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

Shop Local, Eat Fresh

Holiday Market

Creating a holiday feast at the farmers’ market

By

by Julia Howard

 

Enjoying a festive meal with family and friends is at the heart of every holiday celebration. But before serving up a crowd-pleasing feast, planning is required, and the Saratoga Farmers’ Market can help.

Local farms and businesses have delicious, flavorful products to consider when brainstorming dinner ideas. We recommend finding fresh ingredients at the farmers’ market before gathering recipes so that your meal comes together quickly and effortlessly. Let’s begin with the main course.

Longlesson Farm, photo by Pattie Garrett

The main course should be a show-stopping dish, and local farms have various options. Grass-fed and finished beef roasts, brisket, and classic cuts like NY strip steak and ribeye are available, as well as veal cutlets, steaks, and roasts. Beefitswhatsfordinner.com has many recipes, like a maple-glazed rib roast, round roast with chocolate-port sauce, and classic braised beef brisket.

Goat roasts, rib roasts, riblets, chops, and shanks are available at the farmers’ market, making goat another delicious main course option. 

For poultry, whole turkeys are available, half turkeys, and parts for smaller gatherings. Farms bring whole chickens for roasting, and seasoned chickens are available from King Creek Farms. Squash Villa Farm brings fresh ducks, and they recommend preordering. Ask the farmer for the best cooking methods and cooking time per pound.

Pork makes an excellent holiday main course, and pasture-raised pork tenderloin, roasts, and chops are available from Pork and Greens and Jireh Farm. 

Gomez Veggie Ville, photo by Pattie Garrett

For mouth-watering side dishes, we look to healthful, locally-grown produce packed with flavor. Farms are bringing everything from fresh salad greens and herbs to root vegetables, and options are boundless if you create a menu from what’s available at the farmers’ market.

You can make latkes with russet potatoes or sweet potatoes and onions. Roasted carrots are easy to prepare and pair well with any main course. Parsnips and rutabagas make creamy purees that can be enhanced with garlic and fresh herbs. A tray of crispy, savory smashed potatoes is easy to make and a holiday favorite. Even local apples and honey can make a sweet rice kugel side dish.

Photo by Pattie Garrett

Shaved carrots or Brussels sprouts sing with simple vinaigrettes for light side dishes. Salads with bitter greens balance rich meats and starches. And microgreens and shoots offer a refreshing burst of flavor to holiday foods.

Other must-haves for the holiday table are kimchi and pak dong from Puckers Pickles, artisan sourdough bread from Night Work Bread, and applesauce from Saratoga Apple, just to name a few.

The Saratoga Farmers’ Market is open on Saturdays from 9:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m. in the Wilton Mall Food Court. Find us online at www.saratogafarmersmarket.org, where you can sign

Area Artists Bring Unique and Personal Gifts to the Farmers’ Market

By

The Saratoga Farmers’ Market’s Holiday Market, held every Saturday in November and December, features hand-made jewelry, clothing, journals, a variety of artwork, and specialty prepared foods and treats. These unique gifts provide a way to connect with a loved one’s individualized style and interests. Some of our featured local artists include Rosemary Romeo, Peggy Gray and Terri Holmes Smith.

Shell and wire pendant handmade by Rosemary Romeo

Rosemary Romeo, owner and artist of “I Don’t Do Ordinary,” uses copper, brass, silver, gemstones, and found objects to create one-of-a-kind earrings, necklaces, rings, watches and other gifts for women, men, and children. Romeo explains, “I take designs that are current and put a not so current twist on them to create a new level of ‘in-style’ with a vintage twist.” Romeo’s signature items include graphic-image earrings and natural-flower jewelry, as well as pieces made from repurposed materials such as spoons, coins, and new and found stones and semi-precious gems.

Barcelona Jacket by Peggy Gray

Peggy Gray, of “22 Shades of Gray,” combines lush fabrics and a variety of textures to create unusual clothing for women. Her asymmetric blouses, swingy coats, fitted jackets, multi-layered wraps, and other designs complement women of all ages and styles. Peggy has been sewing since she was 17, and she now owns a studio in Buskirk, NY. Peggy says “I love to help women express their personalities through their fashion.” Peggy will be at the Holiday Market most Saturdays in December, and also sells her items online.

Sun & moon dreamcatcher, by Terri Holmes Smith

Terri Holmes Smith, inspired by Native American insights into beauty and spirit, has created “The Weaving Tree,” a family business that specializes in crafting personalized dream catchers and dream catcher themed jewelry. Come see what Terri has at the market, and talk to her about custom orders for the holidays or other special occasions. Terri and her family also make glass hand-painted Christmas bulbs and other glass objects, and carry a line of journals that have questions and prompts designed to help people share their life stories with loved ones.

