Hello my Foodie Friends! 

Our American English language has many common expressions we use to express ideas. For example: when we say something is like “a drop in the ocean,” we mean it is a very small amount compared to what is needed. You may also hear the expression “drop in the bucket.” But a drop in the ocean is much more dramatic. If someone is “slippery as an eel,” they are tricky and difficult to catch. We often use this expression as a warning to others. If something is a “whale of a … thing,” it is a very good thing. If you performed very well at work, your boss could say you did “a whale of a job.”

Some people consider oysters a delicacy – a rare food that you only eat once in a while. Oysters are great for another reason. They make pearls! So, oysters are rare indeed. And that brings us to our next expression. When we say “The world is your oyster!” we mean that you are able to make the most out of life. You take every chance given to you and put it to good use. Language experts say this is one of the many expressions created by the English writer William Shakespeare. He used it in his play The Merry Wives of Windsor. However, some people use this expression a little differently. It can also mean that you have every chance or opportunity you could possibly want. You have money, skills, ability and freedom to do exactly what you want. 

Oysters are a delicious sea food to eat this time of year. Raw oysters are great—but do you know what’s not great? Trying to shuck them at home? For most people, shucking them isn’t the easiest thing to do. We have just the tool to help you with shucking oysters. The Zyliss Oyster Tool helps you shuck oysters quickly while keeping hands safe. The specialty designed stainless steel blade opens oysters safely and easily while preserving oyster liquor and features a non-slip handle with protective guard. The silicone oyster pocket and non-slip feet provides leverage while keeping hands safe during use. No need for a bulky glove! Also features a built-in knife holder for safe easy storage. Focusing on functionality, durability, design, cleanliness and safety, Zyliss has relied upon a heritage of excellence that began in Switzerland over 60 years ago. Building on this time-held tradition, the company has advanced to produce and distribute kitchen equipment that is world-renowned. Zyliss has pioneered the design of more than 200 kitchen essentials, with quality and engineering that cannot be duplicated.

Did you know that oysters are delicious mollusks that provide the human body with a number of unique nutrients and minerals, which result in great health benefits These include the ability of oysters to aid in weight loss, boost metabolic activity, increase tissue repair and growth, lower cholesterol levels, reduce blood pressure, improve immune functions, aid in wound healing, and promote healthy growth. Furthermore, they are a powerful aphrodisiac, can improve blood circulation, and also increase bone strength to reduce osteoporosis. If you’ve never prepared oysters yourself, it can be intimidating. But it can also be easy and a great experience. Give oysters a try and be sure to remember the following:

• Buy oysters from reliable vendors (whether grocer or fishmonger) and be sure to look for the shipper’s tag. That way you’ll know the oysters came from an area that is approved for growing and harvesting oysters.

• Check through your oysters when you get home. Always throw away any oysters that don’t seem right, have broken shells, or that are partially or fully opened. You can try to tap the open oysters to see if they close up. If they do, they should be OK. If not, toss them.

• Prepare fresh, live oysters for eating. Consider serving them the day you buy them.

• Keep your oysters very cold before prepping them. Don’t store them in a plastic bag in the fridge, but put them in a bowl covered with a wet towel.

Stop by Compliments to the Chef, your Neighborhood Kitchen and Cutlery store, for the Zyliss Oyster Tool. It will make your life a bit easier. Have fun shucking with family and friends. The world is your oyster. All the options are available to you… the world is yours for the taking, whatever you make of it. Getting the pearl requires the oyster to be opened. But despite the hardness of the oyster shell, they can be opened with ease. Enjoy life. Remember my Foodie Friends: “Life Happens in the Kitchen.” Happy shucking.

Take Care,
John & Paula

There’s a magical time in July and August where we get to the sweet spot of fresh produce at the farmers’ market here in upstate New York. Every week farmers’ tables are piled even higher with a rainbow of colors, and the literal sweet spot lies in the sweet corn, lush tomatoes, and colorful berries that come fresh off the land.

