School’s out for summer! That means a few months of family fun, relaxing, and, well… boredom. The Saratoga Farmers’ Market’s Power of Produce (POP) Club is here to keep local kids active and learning all summer long with educational activities, interactions with their local farmers, and challenges to try fresh market produce to get even the pickiest eaters to try new fruits and veggies.

This year’s POP Club, now in its 6th season, will run June 30 through September 1, every Wednesday at the High Rock Park market. Children may show up any time between 3-6 p.m. to participate in a fun, educational activity. Every week’s activity will be hosted by a community guest, including the Saratoga Springs Public Library, Cornell Cooperative Extension Food & Nutrition, Caffe Lena Music School, The Children’s Museum of Saratoga, Northern Rivers, and C.R.E.A.T.E. Community Studios. Children may participate in cooking demonstrations, scavenger hunts, crafts, gardening, and farmer meet and greet that provide nutrition and education. 

Children who participate are given a $2 POP coin to spend on fresh fruit and vegetables at the market, and they will earn a stamp in their POP Passport – four stamps earn them a prize. Buying produce with a POP coin gives kids the opportunity to meet farmers, learn money skills, and make smart food choices. “It’s great to see kids as young as kindergarteners come up to our stand, excited to shop for themselves. Especially when that week’s POP tasting has been a fruit or vegetable they hadn’t tried before but realize they like, and then spend their token to get more,” says Mark Bascom, owner of Owl Wood Farm and the market association’s president.

POP Club is open to all local children but is especially geared toward those aged 5-12. It is a free program, made possible through the generous support of the Christopher Dailey Foundation and the Adirondack Trust Company.

On Wednesday, July 7, 3-6 p.m., don’t miss POP Club at the Saratoga Farmers’ Market’s ‘End of School Celebration.’ This free family event will offer activities for children of all ages and a concert by Jack and Steve Zucchini (formerly of The Zucchini Brothers)!

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! 

School has ended and it’s time for many to be spending more time with the family. Summertime offers us the time to do a broader range of activities. Even though people are often busy all year long, they are usually a little bit less stressed during the summer compared to other times of the year. Children do not have to go to school during the summer, and adults who have to go to work do not need to work as many hours during the summer as they do during the rest of the year. This means that family members may be more willing to hang out with you and to talk about things that both you and your family are interested in. Many people take advantage of these facts to get to know their families more closely and by scheduling family vacations during summer holidays, or even getting to spend more time with relatives. 

Summertime for me as a child often meant getting to spend more time with my cousins, aunts and uncles and grandparents. Family get-togethers were a time to share stories and photos from the past, to talk about those who were no longer here, and to give us young ones a sense of our family history. Although getting me to come inside from playing outdoors was quite a feat, I did love spending time with my mother and my aunts watching them cook and bake up a storm for the outdoor family gatherings. I always liked baking with them, when they were not trying to get me out of the kitchen!

One item that was my favorite to help them with and to eat was making baked donuts. My mother’s baked donuts were always a hit at the family picnics. The evidence of the popularity of her donuts could often be found in my pockets and the pockets of my brothers, and cousins, as we would swiftly grab them from the table to ensure we did not lose out on getting our fill. 

So, why are baked donuts still so popular? They are extremely easy to make. No fancy ingredients are needed and it comes together as easily as a cupcake. Both the mixing process as well as the baking process is very simple even if you are a beginner in the kitchen. The trickiest part is glazing the donuts but if you follow a few simple rules and pay attention to the temperatures, you will be able make beautifully glazed donuts every time going forward.  Another reason to bake donuts is that they are quick to make. Compared to yeast-based donuts, baked donuts can be made much quicker. Once you mix the ingredients you can proceed with baking, no need to wait for the yeast to get activated. Making donuts also allows your family and friends to create the type of donut and topping they want. They can add one topping or add them all! It can be their own creation.  Oh course, the best part is eating them. 

