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Festive Foods and Flavors for St. Patrick’s Day

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By Julia Howard

  In the United States, Saint Patrick’s Day has ventured from authentic Irish traditions. However, Irish emigrants transformed the holiday into the celebration we know today; prominent displays of green, festive eating and drinking, and numerous parades. 

You can find the spirit of Saint Patrick’s Day at the Saratoga Farmers’ Market. With the approach of spring, there will be plenty of green there for you, too! This Saturday at the Wilton Mall, local producers have all the goods to help you prepare for your Irish-infused festivities.

Gomez Veggie Ville, photo by Madison Jackson.

If you’re preparing corned beef, your beef brisket should be bathing in spice-filled brine. But it’s not too late to pick up locally grown essentials like cabbage, carrots, and potatoes. You can find the products you need at Gomez Veggie Ville.

Something’s Brewing, photo by Toni Nastasi.

Something’s Brewing recommends Sumatra roasted beans to make the best Irish coffee. Pour one and a half ounces of Irish whiskey and one teaspoon maple syrup into a mug, and fill the rest of the way with freshly brewed coffee. Stir, taste, and adjust the sweetness. Then top with whipped cream.

Pork & Greens has nutritious microgreens for fresh and festive greens. Lovin’ Mama Farm has returned with microgreens and potted herbs. And J. Adkins has a variety of succulents and houseplants to add a touch of green to your living space. 

Suppose you’re looking for other flavors with a St. Patrick’s Day flair. In that case, Saratoga Chocolate Company’s Matcha Bar has the perfect balance of white chocolate and brilliant green Wakatake matcha (green tea powder with an earthy flavor). Junbucha will have green Japanese Matcha Kombucha, a tart yet sweet fermented beverage made with high-quality matcha, tea, and honey. Goat Scape cheese from R&G Cheesemakers offers savory goat cheese flecked with green garlic scapes.

Mean Max Brew Works has a diverse selection of handcrafted beers. And Kim Dolan Designed is hosting a drawing to win a lovely, handmade, green cloak.

For this week’s recipe, we share the main course that’s even more authentic to the Emerald Isle than corned beef and cabbage. Shepherd’s pie with lamb is a hearty dish with Irish roots. We enjoy Wolfgang Puck’s version that features many seasonal vegetables.

This weeks recipe: Shepherd’s Pie with Lamb

Roasted Beet and Apple Salad with Honey Dijon Vinaigrette

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Recipe by Marisa Kerkvliet

Yields: 4 servings 

Ingredients 

*Ingredients currently available at the farmers’ market 

For the salad: 

  • 3 medium-size beets or 1 large beet* 
  • 1 apple, thinly sliced* 
  • 1 bag baby lettuce* 
  • 1 handful pea shoots or microgreens* 
  •  ⅓ cup crumbled feta cheese* 
  • ¼ cup toasted walnuts 

For the vinaigrette 

  • ¼ cup olive oil 
  • 2 tablespoons white wine vinegar 
  • 2 tablespoons minced red or yellow onion* 
  • 2 teaspoons honey* 
  • 1 teaspoon dijon mustard 
  • ¼ teaspoon kosher salt 
  • ⅛ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper 

Instructions 

  1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Trim the stem end off of each beet, wrap in a piece of aluminum foil, and place on a rimmed baking sheet. Roast beets for 1-2 hours or until they are tender when pierced with a paring knife. 
  2. Allow the beets to cool and gently rub off the skin. The beets can be used at this point or stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. 
  3. When ready to serve, slice the beets into ¼ inch slices and arrange them on a serving platter. Layer on the sliced apple, baby lettuce, pea shoots, feta cheese, and walnuts and set aside. 
  4. To make the dressing combine the olive oil, white wine vinegar, minced onion, honey, dijon mustard, salt, and pepper in the jar or a small blender and blend on high for 15-30 seconds or until completely smooth. If you do not have a blender small enough for this quantity, simply whisk all the ingredients together in a small bowl. 
  5. Pour dressing over the plated salad and serve immediately.

Eating Fresh and Flavorful in the Winter

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By Marisa Kerkvliet

We probably all have memories of the farmers’ market during the summer months. Tables stacked full of brightly colored fruits and vegetables and bustling isles full of customers. During the winter, the farmers’ market might not be the first place you think to go on a Saturday morning. If you have yet to venture into the winter market, you may be surprised that there is far more fresh produce than you think! Not to mention the booths full of other kitchen staples like honey, meat, and fresh bread.

Gomez Veggie Ville, photo by Marisa Kerkvliet

Root crops such as beets, potatoes, turnips, and carrots are hearty and do well in cold storage many months after the fall harvest. Winter squash can be kept for months and is still delicious when roasted or baked, even in the early spring. Brassicas such as kale and cabbage are also available. Did you know that kale leaves become sweeter after they withstand frosty weather? You can find fresh, sweet greens like lettuce, spinach, pea shoots, and microgreens.

Saratoga Apple, photo by Marisa Kerkvliet

This week’s recipe features sweet roasted beets and fresh apples complemented by salty feta cheese and a tangy honey dijon vinaigrette. The salad is rounded out with the freshest of greens. The recipe can easily be adapted with ingredients available at the market. If pea shoots are not available, use microgreens instead or stick with the baby lettuce. If beets aren’t your thing, pour this dressing over the greens, apple, and feta to make a light side salad.

