Saratoga Farmers’ Market Schedule
Wednesday, July 4th
Special Event: Hula Hoop Contest
For details see our Facebook page or the market shed.
11-Acre Wood Fresh Strawberry Ice Cream
Memorial Day this year felt more like Fourth of July here at 11-Acre Wood Farm. It was warm, sunny with temps soaring into the high 80’s, AND it was time to do our 1st cutting hay as the timothy was in full blossom and so were the strawberries. Yes, this is at least two weeks earlier for both crops than normal, but as farmers we must take what Mother Nature gives us and make hay and strawberry ice cream! Throwing hay is a hot job on the best of days, a thankless job when when temperatures and the humidity soar. However, we have our crew bribed… at the end they know they are guaranteed a pint each of fresh strawberry ice cream!
My husband and I started making homemade ice cream 32 years ago for our first party in our first home. That year we made oreo ice cream (years before any commercial outfit invented cookies and cream varieties). It was a hit and a tradition of making homemade ice cream for special occasions was spun. In upstate NY, first cutting hay season tends to coincide with strawberry season and thus was born the tradition of thanking our hearty hay throwers with strawberry ice cream. There really isn’t anything better than cooling off with spoonfuls of rich smooth ice cream made from local cream and infused with the sweet taste of just picked strawberries. I wonder why we never have a shortage of hay throwers?
11 Acre Wood Fresh Strawberry Ice Cream
Ingredients
(we have a large 2 qt. ice cream maker, so you may need to adjust for smaller ice cream makers—or enjoy a bowl of creamy strawberry indulgence while your ice cream is being made!)
2 large farm fresh eggs
1 cup sugar, divided
1 cup Battenkill Creamery milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 pint (plus) of fresh local strawberries, hulled and quartered
2 cups Battenkill Creamery heavy cream
Directions
1. Beat eggs, sugar and milk in a saucepan. Heat mixture over low heat, just to bowling and remove immediately. Stir in vanilla and put mixture to cool in refrigerator.
2. Take hulled and quartered strawberries (minus a few to use as garnish later) and put in a blender and lightly puree (small chunks are fine). Add strawberry puree to a large bowl and stir in heavy cream.
3. Take cooled egg mixture from refrigerator and add to the strawberries and cream. Stir lightly to mix and then pour into your ice cream machine, following manufacturer’s instructions.
4. When done, serve or freeze in airtight container. Use remaining strawberries for a sweet garnish.
The Saratogian: New Malta Farmers’ Market Opens
The Saratogian visited the new Malta Farmers’ Market on Tuesday, June 5th. Click here to read the article and take a look at their video report below.
“More than 20 local vendors sold products like meats, cheeses, fruits, vegetables, wines and baked goods at Tuesday’s market, and the Saratoga Farmers’ Market Association, the trade organization that coordinates the Malta market, believes another six vendors can be added during the height of growing season.”
New Malta Farmers’ Market Opens June 5th
Weekly Market Provides Fresh Food, Flowers, Wine and More from June to October
Malta town officials, local farmers, and community members celebrated the grand opening of the Malta Farmers’ Market on the afternoon of Tuesday, June 5, on the lawn between the Malta Community Center and Just Meat & Deli on Route 9. The market opened from 3-6 p.m. Town of Malta Supervisor Paul Sausville and other officials offered remarks at a 4:30 p.m. ribbon-cutting.
The market includes roughly 20 vendors in June, expanding to 27 vendors as the summer progresses and crops come into season. Items available at the Malta Farmers’ Market include vegetables, fruit, baked goods, meat, poultry, eggs, cheese, yogurt, flowers and plants, wine, gift items, and more.
“Malta has been striving to be friendly to our farmers, and our families. The new Malta Farmers Market will benefit both groups and be a tremendous new asset in our downtown neighborhood,” said Paul Sausville, Town of Malta Supervisor. “A new farmers’ market has been discussed for several years by the town and we are excited to see this effort moving forward.”
“The growth in Malta over the past several years, coupled with the increased desire by consumers to buy fresh, straight-from-the-farm products, were key factors in deciding to add this market location to serve our regional customers,” stated Jeffrey Bowers, President of the Saratoga Farmers’ Market Association, which administers the Malta market. “We intend to have this location between the Community Center and Just Meat & Deli serve as a fun community gathering spot on Tuesday afternoons.”
“Malta adopted an Agricultural Viability Plan in 2009 that identified the reestablishment of a Malta Farmers’ Market as a priority for the community,” remarked David Haight, Chair of the Town of Malta’s Open Space, Agricultural and Trails Committee. “This new market is another step forward in Malta’s efforts to keep people farming and protect farmland and open space in the community.”
Convenient Free Parking at Malta Community Center
Free parking is available in the Community Center parking lots at 1 Bayberry Drive; parking is prohibited on Route 9. The market will operate every Tuesday from June 5 through October 30.
Collaborative Community Effort Leads to Malta Farmers’ Market
The new Malta Farmers’ Market has been planned by community officials for several months, with cooperative efforts between the Town Supervisor’s office, the Office of Parks & Recreation, and the Malta Open Space, Agricultural and Trails Committee.
Producer-Only Market Means Products are Local
The Malta Farmers’ Market is managed by the Saratoga Farmers’ Market Association, which runs local “producer-only” markets. This standard requires all vendors to grow or produce their goods in Saratoga, Schenectady, Rensselaer, or Washington counties and ensures that products are fresh and unique, not purchased for re-sale. In this way, sales provide economic, ecological, and social support to local communities.
Other Saratoga County markets operated by the Saratoga Farmers’ Market Association include Saratoga Farmers’ Market at High Rock Park (Wednesdays from 3‐6 p.m. and Saturdays from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., through October); and a market in Clifton Park at St. George’s Episcopal Church at 912 Route 146 (Thursdays from 2-5 p.m., beginning June 28 through end of October).
Times Union: Malta Farmers’ Market to open Tuesday
Read the article featuring the new Malta Farmers’ Market in the Times Union for more information about the new market and its vendors.
