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Salads Year Round | Did You Know…

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By Himanee Gupta-Carlson

Did you know that you can grow greens for salads year round? Without a greenhouse. Without grow lights. Without a heating mat.

Year-Round Indoor Salad Gardening book coverPeter Burke has come up with an ingenious idea for year round indoor salad gardening, which he shared in a workshop at last year’s Northeast Organic Farming Association of New York (NOFA-NY)’s annual Winter Conference and details in his book Year-Round Indoor Salad Gardening. The idea is simple: you round up a bunch of small containers (Burke proposes the aluminum bread tins that you might have received gifts of fruitcake and zucchini breads in), a few growing implements, and a ton of seeds. You soak the seeds overnight. You also will want to soak newspapers or other acid free papers in water, and in a separate bucket some standard germination soil mix in water.

From there, you place a ½ teaspoon of sea kelp and 1 tablespoon of compost in your container and mix them together. Spoon your soil mix on top, level it so that it lies about ¼ of an inch from the top and drain the water from your seeds. Then, spread the moistened seeds over the soil so that they are touching one another but not overlapping. Cover the seeds with your water soaked newspapers and place them in a warm, dark place. Forget that the containers exist for four days.

On the fifth day, retrieve your containers, remove the covers and water the containers. Keep these containers in a well-lit windowsill, watering them with about two to four tablespoons daily.

Burke says that generally the green shoots will be ready to be clipped with scissors and eaten within three to four days of being in your windowsill. He advocates planting five small containers at a time, each one with a different seed, and to get into a routine of doing this planting on a daily basis. In this way, he says, you have the potential to have salads made from your own freshly harvested greens every day. The salads can include almost anything, but he has a fondness for pea shoots, radish and kohlrabi sprouts, kale and small lettuce greens.

So does it work?

I went home from the NOFA-NY conference with a container of pea seeds that I’d planted, courtesy of Burke’s workshop. The peas did sprout, and I did have greens – greens that I combined with farmers market purchased salad greens, sliced winter radishes, carrots and turnips, and occasionally pumpkin and squash seeds. In this way, my little garden lasted nearly three weeks. Inspired, I tried doing my own planting of five more containers. I have to admit that I didn’t follow directions as well as I could and had marginal success. But the idea intrigues me, and I hope to give it another, more focused try this winter.

Details on the book: Year-Round Indoor Salad Gardening, Peter Burke, Chelsea Green Publishing, 2015.

A Winter’s Salute to Kale

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By Himanee Gupta-Carlson

Admittedly, kale jokes abound. But that’s only because this green leafy vegetable – once primarily the domain of fancy plate garnishes – has evolved into a farmers’ market staple year round.

Shannon Cowan describes kale in a blog piece for Earth Easy (a website devoted to sustainable living) as the “workhorse of your winter garden” and urges year-round gardeners to keep the crop going for its beauty, its flavor, and nutritional content.

While I would like to say that I follow Cowan’s advice, I have to admit that my own garden’s kale usually loses at least its beauty and flavor by late December. After repeated hard frosts, snowstorms, and freezing rains followed by thaws, my own kale starts to look rather limp and spindly. It retains a semblance of its freshest in-season flavor, but is not, quite frankly, what it was in October. I am happy at this point to acquire my weekly stash of kale from the produce vendors at the Saratoga Farmers’ Market. This experience also gives me the chance of sampling many different varieties of kale, ranging from curly to winterbor, to purple to red.

A couple of weeks ago, I spotted a particularly striking bunch of kale. The leaves were grayish green but flecked admirably with thin veins of purple. The kale, at the Gomez Veggie Ville stall at the market, is known as “coral”. The Gomez family started the crop in early fall for its late fall and early winter markets. It is now keeping the plants growing and harvesting fresh from their greenhouses in the most brutal months of January.

