Shop Local, Eat Fresh at the Saratoga Farmers' Market | Food, Crafts, Music in Saratoga Springs

Shop Local, Eat Fresh

High Rock Park Saratoga

“Fried” Oatmeal

By

Recipe courtesy of The Country Corner Cafe

 

INGREDIENTS

*Ingredients available at the farmers’ market

  • ¼ brown sugar
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 ½ cups dried fruit and nuts, any combination
  • 3 cups quick oats (not instant)
  • Toppings: maple syrup or homemade jam

 

DIRECTIONS

  1. Bring 1 quart of water to a rolling boil.
  2. Add brown sugar, vanilla extract, and dried fruit and nuts to the water.
  3. Then fold in quick oats, cover, and turn off heat.
  4. Pour mixture into a greased loaf pan and chill overnight
  5. Slice and “pan fry” and top with maple syrup or our homemade jam. Enjoy!

Farmers’ Market Broccoli Salad

By

Adapted from recipe by Healthy Seasonal Recipes, shared by My Saratoga Kitchen Table

Serves: 6

 

INGREDIENTS

*Ingredients available at the farmers’ market

  • ½ cup plain Greek yogurt*
  • ¼ cup mayonnaise
  • 2 Tablespoon brown mustard*
  • 2 teaspoons cider vinegar
  • freshly ground pepper to taste
  • 4 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled*
  • 1 shallot, minced*
  • 5 cups chopped raw broccoli*
  • 1 cup finely chopped fennel bulb*
  • 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese*

 

INSTRUCTIONS

  1. Whisk yogurt, mayonnaise, mustard, vinegar, pepper in a large bowl until smooth. Add bacon, shallot, broccoli, fennel, and cheese and stir to coat with the dressing.

 

NOTES

Steam broccoli for a couple of minutes to remove raw texture, if desired.

 

Blending love, nutrition and a good vibration into smoothie drinks

By

By Marley Bonacquist-Currin

 

Rich and Laura Holoday
Rich and Laura Holoday

The bright colors and brilliant names are attractive in and of themselves. But what really draws people to The Smoothie Shoppe at the Saratoga Farmers’ Market is the energy of the owners.

Rich and Laura Holoday started The Smoothie Shoppe in 2014, and joined Saratoga’s Saturday market this summer. Their goal is to create a sustainable enterprise that can feed a community. For them, smoothies are a delicious, nutrient-packed choice.

“We wanted to fill a need,” said Rich Holoday, as he blended pre-frozen strawberries, banana, peaches, and goji berries into a 20-ounce Righteous Red smoothie. “Something like this wasn’t really available at a lot of markets.”

Smoothies are a cold drink of blended frozen fruits, juices, yogurt or nut milks that often are enhanced with the nutrient-rich ingredients known as superfoods. Unlike many smoothies sold commercially, the Holodays do not use ice or water to blend their drinks. The entire beverage is like a cup full of fruit.

Quality ingredients are a priority for the Holodays. They use GMO-free fruit and vegetables and Certified Organic superfoods. Their smoothies are 100% vegan and gluten free and a healthy, delicious option for people with dietary restrictions.

Farmers’ market regular Candice Lawrence is among The Smoothie Shoppe’s fans. The owner of a dog-walking business, she often begins a long day of walking with a Muscle Monkey shake with an extra scoop of a vegan protein powder.

“They’re wonderful,” she said as she put a straw into her 16-ounce shake, which included almond milk, banana, peach, peanut butter, flax seeds, rolled oats, cinnamon, and agave. “So good for you, too.”

Rich Holoday discovered smoothies several years ago while experimenting with recipes that would support his vegan lifestyle. The diversity of smoothies inspired him to envision a business and when Laura became pregnant, she pushed Rich to act on his dream. They wanted their child to grow up in a world filled with healthy food and love, and knew that in order to give that world to their children, they needed to help create it themselves.

For them, farmers markets were appealing because they could bring a product to people, giving them delicious and nutritious eats while they shopped.

Visit the Saratoga Farmers’ Market from 3-6 p.m. Wednesdays and 9 a.m.-1 p.m. Saturdays at High Rock Park. You also can follow us on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.

 

The Summer Solstice

Recipe provided by Rich Holoday
Serves 3

Ingredients
*Ingredients currently available at the Saratoga Farmers’ Market

  • 8 oz watermelon, cut into pieces (or substitute another fruit as watermelon will be in season soon)
  • 3-4 mint leaves*
  • ½ a lime, freshly juiced
  • 1 cup strawberries, frozen*
  • ¾ cup pineapple, frozen
  • 1 Tbsp chia seeds
  • 1 Tbsp coconut flakes

Instructions

  1. Using a blender, puree freshly cut watermelon into a liquid.
  2. Add all remaining ingredients and blend until smooth. Drink up!

