Displaying items by tag: Saratoga Farmers' Market

Spring is finally bringing warmer weather and with it an abundance of much-anticipated seasonal produce to the Saratoga Farmers’ Market. Greens, in many forms, including perennials, hearty cold-weather crops, and greenhouse-grown, have been catching our eye, and we invite you to try some fresh new flavors of the season.

Several farms at the Wednesday and Saturday farmers’ markets offer varieties of greens. This includes red romaine, baby spinach, radicchio, green romaine, red leaf, arugula, mustard greens, red chard, and tatsoi. These greens offer distinct fresh flavors and textures, and they are high in nutritional value, too. Depending on the green, some may be cooked, wilted, or enjoyed fresh as a salad. 

Vibrant sunflower and sweet pea shoots are available at Leaning Birch Farm on Saturdays. Pea shoots have the sweet, grassy flavor of snap peas with a refreshing crunch, and sunflower shoots have a nutty taste with a similar crisp bite. According to Nic Fera of Leaning Birch Farm, both are a year-round crop for their farm. “They are great to add a little fresh accent to dishes,” says Fera. 

Capital Greens NY brings varieties of microgreens to the Saturday farmers’ market, including the mixes like their Signature Gourmet, Thai Basil, and Gourmet Fiesta. Microgreens are young vegetable greens packed with nutrients and are easy to incorporate into many dishes or used as a garnish. Try them on sandwiches, in salads, on pizza, or blend them into a smoothie. 

If you’re a fan of fiddleheads, stop by Ramble Creek Farm this month while they’re in season. Fiddleheads are young shoots that grow from the ostrich fern, and with a very narrow harvest season, you can only enjoy these shoots in the early spring from around late April to early June. With a nutty and sweet flavor reminiscent of asparagus, fiddleheads may be steamed, braised, or sauteed, as they contain a trace amount of a toxin and cannot be consumed raw. 

This week, we encourage you to try something new, whether it be a new product or shopping with a new vendor at the Wednesday or Saturday 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. For online pre-ordering and curbside pickup, visit localline.ca/saratoga-farmers-market.

A good breakfast sandwich is a New York staple, and people tend to have strong opinions about their favorites. Does it come on a bagel, English muffin, or a biscuit? Do you top it with bacon, sausage, or no meat at all? Saratoga Farmers’ Market customers can put it to the test: the breakfast sandwich is back.

Returning for their 22nd year, with a one-year hiatus in 2020, M&A Farm’s staff dishes up stacks of breakfast menu items for customers to customize into their favorite sandwich. Served on English muffins, M&A uses local, farm-fresh eggs and meats (sausage and ham - combine them to order a “Manwich”) and provides the option to add a hash brown.

At 85, Arnold Grant continues as the farm owner and the main cook at M&A’s stand, but he has help from a big crew made up of three different generations in the family. The Grant family has owned their farm, located in Durkeetown, NY, between Fort Edward and Argyle, for over 200 years.

 “My first memories are of the farm being operated as a dairy farm by my great uncle, and then by my dad, still as a dairy farm,” says Grant. In 1998, he joined the Saratoga Farmers’ Market initially to sell his meats, but the breakfast sandwiches took off at the same time.

Over the years, M&A Farm has been a crowd favorite, as well as a Saturday farmers’ market breakfast tradition. Many customers were noticeably excited for their return last weekend as the summer market season officially began. 

“It hasn’t seemed right without you,” said a customer named Linda just as we walked up to speak to owner Arnold Grant. At the same time, customers who only recently started shopping at the farmers’ market since last year’s move to the Wilton Mall were pleasantly surprised to see a new ready-to-eat option. “We’re so excited to see egg & cheese sandwiches at the market! Now we know to skip breakfast and come straight here,” noted Bethany, another market-goer.

“We’ve been open for a long time,” says Grant resolutely. “I’m hoping to pass the business on to my granddaughter. At 85, I’m getting ready to retire soon, but I’d like it to stay in the family,” he adds. It sounds like Saratoga Farmers’ Market customers will be able to enjoy the farm-fresh sandwiches for some time to come.

