fall

Fall Favorites at the Farmers’ Market

September 28, 2020 By marketeditor

By Madison Jackson and Emily Meagher

Before the farmers’ market moves back indoors, we spend one last month with our tents up and our coats on to share fresh, local products with our community. Summer produce makes way for the fall harvest; a time for comforting food and drinks and festive seasonal products. Here are ten fall favorites you can find at our markets in October.

1. Apple cider and cider donuts
Saratoga Apple and Slyboro Cider House both operate their own orchards. Try their fresh apples, pressed apple cider, hard cider, and cider donuts. A real Upstate NY treat!

*Saratoga Peanut Butter Company, photo by Madison Jackson*

2. Pumpkin Pandemonium Peanut Butter
The name says it all. This Saratoga Peanut Butter Company creation is chock-full of rich pumpkin and peanut flavors. A guilt-free treat at only 2 grams of sugar per serving, it’s great on sandwiches, apples, ice cream, and more.

3. Hand-painted hats
Artist Gretchen Tisch, owner of Feathered Antler, gives hats a fall makeover. Pick up a leaf-accented fedora or hand-knit beanie at the market.

4. Hot chocolate cheesecake
Grandma Apple’s Cheesecakes’ flavors vary with the season. Our current favorite is hot chocolate cheesecake. It’s perfect for when you have company, but perfectly acceptable to eat all by yourself! Also available are apple and pumpkin cheesecakes and cheesecake filled apples dipped in chocolate.

5. Apple cider fromage frais
Nettle Meadow does cheesemaking with a creative touch, and it shows with their seasonal favorites. Back at the market are the soft apple cider fromage frais, pumpkin spice and maple chevre, and the brie-like Early Snow.

6. Local wool
Elihu Farm’s sheep produce award-winning wool, sold as washed and unwashed fleeces at the market. Pick up a fleece to do some cozy fall crafting!

*Saratoga Suds ‘n’ Stuff, photo by Emily Meagher*

7. Spooky soaps
At Saratoga Suds ‘n’ Stuff, no shape of soap is too crazy. Their fall mineral soap collection includes ghosts, pumpkins, black cats, acorns, leaves, and owls.

8. Ornamental corn
Fresh summer corn is making way for ornamental fall corn. Pick up some calico or broom corn from local farms for fresh seasonal home decor.

9. Hand-ground cinnamon
Saratoga Spicery’s fresh-ground spices and spice mixes include hand-ground cinnamon. Give your baked goods an extra fresh flavor!

10. Pumpkins!
Farmers’ markets in October wouldn’t be complete without fresh gourds and winter squash. Local farms have a variety of colors, shapes, and sizes in stock – you can even find some hand-painted mini pumpkins.

This week: not a recipe, but a craft… how to make felt balls with wool roving!

How to Make Felt Balls with Wool Roving

September 28, 2020 By marketeditor

Instructions from the Kitchen Counter Chronicles

Felted balls can be used to make a variety of craft projects like festive garlands, jewelry, mobiles, wreaths, and much more. The combination of heat, water, soap, and friction allows the fibers to mend together to create the ball. The entire process takes about 3 minutes.

Supplies
*Items currently available at the farmers’ market
● a selection of wool roving*
● dish soap
● warm water

Instructions
1. Rip the wool roving into small pieces (never cut the wool roving as the raw edges mend together easier).
2. Next, roll the small pieces of wool roving into a ball, overlapping each piece. This won’t be a perfect ball, just a rough ball or spherical shape. Be sure to make the ball of roving larger than you want the final ball to be because the ball will shrink as it comes together.
3. Now it is time to drop the ball of wool roving into a bowl of hot, soapy water. You only need to use a small drop of dish soap.
4. Let the ball soak for 5-10 seconds and then remove the ball from the bowl and begin rolling it between the palms of hands. Roll gently at first, just like you would roll a ball of play dough.
5. After rolling the ball around a few times, place your hand, with the ball, under hot running water…as hot as you can handle. Continue rolling the ball in your palms and placing it under hot water until it reaches the size and density that you want. The wool will bind together and shrink down.
6. When the ball has reached the size that you like, set the felt balls aside to dry out thoroughly. Once the felt balls are dry and firm you can use them as you like.

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

November 11, 2019 By marketeditor

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

October 14, 2019 By marketeditor

*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

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.
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

October 7, 2019 By marketeditor

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

Preheat oven to 450 degrees F. Lightly oil a baking sheet or coat with nonstick spray.
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.
Place into oven and bake for 20-25 minutes, or until tender and golden brown; set aside.
In a large pot of boiling salted water, cook pasta according to package instructions; reserve 1/2 cup water and drain well.
In a small bowl, whisk together eggs and Parmesan; set aside.
Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add bacon and cook until brown and crispy, about 6-8 minutes; reserve excess fat.
Stir in garlic until fragrant, about 1 minute. Reduce heat to low.
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.
Serve immediately, garnished with thyme, if desired.

5 Fall Trends at the Farmers’ Market

September 30, 2019 By marketeditor

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.

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.

fall

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