In Saratoga, we are fortunate to have an enormous variety of oil and vinegar options, and experts to guide our selection, at Saratoga Olive Oil on Broadway. With a full tasting room allowing you to sample oils, vinegars, and sea salts, it’s likely you’ll find some new ideas and flavors to take home. There are a variety of pure olive oils to taste, each with a distinctive flavor, as well as those that have been infused or fused with other flavorings, including Meyer lemons, Tuscan herbs, and a favorite of mine, wild mushrooms and sage.

While the pricing on these ingredients may be higher than mass-produced products you’ll find in grocery stores, a little goes a long way. Use just a small amount as a seasoning to accent your finished dishes.

This weekend, Saratoga Olive Oil is having a trade-in event, allowing you to bring in olive oil from your pantry and receive 50% off on a new bottle of higher-quality product. Get the details here.

I frequently cook chopped Farmers’ Market greens like kale, collards, or Swiss chard in just a small amount of water (1/4 to 1/3 of a cup, just enough to keep the greens from sticking to the pot), along with chopped onion and pressed garlic. Sometimes I add some slivers of light green cabbage for a pleasant contrast in the shades of green. Cover the pot for several minutes, stirring occasionally, over medium heat. Once everything is cooked just until tender, add a drizzle of oil and/or vinegar before serving.

Just-picked herbs can also add a welcome change to standard preparations. Last weekend at the Saratoga Farmers’ Market (which will conclude its indoor season this Saturday at Division Street School from 9 a.m.-1 p.m.), I purchased fresh cilantro and parsley. I used the cilantro for homemade salsa and burritos, and added the chopped parsley to a tomato-based pasta sauce. These simple additions made both meals taste so much fresher and vibrant, and the herbs are full of nutrients as well.

As the market moves outdoors next week to High Rock Park (beginning its twice-a-week hours of Wednesday 3-6 p.m. and Saturdays 9 a.m. – 1 p.m.), the produce vendors will have bunches of fresh herbs and the plant vendors will have small pots of herbs that you can put in your garden or a porch container at home to enjoy all summer. If you want a visual guide to some of these fresh herbs, Denison Farm has a “Name That Veggie” photo album on its Facebook page, showing parsley, cilantro, sage, dill, chives, and basil, among many others. See what a difference these herbs can make in your favorite dishes!