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

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Eating Fresh and Flavorful in the Winter

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By Marisa Kerkvliet

We probably all have memories of the farmers’ market during the summer months. Tables stacked full of brightly colored fruits and vegetables and bustling isles full of customers. During the winter, the farmers’ market might not be the first place you think to go on a Saturday morning. If you have yet to venture into the winter market, you may be surprised that there is far more fresh produce than you think! Not to mention the booths full of other kitchen staples like honey, meat, and fresh bread.

Gomez Veggie Ville, photo by Marisa Kerkvliet

Root crops such as beets, potatoes, turnips, and carrots are hearty and do well in cold storage many months after the fall harvest. Winter squash can be kept for months and is still delicious when roasted or baked, even in the early spring. Brassicas such as kale and cabbage are also available. Did you know that kale leaves become sweeter after they withstand frosty weather? You can find fresh, sweet greens like lettuce, spinach, pea shoots, and microgreens.

Saratoga Apple, photo by Marisa Kerkvliet

This week’s recipe features sweet roasted beets and fresh apples complemented by salty feta cheese and a tangy honey dijon vinaigrette. The salad is rounded out with the freshest of greens. The recipe can easily be adapted with ingredients available at the market. If pea shoots are not available, use microgreens instead or stick with the baby lettuce. If beets aren’t your thing, pour this dressing over the greens, apple, and feta to make a light side salad.

Photo by Marisa Kerkvliet

Roasting beets in foil is an excellent way to cook them while retaining flavor and sweetness. After roasting, the skin should easily slip off. The exact cooking time for the beets varies greatly depending on the size. Medium size beets, about 3 inches in diameter, will typically take about an hour to fully cook. Winter beets at the market are often much larger, about 6 inches, and can take up to 2 full hours to cook. Roasted beets keep well in the fridge, so consider roasting more than you need so you can use the rest throughout the week. 

I am a freelance recipe developer and food photographer with a background in Nutrition and Culinary Arts. I focus on sharing seasonal whole-food recipes for the whole family. You can find me and see more of my work on my Instagram @lemon.thyme.kitchen.

This week’s recipe: Roasted Beet and Apple Salad with Honey Dijon Vinaigrette

Know Your Farmer – and Get to Know a Few New Ones, too

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By Himanee Gupta-Carlson

We get it. It’s January. It’s cold. It’s COVID, year three. 

And while you might love the Saratoga Farmers’ Market, you feel it has changed.

You’re right. We’ve changed. Some longtime, well-established vendors are gone. Their owners retired or chose amid the COVID-19 pandemic to shift their operations toward online, home delivery, or mail-order sales.

But we are still the same market in many ways. We still offer some of the best locally grown, raised, or made foods and craft items. We’ve continued to do so by shifting our definition of local away from the six counties that traditionally defined our vendor base toward a more inclusive idea. That shift has helped bring in vendors from other counties, from anywhere within 50 miles of Saratoga.Our new vendors give our market a new face. But they value good products that are local. Stop by and say hello. In time, they’ll be quite familiar to you. 

Here’s the lowdown on a few:

  • Pork & Greens. This farm hails from the Hudson Valley and is woman-owned. Isabel Buenaga started the farm in July 2020, with a mission to create healthy soil, reduce food waste, and produce high-quality pork and nutrient-rich greens. Her pigs “graze and laze” on 15 acres of woodlands and receive a carefully monitored diet of repurposed foods. Foods that would otherwise be trashed or composted become nutrition for the pigs and yield nicely flavored pork chops, sausages, ham steaks, and other pork items. As for the greens, they are chosen for their ability to withstand our region’s bitterly cold winters and sweltering summers. Check out Buenaga’s kale, pea shoots, and lettuces.
    Pork and Greens, photo by Pattie Garrett.
  • The Mushroom Shop. This farm, based in Salem, is run by Jacob Howard and Elise Olsen. They joined the Wednesday market last spring and are continuing through the winter to offer gourmet specialty mushrooms for culinary and medicinal uses. Check out their oyster, beech, and cinnamon cap offerings.
    The Mushroom Shop, photo by Pattie Garrett
  • Boozy Moo. Yes, ice cream in winter. Boozy Moo, based in Albany, is the brainchild of Leila Kiosse. Kiosse had opened a craft cocktails bar and games house in early 2020. Like so many retail outlets, hers was shuttered amid the pandemic. Kiosse began experimenting with craft ice creams, infusing them with alcohol, and realized she had a great new approach to a popular dessert on her hands. Ask for a sample and let Kiosse’s cool treats warm your soul.
    Boozy Moo!, photo by Pattie Garrett

