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Kale Salad with Lemon Tahini Dressing

June 20, 2013 By marketeditor

Take one look at Pleasant Valley Farm’s well-stocked stand at Saratoga Farmers’ Market, a virtual cornucopia of fresh fruits and vegetables that is crawling with customers every market, and you might not guess the whole operation started from scratch just over two decades ago. Based in Argyle, New York, the farm is owned by Paul and Sandy Arnold, who are now full-time farmers despite having “grown up in suburbia,” as Paul says it.

Fitting to how their futures would turn out, Paul and Sandy both started out in local nursery greenhouse operations; a few years after meeting, the farm began in 1988 when Paul bought land in Argyle. “Together with Sandy and my father we built buildings, bought tractors, started the farm,” Paul recounts. “We started with just land and built from there.”

Since then, Pleasant Valley has blossomed from that first piece of land to a full-fledged farm. With the help of their two children, Robert, 20, and Kim, 17, Paul and Sandy have managed to maintain a year-round operation. Using three large, unheated high tunnels to grow greens throughout the winter, as well as a root cellar to store over 20 tons of produce under the barn, the Arnolds are able to cater to their customers all year long. “That’s our goal,” Sandy explains, “To keep people coming to the markets year-round to buy fresh produce.”

The operation hosts and trains interns year-round on the farm; Paul and Sandy hope the interns will carry on the legacy of small-scale, organic farming. The farm has been “Certified Naturally Grown” (an alternative to USDA Organic certification) since the 1990s and now has 100% of its power supplied by solar. “We enjoy giving school and community tours, organizing farm tours, teaching at conferences, and mentoring other aspiring farmers,” Sandy says.

The farm’s abundant diversity of vegetables and fruits keeps customers coming back season after season, year after year. While lettuce, spinach and greens are Pleasant Valley’s most popular products, onions, potatoes, kale, and tomatoes are also a hit. According to Paul and Sandy, customers can look forward to fresh carrots and beets in the coming weeks, as well as new garlic in July, a delicious blueberry crop, and abundant fall broccoli, too.

This article was written by Katie Doyle, a summer intern at Saratoga Farmers’ Market. A resident of Saratoga Springs, Katie will be a senior in the fall at Boston University, where she is majoring in English and journalism.

 

Kale Salad with Lemon Tahini Dressing

(Items marked with * are available at the market.)

Salad

1 fresh bunch of kale*

2 cups grated carrots*

1/2 red pepper* cut into strips

1/2 cup sundried tomato, sliced thin

1 cup sprouts*, lightly packed

 

Tahini Lemon Dressing

½ cup tahini (sesame seed paste)

½ cup water

1 large clove garlic, pressed or chopped

Juice of one lemon (2-3 tablespoons)

1 Tbsp tamari

Wash and chop kale, using the stems or trimming from the leaves, as you wish. In a side dish or food processor, mix dressing ingredients. Add dressing to the bowl of kale and toss with carrots, red pepper, sundried tomato, and sprouts.

 

Filed Under: Seasonal Recipes

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This weekend discover fabulously fresh products fo This weekend discover fabulously fresh products for all of your holiday baking…
* Buttermilk and Greek yogurt from Argyle Cheese Farmer.
* Honey, which makes a fantastic sweetener in many recipes, can be found at Ballston Lake Apiaries and Slate Valley Farms, as can maple syrup, which you can also find at Slate Valley Farms.
* Applesauce, cider, and fresh apples are always available at Saratoga Apple; equally good alternative sweeteners to consider, and applesauce can be an excellent replacement for oils in many recipes.
* Looking for deliciously locally made jams that are perfect for thumbprint cookies, Linzer cookies, and anything jam-filled? Visit Kokinda Farm.
* Consider making your peanut butter cookies pop this holiday season with unique flavors from Saratoga Peanut Butter.
* Are you making Tiramisu? Grab locally fresh-roasted coffee from Nally Coffee.
* And, of course, there are fresh farm eggs at Hepatica Farm, Grazin’ Acres Farm, and Jireh Organic Farm & Livestock.
* Is bread pudding on your holiday menu? Grab that main bread base from Katie Bakes Gluten-Free, NightWork Bread, or The Bread Butler.
* And check out Muddy Trail and their Perpetual Vanilla; it’s fantastic. They also have nine convenient baking mixes to browse and explore!
If you don’t want to bake, that’s A-OK, too! The Saratoga Farmers’ Market has the non- baker, ‘need a break,’ or ‘need something quick’ covered too. Just visit one of the pre-
made sweet treat vendors;
Goodway Gourmet
Katie Bakes Gluten-Free
NightWork Bread
Parchment Baking Company
Sweet Treats by Jennifer
Perogi, Pierogi, Pyroogi
#saratogafarmersmarket #saratogafarmersmarket🔆 #bakingseasonhasbegun #holidaybakingbegins #locallymadegoods
This weekend we have special guests at the Saratog This weekend we have special guests at the Saratoga Farmers' Market for our first pop up holiday crafters market.  They will be joining our regular (and fabulous) weekly vendors for the beginning of our holiday season.  They are here for one week only!!!
We look forward to seeing you on Saturday, December 2nd at the Wilton Mall in the Food Court.  The market is open from 9:30 AM to 1:30 PM. 
#saratogafarmersmarket #saratogafarmersmarket🔆 #holidaycraftfair #popupholidaymarket #supportlocallymade
We are the mall until 1:30 today! #saratogafarme We are the mall until 1:30 today! 
#saratogafarmersmarket #saratogafarmersmarket🔆 #smallbusinesssaturdaymarket
This week’s vendor specials for the market in ce This week’s vendor specials for the market in celebration of Small Business Saturday.
Saturday - 9:30 to 1:30 at Wilton Mall in the
Food court!
Sweet Treats by Jennifer:
Holiday cookie flavors are here! We'll have our red velvet cookies, decadent millionaire bars and many other delicious sweet treats for you to enjoy
Scotch Ridge Berry & Tree Farm:
Scotch Ridge will be in the market with our farm made all natural Christmas wreaths, Door Swags, Garland, Kissing Balls and pre decorated Table Top Trees.  All greens and trees (like everything) from our farm are produced with no pesticides or herbicides
Jireh Organic Farms & Livestock:
Purchase $40 of meat - get Non-GMO Eggs half price!  GMO Free Pork: Bacon, Hams, Tenderloins, Hot Italian Sausage links, Breakfast Sausage, Ground Pork, Hocks, Organs and more!!  GMO Free Chickens (whole & cut-ups), soup parts, feet for bone 
 #saratogafarmersmarket #saratogafarmersmarket🔆 #smallbusinesssaturdaymarket #supportlocallymade #supportlocallygrown

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