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Local

Smart Gardening with Starter Plants

May 18, 2022 By marketeditor

 

By Julia Howard

 

With spring’s last projected frost date safely behind us, gardening enthusiasts take out their trowels and prepare garden plots for planting. But if you’re new to gardening, the process may seem overwhelming. We spoke with Susan Beebe, Assistant Director/Agriculture Issue Leader of Cornell Cooperative Extension of Saratoga County, to understand the basics of gardening with starter plants.

To begin, determine where you would like to plant. Perhaps you have space for a garden or raised beds in your yard, or maybe planting in containers seems more feasible.

If planting in the ground, Susan Beebe explains that the first and most crucial step is to determine the pH of your soil. “Soil pH is important because it will help you prepare to plant your garden,” explains Beebe. To collect a soil sample, walk through the area that you would like to plant and collect soil samples from various places. Dig 3” to 8” deep and scoop about ½ cup of soil into a clean container. Soil samples may be brought to Cornell Cooperative Extension’s Master Gardener table at the farmers’ market on the third Wednesday of every month or directly to their office.

Burger’s MarketGarden, photo by Pattie Garrett

If planting in raised beds, Beebe recommends combining potting soil and compost to hold water and prevent moisture from draining out. “Soil is alive and full of microorganisms that plants need to survive,” says Beebe. “Adding green manure, compost, or even a cover crop can keep soil healthy while planting in raised beds.”

If planting in containers, Beebe advises using soilless mixes rather than potting soil. “A benefit to the soilless mixes is that they are much lighter than potting soil and allow you to move your containers around. The counterpart is that these mixes have a tendency to dry out, so depending on the location, you may have to water your containers more,” explains Beebe.

Once your soil is ready, it’s time to buy plants. Several vendors offer various herbs, fruit, and vegetable starter plants at the Saratoga Farmers’ Market. These plants are typically several weeks old and have been nurtured through the most delicate early stages of growth by professional growers in a greenhouse. If you have questions about what to plant, ask the growers; Balet Flowers & Design, Burger’s MarketGarden, Gomez Veggie Ville, Green Jeans Market Farm, Leaning Birch, and Old Tavern Farm.

Green Jeans Market Farm, photo by Pattie Garrett

Now it’s time to plant. Once you’ve popped the first plant out of the container, pull the roots apart with your hands gently; you can look to see how tightly wound the roots are. “You need to pull the roots apart with your hands gently,” Susan Beebe instructs. “You may even use a little knife to break the roots because the goal is to stop their circling motion so that they can spread into the ground,” she adds. When planting, maintain the level it was grown at rather than planting deeper. “The only exception is leggy tomato plants that you can bury deeper,” says Beebe.

Once your starters are planted, water generously and ensure 6+ hours of sunlight a day. Some leafy crops like spinach can thrive with less sun; however, vegetables like carrots, beets, and peppers need 6+ hours a day.

Fruit and vegetables thrive and produce more with light fertilizing at planting. The appropriate fertilizer depends on how you’re growing and what you’re growing. Beebe recommends side-dressing again with fertilizer 2-3 weeks after planting to ensure healthy, productive plants.

With your new garden well underway, Beebe has some takeaway points. “You need trial and error, so don’t be scared by anything. And, each year, try something you haven’t tried before. It’s not always going to work, but you will continue to learn.”

The Saratoga Farmers’ Market is open Saturdays from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Wilton Mall and Wednesdays from 3 to 6 p.m. at the City Center parking garage. Markets return to High Rock Park on June 1. Find us online at saratogafarmersmarket.org and follow us on Facebook and Instagram.

Filed Under: Featured Article, homepage feature, News Tagged With: eathealthy, farmtotable, Gardening, Local, regional, Saratoga Farmers' Market, Saratoga Springs, shoplocal, shopsmall

Spring Salad with Bok Choy & Apples

May 10, 2022 By marketeditor

Adapted from the recipe by Nava Atlas

Prep time: 15 min

Makes 4-6 servings

Ingredients

For the salad:

  • 3 baby bok choy*, thinly sliced
  • 5 ounces pea shoots*
  • 1 large carrot*, grated
  • 1 apple*, julienned (sliced into short, thin strips)

For the vinaigrette:

  • ¼ cup apple cider vinegar*
  • 1 teaspoon honey*
  • 1 garlic clove, grated
  • ¼ teaspoon Dijon mustard
  • ¼ teaspoon sea salt
  • Freshly ground black pepper
  • ¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil

Instructions

  1. Combine the salad ingredients in a mixing bowl and toss them together.
  2. Combine the vinaigrette ingredients in a jar with a tight-fitting lid and shake vigorously.
  3. Toss the salad with the vinaigrette, and season gently with salt and pepper.
  4. Transfer the salad to a serving platter, let stand for a few minutes so that the flavors can blend, then serve.

