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Fruit & Vegetable Facts

Garden Won’t Grow? Master Gardeners might know why

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By Mary Peryea

Earlier this summer, I purchased a lovely little zucchini plant at the Saratoga Farmers’ Market. I planted it in my yard and lovingly tended it. And then one day the plant disappeared. What could have happened?

Back to the farmers’ market I went, this time to consult with the master gardeners. On hand that day were Rochelle Lynch and Dan Lynch. I explained my dilemma and Rochelle asked if there were rabbits in the neighborhood. “Lots,” I said. She told me that was probably the root of my problem (pun intended), as bunnies will eat a plant down to the ground.

I asked if there is such a thing as a rabbit repellant. There is, but Rochelle said it really stinks. “Smells like rotten eggs,” Dan chimed in. They suggested that I plant my zucchini in a container.

These are the kinds of questions that volunteers with Cornell Cooperative Extension’s Master Gardener program will answer most Wednesdays and Saturdays at the farmers market. They come armed with information on testing the pH in your soil and combatting pests in your garden, along with tips for growing whatever you’re interested in eating from your backyard.

To become a Master Gardener, one needs to apply with Cornell Cooperative Extension. The application requires references, a background check, and interview. If accepted, classes run for 14 weeks, from January to April, for a full day each week. The classes’ cost last year was $250. Applications for 2018 will begin being accepted this month.

At the end, there is an open-book exam. Rochelle showed me “the book” – a binder about four inches thick. If you pass the test, you’re required to complete 100 volunteer hours. Those hours can be in a variety of settings: farmers’ markets, fairs, community gardens, presentations to groups. Even after receiving designation as a Master Gardener, 30 hours of continuing education per year are required to keep it.

Dan Lynch is still working on his 100 volunteer hours. One of his projects involves working with other Master Gardeners to beautify the Saratoga Spa State Park’s Bruno Pavilion. If you’ve been there recently, you may have noticed new landscape material and flowers – a result of their labors.

The Saratoga Farmers’ Market is 3-6 p.m. Wednesdays and 9 a.m.-1 p.m. Saturdays at High Rock Park. Visit us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

 

Photo by Pattie Garrett
Photo by Pattie Garrett

ZUCCHINI AND SUMMER SQUASH NESTS

Adapted from recipe by Hilary Meyer in Eating Well, shared by My Saratoga Kitchen Table
Serves: 6

INGREDIENTS
*Ingredients currently available at the Saratoga Farmers’ Market

  • 1 cup whole milk ricotta cheese*
  • ½ cup finely shredded Parmesan cheese*
  • ¼ cup chopped fresh basil*
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced*
  • ½ teaspoon ground pepper, divided
  • 2 medium yellow summer squash*
  • 2 medium zucchini*
  • 2 Tablespoons olive oil*

INSTRUCTIONS

  1. Position a rack in the top position of oven, preheat broiler to high
  2. Combine ricotta, Parmesan, basil, garlic, and ¼ teaspoon pepper in a medium bowl. Set aside.
  3. Using a spiral vegetable slicer or vegetable peeler, cut summer squash and zucchini lengthwise into long, thin strands or strips. Stop when you read the seeds. You should have about 6 cups of “noodles”. Place them on a sheet pan or in a 9 inch X 13 inch baking pan. Shape them into nest. Alternate the zucchini and summer squash in a pattern. You will have 6 nests.
  4. Drizzle the nests with oil and sprinkle with remaining ¼ teaspoon pepper. Make a well in the center of each and spoon in about 2 Tablespoons ricotta filling.
  5. Broil nests until browned in spots, 6 to 8 minutes. Serve warm.

 

 

 

Plant Tomatoes | Here’s How To Do It

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By Mary Peryea

Count me among the 95 percent of home gardeners who want to grow tomatoes – and among the many who count on the expertise of the veteran Saratoga Farmers’ Market vegetable plant growers to help me do it.

hushan Valley Hydro Farm by Pattie Garrett
Shushan Valley Hydro Farm
Photo by Pattie Garrett

When I shopped for tomato plants in mid-May, I wanted an heirloom variety that would produce large tasty fruits for my favorite tomato sandwiches. Hybrids are bred so that the plants are more disease resistant and higher producing. The fruits also have a longer shelf life. However, some say that this means that the flavor has been bred out of them, too. I do know that I had tasted heirlooms at last year’s market and found their flavor superior to the conventional hybrids.

Charles Holub of Scotch Ridge Berry Farm showed me his Brandywine and San Marzano plants, saying that the latter was better for sauce.