 

This week’s featured recipe: Pork Chops with Apples and Onions

Farmers’ Market Frittata

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Adapted from the recipe by M&A Farm

Serves: 6

Prep & cook time: 15 min

INGREDIENTS

*Ingredients currently available at the farmers’ market

  • 4 large eggs*
  • 4 egg whites*
  • 2 TBSP milk*
  • ½ tsp salt, divided
  • ¼ tsp pepper, divided
  • 1 cup mushrooms* of choice, sliced
  • 1 cup kale*, chopped
  • 1 cup bacon*, cooked and chopped
  • ½ tsp chopped fresh thyme leaves
  • 1 TBSP chopped parsley leaves (reserve some for garnish)
  • ½ cup chevre* (or another soft cheese*), crumbled into tiny pieces

INSTRUCTIONS

  1. Preheat broiler and place top rack 4-5” from the element. Whisk together the eggs, egg whites, milk, ¼ tsp salt, and a pinch of pepper and set aside.
  2. On the stovetop, melt butter over medium-high heat in an iron skillet. Add vegetables and saute until they begin to soften for about 3-4 minutes. Add in the bacon, thyme, half of the parsley, 1/4 tsp salt, a pinch of pepper, and cook stirring for 1 more minute.
  3. Pour the egg mixture over the veggies and stir to evenly spread the veggies around. Let it cook, about 3-4 minutes. Remove skillet from heat and sprinkle cheese over the top.
  4. Place skillet under the broiler until eggs are slightly puffed and cheese begins to bubble and brown, 3-4 minutes. Watch carefully. Remove from the over, slide frittata onto a serving platter. Garnish with remaining parsley. Slice and serve. 

Spring Kapha Balancing Root Veggie Sautee

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Root Veggie Sautee, photo provided by Sarah Avery

Recipe provided by Sarah Avery, DPT, PYT, RYT-200, Founder of Moon Cycle Seed Company
Serves: 2-3

 

Ingredients
*Ingredients currently available at the farmers’ market
● ½ lb chopped kale* stems removed
● 2 medium sweet potatoes peeled and cubed
● 1 large parsnip* peeled and cubed
● 1 TBSP astringent dressing [1 TBSP Ginger Junbucha* + 1 TBSP Puckers Gourmet*
brine] ● ½ onion* diced
● ¼ cup water

Instructions
1. Boil the kale until leaves turn a vibrant shade of green and strain.
2. In a separate pot, add the diced sweet potatoes with just enough water to cover them. Add the salt and boil until soft. Remove from heat and strain.
3. Saute onion in water for thirty seconds. Then add cooked sweet potatoes and kale. Mix gently to avoid breaking up the soft sweet potatoes.
4. Drain off excess water, place in a serving dish, and toss gently with Astringent Dressing.
5. If this seems a little too bland for your taste, try a drizzle of Saratoga Garlic Company’s Aiolis (I love a touch of the Curry Aioli with this recipe!).

