“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.

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.