Brandywines are among the most popular heirloom and are known especially for flavor. Dating back to 1885, the tomatoes ripen late in the season, but delight with huge tomatoes with even bigger flavor. Their growth type is indeterminate, and they can grow as tall as nine feet.

According to Holub, heirlooms take much longer to bear fruit than the standard hybrid tomatoes and are less disease resistant. As a result, I also chose to purchase a hybrid variety known as the Jet Star, which is a hybrid variety from the 1950s and is said to produce a large, tasty, low-acid fruit. Unlike the Brandywines which take 85 days to bear fruit, Jet Stars can be ready for picking in 72 days.

That’s still a long wait for my tomato sandwiches, but I can pick up tomatoes from the farmers’ market while I wait for my plants to ripen.

I asked Holub for his planting tips: Number one is to plant deep. If you look at your transplants, you’ll see the bottom two inches or so of the stem is indeed purple. Holub said to pinch off any leaves growing there and plant to a depth that reaches the top of the purple. He also recommends feeding tomato plants with fish emulsion, which is rich in phosphorus. Phosphorus encourages flowering, and therefore fruiting.

Of course, there are several variables that can affect how well tomatoes will grow. I’ve heard that more direct sunlight results in sweeter tomatoes. It’s also said, though, that too much water can dilute the flavor of tomatoes, which might be an issue given how rainy it’s been. And of course good soil will encourage good growth. With that in mind, I’ve added composted manure to my sandy soil and have bought a big bottle of fish emulsion.

I’ll check back later this season with an update on the tomatoes. Stay tuned.

The Saratoga Farmers’ Market is 3-6 p.m. Wednesdays and 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturdays at High Rock Park. Follow us on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.

 

Tomato Sandwich Photo by Pattie Garrett
Tomato Sandwich
Photo by Pattie Garrett

Tomato Sandwich

Recipe adapted for Saveur
Makes 1 sandwich

Ingredients

*Ingredients currently available at the Saratoga Farmers’ Market

• 1 really ripe tomato (big, red-blue beefsteaks are best—all flesh and juice, with not too many seeds)*
• Butter*
• 2 slices of bread – toasted*
• Mayonnaise
• Salt and fresh black pepper
• Sugar
• Add cucumber, thinly sliced – if desired*

Instructions

1. Thickly slice tomato.Butter toast, slather a thick layer of mayonnaise on both pieces, then lay on two or three tomato slices and season with a generous sprinkle of salt, the tiniest pinch of sugar, and a few good grinds of black pepper.

2. Roll up your sleeves and bite through the crisp buttered bread and into the sweet taste of summer.

Savoring the Spears of Spring

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By Himanee Gupta-Carlson

Saratoga Apple
Photo by Pattie Garrett

Growing asparagus might be like raising a child. You plant it once. You nurture its tender shoots, and then you watch it grow so fast that you can barely harvest it fast enough.

For farmers, asparagus requires patience and an intense amount of labor. It also brings unending joy.

“It’s really something special,” says Christine, of Saratoga Apple, who sells asparagus at the Saratoga Farmers’ Market from early May through June. “As a perennial, its roots produce every year.”

Unlike most vegetables cultivated in the United States, asparagus harvests cannot begin until the plants have established strong root systems, which typically takes three to four years. Farmers usually start their crops from “crowns”, which are the roots of a year-old plant. After being transplanted in a deep, five to eight-inch furrow, the crown sends up a few shoots. Farmers let these shoots turn to feathery ferns and drop down into the soil for a few years. This gives the plant time to mature, enabling it to push up from the ground plump, juicy spears repeatedly through late spring. At this stage, some say the plants will produce for life.

The Darrow family planted a half-acre asparagus patch in the early 2000s to supplement Saratoga Apple’s primary apple crop. After 15 years, it remains strong.

“It’s one of the easiest plants to grow,” says Eric Darrow, “and, at times, one of the most challenging.”

One challenge is maintenance. Each spring, the Darrows burn and mow the field to rid it of weeds. Although weeds will re-appear, the initial clean up creates space for the asparagus to grow. They usually mow again about half-way through the season when, Christine notes, “the grasses get so high that the asparagus can’t be seen.”

A second challenge is the harvest. Each spear must be cut by hand, just above the soil. In the season’s peak, the spears can grow so quickly that the field is harvested twice a day.

The plants end their yearly life cycle when the spears feather out to ferns, produce berries, and dry up. The berries often get blown elsewhere.

Christine invariably discovers some asparagus growing amid her raspberries every year.

“No matter,” she says. “We pick it all, and enjoy it.”

The Saratoga Farmers’ Market is at High Rock Park 3-6 p.m. Wednesdays and 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturdays.