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. For online pre-ordering and curbside pickup, visit localline.ca/saratoga-farmers-market.

Spring is in the air, and we are eager to move outdoors for our summer market season. May 1 marks the beginning of the 43rd outdoor market season for the Saratoga Farmers’ Market, the area’s longest-running, producer-only farmers’ market. The Saturday market will open at the current location, the Wilton Mall Bon-Ton parking lot, from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. The Wednesday market will open at High Rock Park in downtown Saratoga Springs from 3 to 6 p.m. every week. 

The location split results from various factors, including COVID-19 social distancing guidelines, customer parking, accessibility, and community feedback. A recent survey with more than 700 responses resulted in an even split in public opinion on holding markets downtown versus the Wilton Mall. 

This year’s weekly Saturday markets will feature more than 70 vendors selling fresh produce, dairy products, eggs, meat, poultry, flowers, prepared foods, and more. The Wednesday markets will feature about 20 vendors with a similar range of products. Both markets will also include music, community guests, and periodic special events like Saturday’s Blueberry Festival in July and Power of Produce (POP) Club for kids on Wednesdays this summer.

We are excited to welcome new and returning vendors into the mix carrying a variety of products. Some to look out for include Capital Greens NY, Charlton Woodworking, Dancing Ewe Farm, Grazin’ Acres Farm, Leaning Birch Farm, Lovin’ Mama Farm, M & A Farm, Mirage Waterless, Native Farm Flowers, Night Work Bread, Old Tavern Farm, TogaNola Snack Company, Vashti’s Kitchen Delights, and Nine Pine Soup and Design. 

The Saratoga Farmers’ Market has remained committed to creating a safe environment for both vendors and customers, including handwashing and sanitizing stations, social distancing, and mask requirements. As we move into the summer season, we will continue to enforce these state-issued regulations for the health and safety of our community. 

The addition of an online ordering and curbside pickup program has provided an alternative for customers to safely and conveniently access local goods without having to shop inside the market. Orders can be placed online each week between Monday at 9 p.m. and Thursday at 9 p.m. for curbside pickup on Saturdays. Visit localline.ca/saratoga-farmers-market.

“Warming temperatures are a sign that the summer market season is about to begin, and we can’t wait for all it will bring this year: spring flowers, summer produce, live music, and community in the great outdoors,” says Market Administrator Emily Meagher.

Wednesday Market Vendors:

• Burger Farm
• Euro Delicacies
• Gifford Farms
• Gómez Veggie Ville
• Left Field
• Mister Edge Sharpening
• Nine Pine Soup and Design
• Old World Farm
• Owl Wood Farm
• Saratoga Apple
• Saratoga Garlic Company
• Scotch Ridge Berry Farm
• Squash Villa Farm
• The Chocolate Spoon
• The Food Florist
• The Mushroom Shop
• Underwood’s Greenhouse/Shushan Valley Hydro Farm
• Vashiti’s Kitchen Delights

Saturday Market Vendors:

• 518 Farms
• Argyle Cheese Factory
• Balet Flowers & Design, LLC
• Ballston Lake Apiaries
• Big Breath Wellness
• Bunker Hill Organic LLC
• Burger Farm
• Capital Greens NY 
• Charlton Woodworking
• Daily Fresh
• Dancing Ewe Farm
• Elihu Farm
• Euro Delicacies
• Feathered Antler
• Fossil Stone Farms
• Freddy’s Rockin’ Hummus
• Giovanni Fresco
• Gómez Veggie Ville
• Grandma Apple’s Cheesecakes, LLC
• Grazin Acres Farm
• Green Jeans Market Farm
• Hebron Valley Veal
• Junbucha
• Kokinda Farm
• Leaning Birch Farm
• Left Field
• Longlesson Farm
• Lovin’ Mama Farm
• M & A Farm
• Mariaville Mushroom Men
• Mirage Waterless LLC
• Moon Cycle Seed Company
• Moxie Ridge Farm
• Mrs Londons
• Muddy Trail Jerky Co.
• Mugzy’s Barkery
• Native Farm Flowers
• Nettle Meadow
• Night Work Bread
• Old Tavern Farm
• Old World Farm
• Owl Wood Farm
• Petra Pocket Pies
• Pleasant Valley Farms
• Puckers Gourmet
• Pura Vida Fisheries, Inc
• R&G Cheesemakers 
• Ramble Creek Farm
• Saratoga Apple
• Saratoga Chocolate Co. 
• Saratoga Crackers
• Saratoga Garlic Company
• Saratoga Peanut Butter Co.
• Saratoga Spicery
• Saratoga Suds ‘n’ Stuff
• Scotch Ridge Berry Farm
• Slate Valley Farms
• Slovonian European Cafe
• Slyboro Cider House
• Something’s Brewing
• Springbrook Hollow Farm Distillery
• Squash Villa Farm
• Talmadge’s Vegetables
• The Chocolate Spoon
• The Food Florist
• The Smoothie Shoppe INC
• TogaNola Snack Company, LLC
• Underwood’s Greenhouse/Shushan Valley Hydro Farm
• Vashiti’s Kitchen Delights
• Yankee Distillers LLC

