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carefully sourced

A Little Bit of Chocolate with Your Veggies?

February 12, 2018 By marketeditor

By Himanee Gupta-Carlson

 

Photo courtesy of Pattie Garrett

As much as we hate to admit it, chocolate is neither a fruit nor a vegetable. But, as Alli and Hank Rose are demonstrating each Saturday at the Saratoga Farmers’ Market, it is versatile, somewhat healthy and very delicious.

The Roses own Saratoga Chocolate Co., one of the newest vendors at the farmers’ market. They offer handmade and hand-wrapped chocolate bars, barks, truffles, and hot chocolate mixes.

Chocolate-making began as a “foodie passion” and “kitchen experiment” for Alli about 15 years ago, after her day-job in clean energy was done. She created treats for her family, gifts for friends, and occasionally larger orders for weddings, caterers, and wine bars.

Then, Hank’s job ended. “We always talked about doing something more on our own, where we could work together,” says Alli. “The time was right.”

The couple launched Saratoga Chocolate Co. in November 2016, after a year of structured, conscientious planning.

“We tasted about 500 varieties of chocolates being sold locally,” said Alli, “and tested almost as many blends on our own. We had these enormous spreadsheets where we kept track of the results, trying to get a feel for what tasted best to the palate.”

Photo courtesy of Pattie Garrett

The Roses are not “bean to bar” chocolate makers, though that is a future prospect. What this means is they do not start to make their chocolate from the cacao bean itself. Rather, they make their chocolates from carefully sourced couverture, which is a high-quality chocolate produced by grinding the bean to a finer texture and adding a higher percentage of cocoa butter to the finished product. Couverture is especially suitable for creating the bars, barks, and truffles that Saratoga Chocolate features.  

The Roses’ work with chocolate in a region that does not grow the cacao beans, but this helps convey an understanding of how making local products might convey global consciousness. For instance, they are careful in trying to select chocolate that is not only of a high quality but is responsibly sourced, harvested, and often processed in a single country of origin. From there, the Roses blend their favorite chocolates and ingredients to coax the flavor they seek in each of their confections.

Alli calls chocolate a healthy food in moderation. It lifts the spirits and contains some health benefits. And of course it tastes delicious.

Visit the Saratoga Farmers’ Market 9 a.m.-1 p.m. Saturdays at the Lincoln Baths Building in Saratoga Spa State Park; follow us on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram; and contact friends@saratogafarmersmarket.org for volunteer opportunities.

Filed Under: Featured Article, News Tagged With: carefully sourced, chocolate, locally made, Saratoga Chocolate Co, Saratoga Farmers' Market

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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
Join us tomorrow for our Saturday market! From 9:3 Join us tomorrow for our Saturday market! From 9:30-1:30 you can find all your favorite vendors in the Wilton Mall Food court. We’ll by joined by the Academy of Life Long Learning, AIM Services, and musician Lee Paquin. Hope you can make it!!!

Photos of: @squash.villa.farm , KOKINDA Farm, and @eurodelicaciesco by Graciela Colston

#saratogafarmersmarket #saratogasprings #farmersmarket #agriculture #shoplocal
The Saratoga Farmers’ Market is seeking donation The Saratoga Farmers’ Market is seeking donations to help improve our market and keep our nonprofit organization running. Your donation will be used for essential functions of the market as well as helping us reach more of our long-term goals for the community. We are looking for additional resources to expand our community offerings such as hosting family friendly events, programs and activities.

You can help us by donating via our GiveButter account (link in bio) or in person at the market via our market manager. Thank you for your ongoing support. We couldn’t do it without you! 

#saratogafarmersmarket #supportlocalfarmers #nonprofit #communitylove #givebutter

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