Scallops with Asparagus

Adapted from recipe on www.epicurious.com
Makes 4 servings

Ingredients
*Ingredients currently available at the Saratoga Farmers’ Market

• 1 lb asparagus*
• 3 tablespoons olive oil*
• 2 lb sea scallops, tough ligament removed from side of each if attached*
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/3 cup dry white wine*
• 1/2 stick (1/4 cup) unsalted butter, cut into tablespoon pieces*

Preparation

1. Trim “woody” ends of asparagus, then cut stems into 1/4-inch-thick diagonal slices, leaving tips whole.

2. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a 12-inch heavy nonstick skillet over moderately high heat until hot but not smoking, then sauté asparagus, stirring occasionally, until just tender, 5 to 6 minutes. Transfer to a plate, reserving skillet off heat (do not clean).

3. Pat scallops dry and sprinkle with pepper and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Add 1 tablespoon oil to skillet and heat over moderately high heat until hot but not smoking, then sauté half of scallops, turning over once, until browned and just cooked through, 4 to 6 minutes total. Transfer scallops to another plate as cooked.

4. Wipe out skillet with paper towels, then add remaining tablespoon oil and heat until hot but not smoking. Sauté remaining scallops, turning over once, until browned and cooked through, 4 to 6 minutes total, transferring to plate. (Do not wipe out skillet after second batch.)

5. Carefully add wine to skillet and boil, scraping up brown bits, until liquid is reduced to about 2 tablespoons, about 1 minute. Add any scallop juices accumulated on plate and bring to a simmer.

6. Reduce heat to low and whisk in butter, 1 tablespoon at a time, until incorporated.

7. Add asparagus and remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt and cook until heated through, about 1 minute.

8. Serve scallops topped with asparagus and sauce.

 

Green Goes Beyond Great Vegetables

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By Julia Howard, Market Director

It’s not easy being green. But as one of our shoppers put it, it’s better for all of us.

Camm Epstein arrived at the market to shop on a recent Saturday with a backpack. He filled his pack, and prepared for a one-mile walk home. “It’s good for me and the planet,” he said.

As we join the nation in celebrating Earth Day, we recognize that while we are a source of healthy, locally grown food, being green should be more than that.

Our customers noted in a survey last year that while they loved the range of local foods that we offer, they wished we could reduce our waste and be more earth-friendly.

We took that advice to heart and have launched two initiatives:

The first is a compost station.
We invite shoppers to bring fruit and vegetable scraps, egg shells, and other easily compostable items from their homes to our compost bin. We also encourage you to deposit any leftovers from foods that you might consume at the market that you don’t plan to take home to eat later. This compost is going to a farm owned by two market volunteers and turned into their compost pile. Nearly 1,000 pounds of new soil that has resulted from these efforts is being put into the Franklin Community Center’s food pantry garden, said volunteer Jim Gupta-Carlson. From leftovers and waste come vegetables for our community.
Our second initiative is about recycling.
If you’re one of our weekly shoppers, you might be buying cups of coffee, snacking on yogurt cups or cookies, or buying a hot meal to enjoy while listening to our musicians. Consider disposing of these items’ packaging not in the trash but in bins labeled with recycling signs. The same goes for napkins and other paper items.

Photo by Pattie Garrett

We hope our market becomes a green collaboration between farmers, shoppers, and the community. As Gupta-Carlson notes, by using baskets and reusable bags and by adapting such healthy habits as walking to the market when feasible, we all can contribute to “the environmental benefit of supporting local food systems and healthy farming practices.”

The Saratoga Farmers’ Market will be at its winter location – the Lincoln Baths Building in the Saratoga Spa State Park – for two more Saturdays, 9 a.m.-1p.m., before moving outdoors May 3 to High Rock Park.

 

Photo by Pattie Garrett

Sauteed Asian Greens

Recipe by Pleasant Valley Farm
Serves: 2 to 4

Ingredients
*Ingredients currently available at the Saratoga Farmers’ Market

• 1 Tablespoon olive oil
• 1 clove garlic minced*
• 1 bunch Asian greens*
• 4 oz mushrooms*

Instructions
Heat olive oil in a large skillet. Add garlic and saute. Do not let it burn. Add mushroom and greens. Toss greens until wilted.

 

Local Farmers Creating a Niche for Kohlrabi

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By Mary Peryea

Kohlrabi – that knobby looking, bulbous green vegetable – is beginning to gain a footing at the Saratoga Farmers’ Market.

I first spotted this vegetable at a summer market up north several years ago. More recently, Paul Arnold of Pleasant Valley Farm gave me a crash course on this vegetable.

