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

Shop Local, Eat Fresh

duck

Eating with the seasons – even in February

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By Himanee Gupta

 

One belief about eating local is that we cannot do it in February. The ground is frozen. Nothing is growing. It is cold. 

We grit our teeth as we head for the grocery store, knowing that what we’ll find will have traveled several hundred miles and will not be cheap.

Pretty bleak? 

It need not be.

While it is true that farmers cannot grow much in frozen soil, they still can offer foods grown, raised, or made at their farms. That is what the Saratoga Farmers Market brings you every Saturday. Even though the offerings and number of vendors are smaller at this time of year, there’s good stuff available for delicious meals throughout the week.

Consider: 

  • Soups made with butternut squash, carrots, turnips, and potatoes. Gomez Veggie Ville and Lovin’ Mama Farms have these classic winter vegetables. Cook them with bone broths from King’s Creek Farm or simply water. For a creamy touch, give the soup a light puree with a blender, and then stir in some A2 milk from the Argyle Cheese Farmer. Put some microgreens from the Perfect Plant Farm on top.
A2 milk from Argyle Cheese Farmer, photo by Madison Jackson
  • Meats. Chicken, duck, goat, pork, beef, and veal are currently available. Think about roasts, stews, meatloaf, chili, casseroles, and burgers – just to get started. Farm-raised meat might seem expensive by the pound. However, many cuts are available in smaller packages, such as stew meats and chops. And our meat producers are good cooks who know how to prepare a larger cut, such as a roast or a whole duck or chicken, and also how to create marvelous second, third, or even fourth meals with leftovers. They’re happy to share their tips. Stop by the tables of Hebron Valley, Hepatica, Jireh, King’s Creek, Longlesson, and Squash Villa farms, and ask.
  • Homemade sides and treats. In addition to sweet and savory baked goods are stuffed dates, pickled beets and cabbages, jams, cheeses, granola mixes, and hummus. Combining farm-made foods with vegetables and meats can add a healthy, flavorful balance to winter meals. Look for such items at Kokinda Farms, Nightwork Bread, Puckers Gourmet Pickles, Parchment, Sweet Prophecy, and The Cookie Lab, among others.
Kokinda Farm, photo by Toni Nastasi

And the days are getting longer, so popular items such as eggs, spinach, kale, and salad greens are becoming more available.
        One trick for making the most of a farmers market visit both now and year-round: Treat your shopping list as a guide, not a rule. Take in all of what the market offers. Let yourself make changes and substitutions because you can. That’s what makes eating local possible and exciting, even in February.

The Saratoga Farmers’ Market is open on Saturdays from 9:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m. in the Wilton Mall Food Court. Find us online at www.saratogafarmersmarket.org, and follow us on Facebook and Instagram @SaratogaFarmersMarket.

Thanksgiving Main Dishes: Festive Local Meats & Poultry

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By Julia Howard

Longlesson Farm, photo by Pattie Garrett

While changing travel plans and opting for small gatherings, we are determined to make Thanksgiving satisfying and memorable this year. When planning your holiday meal, why not make the menu everything you want it to be? Perhaps this means a traditional turkey, or maybe you are looking to make something different like lamb, duck, beef, or pork. At the farmers’ market, local farmers have high-quality meat and poultry options and offer cooking instructions.

Here are some ideas for the centerpiece of your holiday meal.

Beef & Veal
Beef entrees are festive and satisfying and a worthy addition to the holiday table. Roasted beef tenderloin, prime rib, and pot roast are impressive meals that can accommodate small and large crowds. Ethically raised, grass-fed beef is available at Longlesson Farm, Bunker Hill Creamery, and Ramble Creek Farm. In addition to meat is specialty Rosé veal available at Hebron Valley Veal. Rosé veal has a clean, lighter beef flavor and is very tender.

Lamb Chops, Adobe Stock

Lamb
Succulent and aromatic, lamb makes an excellent substitute for Thanksgiving dinner. Elihu Farm is bringing more cuts of lamb, picking up from the butcher on Friday, November 20. They’ll have plenty of legs of lamb, leg steak, loin chops, racks of lamb, and more and more. To order, please call or email Elihu Farm directly.

