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Saratoga Farmers Market Goes Outdoors

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By Himanee Gupta

 

It’s easy to get excited about spring – especially if you’re a farmer. Spring means more sunshine, super-fresh food, and a chance to share it with others in a festive, outdoor environment. For the Saratoga Farmers Market, spring is all about going outdoors.

The midweek market, which runs from 3-6 p.m. Wednesdays May through October, opened outside the City Center parking garage earlier this week. The larger Saturday market begins at 9 a.m. tomorrow in the parking lot of the Wilton Mall. These locations are temporary. Both markets will migrate to High Rock Park once the Saratoga Greenbelt Trail construction is complete.

Saturday Market Layout 2022

“I’m looking forward to the market moving outdoors,” says Mark Bascom of Owl Wood Farm. “I’m excited about getting the fields packed with seeds and transplants, and I’m looking forward to the end of the frosts and the transition into summer.”

“Being outdoors is always nice, regardless of where we set up,” adds Rose Fera of Leaning Birch Farm. Like many vegetable growers, the Fera family spends the winter planning and planting for the spring, summer, and fall seasons to come. They are especially excited this year to introduce new varieties of Asian greens, including a purple-leaf bok choy that is attractive and delicious.

Also abundant at this time of year are microgreens, radishes, kale florets, lettuce mixes, spinach, arugula, and seedlings for home gardeners. In addition to produce, vendors are offering such seasonal sensations as goose eggs, the first cuts of goat and lamb meat, pork, beef, and chicken. Look also for new ready-to-eat items such as the Cubano smash burger and bratwurst roll that Pork & Greens is offering. The hot sandwiches feature the farm’s sausages and bacon, microgreens, farm-made sour krauts, and other locally sourced items.

“It’s our first outdoor season, and we’re really excited,” says owner Isabel Buenaga, who joined the market in November. “We hope it goes well.”

Saratoga Apple, photo by Pattie Garrett (Wilton Mall)

A new season also means new vendors will join the market’s mix of familiar faces. Among the newcomers to the Saturday are Galway Rock Vineyard & Winery, Happy Cupcake, Pork & Greens Farm, Sweetbrier Farms, and The Mushroom Shop. New vendors at the Wednesday market include Bark Hill Farm, Hepatica Farm, APJ Designs, Cookie Lab Confections, and Trouvaille.

 

Love Found at the Farmers’ Market

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By Emily Meagher

Photo courtesy of Something’s Brewing

This time of year, the farmers’ market is inspired by the Saratoga County Chamber of Commerce’s Health and Wellness Week. Meanwhile, our vendors are also preparing for Valentine’s Day. The result is a special market focused on gifts from the heart as well as food that is good for the heart and overall health.

Tomorrow, prepare for Valentine’s Day by finding gifts that are meaningful and tasty. The Chocolate Spoon will have memorable homemade strawberry marshmallows that are perfect for anyone with a sweet tooth. Pucker’s Pickles will have a limited supply of their very special fermented cherries. And, of course, there will also be chocolate in various forms – like velvety chocolate cheesecake at Grandma Apple’s and a Valentine’s Day trio special (including passion, violet, and cacao nib bars) at Saratoga Chocolate Co. Or, say ‘I love you’ with a gift bag of chocolate coffee and toffee from Something’s Brewing.

Mangiamo, photo by Pattie Garrett

Is a romantic dinner more your style? The farmers’ market has the region’s freshest ingredients. Mangiamo will have pasta rolled and cut to order. The Vermont Spätzle Company will have gluten-free spätzle. You will find the finest cuts of meat from local farms along with the best cooking instructions. Take your pick of beef, chicken, pork, lamb, goat or even fish and seafood. Local farms will have leafy greens like bok choy, swiss chard, microgreens, and kale. And, tables will also be stocked with apples, beets, carrots, potatoes, mushrooms, winter squash, and much more. After dinner, share some local cheese or maybe sip some locally distilled spirits.

While shopping for the person on your heart, consider heart health too. Eating fresh, seasonal fruits and vegetables is crucial for a healthy lifestyle.

Pleasant Valley Farm, photo by Pattie Garrett

We invite you to share the love and to experience the love at tomorrow’s farmers’ market. Eat Smart NY will have healthy snack samples and recipe ideas. There will also be free Valentine cards to write and take and toe-tapping music by Craic Agus Ceol.

Our close-knit community of vendors and customers, weekly musicians and guests make for a joyous place full of friends. So bring your date, family, or friends with you to enjoy a shared outing at the farmers’ market.

 

This week’s recipe: Pasta with Spinach and Ricotta

Farmers’ Market Fills the Heart with Health

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By Himanee Gupta-Carlson

 

Winter has truly been wintry this year. Getting out has been a challenge for even the hardiest.

Now, however, begins the countdown to spring. And with that, vendors, volunteers, and staff at the Saratoga Farmers’ Market invite you to join our celebration tomorrow of the city’s annual Health and Wellness Week.

Our goal is to bring you indoors to the market and get you outdoors. To that end, members of the Alpine Sports Shop will offer a free snowshoeing demonstration in front of the Lincoln Baths Building from 10 a.m. to Noon. Everyone who participates will receive a coupon for a cup of coffee, tea, or hot chocolate from “Coffee Lady” Beth Trattel at Something’s Brewing.

Indoors, our vendors will have heart-warming indulgences that are good for you, too. Check out Puckers Gourmet Pickles limited offerings of lacto-fermented cherries, the heart-shaped homemade cheesecakes from Constance Capasso’s Grandma Apple’s Cheesecakes, the delectable handmade sweetness from Saratoga Chocolate Co., the artisanal roasted brews from Jim Williams’s Upper Hudson Coffee, and the cookies and teacakes from Marcie Place’s Chocolate Spoon.

Joining our regular produce, dairy, meat and prepared food vendors will be Cornell Cooperative Extension with recipes and food samples, information tables and demonstrations from local wellness organizations, and children’s activities hosted by the Northeast Parent & Child Society, and the Friends of the Market.

Many market regulars make health and fitness a part of their Saturday morning routines. They stop in to shop after running with groups like the Saratoga Stryders or arrive at the market with cross-country skis or snowshoes.

Yet, as runner Frank Lombard admits, it takes a bit of a push to get outdoors in the winter when the weather is bleak. “The biggest challenge is getting in motion,” he says. “But once you’re outdoors, it’s euphoric. There are so many benefits to being outside, to being with nature. It’s just a matter of overcoming that 10 to 15 minutes of resistance.”

So join us tomorrow morning. Try out some snowshoeing, and have a warm beverage. Fill your bag with our farm-fresh produce and a few other market treats. Your body and mind will thank you. We promise.

Visit the Saratoga Farmers’ Market 9 a.m.-1 p.m. Saturdays at the Lincoln Baths Building in Saratoga Spa State Park; follow us on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram; and contact friends@saratogafarmersmarket.org for volunteer opportunities.