Coral was crisp, thick, and tasty – full of the kind of fresh succulence that my taste buds seemed to be craving after the holiday months of rich sauces, big meats, and bottles of wine. The stems were stock and thick, and might serve as a potential addition to a meat stock or vegetable broth down the line. The leaves, however, were kale through and through, though they did seem heartier than the spring, summer, and fall selections. I found that they took a little more time to cook, maybe three or four minutes more.

Searches of the Internet did not give me a seed variety for “coral kale.” Instead, I found that it was listed as an ornamental and not generally eaten. This kale, however, tasted quite lovely. Try using my classic preparation: thinly sliced garlic sautéed in oil, the kale washed in cold water and steamed for about five minutes before being tossed into the garlic and oil with a sprinkling of black pepper on top.

 

 

What the Full Moon in January Means for Maple Syrup

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By Himanee Gupta-Carlson
Maple Syrup 2 by Pattie GarrettThursday, Jan, 12 is the first full moon for 2017. At the Slate Valley Farm, Pat Imbimbo and his daughter Gina will mark the moment by beginning to tap their maple trees for the sap that will produce their syrup for this year.

The logic of when to tap and for how long is based somewhat on science and somewhat on knowledge gained through experience. Look up “when to tap maple trees” on the Internet and you’ll quickly discover that:

• Sap flows when daytime temperatures are above freezing, or 32 degrees Fahrenheit, and night temperatures are below freezing.

• The fluctuation in day and night temperatures creates a pressure in a tree that encourages sap to flow.

• The best sap for making syrup usually comes early in the sap-flowing season.

Typically, maple sap flows between mid-February and mid-March. But in a world ruled by frequent year-to-year shifts in the weather cycle, the flow might start much earlier. It might run quite a bit later.

Slate Valley Maple syrup Evaporator
Slate Valley Maple syrup Evaporator

Tapping is rooted to some extent in Native American traditions, with some believing that the art of syrup making was one that tribal members taught European settlers in the initial years of contact. According to the University of Vermont at Montpelier’s History of Maple website, written accounts of tapping trees for sap date back to 1557. The practice of boiling sap to reduce the water content necessary to make blocks of maple sugar was in full force by the 1700s, and was shared by the indigenous Americans and colonial settlers alike. Syrup making came into being around the Civil War.

Slate Valley, which is featured in the Jan. 12-18 edition of Saratoga Today, aims to make about 600 gallons of syrup this year. This means gathering a lot of sap as it takes 40 gallons of sap to make a single gallon of syrup. Timing is critical in this respect because once the trees start blooming the sap ceases to flow.

Gina, of Slate Valley, notes that her father has long followed the tradition of putting the taps in the trees on the first full moon in 2017. “We’ve always followed that tradition,” she says. “I wait for him to tell me it’s time, and I put the taps on the trees.”

With that in mind, Slate Valley and other maple syrup makers are prepared for the magic moment when the temperatures hit the “sweet spot” of being above freezing in the daytime and below freezing at night. That’s when the taps are opened to collect the sap as it begins its annual flow.

Friend-ing the Saratoga Farmers’ Market

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By Himanee Gupta-Carlson

food-fact-4As one of the organizers of the Friends of the Saratoga Market volunteer group, I’d like to thank the regular shoppers, first-time visitors, community organizations, farmers and other vendors, and most especially the market administrator for making 2016 such a rousing success for the Saratoga Farmers’ Market. I’d also like to invite you in 2017 to become a friend of the market and join our ranks.

First off, kudos to market administrator Julia Howard who carried out a vision for helping to make our market a force for building community in Saratoga and beyond. In 2016, Howard organized an Easter extravaganza, a spring festival of workshops, the first ever summer Power of Produce Club for children in Saratoga, a series of do-it-yourself workshops in the summer Wednesday market, a taste of the market festival, a holiday bazaar, and much more. Thanks to her efforts, the Saratoga Farmers’ Market enters 2017 energized and eager for new growth.

Now, who are the Friends of the Market and what do we do? And, why do we want you to join us?

