By Himanee Gupta
It’s easy to get excited about spring – especially if you’re a farmer. Spring means more sunshine, super-fresh food, and a chance to share it with others in a festive, outdoor environment. For the Saratoga Farmers Market, spring is all about going outdoors.
The midweek market, which runs from 3-6 p.m. Wednesdays May through October, opened outside the City Center parking garage earlier this week. The larger Saturday market begins at 9 a.m. tomorrow in the parking lot of the Wilton Mall. These locations are temporary. Both markets will migrate to High Rock Park once the Saratoga Greenbelt Trail construction is complete.
“I’m looking forward to the market moving outdoors,” says Mark Bascom of Owl Wood Farm. “I’m excited about getting the fields packed with seeds and transplants, and I’m looking forward to the end of the frosts and the transition into summer.”
“Being outdoors is always nice, regardless of where we set up,” adds Rose Fera of Leaning Birch Farm. Like many vegetable growers, the Fera family spends the winter planning and planting for the spring, summer, and fall seasons to come. They are especially excited this year to introduce new varieties of Asian greens, including a purple-leaf bok choy that is attractive and delicious.
Also abundant at this time of year are microgreens, radishes, kale florets, lettuce mixes, spinach, arugula, and seedlings for home gardeners. In addition to produce, vendors are offering such seasonal sensations as goose eggs, the first cuts of goat and lamb meat, pork, beef, and chicken. Look also for new ready-to-eat items such as the Cubano smash burger and bratwurst roll that Pork & Greens is offering. The hot sandwiches feature the farm’s sausages and bacon, microgreens, farm-made sour krauts, and other locally sourced items.
“It’s our first outdoor season, and we’re really excited,” says owner Isabel Buenaga, who joined the market in November. “We hope it goes well.”
A new season also means new vendors will join the market’s mix of familiar faces. Among the newcomers to the Saturday are Galway Rock Vineyard & Winery, Happy Cupcake, Pork & Greens Farm, Sweetbrier Farms, and The Mushroom Shop. New vendors at the Wednesday market include Bark Hill Farm, Hepatica Farm, APJ Designs, Cookie Lab Confections, and Trouvaille.
