Saratoga Farmers' Market

fall

Squash – Almost too pretty to eat, too delicious not to

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By Himanee Gupta-Carlson

The days before Thanksgiving call up turkey, stuffing, gravy, casseroles, and pie – namely pumpkin pie.

Pie is delicious. But there are a wide variety of other squashes, too: acorn, carnival, spaghetti, sweet dumpling, butternut, kabocha, hubbard.

Squashville Farm, photo by Pattie Garrett

These squashes weigh down tables of the Saratoga Farmers’ Market squash growers. They represent the beauty of the holidays and the abundance of our region’s agriculture.

Squash is part of the Native American three sisters plants, with beans and corn. Along with beans and corn, it was grown for its sweetness, versatility in cooking, high nutrition content, and ability to be stored for long-term use.

While squash vary in size, shape, and color, they generally all can be roasted, steamed, or made into soups or desserts.

The dark green acorn, yellow dumpling, and multi-colored carnival squashes are easy to roast. Use a sharp knife to cut them in half, scoop out the seeds from the center, wrap the halves in foil, and roast them in a 375 degree oven for about 45 minutes. When they can be sliced through easily with a knife, they are ready for eating. Savor them, as is, or add some melted butter, maple syrup, or walnuts for added flavor. Use leftovers to create a soup or hearty stew.

If cutting the squash is too hard, try steaming them whole until they have softened. Once cooled, they can easily be cut and seeded.

Squash varieties, photo by Pattie Garrett

Bigger spaghetti squashes make a delicious substitute for pasta. Roast these squashes in halves wrapped in foil for 45 minutes, then remove from the oven, unwrap and allow to cool. Use a fork to create spaghetti-like strands. These strands can then be simmered for a few minutes in a tomato sauce or pesto.

New England pie pumpkins are the classic ingredient for pumpkin pie. Butternut squash makes a nice pie, as well. Kabocha, and hubbard varieties can be substituted.

Some squash varieties – spaghetti, delicata, sweet dumpling, acorn, and carnival, among them – can be stored through early Christmas. Others such as pie pumpkins, kabocha, hubbards, and butternut will last well into late winter or early spring if kept in a cool dark area.

Recipe: Squash Pie

Turnip, Sweet Potato & Carrot Soup

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Photo by Catherine Morba, Plate of Mind

Recipe by Catherine Morba, Plate of Mind

Ingredients
*Ingredients currently available at the farmers’ market
● 2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil*
● 3 large turnips*, peeled and chopped
● 2 large sweet potatoes*, peeled and chopped
● 3 large carrots*, peeled and chopped
● 1 large yellow onion*, chopped
● ¼ tsp nutmeg
● 1 tsp cinnamon*
● 1 tsp cumin
● ¼ tsp paprika
● ¼ tsp cayenne
● ¼ tsp black pepper*
● Salt to taste
● 2 cups vegetable stock
● 2 ½ cups of water
● 14 ½ oz can of coconut milk

Instructions

  1. Heat the olive oil in a large stock pot. Add the onion and sauté until soft, around 5 minutes. Add the vegetables, spices, stock, and enough water to cover the vegetables in the pot, around 2 ½ cups. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer on low for 25 minutes uncovered.
  2. When vegetables can be pierced, remove from heat and let cool for at least 10 minutes. Use a food processor to puree in batches to create a smooth mixture. Transfer back to the pot. Add the coconut milk, stir, and reheat.

