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

Shop Local, Eat Fresh

maple syrup

Chicken Spinach Salad with Butternut Squash

By

Recipe by The Roasted Root, shared by My Saratoga Kitchen Table

Serves: 4

Ingredients

For the Vinaigrette:

  • ¼ cup olive oil
  • 3 Tablespoons cider vinegar*
  • 1 Tablespoon maple syrup*
  • ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon

For the chicken and butternut squash:

  • 1 pound boneless chicken tenders or breasts*
  • 1 Tablespoon olive oil
  • 1 teaspoon oregano
  • 1 teaspoon paprika
  • 2 teaspoons olive oil
  • 2 cups butternut squash*, peeled and chopped
  • ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon

For the Salad:

  • 5 ounces of fresh baby spinach*
  • ½ cup raw pecan halves
  • ¼ cup golden raisins
  • 1 large green apple*, cored and sliced

Instructions

  1. For the vinaigrette: Whisk all the ingredients for the vinaigrette in a small bowl until smooth.
  2. For the chicken and butternut squash: Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.Place chicken in a casserole dish. Drizzle with 1 Tablespoon olive oil, and sprinkle with oregano, and paprika. Place the squash on a baking sheet. Drizzle with 2 teaspoons olive oil and ½ teaspoon cinnamon. Roast the squash and chicken in the oven for 25 minutes or until the squash is tender and golden brown. Continue to cook the chicken until cooked through.
  3. For the Salad: Place spinach in a bowl or on individual plates. Top with pecans, raisins, squash, chicken, and apples. Drizzle vinaigrette over salad.

*Ingredients currently available at the farmers’ market

Baked Oatmeal with Maple Syrup

By

Recipe shared by My Saratoga Kitchen Table

Yield: 6 servings

Ingredients

  • 2 cups milk*
  • ⅓ cup maple syrup*
  • 1 egg*
  • 3 Tablespoons butter, melted, divided
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 2 apples*, peeled and cut into slices
  • ½ cup raisins
  • ½ cup dried cranberries
  • 2 cups old fashioned oats
  • ½ cup walnuts, chopped
  • 1½ teaspoon cinnamon

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 375°F. Grease an 8-inch baking dish.
  2. In a medium bowl, whisk together the milk, maple syrup, egg, 2 Tablespoons of melted butter, and vanilla extract.
  3. Arrange the apple slices in a single layer on the bottom of the baking dish. Sprinkle ¼ cup of the raisins and ¼ cup of dried cranberries on top of the apples. Cover with oats. Spread the oats evenly over the apples. Drizzle the milk mixture over the top of the oats. Top with walnuts, cinnamon, and remaining raisins and cranberries.
  4. Bake for 35 to 45 minutes, or until the top is golden brown and the mixture is set. Remove from oven and let sit for 5 minutes. Drizzle the remaining melted butter and enjoy!

*Ingredients currently available at the farmers’ market

Maple Syrup a Sign of Spring

By

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

Chicken Spinach Salad with Butternut Squash

By

Photo by Pattie Garrett

Recipe by The Roasted Root, shared by My Saratoga Kitchen Table
Serves: 4

Ingredients
For the Vinaigrette:
● ¼ cup olive oil*
● 3 Tablespoons cider vinegar*
● 1 Tablespoon maple syrup*
● ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon

For the chicken and butternut squash:
● 1 pound boneless chicken tenders or breasts*
● 1 Tablespoon olive oil*
● 1 teaspoon oregano
● 1 teaspoon paprika
● 2 teaspoons olive oil*
● 2 cups butternut squash*, peeled and chopped
● ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon

For the Salad:
● 5 ounces of fresh baby spinach*
● ½ cup raw pecan halves
● ¼ cup golden raisins
● 1 large green apple*, cored and sliced

Instructions
1. For the vinaigrette: Whisk all the ingredients for the vinaigrette in a small bowl until smooth.
2. For the chicken and butternut squash: Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.Place chicken in a casserole dish. Drizzle with 1 Tablespoon olive oil, and sprinkle with oregano, and paprika. Place the squash on a baking sheet. Drizzle with 2 teaspoons olive oil and ½ teaspoon cinnamon. Roast the squash and chicken in the oven for 25 minutes or until the squash is tender and golden brown. Continue to cook the chicken until cooked through.
3. For the Salad: Place spinach in bowl or on individual plates. Top with pecans, raisins, squash, chicken and apples. Drizzle vinaigrette over salad.

Green Peanut Butter Banana Smoothie

By

iStock

Recipe courtesy of Diane Whitten, Food and Nutrition Educator for Cornell Cooperative Extension of Saratoga County
Makes 2 1-cup servings

Ingredients
*Ingredients currently available at the Saratoga Farmers’ Market
● 1 cup spinach leaves*
● 1 tsp honey* or maple syrup*
● 1 tbsp creamy peanut butter*
● 1 cup milk*
● 1 ripe banana, peeled and frozen overnight
● dash of cinnamon*
● 2-4 ice cubes as desired
● Optional additions: frozen berries*, ground flaxseed, raw cacao powder

Instructions
Place all ingredients and ice in a blender. Blend until smooth. Taste and check consistency. If the smoothie is too thick, add a little more milk.

Kentucky Kiss Cocktail

By

Recipe by Colleen Graham, The Spruce Eats
Prep time: 3 mins
Yield: 1 cocktail

Kentucky Kiss Cocktail, photo by Madison Jackson

Ingredients
*Ingredients currently available at the farmers’ market
● 2 large fresh strawberries*, sliced
● 1/2 ounce lemon juice
● 1/2 ounce maple syrup*
● 2 ounces bourbon whiskey*
● 1 splash club soda
● A fresh strawberry*, for garnish

Instructions
1. Gather the ingredients. In an old-fashioned glass, add the strawberries, lemon juice, and maple syrup. Muddle well, until the berries are mashed.
2. Add the bourbon and fill the glass with ice. Stir well.
3. Add a splash of club soda.
4. Garnish with a strawberry. Serve and enjoy.