An essential tool to help you make your baked donuts is a donut pan. You can make half or full dozen donuts in the pan. Donut shaped pans are made to assist you in creating individual full-sized donuts. No rolling, cutting, or deep frying is needed. With a donut pan, you get perfectly shaped donuts with holes in the center.  Just pour the batter into the wells, and pop them into the oven. 

This summer, remember that life is a collection of memories. It is the cherished memories that stand out and give us a history to our lives. Good memories can happen anywhere. Over the years, I have discovered that one of the best places to make lasting family traditions is in the kitchen. Stop by Compliments to the Chef, your Neighborhood Kitchen and Cutlery store, to get the donut pans and supplies you need to bake your favorite creations. Remember my Foodie Friends; “Life Happens in the Kitchen!”

 Take Care,
John & Paula

Hello my Foodie Friends! 

This weekend is Father’s Day. Not sure what to get dad since he already has a bazillion ties? A home cooked meal with some of their favorite foods is a great way to kick things off. How about cooking something special for him? Many of us have been lucky enough to grow up with dads who love to cook, who have mastered crème brûlée or grilling or taught us to make perfect rice. Others have dads who just love to eat, who will dig into a shared plate happily and are always ready to share a meal. This Sunday, we’ll honor all of them, maybe with pancakes or a special dinner or a thoughtful food-related gift. In preparing that special meal, there may be some cool culinary tools you need to help.

Among my favorite gifts to receive on Father’s Day are tickets to a Yankee’s baseball game. Since my daughter’s birthday often times falls on the same day, we both enjoy the gift of watching a game to celebrate. Growing up in Connecticut, our family and friends were split several ways with teams they loved – Yankees, Red Sox, and the Mets. My family was always for the Yankee’s. Our children grew up watching players like the 1998 Yankee team and Derek Jeter through his baseball career. However, I do love watching a game at Fenway Park in Boston and then walking the streets of Boston to have a beer at the Baseball Tavern on Boylston Street or at the Bleacher Bar. My heart still belongs to Yankee Stadium though. So many years of game watching was done in the old stadium. Baseball tugs at the thoughts and emotions of every fan. Our family loves baseball. We are entrenched with baseball history and every aspect the game has to offer. I draw upon the history of the game and the iconic men who helped make MLB what it is today: Babe Ruth, Honus Wagner, Lou Gehrig, Ty Cobb, Rogers Hornsby, Cy Young, Ted Williams, Stan Musial, Joe DiMaggio, Jackie Robinson, Hank Aaron, Willie Mays, Mickey Mantle, Mike Schmidt, Reggie Jackson and many, many more. I am amazed at the power of hitters like Yankee’s slugger Aaron Judge, who make us stop and watch every at-bat. There’s nothing better than seeing Judge step into the batter’s box and attack a pitcher . . . especially when he connects for a 500-foot blast. 

Besides baseball, we have a perfect gift for Dad this Father’s Day! A Dutch oven is a great gift to give especially if you have a Dad who loves to cook. You could make the argument that a Dutch oven is the only pot you need in a kitchen. Its heavy, cast iron build holds heat over long periods of cooking with extraordinary consistency. The enamel coating most are covered in eliminates the need for seasoning. The standard size Dutch oven — about 5.5 to 6 quarts — is large enough to cook most dishes for a family of four. Dutch ovens can sear, bake, braise, stew and steam with the best of them. 

Currently, we are carrying the limited edition LeCreuset MLB Signature Series 7.25-quart round Dutch oven with the Yankee’s and Red Sox colors and logos. The enameled cast iron Dutch oven is oven safe up to 500 degrees Fahrenheit. It has a tight-fitting lid designed to circulate steam and return moisture back to the food inside, while its side handles are designed for easy lifting. You can use it for slow-cooking, braising, roasting, baking, frying and more, which is one of the reasons it’s worth the investment. Plus, the piece is naturally nonstick and dishwasher safe, so it’s easy to clean, requires no seasoning and does come with the previously mentioned lifetime warranty.