 

Saratoga Farmers Embrace ‘Rain or Shine’

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By Julia Howard, Market Director

The bell rang at 9 a.m. Saturday, announcing the start of the Saratoga Farmers’ Market. Then, the clouds opened. Rain poured in sheets, drenching everyone, creating pools on vendor tents, and a creek between Dickinson’s Delights and the Feathered Antler.

Such has been the scene often this summer, with our more-frequent-than-usual rainfalls. Does this matter? To market goers? To vendors? To me, as the market director tasked with the job of ensuring that all who visit the Saratoga Farmers’ Market have an enjoyable yet safe experience?

“We’ve had a lot of cool weather and recently some very heavy downpours at the market,” said Sean Dean, of Nettle Meadow Farm. “I don’t worry if it’s raining when the market begins because ten minutes later it could be a beautiful day.”

Our customers seem to agree, as our market has been as busy as ever. Most of our regular customers are like our market – rain-or-shine shoppers. For that, I am grateful.

“I think these rainy days are an adventure,” said market regular Pattie Garrett. “And, kids love splashing through puddles. Everything is under a roof. You just need to dash between tents and pavilions.”

To keep vendors and customers safe, we take precautions. We weigh down tents with concrete-filled buckets, sandbags or disc weights. We monitor the pavilion gutters for leaks and are prepared to move vendors if necessary. Vendors come prepared with rain jackets, boots, and increasingly brooms or sticks to help shake accumulating water off the tops of their tents.

Stored on-site are tarps and tent panels, extra tent weights and rope in case of high winds, a flashlight, and a variety of tools that a pop-up market might suddenly need.

While heavy rains have damaged crops, farmers are replanting and continuing to offer the best of what they have. And with the rain the best often is even better. Think of stalks of Swiss chard freshly (rain) washed; beets, carrots, patty pan squash and zucchini in brilliant hues, the white salad onions tasting even sweeter.

Meanwhile, I monitor forecasts on two weather apps. I watch the sky and try to get a feel for the humidity. Regardless, I know we’ll be open, rain or shine.

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

 

Blueberry Freezer Jam

Adapted from recipe by Amy Johnson, She Wears Many Hats
Serves: about 3 cups
Prep time: 5 mins
Cook time: 10 mins

Ingredients

*Ingredients currently available at the Saratoga Farmers’ Market

  • 2 cups fresh blueberries*
  • 1 tablespoon lemon juice
  • 1 cup granulated sugar
  • 2 tablespoons + 2 teaspoons (.875 ounces) no-sugar-needed fruit pectin (like Sure.Jell in the pink box)

Instructions

  1. Place blueberries and lemon juice in a medium saucepan. Use a potato masher or flat bottom glass to mash the berries. Mash them as well as you can, but don’t worry if you don’t have them all mashed.
  2. Bring berry mixture to a boil.
  3. Add granulated sugar and return to a boil. Continue to boil for 2 minutes, stirring occasionally.
  4. Stir in pectin, bring to a full boil and boil hard for only 1 minute. Remove from heat.
  5. Transfer to canning jars or freezer containers leaving ½-inch space at top. Seal jars/containers. Let stand at room temperature until cool.
  6. Refrigerate up to 3 weeks or freeze up to 6 months.

 

Notes: This recipe is for a small batch. Easily double the recipe if needed.

Musicians Create the Beat at the Farmers’ Market

By

 

By Courtney Kramer

Running the River Photo by Pattie Garrett
Running the River
Photo by Pattie Garrett

On a recent Wednesday at the Saratoga Farmers’ Market, Jack Powell and his three-man band the Zucchini Brothers were performing. Powell grinned as a mother and child began tapping their feet to the beats.

Then, as the child started to waddle in rhythm with the music and the mother began to video the moment on her cell phone, Powell asked for the name of the child. He received the answer, began improvising and within seconds was singing lyrics interspersed with the lilting syllables of Gi-o-van-ni.

Moments like this are part of what make making music at farmers’ markets meaningful to such performers as Powell. For him, the people keep bringing them back.

“The calendar books six months in advance,” says market director Julia Howard. “I’ve been booking bands for nearly 15 years and most musicians are all about the money – not so at the farmers’ market. They get so much more.”

Howard says that market musicians are generally not paid in cash. Their income comes from tips from customers and donations by market vendors.

Singing for one’s supper is rarely seen as a sustainable salary. Still, the musicians call playing farmers’ markets one of the best gigs around. For them, it’s about being a part of a community of healthy eaters as well as a chance to promote their art.

Take a typical Saturday morning.

As shoppers enter the summer market pavilion at High Rock Park, the sounds of fiddles and male voices harmonizing fill the air. The three-man band Running the River is performing its monthly market gig. A small crowd emerges and soon heading start bobbing, bodies start swaying, and feet start tapping to the down-home country/folk cadences.

The crowd disperses to continue shopping, but then another forms. The ritual continues till the market’s end.

About a half hour before the market’s close, interns or staff start pulling wagons through the pavilion, collecting donations. Soon, a feast surrounds the musicians: lettuce and cabbage, carrots and squash, cheeses, honey, milk and savory pastries.

