Saratoga Farmers' Market

beef

Sweets, Meats, and Other Easter Treats at Saratoga Farmers’ Market

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By Emily Meagher

Easter evokes images of eggs hunts and other community events. We invite you to make next Saturday at the Saratoga Farmers’ Market a part of these events. On Saturday, April 20, arrive early and fill your shopping bags and baskets with our fresh, locally grown, raised and produced foods.

Kokinda Farm Eggs, photo courtesy of Pattie Garrett

Near the market entrance, look for the eggs. Not the edible ones – those come next – but rather the reusable gift containers, available while supplies last. Inside each will be a coupon offering a discount from one of the market vendors.

 

Now, for real eggs. Elihu, Kokinda, and Squashville farms are offering them in abundance. Check out their hues and try them for their fresh, farm-raised flavor. Keep an eye out, too, for rich duck and giant goose eggs.

Saratoga Chocolate Co. Easter Basket, photo courtesy of Saratoga Chocolate Co.

This weekend, the market also will be featuring chocolate eggs. Further in the market are such treats filled with maple cream and maple marshmallow at Slate Valley Farms. Other sweet treats include homemade marshmallows from The Chocolate Spoon, chocolates formed into nest and bunny shapes from the Saratoga Chocolate Co., hot cross buns from Mrs. London’s, and cheesecakes in a range of sizes and flavors from Grandma Apple’s Cheesecakes.

That’s dessert. Now, let’s look for vegetables and main course meats.

Many vendors are offering Easter specials on their farm-raised meats: At Lewis Waite Farm, fresh and smoked ham roasts and steaks are five percent off. Longlesson Farm is offering 10 pounds of ground beef for $60 (instead of $80), and Mariaville Mushroom Men is taking 20 percent off its pork. If poultry is your preference, try Ramble Creek Farm’s turkey or Squashville’s chicken.

And there are the early spring vegetables to consider: Pea shoots from Saratoga Urban and Pleasant Valley farms, along with Pleasant Valley’s super-sweet spring parsnips. Storage vegetables remain abundant at Gomez Veggie Ville and Pleasant Valley, and mushrooms at Mariaville and Ramble Creek.

Looking for libations? Try Saratoga Apple’s farm-brewed hard and sweet ciders, spirits from Yankee Distillery, cyser from Ballston Lake Apiaries, Battenkill Valley Creamery milk and Something’s Brewing’s home-roasted coffees.

And, there’s more: apples, pickles, cheeses, and cured meats.

 

Winter Time Is Stew Time

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By Mary Pratt

In the cold of winter, it’s time for the comfort of warm savory stews. The Saratoga Farmer’s Market has the needed ingredients and ideas from different cultures to spice your stews up. 

Arnold Grant, of M & A Farm, is celebrating his 20th year at the market. Although most known for his family’s delicious breakfast sandwiches, he also raises and sells pork. Stewing pork is versatile; it can be used for Indian curry or French stew. Longlesson, Lewis Waite, Moxie Ridge, and Mariaville also raise pork. Pork butt (a shoulder cut) makes an excellent stew, as does fresh pork leg.

Christophe Robert, of Longlesson Farm, grows weaned piglets on pasture from spring until the snow falls. He also raises grass-fed beef until they are three to four years old to insure flavorful and marbled meat. Since Christophe is from France, he recommends making boeuf bourguignon, a stew with red wine and vegetables including onions and mushrooms, or a Flemish stew, boeuf carbonnade, with dark beer. He offers cubed beef for stew, but suggests that chuck will make stew that is more moist and flavorful.

Lewis-Waite Farm also raises grass-fed beef. Janet Lampman, who works for owners Nancy and Alan Brown, said it’s important to stew or oven-braise grass fed beef very slowly. She likes shanks or round roast. 

Ann Carnes, of Ramble Creek Farm, offers a variety of chicken. She finds the best cuts for cooking a chicken stew are thighs or drumsticks. Squashville Farm’s Himanee and Jim Gupta-Carlson offer fresh heritage-breed roasting chickens, from which they use leftover meat for soups and stews. In the last ten minutes of cooking, the chicken is added to warm through. Most recently Himanee made a Peruvian stew called Cazuela (casserole). 

Bob and Mary Pratt, of Elihu Farm, have raised lambs for over 30 years. After weaning, lambs graze for three seasons, and eat hay or baleage in winter. The best stew cuts are shoulder, shanks and neck. They enjoy making Moroccan tagine, Indian curry, and osso bucco. 

Come talk with the farmers at the market to get recipe details and other ideas.

Strip Steak with Salsa Verdi

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Adapted from the recipe by Milk Street Magazine, shared by Pattie Garrett of My Saratoga Kitchen Table

Serves: 4

 

INGREDIENTS

*Ingredients currently available at the farmers’ market

  • 1 cup lightly packed flat-leaf parsley leaves*
  • ½ cup sliced almonds, toasted and cooled
  • ¼ cup drained capers, rinsed
  • 3 anchovy fillets, rinsed
  • 1 Tablespoons minced fresh rosemary*
  • 2 teaspoons finely grated lemon zest, plus 2 Tablespoons lemon juice (1 lemon)
  • 1 garlic clove*
  • ground black pepper
  • ½ cup olive oil*
  • kosher salt
  • Two 14 to 16-ounce strip steaks* (about 1½ inch thick), halved crosswise and patted dry
  • 1 Tablespoon grapeseed or other neutral oil

 

INSTRUCTIONS

  1. In a food processor, combine the parsley, half of the almonds, and the capers, anchovies, rosemary, lemon zest, garlic and ½ teaspoon pepper. Process until finely chopped, about 1 minute. With the machine running, slowly add the olive oil and process, scraping bowl as needed, until the mixture is smooth.
  2. Add the remaining almonds and pulse until coarsely chopped, about 10 pulses. Transfer to a bowl and stir in the lemon juice. Taste and season with salt and pepper. Season the steaks on both sides with salt and pepper. In a 12 inch skillet over medium-high, heat the oil until beginning to smoke. Add the steaks reduce to medium and cook until well browned on both sides and 120 degrees at the center for medium-rare, 10 to 15 minutes.
  3. Transfer the steaks to a wire rack and set over a rimmed baking sheet and let rest for 10 minutes. Thinly slice the steaks, arrange on a platter or plates and pour over any accumulated juices. Serve with the salsa verde.

