Saratoga Farmers' Market

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Apple Crisp Cocktail

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courtesy of Yankee Distillers

Ingredients:

* denotes ingredients currently available at the farmers’ market

  • cinnamon & sugar mixture
  • ice
  • 1/4 oz. caramel syrup
  • 2 oz fresh apple cider*
  • 2 oz Yankee Distillers bourbon whiskey*
  • dehydrated apple slice*
  • cinnamon stick

Instructions:

1. Rim a rocks glass with cinnamon & sugar and fill 2/3 with ice

2. In a cocktail shaker, combine 1/4oz caramel syrup, 2oz fresh apple cider, and 2oz Yankee Distillers bourbon whiskey with ice

3. Shake to combine, and strain into rocks glass, right up to the cinnamon & sugar rim

4. Garnish with a dehydrated apple slice and a cinnamon stick

Distiller Brings ‘Spirit Of The Grain’ to Saratoga Farmers’ Market

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By Himanee Gupta-Carlson

It’s 9 a.m. at the Saratoga Farmers’ Market. Not exactly “happy hour.” But for Matt Jager and the crew who bring vodka, straight bourbon, rye, wheat, and single malt whiskeys from Yankee Distillers to the market, that’s the point. These drinks are not meant to be downed in a hurry but instead sipped slowly.

Such beverages, known as spirits, begin from grains. As such, says Jager, who co-owns Yankee Distillers with Scott Luning, they are “the spirit of the grain.”

A distilled spirit is an alcoholic beverage produced by allowing a fermented liquid to turn to vapor and then back to liquid. Grains are cooked down to a mash. During this process, carbohydrates are broken down to simple sugars. Sugars turn to alcohol as yeast eats away at them, creating fermentation. The resulting liquid is then distilled and aged.

Yankee Distillers’ whiskeys, photo by Pattie Garrett

Jager began learning to distill spirits after completing a master’s in business administration. Yankee Distillers opened three years ago in Clifton Park. Its whiskies have been in barrels aging for most of that time. As a result, last year marked their first significant rollout. The process, says Jager, has taught him patience: “I learn new things every day.”

Distilling has historic roots. New York farmers fermented and aged grains in small batch processes through the late 18th and 19th centuries, creating a vibrant craft industry. Prohibition laws of the 1920s wiped that industry out. In 2005, however, new state laws were passed that are helping distilleries make a comeback. 

For Jager, distillation allows one to experience “the grain in its purest essence.”

For him, that essence involves learning more about the grains and their origins, how they were grown, harvested, stored, and ultimately converted to the spirits that one enjoys now.

State laws require 75 percent of farm distillers’ raw ingredients to be of New York origin. Yankee Distillers uses 100 percent New York grown corn, rye, wheat, and malted grains in its products, and Jager dreams of operating a farm that would grow these crops itself.

Sip a sample at Yankee Distillers table at the Saratoga Farmers’ Market. Or visit their tasting room in Clifton Park.

The Saratoga Farmers’ Market is 9 a.m.-1 p.m. Saturdays at the Lincoln Baths Building in the Saratoga Spa State Park. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and the FreshFoodNY app. 

Cornbread Pudding with Bourbon Sauce

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Recipe adapted from Bake from Scratch magazine 

INGREDIENTS:

* Ingredients currently available at the farmers’ market

BREAD PUDDING:

6 cups cubed cornbread (make your own using dried corn*)

2 medium sweet potatoes* (4 cups cooked potatoes)

1/2 cup plus 2 Tablespoons firmly packed light brown sugar, divided

1 teaspoon grated fresh ginger

1/2 cup chopped pecans

1 cup whole milk*

1/2 cup heavy cream*

3 large eggs*, lightly beaten

1 large egg* yolk

1 Tablespoon vanilla extract

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon freshly grated ground nutmeg

TOPPING:

1/4 cup firmly packed light brown sugar

1/4 cup unsalted butter, softened

1/4 finely chopped pecans

SAUCE:

1 cup sugar

1/2 cup unsalted butter

1/3 cup heavy cream*

2 Tablespoons bourbon*

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 200 degrees.