Happy Earth Week! Some places celebrate Earth Day, others make it a weeklong event, and others organize month-long festivities. At the Saratoga Farmers’ Market, we like to think that every day is Earth Day.

Farmers’ market operations are inherently more sustainable than factory and grocery store operations. Most obviously, vendors produce food locally, cutting down on transportation impacts. The Farmers’ Market Coalition cites that, on average, food travels over 1,000 miles from the point of production to the retail store. In contrast, practically all vendors at the Saratoga Farmers’ Market live just a county away from the market.

Many grow and produce their food with extra care for the environment, for instance, by growing organically or choosing sustainable packaging. Think compostable mushroom boxes, egg carton returns, or glass deposits on items like maple syrup, yogurt, or kombucha. “It’s obvious to consider the earth when you’re a farmer; your hands are literally in the dirt. But other food producers are equally responsible for operating sustainably,” said Shane Avery, owner of Junbucha.

That green focus is evident in customers’ minds, too. Customers are prepared to shop with reusable totes and netted produce bags. They religiously return their empty containers. They often choose the more sustainable options even if it costs a little more. Julia, one market customer, stopped by to return her glass maple syrup jar, calling choosing glass over plastic “the intuitive choice.” She chooses jars as they are reusable, returnable, recyclable, and she uses them to store granola at home before returning them.

And then, there are the green choices that extend further than the farmers’ market. The Saratoga Farmers’ Market’s partnership with the Franklin Community Center is a prime example: customers drop off compost at the farmers’ market to be used in the Center’s community garden, while vendors donate unsold food to the food pantry.

All these green efforts point out a quiet strength of farmers’ markets: their belief in the efficacy of traditional ways, where less is more, quality trumps quantity, and there is a deep-rooted connection to the earth.

Join us this Saturday, April 24, for our last winter market before welcoming our new summer vendors. We will be joining The Children’s Museum at Saratoga’s Children’s Road Rally event and offering a scavenger hunt and prizes for kids. Starting May 1, our Saturday markets will take place at the Wilton Mall from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., while you can find our Wednesday markets at High Rock Park from 3 to 6 p.m. For online pre-ordering and curbside pickup, visit localline.ca/saratoga-farmers-market.

It felt so good to feel sunshine on our faces this past Saturday at the Saratoga Farmers’ Market. 

From now through the end of April, the farmers’ market will be outside, weather permitting, in the Bon-Ton/Bow Tie parking lot at the Wilton Mall on Saturdays, 9:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Current COVID guidelines still stand, so mask up, bring your shopping bags, and remember to social distance as we continue to ensure the safest (and freshest) shopping experience.

As we eagerly anticipate spring perennials like asparagus and rhubarb, they are still much too young to harvest as vibrant shoots have just recently broken through the earth. Even fiddleheads are weeks away from emerging. However, early spring offers an opportunity to savor the first tender greens that are getting their start in greenhouses and the last of stored crops like beets, kohlrabi, and radishes. Innovative farmers are also bringing hydroponically grown produce like cucumber, watercress, and herbs. And, some farmers work tirelessly to bring crops that grow year-round, like mushrooms. 

