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Spring invites new flavors from local farms

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By Julia Howard

Gomez Veggie Ville, photo by Pattie Garrett

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 am to 1:30
pm. 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.

Herbed Spring Salad with Egg and Walnuts

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iStock

Adapted from the recipe by David Tanis
Yield: 4 servings
Time: 1 hour

This bright, herby, fresh-tasting salad makes a very nice accompaniment to a seared pork chop. The components can be prepared in advance, but wait until the last minute before dressing and serving.

Ingredients:
*Ingredients currently available at the farmers’ market

FOR THE VINAIGRETTE:
● 2 tablespoons finely diced yellow onion*
● 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
● 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar or sherry vinegar
● 3 tablespoons lemon juice, plus more to taste
● ½ teaspoon grated garlic* (from 2 small cloves)
● Kosher salt and black pepper
● ¼ cup walnut oil or extra-virgin olive oil

FOR THE SALAD:
● 4 cups lightly packed watercress* or a mixture of salad greens*
● 3 medium beets*, cooked, peeled, and cut in wedges
● ½ cup thinly sliced radish* (6 to 8 medium radishes)
● ½ cup thinly sliced turnip* (or use small kohlrabi*)
● ½ cup thinly sliced cucumber*
● Kosher salt and black pepper
● 2 tablespoons roughly chopped dill*
● 2 tablespoons basil* leaves, torn
● 4 (7-minute) boiled eggs*
● 1 cup toasted walnut halves

Instructions
1. Make the vinaigrette: Put shallots in a small bowl. Add mustard, vinegar, 3 tablespoons lemon juice, and garlic. Stir together, and add a pinch of salt and pepper. Whisk in the walnut oil. Set aside for a few minutes, then taste and adjust lemon juice and salt.
2. Wash and dry the salad greens. Tear large leaves into smaller pieces, if desired. Wrap in a clean towel and refrigerate if not serving immediately.
3. Just before serving salad, put beet wedges in the bottom of a wide salad bowl. Add the radish, turnip, and cucumber. Season with salt and pepper. Add dill, basil, and half of the vinaigrette. Toss gently to coat.
4. Add the salad greens and combine to distribute sliced vegetables evenly. Cut eggs in halves or quarters, and arrange over salad. Scatter walnuts over the top. Drizzle with the remaining vinaigrette.

Pork Chops with Apples and Onions

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Photo by Pattie Garrett

By Lucinda Scala Quinn, D’Artagnan Foods, shared by My Saratoga Kitchen Table
YIELD: 6 servings

Ingredients
*Ingredients currently available at the farmers’ market
● 6 pork chops*
● salt and pepper to taste
● 1 Tablespoon olive oil
● 2 Tablespoons unsalted butter
● 1 large onion*, sliced
● 2-3 apples*, cored and sliced
● 1 cup apple cider*

Instructions
1. Trim the chops of excess fat and sprinkle with salt and pepper on both sides. Heat a 14-inch cast-iron skillet over high heat and then swirl in olive oil. Lay the pork chops in the pan and don’t move for a few minutes. This assures a good golden sear. Turn the chops over and brown well on the second side for a total of about 10 minutes. Remove the chops to a warm plate.
2. Swirl the butter into the pan. Add the onions and apples. Saute until the onion slices are lightly caramelized and the apples have begun to soften for about 8 minutes. Stir in the apple cider. Return the chops to the pan.
3. Cook until the pork is tender, about 15 minutes, depending on the size of the chops, turning halfway through and covering the chops with the apple mixture. If the apple mixture needs a little thickening, remove the chops to the warm plate again and simmer the mixture on high for a few minutes to reduce.

The magic of sowing seeds

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By Himanee Gupta-Carlson

Himanee Gupta-Carlson plants rhubarb crowns at Squash Villa Farm, photo by Jim Gupta-Carlson

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.

Seedlings at Owl Wood Farm, photo provided

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.

Greenhouse blooms at Burger’s Marketgarden, photo provided

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.

This week’s recipe: Cornbread

Cornbread

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Recipe by Donna Bryson

Cornbread compliments roasted chicken and duck, braised greens, balsamic-glazed beets, and many other savory dishes. Or simply slather a slice with local honey or jam and enjoy as a treat.

Ingredients
*Ingredients available at the farmers’ market
● About 2 tablespoons fat (butter, oil, bacon drippings…)
● 1 cup flour
● 1 cup cornmeal*
● 1 teaspoon salt
● 2 teaspoons baking powder
● ½ teaspoon baking soda
● 2 eggs*, beaten
● 1 cup buttermilk* (if you choose to use regular milk*, omit baking soda and add another teaspoon of baking powder).

Instructions
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. While the oven is heating, place fat in cast iron skillet or other baking dish and put skillet/baking dish in the oven.
3. In a bowl, mix dry ingredients with a fork, tossing them to get some air into them.
4. Add wet ingredients quickly and blend until batter is just a bit thicker than pancake batter. Add more milk, if needed.
5. Take the pan out of the oven, swirl sizzling fat quickly to coat the pan, and pour excess into the batter.
6. Mix well, then pour the batter into the hot pan.
7. Put the pan in the oven and bake until golden brown on top and a toothpick (or fork) poked into the center comes out clean (about 30-40 minutes).

SARATOGA FARMERS’ MARKET OPENS 2021 SUMMER SEASON IN TWO LOCATIONS

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Saratoga Springs, April 1, 2021 – The Saratoga Farmers’ Market, the area’s longest running farmers’ market, will open their 43rd outdoor market season on Saturday, May 1 at its current location at the Wilton Mall, in the former Bon-Ton and Bow Tie Cinemas parking lots. Their Wednesday market will open on May 5 at downtown Saratoga’s High Rock Park.

This year’s weekly Saturday markets, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., will feature over 70 local vendors selling fresh produce, dairy products, eggs, meats, flowers, baked goods, prepared foods, and more. At Wednesday’s markets, weekly from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m., 20 vendors will be providing a similar range of items.

The decision to start the summer season in two locations was made to keep market vendors and customers safe while the COVID-19 pandemic still requires social distancing. The smaller Wednesday market fits comfortably at High Rock Park, but for the larger Saturday market a more expansive footprint is still needed. A survey conducted among customers, which gathered over 700 responses, indicated an even split in their location preferences.

The markets will continue to follow current COVID-19 safety guidelines for farmers’ markets by hosting socially distanced markets, offering hand washing and sanitizing opportunities, and following mask requirements for vendors and customers. The Saturday market will continue to offer its online preordering and curbside pickup service. Market staff will continue to assess market safety and updated operational guidelines for farmers’ markets and does not rule out moving back downtown when it is deemed safe to do so.