Stop by Compliments to the Chef, your Neighborhood Kitchen and Cutlery store, to treat dad to some cool culinary tools. For Father’s Day, eat together as a family! Relish the memories and show Dad how much you love him. Maybe even sit and watch a baseball game…just for the love of the game. Remember my Foodie Friends, “Life Happens in the Kitchen.”

 Take Care,
John & Paula

Weekend farmers’ markets are a great way to unwind from the week, spend time with family and friends, and stock your fridge for the week ahead. But there’s no need to wait until the weekend to do this – the Saratoga Farmers’ Market’s midweek market, rain or shine, on Wednesdays, 3-6 pm, offers a way to get the freshest foods – usually picked off the land the day before or even that morning.

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

Vendors appreciate the market’s different characteristics. “Midweek markets are a great opportunity for farmers since it provides a platform to sell your freshest products that otherwise might not make it to the weekend,” says Charles Holub, owner of Scotch Ridge Berry & Tree Farm. He notes that since his farm doesn’t use pesticides or herbicides, they must pick berries every other day to avoid critters. “And naturally grown fruit doesn’t keep long after picking – just a day or two – so these midweek markets let us sell more of our product,” Holub adds.

For customers, the smaller size of the Wednesday market is a draw, especially this year. “Many customers prefer the smaller crowds – plus it makes it easier to have more meaningful personal interactions with customers,” says Becky Dennison of Shushan Valley Hydro Farms. “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.

A family-friendly affair, this season’s Wednesday 

markets will offer the Power of Produce Club with themed activities for children of all ages (running June 30th through September 1). Market-goers can also expect weekly live music and community guests (including the Cornell Cooperative Extension’s Master Gardeners offering gardening tips and soil testing every third Wednesday of the month). Also, on Wednesday, July 21 and Wednesday, August 11, representatives from the Office for the Aging will hand out free Farmer’s Market Nutrition Program coupons to be spent on fruits and vegetables at the farmers’ market.

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! 

I know it’s a cliché’ but time does go by so quickly. This coming week is our daughter Aubrey’s birthday. It just seems like yesterday we were sitting at the Saratoga Race Track with her sitting on her foldable Barbie chair with a Saratoga umbrella watching the spectacular racing horses walking by.  We are blessed to have our daughter still in the Saratoga area serving our community as a doctor of Physical Therapy on the Wesley community campus. To this day, she insists that my wife make her an ice cream cake as part of her birthday celebration. My wife has developed various creations over the years.  I have to admit, I do not mind having ice cream cake as our special birthday dessert. I love ice cream as much as I did when I was a kid. Many of us love ice cream.  We crave for it during hot summer days, even during the cold northeast winters. It is a wonderful treat to have as we watch movies like “Sleepless in Seattle,” or “When Harry met Sally.” Can you tell I am a fan of Meg Ryan? Ice cream is a sweet treat for all ages. It has been proven that whether you are young or old, you will never outgrow your love for Ice cream. So why do we love ice cream so much? Here are some thoughts:

1. There are so many flavors to choose from. Ice creams are famous because of their flavors. 

2. Having a bad day at work or in school? Got dumped or got your heart broken? Eating ice cream helps lighten up one’s mood.

3. It is delicious and refreshing and makes you want more. 

4. What’s for dessert? Ice cream is always a sure way to satisfy those dessert yearnings. 

5. Ice cream reminds me of when I was a kid screaming for ice cream!  “I scream, you scream, we all scream for Ice Cream!”

One culinary item that my wife relies upon when making her ice cream cake is a spring form pan. Spring form pans are a kitchen essential for producing flawlessly smooth cheesecakes, perfectly crusted tarts, or intricate ice cream cakes without damage to their tops, bottoms, or sides. Meant to eliminate the risks associated with removing cakes from traditional pans, removing your product from the pan is the final step before placing your delicate treats on display, serving to your family or guests, or packaging them to go.

Stop by Compliments to the Chef, your Neighborhood Kitchen and Cutlery store located at 33 Railroad Place. We have an assortment of spring form pans and accessories to assist with adding that special dessert to your menu. 

