Saratoga Farmers' Market

maple syrup

Apple Cinnamon Smoothie

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Recipe shared by Moon Cycle Seed Company
Makes 1 smoothie

Ideal for cycling phase #1 with the pumpkin and flaxseed blend. Follicular phase foods include high protein for giving muscle building blocks and high-fat foods along with good sources of folate, vitamin B12 and vitamin E to nourish the follicle.

Ingredients
*Ingredients currently available at the farmers’ market
● 1 apple*, peeled and cored
● ½ cup vanilla Greek yogurt* (preferably organic) or 1 tbsp vanilla protein powder
● ½ cup almond milk
● 1 tsp vanilla extract
● 2 tbsp honey* or maple syrup*
● 2 TBSP pumpkin/flax blend*
● 1 tsp cinnamon
● 2 tsp coconut oil

Instructions
Blend all ingredients together until smooth. Enjoy!

Sweet Potato and Cranberry Sauté

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Recipe by Liza Porter, cookbook editor and former owner of Homestead Artisans & Longview Farm
Serves: 4


Ingredients
*Ingredients currently available at the Saratoga Farmers’ Market
● ¾ cup apple juice or water
● 1 lb sweet potatoes*, sliced
● 1 medium cooking apple*, chopped
● ¼ cup dried cranberries
● 2 T maple syrup*
● ¼ tsp salt
● ¼ cup whole hazelnuts or walnuts

Instructions
Place the nuts in a dry frying pan, over high heat, and toast, stirring frequently, until they smell toasted and are not scorched. Immediately pour onto a chopping board or into a chopping bowl and chop finely. Set aside. Pour the juice or water into a 10-inch skillet. Add sweet potatoes and shake the pan to spread them out. Bring to a boil. Lower heat and cook, covered, until potatoes are almost fork-tender, about 10-12 minutes. Stir in apple, cranberries, maple syrup, and salt. Boil gently for 5-6 minutes until the apple is just tender and the liquid is syrupy. Place in serving bowl. Sprinkle with nuts. Top with a tarragon sprig if desired.

Squash Pie

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Recipe by New York Times and Bake from Scratch, prepared and shared by My Saratoga Kitchen Table
Makes one 9-inch pie

Photo by Pattie Garrett

Ingredients
*Ingredients currently available at the farmers’ market

Pie filling:
● 2 large eggs*, plus 2 egg yolks
● 1½ teaspoons vanilla extract
● ½ cup dark brown sugar
● ¼ teaspoon fine sea salt
● 1½ teaspoons ground ginger
● 1½ teaspoons ground cinnamon
● ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
● pinch cayenne pepper
● 1½ cups roasted squash* puree (butternut, honeynut, tetsukabuto, hubbard)
● ¾ cup heavy cream*

For gingersnap crust:
● 2 cups gingersnap crumbs
● ¼ cup firmly packed light brown sugar
● ½ teaspoon kosher salt
● ¼ cup unsalted butter*, melted

For maple whipped cream:
● ½ cup heavy whipping cream
● 2 Tablespoons maple syrup*

Instructions

Pie filling:

  1. Combine eggs, vanilla, sugar, salt and spices in a food processor and process until smooth. Add squash puree and process until smooth. With machine running, pour in heavy cream and process to combine.
  2. Scrape into pie crust and bake for 20 minutes at 300 degrees. Then turn up the oven to 325 degrees and continue baking for another 20 to 25 minutes until the filling is set 2⁄3rd of the way in from the perimeter and center still jiggles. Tent edges loosely with foil if browning too quickly.

    For gingersnap crust:
  3. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a medium bowl, whisk together gingersnap crumbs, brown sugar, and salt. Add melted butter, stirring until well combined. Using the bottom of a measuring cup, gently press crumb mixture into bottom and up sides of a 9 inch pie plate. Bake 10 minutes. Let cool completely on wire rack.

    For maple whipped cream:
  4. In a bowl, beat the cream and maple syrup at high speed until stiff peaks form, 2 to 3 minutes.


    Notes: To make butternut squash puree, coat 1 peeled, seeded, and quartered butternut squash with 1 Tablespoon olive oil. Place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Roast in a 400 degree oven until soft, 45 minutes to 1 hour. Let cool completely. Scrape out the pulp. Transfer pulp to a food processor and process on high until pureed.

Maple Almond Butter Sauce Served over Pasta

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Recipe courtesy of Laura Kenny, SFMA Intern 2019

Ingredients
*Ingredients currently available at the Saratoga Farmers’ Market
● Cooked pasta noodles*
● ½ cup Nut Zez maple almond butter*
● 1-½ teaspoon minced garlic*
● 3 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce
● 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar or try honey balsamic dressing*
● 1 tablespoon honey* or maple syrup*
● 1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper*
● ½ cup of hot water
● Optional garnishes include: chopped almonds, scallions, or carrots* cut into matchsticks

Instructions

  1. Combine all the ingredients except water into a food processor and blender until smooth.
  2. Add water until desired consistency is achieved.
  3. Cooked pasta according to the instructions and pour mixture over the pasta.
  4. Serve with chopped almonds, sliced scallions, and/or carrots.

    To add extra protein, top with chicken or tofu.

Maple Syrup Pudding

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Adapted from the recipe by Schoolhouse Maple, shared by My Saratoga Kitchen Table

Serves: 4

 

INGREDIENTS

*Ingredients currently available at the farmers’ market

  • ⅓ cup dark maple syrup*
  • 2 cups milk*
  • 3 Tablespoons corn starch
  • 1 large egg* yolk
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • 1 Tablespoon butter*

 

INSTRUCTIONS

  1. Whisk syrup, milk, cornstarch, and egg in a saucepan. Cook on medium high heat for 8 minutes while continually whisking. Remove from heat and add vanilla and butter.
  2. Pour in 4 individual dishes. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours before serving.

 

NOTES:

Top with whipped cream:

1 cup whipping cream (heavy cream*)

3 Tablespoons maple syrup*

Beat cream until soft peaks begin to form. Add maple syrup and continue beating until stiff peaks form.

 

The Magic of Maple: New Spins on an Old Favorite

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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.