Saratoga Farmers' Market

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Week 1: Strawberries

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Photo by Pattie Garrett

Welcome to our first week of POP Club! This week, our theme is strawberries. We’re reaching the end of this delicious berry’s season at the market, but some of our vendors have a kind that grows way longer – until the end of summer!

Strawberries are a tasty early summer treat at the farmers’ market. They are the first of many berries to be grown around us, like blueberries, blackberries, and even more unusual kinds like gooseberries and Saskatoon berries, which you’ll all see at the market over the course of the summer.

Strawberries are a great source of vitamin C, which does many important things in your body, like help you heal from a wound. It also has plenty of fiber, which helps you feel full (and to go to the bathroom!).

 

Activity

Although strawberries are delicious to eat, today we are going to use strawberries in a science experiment! We’re going to get DNA out of a strawberry.

What is DNA? Our bodies are all made up of many, many tiny cells and each cell has its own job. Some cells make up our muscles, some make up our bones—and all together they make up our bodies! But how does each cell know what to do? That’s where DNA comes in. It tells the cells what to do. DNA is like the boss of the company. It gives cells instructions.

Plants, like strawberries, have cells and DNA too. DNA looks a little funny – like a swirly ladder (Google it to see for yourself!). When we get DNA out of a strawberry, it won’t look like this because it’s way too small to see. But if you used a microscope to look at it, you might see what the DNA looks like up close!

Here’s how to do our experiment:

Source: National Human Genome Research Institute (click on the photo to make it bigger!)

 

Recipes

After doing the experiment, you might just want to eat strawberries! We don’t blame you – they smell, look, and taste so yummy. Here are some recipe ideas that are easy for kids and their parents or caregivers to make together. Don’t forget to grab some fresh strawberries from the farmers’ market!

 

Breakfast:

Super Strawberry Fritters – just 4 ingredients, no added sugar, and a yummy energizing treat in the morning.

Dinner:

Strawberry and Spinach Salad – the spinach will help you feel strong, and the strawberries let you sneak something sweet into dinner!

Sweet treat:

Strawberry Oatmeal Bars – this recipe takes a little longer, but is a fun and delicious way to get baking.

Other:

Quick Strawberry Jam – super easy and a great way to preserve strawberries to last longer!

 

Share with us your photos doing this week’s activities by messaging us on Facebook (at Saratoga Farmers’ Market) or tagging us on Instagram (@saratogafarmersmarket)! Stay tuned for next week’s activities, going live on Wednesday, July 15.

POP Club 2020

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POP Club has returned at the Wednesday Market this summer! Get ready for fun, food, and adventures in farming! Due to COVID-19, we will be offering POP Club in a take-home format at the market and online this year. We will not be issuing POP Passports or give out prizes this year.

The Power of Produce (POP) Club provides a fun opportunity for children ages 5-12 to engage in the local food system through conversations directly with farmers, educational games and demonstrations, and exposure to new fruits and vegetables. Continue reading “POP Club 2020” »

A farmers’ market guide to berries

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By Julia Howard

Sweet, sour, tart, juicy — berries are a highlight of the summer season. At the Saratoga Farmers’ Market, local farms bring the very best. The variety includes gooseberries, strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, blackberries, and saskatoon berries.

These locally sourced berries signify the diversity that grows in our region from late spring to early fall. Berries are known for their health benefits and antioxidants, but it’s their taste that makes them a coveted summertime treat.

Gooseberries are produced by a thorny shrub and are easy to grow, according to Laurie Kokinda, owner of Kokinda Farm. “Pick off the stems, rinse, and you can freeze them whole or cook them down first,” explains Kokinda. Gooseberries have a strawberry-grape flavor and are popular in jams, pies, and as a dessert topping.

Gooseberries, AdobeStock

Strawberries can be found in bountiful harvests in the early summer with additional everbearing varieties that produce berries into late September. Locally grown strawberries are often smaller than those found in stores, however, they have much more flavor.

Strawberries, photo by Pattie Garrett

Blueberries are just beginning to ripen and at Butternut Ridge Farm, Debbie Stevens reports that their harvest will begin in 1-2 weeks. Sweet, juicy, and loaded with antioxidants, blueberries are ideal for eating fresh, or in sauces and baked goods.

Raspberries are cold-hardy and long-lived. They produce sweet, flavorful fruit suitable for fresh eating, sauces, and preserves. “Our raspberry and blackberry bushes have been on our farm for generations,” says Andy Burger of Burger’s Market Garden. “We hand-pick these all-natural, small-batch crops fresh for every market, and our purple raspberries are really wonderful.”

Raspberries, photo by Pattie Garrett

Blackberries are renowned for their nutritional value as they are packed with fiber and vitamins C and K. The delicate fruit is popular in desserts, jams, seedless jelly, and sometimes wine. “Get them while you can because their growing season can be short-lived depending on the weather,” advises Andy Burger. “Freezing these berries is as easy as spreading them on a baking sheet to freeze overnight, and throwing them in a zip-lock freezer bag.”