Swiss Chard and Kale Gratin

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Photo by Pattie Garrett

Recipe by Cook’s Illustrated, shared by My Saratoga Kitchen Table
Serves: 8 to 10

Ingredients
*Ingredients currently available at the farmers’ market
● 2 pounds Swiss chard*
● 1 pound curly kale*, stemmed and cut into 1 inch wide strips
● 2 garlic cloves*, peeled
● 3 cups rustic white bread*, cut into ¾ inch cubes
● 5 Tablespoons olive oil, divided
● 1 cup Parmesan cheese
● ¾ teaspoon table salt, divided
● ½ teaspoon pepper, divided
● 1 onion*, chopped coarse
● 1½ teaspoon minced fresh thyme*
● 1 cup heavy cream
● ⅛ teaspoon ground nutmeg

Instructions
1. Adjust oven rack to upper-middle position and heat oven to 375 degrees. Stem chard, then cut stems into 2 inch lengths and set aside. Slice leaves into 1 inch wide strips. Bring 2 cups water to boil in Dutch oven over high heat. Add kale, cover and reduce heat to medium-high. Cook until kale is wilted about 5 minutes, stirring halfway through cooking. Add chard leaves, cover and continue to cook until chard is wilted, about 4 minutes longer, stirring halfway through cooking. Transfer to colander set in sink and let drain. Do not wash pot.
2. Pulse garlic in food processor until coarsely chopped, 5 to 7 pulses. Add bread and 3 Tablespoons oil and pulse until largest crumbs are smaller than ¼ inch, 8 to 10 pulses. Add Parmesan cheese, ¼ teaspoon salt, and ¼ teaspoon pepper and pulse to combine. Transfer to bowl.
3. Add onion and chard stems to now empty processor and process until finely chopped, scraping down sides of bowl as needed, 20 to 30 seconds. Transfer to now-empty pot. Add thyme, remaining 2 Tablespoons oil, remaining ½ teaspoon salt, and remaining ¼ teaspoon pepper. Cook over medium high heat, stirring occasionally, until moisture has evaporated and mixture is just beginning to brown, 8 to 10 minutes.
4. Using spatula, press gently on greens in colander to remove excess moisture. Transfer greens to pot with onion mixture. Add cream and nutmeg and stir to combine. Transfer mixture to 13 X 9 inch baking dish. Sprinkle bread crumb mixture evenly over surface. Bake until topping is golden brown and filling bubbles around edges 20 to 25 minutes. Let cool for 10 minutes before serving.

Beans and Greens

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Photo by Pattie Garrett

Recipe by Mark Bittman, shared by My Saratoga Kitchen Table
Serves: 8

Ingredients
* Ingredients currently available at the farmers’ market
● 1 pound of dried beans*
● 1 medium onion*, unpeeled
● 2 teaspoons salt
● 1 teaspoon pepper
● 2 bunches (about 3 pounds) escarole (or other greens such as broccoli rabe, kale*, or swiss chard*) with no stem over ¼ inch thick, well washed and roughly chopped
● 2 Tablespoons minced garlic, or more to taste
● ¼ cup olive oil
● 1 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese or other aged hard cheese* of choice
● Optional garnish: fresh breadcrumbs

Instructions
1. Rinse the beans under running water, picking through them for stones or debris. Soak them if you have the time, and put them in a large pot with enough cold water to cover by about three inches. Add the onion. Bring the water to a boil, then reduce the heat so bubbles are barely visible. Cover the pot tightly and let the beans cook undisturbed for 45 minutes.
2. Try a bean. If it’s at all tender, add the salt and pepper. Make sure the beans are still covered by about an inch of water. Add a little more if necessary. If the beans are still hard, don’t add seasoning yet and make sure they’re covered by about two inches of water, if not, add some.
3. Return the liquid to its very gentle bubble and cover. Now start checking for doneness every 10 to 15 minutes and if necessary add enough water to keep the beans just submerged. Small beans will take as little as 15 minutes or more. Older or larger beans can take up to an hour or more. If you haven’t added salt and pepper yet, add them when the beans are just turning tender.
4. Add the greens and cook until they are tender, 10 to 30 minutes depending on the thickness of the stems. If you want a soupy mixture add more water. Remove the onion. A few minutes before serving, stir in the garlic and olive oil. Spoon the beans and greens into bowls, and garnish with Parmesan and breadcrumbs.

Notes: Use any white bean. Substitute dried with canned beans.