In addition to items from these artists, the Holiday Market also features other jewelers and crafters, as well as specialty foods for people and their pets. The Holiday Market is part of the Saratoga Farmers’ Market, running Saturdays from 9 am to 1 pm at the Lincoln Baths. For more information see www.saratogafarmersmarket.org.

A Peek into the Saratoga Farmers’ Market Winter Season at the Lincoln Baths

By

by Kristin Cleveland

As the Saratoga Farmers’ Market wraps up its outdoor season at High Rock Park this week with Customer Appreciation Day on Saturday, October 27 and Halloween festivities on Wednesday, October 31, vendors are gearing up for the indoor winter market at the historic Lincoln Baths at Saratoga Spa State Park.

Moving into the Baths for the colder months means two floors full of a wide variety of nourishing foods from our local farms, dairies, bakers, distillers, and speciality foods producers, plus an array of unique hand-made jewelry, clothing, artworks, and other items made by area artisans. Acoustic music and free children’s activities round out the festive atmosphere, making the Farmers’ Market a perfect place to shop and connect with the community any Saturday of the year.

The Lincoln Baths location offers ample parking, wheelchair accessibility, and a warm place for shopping no matter what the weather outside. Many vendors now take credit cards, and an ATM is on site for when cash is needed. Customers can also take advantage of the new FreshFoodNY App to order and pay online and have local products delivered curbside right in front of the Lincoln Baths!

Every Saturday in November and December features our annual Holiday Market, a gathering of vendors who make a wide variety of items perfect for gift giving. Saratoga Farmers’ Market gift certificates are also available to help fit even the pickiest person on your holiday list.

Customers can expect to find fresh late-season vegetables like cauliflower, Brussels sprouts, and many types of greens, plus hearty storage crops including squash, onions and all kinds of root vegetables, and even greenhouse and hydroponically grown tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers and herbs! Our agricultural products also include local milk, yogurt, cheeses, eggs, frozen chicken, beef, lamb, pork, goat, duck and turkey. In addition there are hot meals ready to eat for breakfast or lunch, and frozen soups, casseroles and other prepared dishes to take home for an easy meal anytime! Specialty foods at the indoor market this year include homemade jams, pickles, hummus, wheat grass juices, coffee, baked goods, meat jerky and other trail treats, and even puppy treats and vegetarian dog foods!

Special events at the Saratoga Farmers’ Market are listed in the calendar section of our brand new website at saratogafarmersmarket.org. Sign up for the weekly email newsletter to get updates about special events, musical guests, vendor promotions, and all-ages activities and educational workshops. Come to the Saratoga Farmers’ Market on Saturdays November through April, from 9 am to 1 pm at the Lincoln Baths.

Roaster Makes His Coffee Part of an Adirondacks Narrative

By

By Julia Howard

 

Upper Hudson Coffee, photo courtesy of Pattie Garrett

Late winter in the Adirondacks often feels like a morning slow to kick-start. The clouds hang low. The air feels frigid. One’s palate desires something soothing to the soul. That something might just rest in a cup of Joe, specifically the brews being devised artisanal style by Jim Williams at his Upper Hudson Coffee roasting room.

Williams established Upper Hudson Coffee 18 months ago in North Creek. He joined the Saratoga Farmers’ Market as a holiday vendor last November and opted to continue through the winter. He begins his roasts from a single-sourced bean known as La Pastora Tarrazu. The bean, from the Tarrazu region of Costa Rica, is dense in its flavor and known for producing a bright, crisp flavor, suitable for the medium to dark roasts that Williams creates.

Williams worked as a teacher for 23 years in Lake Placid. After stints of training pro cyclists and living in California, he returned to North Creek to build a house and re-evaluate his life. In coffee, he found a way to connect with a hands-on process that he loves and with a community he enjoys.

Selling at the farmers’ market supports these connections by bringing him into direct contact with those who buy his brews.

Williams’ starts his coffees with a quality roast. He then blends, smokes, and infuses the beans to give his brews character and taste: Roosevelt has a strong bold flavor reminiscent of President Theodore Roosevelt, whereas H.H. Barton (named after a gem seeker who gathered garnet around North Creek) has a lighter, jewel-like touch. Dietter’s Campfire has a smoky flavor, and Melissa Perkins offers hints of unsweetened chocolate and pasilla chili.

For Williams, the coffee is not just a morning lift. It is a beverage that deserves authenticity. “Adirondack locals aren’t frivolous with money,” Williams says. “They will spend it on the best product possible. I work to make my coffee authentic and accessible.”

