how. One of our favorite instant read thermometers is the Thermo Pop by Thermo Works. Another holiday recommendation is either an open roaster or a roaster with a lid. Roast meat, poultry, and vegetables to perfection with a large roaster. Open roasters can hold up to a 20-25 lb. turkey. The heavy-duty stainless-steel roasting pan features tall, straight sides, which help prevent splatters and spills, while its upright handles ensure a secure hold when transporting the pan to and from the oven, even when wearing thick oven mitts. The open roaster comes with a V-shaped nonstick roasting rack that elevates large cuts of meat to promote even cooking.

Another cool tool for your feast is a gravy/fat separator. One of our favorites is the OXO fat separator. With the OXO Good Grips Fat Separator, making gravy has never been easier. Place the stopper in the spout, pour pan drippings into the Fat Separator. The strainer filters even the tiniest bits and the fat will rise to the top. Remove the stopper and pour, the cooking liquid comes out first, leaving the fat behind. Measurement markings make following recipes simple, and the splatter shield prevents splashing while you pour. When you’re done, this Separator is dishwasher safe, and there’s on-board stopper storage, so the stopper doesn’t get lost. Available in 2-Cup and 4-Cup sizes.

Also, have your knives sharpened so you do not end up hacking away at your roast. Remember, we have knife sharpening services at Compliments to the Chef. These are just a small list of what can help you this season. Getting ready for the holidays doesn’t have to be a struggle. Consider brining your turkey this year. We carry brining bags and brine mix. 

Cherish your moments together. Stop by Compliments to the Chef, your Neighborhood Kitchen and Cutlery store located at 33 Railroad Place. Let us assist you with your holiday culinary needs. Remember my Foodie Friends, “Life Happens in the Kitchen.”

Take Care, John & Paula

In the Christian Bible, Jireh is a referent to “God provides.” In the Bible, Abraham describes a place as Jehovah Jireh, where it states that the “Lord will provide.”

Lou Russell worked for more than four decades in supply chain management. He spent 32 of those years in the Navy. In civilian life, he has worked with a pharmaceutical firm, Global Foundries, and Kellogg. Now, with his farm Jireh Organic Farms & Livestock, his goal also is to provide.

Lou started his farm in 2021. Now, as one of the Saratoga Farmers’ Market’s newer vendors, he sells eggs and chicken raised on his 26-acre farm in Galway and a site he owns in Fultonville. His philosophy is rooted in self-sufficiency, regenerative agricultural practices, and face-to-face interactions.

“As I think about what a farming community is, I think of it as a way that people look after each other, help one another out.”

Working with supply chains helped him understand the importance of efficiency within corporate food and other systems and the danger of what might result if the chain broke down. During the COVID-19 pandemic, as shortages of food and such basic essential items as toilet paper in grocery stores occurred, he decided to move forward.

Lou bought his land, established a flock of chickens, and began selling eggs out of a cooler. Neighbors and others purchased the items on an honor system. When he joined the Saratoga Farmers Market last spring, he did so in a quiet way. He set up a simple stall consisting of a table, banner, informational materials, and a cooler filled with eggs. People found him, bought his eggs, and came back.

Lou lives at his farm with two dogs, a few cats, his flock of chickens, and a herd of cows. The herd began with two Angus crosses that he purchased in 2021. One of them soon produced a calf, said Lou, adding, “I was so green I didn’t even realize she was pregnant.” The calf turned out to be a male. He bought two more Angus crosses last spring, one of which came with a calf. The other one produced a calf a few months later, giving him a herd of seven, and plans to offer beef to Saratoga marketgoers sometime in mid-2023.

The Saratoga Farmers’ Market will be open on Saturdays from 9:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m. from November through April. The market is held in the Wilton Mall Food Court, accessible from the TrustCo mall entrance, across from BJs, or the mall interior. Find us online at www.saratogafarmersmarket.org, and follow us on Facebook and Instagram. 