Cauliflower and Butternut Squash Carbonara

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Recipe featured on damndelicious.net, adapted by My Saratoga Kitchen Table

Makes 4 servings
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 40 min

Ingredients
*All ingredients are currently available at the farmers’ market
● 8 ounces spaghetti*
● 2 large eggs*
● 1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan*
● 4 slices bacon*, diced
● 2 cloves garlic*, minced
● Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
● 2 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme leaves*

For the roasted cauliflower and butternut squash:
● 16 ounces cauliflower florets*
● ½ a butternut squash*, peeled and cubed
● 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil*
● 3 cloves garlic*, minced
● 2 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme leaves*
● Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Directions

  1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees F. Lightly oil a baking sheet or coat with nonstick spray.
  2. Place cauliflower florets and butternut squash cubes in a single layer onto the prepared baking sheet. Add olive oil, garlic and thyme; season with salt and pepper, to taste. Gently toss to combine.
  3. Place into oven and bake for 20-25 minutes, or until tender and golden brown; set aside.
  4. In a large pot of boiling salted water, cook pasta according to package instructions; reserve 1/2 cup water and drain well.
  5. In a small bowl, whisk together eggs and Parmesan; set aside.
  6. Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add bacon and cook until brown and crispy, about 6-8 minutes; reserve excess fat.
  7. Stir in garlic until fragrant, about 1 minute. Reduce heat to low.
  8. Working quickly, stir in cauliflower, pasta and egg mixture, and gently toss to combine; season with salt and pepper, to taste. Add reserved pasta water, one tablespoon at a time, cooking until desired consistency is reached.
  9. Serve immediately, garnished with thyme, if desired.
Photo courtesy of Pattie Garrett

5 Fall Trends at the Farmers’ Market

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By Julia Howard

Fall is characterized by different things for all of us. The focus of our energy may be diverse during this seasonal shift but there is some ‘common ground’ that we embrace during the autumn months. Please enjoy this list of shopping tips and local products that are hard to live without right now:

1. Fall Decor
As summer flowers begin to wither, hardy fall plants such as mums and flowering kale offer a fresh burst of autumnal color to front steps and window boxes. The season’s harvest of pumpkins and gourds of all shapes, sizes, and textures also encourages creativity in indoor and outdoor decor. Many varieties of pumpkins and gourds and festive fall flowers, cut flowers, and wreaths can be found at several farmstands at the Wednesday and Saturday farmers’ market.

Goode Farm, photo by Pattie Garrett

2. Warm Meals
Cooler temperatures call for soups, stews, and oven-roasted meals that have the added benefit of warming the house without turning on the heat. Fall produce such as squash, Brussels sprouts, and freshly dug potatoes are ideal for roasting with olive oil, salt, and pepper. Stew meat, whole roasting chickens, and lamb, pork, and beef roasts are fall favorites as they are easy to prepare and result in versatile meals. The Wednesday and Saturday markets are both abundant with meat, poultry, and fresh produce.

Saratoga Suds ‘n’ Stuff, photo courtesy of Pattie Garrett

3. Building Immunity
First a scratchy throat and then the sniffles, the common cold is among us again. There may not be a cure but there are immune-boosting foods and drinks that offer relief naturally. We suggest mushroom teas from the Mariaville Mushroom Men and cold-pressed juice from Urban Roots. If you’re feeling depleted, boost your vitamin intake with a superfood smoothie with added bee pollen from The Smoothie Shoppe. Inevitably, we all succumb to the common cold but relief can be found in a warm shower with therapeutic soaps by Saratoga Suds ‘n’ Stuff or bee balm from Ballston Lake Apiaries.

Otrembiak Farm, photo courtesy of Pattie Garrett

4. Pumpkin Spice Everything
Pumpkin spice is unavoidable this time of year. However, local producers do it right and use natural ingredients. From classic pumpkin pie by The Food Florist to pumpkin spice chèvre from Nettle Meadow, pumpkin spice products are aplenty at the farmers’ market. Looking to replicate the classic pumpkin pie spice yourself? Try roasting a pie pumpkin with Saigon Cinnamon from the Saratoga Spicery.

5. Simple Comforts
Fall is also a time for simple comforts like slipping into a warm, hand-painted jacket by Feathered Antler. Or maybe curling up with a corn toasty warming pad from Kokinda Farm. Comfort can be found in a hot cup of dark roast coffee or custom tea blend from Something’s Brewing. Or maybe a drizzle of Slate Valley Farms’ maple syrup on a steamy bowl of oatmeal. However you find comfort, fall encourages the pursuit.

