• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to footer

Shop Local, Eat Fresh at the Saratoga Farmers' Market | Food, Crafts, Music in Saratoga Springs

Shop Local, Eat Fresh

  • Markets
    • Our Markets
  • Vendors
    • Vendor Directory
    • Becoming a Vendor
  • About Us
    • SFM Association
    • History
  • Programs
    • SNAP/EBT & FMNP
    • POP Club for Kids
    • Summer Internships
    • Compost Collection
  • Get Involved
  • News
    • Featured Article
    • Seasonal Recipes
    • Weekly Newsletter
  • FAQ
  • Contact us
    • Message us!

More Than a Can of Beans | Did You Know…

October 24, 2016 By marketeditor

by Himanee Gupta-Carlson

For the past two weeks, I have been collecting donations from Saratoga Farmers’ Market vendors for the Franklin Community Center’s food pantry. The goal of this program is to connect those who need food the most with the local farmers who grow it. As a volunteer for both the market and the food pantry, I am collecting unsellable but still edible foods and taking them to the Franklin center to be weighed, stored, and ultimately distributed.

Last Saturday, it was wet, windy, and quite chilly. Neither I nor the farmers wanted to linger past the closing bell. Against that scenario, John Otrembiak asked me a question: “Would they take soup beans?”

Soup beans are beans that often sell in the final two or three weeks of the summer market’s summer season. The term, on the Otrembiak’s signage, refers to beans that might have been planted for fresh-eating purposes but ended up drying out or being exposed to frost before they could be harvested in full. Instead of eating the whole bean – pod and seed – one shells the seeds from pods. The seeds range in quality from plump and juicy to dry enough to be stored for months of winter eating in jars.

Soup beans are like dry beans that are soaked and then cooked slowly in crock pots, pressure cookers, or soup pots for hours to produce hearty high protein soups, stews, or such dishes as cassoulet. Unlike dry beans, however, soup beans require only minimal – if any – soaking, and can be cooked to eat within an hour. They are fresh and highly nutritious and if shelled and stored properly can ultimately keep in storage for months, if not years.

john-otrembiak
John Otrembiack of Otrembiak Farm

Otrembiak’s question got me wondering about how such beans would fare as food pantry donations. Unlike their canned or dried counterparts, soup beans require some work. They must be shelled, washed, and then, of course, cooked. They are labor intensive, but they are local and delicious.

I decided to give the beans a try. Otrembiak handed me a plastic bin’s worth, and I put them in a plastic basket slatted to allow the wetter pods an opportunity to dry. Monday morning, I arrived at the food pantry.

“What happened to the soup beans?” I asked.

“They’re out on the free table,” responded one of the volunteers. “People are helping themselves.”

Cooking soup beans

My method is simple and basic: Shell about a cup’s worth of beans, and soak them for 20-30 minutes in water with a dash of salt. Drain and rinse.

In a soup pot, heat some oil or butter. Add some chopped onion or garlic, along with perhaps a root vegetable like diced carrots, turnips or potatoes. Add the beans, and then enough water to cover. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to a low simmer, and cover. Cook until the beans are soft. Add a couple of chopped leaves of kale, collard greens, or perhaps some fresh herbs at the end.

Here’s a more formal recipe: http://www.italianfoodforever.com/2011/01/farmers-market-soup/

 

 

Filed Under: Did You Know, News Tagged With: Did You Know, Friends of the Market, Vegetable Facts

Reader Interactions

Before Footer

Instagram

Produce from some of our amazing agriculture vendo Produce from some of our amazing agriculture vendors at today’s market!
Attention granola lovers!! Today is National Grano Attention granola lovers!! Today is National Granola Day. In honor of this, all sales with our friends from @toganola are 10% off this Saturday only! Their granola products are packaged in sustainable packaging and free of gluten, dairy & soy. 

Our winter market runs today from 9:3-1:30 in the Wilton Mall food court. Hope you can make it!

Photo of and provided by @toganola 

#saratogasprings #saratogafarmersmarket #farmersmarket #granola #toganola #thingstodoinupstateny #organic #shopsmall #shoplocal #nationalgranoladay
Our new 2023 Freshconnect $2 coupons arrived today Our new 2023 Freshconnect $2 coupons arrived today! For every $5 you spend using your SNAP/EBT card at our market, receive $2 in coupons. FreshConnect bucks can be used to buy: vegetables, meat, milk, eggs, honey, baked items, jams, plants that bear food, and prepared foods that are packed to eat at home. Plus, there’s no cap on issuance! Stop by our information stand to learn more. We’ll be open 9:30-1:30 tomorrow. ❄️🌾

#freshconnect #snap #ebt #nutrition #health #agriculture #shoplocal #shopssmall #farmtotable #saratogasprings #saratogafarmersmarket #farmersmarket #thingstodoinupstateny @wilton_mall_leasing
Interested in growing your business? Farmers’ ma Interested in growing your business? Farmers’ markets are a great way to start networking and finding your customer base. For 45 years, the Saratoga Farmers’ Market has provided a platform for local farmers, artisans, bakers and more build their businesses into what they are today. If you’d like to join our community, please submit your 2023 Summer Vendor application. The link can be found in our bio. Last day to apply is January 31st. DM us here or email me at sfma.manager@gmail.com with any questions!! 

#farmersmarket #startup #smallbusiness #shoplocal #entrepreneur #community #saratogasprings #thingstodoinupstateny #growyourbusiness
This error message is only visible to WordPress admins

Error: API requests are being delayed for this account. New posts will not be retrieved.

Log in as an administrator and view the Instagram Feed settings page for more details.

Footer

With support from our friends at:

Copyright © 2023 · Saratoga Farmers Market · Design by REACH CREATIVE

    COVID-19: Check our latest Safety Guidelines!
  • Markets
    • Our Markets
  • Vendors
    • Vendor Directory
    • Becoming a Vendor
  • About Us
    • SFM Association
    • History
  • Programs
    • SNAP/EBT & FMNP
    • POP Club for Kids
    • Summer Internships
    • Compost Collection
  • Get Involved
  • News
    • Featured Article
    • Seasonal Recipes
    • Weekly Newsletter
  • FAQ
  • Contact us
    • Message us!