If you are eager to make spring meals, there are plenty of flavorful ingredients available at the farmers’ market. We feel inspired to share recipes for a fresh herbed salad and seared pork chops this week. Combining stored fruit and vegetables with freshly harvested greens, fresh farm eggs, and heritage meats is what spring cooking is all about. 

The Saratoga Farmers’ Market is open Saturdays from 9:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Find us online at saratogafarmersmarket.org and follow us on Facebook and Instagram. For online pre-ordering and curbside pickup, visit localline.ca/saratoga-farmers-market.

Winter was hard. Just as I thought I could start to socialize again, new variants of the Coronavirus surfaced, pushing me back into isolation. I found myself feeling haggard from too much work at home, sitting at the computer trying to manage my teaching work and other responsibilities as a college professor alongside running our farm..

I longed to rip open a bag of organic potting soil, fill a tray of 72 seedling cells, and start planting arugula. But my husband Jim and I have been moving our farm, and with me left responsible for much of the packing, decluttering, and cleanup of our old locale, there was little time or space to make such a dream come true.

Last weekend, though, was Easter and its promise of renewal. I celebrated with Jim at the new farm. We sunk our hands into the soil and began planting rhubarb crowns that had arrived two days earlier. I checked out the seedlings Jim had started under grow lights and marked times in my calendar for when I could help transplant those starts into the ground. 

Last year, many of us fought back pandemic fear by creating what were dubbed “COVID gardens.” Gardeners planted radishes, turnips, arugula, lettuce, carrots, and peas. They obtained seedlings from such places as the Saratoga Farmers’ Market, along with tips on how to transplant, water and fertilize.

This year, we can tackle combat pandemic fatigue with gardening again.

Seeds for most spring crops – think peas, radishes, turnips, carrots, beets, lettuce, and kale – are widely available. Seedlings for summer crops, along with such vegetables as broccoli, will be available soon at the Saratoga Farmers’ Market at the Wilton Mall on Saturdays and, starting in May, at High Rock Park on Wednesdays. 

Many gardeners – from novices to experts – came to my market stall last year with stories about their successes – the spicy tang of a radish pulled straight from the ground, the sweetness of a tomato just off the vine – and their failures – the seeds that did not germinate, the rabbits who made the lettuce bed their salad bar. Their celebrations and their laments show how planting seeds is about more than growing food. It’s also about magic: the healing power of letting our hands touch dirt, the wondrous transformation of a germinating seed to sprout, plant, and fruit. 

It’s time to get planting. Let’s do it together. 

The Saratoga Farmers’ Market is open Saturdays from 9:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Find us online at saratogafarmersmarket.org and follow us on Facebook and Instagram. For online pre-ordering and curbside pickup, visit localline.ca/saratoga-farmers-market.

Hello my Foodie Friends! 

Meal time is family time. As we know, family life is busy and preparing and sharing family meals together takes time. But when you can manage it, regular family meals are worth the effort. Whether it is nightly dinners or a special Sunday lunch, family meals are perfect times to catch up, connect and communicate with each other. This can be especially important for busy children and teenagers. Your child can also learn a lot about food, eating and family traditions by watching what you do at mealtimes. For example, eating with the rest of the family helps younger children learn to eat the same healthy food as everyone else. Throughout the years at Compliments to the Chef, we have had many young foodies come into the store and share their love of cooking. Young children learn best when they get to explore with their senses. Meal preparation is an important aspect of practical life. As children prepare food, they get to observe, touch, smell, taste and listen. This activity also provides an opportunity for them to learn about healthy eating and develop a variety of skills from early childhood. One of the best traditions we can hand down to our children is cooking special foods. And if you don’t share your own family recipes with your children, how will these memories and traditions stay alive? I’m a huge advocate for establishing your own food traditions in your kitchen, and passing them along to the next generation. After all, food is so much more than nutrients—it’s sustenance and love. 