A versatile trio for fall meals

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By Himanee Gupta-Carlson

The three sisters method of interplanting corn, beans, and squash is an Iroquois practice that helped sustain the soil that farmers in our region use today.

It was rooted in long-term sustenance: By planting beans as companions to corn, the nitrogen that corn plants deplete is restored and bean vines receive a climbing pole in the corn stalks. Meanwhile, low-to-the-ground squash leaves create shade which prevents the soil from drying out. At seasons end is a harvest of three foods that one can eat immediately or store for winter use.

Squashville Farm, photo courtesy of Pattie Garrett

In market farming, three sisters gardens are hard to find. Most farmers plant in rows, separating crops from one another. Yet, many of those rows produce corn, squash, and/or beans – all of which are abundant now at the Saratoga Farmers’ Market. Each makes a delicious dish by itself. The three also can be combined to create soups, salads, stir fries, and casseroles.

I first encountered the three sisters method in a gardening guide in the 1980s as a young adult trying to create a garden. On paper, planting corn with beans and squash seemed easy. You first plant corn kernels in a mound of soil. After the corn sprouts, you add beans, around each shoot of corn. Once the beans are established, you add squash. You weed while the plants are young and then leave them until it’s time to harvest.

Burger’s Marketgarden, photo courtesy of Pattie Garrett

Creating such a garden is easier said than done, as I quickly learned while trying not to step on squash or uproot corn as I snipped bean pods. Still, I use the three sisters as a template for growing food and eating it. This lets me cook with corn and a wide variety of squashes and beans.

I adapted the accompanying chili recipe from a basic ground beef and vegetable chili. I used fresh corn from the Gomez Veggie Ville but chose Squashville Farm’s carnival squash over the butternut squash that the original recipe suggested. I also used dried red beans over canned, and ground venison instead of beef. The result was a mildly spiced chili filled with the three sisters at the center.

Saratoga Farmers’ Market Celebrates Last Gasp of Summer

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By Julia Howard, Market Administrator

 

High Rock Park, photo courtesy of Pattie Garrett

October is inching toward November. At the Saratoga Farmers’ Market, this means that we are preparing for our annual transition, from outside to in. Join us tomorrow from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at High Rock Park for our final celebration of summer and our last outdoor market.

What’s fresh in late October? Still ripening tomatoes, crisp salad greens and frost-sweetened kales, freshly dug sweet potatoes, carrots, beets, radishes, turnips, our amazing seasonal pumpkins and an array of other winter squashes, cups of warm apple cider and, as midday temperatures creep toward the high sixties, iced lemonade.

The market also will be participating in the Saratoga Springs’ Downtown Business Association’s annual Fall Festival. We will feature music from Four Old Guys and Er Go Blue and a free fall wreath-making activity for children of all ages. We also will announce the winner of our annual Guess the Weight of the Pumpkin contest at 10 a.m.

We also are looking forward to our fifth winter season at the Lincoln Baths Building in the Saratoga Spa State Park, which begins next Saturday, Nov. 4. As tomorrow’s market ends, we will pack up our summer signs and shut down the market shed. When you visit us next Saturday, you will find us under not open-air tents but in a bazaar-like atmosphere indoors.

Our winter market features many of our summer vendors, thanks to farmers who make use of greenhouses, high tunnels, and state-of-the-art storage technologies to grow and maintain a high level of quality local produce year-round. We also will be holding our seasonal holiday home arts and crafts bazaar.

While we love the summer market, we relish our November through April time indoors, too. For many of our vendors, the winter market offers a cozy, intimate space for farmers and shoppers to get to know each other better. Winter is a great time to ask your favorite farmer questions about their farms. Winter also is an opportunity to stockpile recipes and other food preparation tips.

The Saratoga Farmers’ Market ends its summer season tomorrow at High Rock Park. The market moves indoors to the Lincoln Baths Building at the Saratoga Spa State Park on November 4, where it will take place from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. every Saturday through April. Follow us on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.