To our daughter Aubrey:

You give us a thousand reasons to smile every day. We are so proud of the woman you are. Happy Birthday to you, our beautiful daughter! 

May love and laughter Light your days And warm your heart and home;
May good and faithful friends be yours Wherever you may roam;
May peace and plenty bless your world With joy that long endures;
May all life’s passing seasons Bring the best to you and yours! 
– Traditional Irish Blessing

Although I cannot share Paula’s recipe for her ice cream cake, I have included another fantastic ice cream cake recipe to make

Remember my Food Friends, “Life Happens in the Kitchen.”

 Take Care,
John & Paula

If you’re a regular customer at the Saratoga Farmers’ Market, you will likely recognize vendor Marcie Place standing behind her tables of neatly packaged white bakery boxes sporting mouthwatering labels like “Vanilla Ricotta Tea Biscuits” and “Pineapple Almond Teacake.” 

Place, owner of The Chocolate Spoon and long-time vendor of the Saratoga Farmers’ Market, brings her array of fresh baked goods every week to the Wednesday and Saturday markets. The secret to her success in baking? Using fresh, local ingredients from her fellow vendors at the farmers’ market. 

“I use eggs from Elihu Farm, jam from Kokinda Farm, herbs from Burger’s Market Garden, vegetables from Owl Wood Farm and Gomez Veggie Ville, berries from Scotch Ridge Berry Farm, apples from Saratoga Apple… Even the backyard herbs of Mister Edge, our knife sharpener, I use in my cocktail cookies!” 

Place says she finds the quality of local products superior and elevates the taste of her baked goods. She’s even put it to the test in front of a live audience. “I did a demonstration at an elementary school where I baked two sets of butter cookies: one using store-bought eggs versus one using eggs from Elihu Farm,” says Place. She explained that the cookies came out a beautiful golden color when using the fresh eggs from Mary and Bob Pratt of Elihu Farm. “Truly a difference you can both see and taste, and the kids agreed!” Place notes. 

When she first started selling at the farmers’ market, Place admits her baked goods were pretty traditional. However, the seasonal products at the market inspired her to start experimenting more with her recipes and incorporate fresh ingredients for unique flavor combinations. She says farmers’ market customers are very helpful in recommending new recipes, and she is always open to suggestions. For example, she recently stumbled upon pineapple sage at the market and decided to pair it with coconut for a new shortbread cookie.

When asked what customers will have to look forward to this month, Place reveals: “Rhubarb and berries are coming back in season right now, so expect lots of strawberry rhubarb pies and blueberry and strawberry muffins!”

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! 

So many of us have cut our hands while washing our knives. I know my wife has (or did) and watched in horror as she held her hand above her head to stop the bleeding.  We are faced with the dilemma on how to properly wash our knives. Good knives are the engines of the kitchen. We slice, dice, chop, and cut with them, making them the shining stars of meal prep. While it might be tempting to throw them in the dishwasher, this is not an ideal method for keeping your knives in top shape. Viola Wüsthof, the first female CEO of her family’s knife company Wüsthof and a repository of seven generations worth of knife knowledge, says the biggest misconception about cleaning knives is that they can be washed in the same manner as other kitchen utensils. “A dishwasher can be detrimental to the quality of your knife,” she says. “They are often too abrasive and based on the type of detergent used, the process can cause rust or corrosion.” Think of your knives as investment pieces for your kitchen, a little sweat equity is a small price to pay to keep your tools in working order. Knives should not be put into the sink until you are ready to clean them. You want to prevent any contact from other dishes or pots and pans going into the sink. This helps to prevent blade damage.  Placing blades in your dishwater can also be dangerous as you can’t see what’s beneath the water. You don’t want to get injured. All knives, regardless of blade or handle material, should be hand washed in warm water, rinsed, and immediately dried. 