Blackberries and blueberries, photo by Pattie Garrett

Saskatoon berries are exclusively available at Scotch Ridge Berries & Trees. Saskatoons are similar to blueberries in their composition and nutrition, though they are more closely related to the apple family. Many describe their taste as having a sweet, nutty almond flavor. They typically ripen in late June or early July depending on the seasonal climate.

Saskatoon berry, AdobeStock

This week’s recipe: Blueberry Fool

Blueberry Fool

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Photo by Pattie Garrett

Recipe by Serious Eats, shared by My Saratoga Kitchen Table
Serves: 4
Total time: 1 hour 30 min

Ingredients
*Ingredients currently available at the farmers’ market
● ½ cups plus 1 Tablespoon sugar, divided
● 5 large egg yolks*
● ½ cup plus 1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice, divided
● 2 teaspoons lemon zest
● 5 Tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
● 1 cup fresh blueberries*, plus extra for garnish
● 1 cup chilled heavy cream*
● ¼ cups plain Greek yogurt*

Instructions
1. Whisk ½ cup sugar and yolks in a small saucepan until combined. Whisk in ½ cup lemon juice, zest, and butter. Cook over medium heat, stirring until curd is thickened and just beginning to come to a boil. Transfer to a bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and chill until cold, about 1 hour.
2. Place 1 cup blueberries and the remaining 1 Tablespoon sugar in a small saucepan. Cook over medium heat, gently mashing, until slightly thickened, about 8 minutes. Remove from heat, stir in remaining 1 teaspoon lemon juice, and let cool completely before using.
3. Whip cream to soft peaks. Fold yogurt and ½ of lemon curd into the cream. Spoon lemon cream into glasses, alternating with remaining lemon curd and blueberry compote. Gently swirl with a skewer or chopstick. Top with fresh blueberries and serve chilled.

Out of the frying pan and into the Instant Pot

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By Madeline McCarthy

Healthy Gourmet Kitchen, photo provided

“What are we having for dinner?” This daily asked question requires a different answer each time, but the response must always sound delicious, nutritious, and most of all, be easy to make.

These exact requirements crossed Mary Song’s mind before she started Healthy Gourmet Kitchen. Prior to opening her business, Song worked as a business analyst designing large scale computer applications. She helped improve life for people around the world, but she never met any of them. She was working long hours and found it challenging to cook healthy dinners. This inspired Song to create her business selling packaged seasoning blends, dips, soup mixes, and meal starters that can be made in a slow cooker, pressure cooker, or simmered in a saucepan for those who are too busy to spend much time cooking.

“I’ve loved to cook my entire life,” says Song, recalling how living in the Middle East and France influenced her cooking style. In the Middle East, she lived in an international expat community, where cooking was “like an art with a lot of heart.” While in France, she was taught traditional French cuisine and to use the freshest ingredients, stating that the process was “a bit fussy – but this was the 1980s after all!”

Healthy Gourmet Kitchen, photo provided

Song learned to combine the Middle Eastern and French food cultures and not to be afraid of spices, herbs, and flavor. She advises her customers to step outside their comfort zone when it comes to food, so rather than offering bland mixes, Healthy Gourmet Kitchen invites you to make flavorful and exciting dishes like a “Coconut Curry Chickpea Stew” or “Chicken Marengo”.

Everything is blended and mixed by hand and packed into clear packaging so customers are able to see the ingredients they are buying. Plus, there are no unnecessary added ingredients like you find in store-bought mixes. “When I first started Healthy Gourmet Kitchen there were few or no low sodium, low-fat options that also tasted great,” says Song, “I felt there was an opportunity to create healthy, delicious meal starters that didn’t rely on salt, sugar or chemicals for flavor.”

When she created her business, Song knew she wanted to participate in the Saratoga Farmers’ Market to finally be able to meet the people she helps. Healthy Gourmet Kitchen attends the market on Saturdays and will be back at the Saratoga Farmers’ Market on July 11!

This week’s recipe: Instant Pot Bolognese

Instant Pot Bolognese

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Recipe by Healthy Gourmet Kitchen
Makes: 8 servings
Total time: 30 min

Ingredients
*Ingredients currently available at the farmers’ market
● 1 lb. ground meat of choice (beef*, lamb*, pork*, turkey, or plant-based)
● 1 package Healthy Gourmet Kitchen Bolognese meal starter kit*
● 1 onion diced*
● 2 lb. tomatoes* OR 1, 28 oz. can whole or diced plum tomatoes
● 1 cup white wine
● 1 cup milk*
● 4 tablespoons grass-fed butter*
● 12 ounces penne pasta

Directions
1. Turn Instant Pot to saute medium. Add butter and allow it to melt slightly. Add chopped onion and saute for 3-5 minutes. Add ground meat and break it up so that it crumbles. Continue to saute until the meat is brown.
2. After meat is browned, add white wine and the Healthy Gourmet Kitchen Bolognese meal starter pack on top of the meat.
3. Add milk and tomatoes. If you are using fresh, whole tomatoes, squish them or chop them up. Add pasta and push so that it is submerged under the liquid.
4. Secure the lid on the Instant pot and close the vent. Press manual for 4 minutes.
5. When the cooking time is complete, allow 5 minutes to pass for natural release, then move the vent to remove the rest of the steam. Remove the lid, top with grated cheese, and enjoy!