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Easter

Pork Roast with Apples and Onions

By

Adapted from the recipe by Ree Drummond

Makes: 8 servings

Prep time: 15 mins

Cook time: 2 hrs

Ingredients

*Ingredients available at the farmers’ market

  • 3 tbsp. olive oil
  • 1 pork shoulder roast*
  • salt and pepper, to taste
  • 4 cups apple cider*
  • 1 cup beef stock
  • 3 whole apples*, cored and cut into wedges
  • A bundle of fresh rosemary or thyme
  • 3 medium onions*, sliced
  • 1 whole bay leaf

Directions

  1. Saute onions until brown and set aside.
  2. Heat olive oil in a large pot or dutch oven over high heat. Salt and pepper pork roast, then sear on all sides to give it some color. Reduce heat to low. Add apple cider, apple slices, onions, rosemary or thyme, and bay leaf. Cover and simmer for 3 hours. Alternatively, you may place in a 300-degree oven if you prefer.
  3. When the roast is done, remove the roast, apples, and onions to a platter. Raise heat to medium-high and boil liquid, reducing it until thick and rich.
  4. Spoon thick sauce over the roast, then cut the roast into slices. Serve with apples and onions.

Sweets, Meats, and Easter Treats at Saratoga Farmers’ Market

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By Julia Howard

 

This week holds much significance in celebrating Passover, Good Friday, and Easter. Traditions may be cultural, spiritual, or individual, and this Saturday, Saratoga Farmers’ Market invites you to shop locally for your holiday feasts, festivities, and Easter baskets. 

Let’s begin with an Easter staple: eggs. Lovin’ Mama Farm, Kokinda Farm, Squash Villa Farm, Jireh Farm, and King Creek Farms have fresh, delicious, multi-colored eggs perfect for your Easter brunch and for dying in various colors—dying multi-colored eggs results in deep, earthy hues. You can even make natural dye using kale, beets, and onions.

Kokinda Farm, photo provided

For those highly-anticipated Easter baskets, Saratoga Chocolate Co. makes Easter easy with an assortment of chocolate bunnies in dark, milk, and white chocolate and in salted caramel. They will also have marshmallow, caramel, and chocolate eggs, and jelly beans. Brighten up baskets with crisp apples and apple chips from Saratoga Apple. Ballston Lake Apiaries has honey sticks for another sweet option. Cookie Lab Confections has your favorite Easter candies baked right into their individually packaged cookies, like lemon jelly bean and M&M cookies. 

Ballston Lake Apiaries, photo provided

For festive decor for your holiday table, Ballston Lake Apiaries’ pure beeswax candles molded into large decorative eggs, and Lovin’ Mama Farm has spring’s first freshly-cut tulips.

For main course options, Hebron Valley Meats will have bone-in veal breast and pork loin roasts. They will also bring ham steaks perfect for smaller celebrations. Squash Villa Farm will bring fresh ducks, goat legs, and shoulder roasts. Hepatica Farm will have whole chicken and individual cuts. And Longlesson Farm has beef roasts, steaks, and ham steaks. 

Lovin’ Mama Farm, photo provided

Maybe you’re looking for vegetarian options and seasonal vegetables. The Mushroom Shop has various mushrooms, and Lovin’ Mama Farm and Gomez Veggie Ville will be fully stocked with seasonal produce like potatoes, leeks, onions, carrots, lettuce, and much more.

For the dessert, Parchment will have a selection of Scandinavian pastries, cookies, and bread. Try their shortbread made with fresh zest and organic berries. Parchment’s egg-shaped almond Kipful cookies are perfect for dessert platters. Argyle Cheese Farmer has various baked treats like cupcakes, cookies, and brownies.

Freshly baked bread, local spirits, jams and jellies, and much more will be available.

We encourage you to bring the whole family to the farmers’ market! Children may enjoy a free Easter egg wreath activity and a special Easter egg rolling race for ages 3-5 held every hour on the hour. String Duo will perform various classical and pop music on the viola and cello. 

