Just in time for holiday gift-giving, Saratoga Farmers’ Market is featuring a new cookbook authored by nutrition educator Diane Whitten of Cornell Cooperative Extension.
Whitten writes a weekly recipe featured in the market’s e-newsletter during the summer, when she is also present at the outdoor market each Wednesday afternoon in High Rock Park, providing samples of the dish and offering cooking and nutrition information to those who stop by to chat.
“I’ve been attending the Wednesday afternoon outdoor markets for 10 years, and really enjoy the interaction with the shoppers. Whether people are seeking lower-sodium recipes or nutrition tips on handling health issues like high cholesterol or diabetes, I am able to give some advice and perhaps point out market products that could help them in their quest for better health,” says Whitten. “Plus, it’s been a lot of fun getting to know the farm vendors at the market, and using their products in my recipes.”
With that experience as a backdrop, Whitten recently pulled together 125 of her recipes into a new cookbook, “Farmers’ Market: Favorite Recipes”—which is now for sale at the winter market on Saturdays, at Lincoln Baths in Saratoga Spa State Park (open 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. each Saturday through April).
The attractive cover on the cookbook was designed by Penny Heritage, a local artist who grew up on a dairy farm in Charlton. In the book’s introductory pages, Whitten mentions the market as an influence on the recipes, each of which features an ingredient available locally and specifically at the Saratoga Farmers’ Market.
The book has a well-balanced mix of recipes, each with complete nutrition information. Recipe categories include soups, salads, vegetable side dishes, salsas, sauces, dips and dressings, main dishes, quick breads and desserts, and beverages. Some of the more unusual ingredients include fennel and red currants. These and other ingredients at the farmers’ market can be found in the ingredient index in the back.
Diane Whitten will be at the Saratoga Farmers’ Market on Saturday, December 21, selling the book ($15) and sampling a recipe. In addition, the market is selling a specially-priced gift bundle for $20, which includes the cookbook plus a Saratoga Farmers’ Market insulated shopping bag. These are gifts of good taste that your favorite home chef will enjoy well into 2014!
Pumpkin-Cranberry Cookies
These Pumpkin-Cranberry Cookies make an attractive holiday cookie with lots of health-promoting carotene (a precursor of Vitamin A).
½ cup softened butter
1 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 egg
1 cup pureed cooked pumpkin
2¼ cups flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 cup cranberries
Grated peel from one orange
½ cup chopped walnuts
Cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in vanilla, egg and pumpkin.
Sift together flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon. Beat flour mixture into pumpkin mixture.
Stir cranberries into mixture along with orange peel, and nuts. Drop by rounded teaspoonfuls onto greased cookie sheet.
Bake in a preheated 375°F oven for 10-12 minutes. This makes a soft, cake-like cookie.
Makes 3 dozen cookies.
Per Serving: 80 calories; 3.5 fat (1.5 g sat); 10 mg cholesterol; 11 g carbohydrate; 1 g protein; 1 g fiber; 90 mg sodium. Nutrition Bonus: Vitamin A (25% daily value).
