Saratoga Farmers' Market

kids

Creatively Extending Thanksgiving Traditions

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By Julia Howard

Thanksgiving is often defined by gathering with family and friends over an abundance of food. During this time, many of us lean heavily on traditions by preparing a family recipe or sharing an activity year after year. Traditions, however, are ever changing — perhaps you cannot make it home for Thanksgiving or a family member wants to start traditions of their own. What can you do to heighten, deepen, and extend Thanksgiving to its most memorable end? Here are some ideas from the Saratoga Farmers’ Market.

Photo by Pattie Garrett

Make a memorable Thanksgiving with your children by getting them involved. Even the most simple prepared dish can be an engaging activity offering a sensory experience, bonding with a friend or family member, and perhaps even encouragement to try something new. We recommend baked apples, a recipe shared by Saratoga Apple and available on our website, or a vegetable tian which is a wonderful way to introduce basic cutting skills and creativity with arranging colorful vegetables.

Holiday Centerpiece

Create a holiday centerpiece as a different way to contribute to the Thanksgiving table. Find inspiration in a palette of local items such as colorful winter quash, flowering kale, beeswax candles, unique pottery, and holiday greens. Items may be arranged by tiers or in a long row down the holiday table. Rely on your own creative instincts and enjoy decorating a festive gathering place.

Photo by Pattie Garrett

Shop for holiday meal ingredients together at the farmers’ market. Eating together is at the heart of the family experience, which means shopping together is just as important. Enjoy time with family and friends by organizing a holiday menu and shopping for the items at the farmers’ market. The farmers’ market provides a community gathering place for a shopping experience that is social and fun.

Holiday Cheese Plate, photo by Pattie Garrett

Bring a little bit of everything to the holiday table… on a cheese plate or charcuterie board. Whether presented as an appetizer or part of the holiday feast, a cheese plate or charcuterie board allows for a variety of foods to be piled high and enjoyed by all. Fermented vegetables, artisan bread, fresh fruit and vegetables, meats, and cheeses are just some of the items that can be used to create a unique spread that’s as visually stunning as it is delicious.

Healthy Back to School Snacks

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By Barb Biagioli

It’s that time of year again: Back to School. This typically means back to messy mudrooms, crazy schedules, pick-ups, drop-offs, empty refrigerators and unorganized pantries, and most scary of all, “hangry” kids running amok in the afternoon hours, impatiently awaiting a snack.

If you’re back to school this season, having snacks ready to go is key to preventing meltdowns and madness. With a little bit of preparation, you can make a week’s worth of snacks ahead of time – ones to take to work, pack in kid’s lunches, keep in the fridge for after school snacks, or take on the road. I’m often asked what snacks are best for kids, what’s easy and best for on-the-go, or can be made ahead of time, so I’ll share a few of my tips with you.

Photo courtesy of Pattie Garrett

1. Avoid snacks that come in a box, bag or wrapper, and use your local farmer’s market to inspire healthy snacks for yourself and your kids! Keep it simple, nutritious, and colorful and snacking will be tasty and fun.

2. Cut, chop, and prep easy staple snacks – like veggies for dipping – in containers in advance of the school week.

Photo courtesy of Pattie Garrett

3. Dig out old baby food containers – you know, the ones you used for freezing pureed baby food. They’re ideal individual snack trays for your children. You can make sweet or savory trays using farmer’s market produce – try cherry tomatoes, zucchini, and carrots with hummus in the center for dipping. Or slice apple, pear, and place roasted sweet potatoes into the tray paired with nut butter.

4. Make healthy green muffins for the week, double the batch and place them in your freezer for later in the month.

Photo courtesy of Pattie Garrett

5. Throw together a hummus quesadilla with whatever suitable produce you have left in the house. Otherwise known as the “everything but the kitchen sink” hummus quesadilla. I’ll show you how.

Seasonally, we are edging out of summer produce but still relishing in tomatoes, peppers, and dark leafy greens, as we’re also sharing in the wonders of the autumn harvest! The best of both worlds colliding to yield a farmer’s market bounty that is overflowing from bins and baskets – the perfect inspiration for our “anything goes” quesadillas. There are a few fun ways to put together a hummus quesadilla, but certainly no wrong way as long as you have some veggies on hand, hummus and tortilla wraps.