The Saratoga Farmers’ Market is open on Saturdays from 9:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. in the Wilton Mall Food Court. Find us online at www.saratogafarmersmarket.org, where you can sign up for our weekly newsletter and follow us on Facebook and Instagram. The farmers’ market will return to High Rock Park on Wednesday, May 3, 2023.

Indulge in Artful Delights with Pam the Baker’s Custom Decorated Sugar Cookies

By

Graciela Colston

 

If you’re looking for a unique and delicious gift for your next special occasion, look no further than Pam the Baker’s custom-decorated sugar cookies. 

Pam Sissons is a lifelong baker whose passion has always been baking bread, muffins, cookies, baklavas, and all sorts of goodies ‘just like Mom used to make.’ Once she started custom decorating cookies, the obsession took hold, and today she is a registered NY State home food processor. “My kitchen has always been my ‘happy place’!” Pam says fondly. 

Pam Sissons

To Pam, every cookie she makes is a mini work of art. She uses high-quality ingredients and pays attention to detail to create custom cookies that are not just a statement for your next event but also a gift that is equally satisfactory for the giver as it is for the receiver. Sugar cookie designs begin with creative cookie cutters to create one-of-a-kind shapes. They are then baked and hand-decorated with royal icing.

Farmers’ Market Cookies by Pam the Baker

Pam’s decorated sugar cookies are perfect for any occasion, from birthdays and baby showers to weddings and christenings. Elegant and ornate cookies will please your hosts at a fancy holiday party, while vibrant colors, shapes, and characters are perfect for a child’s birthday party. Pam can even brand cookies for company events in a unique way. When asked about some of her most memorable orders, Pam recalls “I made several dozen very ornate baby shower cookies for an event in New York City. I packed every single cookie so carefully for shipping…it was quite an undertaking! It was all worth it when I was told the mother-to-be was in tears when she saw the cookies.” 

Cookies are perfect for fun and meaningful edible art! Pam’s cookies come in all flavors, including vanilla, lemon, almond, and chocolate. She even offers ‘Paint Your Own Cookie kits’ that include a palette with four colors of edible food coloring, a brush, and a delicious home-baked custom cookie ready to paint with a fun image.

Paint your own cookie kits by Pam the Baker

You can find Pam the Baker and her cookies at the Saratoga Farmers’ Market or submit a cookie quote to her website. And if you’re looking for something extra special this Easter season, try Pam’s Bunny Butts! These cute little treats are available at the Saratoga Farmers’ Market this weekend. And for all you chocolate lovers out there, they’re also available in chocolate.

Bunny Butts by Pam the Baker

In the Saratoga area, you can find Pam the Baker at the farmers’ market every Saturday. Pam also accepts custom orders on her website at pamthebakerny@gmail.com. 

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, where you can sign up for our weekly newsletter, and follow us on Facebook and Instagram @SaratogaFarmersMarket.

 

Roast Lamb

By

Adapted from the recipe by Julia Moskin

Yield: 8-12 servings

Time: About 3 hours

Ingredients

  • 1 large lamb roast* with a cap of fat, 4 to 6 pounds: bone-in leg, semiboneless leg*, bone-in shoulder*, boneless butterflied leg* or double loin*
  • 2 ounces anchovies packed in olive oil, drained
  •  Leaves from 6 fresh rosemary sprigs*, plus extra sprigs and branches for garnish
  • 6 garlic cloves*, smashed and peeled
  • 4 ounces unsalted butter, softened at room temperature
  •  Black pepper
  • 1 lemon, cut in half
  • 1 ¾ cups white wine, plus extra for gravy