We established ourselves informally in 2011, after a longtime market shopper suggested that the market could use a citizens based support group to serve as a bridge between shoppers, vendors, and the community. Our membership remains small but solid. Our roles are easy to learn, and focus on relationship building that is in line with our mission to help the market continue to thrive.

At about this time last year, market administrator Howard threw us a challenge. The challenge was to help her make the market more of an outlet for creating a sense of community. This challenge expanded our existing roles considerably. We currently:

  • – Manage a Veggie Valet service during the Saturday summer market and a Friends’ table during the winter market. Here, shoppers can leave bags, coats, strollers and anything else during the winter market.
  • – Provide relief to vendors by handling transactions at their stalls so they can take restroom breaks, grab a bite to eat, and/or shop for their own weekly supplies of produce, meats, and dairy items at the market.
  • – Write weekly Saratoga Today articles and provide recipes on seasonal foods, the vendors at our market, and other market events.
  • – Help capture the energy of the market through photographs.
  • – Operate a fledgling compost drop station and recycling effort.
  • – Coordinate a food donation program in which market vendors and generous shoppers are able to donate fresh and local produce and other items to the Franklin Community Center food pantry.
  • – Assist market staff with token transactions, general questions and answers, and in a few cases, we have been asked to help clean up spilt milk.

food-fact-2As our roles expand, the need for more help has intensified. We invite you to join us and share your talents. We welcome those who would like to contribute to the weekly Friends’ corner in the newsletter as well write articles for Saratoga Today. We also can use help in getting the word out on our recycling and composting efforts, and with our booth at the weekly market. We also are always looking for new ideas to support the market.

To contact us: e-mail friends@saratogafarmersmarket.org with a statement expressing your interest.

Happy New Year from the Friends of the Market.

Making Farmers Markets Into a Movement

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By Himanee Gupta-Carlson

Did you know that farmers markets play a role in fighting food insecurity?

That’s one of many findings that the federal Nutrition.gov website offers. In a report prepared by the U.S. Department of Agriculture on “The What and Why of Local Foods,” researchers argue that the food security of a particular locality in the United States might very well be dependent on the strength and vitality of its local food system.

The report notes that 50 million Americans lack food security, and that at least part of the challenge that they face is that they reside far away from outlets that distribute healthy food. Nearly 25 million individuals who lack food security live more than a mile away from a supermarket, which make access to food a challenge when the individuals also lack cars or access to public transportation. The issue grows more significant in rural areas where the nearest market might be an hour’s drive away.

These statistics highlight the role that highly localized, producer-oriented farmers’ markets might play in strengthening overall access to healthy foods. By having an ability to sell fruits and vegetables at a local market, local farmers are not only able to sustain themselves but also can create more nearby local outlets by which elderly residents and lower income individuals are able to easily access these foods. In addition, a growing number of farmers markets are accepting SNAP benefits and participating in other publicly funded ventures to help make their products available to such individuals.

food-fact-1The Saratoga Farmers Market is participating in these ventures. Our market not only accepts SNAP benefits but also Fresh Connect and Farmers Market Nutrition Program coupons, which enable eligible recipients to receive fresh produce. Farmers then are able to redeem the coupons for cash through the state, which helps make the programs viable for them, as well.

The market’s vendors also have been donating produce and other goods weekly to the Franklin Community Center’s food pantry, as part of this endeavor. Friends of the Market members are organizing this pilot venture, and have a box available at the table for customers who wish to purchase items at the market for donation. Please support these worthy ventures.

More information about the role of farmers markets in communities throughout the United States is available at Nutrition.gov. The site, funded by a number of federal agencies, offers a treasure trove of reports, data, interactive charts, and even cooking tips for seasonal fruits and vegetables. Their underlying message is simple: When you shop at a farmers’ market, you’re not just making a purchase. You’re participating in a community movement that ultimately will be beneficial to all.

