Shop Local, Eat Fresh at the Saratoga Farmers' Market | Food, Crafts, Music in Saratoga Springs

Shop Local, Eat Fresh

Christopher Dailey Foundation

POP Club 2021

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POP Club will be returning to the Wednesday Market this summer on June 30. Get ready for fun, food, and adventures in farming! As COVID-19 restrictions have lifted, we will be doing in-person activities again this year.

The Power of Produce (POP) Club provides a fun opportunity for children ages 5-12 to engage in the local food system through conversations directly with farmers, educational games and demonstrations, and exposure to new fruits and vegetables.In addition to participating in educational activities, POP Club kids receive a POP Passport allowing them to collect a stamp with each visit. Kids who collect 4 stamps will win a prize! POP Club kids will also receive a $2 POP token with each visit. POP tokens are to be spent on fresh fruits and vegetables at the market to empower children to make healthy shopping decisions.

Stop by every Wednesday between 3-6pm at the High Rock Park market to participate in POP Club. This year’s season will run for 10 weeks, from June 30 until September 1.

POP Club offers children’s activities ‘to go’

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By Julia Howard

POP Coin

Summer has officially begun and throughout the state, summertime activities have been re-imagined to ensure safety and to stop the spread of COVID-19. The Saratoga Farmers’ Market’s Power of Produce Club, or POP Club, will continue to offer children nutrition education with new take-home activities and online support.

Beginning on July 8, children can participate in POP Club by visiting the Saratoga Farmers’ Market on Wednesdays with their parents or caregivers. At the market, they will receive an activity bag “to go”. The POP Club activity bag will include a take-home activity, recipe cards, and a $2 POP coin that can be used to purchase fresh fruits and vegetables at the farmers’ market. POP Passports will not be handed out and stamped this year, but families can anticipate nourishing activities with complete directions and supplies. Although the club is open to children, it is especially geared toward those aged 5-12.

In addition to weekly POP Club ‘to go’ bags, parents and caregivers can visit the farmers’ market’s website for video tutorials and photos that pair with each activity. This online platform will give children and parents the opportunity to ask questions, share experiences, and connect with the farmers’ market for additional support.

Photo by Pattie Garrett

“We are very happy to host our fifth season of POP Club with the generous support of the Christopher Dailey Foundation,” says Emily Meagher, market administrator. “It’s important that we give children the tools to be involved in agriculture and community, to help them understand that food and farming are intrinsically connected.”

POP Club continues to be a free program and will run for 8 weeks beginning on Wednesday, July 8, and running through the end of August. POP Club activity bags will be available at the green market information tent on Wednesday, 3-6 p.m. at the farmers’ market.

This season’s take-home activities include crafts, recipes, experiments, and information using seasonal fruits and vegetables as POP Club continues to give both children and their parents a chance to learn about local foods and farming in a hands-on way.

Buying produce with a POP coin gives children a chance to meet farmers, learn money skills, and make smart food choices.

This week’s recipe: Lightened Up Strawberry Shortcake

Learning the Power of Produce

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Power of Produce Club, photo by Pattie Garrett

By Himanee Gupta-Carlson

School’s out for the summer. No lunchboxes to fill, no homework, fewer structured activities, and more free time. It’s a perfect time to add a Wednesday family outing to the Saratoga Farmers’ Market for the Power of Produce Club.

Power of Produce, or POP, is a free 12-week program at the market. It begins next Wednesday, June 26, and runs through early September. The goal is to help children learn more about where their food comes from.

POP Coin

Children can join the POP Club by visiting the Saratoga Farmers’ Market with their parents. Each time members visit the market they receive a $2 POP coin that can be used to purchase fresh fruits and vegetables. In addition, children receive a POP passport that is stamped at each visit. After receiving four stamps, children are eligible for a prize. Although the club is open to children, it is especially geared toward those aged 5-12.

Buying produce with a POP coin gives children a chance to meet farmers, learn money skills, and make smart food choices.

In addition to the POP coins, the POP Club features weekly activities and music. The Christopher Dailey Foundation sponsors the program and several community partners host the club’s activities. Opening day will feature music by first-time market performer Jeannine Ouderkirk, a Humpty Dumpty craft activity sponsored by the Saratoga Springs Public Library, and a sampling of Shushan Hydro Farms’ cherry tomatoes.

Friends of the Market host POP Club, photo by Pattie Garrett

Julia Howard, formerly the market coordinator, started the POP Club at the Saratoga Farmers’ Market four years ago. This summer, her five-year-old daughter Taiga will be a club member.

“With a climate crisis and pesticide-ridden foods in our present day, it’s so important that children understand where their food comes from,” Howard says. “It’s important that we give them the tools to be involved in agriculture and community, to help them understand the impacts of climate change. The POP Club is a great outlet for children to get involved and to learn how to make changes on a local and worldwide level.”

To join, look for the green POP Club tent at the Wednesday market, across from the market information booth.