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move

Creating a menu at the market

January 6, 2020 By marketeditor

By Himanee Gupta-Carlson

Longlesson Farm, photo by Pattie Garrett

Those who frequent the Saratoga Farmers’ Market know it’s a special space. For four hours, shoppers, farmers, other vendors, and volunteers come together to talk food, shop and sell, and bop to the music of the week. The energy is electric, and the food is beautiful. We go home a bit tired but with our taste buds alive, eager to cook and eat.

And sometimes you arrive and discover your favorite vendor has sold out of eggs. Beef stew meat or pork chops are unavailable on that particular day. Vendors have onions but not scallions. Fresh greens, particularly in the winter months, are scarce.

Pleasant Valley Farm, photo by Pattie Garrett

In some ways, this unpredictability makes the market what it is. When farmers and other vendors bring to market foods that they themselves grow, raise or make, availability will vary from week-to-week, and certainly by season. The market cannot offer everything, but it can assure customers that our food has not traveled 1,500 miles to reach its destination – which is an average computed by the U.S. Department of Agriculture for produce offered at grocery stores. Our foods are locally grown, raised, or made, and it is fresh.

How does one learn to navigate the unpredictability to take advantage of foods that are local and fresh?

Herb and spice blends from Muddy Trail Jerky Co, photo by Pattie Garrett

One answer is to throw away the shopping list. Come to the Saratoga Farmers’ Market instead with a blank sheet. Browse what’s available, talk with farmers – the ultimate foodies—and make your meal plans for the week. Set a goal perhaps of trying a new item every week, knowing that full meals can be built with what we offer.

Sound ambitious? We’ll help. Starting tomorrow, we will be in a more open space in the Wilton Mall, moving from the walkway between the Department of Motor Vehicles and Bath & Body Works to the food court. Find us and look then for a white board near the market information table. On it, will be a recipe based on ingredients one of our vendors or volunteers found a few minutes before the market’s opening. Take a look, snap a photo with your cell phone, and shop. Give the recipe a try and share your results.

This week’s recipe: Sweet Potato Fries with Yogurt Honey Dip

Filed Under: Featured Article, homepage feature, News Tagged With: availability, fresh food, local food, meal planning, move, Recipes, seasonal, seasonality, shopping list, Wilton Mall, winter

A new chapter for the Saratoga Farmers’ Market

October 28, 2019 By marketeditor

By Himanee Gupta-Carlson

The Saratoga Farmers’ Market is moving indoors for the winter. This change takes place every November, but this year is different. The market has a new locale, and a new start and finish time. It will be chaotic – and exciting.

Saratoga Apple, photo courtesy of Eric Jenks

The market’s new winter locale is at the Wilton Mall, Saturdays, from 9:30-1:30 p.m. Through the end of April, the market will stretch from the Department of Motor Vehicles location to the Bath & Body Works store. Vendors will intermingle with mall retailers in a space that offers convenient parking, bus service, free Internet, and warmth.

Market staff have been preparing for the move for about two months.

Still, they know the change will mean adjustments – for customers and vendors alike.

Gomez Veggie Ville, photo courtesy of Pattie Garrett

“We’re farmers,” says market association president Beth Trattel, with a laugh. “We’re used to being outdoors, around hay, animals, live plants.”

The mall has a decidedly different feel from the outdoor pavilions at High Rock and even the historic Lincoln Baths Building where the winter market took place in recent years. However, market director Emily Meagher notes, the mall and the market also pair together well.

Malls throughout America have been repurposing themselves as community gathering sites as consumer shopping habits continue to shift more toward online retailing. Likewise, farmers’ markets strive to bring the community spirit that accompanies them into locales where customers and vendors are protected from cold winter weather.

Mrs. London’s, photo courtesy of Pattie Garrett

When the market opens this Saturday, much will be familiar, notes Meagher. The opening bell ringer will walk through the area of the mall that the market will use, clanging away. Musicians will perform; hot coffee and prepared foods will be waiting; cans will be available for the collection of home compost, and Friends of the Market volunteers will be on hand to answer questions and assist customers. Most of the market’s longtime farmers will be offering their goods, along with a handful of newcomers.

Still, Trattel says, “we know this is a big adjustment for our regular customers, who we value quite deeply. We’re looking forward to working together to create something new.”

The Saratoga Farmers’ Market is now 9:30 a.m-1:30 p.m. at the Wilton Mall. CDTA routes 450 (Schenectady-Wilton) and 452 (Skidmore College-Wilton) offer regular Saturday bus service with many stops in Saratoga Springs (see cdta.org/routes- and-schedules). Follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

Filed Under: Featured Article, homepage feature, News Tagged With: move, opening, Wilton Mall, winter

Winter market offers new opportunity for mall, farmers, and Saratoga

October 7, 2019 By marketeditor

By Himanee Gupta-Carlson

Photo courtesy of Pattie Garrett

Shorter days, grayer skies, and sweater weather all mark shifts in the seasonal cycle of the Saratoga Farmers’ Market. The market will continue to operate outdoors from 3-6 p.m. Wednesdays and 9 a.m.-1 p.m. Saturdays at High Rock Park through October.