Hello my Foodie Friends!    

Many of our foodie friends love to experience new flavors and approaches to cooking. Recently, I had a conversation with a fellow foodie on their discovery of making gnocchi [nyoh-ki]. I shared my love story with these tiny dough dumplings that are most typically made of semolina, parmesan cheese, flour, eggs, salt, and potatoes. It began while watching the matriarchs of my family make them. I grew up watching my grandmother, mother, aunts, and cousins get together and create the dishes that were reflective of our Italian heritage and customs. I loved sitting at the table watching them make gnocchi while talking half Italian and half English (I am sure the Italian parts were what they did not want me to understand!). They would roll the gnocchi by hand in preparation for our large family. I would pay close attention to their hands as they would make the perfect dough. Sometimes, if I was good, I was allowed to stand on a chair and help them roll out long ropes of dough. Back then, they used gnocchi boards that were identical to the ones made today This simple gadget is still around and is a perfect tool in creating the shape of the gnocchi which is important for the sauce to cling to it. The ridges made by a gnocchi board are characteristic of classic gnocchi. When making gnocchi and using a gnocchi board, you place a small piece of dough on the board and roll the dough away from you using your thumb to press gently against the ridges. This will cause the gnocchi to roll into a slightly curved shape and leave an impression on the dough. While using the gnocchi board, generously flour the board to keep the gnocchi from sticking. Since the board is made of wood, we do not recommend putting it in the dishwasher. Instead, hand wash it. 

At Compliments to the Chef, we carry gnocchi boards to assist with making homemade gnocchi. The Gnocchi Board easily forms pasta dough into authentic Italian gnocchi. The ones we carry are made in Italy from natural beechwood; easy-grip handle maintains the perfect angle and keeps board steady for easier use. The board has ridges that help shape pasta and add texture which will hold more sauce; works nicely as a cavatelli maker, too. The gnocchi board forms a more consistent shape than using a fork; won’t flatten delicate dough; same size pieces cook more evenly and make a more attractive presentation. The board is easy to use and clean; wipe with a dry cloth or brush. Once you make your gnocchi, you can add it to what ever your favorite sauce is. Be creative and have fun creating some unique combinations. 

Stop by Compliments to the Chef, your Neighborhood Kitchen and Cutlery store, located at 33 Railroad Place to assist you with finding the cool tools to help with your culinary creations. Remember my Foodie Friends; “Life happens in the Kitchen.”

Take Care, John & Paula

As days grow shorter and colder, the Saratoga Farmers’ Market is grateful to take up our indoor home in the Wilton Mall this Saturday, November 5, from 9:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m., where it will take place weekly until the end of April. This location offers the convenience of one-stop shopping for various products, ample parking, and convenient restrooms. The Wilton Mall’s food court area, with its luminous skylights, provides much-needed warmth for vendors and shoppers alike. 

Over forty Saratoga-area farms and businesses will sell a bounty of locally grown and produced items, including fruit and vegetables, meat and poultry, bread and baked goods, artisan cheese, yogurt, milk, and honey, ready-to-eat foods, handmade art, clothing, and wellness products. Market-goers will see many familiar faces from High Rock Park.

In addition, the Saratoga Farmers’ Market will introduce several Holiday Boutique Market artisans and crafters offering various giftable items just in time for the holiday shopping season. 

New vendors this season include Trendy Empress Boutique bringing comfortable, handmade clothing for children and babies. And King Creek Farms will bring pasture-raised poultry and free-range eggs to the farmers’ market.

As Thanksgiving approaches, customers can preorder holiday meats, stock up on fresh produce for sides, and find plenty of dessert options. Hepatica Farm and King Creek Farm will offer pasture-raised turkey this season, and they are currently taking reservations.