Since the seasons change faster than the blink of an eye, we at the Saratoga Farmers’ Market won’t let the sweetness of summer go by without a celebration. This Saturday, July 31, from 9 a.m.- 1 p.m. at High Rock Park, join us for our third annual (excluding 2020, of course!) Blueberry Jam-boree.

Blueberries are native to North America and have been for over 10,000 years, so it’s no wonder that it’s one of America’s favorite berries. And to enjoy the fruits from local farmers, grown without pesticides and picked fresh, is to experience an extra sweet and nutritious taste of summer. 

Several local farms will bring the best of this season’s blueberries, ranging from snack cups, to pints, to quarts. Many other vendors will feature blueberry-flavored or inspired products, like blueberry jams from Kokinda Farm and hand pies from The Food Florist and Night Work Bread. Ballston Lake Apiaries will bring blueberry-infused honey, and Slate Valley Farms has blueberry maple syrup and blueberry-lavender lemonade. Other items include blueberry-lemon fromage frais at Nettle Meadow and blueberry Italian cream soda at Something’s Brewing. Well-behaved four-footed friends are welcome, too, and can enjoy blueberry pupcakes at Mugzy’s Barkery. More blueberry specials as well as samples will be listed day-of.

Market staff will host free activities and tastings for children and adults, like a scavenger hunt, craft, and blueberry corn hole. Recipe cards and preservation tips will be available at select vendors to help you find inspiration to cook or bake something new with fresh blueberries. Live music by Geo Beat will add even more jam to the jam-boree!

To learn more about the Blueberry Jam-boree and keep up with news on the event, find our event page on Facebook. Then come to High Rock Park on July 31 to join the fun!

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. Subscribe to our weekly newsletter on our website.

Hello my Foodie Friends! 

Grilling up burgers is a summertime staple for many of us. How do you like your burgers? When you got your burger fresh off the grill and sitting there all juicy and delicious on that bun…how do you make this perfect food even more perfect? Cheese is a good choice. But which one? American? Cheddar? Swiss? Maybe some crisp, smoky bacon. How about barbecue sauce? We could go on forever. Making hamburgers seems like something that should be simple—how hard can it be to cook those beefy delights? Yet somehow, nailing the perfect burger can elude even the most seasoned home cook. Make the patty too thick and you risk biting into a raw mess. Leave it on the heat for too long, and it’ll end up dry. The secret to making juicy burgers at home is all in the meat. Did you burn your burgers while cooking them? The culprit is likely uneven thickness. While the shape of the patty doesn’t matter, the thickness does. You really want to make sure the patty is a uniform, even thickness, or it’s not going to cook properly, which can lead to a burnt outside and undercooked inside. A solution could be to flatten the patties by pressing them flat using a burger press. 

Burger presses create consistently shaped and sized burgers. The presses allow you to pack patties without squishing the meat between your warm hands. Heat radiated by your hands can cause proteins to denature. Using your hands to pack raw meat can cause the fat to melt and the meat to break apart which causes a mushy, unappealing texture when it’s time to devour your burger. The burger presses make uniform patties: same weight and diameter every time. Uniform patties cook evenly throughout and will come to temperature around the same time on the grill.

The presses also help achieve the weight you’re going for ¼, ⅓, and ½ lb patties. And you get a prettier burger patty. The burgers look good. Who doesn’t marvel at a perfectly round, evenly dense patty?

Elevate your grilling game this summer with less stressing and more pressing. Get the tools you need to make the burgers you yearn for. Stop by Compliments to the Chef, your Neighborhood Kitchen and Cutlery store for the burger presses and other cool tools to help you with your burger creations. Maybe even put on the SNL‘Cheeseburger Cheeseburger’ sketch with the original SNL cast. The classic skit of John Belushi and Dan Aykroyd at the Olympia diner yelling: “Cheeseburger and a Coke,” “Ah… no Coke… ah Pepsi,” replies Belushi. (And that’s the first time the catch phrase is uttered.) “Okay, Pepsi and french fries.”, “No fries… chips.” “Okay, chips.” Belushi barks out the order to Aykroyd: “One cheeburger, one Pepsi… chips.” “Cheeseburger,” confirms Aykroyd. And SNL history is made!! Have fun laughing and cooking. Remember my Foodie Friends, “Life Happens in the Kitchen” or even the grill. 