  1. For bread pudding: place cornbread cubes on a baking pan. Bake until dry, about 10 minutes. Remove from oven, set aside.
  2. Increase oven temperatures to 400 degrees. Prick sweet potatoes with a fork and wrap tightly in foil. Bake until tender, about 50 minutes. Remove from oven, let stand for 10 minutes.
  3. Cut sweet potatoes in half lengthwise. Scoop out potato pulp into a medium bowl. Add 2 Tablespoons brown sugar and ginger and mash with a fork. Set aside.
  4. Reduce oven temperature to 350 degrees.
  5. In a large bowl, combine cornbread and pecans. Gently fold in mashed sweet potatoes. In a medium bowl, whisk together milk, cream, eggs, egg yolk, vanilla, cinnamon, salt, nutmeg and remaining 1⁄2 cup brown sugar. Pour milk mixture over cornbread mixture and let stand for 10 minutes.
  6. Lightly grease 12 (6 ounce) custard cups or ramekins. Pour cornbread mixture into prepared cups. Arrange cups on baking sheet.
  7. For topping: In a small bowl, combine brown sugar, butter and pecans. Sprinkle mixture on top of bread pudding. Bake for 15 minutes. Rotate pans between lower and upper racks, and bake until golden brown and a wooden pick inserted in center comes clean, about 10 minutes more. Let stand for 5 minutes.
  8. For sauce: In a medium saucepan, heat sugar, butter, and cream until melted. Do not boil. Add bourbon. Drizzle sauce over pudding or serve on the side. Serve warm.

Red Carpet Winners at the Saratoga Farmers’ Market

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By Kristin Cleveland

Roll out the red carpet! Oscars season is approaching, but you don’t have to wait for the announcement of nominees to bring the stars into your home. Move over Lady Gaga, make room for prize-winning pickles, cheesecakes, yogurts, whisky, milk, mushrooms and more, all available every Saturday at the Saratoga Farmers’ Market.

Award winning pickles, photo by Pattie Garrett

Just over a month ago, at the 21st Annual Rosendale International Pickle Festival, longtime Saratoga Farmers’ Market vendor Puckers Gourmet won two ribbons, placing first in the sweet pickles category and second for pickled vegetables. This past summer, Grandma Apple’s Cheesecakes won the President’s Choice award at Saratoga’s All-America Dessert Festival, and at the 2018 Ballston Spa Chocolate Fest last February, her cheesecakes tied for first place in the Judge’s Choice category and won the Fan Favorite Award.

Gold medal yogurts, photo by Pattie Garrett

Several of the Greek yogurts made by the Argyle Cheese Farmer have taken the gold medal at the New York State Fair in recent years, and their Amazing Grace aged cheese won a silver. Another local dairy, Nettle Meadow Farm, has won multiple awards for its soft cheeses made from combinations of goat, sheep and cow milks. These include a gold medal at the 2016 World Cheese Championship for Nettle Meadow’s Kunik, and a first place award at the 2017 U.S. Cheese Championships for its Briar Summit cheese.

At the Great American International Spirits Competition held in May of 2018, Saratoga County’s own Yankee Distillers took medals for its malt, rye, wheat, and bourbon whiskeys. Battenkill Valley Creamery is a recipient of the Highest Quality Milk in New York State award, and Saratoga Apple was lauded by I Love NY for the cider it makes from a blend of apple varieties. 

In addition to individual vendors’ awards, the Saratoga Farmers Market itself is a winner! In 2016 the market was named the “number one must-visit farmers’ market in New York State” by I Love NY. It has also earned the American Farmland Trust’s award for number one market in New York State and second in the entire country, and it regularly tops polls of regional customers.

Best of all, these winners can be enjoyed close-up! Come to the Saratoga Farmers’ Market on Saturdays from 9 am – 1 pm year-round to sample these award winning pickles, cheeses, cheesecakes, whiskeys and many other tasty local treats.