Family activities and market events will be festive and exciting this season. Farmers’ market staff and community organizations will offer weekly themed activities for kids of all ages and abilities. This year, Christmas and New Year’s Eve will fall on Saturdays, and local farms and producers guarantee the freshest ingredients for your holiday feasts. The farmers’ market also looks forward to special markets for Valentine’s Day, March Maple Days, and Easter in 2023.

Customers can rely on the market’s regular nutrition assistance programs as we embrace the season’s newness. Customers who own an EBT card can exchange their SNAP benefits for farmers’ market tokens to purchase fresh foods. Additionally, the market offers FreshConnect, a SNAP incentive program where every $5 a customer spends with their EBT benefits; they receive a $2 FreshConnect coupon to spend at the farmers’ market. The Capital District Physicians’ Health Plan and Greenwich-based Comfort Food Community will continue bringing $5 vouchers to CDPHP members at select farmers’ markets. 

The market bell will ring this Saturday at 9:30 a.m., beginning a new season. There will be live music by Kate Blain as well as special guests. Bring your shopping bags and your family or friends and enjoy the tradition of shopping locally.

The Saratoga Farmers’ Market will be open on Saturdays from 9:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m. from November through April. The market will be in the Wilton Mall Food Court, accessible from the TrustCo mall entrance, across from BJs, or the mall interior. The CDTA’s 450 (from Schenectady) and 452 (from Skidmore College via downtown Saratoga) run to the Wilton Mall at least once an hour on Saturday mornings. Find us online at www.saratogafarmersmarket.org, where you can sign up for our weekly newsletter and follow us on Facebook and Instagram.

Hello  my Foodie Friends!     

It’s that time of year for me to share my annual Halloween memories. Halloween is only a few shorts days away and for the little chefs out there the excitement is building.  How many of us remember going apple bobbing during festivals or when attending a Halloween party? Bobbing for apples is no easy task. Bobbing for apples is a classic Halloween game where you are challenged to take a bite out of an apple that is floating in water while your hands are behind your back – with the task of getting as many apples as you can. 

Many readers stop into my store and ask how Paula and I met. We typically reply that we both met while working together in a restaurant. However, the real first time we met was at a church Halloween dance a few years prior. My church knew how to throw fun events. Everyone came dressed in costume.  I dressed as a gangster and my brothers were dressed as my henchmen.  There were many events at the dance and one particular event was bobbing for apples which I was known as a pro. My father always said I had a big mouth, so that is why I was so good at it. I always thought that he was giving me a compliment. Now, hmmm?  During the dance, the nuns who spent the better part of their school days trying to keep the boys and girls apart, wanted to pit the boys against the girls in the apple bobbing contest. My brothers convinced all of the other boys that I should go last in case it was close; then I would seal the expected victory. We were all then paired off against our female opponents. I was paired with a beautiful young lady who was dressed as Pocahontas. She had her hair in what is called a “French braid” (I had to ask my daughter Aubrey, what that hairstyle is called before I wrote this article). The dressed up “Pocahontas” (also had something on the end of her braid called a scrunchie? (Aubrey also had to tell me what that was). As the competition progressed, it finally came down to the last couple to decide who walks away as the victor. There was a lot of cheering from my brothers who knew how good I was at apple bobbing, since we grew up every fall playing this game. When I looked across the bucket of water, Pocahontas had a big, beautiful smile and I felt something strange. When the nun said “go”, we both plunged our heads into the bucket of water for our apple. The first one to get an apple, wins. I found my apple and was coming up out of the water when something struck my eye.  I winced in surprise and the apple fell out of my mouth. Pocahontas was up and out with a huge apple, and the girls cheered and the boys groaned.  When I looked into the eyes of my opponent, I swear there were sparks and fireworks coming in my direction. I never saw her again and never forgot that look. A few years later, a beautiful young woman with her hair in a French braid started working at the same restaurant I worked, where I was asked to train her. When we looked at each other I realized it was Pocahontas! Her real name was Paula. Of course, she didn’t recognize me so I said, “Pocahontas do you like apples?” She squinted at me and then smiled and said “it’s you!” That, my Foodie Friends, was the beginning of a beautiful friendship.