“I’ve never been materialistic myself,” he adds, “and I like the process.”

Saratoga Farmers’ Market goers can obtain Upper Hudson Coffee by the bag from Williams. Or they can purchase a cup from the Something’s Brewing beverage stand.

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.

Holiday Market Showcases a Different Facet of Farming

By

By Himanee Gupta-Carlson

 

Dark Horse Designs, photo courtesy of Pattie Garrett

Often we think that farms are only about food. We know and love our favorite farmers at the Saratoga Farmers’ Market for the produce they grow and the animals they raise. Less known perhaps is the creativity that comes from farming and its spirit of doing things one’s self.

That creativity shows itself in full force at the holiday market.

The holiday market is a special offering of the Saratoga Farmers’ Market that takes place through Dec. 30 alongside the regular market. It features specialty foods, handicrafts, and opportunities to participate in such activities as making your own wrapping paper.

Last Saturday at the market, I headed upstairs where the holiday vendors were based. For the next half hour, I sampled Saratoga Chocolate Co. niblets, sniffed beans roasted by the Upper Hudson Coffee, and admired the horseshoe wine racks made by metalworker William Herrington, and the ceramic creations from Zoe Burghard, and the market’s newest holiday addition handmade furniture from Dark Horse Designs in Ballston Spa.

The artists behind these creations greeted market shoppers and described their creations. Dark Horse’s Heather Mason, for instance, noted that the workbenches, dog beds, and kitchen islands on display all came from the horse farm itself. The farm recently replaced its fencing. Rather than throw out the wood, owner Kyle Hauptfleisch turned it into kitchen islands that contain shelving, work tables, drawers, and even horseshoes for hanging dish towels on the side. Mason added paint and other designs.

Living Resources at 70 Beekman, photo courtesy of Pattie Garrett

I also made wrapping paper with help from Emily Valle, of Living Resources Art. Valle laid down a sheet of plain packaging paper and handed me raw potatoes, purchased from the vendors downstairs and cut to create stamps of trees and stars. I created my paper by dipping the stamps into the paint and imprinting them on paper. Valle taped my paper to some railing and I did my weekly shopping as the paint dried.

Living Resources will be at the market again on December 23. Its gallery at 70 Beekman St. also is open weekend afternoons from 2-4 p.m. for those who wish to create more intricate wrapping paper designs with self-carved linoleum blocks, for a $10 fee.

 

 

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

Local Artisans Enrich Holiday Offerings at Saratoga Farmers’ Market

By

Upper Hudson Coffee, photo by Pattie Garrett

As you pull open the doors of the Lincoln Baths Building to enter the Saratoga Farmers’ Market, an extra treat awaits. The market is hosting in addition to its usual array of locally grown and produced fruits and vegetables, cheeses, meats, milk, honey, maple syrup, and specialty goods a set of holiday vendors through December 30.

These vendors are setting up shop on the building’s second floor, transforming the space into a market within the market. They offer locally roasted coffees, craft beers, baked bread, cheesecakes, jerky, salad dressings, and chocolates. The holiday market also features artists and craftspeople who create innovative attire, metal works, fine art prints, ceramics, jewelry, watches, and clocks. And for your canine companions, look for the specialty dog treats.

The holiday market, like the Saratoga Farmers’ Market, is aimed at building relationships between local entrepreneurs and residents of the Saratoga area. In the spirit of Small Business Saturday, it gives the entrepreneurs a space to showcase and sell their goods. At the same time, it offers market shoppers seeking creative gifts for families, friends, and themselves an opportunity to find them. The goal, says market director Julia Howard, is to open up the farmers’ market – long known for the best farm fresh foods grown, raised, or produced in the region – to creators of local foods and arts of all kinds.

“We see this as a special benefit for our regulars,” Howard says, “and as a way to support the local economy even more during the holidays.”

To visit the holiday market, go upstairs, via the staircases near the Lincoln Baths entrance or the elevators located in the middle of the building. You will find vendor stalls lined up around the railings and tucked into various nooks and crannies. The atmosphere is festive, yet relaxed. Unlike the frenzy of a shopping mall, vendors are available to describe their products, answer any questions, and share stories of how they came up with their creations.

Howard notes that some space remains upstairs for additional artisans. Those looking for an opportunity to display and sell hand-crafted items can contact her at julia@saratogafarmersmarket.org.

The Saratoga Farmers’ Market is 9 a.m.to 1 p.m. Saturdays at the Lincoln Baths Building in the Saratoga Spa State Park. Its holiday market runs through December 30. Follow us on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.