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Shop local, eat fresh, save money

March 29, 2022 By marketeditor

By Julia Howard

It’s a common misconception that eating locally grown and produced food means spending more. In addition, rising food prices create tension around shopping and the strain on our wallets. Shopping and saving at the farmers’ market require a different approach than the one you use at the grocery store. With these tips, it’s easy and affordable to start enjoying the benefits of shopping local and eating fresh.

  • Skip the shopping list

While a shopping list might keep you on track at the grocery store, it could inhibit your shopping at the farmers’ market and even make you spend more than you intend. Many products are consistent at the farmers’ market; however, seasonal produce are changeable. Shop with an open mind, find abundant produce that week, and create meals with those main ingredients in mind. 

Gomez Veggie Ville, photo courtesy of Pattie Garrett
  • Shop what’s in season

There are many benefits to buying fruit and vegetables in season. They are fresh, taste better, are more nutritious, and are often more affordable. Local farmers have a variety of overwintered produce like kale, beets, and mushrooms. Stored products such as apples, celeriac, and onions are available from the last growing season. And, as spring progresses, new items like arugula, bok choy, and pea shoots arrive weekly.

  • Ask about seconds

Perfection is overrated, especially when it comes to food. At the farmers’ market, it’s worthwhile to check with farmers and vendors for slightly bruised produce or items that don’t quite meet restaurant standards. Your food will taste just as good!

Pork and Greens, photo provided (1)
  • Know your farmer

Building relationships at the farmers’ market doesn’t necessarily mean earning deals and discounts. However, getting to know your farmer brings a new appreciation for food. Farmers offer cooking instructions and can help you find the most for your money. 

  • Go regardless of the weather

The weather can undoubtedly affect the foot traffic at any local business, especially as the farmers’ market is outdoors for six months of the year. Whether snow or rain, fewer customers mean that you can spend a little more time talking to farmers to build a relationship and talk about food.

Local farms and businesses appreciate the support from the community and provide many ways to make their products accessible and affordable.

This weeks recipe: Whatever Soup

Filed Under: Featured Article, homepage feature, News Tagged With: 518 Farms, community, eat local, farm, farmers, farmers markets, local farms, Saratoga Farmers' Market, Seasonal cooking, seasonal produce, shop local, shop small, shop small business

Volunteers Strengthen Saratoga Farmers’ Market Community

February 19, 2018 By marketeditor

By Himanee Gupta-Carlson

 

The core of any community is its people. At the Saratoga Farmers’ Market, that community includes farmers, of course. But it also includes the market’s staff and its volunteer group Friends of the Market. This year with the market’s 40th anniversary, the Friends are eager to welcome more volunteers.

The Friends’ mission is to work with shoppers and vendors to help the market thrive. Over the years, as the market has grown, the Friends’ activities have branched out from primarily operating a veggie valet service to several market and community projects that include a compost drop site, a food pantry partnership, and media outreach.

New volunteers are expanding the Friends’ goals further.

Ann Haden, for instance, is helping to launch a cooking class for Skidmore students. She recently spent an evening with market director Julia Howard at the Lake Avenue Elementary School working with children to identify vegetables, including celeriac, which the kids figured out smelled like celery but did not look at all like it.

“Volunteering with the Friends of the Market is an opportunity to expand the virtues of going to the farmers’ market,” says Haden. “Sharing the experience of obtaining products directly from the farmer/vendor, having discussions about products and the community feeling at the market is a worthy investment of my time.”

Haden’s enthusiasm highlights the vital energy volunteers bring to the market. As Howard notes, “We want to make sure that the time volunteers give us is well spent at the farmers’ market. We will provide training and an on-site orientation so that newcomers can meet our vendors and other volunteers. They will contribute to the farmers’ market in a big way.”

For farmers, the market is a rejuvenating day. They get to leave their farms and interact with the community. These relationships speak to why farming is vibrant: it centers on food, family, and friends.

Is volunteering at the Saratoga Farmers’ Market for you? One way to answer that question is to ask yourself: Are you passionate about local foods? Do you want to learn more about local farming? Are you free for an hour or two at least once a month?

If your answers are yes, join us. Contact us at friends@saratogafarmersmarket.org.  

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.

Filed Under: Featured Article, News Tagged With: community, giving back to the community, Saratoga Farmers' Market, volunteer opportunities, volunteers

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Today at our International Flavor Fest! Thank you Today at our International Flavor Fest! Thank you to everyone who came by today. We hope you had fun! 😋🌎🌾
Exciting news! The Saratoga Farmers’ Market Flav Exciting news! The Saratoga Farmers’ Market Flavor Fest is happening tomorrow! 🎉🍴 Our vendors have amazing samples for you to taste, including mouth-watering chorizo and bratwurst from Hebron Valley Meats and delectable Chicken Briyani from Perfect Plant Farm. 😍 Don't forget to grab your passport for a chance to win a prize by collecting stamps from market vendors! 🛍️ @worldkidsmuseum will also be joining us with a fun kid's craft to make your own fortune cookie 🥠, and CCE food is back with a fermentation activity. 🌱 See you there! ✈️🌎😋

#saratogafarmersmarket #saratogasprings #thingstodoinupstateny #internationalfood #flavorfest #farmersmarket #kidsactivities #smallbuisness #shoplocal
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

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