Some people love to get outside and pick their own produce, from berries to tomatoes. I enjoy this, too. After someone else does the hard work of farming, it’s a sneaky pleasure to arrive just in time to pick ready-to-eat produce. I like to take my children berry picking, since the rewards are sweet and everyone loves the “kerplink-kerplank-kerplunk” experience of dropping berries in a bucket (described in the classic children’s book, Blueberries for Sal).  

If you want “U-pick” information, see this Saratoga Today article from a few weeks ago for a list that includes some of my favorite local pick-your-own destinations.  Strawberries are ready now, and blueberries will arrive in July. In that same article, note the approaching July 1st deadline for registering to win a full summer’s worth of U-pick produce from Hand Melon Farm, simply by signing up for the farm’s e-newsletter. (Hand Melon has a convenient farm stand on Route 29 in Greenwich, if you are passing by and don’t have time to pick.)å

When people ask me about pick-your-own locations, I always mention farmers’ markets as an alternative solution, perfect for when time runs short or the weather isn’t quite right to be out in the field. At the market, you can have a fast and fun “pick (out) your own” experience, while still being able to talk with the farmer about growing conditions, favorite recipes and the like.  

Wondering what’s fresh at the Saratoga Farmers’ Market these days? Even though it’s still just the beginning of summer, the list is expanding rapidly every week as farm trucks roll in with fresh local crops. Here’s what I saw last Saturday:

FRUIT: Strawberries, rhubarb, apples

HERBS: fresh herbs of all sorts, including basil, cilantro, parsley (many cut and ready to eat, and even more as plants for your garden, including exotic varieties like chocolate mint and cinnamon basil)

GREENS: Head and leaf lettuces, micro-greens, Swiss chard, collards, kale, spinach, arugula, bok choi

OTHER VEGETABLES: Asparagus, beets, broccoli, carrots, cucumbers, garlic scapes, kohlrabi, shiitake and oyster mushrooms, pea pods and snow peas, potatoes, radishes, spring onions, scallions, summer squash, tomatoes, salad turnips, zucchini. 

In addition to all this, the market still has many vegetable “starts” (veggie plants that are ready to put in the ground, catching you up in the growing season if you didn’t plant seeds.) These can build out your home garden in no time.  

Those are some fun ideas for “playing with food” this summer.  Hope to see you at the market or in the fields!