Take Care,
John & Paula

Ensuring that fresh, local, and healthy foods are accessible to the local community is a top priority for farmers’ markets. Thankfully, there are various programs available that can help bridge the gap.

Year-round at the Saratoga Farmers’ Market’s Wednesday and Saturday markets, customers who own an EBT (Electronic Benefits Transfer) card can exchange their SNAP benefits for farmers’ market tokens to purchase fresh foods, including fruit and vegetables, bread and baked goods, meat, fish, and poultry, dairy products, honey and maple products, and value-added foods like soup mixes, sauces, and jams and jellies. Herb plants and plants that produce food are also approved purchases with EBT coins. The market additionally offers SNAP incentive programs, such as FreshConnect, that provide extra coupons or tokens to spend, meaning customers receive more value than they spend. With FreshConnect, every $5 a customer spends with their EBT benefits; they receive a $2 FreshConnect coupon to spend at the farmers’ market.

More seasonally, the Farmers’ Market Nutrition Program (FMNP) is a New York State program that offers WIC (Women, Infants, and Children) participants and seniors coupons to purchase fresh fruit and vegetables at the farmers’ market. Our local WIC office distributes WIC coupons. Senior coupons will be distributed by the Saratoga County Office for the Aging on-site at the Saratoga market on Saturday, August 7 (9 a.m.-1 p.m.) and Wednesday, August 11 (3-5 p.m.) at High Rock Park. The Office for the Aging will also distribute the coupons at the Clifton Park market on Monday, July 26 (2-5 p.m.) and Monday, August 16 (2-5 p.m.) at the Shenendehowa United Methodist Church. Individuals aged 60+ who live on a limited income may pick up a booklet of coupons containing five $4 coupons (limit one per person). 

To spend your WIC or Senior FMNP coupons at the market, look for the blue poster at participating vendors’ stalls or simply stop by the market information table for a complete list of farms accepting FMNP coupons. The FMNP season runs from June through October, after which unused coupons expire.

Utilizing the available nutrition assistance programs is a win-win-win situation. Low-income consumers have more access to healthy foods, local farmers gain income and connect with new customers, and more food dollars stay in the local economy.

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 saratogafarmersmarket.org and follow us on Facebook and Instagram.

Hello my Foodie Friends! 

The horse racing season in Saratoga Springs is on. Many people come to not only be part of the atmosphere of our country’s oldest track, but to also admire the beauty of the racing horses. The horses are amazing to watch, they are truly spectacular animals. I always catch my breath at the majestic beauty of the horses that come to Saratoga Springs to race. My wife and I remember the first time we came to Saratoga Springs. We were both part of a corporate relocation to the area and looking for where to settle down with our two very young children. Walking through downtown and driving throughout the city, the energy of our incredible area hit us as we held each other’s hands. We knew immediately this was where we wanted to live and raise our family. 

Over the years, as our family and friends have visited us from various parts of the country, we have always felt a sense of pride in sharing with them all that our community has to offer. Summer in Saratoga Springs is a beautiful time for entertaining. This time of year calls for delicious foods, amazing drinks, and wonderful company. Refreshing summer cocktails are the perfect way to stay cool. Fruit cocktails are an ideal way to enjoy a summery drink. They can be styled up for non-drinkers and simplified for the kids. If your recipe needs a citrusy kick, zesting is the way to go. Plus, it’s a nice way to put the peel to good use. There is nothing quite like juicing ripe, seasonal citrus into your cocktail. Zesting, sounds like a small detail, right? You can add zesting to salads, desserts, even the rim of margaritas. If your recipe needs a citrusy kick, zesting is the way to go. Plus, it is a way to get straight to those rich, citrus oils of a lemon, lime, or orange directly over your drink. Using a citrus zester will allow you to cut thin, delicate ribbons of citrus that provide a bright sparkle to your drink and infuse those oils right into your drink. This zester is great because it features a curved stainless steel blade that makes zesting a quick task for any home bartender. Whether it’s a refreshing spritz, sangria, or margarita, summer cocktails are a great way to cool off. The zester allows you to make precise cuts of the shallow filaments from the aromatic, oil-filled skins of citrus fruit, and is designed to avoid the bitter white pith that lies closest to the flesh.

