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berry season

Celebrating Christmas in July

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By Stephanie Duscher

It may be consistently reaching temperatures of eighty degrees and higher, but somehow it seems like the perfect time to celebrate Christmas (in July!). Recently, my family and I put together a small Christmas in July party with decorations, a movie marathon, and lots of yummy, festive food! If you’re interested in throwing a Christmas in July celebration, we have many ideas to get you started (including a recipe using fresh raspberries from the farmers’ market!).

Raspberries, photo by Stephanie Duscher

Decorations
 Decorations are one of the most important elements of a Christmas in July celebration. To make our living room temporarily feel like Christmas, we put up an artificial tree, which we decorated with pairs of sunglasses, shells, starfish lights, and topped with a sand bucket. We also strung some garland and lights around the room.

Activities
 A Christmas tree doesn’t look quite complete without gifts underneath. A gift exchange game (like the White Elephant Game) is perfect for a party. Christmas trivia is another fun activity; the addition of prizes can make the game even more fun (and add a competitive edge). However, no party is complete without Christmas movies. We set up a projector and played a few of our favorite festive films. To ensure maximum coziness, turn off all lights when playing the movie except for the lights on your Christmas tree!

Christmas in July, photo by Stephanie Duscher

Food
 Food is an essential part of any party. Christmas in July is extra special because it allows you to use all the fresh ingredients that summer offers without any of the restrictions of a traditional Christmas in December.
In making our Christmas cookies, I knew I wanted to use a fresh, in-season ingredient, and what better place to find that than at the Saratoga Farmer’s Market. I found some absolutely delicious raspberries from Scotch Ridge Berry Farm, so I decided to make raspberry tassies from Kate Dean’s recipe at I Heart Eating. However, I made Sugar and Soul’s fresh raspberry filling rather than using canned raspberry pie filling. It was a delicious, festive treat that also incorporated all the goodness of summer!

Scotch Ridge Berry Farm

Other ideas for holiday foods made with local in-season ingredients are festive tossed salads with local cheese, savory tarts with beef or mushrooms, roasted chicken, and baked or mashed potatoes.

The Saratoga Farmers’ Market is open Saturdays from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. and Wednesdays from 3 to 6 p.m. at High Rock Park in downtown Saratoga Springs. Find us online at saratogafarmersmarket.org and follow us on Facebook and Instagram.

Celebrating the sweet spot of summer with a Blueberry Jam-boree

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By Emily Meagher

Scotch Ridge Trees & Berries, photo by Pattie Garrett

There’s a magical time in July and August where we get to the sweet spot of fresh produce at the farmers’ market here in upstate New York. Every week farmers’ tables are piled even higher with a rainbow of colors, and the literal sweet spot lies in the sweet corn, lush tomatoes, and colorful berries that come fresh off the land.

Since the seasons change faster than the blink of an eye, we at the Saratoga Farmers’ Market won’t let the sweetness of summer go by without a celebration. This Saturday, July 31st, from 9 am-1 pm at High Rock Park, join us for our third annual (excluding 2020, of course!) Blueberry Jam-boree.

Scotch Ridge Trees & Berries, photo by Pattie Garrett

Blueberries are native to North America and have been for over 10,000 years, so it’s no wonder that it’s one of America’s favorite berries. And to enjoy the fruits from local farmers, grown without pesticides and picked fresh, is to experience an extra sweet and nutritious taste of summer.

Several local farms will bring the best of this season’s blueberries, ranging from snack cups, to pints, to quarts. Many other vendors will feature blueberry-flavored or inspired products, like blueberry jams from Kokinda Farm, hand pies from The Food Florist and Night Work Bread, and cheesecakes from Grandma Apple’s Cheesecakes. Ballston Lake Apiaries will bring blueberry-infused honey, and Slate Valley Farms has blueberry maple syrup and blueberry-lavender lemonade. Other items include blueberry-lemon fromage frais at Nettle Meadow, blueberry Italian cream soda at Something’s Brewing, a sampling of homemade blueberry marshmallows at The Chocolate Spoon, and blueberry Sweet Greek yogurt and smoothies at Argyle Cheese Farmer. Well-behaved four-footed friends are welcome, too, and can enjoy blueberry pupcakes at Mugzy’s Barkery. More blueberry specials as well as samples will be listed day-of.

Market staff will host free activities and tastings for children and adults, like a scavenger hunt, craft, and blueberry corn hole. Recipe cards and preservation tips will be available at select vendors to help you find inspiration to cook or bake something new with fresh blueberries. Live music by Geo Beat will add even more jam to the jam-boree!

To learn more about the Blueberry Jam-boree and keep up with news on the event, find our event page on Facebook. Then come to High Rock Park on July 31st to join the fun!

This week’s recipe: Blueberry Breakfast Cake