Arnold, who is an amazing source of information on all things vegetable, described kohlrabi as a member of the Brassica family. That means it is related to cabbage, broccoli, and kale. It is popular in German and eastern European cuisine, as well as Indian cooking, especially in the mountainous Kashmir region. Arnold said it is the number two vegetable for storage, topped only by celeriac.

Gomez Veggie Ville by Pattie Garrett
Gomez Veggie Ville
Photo by Pattie Garrett

Translated from German, kohlrabi means cabbage-turnip and it has a flavor similar to those vegetables, but milder and sweeter than either. It is rich in fiber, as well as Vitamins A and C. There are two main varieties, one a deep purple and the other a vibrant green. Both have a sweet and crisp flesh that is either white or pale green in color.

Arnold plants kohlrabi in July and harvests it in November. He says it is hardy with few insects attacking it. The storage type that he grows lends itself well to sale at winter markets. While it resembles a root vegetable, kohlrabi grows above the ground, with a stem that swells to a turnip-shape and leaves growing off the bulb. The leaves are also edible.

When choosing your kohlrabi, look for a firm spherical bulb with no brown spots or spongy bits. There may be white slashes where the leaves have been removed for storage of the bulb.

Kohlrabi can be eaten raw in salads or slaws, or cooked in a variety of ways. Arnold likes his steamed and added to a white sauce flavored with a little nutmeg. I roasted mine with a little olive oil, salt, and pepper, and it was delicious. My husband, a confirmed “vege-phobe,” tried it but passed on more than a small spoonful. Maybe next time I’ll try the cream sauce to see if that goes over better.

Visit the Saratoga Farmers’ Market 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturdays at the Lincoln Baths Building in the Saratoga Spa State Park. The market begins its outdoor season May 3 at High Rock Park, when it operates from 3-6 p.m. Wednesdays and 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturdays.

Kohlrabi

Roasted kohlrabi, carrots and parsnips

Serves 4

Ingredients

2 kohlrabi, ends and knobs trimmed, and sliced into chunks
1 parsnip, peeled, and sliced into chunks
2 carrots, peeled and sliced into chunks
2 Tbsp canola oil
1-2 cloves garlic, peeled and crushed
pinch salt
freshly ground black pepper, to taste
5-6 Italian parsley sprigs

Directions

Preheat oven to 400°.
Place all ingredients in a roasting pan. Add oil and garlic and toss to coat.
Bake in preheated oven for 25-35 minutes, or until golden brown and tender when pierced with a knife.
Turn several times during cooking.
Add salt and pepper and serve garnished with parsley.

 

 

A Winter’s Salute to Kale

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By Himanee Gupta-Carlson

Admittedly, kale jokes abound. But that’s only because this green leafy vegetable – once primarily the domain of fancy plate garnishes – has evolved into a farmers’ market staple year round.

Shannon Cowan describes kale in a blog piece for Earth Easy (a website devoted to sustainable living) as the “workhorse of your winter garden” and urges year-round gardeners to keep the crop going for its beauty, its flavor, and nutritional content.

While I would like to say that I follow Cowan’s advice, I have to admit that my own garden’s kale usually loses at least its beauty and flavor by late December. After repeated hard frosts, snowstorms, and freezing rains followed by thaws, my own kale starts to look rather limp and spindly. It retains a semblance of its freshest in-season flavor, but is not, quite frankly, what it was in October. I am happy at this point to acquire my weekly stash of kale from the produce vendors at the Saratoga Farmers’ Market. This experience also gives me the chance of sampling many different varieties of kale, ranging from curly to winterbor, to purple to red.

A couple of weeks ago, I spotted a particularly striking bunch of kale. The leaves were grayish green but flecked admirably with thin veins of purple. The kale, at the Gomez Veggie Ville stall at the market, is known as “coral”. The Gomez family started the crop in early fall for its late fall and early winter markets. It is now keeping the plants growing and harvesting fresh from their greenhouses in the most brutal months of January.

Coral was crisp, thick, and tasty – full of the kind of fresh succulence that my taste buds seemed to be craving after the holiday months of rich sauces, big meats, and bottles of wine. The stems were stock and thick, and might serve as a potential addition to a meat stock or vegetable broth down the line. The leaves, however, were kale through and through, though they did seem heartier than the spring, summer, and fall selections. I found that they took a little more time to cook, maybe three or four minutes more.

Searches of the Internet did not give me a seed variety for “coral kale.” Instead, I found that it was listed as an ornamental and not generally eaten. This kale, however, tasted quite lovely. Try using my classic preparation: thinly sliced garlic sautéed in oil, the kale washed in cold water and steamed for about five minutes before being tossed into the garlic and oil with a sprinkling of black pepper on top.