Whether you’re looking to make a quick cocktail for one or a big pitcher of frozen drinks to share, alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks are a perfect addition to any lazy weekend afternoon. There are plenty of options for every taste, depending on what you’re looking for, from sweet, fruity drinks ideal for cooling off after a hot day. Stop by Compliments to the Chef, your Neighborhood Kitchen and Cutlery store for the accoutrements’ you need for entertaining and zesting up your summer! Remember my Foodie Friends: “Life Happens in the Kitchen.” 

Take Care,
John & Paula

Top quality local restaurants give huge compliments to many Saratoga Farmers’ Market vendors by using their products. Vendors make sure they also have plenty of products for the Market.

Kelley Hillis, from Puckers Gourmet, explained that Saratoga Springs restaurants approached them for their pickles. They sell Kim Chi and Pak Dong to Thorn and Roots at the Fresh Market Plaza, and five-gallon pails of Kim Chi to the Kraverie on Beekman Street. Their pickles have won several awards, including first place at the International Rosendale Pickle Festival.

Amy Smith from Saratoga Arms BnB was the first to approached Elihu Farm for their eggs. In addition, The Mouzon House uses their eggs, as well as lamb. In June, Mouzon bought several boneless butterflied legs of lamb. Elihu Farm also sells lamb to Amuse on Broadway, and eggs to 15 Church, Adelphi Hotel, Comfort Kitchen, and Whole Harvest.

The Mouzon House, a Farm to Table restaurant, buys products from many farms. Dave Pedinotti said they use vegetables from Gomez Veggie Ville, including their heirloom tomatoes for Capreses. Mouzon also uses Gomez’s strawberries for “Strawberry Rhubarb Sparkler” cocktail.

Dave and Marge Randles, from the award-winning Argyle Cheese Farmer, sell their yogurt to Dizzy Chicken Barbecue in Saratoga, cheese curds to Northway Brewing in Queensbury, buttermilk to Common Roots Brewing Company in South Glens Falls, and Unified Beer Works’ café in Malta.

Nettle Meadow Farm, based in Thurman, makes cheese from milk from goats, sheep, and cows. Their varieties have won many awards, especially in 2018 and 2020 from the Good Food Foundation for Kunik. That award was special for Sheila Flanagan and Lorraine Lambiase because the Foundation also considers care for animals, the environment, and staff. Distributors send their cheese to all states, except Alaska.

Another vegetable farmer, Leaning Birch Farm, sells to Hamlet & Ghost in Saratoga. Nic Fera said they use their salad mix, pea shoots and tomatoes. Bobby Chandler noted that Mariaville Mushroom Men sells to Jack’s Oyster House in Albany, and Common Roots. And Laurie Kokinda sells Kokinda Farm’s French beans to Lake Ridge Restaurant in Round Lake.

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

“All life begins with mother. Mother Earth gave birth to us all, and it is our responsibility to take care of her.”

These words from Lovin’ Mama Farm owners Corinne Hansch and Matthew Leon, explain why they farm. Using organic and regenerative methods to grow food helps heal the earth and represents farming as stewardship. 

Lovin’ Mama joined the Saratoga Farmers’ Market this year and offers Certified Organic vegetables, microgreens, herbs, and cut flowers each Saturday. 

Hansch and Leon use no-till methods that have given their soil resilience amid climate change. “We lay down a thick layer of our compost/peat moss mix right on top of the bed, then plant right into that,” they explain. “The worm activity is just amazing, the thick layer of compost suppresses weeds, and the plants go crazy with growth.”