Bobbing for apples is one fun way to get apples. However, I think most of us prefer to either pick them from our favorite apple orchard or get them from an apple stand. There are so many ways to prepare apples during this season. One essential tool is an apple peeling machine. The apple peeling machine is made of metal and not only peels apples but cores and slices them too. Just suction the peeler to your countertop (some models affix to a work surface with a vice), fit the apple on the skewer and crank away. 

This season, stop by Compliments to the Chef, your Neighborhood Kitchen and Cutlery store, located at 33 Railroad Place to pick up the essentials you need to make your apple delights. Share your stories of Halloween or how you met your special someone who is the apple of your eye. 

Remember my Foodie Friends, “Life Happens in the Kitchen!”

Take Care, John & Paula

My kids talk about their Halloween costumes nearly year-round, so it’s fair to say that Halloween is a big deal in our house. For us, Halloween is more about celebrating the spirit of the season; roasting pumpkin seeds, making festive snacks, selecting pumpkins and carving them, making crafts, and exploring nature as fall takes hold. Weekly visits to the farmers’ market enhance these activities and experiences, creating tangible and meaningful Halloween traditions.

Halloween-themed foods allow for creative and fun cooking, especially when preparing food with children. Apple slices sandwiched with nut butter suddenly become monster lips. Add roasted pumpkin seeds for teeth. Cut carrots into rounds and top with chèvre and halved black olives to make spooky eye snacks. You get the idea. Except for olives, all these ingredients are available at the farmers’ market.

Roasting pumpkins and having fresh purée on-hand offers so many possibilities. A small pumpkin (about 3 lbs.) will make roughly 4 cups of purée. Start by cutting the pumpkin in half lengthwise and scrape out the seeds and strings. Save the seeds for roasting. Brush the pumpkin flesh with oil, sprinkle with salt, and place the flesh side down on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Pierce the skin a few times with a fork to let steam escape. Roast at 350 degrees for approximately 50 minutes. Once cooled, purée in a food processor. You can add pumpkin to cinnamon rolls, smoothies, curries, soups, macaroni and cheese, oatmeal, and many other foods.

If you’re not feeling too creative or lacking time, you can get Halloween goods straight from the Saratoga Farmers’ Market vendors. Burger’s Market Garden will have hand-painted mini pumpkins, and Saratoga Suds ‘n’ Stuff will have spooky soaps.

For the sweeter side, visit NightWork Bread for their incredible chai snickerdoodles, and TogaNola will have their ‘fan favorite’ pumpkin spice granola. Muddy Trail Jerky Co. has mulling spices perfect for simmering with cider from Saratoga Apple. 

Let’s enjoy a final Saturday market at High Rock Park, as next Saturday, November 5, the Saratoga Farmers’ Market will move to its indoor home at the Wilton Mall food court. 

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 through the end of October. The market will be open on Saturdays from 9:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m. in the Wilton Mall Food Court starting November 5. Find us online at www.saratogafarmersmarket.org and follow us on Facebook and Instagram. 

We know and love/hate the vagaries of fall: sun and warmth, then rain and chill; mornings in the 30s; afternoons in the 70s. We await those first hard frosts with worry about our gardens even as we wonder at Nature’s beauty amid it all. 

Fall’s seesaw weather patterns are showing up these days at the Saratoga Farmers’ Market, where pumpkins, potatoes, and frost-tolerant mustard greens share space with peppers and tomatoes. If you like to eat with the seasons, you can enjoy summer and fall together.

I used to fear hard frosts as early as September. Those frosts would kill the vines that give us squashes, peppers, and tomatoes. Now, with changes in our climate patterns, these plants often make it through mid-October, and their fruits might remain fresh into early November. 

Adapting our diets to these shifting patterns allows for a new array of flavors. 

