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Sweetening the Farmers’ Market

January 11, 2017 By marketeditor

By Mary Peryea

There’s been a sweet addition to the Saratoga Farmers’ Market – Slate Valley Farms.

Slate Valley sells maple syrup, honey, and an array of related products including spun maple sugar, molded maple sugar, maple sugar, and maple cream. All of the syrup and honey is produced on the 101-acre family-run farm in the hills of Granville near the Vermont border. Owner Pat Imbimbo, also holds sole rights to maple zest, a secret concoction of maple sugar, pepper, and orange zest which is exceptional on salmon, pork chops, and chicken.

Imbimbo and his daughter Gina began selling at the Saratoga Farmers’ Market in November. Slate Valley also offers its products at the farmers’ market in Schenectady and through gift crates available through its website, unclepatsgeneralstore.com.

Imbimbo retired from the Florida State Police in 2001. He attended the Cornell Maple School and the Cornell Beekeeping School to hone his skills, and currently taps 3,000 trees annually.

The sap-gathering is all automated, using a vacuum system that Imbimbo monitors on his iPhone. The boiling is done via a reverse osmosis system, which removes much of the water before the actual boiling. This results in less boiling time, using less fuel, and gives a better quality syrup. Imbimbo produced 509 gallons of syrup in 2015 and 362 gallons last year. These changes in production are intimately tied to the weather. Sap only flows when temperatures rise above freezing during the day and drop below it during the night.

Like maple, honey is weather dependent. Imbimbo’s bee yard contains 46 colonies of bees currently. He was able to produce 2,100 pounds of honey this year, compared to 3,600 pounds last year. The dry weather last summer resulted in less nectar. As well, heavy rains will wash the nectar off the blooms. Three years ago, when the weather was perfect, Imbimbo was able to harvest 5,600 pounds.

Imbimbo says the color of the honey depends on what blooms the bees gather nectar from. He harvests honey three times a year, and filters the raw honey through a stainless steel strainer.

While Imbimbo loves the maple business, he is especially fond of his bees. As he jokingly puts it, “Nobody bothers me in the bee yard.”

Visit the Saratoga Farmers’ Market from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturdays through April at the Lincoln Baths Building in the Saratoga Spa State Park.

 


Photo by Pattie Garrett
Photo by Pattie Garrett

Garlic Roasted Chicken and Potatoes

Ingredients
1/4 cup butter
6 chicken leg quarters, split into drumsticks and thighs
6 large Yukon Gold potatoes, cut into chunks
24 cloves garlic, unpeeled
salt and ground black pepper to taste
1/4 cup maple syrup

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).
2. Place the butter into a roasting pan, and melt in the oven. When butter is melted, swirl to coat the bottom of the roasting pan, and place the chicken drumsticks and thighs, potatoes, and unpeeled garlic cloves into the pan.
3. Sprinkle with salt and black pepper; turn the chicken, potatoes, and garlic to coat with butter.
4. Bake in the preheated oven until the chicken is no longer pink inside and the juices run clear, about 40 minutes, basting 3 times with pan drippings.
5. Brush maple syrup over the chicken pieces, and spoon pan drippings over the potatoes.
6. Return to oven, and bake until the chicken and potatoes are tender and browned, about 20 more minutes. An instant-read thermometer inserted into a thick part of a thigh should read at least 165 degrees F (74 degrees C).
7. To serve, squeeze garlic from the baked cloves, and spread the soft garlic over the chicken. Pour pan juices over chicken and potatoes.

(Note: Please feel free to vary the number of garlic cloves if 24 seems like a lot!)

 

Filed Under: Featured Article, News

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Today at our International Flavor Fest! Thank you Today at our International Flavor Fest! Thank you to everyone who came by today. We hope you had fun! 😋🌎🌾
Exciting news! The Saratoga Farmers’ Market Flav Exciting news! The Saratoga Farmers’ Market Flavor Fest is happening tomorrow! 🎉🍴 Our vendors have amazing samples for you to taste, including mouth-watering chorizo and bratwurst from Hebron Valley Meats and delectable Chicken Briyani from Perfect Plant Farm. 😍 Don't forget to grab your passport for a chance to win a prize by collecting stamps from market vendors! 🛍️ @worldkidsmuseum will also be joining us with a fun kid's craft to make your own fortune cookie 🥠, and CCE food is back with a fermentation activity. 🌱 See you there! ✈️🌎😋

#saratogafarmersmarket #saratogasprings #thingstodoinupstateny #internationalfood #flavorfest #farmersmarket #kidsactivities #smallbuisness #shoplocal
Get ready to mushroom into a world of flavor at th Get ready to mushroom into a world of flavor at the Saratoga Farmers' Market! 🍄🌱 This week, we're thrilled to highlight the Mushroom Shop and their incredible selection of locally grown and harvested mushrooms. We spoke with owner's Jacob and Elysee to learn more.

Q: What are some of the health benefits associated with consuming mushrooms?

A: Mushrooms contain a multitude of medicinal compounds. The mushroom species Cordyceps militaris contains cordycepin, which increases your blood's ability to absorb and transport oxygen, improving exercise performance. Mukitake or Panellus serotinus possesses compounds that have shown in recent studies to improve liver function in people suffering from fatty liver disease. Reishi mushrooms improve immune health, warding off sickness and reducing inflammation. Other medicinal mushrooms include Turkey Tail, Chaga, Agarikon, Maitake, and Lions Mane.

Q: What inspired you to start selling mushrooms at the farmers' market?

A: We initially got our inspiration from a mushroom farm based in Tennessee called Mossy Creek Mushrooms. They have many videos on Youtube covering every aspect of operating a mushroom farm from building and maintaining equipment to harvesting and marketing mushrooms. Jacob has had an interest in growing mushrooms as a hobby for about eight years when he discovered a patch of oyster mushrooms growing in the wild. We got the opportunity to lease land in the beginning of 2021 and shortly after started selling at farmers’ markets.

Q: How do you recommend customers prepare and cook the mushrooms they purchase from you?

A: At our farmers markets we always provide printed recipes that utilize the mushrooms available during the current season. Like meat, mushrooms can be cooked in a variety of ways, such as sautéing, roasting, and grilling to create a flavorful dish. One of our recent favorites is a Spicy Crispy Lion's Mane Sandwich- a thick slab of Lion's Mane mushroom battered and fried on a toasted bun with spicy mayo and pickles. This is a delicious take on a chicken sandwich made entirely of whole, natural produce. 

*Find the Mushroom shop year round at our Saturday markets!*

#saratogafarmersmarket
Get ready for a mouth-watering adventure! 🍴🌍 Get ready for a mouth-watering adventure! 🍴🌍 Join us on Saturday, March 25th from 9:30 am to 1:30 pm at the Saratoga Farmers' Market's International Flavor Fest in the Wilton Mall food court! 🎉 Indulge in frgál cakes, julekaker, burek, curries, samosas, and more, representing cuisines from all around the world! 🌎 There will be live music, family-friendly activities, and food tastings that will take your taste buds on a journey around the globe! 🎶👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 Plus, our friends at the World Awareness Children's Museum will be hosting a paper fortune cookie making session for the kiddos! Don't forget to pick up your passport for a chance to win a prize by filling it with stamps from market vendors! Let's celebrate our traditions, history, and community through the language of flavorful food! 😍🍴

 #InternationalFlavorFest #SaratogaFarmersMarket #FoodieAdventure #CommunityConnection

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