How Fresh and Local Supports Food Pantries

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By Himanee Gupta-Carlson

Last week’s Food Fact from the Friends of the Market described a new initiative between the Saratoga Farmers’ Market and the Franklin Community Center’ food pantry, in which market vendors at the end of each Saturday market donate some of their less saleable items to the food pantry. This week, I’d like to share a little bit about how these items are distributed through the food pantry.

The Franklin Community Center expanded its food pantry in 2015. In addition to shelves filled with non-perishable items, the pantry now has large refrigerators and freezers as well as shelves dedicated to holding such items of produce like squashes, onions, and potatoes.

When donations arrive at the pantry, volunteers weigh and sort them. All donation also are entered into an inventory log that includes the name and address of the donor, the quantity and type of donation.

Food items from the farmers’ market and the community center’s garden are treated a little differently. I and other garden volunteers bag fresh kale, chard, and other items and mark the bags with the item’s name, date it was picked, and sometimes with a quick cooking tip. When I bring produce from the farmers’ market, I mark bags with the item’s name if it seems as if it would not be immediately recognizable. I also try to leave notes on whiteboards for volunteers, letting them know how to prepare these items. These little tips are crucial because knowing what to do with a food that is new to one’s diet is crucial to determining whether it will become a long-term addition – and source of support to farmers who grow it in the long run.

Julie Slovic, who serves as the outreach coordinator for the Franklin Community Center’s food pantry, said that the pantry serves an average of 750 individuals a month, or roughly 250 families. In general, recipients requiring emergency food assistance receive a package once a month that provides enough food for three to four days. Packages are based on the federal government’s Healthy Plate model of balancing proteins, carbohydrates, and fruits and vegetables. Some items – particularly bread and fresh produce – are made available in addition to the packages on an open donations’ table.

The share of fruits and vegetables that come not from a commercial can but from fresh produce is growing steadily through weekly deliveries from the Regional Food Bank, and regular and occasional donations from individuals as well as local groceries. Over the summer, donations from community gardens and individuals through a Plant a Row for the Hungry project added to the fresh produce totals. Since October 15, weekly donations from the Saratoga Farmers’ Market have averaged about 50 pounds.

We encourage farmers’ market shoppers to join the effort of getting more fresh and local food to food pantries. A gift box for the Franklin Community Center’s food pantry is available at the Friends of the Market table, if you do wish to make an extra purchase while shopping Saturday for food pantry users. In addition to fruits and vegetables, the pantry can accept eggs, dairy products, honey, maple syrup, and some prepared foods such as pickles, mustards, juices, and cheeses. Thank you for giving this worthy cause some consideration.

kale-for-recipe

Sausage and Kale Skillet

Recipe adapted from www.budgetbytes.com
Prep time: 10 mins
Cook time: 20 mins
Makes 4-6 servings

Ingredients
*Ingredients currently available at the Saratoga Farmers’ Market

• 16 oz. package ground sausage or links (more or less may be used)*
• 1 bunch kale*
• 8 oz. fresh mushrooms*
• 1 cup diced tomatoes*
• 1 cup soft, mild cheese of your choice – shredded*

Instructions

1 If using sausage links, squeeze the sausage from the casings into a large skillet (freeze the remaining links for later use). Otherwise, cook the sausage over medium heat until fully brown. Break the sausage up into pieces as it cooks. It’s okay if it sticks to the bottom of the skillet a little as it cooks.

2. Remove stems and chop mushrooms thinly and add to the sausage. Cook until softened.

3. While the sausage and mushrooms are cooking, remove the woody stems from the kale, then slice it crosswise into thin strips. Rinse the kale well, then add it to the skillet. Stir it into the sausage and mushrooms and continue to cook until it is fully wilted (this happens within a few minutes).

4. Pour the diced tomatoes over the skillet, then top with the shredded cheese. Place a lid on the skillet and let it simmer until the cheese is melted (about 5-10 minutes).