Saratoga Farmers' Market

Feathered Antler

The usual – and the unusual – at Saratoga Farmers’ Market

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Many regulars treat their trips to the twice-weekly Saratoga Farmers’ Market as opportunities to stock up on provisions for the week.

But going to the market also can be an opportunity to discover something new – an unusual fruit, an heirloom vegetable, a different kind of homemade sauce. To bring out that adventurous spirit, we asked our summer interns, Laura Kenny and Elizabeth Horgan, to explore the market and share their favorite finds. Here’s a short list of what they came up with:

1/ Lovage. Its flavor and smell can be described as a mix of celery and parsley, but with a higher intensity of both of those flavors. This herb is delicious in salads and soups. Find it at Otrembiak Farm.

2/ Lions Mane. This poofy mushroom sold by Mariaville Mushroom Men and Ramble Creek Farm is often equated to a steak or a lobster. Slice it thinly, cook it in a hot, unoiled saucepan for 3-4 minutes. Then add oil and seasonings of your choice. Turn off the heat and let it rest. It will taste a little like steak or lobster.

Celtuce, photo courtesy of Squashville Farm

3/ Garlic Scapes. These green curlicues are the flower of the garlic. Farmers cut them off to help their garlic grow and invite you to enjoy them as a vegetable or meat seasoning, atop pizzas, in pasta sauces, pickled, or stir-fried.

4/ Celtuce. This Asian green is harvested usually in late summer for its stem. Its young leaves, however, also are delicious in a quick stir fry with oil, red pepper, and peanuts. Find the leaves at Squashville Farm.

5/ Salsa Gardens. If all the fresh food makes you want to grow your own, check out the salsa and pizza “gardens” that Balet and Burger nurseries offer. All you need in a single pot.

Vital Eats, photo by Laura Kenny

6/ Kettle Corn. The Proper Popper turns this fair-like treat into a weekly market affair. Find them Saturdays with the other prepared food vendors.

7/ Chickpea cheese dip. Vital Eats offers its So-Cheezy and Zesty-Cheezy vegan condiments on Saturdays. These flavorful sauces are nut, soy, and dairy free. Chickpeas and vegetables pack creamy, tangy flavor that’s full of antioxidants, and protein.

Otrembiak Farm, photo by Laura Kenny

8/ Scallop squash. We often think of patty pan squash as small and yellow. But it can be big and multi-colored, as many vendor stalls attest. Small to medium scallop squash can be treated like zucchini. The skin is thin and the seeds are small enough you can slice and cook however you would like. You can pickle, saute, grill, or even bake this squash. Larger pattypan squash needs a little extra TLC, but they are the ultimate vessel for stuffing and baking.

9/ Spatzle. The Vermont Spatzle Co. offers a gluten-free version of this German specialty on Saturdays. Ask them for their list of recipes.

Photo courtesy of Feathered Antler

10/ And for that newborn, check out the hand-painted onesies at the Feathered Antler.

Of course, the interns made many more discoveries. We invite you to join them and explore.

Creating Art For & At the Saratoga Farmers’ Market

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By Himanee Gupta-Carlson

Gretchen Tisch sits at her Saratoga Farmers’ Market stall every Saturday surrounded by her art: hand-painted shirts and jackets, knitted hats, handcrafted jewelry, mugs, custom pet portraits and other customized “paintings from photos,” uniquely painted purses, boots, and more. In between customers, she knits and creates jewelry, giving shoppers a glimpse of art-in-progress.

Tisch owns Feathered Antler, one of several local arts and crafts businesses which form the market’s special Holiday Market. Many of these vendors are located on the second floor of the market’s winter location in the Lincoln Baths Building at the Saratoga Spa State Park. They vend alongside newer farmers from Greenjeans, Ramble Creek, Squashville and Saratoga Urban farms, bringing art and agriculture together. Tisch’s Feathered Antler is located at the market entrance, its vibrant colors and natural themes providing a beautiful introduction for the indoor Saratoga Farmers’ Market.

For Tisch, the market is a year-round affair. In her eyes, her art – with its colors and its vibrancy – complement the farm-grown and handmade products that form the market’s core. “I love the market’s vibe,” Tisch says. “I love the colors, the healthy feel, the freshness of the fruits and vegetables. My colors and my artwork feed off that.”

Tisch was a regular customer of the Saratoga Farmers’ Market before she became a vendor. She had been selling her work via Etsy and in small shops, and felt as she made her weekly visits that her art could be an asset to the market. She applied to be a vendor in the winter market in 2015 and was accepted. Within weeks, shoppers were buying her creations and placing custom orders. Soon, she outgrew her home studio space and began searching for a studio and retail space. In 2016 she opened a boutique at 517 Broadway in Saratoga Springs.

For Tisch, art is like the market itself – fresh and ever-changing, much as the selections of farm-grown and raised vegetables, fruits, and meats vary with the seasons. During breaks, Gretchen loves to shop for her weekly farm products, and at times, she joins her parent’s Tisch Family Band as a dancer, performing traditional Irish Step Dancing, often in festive holiday attire. Art in its many forms and inspirations, all at the Saratoga Farmers’ Market!

The Saratoga Farmers’ Market is 9 a.m.-1 p.m. Saturdays at the Lincoln Baths Building in the Saratoga Spa State Park. Follow us on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter, and check us out on the FreshFoodNY app.