 

*Ingredients currently available at the Saratoga Farmers’ Market

 

Filed Under: News, Seasonal Recipes Tagged With: eat healthy, farm to table, Local, regional, Saratoga Farmers' Market, Saratoga Springs

Roasted Fiddleheads with Goat Cheese

May 10, 2022 By marketeditor

Adapted from the recipe by Gloria Duggan | Homemade & Yummy

Prep & cook time: 40 min

Makes 6 servings

Ingredients

  • 1 pound fresh fiddlehead ferns*
  • 3 tablespoons olive oil
  • salt & pepper to taste
  • 3 ounces goat cheese*, crumbled

Instructions

  1. Preheat the oven to 425º F. Wash and rinse the fiddleheads several times, removing the brown papery husks. Pat dry and remove any loose brown leaves and trim any dry ends.
  2. Place cleaned fiddleheads into a roasting dish. Coat with olive oil and season with salt & pepper.
  3. Roast for 25-30 minutes, stirring about ½ way through.
  4. Remove from the oven and place on a serving tray, and top with crumbled goat cheese.

 

*Ingredients currently available at the Saratoga Farmers’ Market

Filed Under: News, Seasonal Recipes Tagged With: farm to table, farmers' market, Local, regional, Saratoga Springs

Spring Leads the Way with Fiddleheads and Fresh Greens

May 10, 2022 By marketeditor

By Julia Howard

 

Spring can feel misleading in Upstate NY, sometimes reminding us of the winter we left behind and pushing us toward summer faster than anticipated. But the rhythm of spring doesn’t miss a beat when it comes to seasonal produce. Spring vegetables ‘opening act’ features fiddleheads, bok choy, lettuce mixes, radishes, and microgreens.

These flavorful vegetables fulfill our cravings for fresh, nourishing food and require little preparation. What’s better is they are harvested just before the farmers’ markets and brought a short distance to be sold to market-goers – offering the opportunity to taste the difference in locally-grown food.

Leaning Birch Farm is bringing fiddleheads, a seasonal delicacy only available for a few short weeks of the year. Fiddleheads are young ferns, and they have an earthy flavor with a texture reminiscent of asparagus. They may be boiled, sautéed, or roasted with olive oil, then lightly salted with a squeeze of lemon.

Several farms such as Owl Wood, Lovin’ Mama, Pleasant Valley, Gomez Veggie Ville, and Leaning Birch are bringing early harvests of greens; lettuce mixes, and microgreens, spinach, kale, arugula, and bok choy. These tender cuttings are perfect for spring salads. Add fresh herbs, radishes, apples, carrots, sautéed mushrooms, and your favorite vinaigrette for a satisfying meal.

While rhubarb and asparagus are on their way, don’t overlook spring’s fleeting flavors while they are available.

This weeks recipes: Roasted Fiddleheads with Goat Cheese and a Spring Salad with Bok Choy and Apples 

The Saratoga Farmers’ Market is open on Saturdays from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Wilton Mall parking lot near the TrustCo entrance. The Wednesday farmers’ market is open from 3 to 6 p.m. in front of the City Center parking garage on High Rock Ave. Both markets will return to High Rock Park in June. Find us online at www.saratogafarmersmarket.org, where you can sign up for our weekly newsletter and follow us on Facebook and Instagram.

Filed Under: Featured Article, homepage feature, News Tagged With: farmersmarket, Local, regional, Saratoga Springs

Maple Syrup a Sign of Spring

March 14, 2022 By marketeditor

By Julia Howard

In the quiet of the night, on the eve of a March snowstorm, Slate Valley Farms’ owners Pat Imbimbo and his daughter Gina Willis began boiling sap for their first batch of maple syrup for the season. 

“Last year, we started boiling on Valentine’s Day, so I worked hard and tapped our entire farm in February thinking I was behind,” says Gina. “But then it stayed cold this whole time, so I had weeks of waiting and checking every day to see if we could start boiling.”

For maple syrup producers, the climate is a crucial factor. When daytime temperatures rise above freezing and nighttime temperatures fall below freezing, the fluctuation creates pressure in the maple trees, encouraging sap to flow. 

120-yr-old maple at Slate Valley Farms, courtesy of Slate Valley Farms

This season, Pat and Gina tapped 4,000 maple trees on their 101-acre family-run farm in the hills of Granville near the Vermont border. 

Their sap-gathering is automated, using a vacuum system Pat monitors on his iPhone. The sap runs through a reverse osmosis system, removing much of the water before boiling.  This method results in less boiling time, less fuel, and a better quality syrup. 

This Saturday, March 19, the Saratoga Farmers’ Market celebrates the beginning of maple season and the return of Slate Valley with the season’s first batch of maple syrup. There will be plenty of maple-infused food and drinks to enjoy, too!

 

TogoNola, photo by Toni Nastasi

TogaNola offers $1 off of its products made with locally-produced maple syrup. Nettle Meadow will bring their maple chevre, and R&G Cheesemakers will have their sweet and spicy maple chipotle chevre. Argyle Cheese Farmer will have maple Greek yogurt and traditional maple yogurt. Stop by Something’s Brewing for a maple latte or a bag of maple-nut flavored coffee beans. Muddy Trail’s Jerky Co. will bring a variety of maple products: maple beef snack sticks, maple BBQ dry rub, and pancake mix for soaking up all that delicious maple syrup.