Instructions

  1. Heat oven to 425 degrees. Use a small sharp knife to make about a dozen incisions, about 2” deep, through the fat on top of the meat. Using a mortar and pestle or a blender, blend 2/3 of the anchovies, the rosemary leaves, and the garlic cloves into a chunky paste. Using your fingers, press paste deeply into incisions.
  2. Mix remaining anchovies and the butter into a paste. Smear this mixture all over the surface of the roast. Season liberally with black pepper (salt is not needed). Place the lamb on a rack in a roasting pan, fat side up, and squeeze the lemon halves over. Pour the wine around the roast into the pan.
  3. Roast 15 minutes, then reduce heat to 350 degrees and roast until internal temperature reaches 130 to 135 degrees (for medium-rare or medium meat), about another 60 to 90 minutes. Baste every 20 minutes or so with the wine and drippings in the pan, adding more wine as needed to keep the liquid from scorching. If possible, for the last 15 minutes of cooking, use convection or a broiler to crisp the fat on the roast.
  4. Remove pan from the oven, remove rack from the pan, and let the roast rest on the rack for at least 15 to 20 minutes in a warm place, tented with foil. The internal temperature will rise to about 140 to 145 degrees.
  5. To make sauce from the pan drippings, remove a few tablespoons of fat by tipping the pan and spooning off the top layer. Put the pan over medium heat until the liquid simmers. Taste the simmering liquid and whisk in more wine, 1/4 cup at a time, until the consistency and flavor are right. Do not let the mixture become syrupy; it should be a sharp jus, not a thick gravy.
  6. Carve lamb into 1/2-inch-thick slices and arrange on a heated platter, decorated with rosemary sprigs. Serve with piping hot gravy.

*Ingredients currently available at the Saratoga Farmers’ Market

Sweets, Meats, and Easter Treats at Saratoga Farmers’ Market

By

By Julia Howard

This weekend holds much significance in celebrating Passover, Good Friday, and Easter. Traditions may be cultural, spiritual, or simply individual, and this Saturday, Saratoga Farmers’ Market invites you to shop for your holiday feasts, festivities, and Easter baskets. We will also be giving away an Easter basket full of local goodies!

Kokinda Farm’s eggs, photo by Toni Nastasi.

Let’s begin with an Easter staple: eggs. Lovin’ Mama Farm, Kokinda Farm, Squash Villa Farm, and Elihu Farm have fresh, delicious, multi-colored eggs perfect for your Easter brunch and for dying in various colors—dying multi-colored eggs results in deep, earthy hues. You can even make natural dye using kale, beets, and onions. All are available at the farmers’ market. 

Saratoga Chocolate Co., photo by Toni Nastasi.

For those highly-anticipated Easter baskets, Saratoga Chocolate Co. makes Easter easy with pre-made baskets filled to the brim with their locally-made Easter-themed chocolates and sweets. They also have an assortment of chocolate bunnies in dark, milk, and white chocolate and in salted caramel. Ballston Lake Apiaries has honey sticks, and Slate Valley Farms has various maple candies. Brighten up a basket with crisp apples and apple chips from Saratoga Apple. 

The Food Florist, photo by Toni Nastasi.

Balancing breakfast preparation and egg hunts while pulling together a feast for later in the day can be challenging, but The Food Florist can help. Their Easter brunch menu includes a variety of take-and-bake quiches and ready-to-go breakfast casseroles like sausage, egg, and cheese; add a side of our homemade blueberry french toast.

For the main course, Bob and Mary Pratt from Elihu Farm are still taking orders for lamb cuts for Easter or Passover. Send your order to elihufarm@yahoo.com or call 518-744-3947. Other options include whole chicken from Ramble Creek Farm and Squash Villa Farm or brisket from Longlesson Farm. Pork & Greens and Hebron Valley Veal also have specialty cuts.

Goodway Gourmet, photo by Toni Nastasi.

For the desserts and sweets, Goodway Gourmet will have carrot cakes, rum cakes, cookies, brownies, and macaroons. Parchment will have a selection of their Scandinavian pastries, cookies, and bread. 

Don’t forget local bread, artisan cheeses, spirits and beer, seasonal produce, and more!

