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

Shop Local, Eat Fresh

cocktails

Know Your Farmer – and Get to Know a Few New Ones, too

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By Himanee Gupta-Carlson

We get it. It’s January. It’s cold. It’s COVID, year three. 

And while you might love the Saratoga Farmers’ Market, you feel it has changed.

You’re right. We’ve changed. Some longtime, well-established vendors are gone. Their owners retired or chose amid the COVID-19 pandemic to shift their operations toward online, home delivery, or mail-order sales.

But we are still the same market in many ways. We still offer some of the best locally grown, raised, or made foods and craft items. We’ve continued to do so by shifting our definition of local away from the six counties that traditionally defined our vendor base toward a more inclusive idea. That shift has helped bring in vendors from other counties, from anywhere within 50 miles of Saratoga.Our new vendors give our market a new face. But they value good products that are local. Stop by and say hello. In time, they’ll be quite familiar to you. 

Here’s the lowdown on a few:

  • Pork & Greens. This farm hails from the Hudson Valley and is woman-owned. Isabel Buenaga started the farm in July 2020, with a mission to create healthy soil, reduce food waste, and produce high-quality pork and nutrient-rich greens. Her pigs “graze and laze” on 15 acres of woodlands and receive a carefully monitored diet of repurposed foods. Foods that would otherwise be trashed or composted become nutrition for the pigs and yield nicely flavored pork chops, sausages, ham steaks, and other pork items. As for the greens, they are chosen for their ability to withstand our region’s bitterly cold winters and sweltering summers. Check out Buenaga’s kale, pea shoots, and lettuces.
    Pork and Greens, photo by Pattie Garrett.
  • The Mushroom Shop. This farm, based in Salem, is run by Jacob Howard and Elise Olsen. They joined the Wednesday market last spring and are continuing through the winter to offer gourmet specialty mushrooms for culinary and medicinal uses. Check out their oyster, beech, and cinnamon cap offerings.
    The Mushroom Shop, photo by Pattie Garrett
  • Boozy Moo. Yes, ice cream in winter. Boozy Moo, based in Albany, is the brainchild of Leila Kiosse. Kiosse had opened a craft cocktails bar and games house in early 2020. Like so many retail outlets, hers was shuttered amid the pandemic. Kiosse began experimenting with craft ice creams, infusing them with alcohol, and realized she had a great new approach to a popular dessert on her hands. Ask for a sample and let Kiosse’s cool treats warm your soul.
    Boozy Moo!, photo by Pattie Garrett

 

This week’s featured recipe: Pork Chops with Apples and Onions

Cucumber Cooler Cocktails

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Photo by Pattie Garrett

Recipe by Minimalist Baker
Makes 1 serving

Ingredients
*Ingredients currently available at the farmers’ market
● 1 1/2 oz vodka* (1 1/2 oz equals 3 Tbsp)
● 4-6 slices cucumber*
● 1/4 medium lime (sliced)
● 4 oz tonic water
● 6 mint* leaves

Instructions
1. Add mint, lime, gin, and sugar (if using) to the shaker and muddle.
2. Add cucumber slices to the shaker and shake vigorously.
3. Pour mixture over a glass filled with ice and top with tonic water.
4. Stir, let sit for a few minutes for the flavors to enhance and enjoy.

Getting into the Spirit

By

By Himanee Gupta-Carlson

Lake George Distilling, photo by Pattie Garrett

It’s been quite a summer, with COVID-19, nationwide protests and calls for police reforms, presidential politics, school reopenings, and the fate of the U.S. postal service dominating the news.

Still, we’re surviving, thanks to the best local foods and drinks that our vendors bring each week to the Saratoga Farmers’ Market.

In that spirit, we suggest a brief celebration. Visit the market and fill your basket with what you need for your upcoming meals. Top it off with a bottle of a handcrafted artisanal liquor and the ingredients for a cocktail or two.

The market’s three spirits vendors are Lake George Distilling Company, Springbrook Hollow Farm Distillery, and Yankee Distillers. Collectively, they bring gin, vodka, and whiskey to the market each Saturday, not to mention fruit- and spice-infused spirits, such as Lake George’s Apple Pie Moonshine and its Lake George Lemonade. A simple quarter-cup pour from one of their bottles over two or three cubes of ice makes a hearty but not too boozy cocktail in and of itself.

If you want something a little more fancy, try these suggestions:

Lavender lemonade cocktail, AdobeStock

● Lavender lemonade cocktail. Yankee’s Steve Hamilton recommends either vodka or bourbon for this beverage made with Slate Valley Farm’s lavender lemonade and freshly chopped cucumber from one of the market’s produce vendors. Stripe off some of the outer cucumber skin with a vegetable peeler and chop the cucumber. Place it in a cup with ice cubes, and add one part spirit and three parts lavender lemonade. The lemonade lightens the intensity of the liquor, while the lavender and cucumber impart a floral freshness. I tried this concoction with bourbon and found it delicious.

Gin & Tonic, photo by Pattie Garrett

● Gin-and-tonic with celery. Springbrook Hollow’s Tara Solomon suggests muddling a bit of chopped celery in the classic gin and tonic beverage consisting approximately of one part gin, two parts tonic, and ice. She also suggests allowing the celery to remain in the glass until the beverage has been consumed for snacking. Cucumber makes an excellent alternative.

Iced Mocha, AdobeStock

● Mocha and mint whiskey. Hamilton suggests a malt whiskey for this cocktail, which is made with coffee and chocolate milk from the market’s new Bunker Hill Dairy vendor. It can be made with a take-home version of the mocha drink that Something’s Brewing offers. A little bit of crushed mint adds a flavorful boost.

Just remember, no drinking at the market.

This week’s recipe: Bourbon Peach Smash