Without tillage, they explain, soil aggregates form, enabling the holding and acceptance of water. Soil neither dries out in times of drought nor floods during heavy rains. 

Hansch grew up with parents who were market gardeners. She worked on farms along the West Coast and studied biology. Leon grew up in New York City and studied agricultural ecology. He was more a lover of the outdoors than of farming – until he met Hansch.

Their love story began in a permaculture course. There, they saw how sustainable farming could create solutions in “a world troubled with environmental disasters and social inequalities.” For Hansch, farming linked gardening with positive change. For Leon, farming enabled an intersection between nature, the outdoors, and a basic need for food.

They started Lovin’ Mama in northern California, regenerating an abandoned field with plantings of such perennials as fruit trees, berries, and asparagus. Then, a blow came: The landowner terminated their lease, leaving them homeless and their hearts broken.

For farmers like Hansch and Leon, losing land is like losing a loved one. However, when Leon’s father offered them space to farm land he owned in Amsterdam, they knew they could begin anew. 

In New York, they have built a network of CSA subscribers, market goers, employees, and family. Leon’s parents offer child care and other support; a niece manages one of their farmers’ markets, and their children – Sam, 15; Oak, 13; and Rosemary, 9 – are skilled, trustworthy workers who grew up with the farm, love it, and know it intuitively. 

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

Hello my Foodie Friends! 

It is summer and we are experiencing the wealth of warmer temperatures. With the soaring temperatures, we are left wondering about how to meet the hydration requirements (especially for our children) from the food and drinks we consume. Not everything that children like to have in summer is necessarily hydrating, nourishing and immunity-building. To cruise through the summer heat and loss of fluids and essential nutrients, seasonal fruits are a recommendation. Especially, when taking long trips or hanging out in your flip-flops. Eating summer fruits can be a healthy way to keep your body cool and additionally get all the goodness of nature.

As I think back on my childhood memories and raising my own children, the challenge was to keep as much fruit in the house as a go to for all of us. One fruit that has always been one of my favorites are cherries. I can remember the sheer joy of seeing my mom bringing a heaping bowl of bright red cherries to the table. We now know that eating cherries as a part of a healthy diet full of fruits and vegetables may provide health benefits. Cherries are a good source of vitamin C.  Vitamin C is a strong antioxidant. Cherries are also low in saturated fat and cholesterol. 

Summer is cherry season time, and that means time for cherry pie, cherry crumble, cherry cobbler, cherry preserves, cherry sauce to drizzle over vanilla ice cream; you get the idea. But before you break out your baking dish and turn on your oven, you will need to remove the pits of these sweet ruddy fruits. A good cherry pitter that removes the stone and leaves the fruit intact can be a cook’s best friend this time of year. We carry an assortment of cherry pitters. One fun one that your children may love is the blossom cherry pitter by JOIE. 

Use a cherry pitter to help you with taking the pits out. It will make your life easier. At Compliments to the Chef, your Neighborhood Kitchen and Cutlery store, we carry cherry and olive pitters that can quickly and easily remove pits from cherries and olives without bruising or crushing fruit or waste fruit. They are perfect for canning, freezing, dehydrating and baking cherries.  You can freeze sweet cherries to enjoy in baked goods, smoothies, and sauces throughout the year. Simply rinse the cherries with cool water and remove the stem. Pitting them is your choice. They’ll lose some juice, but they’re easier to pop into a recipe later if they’re frozen sans pit. Once the cherries have been pitted, place them in a single layer on a baking sheet and place in the freezer overnight to freeze. After they’re completely frozen, put them in an airtight container or freezer bag to store in the freezer until you’re ready to use them. You won’t even need to thaw them before using them.

So kick back and enjoy those delicious summer fruits that are available. Cherry-ish the time you have with your family while of course, savoring your own bowl full of sweet, juicy cherries—it’s a treat you can feel good about!

Remember Foodie Friends: “Life Happens in the Kitchen.” 