Note: Janet Lampman of Lewis Waite Farm recommends giving the meat time to thaw completely. Before preparing the thawed steak, give it 30 minutes on the kitchen counter to come to room temperature. Then, dry it with a paper towel and then seasoning.

Planning a Summer Supper on the Grill

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By Himanee Gupta-Carlson

 

A great perk of summer is eating outdoors. My husband and I do this as often as we can manage. About 7 p.m., he gathers up wood and gets a fire going in our old charcoal goal. As the wood burns down to coals, I prep. Then, we cook and eat slowly, sipping wine and beer, watching the sunset and sky darken to dusk.

What goes on the grill? Where does it come from?

Most of what we eat comes from our farm or the Saratoga Farmers’ Market. What goes on the grill depends on what’s in season at the market.

The centerpiece of most of our meals is a meat, farm-raised and brought to an ambient temperature, maybe brushed with a bit of Dancing Ewe Farm’s olive oil, maybe sprinkled with black pepper or garlic, maybe topped with finely chopped rosemary or sage.

The “maybes” are truly that. Options. The meats our farmers bring to market come from animals that feast on the flavorful bounty of outdoor pastures, and rarely require much to enhance their flavor. We rotate between chicken, goat, pork, fish, lamb, and beef, and often grill double portions so as to have leftovers for the next day’s breakfasts and lunches – or an indoor stir-fry or stew for dinner if it happens to rain.

While meat is the main course, the real stars are the sides: vegetables in all shapes, textures, and tastes.

I plan a supper’s vegetables around three basic cooking styles: roasted, sautéed, and right on the grill. Roasted is usually a starch – such as hakurei turnips, trimmed, wrapped in foil and cooked until fork-soft and slightly caramelized. For sautéing, try a bunch of seasonal greens such as tatsoi, tossed into a frying pan or wok with olive oil, lemon juice, and maybe chopped onion, green garlic, or chive. Stir fry the greens for 2-4 minutes until they have wilted. Right on the grill is anything that likes a slight singe. For instance, asparagus, cooked to a bright green, about two minutes.

Summer supper possibilities on the grill are endless. Try your own combinations and stop by the market to share your results.

The Saratoga Farmers’ Market is 3-6 p.m. Wednesdays and 9 a.m.-1 p.m. Saturdays at High Rock Park. Find us on Facebook Twitter, and Instagram, and check us out on the FreshFoodNY app. E-mail friends@saratogafarmers.org for volunteer opportunities

 

Moussaka

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Adapted from recipe by Kenton and Jane Kotsiris of www.lemonandolives.com

Prep time: 40 mins

Cook time: 30 mins

Total time: 1 hour 10 mins

Serves: 4-6

 

Ingredients

*Ingredients available at the farmers’ market

  • 1 medium eggplants*, peeled and cut lengthwise into ½ inch thick slices
  • 1 lb ground beef*
  • ½ onion*, chopped
  • 1½ tsp tomato paste
  • ½ cup red wine*
  • 1 cup feta*
  • ¼ cup bread* crumbs
  • 2 cloves crushed garlic* (to preference)
  • Olive Oil
  • Salt and Pepper
  • Cinnamon
  • -Bechamel Sauce-
  • 2 cups milk*
  • 2 tbsp butter*
  • ½ cup flour

Instructions

  1. Take sliced eggplant and place them in a bow with water and salt to soak for 15min.
  2. Pre-heat oven to 350ºF and take eggplant slices and place them on a baking tray. Drizzle olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Place in oven for 10-12min, or until tender. Remove and set aside.
  3. In a large skillet, add olive oil and chopped onions and cook for 5min, or until tender.
  4. Add beef and brown. Once brown, add: wine, tomato paste, salt, pepper, cinnamon, and garlic.
  5. Simmer and reduce all liquid.Once reduced, add bread crumbs and feta cheese. Remove from heat.
  6. Sprinkle bottom of an oiled baking dish with breadcrumbs.
  7. Line bottom of a dish with ½ of eggplant, cut to make even and make sure entire bottom is covered.
  8. Add meat mixture on top and spread evenly. Then add remaining eggplant slices to cover the top.

Bechamel Sauce:

Heat milk in a pan. Then add butter and melt. Once, hot – slowly stir in flour. Stir continually over low-med heat until thick. Once thick, remove from heat and pour over eggplant/meat mixture. Spread bechamel evenly over top

  1. Sprinkle with cinnamon and feta
  2. Bake for 30min at 350ºF, until golden brown

Notes

Moussaka is an interesting dish. It can be made many different ways. Some people substitute eggplant for potatoes or zucchini. The specific blend of herbs is even debated and or changed. If anything, use this as a base and experiment. You’ll get it different ways depending on where you have it in Greece. So make it your own!