By Himanee Gupta-Carlson
Did you know that …
Eating locally grown food is not only good for you. It’s good for the economy, too.
Measuring the economic impact of the Saratoga Farmers’ Market is far from being an exact science, but a number of recent studies on local foods, farming, and the growth of farmers markets nationwide offer some clues as to how buying some or all of your weekly groceries at the Saratoga Farmers’ Market can have a positive effect.
For instance, a 2011 study by Skidmore College students found that even though Saratoga Springs itself is urban, nearly 650 small farms and 75,550 acres of agricultural land surround the city. This makes local farming a viable source of food for area residents and the farmers an important contributor to the overall economy. The connection between these two are market shoppers who buy the food that farmers grow, spending on one data-gathering day in 2011, an average of $30 per capita at the market.
Other stats from the Farmers Market Coalition highlight the value of buying local on a national scale. The coalition reports that:
• For every $100 spent at a farmers market, $62 remains in the local economy while $99 remains in the state.
• Farmers who are able to sell their products in local outlets generate 13 full-time jobs for each $1 million of revenue that such sales bring in. Non-local sales, by contrast, generate just three new jobs.
For more reasons to shop local, check out Market Director Julia Howard’s article in this week’s edition of Saratoga Today. And if you’d really like to get creative with a local dish, try this recipe for Goat Cheese Fondue. After you’ve picked up the cheeses, garlic, wine and herbs from the vendors who offer these products at the market, take a look at potential dippers:
• Bread from Murray Hollow, Rockhill Bakery, and Max London’s;
• Cherry tomatoes from the hydroponic plants grown by Shushan Farms;
• Carrots, turnip slices, radishes, kohlrabi pieces, and other vegetables from Pleasant Valley, Gomez Veggie Villa, Fresh Take Farm; and others;
• And finally apples from Malta Ridge and Saratoga Apple.
Goat Cheese Fondue
(Adapted from Vegetarian Times by Pattie Garrett)
Ingredients
• 1 cup parsley, fresh
• 1 cup basil, fresh
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 cup dry wine
• 8 oz goat cheese
• 8 oz cream cheese, cubed
• 1 Tablespoon cornstarch
• 1 cup milk
• 1¼ cup Gruyere cheese, grated
Instructions
1. Finely chop parsley, basil, and garlic. Place in bowl and set aside.
2. Bring wine to boil in fondue pot or medium saucepan. Simmer 5 minutes or until reduced by
half. Whisk in goat cheese and cream cheese and cook 3 minutes or until melted.
3. Whisk cornstarch into ¼ cup milk in bowl. Whisk in remaining milk. Add milk mixture to
goat cheese mixture and cook 3 minutes or until thickened, whisking constantly. Whisk in
Gruyere cheese and cook 1 to 2 minutes or until smooth and all cheese has melted. Stir in
herb mixture.
Notes
The nutritional analysis is based on using low fat ingredients, e.g. low fat cream cheese, milk . Used full fat cheeses and nonalcoholic wine in analysis
Nutrition Information
Calories: 324
Fat: 24 gm
Saturated fat: 15 gm
Carbohydrates: 5 gm
Sodium: 428 mg
Protein: 19 gm
Cholesterol: 76 mg