Cleaning sharp knives and cutlery can be a hazardous task, but there is an innovative washing-up brush that makes it easier. The knife cleaning brush by Joseph Joseph helps you to clean sharp blades safely. The brush has a unique, wrap-around design that cleans both sides at once. The brush is designed with opposed bristles for effective cleaning, has a textured hand-grip, and is easy to store. You can also use this brush to wipe food off forks, spoons, and butter knives. Just get it soapy and pull the blade through a few times. Your fingers stay protected and the sharp blade gets brushed clean.

This brush can be a game changer in how you properly clean and take care of your knives. Good knives need to be looked after. This means that you need to use, clean, sharpen and store them properly. If you take good care of your knives they will continue to amaze you time and time again. We advise you to always wash your kitchen knives by hand, even if the supplier states that the knife is dishwasher proof. A knife with a wooden handle will visibly get damaged and a riveted handle will eventually tear at the rivets. In addition, the handle can break because of the heat. Aggressive detergents can cause irreparable damage to your knife. Detergent can af-fect hardened steel and plastics and can leave specs of rust on the blade and leave you with dull handles.

Stop by Compliments to the Chef, your Neighborhood Kitchen and Cutlery store to get those game changing gadgets that help make life easier and safer in the kitchen. Remember my Foodie Friends: “Life Happens in the Kitchen.”

 Take Care,
John & Paula

Love S’mores?
We do!

Always looking for a roasting stick? We are! Or, we were until we learned how to make DIY Marshmallow Roasting Sticks from hangers and we have been transformed ever since! They are easy to make, the kids will love making this craft activity and they will make your next campfire simple; no drudging through the woods for sticks! 

These little roasters will wow your friends and be a bit of conversation.  Here’s how we start our S’more family fun! 

Materials Needed: 

• Wire Hanger(s) with the cardboard tube at the bottom 

• Electrical Tape 

• Duct Tape (optional) 

Tools Needed: 

• Wire Snips 

• Scissors 

Step 1:
Using the wire snips separate the medal part of the hanger from the cardboard tube by clipping as close to the tube as possible.  You want to keep as much of the medal intact that you can.  There will be a little medal hook left behind in the cardboard tube.  Sometimes this pops out, sometimes you have to clip the cardboard (see the video for more on this step). 

Step 2:  
Straighten the hanger hook as much as possible. 

Step 3:
Insert the straightened hook part of the wire hanger into the cardboard tube.  The portion of the hanger with the prongs will be exposed and coming out of the tube; ultimately they will be your marshmallow roasters. 

Step 4:
Cover the cardboard tube with electrical tape to protect it from the fire! 

Step 5: If desired, add a little portion of duct tape at the bottom of the tube, this simply allows us to remember who the stick belongs to.   

More on making DIY Marshmallow Roasting Sticks: 

EXRA:  Get creative with your electrical tape colors and designs! 

Storing: When you are all done roasting, remove the medal from the cardboard tube, squeeze the open prongs together and insert them into the tube for storage until you’re ready for a future roast. 

Washing:  I let the sticks cool and the marshmallow that’s left behind.  Simply wash with dish detergent and a scrub brush, it comes right off. 

How we make our S’mores: 

We love a traditional S’more with a roasted marshmallow, graham cracker and chocolate bar, but we have discovered and love a few other flavors as well.  Here are a few ingredients to pick up next time you are at your local Price Chopper/Market 32 Supermarket to make and try.  Experimenting with S’more flavors makes for great fireside conversation with friends and adds that extra touch family fun; it’s all about making memories. 

• Roasted marshmallow, graham cracker and Reese’s peanut butter cup. 

• Roasted marshmallow, chocolate graham crackers and either Ghirardelli Mint Chocolate Squares or Peppermint Patties. 

• Roasted marshmallow, honey graham cracker and Ghirardelli Caramel Chocolate Squares. 

• Roasted Marshmallow, honey graham cracker and Ghirardelli Raspberry Chocolate Squares. 

Allergies? 

Gluten Free:  Check out Kinnikinnick S’morealbes
Graham Crackers.   