During my childhood, my mother would try to keep five children “busy” by including us in the food prep activities (as long as she could tolerate us). A favorite food we all loved was pancakes. I would be in charge of mixing the pancake batter together (which was always an event since the mix would land all over the kitchen). A cool tool I wish I had back then is the immersion blender. 

Immersion blenders, also called handheld blenders, can be used for a variety of everyday kitchen tasks like mixing pancake batter, whisking eggs, whipping cream, pureeing smoothies and baby food, and it’s an essential tool for blending creamy vegetable soups, like butternut squash soup, right in the pot. A handheld blender can be a useful and space-saving alternative to a full-size blender since it can be tucked into a drawer or cabinet. One of our favorite immersion blenders is the Control Grip blender from Breville. Gain total control with the Control Grip. The Control Grip’s unique anti-suction technology means less liquid spilling out of your bowl and the ergonomic trigger grip gives your hand a natural position making use easier. A 42oz jug and whisk attachment is included. The immersion blender produces smoother textures, and has a design that is comfortable to use. It comes with whipping and chopping attachments as well. 

Stop by Compliments to the Chef, your Neighborhood Kitchen and Cutlery store to get those tools that make cooking fun. Spend time as a family cooking and making the traditions that your children will carry with them. Share the family recipes or create new ones! Remember my Foodie Friends: “Life Happens in the Kitchen!”

 Take Care,
John & Paula

At the Saratoga Farmers’ Market this Saturday, April 3, you can select excellent products for your Easter Dinner. 

When you enter the Wilton Mall at the Food Court, you’ll first see Something’s Brewing. Beth Trattel has small packs of Battenkill River Coffee One Pot Minis and full pounds of whole bean or ground coffee. As you get started in the morning, enjoy her new flavors such as chocolate fudge or chocolate coconut, along with Mrs. London’s Easter Hot Cross buns. 

The Farmers’ Market has excellent cheese for appetizers, such as Nettle Meadow’s new Prospect Mountain cow’s milk cheese which contains blackberry leaf, rose petals, red clover, sumac, and sarsaparilla root. R&G Cheesemakers use goat, sheep, or cows’ milk. Argyle Cheese Farmer has their award-winning Amazing Grace and other aged varieties.

To start your dinner with a salad, Gomez Veggie Ville has packages of mixed greens, and Underwood’s Shushan Valley Hydro Farm is returning with tomatoes, herbs, and veggies. To accompany your salad, serve Mrs. London’s French bread. Or Kokinda Farm’s Pasaka bread, a traditional Polish holiday bread made with raisins. 

You can use poultry, beef, veal, pork, fish, goat, or lamb for your main course.  Longlesson Farm is bringing many cuts of beef and pork. Ramble Creek offers chicken. Squash Villa Farm is bringing goat. Pura Vida has fresh-caught fish and seafood, including huge scallops.

Elihu Farm is bringing fresh (never frozen) lamb cuts, including legs, chops, shoulders, and shanks. Hebron Valley Veal raises their calves humanely for six months to produce rosé veal. The calves eat fresh milk from their dairy herd and have free choice hay and water. 

You can spice up any main course with spice mixes from Muddy Trail Jerky Co. And accompany your meal with wine from Fossil Stone Vineyards, made from grapes grown on their farm.

For dessert, The Chocolate Spoon is making fresh cakes, including carrot cake, fruit pies, and homemade marshmallows. Goodway Gourmet will have rum cakes. Euro Delicacies makes Baklava, a Turkish pastry made with layers of filo, filled with chopped nuts and syrup. Saratoga Chocolate has Easter baskets full of candy, even for adults to nibble.

The Saratoga Farmers’ Market is open Saturdays from 9:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Find us online at saratogafarmersmarket.org and follow us on Facebook and Instagram. For online pre-ordering and curbside pickup, visit localline.ca/saratoga-farmers-market.

Chocolate croissants, cinnamon rolls, coconut rum cakes, and blueberry scones are just a handful of the freshly made baked goods you can find at the Saratoga Farmers’ Market every Saturday. With choices like these, you can’t go wrong picking a treat to enjoy throughout the week, if it even lasts that long. 