Take Care,
John & Paula

Hello my Foodie Friends! 

This 4th of July weekend celebration will include attending fireworks, parades, barbeques, carnivals, picnics, baseball games, and family gatherings.  The Fourth of July is more than just a celebration of summertime — it’s a time to celebrate our freedom and how far we have come. Many families will be hosting or attending an outside event or taking advantage of the long weekend activities. 

Fireworks have always been one of my favorite parts of celebrating our national holiday. Sitting in a chair and watching the spectacular color displayed is so exciting to me.  As I reminisce about my childhood, there is one particular 4th of July that stands out. I love to tell my decades old story of when my two other brothers and our neighborhood buddies had acquired some fire crackers to add to our evening fun. After the firework show had ended at our local park, we still had the need to entertain ourselves and sustain the celebration. My parents were not aware that a group of us “spirited” boys still had unused fireworks in our possession.  Our friends provided the fireworks and my brothers and I were given the task of getting a pan to cover the fire crackers with.  I gave this “heroic” opportunity to my youngest brother instructing on spy-like maneuvers to quietly get the pan past my mother.  Looking back, I am not sure how we actually were able to pull it off getting it past her. We found a quiet corner in our yard to set up.  Anxiously, we lit several fire crackers and put a pan on top of them.  Well, that pan shot so high in the sky, it landed in my father’s favorite red maple tree and stayed there until the following winter.  One winter afternoon my father was looking out the kitchen window wondering what was lodged in his tree.  Getting the pan down was an event in itself.  However, cleaning it was another.  In an attempt to teach the three of us adorable boys a lesson, we were ordered to get the pan back to its “original” shape and color.  We never did get that pan back to its normal shape!!

Outdoor gatherings were always something I looked forward to, especially when looking at the vast number of dishes and desserts that will be spread out. Whether it is a picnic gathering, or a simple picnic at the park, no feast would be complete without a sweet treat at the end. A simple way to satisfy the sweet tooth, is with a fruit-ladened tart. It is a wonderful treat to add with wine or even a cup of tea. Fresh fruit tarts are a beautiful way to present a dessert. The secret lies in the pan that the tart is baked in. A tart pan has low, fluted sides with a removable bottom. The design of the pan allows for a better conduction of heat making a more uniform baked crust.  The removable bottom enables you to remove the finished product by easily placing your hand beneath the bottom, and letting the outer ring fall. Tart pans come in a number of sizes to suit whatever you are making. They are also known as quiche pans. 

Ahhh…I love summer.  Being outdoors and enjoying fun times with family and friends (safely) creates those memories that last a lifetime. Stop by Compliments to the Chef, your Neighborhood Kitchen and Cutlery store, to pick up the tools you need to make your weekend an enjoyable one!  Remember my Foodie Friends: “Life Happens in the Kitchen.” Happy Fourth of July.

Take Care,
John & Paula

At home, when the weather gets hot, we often turn to cool meals and eat al fresco outside on the patio. It’s time for hearty summer salads, refreshing chilled soups, cold drinks and smoothies, and grilling flavorful fish, seafood, meat, and poultry.

Summer eating becomes a way to connect with our immediate environment and the seasons – a ritual that we savor in Upstate New York. For inspiration, Diane Whitten, Food and Nutrition Educator for Cornell Cooperative Extension in Saratoga County, reminds us that fresh food is the best food. “In the summer, it’s so much easier to eat healthy with fresh produce,” says Whitten. “At the farmers’ market, the produce is so fresh and flavorful that it calls out to you. You can’t get it any fresher,” she adds.

Produce sold at the farmers’ market is harvested sometimes within hours of being placed on market tables and sold to customers. “Because it’s so fresh, fruits, vegetables, and herbs are flavorful on their own with little added ingredients,” explains Whitten.

In following the farmers’ market tradition of eating fresh, Diane Whitten shares three of her favorite in-season summer recipes: chilled cucumber soup, green peanut butter and banana smoothie, and sesame snow peas. These recipes feature in-season ingredients available at this week’s markets.

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