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Green Goes Beyond Great Vegetables

April 19, 2017 By marketeditor

 

By Julia Howard, Market Director

It’s not easy being green. But as one of our shoppers put it, it’s better for all of us.

Camm Epstein arrived at the market to shop on a recent Saturday with a backpack. He filled his pack, and prepared for a one-mile walk home. “It’s good for me and the planet,” he said.

As we join the nation in celebrating Earth Day, we recognize that while we are a source of healthy, locally grown food, being green should be more than that.

Our customers noted in a survey last year that while they loved the range of local foods that we offer, they wished we could reduce our waste and be more earth-friendly.

We took that advice to heart and have launched two initiatives:

The first is a compost station.
We invite shoppers to bring fruit and vegetable scraps, egg shells, and other easily compostable items from their homes to our compost bin. We also encourage you to deposit any leftovers from foods that you might consume at the market that you don’t plan to take home to eat later. This compost is going to a farm owned by two market volunteers and turned into their compost pile. Nearly 1,000 pounds of new soil that has resulted from these efforts is being put into the Franklin Community Center’s food pantry garden, said volunteer Jim Gupta-Carlson. From leftovers and waste come vegetables for our community.
Our second initiative is about recycling.
If you’re one of our weekly shoppers, you might be buying cups of coffee, snacking on yogurt cups or cookies, or buying a hot meal to enjoy while listening to our musicians. Consider disposing of these items’ packaging not in the trash but in bins labeled with recycling signs. The same goes for napkins and other paper items.

Photo by Pattie Garrett

We hope our market becomes a green collaboration between farmers, shoppers, and the community. As Gupta-Carlson notes, by using baskets and reusable bags and by adapting such healthy habits as walking to the market when feasible, we all can contribute to “the environmental benefit of supporting local food systems and healthy farming practices.”

The Saratoga Farmers’ Market will be at its winter location – the Lincoln Baths Building in the Saratoga Spa State Park – for two more Saturdays, 9 a.m.-1p.m., before moving outdoors May 3 to High Rock Park.


 

Photo by Pattie Garrett

Sauteed Asian Greens

Recipe by Pleasant Valley Farm
Serves: 2 to 4

Ingredients
*Ingredients currently available at the Saratoga Farmers’ Market

• 1 Tablespoon olive oil
• 1 clove garlic minced*
• 1 bunch Asian greens*
• 4 oz mushrooms*

Instructions
Heat olive oil in a large skillet. Add garlic and saute. Do not let it burn. Add mushroom and greens. Toss greens until wilted.

 

Filed Under: Featured Article, News Tagged With: Composting, Fruit & Vegetable Facts, Gardening, Growing Vegetables, Saratoga Farmers' Market Recipes

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Let's celebrate the end of school and the beginnin Let's celebrate the end of school and the beginning of summer! Tomorrow, from 3-6 pm at High Rock Park, children and families are invited to a FREE concert by Jack & Steve Zucchini and lots of free, fun activities and food tastings. The Saratoga Springs Public Library will have a free butterfly craft. There will be free face painting by Artsy Fartsy Face Paint. Jodie Fitz will be here with her book Fidget Plants a pizza garden and kids can plant their own pizza garden at the POP Club tent! At POP Club, kids will receive a $2 POP coin and their first stamp on their POP Passport! It's our 7th season of POP Club and we are so grateful for the support from The Christopher Dailey Foundation. This event is rain or shine!
Schools out for the summer!! Stop by for some brea Schools out for the summer!! Stop by for some breakfast sandwiches and fun at our market tomorrow from 9-1pm. We’ll have live music by Matt Griffin and Rick Russo plus guests @headcountorg and @ccesaratoga Master Gardener!! Hope to see you there!!

Photos by: Pattie Garrett @mysaratogakitchentable 

#saratogasprings #saratogafarmersmarket #farmtotable #agriculture #shoplocal
Our Wednesday markets go from 3-6pm every week! St Our Wednesday markets go from 3-6pm every week! Stop by for some live music by LB Waller, activities with @northernriversfostercare, and @ccesaratoga. Hope to see you there! 💐

Photos by: Pattie Garrett @mysaratogakitchentable 

#saratogasprings #farmtotable #saratogafarmersmarket #summersolstice

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