hot cross buns

By Mary Pratt

At the Saratoga Farmers’ Market this Saturday, April 3, you can select excellent products for your Easter dinner.

When you enter the Wilton Mall at the Food Court, you’ll first see Something’s Brewing. Beth Trattel has small packs of Battenkill River Coffee One Pot Minis and full pounds of whole bean or ground coffee. As you get started in the morning, enjoy her new flavors such as chocolate fudge or chocolate coconut, along with Mrs. London’s Easter hot cross buns.

The Farmers’ Market has excellent cheese for appetizers, such as Nettle Meadow’s new Prospect Mountain cow’s milk cheese which contains blackberry leaf, rose petals, red clover, sumac, and sarsaparilla root. R&G Cheesemakers use goat, sheep, or cows’ milk. Argyle Cheese Farmer has their award-winning Amazing Grace and other aged varieties.

To start your dinner with a salad, Gomez Veggie Ville has packages of mixed greens, and Underwood’s Shushan Valley Hydro Farm is returning with tomatoes, herbs, and veggies. To accompany your salad, serve Mrs. London’s French bread. Or Kokinda Farm’s Paska bread, a traditional Polish holiday bread made with raisins.

You can use poultry, beef, veal, pork, fish, goat, or lamb for your main course. Longlesson Farm is bringing many cuts of beef and pork. Ramble Creek offers chicken. Squash Villa Farm is bringing goat. Pura Vida has fresh-caught fish and seafood, including huge scallops. Elihu Farm is bringing fresh (never frozen) lamb cuts, including legs, chops, shoulders, and shanks. Hebron Valley Veal raises their calves humanely for six months to produce rosé veal. The calves eat fresh milk from their dairy herd and have free choice hay and water.

You can spice up any main course with spice mixes from Muddy Trail Jerky Co. And accompany your meal with wine from Fossil Stone Vineyards, made from grapes grown on their farm.

For dessert, The Chocolate Spoon is making fresh cakes, including carrot cake, fruit pies, and homemade marshmallows. Goodway Gourmet will have rum cakes. Euro Delicacies makes Baklava, a Turkish pastry made with layers of filo, filled with chopped nuts and syrup. Saratoga Chocolate has Easter baskets full of candy, even for adults to nibble.

Make Your Own Farmers’ Market Easter Basket!

Easter baskets are traditionally stuffed to the brim with goodies. This Saturday, April 3, shop for decorated eggs, marshmallow chicks, chocolate candy, and other delicious treats at the Saratoga Farmers’ Market. Easter baskets don’t have to be all about sweets. Find adorable fillers, kid-approved gifts, and non-candy additions, too. There’s an Easter basket for everyone, so adjust accordingly!

Suggested ingredients:
● Solid chocolate bunnies, truffle eggs, and filled eggs from The Saratoga Chocolate Co.
● Baby honey bears from Ballston Lake Apiaries
● Cookie packages and marshmallows from The Chocolate Spoon
● Maple candies from Slate Valley Farms
● Apple chips from Saratoga Apple
● Mini rum cakes from Goodway Bakery

Instructions
1. Find a basket or repurpose an egg carton or pint container and decorate with paint, ribbons, stickers, or leave as is.
2. Add filler to the basket. Place colorful tissue paper or Easter grass in the bottom of the basket as a nest for eggs and candy.
3. Begin arranging the Easter basket by placing large items first and then nestling smaller items into the arrangement.