Saratoga Farmers' Market

Local Business

The Magic of Maple: New Spins on an Old Favorite

By

by Kristin Cleveland

 

Sap lines at Slate Valley Farms

As light returns to our region and cold nights alternate with warm days, sap runs in the trees and maple sugaring season begins. On Saturday, March 16th, the Saratoga Farmers’ Market celebrates this sweet time of year with Maple Day! Vendors throughout the market will offer maple-inspired samples and recipes, and Gina Willis, manager of the maple production at her family’s Slate Valley Farms, will introduce a new spin on this traditional treat: maple syrup infusions.

Willis grew up learning about making maple, honey, and other farm products with her parents Pat and Susan Imbimbo. She earned a degree in Agricultural Business and Horticulture at SUNY Cobleskill and then returned to help run the family farm.

Sugar House at Slate Valley Farms

This decision makes Willis unusual in the maple industry, as most maple operations are run by men. Willis is excited to take up the family tradition and also innovate. Last summer she attended classes at the Maple Producers Convention to learn about naturally infusing a variety of flavors into maple syrup. She has since tested over 30 infusions in her commercial kitchen, and on Saturday she’ll bring samples of four (vanilla bean, blueberry, Ceylon cinnamon, and coffee bean) plus a bourbon barrel aged maple syrup. In addition, she’ll offer samples of all of the grades of syrup made at Slate Valley Farms during the 2019 harvest.

Willis is also continuing a project, started by her grandmother, of sharing a wide variety of maple recipes, from sweet to savory, salty to spicy. Instead of a traditional cookbook, Willis is developing a cooking video web series. She’ll provide a sneak preview at the market, giving out recipes like Maple Apple Sheet Cake and Savory Maple Rice and Beans, which she loves because it combines “northeast sweet flavor with southwest zest!”

Willis is thrilled to devote her life to both the beloved traditions and new possibilities of maple. She enjoys having a connection to her family’s woodlands and managing them year-round to ensure a great maple season. She explains, “Being able to have an occupation that allows me to be in tune with nature is a wonderful perk.”

Also at Saturday’s market will be an opportunity to try an old New England sugaring tradition, sweet maple syrup drizzled over a sour dill pickle, plus some local vendor creations like maple-vanilla Italian cream sodas, real maple lattes, and maple cheesecakes.

Saratoga Cafe Brings its Special Touch of Sweetness to Farmers’ Market

By

By Julia Howard, Market Director

 

Photo courtesy of Pattie Garrett

My first taste of mixed berry jelly from The Country Corner Cafe convinced me that not all canned fruits are created equal. The flavor was pure fruit enhanced by a touch of sweetness. I was excited.

“We use half the sugar in our jams and jellies and pies,” said Roseann Hotaling, of The Country Corner Cafe. “We want the flavor to shine through and not the sugary sweetness.”

The cafe is well known for its breakfasts and lunches in Saratoga Springs. Now, Hotaling and her son Eric are taking some of their favorite products a step further, supplying them to local businesses and selling at farmers’ markets.

The Country Corner Cafe made its debut at the Saratoga Farmers’ Market this year, offering jams and jellies along with pies and fudge at the Wednesday market.

Roseann Hotaling of The Country Corner Cafe, photo courtesy of Pattie Garrett

“Farmers’ markets are such a great opportunity to visit and interact with people,” said Hotaling. Besides the Saratoga Farmers’ Market, she offers her products at the Nine Pin Cider tasting room, Impressions of Saratoga and the Spa City market.

Such home arts as baking, canning, and preservation run deep in Hotaling’s family history, which stretches back to her childhood in Walton, NY. Her grandmother and mother taught her the art of preservation, and after earning a degree in restaurant management, Hotaling began working first in a hospital/nursing home food facility and then with the state’s Child Nutrition Services program for public schools. This role brought her to Saratoga Springs in 1988, as director of the school district’s nutritional services.

The closing of a downtown luncheonette created an opportunity for Hotaling to start her own restaurant and in 1991 The Country Corner Cafe was born.

Hotaling has passed her knowledge of baking, canning, and preservation on to her sons Jared and Eric, who worked alongside her in the cafe kitchen. Eric continues to work with the restaurant, much to Hotaling’s delight.

“He has such an attention to detail and pride in everything he makes,” Hotaling said. “It’s a pleasure to work with him.”

Hotaling also recently celebrated the birth of a granddaughter, a sign perhaps that a family tradition will continue.

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