Nut Free: Sun Cups they are nut free. 

It’s about an hour before sunset. A truckload of deep brown compost has just arrived at Leaning Birch Farm. It sits in a heap near the garden beds and high tunnels that Dan and Rose Fera began putting in their backyard five years ago. 

Nic, their son, greets me as I pull up, but his focus is on the compost. A former coffeeshop worker and musician, he pays close attention to the aesthetics – the color, the texture, the smell. He thrusts his arms deep into the heap and pulls out a handful. He forms a ball and lets its crumble through his palms back into the pile. He then buries his nose into a handful, savoring its smell.

Leaning Birch Farm is among several new produce vendors at this year’s Saratoga Farmers’ Market. The Feras grow dozens of varieties of vegetables in approximately 1.5 acres of space. They use intensive, high-yield planting techniques to maximize their space, which as Nic notes, teaches that “you don’t need a lot of land to make a decent living.”

Nic grew up in Saratoga Springs, where his parents were renters. Dan restored violins and Rose worked as a clinical director for a special education school. All three had a flair for art and a fondness for fresh food. Nic began playing music at coffeeshops, and ultimately worked in the business himself.

Dan and Rose had a garden and relatively low rent. Still, they yearned to build equity by doing something they loved. That desire led them to purchase a house in Broadalbin. The house came with a yard filled with good soil and abutted a pond. It also came with a mortgage that was nearly twice the monthly amount they had been paying in rent. 

Dan had a plan: Pay the mortgage with garlic.

“I had heard somewhere that you could make $40,000 a year on an acre of garlic,” he said with a laugh.

Garlic as a sole moneymaker never materialized, but the idea helped the Feras see the hunger for fresh local foods. They began selling to restaurants, via a farm stand, and through a CSA. About three years ago, they joined their first farmers’ market, and now sell at markets in Schenectady, Glens Falls, and Saratoga.

“It’s a cool feeling to realize how many other people also are sitting down to dinner, eating our vegetables,” adds Rose. “We’re not just taking care of ourselves but our community, too.” 

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. 

Warmer weather means children will be looking forward to having some fun in the sun. 

While running and playing, kids are bound to work up a sweat. This is why it is important to make sure they are staying hydrated while enjoying their time outdoors. Water is needed in the body to regulate temperature, help digest food, and to excrete waste. It is important to replenish the water that is lost in urine, sweat, and even from the air we breathe so our bodies can continue to carry out these functions. 

Due to their smaller size, children have a higher risk of becoming dehydrated. This is because they have a larger proportion of skin available to lose sweat and be exposed to the hot sun. Children are also not always able to recognize when they get thirsty and might forget to stop for a drink. If a child complains of headaches or dizziness, or has cracked lips, poor concentration, dark yellow urine, or fatigue, these are signs that they may be dehydrated. 

The amount of water children need varies depending on age, body size, activity level, health, and even the temperature outside. The Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics recommends the following fluid needs for children: ages 4-8 need 7 cups daily, ages 9-13 need around 9 cups daily, and ages 14-18 need 10-14 cups daily. These recommendations include drinks and any water provided from solid foods, like fruits and vegetables. Fruits and some vegetables have a high water-content so they are a great snack that will also keep you hydrated. Watermelon, strawberries, citrus fruits, tomatoes, and cucumbers are all nutrient-rich and hydrating; perfect for those hot summer days. 

Getting children to drink more water might not always be easy, but there are a few ways to make it more enjoyable for them. Kids like to be involved, try having them pick out their own reusable water bottle, colorful paper straws, or fun shaped ice cube trays at the store so they are excited about using them. For children who do not enjoy plain water, adding fruit slices for more flavor and color might make it more appealing to them. Popsicles are also a great way to keep kids hydrated; however, most are full of artificial flavorings and colors and don’t provide many nutrients. Try making homemade popsicles for a hydrating afternoon snack with the recipe on the next page! Other creative ways to keep your child hydrated is to serve them smoothies or cold soup.