Friend the Market!

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By Kristin Cleveland

Connecting with community, supporting local agriculture and small businesses, and discovering new foods and recipes — that’s what motivates the Friends of the Market. The Friends organization was created in 2011 to support vendors and customers of the Saratoga Farmers’ Market and to help educate the larger community about the benefits of locally sourced food.

Alexandra Morgan, one of the original Friends, recalls “My favorite memory is of helping a vendor who was overwhelmed with customers. That situation led to a valued friendship. To be able to step into a situation and help out is very gratifying.”

Friends of the Market volunteer Chris Toole enjoys helping out. Photo by Pattie Garret.

Chris Toole, another long-time Friend, encourages others to volunteer for this “ambassador-like” position, particularly if they love meeting and helping people. She explains, “the joking and camaraderie of the vendors is a joy. I’ve made wonderful friends in all of the people here. They make me laugh and I’m always learning things.”

Often these lessons are about new foods to try. Toole describes, “The best new food I ever heard about here, from Pura Vida Fisheries, was for Blowfish Tails. I sautéed them in butter and garlic and they were marvelous!” Since Toole found that Blowfish Tails are only available seasonally, she now asks the Pura Vida folks for other recommendations depending on the season. Another Friend, Sally Willse, also loves a recipe she learned from a market vendor, The Vermont Spätzle Company, which combines their gluten-free spätzle with local Brussels sprouts, bacon and maple syrup. 

Friends help out in various ways depending on their talents and interests. Tasks include greeting customers and answering questions, helping people transport purchases to their cars, covering vendor stalls while the farmers and chefs take breaks, taking photos for use in social media and educational presentations, and teaching people of all ages about cooking and local food. Willse describes her favorite market experiences, “The times I help with kids’ activities. Once the kids were drawing vegetables at the market; it was fun to see and hear their perspectives about their favorite foods.”

Alexandra Morgan helps with a market children’s activity. Photo by Pattie Garrett

Darlene McGraw sums up her reason for becoming a Friend this way: “I volunteer because I love to support local small businesses. I celebrate ‘Small Business Saturday’ every week!”

To learn about joining the Friends of the Market, e-mail friends@saratogafarmersmarket.org or come to the Saratoga Farmers’ Market, currently at its winter home in the Lincoln Baths on Saturdays, 9 am – 1 pm.

Honey Lemon Chicken

By

Recipe adapted from Tin Eats, Serves: 4

INGREDIENTS

*denotes ingredients currently available at the farmers’ market

Chicken:

  • 1 pound skinless, boneless chicken breasts (about 2 breasts)*
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • ¼ cup flour, with 1 teaspoon reserved

Sauce:

  • 1½ Tablespoons butter
  • 1 Tablespoon olive oil
  • 1 garlic clove*, minced
  • ¾ cup chicken broth/stock
  • 1 teaspoon flour from the chicken coating
  • 2 Tablespoons water
  • ¼ cup honey*
  • ¼ cup fresh lemon juice
  • parsley* and lemon slices, for garnish

INSTRUCTIONS

  1. Pound each breast to 2/5 inch thick. Sprinkle each side generously with salt and pepper. Place flour in shallow dish. Coat the chicken in flour, shaking off the excess flour.
  2. Place butter and oil in a skillet over medium high heat until butter is melted and hot. Add chicken and cook for 2 minutes or until golden brown. Turn and cook the other side until golden brown, then transfer onto a plate to rest.
  3. Add garlic to the skillet and stir for 20 seconds or until golden. Add chicken broth and bring to a simmer. Use a spatula to scrape the brown bits from the bottom of the pan into the liquid.
  4. Mix 1 teaspoon of reserved flour with 2 Tablespoons of water.
  5. Add honey, lemon juice, and flour/water mixture into the skillet. Mix and bring to a simmer for 2 to 3 minutes until thickened into a syrup. Add salt and pepper to taste.
  6. To serve, pour sauce over chicken and garnish with parsley and lemon slices.
Saratoga Farmers' Market