Pork
Smoked pork chops, pork tenderloin, spare ribs, sirloin, and more; pork can make a superb alternative for a Thanksgiving main dish. Unique, elegant, and packed with flavor, leaner and fattier cuts offer various main course options that are easy to prepare and beautiful to present. Pork is currently available at Ramble Creek Farm, Bunker Hill Creamery, and Moxie Ridge Farm.

Roast Duck with Apples, Adobe Stock

Turkey, Chicken, & Duck
While turkey is often the main feature of Thanksgiving, duck and chicken make excellent alternatives, especially when feeding a smaller crowd. Poultry is sold fresh at the farmers’ market, and farmers have essential cooking tips as turkey, duck, and chicken cook differently. Ramble Creek Farm is currently taking reservations for their pasture-raised turkey. Fresh, whole chickens are available at Longlesson Farm, Squashville Farm, Ramble Creek Farm, and Bunker Hill Creamery. Duck is offered exclusively at Squashville Farm.

If looking to order specific meats or poultry, we recommend contacting farms directly to ensure availability. Vendor contact information can be found on our Vendor Directory page. Schedule to pick up your order at the farmers’ market this Saturday before Thanksgiving and find fresh, locally-sourced seasonal ingredients for your holiday feast.

This week’s recipe: Pot Roast with Cranberries

Enjoying local meat during pandemic

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By Himanee Gupta-Carlson

Longlesson Farm, photo by Pattie Garrett

Demand for local meat has increased at the Saratoga Farmers’ Market since the Coronavirus pandemic erupted. Farmers often sell all of what they bring to market each week.

Meat shortages appear likely nationally and regionally. However, local farmers who sell their meat primarily via direct sales to customers at farmers’ markets expect a steady supply through the winter. They are able to weather crises such as the pandemic for several reasons:

Planning. “It takes three years for me to raise an animal from its beginning to the time it’s ready for processing,” says Christophe Robert of Longlesson Farm, which offers pork, beef, and chicken.

Robert has his cows and pigs butchered at a local processor. He booked all of his processing appointments for 2020 last December.

Robert also cannot change his quantities. “I raise as many animals as I can on the land I have.”

Ramble Creek Farm, photo by Pattie Garrett

Processing for others. Ramble Creek Farm also offers pork, beef, and poultry. Owner Josh Carnes processes the chickens and turkeys he raises on-site. He also processes chicken for others.

“I’ve been getting more calls from people who are raising their own chickens,” he said. “Backyard farmers who want to try raising their own meat.”

Promoting health. For many, the pandemic has reinforced the value of buying meat directly from a farmer. “It’s basically my farm to you, with my processor in between for some items,” says Carnes. “Plus, you’re coming to an open-air environment when you visit the farmers’ market. That means more space, less jostling.”

Squashville Farm, photo provided

Being adept at change. At Squashville Farm, my husband called our processor to book appointments for our goats, only to learn the first available opening was in February. We decided to raise more chickens and ducks for the fall and winter and to pasture our goats a little longer.

Accepting what is. Elihu Farm’s processor of lambs also is booked through mid-winter. Owner Mary Pratt says she will continue her practice of raising her lambs on pasture and offering them some grains, which produces tender, flavorful meat. A customer endorsed the quality of her meat with this note: “I was raised in New Zealand, and you have the best lamb. It makes me homesick.”

 

This week’s recipe: Burger with Onions & Mushrooms

Roasted Duck

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Adapted from a recipe from Maple Leaf Farms

* Ingredients currently available at the farmers’ market

Ingredients

One whole fresh duck*

Optional seasonings

1 T. kosher salt

1-1/2 tsp. freshly ground black pepper

1 tsp. paprika

1 head garlic* or 1 onion*
celery* stalks, cut into 2-inch pieces

Preparation

  1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees Fahrenheit.
  2. Remove duck from bag and pat dry.
  3. Place duck in roasting pan, and rub salt, pepper and paprika over outside and inside, if using. Place garlic or onion and celery into cavity, if using.
  4. Roast for 15 minutes, then remove from oven and lower heat to 350 degrees.
  5. Cover duck with foil and continue to cook for approximately 10 minutes a pound, turning meat halfway through the cooking time. 
  6. Remove from oven and let duck rest for at least 15 minutes before serving.

*You can prepare a fresh turkey following this recipe, as well. Simply add 3 minutes per pound of cooking time in step 5.