Photo by Marisa Kerkvliet

Roasting beets in foil is an excellent way to cook them while retaining flavor and sweetness. After roasting, the skin should easily slip off. The exact cooking time for the beets varies greatly depending on the size. Medium size beets, about 3 inches in diameter, will typically take about an hour to fully cook. Winter beets at the market are often much larger, about 6 inches, and can take up to 2 full hours to cook. Roasted beets keep well in the fridge, so consider roasting more than you need so you can use the rest throughout the week. 

I am a freelance recipe developer and food photographer with a background in Nutrition and Culinary Arts. I focus on sharing seasonal whole-food recipes for the whole family. You can find me and see more of my work on my Instagram @lemon.thyme.kitchen.

This week’s recipe: Roasted Beet and Apple Salad with Honey Dijon Vinaigrette

Cheeseburger Pie

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Recipe courtesy of Argyle Cheese Farmer

Ingredients

*Ingredients currently available at the farmers’ market

Crust

  • 1 ¼ cup all-purpose flour
  • ⅛ teaspoon salt
  • ⅓ cup shortening
  • 4 to 5 tablespoons ice (cold) water

Filling

  • 1 lb. ground beef*
  • ½ cup Argyle Cheese Farmer buttermilk*
  • ½ cup ketchup 
  • ⅓ cup bread crumbs*
  • ¼ cup onion*, chopped
  • ½ teaspoon oregano
  • 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

  • Argyle Cheese Farmer cheese curds* (any flavor), shredded

Instructions

For the crust:

Blend together flour and salt in a bowl. Cut shortening into dry ingredients with a pastry blender (or use the back of a fork) until it forms pea-sized pieces. Slowly add cold water, one tablespoon at a time, until the dough sticks together in a ball. Remove dough from the bowl and make the ball into a rough square. Wrap in plastic wrap and chill for at least half an hour.

For the pie:

Preheat oven to 350 F and prepare a 9-inch pie plate.

Mix together all filling ingredients, except the cheese, in a bowl. Roll out the pie crust on a lightly floured surface until big enough to cover the pie plate. Place the crust in the pie plate. Pour the filling into the crust. Trim the extra crust, roll the edges, and crimp with your fingers or a fork. Bake for 50 mins. Top with shredded cheese and bake for another 10 mins. Let rest 10 mins before serving. 

Refrigerate the leftovers and reheat the next day.

From Making Cheese to Bottling Milk: Partnership Expands Offerings

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By Himanee Gupta-Carlson

Argyle Cheese Farmer is known for its yogurts and cheeses. Marge Randles spent years working with milk, cultures, and natural flavorings to create a growing array of items ranging from cheese curds and schmears to sweetened and plain yogurts.

Argyle Cheese Farmer, photo by Pattie Garrett.

She and her husband Dave have been part of the Saratoga Farmers’ Market since 2007. Over the past two years, their offerings have expanded – to such items as pizza, baked breads, grab-and-go macaroni and cheese, and now bottled milk.

The changes are a result of a partnership they formed in 2020 with Ideal Dairy Farms whose herd produces the milk for Argyle Cheese Farmer products. Unlike Argyle Cheese Farmer, Ideal Dairy’s business was primarily with wholesale milk purchasers, which meant they lacked local familiarity. By putting both names on most of their new product labels, the partnership has benefited both.

Argyle Cheese Farmer production facility, photo provided.

Take the milk. It is known as A2 and is available at the Saratoga Farmers’ Market in a variety of sizes, and as white milk or in chocolate- and coffee-flavored varieties. The term A2 refers to a protein found in milk, and as Marge Randles explains, this milk contains only that protein.

 

“It’s genetic,” she says. “In Ideal’s herd, there is a group of 250 cows that produce milk that contains only this protein.”

The lack of other proteins make the milk closer in structure to that of goat milk. While the milk still contains lactose, A2 milk often is more digestible for those who have difficulties tolerating milk.

A2 Milk, photo provided.

It also tastes good. It is rich in protein, and high in flavor. This is because it “is a whole milk, almost straight from the cow to container,” says Marge Randles. The milk is pasteurized for safety and homogenized for consistency and texture. However, unlike other milk producers, Argyle Cheese Farmer does not separate the fats from the milk.

The new Argyle Cheese Farmer offerings reflects how some smaller dairy farmers are adapting to changes in local agriculture. Dave Randles is part of a multi-generation dairy farm family. He and Marge no longer keep cows but still put their expertise to good use.

This week’s recipe: Cheeseburger Pie

Mean Max Beer Cheese Sauce

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Recipe provided by [farmacy] Restobar in Glens Falls

Ingredients

*Ingredients currently available at the Saratoga Farmers’ Market

  • 4 tbsp butter
  • 4 tbsp flour
  • 1 pint Maximilian Dark Mexican Lager*
  • 1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
  • 1 tsp mustard
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1/2 tsp black pepper
  • 1/2 tsp cayenne
  • 1 tsp garlic powder
  • 1 tsp onion powder
  • 1 cup milk*
  • 3 cup shredded cheese* 

Instructions

In a saucepan, melt butter over medium heat. Add flour, and whisk for 30 seconds. Slowly add beer and reduce heat, constantly stirring until thickened. Add Worcestershire sauce, mustard, spices, and milk stirring until well blended. Add shredded cheese slowly, one cup at a time, until thickened. Enjoy with crusty bread, crackers, pretzels, or your favorite chips.