The farmers’ market has many talented bakers that bring their ‘from scratch’ goods to sell you each week. There is something for everyone’s taste and necessity, from decadent desserts like triple chocolate teacake from The Chocolate Spoon to wholesome bread like fresh honey oat bread from Kokinda Farm.

Mrs. London’s bakery offers fresh croissants, pastries, bread, and scones at the farmers’ market. Their recipes are rooted in the French culinary tradition and have been perfected over decades to bring you authentic and traditional baked creations from scratch using high-quality ingredients.

The Chocolate Spoon has irresistible baked goods with distinct flavors and unique combinations. Owner Marcie Place has spent years perfecting her classic recipes like banana chocolate chip muffins and chocolate chip cookies, but she never stops experimenting with her baking. Try something new like a sour cream coffee cake with maple glaze or chocolate-orange chocolate chip cookies.

Goodway Gourmet is famous for its Caribbean rum cakes but has other baked options like cinnamon rolls, cookies, macaroons, and pound cakes. The best part about buying their sweet treats is that each purchase contributes to educational opportunities for teens. 

The Food Florist is well known for their prepared frozen meals like pot pie and lasagna, but they also make various traditional sweet pies. Pie varieties include classic apple, cherry, blueberry crumb, and quadberry (a mix of blueberry, cherry, strawberry, and red raspberry).

You may be surprised to find baked goods from vendors like the Argyle Cheese Farmer and Kokinda Farm. Argyle Cheese Farmer, known for their prize-winning yogurts and cheese, also makes fresh cinnamon rolls, donuts, finger rolls, and bread. And Kokinda Farm sells a variety of baked bread like honey oat, cinnamon raisin, and honey wheat with pumpkin seeds.

The next time you need fresh bread, sweet rolls, cookies, cakes, or something fresh from the oven, stop by the farmers’ market or preorder online for pickup on Saturdays. 

The Saratoga Farmers’ Market is open Saturdays from 9:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Find us online at saratogafarmersmarket.org and follow us on Facebook and Instagram. For online pre-ordering and curbside pickup, visit localline.ca/saratoga-farmers-market.

Hello my Foodie Friends! 

Over the holiday season, a very dear friend Laurie, shared with me a wonderful gift her daughter (who lives in Oregon) had purchased for her. Laurie was raving about how this item, a grate plate, was such a “great plate” that she used for so many items to grate nutmeg, ginger, garlic, cheese (to name a few) and how beautiful the stoneware colors are. This “cool tool” has now become available for us to offer in our store.  The grate plate is a gadget that is made in the state of Oregon. The plate is a ceramic grating plate used to easily grate garlic, ginger, peppers, nutmeg, chocolate, pickles for relish, hard cheeses, and so much more into a fine puree unlocking all of the flavor. It is perfect for making and serving variety of sauces, dips, marinades and gravies! The graters are handmade with stoneware ceramic using food safe clay and glazes. Stoneware is extremely durable, easy to clean and is also dishwasher safe. 

The grate plate’s grating surface is softer on your hands so you won’t cut your fingers or knuckles like you could on a traditional metal grater. The plate is made of durable, dishwasher safe stoneware ceramic so it’s easy to clean. The hexagonal shape is intended to fit comfortably in your hand while grating your food of choice.

The Grate Plate is easy to use. Just moisten the grate plate with water or oil. Hold the root of garlic clove and move in any direction to generate a fine garlic paste. Grate your garlic, mix with olive oil, and serve with fresh bread for an easy crowd-pleasing dip. 

This 3-piece set includes: one handmade ceramic Grater Plate (4.5” diameter), one silicone garlic peeler, and one wooden handled gathering brush to easily transfer grated foods to your recipe. 

Beauty meets function. The presentation-worthy plate combines functionality with a polished finish, making it a perfect gift for hosts, home cooks, or anyone who appreciates a beautifully made and useful kitchen tool. Stop by Compliments to the Chef, your Neighborhood Kitchen and Cutlery store to get those “cool tools” for cooks.  Remember my foodie friends, “Life Happens in the Kitchen.” 

 Take Care,
John & Paula