“The market is all about community and music ties it together,” says Marcie Place of the Chocolate Spoon.

Adds Carl Deppe, of Row to Hoe Farm. “It lifts the spirits.”

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

RiverJackZ: http://www.riverjackz.com
The Zucchini Brothers: http://www.zucchinibrothers.com
Running the River: http://running-the-river.webs.com

Market Beet Salad

Adapted from recipe by Mark Bittman featured in the New York Times
Serves: 4
Time: 10 minutes

INGREDIENTS

*Ingredients currently available at the Saratoga Farmers’ Market

• 1 pound beets*
• 1 large shallot*
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1 teaspoons honey mustard, or to taste*
• 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil*
• 2 tablespoons sherry vinegar or other good strong vinegar
• Minced parsley, dill, chervil, rosemary or tarragon*

PREPARATION

1. Peel the beets and the shallot. Combine them in the bowl of a food processor fitted with the metal blade, and pulse carefully until the beets are shredded; do not puree. (Or grate the beets by hand and mince the shallots; combine.) Scrape into a bowl.

2. Toss with the salt, pepper, mustard, oil and vinegar. Taste, and adjust seasoning. Toss in the herbs, and serve.

 

Market Creates Community at High Rock Park

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By Himanee Gupta-Carlson

Shortly before 9 a.m. tomorrow, Saratoga Mayor Joanne Yepsen will cut a ribbon at High Rock Park to officially open the Saratoga Farmers’ Market’s summer season. With her will be farmers and other vendors, volunteers and staff, artists and musicians, community service providers, dignitaries and other guests.

The brief ceremony captures a sense of how the market twice a week from May through October creates a sense of community that is vibrant, festive, and supportive.

“Community is our sustenance,” says market director Julia Howard. “It brings us all together.”

The Saratoga Farmers’ Market started in 1978 with starter plants and produce. Over the years, meats and dairy products, prepared foods, wool and fiber, household cleaners, gift items, and crafts were added the offerings.

For farmers and other vendors, the market is a vital source of income. But the market also is much more.

Running the River by Eric Jenks
Running the River
Photo by Eric Jenks

“Having music at every market helps local performers gain exposure,” Howard says. “Plus, we work with such organizations as Saratoga Bridges to offer employment for some of our janitorial tasks to individuals who need it. And our weekly children’s activities are often the result of our relationships with local businesses, libraries, and youth groups. We couldn’t be who we are without those networks of support.”

Tomorrow’s market will highlight these networks. CAPTAIN Youth & Family Services will offer a free planting of flower seeds to children of all ages. Musician Thomas Brady and the band Running the River will perform. Mamatoga will co-host a meetup from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. for mothers and children. And new vendors – among them Zoe Burghard Ceramics, Freddy’s Rockin’ Hummus, The Smoothie Shoppe, Dickinson’s Delights, and Slate Valley and Nettle Meadow farms – will join the market’s regulars.

Setting up market at Rock Park by Eric Jenks
Setting up market at Rock Park
Photo by Eric Jenks

Behind the scenes, the Friends of the Market volunteers will operate its compost collection and recycling programs, assist shoppers with its veggie valet service, gather donations for the Franklin Community Center food pantry, and be on hand to relieve vendors. Also behind the scenes vendors will arrive early and stay late to put out market signs, traffic cones, and help clean up High Rock Park before and after the market.

“That cooperative spirit makes us so much more than a shopping place,” Howard says. “We’re in it together.”

Visit the Saratoga Farmers’ Markets at High Rock Park from 3-6 p.m. Wednesdays and 9 a.m.-1 p.m. Saturdays.

Chopped Spring Salad

Adapted from recipe by Jenny Rosenstrach and Andy Ward featured in Bon Appetit
4 Servings

Ingredients

*Ingredients currently available at the Saratoga Farmers’ Market

• ½ cup plain yogurt*
• 2 tablespoons olive oil*
• 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
• 1 garlic clove, finely grated*
• ¼ teaspoon Vital Eats Sriracha Ketchup*
• 2 tablespoons finely chopped chives, plus more for serving*
• 2 tablespoons finely chopped mint, plus more for serving*
• Kosher salt, freshly ground pepper
• ½ Asian cucumber, chopped (about 1 cup)*
• 2 asparagus spears, chopped*
• 2 scallions, chopped*
• 3 radishes, trimmed, chopped*
• 1 cup pea shoots*
• ¾ cup cherry tomatoes, quartered*

Preparation

1. Whisk yogurt, oil, lemon juice, garlic, Sriracha, 2 Tbsp. chives, and 2 Tbsp. mint in a small bowl to combine; season with salt and pepper and let dressing sit at least 1 hour to allow flavors to meld.

2. Just before serving, toss cucumber, asparagus, scallions, radishes, pea shoots, and tomatoes in a large bowl to combine; season with salt and pepper. Divide evenly among plates and drizzle with dressing. Top with chives and mint.

Do Ahead: Dressing can be made 3 days ahead. Cover and chill.