While you’re out shopping, be sure to stop by the Market Information booth to enter to win an Easter basket full of local products. There will also be live music and an activity for children and families to enjoy.

This week’s recipe: Roast Lamb

Your Best Easter Dinner

By

Mrs. London’s, photo by Pattie Garrett

By Mary Pratt

Coffee from Something’s Brewing, photo by Mary Pratt

At the Saratoga Farmers’ Market this Saturday, April 3, you can select excellent products for your Easter dinner.

When you enter the Wilton Mall at the Food Court, you’ll first see Something’s Brewing. Beth Trattel has small packs of Battenkill River Coffee One Pot Minis and full pounds of whole bean or ground coffee. As you get started in the morning, enjoy her new flavors such as chocolate fudge or chocolate coconut, along with Mrs. London’s Easter hot cross buns.

The Farmers’ Market has excellent cheese for appetizers, such as Nettle Meadow’s new Prospect Mountain cow’s milk cheese which contains blackberry leaf, rose petals, red clover, sumac, and sarsaparilla root. R&G Cheesemakers use goat, sheep, or cows’ milk. Argyle Cheese Farmer has their award-winning Amazing Grace and other aged varieties.

Cheeses from Nettle Meadow, photo by Mary Pratt

To start your dinner with a salad, Gomez Veggie Ville has packages of mixed greens, and Underwood’s Shushan Valley Hydro Farm is returning with tomatoes, herbs, and veggies. To accompany your salad, serve Mrs. London’s French bread. Or Kokinda Farm’s Paska bread, a traditional Polish holiday bread made with raisins.

You can use poultry, beef, veal, pork, fish, goat, or lamb for your main course. Longlesson Farm is bringing many cuts of beef and pork. Ramble Creek offers chicken. Squash Villa Farm is bringing goat. Pura Vida has fresh-caught fish and seafood, including huge scallops. Elihu Farm is bringing fresh (never frozen) lamb cuts, including legs, chops, shoulders, and shanks. Hebron Valley Veal raises their calves humanely for six months to produce rosé veal. The calves eat fresh milk from their dairy herd and have free choice hay and water.

Saratoga Chocolate Co., photo by Mary Pratt

You can spice up any main course with spice mixes from Muddy Trail Jerky Co. And accompany your meal with wine from Fossil Stone Vineyards, made from grapes grown on their farm.

For dessert, The Chocolate Spoon is making fresh cakes, including carrot cake, fruit pies, and homemade marshmallows. Goodway Gourmet will have rum cakes. Euro Delicacies makes Baklava, a Turkish pastry made with layers of filo, filled with chopped nuts and syrup. Saratoga Chocolate has Easter baskets full of candy, even for adults to nibble.

 

 

Make Your Own Farmers’ Market Easter Basket!

Easter baskets are traditionally stuffed to the brim with goodies. This Saturday, April 3, shop for decorated eggs, marshmallow chicks, chocolate candy, and other delicious treats at the Saratoga Farmers’ Market. Easter baskets don’t have to be all about sweets. Find adorable fillers, kid-approved gifts, and non-candy additions, too. There’s an Easter basket for everyone, so adjust accordingly!

Suggested ingredients:
● Solid chocolate bunnies, truffle eggs, and filled eggs from The Saratoga Chocolate Co.
● Baby honey bears from Ballston Lake Apiaries
● Cookie packages and marshmallows from The Chocolate Spoon
● Maple candies from Slate Valley Farms
● Apple chips from Saratoga Apple
● Mini rum cakes from Goodway Bakery

Instructions
1. Find a basket or repurpose an egg carton or pint container and decorate with paint, ribbons, stickers, or leave as is.
2. Add filler to the basket. Place colorful tissue paper or Easter grass in the bottom of the basket as a nest for eggs and candy.
3. Begin arranging the Easter basket by placing large items first and then nestling smaller items into the arrangement.