Various local farms will bring eggs, bacon, and ham to make sweet and savory maple-drenched breakfasts to help you celebrate maple season at home.

Children and families can look forward to a maple-themed activity at Saturday’s celebration of maple season.

At Slate Valley Farms, Gina is hopeful for a lengthy and abundant maple sap harvest with prolonged cold temperatures. A reason for all of us to appreciate the changeable temperatures that come with spring’s onset.

This weeks recipe: Baked Oatmeal with Maple Syrup

Filed Under: Featured Article, homepage feature, News Tagged With: Argyle Cheese Farmer, boiling sap, eat local, farmers markets, Granville, Local, local farmers, local farms, local producers, maple, Maple Day, maple month, maple products, maple syrup, maple trees, march, Nettle Meadow, R&G Cheesemakers, sap, Saratoga Farmers' Market, Saratoga Spings, shop local, shop small, shop small business, Slate Valley Farm, Something's Brewing, sugar maples, sugar shack, TogaNola

Roasted Beet and Apple Salad with Honey Dijon Vinaigrette

February 28, 2022 By marketeditor

Recipe by Marisa Kerkvliet

Yields: 4 servings 

Ingredients 

*Ingredients currently available at the farmers’ market 

For the salad: 

  • 3 medium-size beets or 1 large beet* 
  • 1 apple, thinly sliced* 
  • 1 bag baby lettuce* 
  • 1 handful pea shoots or microgreens* 
  •  ⅓ cup crumbled feta cheese* 
  • ¼ cup toasted walnuts 

For the vinaigrette 

  • ¼ cup olive oil 
  • 2 tablespoons white wine vinegar 
  • 2 tablespoons minced red or yellow onion* 
  • 2 teaspoons honey* 
  • 1 teaspoon dijon mustard 
  • ¼ teaspoon kosher salt 
  • ⅛ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper 

Instructions 

  1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Trim the stem end off of each beet, wrap in a piece of aluminum foil, and place on a rimmed baking sheet. Roast beets for 1-2 hours or until they are tender when pierced with a paring knife. 
  2. Allow the beets to cool and gently rub off the skin. The beets can be used at this point or stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. 
  3. When ready to serve, slice the beets into ¼ inch slices and arrange them on a serving platter. Layer on the sliced apple, baby lettuce, pea shoots, feta cheese, and walnuts and set aside. 
  4. To make the dressing combine the olive oil, white wine vinegar, minced onion, honey, dijon mustard, salt, and pepper in the jar or a small blender and blend on high for 15-30 seconds or until completely smooth. If you do not have a blender small enough for this quantity, simply whisk all the ingredients together in a small bowl. 
  5. Pour dressing over the plated salad and serve immediately.

Filed Under: News, Seasonal Recipes Tagged With: Apple, apples, beets, cheese, crumbled feta, eat local, farmers, feta, honey, honey dijon, lettuce, Local, local farms, microgreens, mustard, olive oil, onion, pea shoots, pepper, recipe, roasted beets, salad, salt, Saratoga Farmers' Market, shop local, shop small, shop small business, small farms, walnuts, winter salad

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After a much anticipated wait, come June 1st, the After a much anticipated wait, come June 1st, the Saratoga Farmers’ Market will be returning to High Rock Park for our Wednesday and Saturday Markets! Thank you to everyone on our team, our vendors, customers and friends who have helped to make this transition happen. Stay tuned for upcoming events celebrating our move! 

Photo: Flowers from @lovinmamafarm 

Parking will be available on High Rock Ave and in the new City Center Parking Garage (free for the first hour and $1/hr after that) 

#saratogasprings #farmersmarket #farmtotable #shoplocal #june1st #highrockpark
It is our second to last market on High Rock Ave b It is our second to last market on High Rock Ave before heading back over to the pavilion on June 1st!!! Stop by tomorrow from 3-6pm for our musical guest Dave Moore and our friends from @bsneny 

Photos by Pattie Garrett @mysaratogakitchentable 

#farmtotable #saratogafarmersmarket #shoplocal #healthyfood #smallbuisness
Join us this Saturday for the Saratoga Farmers’ Join us this Saturday for the Saratoga Farmers’ Market located at the Wilton mall from 9am to 1pm. Our friends from @comfortfoodcommunity will be there along with our musical guest @maltacoustic . Don’t forget your sunscreen!

#saratogasprings #shoplocal #farmtotable #shopsmall #farmersmarket
Tomorrow at our Wednesday 3-6pm Market outside the Tomorrow at our Wednesday 3-6pm Market outside the lower city civic center parking lot @northernriversfostercare will be joining us for a seed planting activity for kids! #saratogasprings #farmersmarket #shoplocal

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