Saratoga Farmers' Market

cheese

A Peek into the Saratoga Farmers’ Market Winter Season at the Lincoln Baths

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by Kristin Cleveland

As the Saratoga Farmers’ Market wraps up its outdoor season at High Rock Park this week with Customer Appreciation Day on Saturday, October 27 and Halloween festivities on Wednesday, October 31, vendors are gearing up for the indoor winter market at the historic Lincoln Baths at Saratoga Spa State Park.

Moving into the Baths for the colder months means two floors full of a wide variety of nourishing foods from our local farms, dairies, bakers, distillers, and speciality foods producers, plus an array of unique hand-made jewelry, clothing, artworks, and other items made by area artisans. Acoustic music and free children’s activities round out the festive atmosphere, making the Farmers’ Market a perfect place to shop and connect with the community any Saturday of the year.

The Lincoln Baths location offers ample parking, wheelchair accessibility, and a warm place for shopping no matter what the weather outside. Many vendors now take credit cards, and an ATM is on site for when cash is needed. Customers can also take advantage of the new FreshFoodNY App to order and pay online and have local products delivered curbside right in front of the Lincoln Baths!

Every Saturday in November and December features our annual Holiday Market, a gathering of vendors who make a wide variety of items perfect for gift giving. Saratoga Farmers’ Market gift certificates are also available to help fit even the pickiest person on your holiday list.

Customers can expect to find fresh late-season vegetables like cauliflower, Brussels sprouts, and many types of greens, plus hearty storage crops including squash, onions and all kinds of root vegetables, and even greenhouse and hydroponically grown tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers and herbs! Our agricultural products also include local milk, yogurt, cheeses, eggs, frozen chicken, beef, lamb, pork, goat, duck and turkey. In addition there are hot meals ready to eat for breakfast or lunch, and frozen soups, casseroles and other prepared dishes to take home for an easy meal anytime! Specialty foods at the indoor market this year include homemade jams, pickles, hummus, wheat grass juices, coffee, baked goods, meat jerky and other trail treats, and even puppy treats and vegetarian dog foods!

Special events at the Saratoga Farmers’ Market are listed in the calendar section of our brand new website at saratogafarmersmarket.org. Sign up for the weekly email newsletter to get updates about special events, musical guests, vendor promotions, and all-ages activities and educational workshops. Come to the Saratoga Farmers’ Market on Saturdays November through April, from 9 am to 1 pm at the Lincoln Baths.

Farmers’ Market Breakfast Hash

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Adapted from recipe in Eating Well and shared by My Saratoga Kitchen Table

Serves: 2

INGREDIENTS

*Ingredients currently available at the farmers’ market

  • ¼ pound bulk breakfast sausage*
  • 1 Tablespoon olive oil
  • 1 small russet potato*, baked, chopped into ½ inch cubes
  • 1 cup fresh baby spinach*
  • 2 large eggs*
  • ½ cup shredded cheddar cheese*
  • freshly ground pepper

INSTRUCTIONS

  1. Cook sausage over medium-high heat in an 8 inch cast iron skillet until browned. Add oil in needed. Add potatoes and cook until browned. Add spinach, toss until wilted.
  2. Make 2 wells in the center of the hash. Crack one egg into each well. Reduce heat to medium and cook until eggs are set. Sprinkle with cheese, cover and cook until cheese is melted and egg whites are completely set. Garnish with pepper.

NOTES

Options: add onions, crispy bacon.