Keep some sweet, mild, and hot peppers on your countertop, along with the garlic, onions, ginger, lemongrass, and turmeric at the market now. When it’s time to create a stir fry, soup, stew, or a dish like meatloaf, try replacing the dried black and crushed red peppers from most recipes with fresher, plumper green bell or frying peppers.

Many farmers’ market regulars have come to enjoy shishito peppers, blistered with a little oil in a hot skillet. Padron peppers offer a similar sweet-with-a-kick flavor with a more sustained warm burn. Both work well as a snack or can add a spicy edge to stews, casseroles, and risotto. 

Green tomatoes are abundant now, partly because our warmer fall lets outdoor plants keep producing fruits. These fruits seem less buggy than their summer counterparts but are not ripening red because, in part, of diminished daylight. Still, a tomato is a tomato and can be eaten green.

Consider a green tomato sandwich, with slices of a firm, plump green tomato in between toasted and buttered slices of artisanal bread with perhaps a bit of cheese and spicy mustard greens. Or keep a few on the counter to chop up and toss into whatever happens to be cooking. Their moisture helps keep other ingredients from drying out, and their tangy taste complements other flavors. Green tomatoes can replace tomatillos in taco fillings, salsas, or chili Verde. 

And at least one meal of fried green tomatoes is an October must-have.

The Saratoga Farmers’ Market is open Wednesdays from 3 to 6 p.m. and Saturdays from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at High Rock Park. The farmers’ market will move to the Wilton Mall on November 5. Find us online at www.saratogafarmersmarket.org and follow us on Facebook and Instagram. 

Hello my Foodie Friends!   

During my childhood, my grandmother’s kitchen was always full of people, laughter, and the aroma of delicious food. I have wonderful memories of the whole family getting together at her house for regular Sunday dinners and holiday meals, and of me and my four other siblings standing at her kitchen table while she taught us how to make some of her magical dishes. I think what I have taken away from these memories is that food brings people together. For many of us, some of our greatest influences for our love of cooking comes from those we watched cook and make our food memories. When I ate my grandmother’s food, I knew in my heart that food was her way of showing love. Among the foods I looked forward to includes her soup. Her soup would be the “fix” for so many things like helping me to feel better when I was sick, or just simply to give me the comfort with the soul-filling flavors and scents that I needed. Helping my grandmother was a task that was given to the “older” grandchildren. My grandmother was a very small woman and needed assistance carrying the large pot of soup to the table. I can still visualize her using a large spoon as she would stand on her tip toes to view and stir her soup. 

There are a variety of cooking vessels you can make your soup in such as a soup pot, stock pot, or a dutch oven. We carry a multi use pot called a Multipot. The multipot includes an 8-quart stainless steel stock pot, pasta insert, streamer insert and lid. This multipot can be used to steam vegetables or as a pasta strainer among many options. We carry the multipot by VIKING which is perfect for all cooking methods, including induction. The 3-Ply Stainless Steel-clad construction of the multipot combines three layers of metal to create one solid piece that is formed into the vessel, making the pot extremely responsive to changes in heat.

Another useful tool in making soup is a soup sock. You can fill these cotton mesh bags with your favorite herbs and ingredients for flavoring stocks and soups. The finely woven material holds delicate herbs or expands to accommodate everything from bones to chopped vegetables. When cooking is complete, simply remove the bag – no need for straining! They are made of strong, 100% fine cotton mesh. The soup sock comes in a large size to accommodate all sorts of flavoring ingredients, from bones and whole vegetables to herb leaves. They will not impart odors or flavors into soups or stocks. The best part is that they help with a mess-free cooking – no need for straining. The packets of soup socks come in sets of three and they are made in the USA.

Stop by Compliments to the Chef, your Neighborhood Kitchen and Cutlery store, located at 33 Railroad Pl., to find the items you need to assist with making your favorite heartwarming soup. Remember my Foodie Friends: “Life Happens in the Kitchen.”

Take Care, John & Paula