Cheese Dip for a Special Day

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CHEESE DIP FOR TWO
Author: The View from Great Island
Serves: 2
INGREDIENTS
*Ingredients available at the farmers’ market
  • ¼ pound Fontina cheese*
  • ¼ pound Gruyere cheese*
  • 1 Tablespoon olive oil
  • 1 Tablespoon white wine*
  • Fresh thyme*
  • Fresh chives*
  • Baguette slices*
  • 1 clove garlic*
INSTRUCTIONS
  1. Remove the rinds and cut the cheese into cubes, about ½ to 1 inch. Put them in a small cast iron pan or another broiler friendly pan, about 6 inches. Add the oil and wine. Sprinkle the herbs across the cheese.
  2. Broil about 5 inches from the broiler for about 10 minutes or until the cheese is browned and bubbly.
  3. Slice the bread. Heat a grill pan over medium to high heat and toast the slices until they are browned. While the bread is warm, run the cut side of the garlic along the surface to give a subtle flavor.
NOTES
I used Mercy Cheese from Argyle Cheese Farmer and High Rock Cheese from Homestead Artisans of Longview Farm.

New farmer brings the ‘moxie’ to her work

By

By Himanee Gupta-Carlson

 

Photo courtesy of Pattie Garrett

Leah Hennessy decided to become a farmer on the day she had her first affectionate encounter with a goat.

Now the owner of Moxie Ridge Farm & Creamery, one of the Saratoga Farmers’ Market’s newer vendors, Hennessy recalls that she was on a business trip as a wine consultant in Provence, France. She had asked if she could visit a fromagerie, or cheese shop. A day with a regional cheesemaker was arranged.

At the end of the day, the cheesemaker took her to the barn to meet the goats. As the animals excitedly approached the equally excited American visitor, the cheesemaker murmured in French to a translator accompanying Hennessy. Hennessy caught the word “bisou.”

 

“I know what that means,” she exclaimed. “It means kisses.”

“That’s right,” replied the cheesemaker via the translator. “They like kisses.”

A yearling goat poked her nose through a fence, and Hennessy bent down.

She was hooked.

Hennessy had worked and lived in Hollywood for eight years. She packed up that life and returned to Albany where she grew up. She poured her savings into farmer-training seminars and courses and schooled herself in goat rearing, herd management, cheese-making, and sustainable agriculture while working at area farms.

In late 2016, through a partnership with Dirt Capital, and assistance from such organizations as American Farmland Trust, the Hudson Valley Agribusiness Development Corp., FARMroots, and the Agricultural Stewardship Association, she acquired the farm formerly operated by Longview Farm owners Dave and Liza Porter.

Cannonball Cheese by Moxie Ridge Farm

In her first year, Hennessy has brought French and other European inspired cheeses to market. She also offers chicken and goose eggs, poultry, goat milk and yogurt, and pork.

The ridge in the farm name reflects the area topography. Moxie reflects Hennessy herself – a tough woman determined to persist. She uses minimal machinery, relies on animals for land maintenance, and loves each and every animal under her stewardship passionately.

“All my life I’ve looked for something that would be meaningful to me and give me complete fulfillment,” says Hennessy, at her farm. “I’ve found it here.”

 

 

As if in agreement, chickens squawk, goats bleat, and a gaggle of geese parade between the farm entrance and her front steps.

The Saratoga Farmers’ Market is 9 a.m.-1 p.m. Saturdays at the Lincoln Baths Building in the Saratoga Spa State Park. Follow us on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook.

 

Farmers’ Market Broccoli Salad

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Adapted from recipe by Healthy Seasonal Recipes, shared by My Saratoga Kitchen Table

Serves: 6

 

INGREDIENTS

*Ingredients available at the farmers’ market

  • ½ cup plain Greek yogurt*
  • ¼ cup mayonnaise
  • 2 Tablespoon brown mustard*
  • 2 teaspoons cider vinegar
  • freshly ground pepper to taste
  • 4 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled*
  • 1 shallot, minced*
  • 5 cups chopped raw broccoli*
  • 1 cup finely chopped fennel bulb*
  • 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese*

 

INSTRUCTIONS

  1. Whisk yogurt, mayonnaise, mustard, vinegar, pepper in a large bowl until smooth. Add bacon, shallot, broccoli, fennel, and cheese and stir to coat with the dressing.

 

NOTES

Steam broccoli for a couple of minutes to remove raw texture, if desired.

 

Saratoga Farmers' Market