On Saturday, Nov. 2, the market makes its annual move indoors.

This year, however, the move will be to a newer, larger, and more accessible location at the Wilton Mall, where the market will operate from 9:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m. Saturdays, in the area around the Department of Motor Vehicles and former Bon Ton store.

The move creates a community partnership between the nearly 60 vendors who make up the winter market and the retail businesses at the mall.

“We are excited about this change,” says Saratoga Farmers’ Market Association board president Beth Trattel. “It gives us an opportunity to give all of our vendors more selling space, while also offering expanded parking and a bus-accessible site to our customers.”

Photo courtesy of Pattie Garrett

Vendors will offer fresh produce, meats, eggs, cheeses and other dairy items, fresh-cut flowers, spirits, prepared foods, and a variety of handmade arts and artisanal craft items.

The Saratoga Farmers’ Market’s move comes as changes in consumer shopping patterns are causing malls to reinvent themselves. The Wilton Mall has lost two major anchors in the past year – Sears and Bon Ton – and much of its space is unfilled. Bringing farmers, artisans, and other local businesses into some of that vacant space creates a vibrant shopping atmosphere that could help the mall rekindle its potential to be a public gathering space.

At the same time, by opening up its space, the mall is helping the farmers’
market address three of its greatest challenges: ample parking, access via public transportation, and vendor visibility to the public.

“We are excited about this move,” says market director Emily Meagher. “We will have ample parking. We will be located directly by a CDTA bus stop, and being in a space that is shared with many other businesses creates a ‘one-stop-shop’ for customers’ weekly groceries and other errands.”

Filed Under: Featured Article, homepage feature, News Tagged With: move, Winter Market

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Get ready to mushroom into a world of flavor at th Get ready to mushroom into a world of flavor at the Saratoga Farmers' Market! 🍄🌱 This week, we're thrilled to highlight the Mushroom Shop and their incredible selection of locally grown and harvested mushrooms. We spoke with owner's Jacob and Elysee to learn more.

Q: What are some of the health benefits associated with consuming mushrooms?

A: Mushrooms contain a multitude of medicinal compounds. The mushroom species Cordyceps militaris contains cordycepin, which increases your blood's ability to absorb and transport oxygen, improving exercise performance. Mukitake or Panellus serotinus possesses compounds that have shown in recent studies to improve liver function in people suffering from fatty liver disease. Reishi mushrooms improve immune health, warding off sickness and reducing inflammation. Other medicinal mushrooms include Turkey Tail, Chaga, Agarikon, Maitake, and Lions Mane.

Q: What inspired you to start selling mushrooms at the farmers' market?

A: We initially got our inspiration from a mushroom farm based in Tennessee called Mossy Creek Mushrooms. They have many videos on Youtube covering every aspect of operating a mushroom farm from building and maintaining equipment to harvesting and marketing mushrooms. Jacob has had an interest in growing mushrooms as a hobby for about eight years when he discovered a patch of oyster mushrooms growing in the wild. We got the opportunity to lease land in the beginning of 2021 and shortly after started selling at farmers’ markets.

Q: How do you recommend customers prepare and cook the mushrooms they purchase from you?

A: At our farmers markets we always provide printed recipes that utilize the mushrooms available during the current season. Like meat, mushrooms can be cooked in a variety of ways, such as sautéing, roasting, and grilling to create a flavorful dish. One of our recent favorites is a Spicy Crispy Lion's Mane Sandwich- a thick slab of Lion's Mane mushroom battered and fried on a toasted bun with spicy mayo and pickles. This is a delicious take on a chicken sandwich made entirely of whole, natural produce. 

*Find the Mushroom shop year round at our Saturday markets!*

#saratogafarmersmarket
Get ready for a mouth-watering adventure! 🍴🌍 Get ready for a mouth-watering adventure! 🍴🌍 Join us on Saturday, March 25th from 9:30 am to 1:30 pm at the Saratoga Farmers' Market's International Flavor Fest in the Wilton Mall food court! 🎉 Indulge in frgál cakes, julekaker, burek, curries, samosas, and more, representing cuisines from all around the world! 🌎 There will be live music, family-friendly activities, and food tastings that will take your taste buds on a journey around the globe! 🎶👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 Plus, our friends at the World Awareness Children's Museum will be hosting a paper fortune cookie making session for the kiddos! Don't forget to pick up your passport for a chance to win a prize by filling it with stamps from market vendors! Let's celebrate our traditions, history, and community through the language of flavorful food! 😍🍴

 #InternationalFlavorFest #SaratogaFarmersMarket #FoodieAdventure #CommunityConnection
Join us tomorrow for our Saturday market! From 9:3 Join us tomorrow for our Saturday market! From 9:30-1:30 you can find all your favorite vendors in the Wilton Mall Food court. We’ll by joined by the Academy of Life Long Learning, AIM Services, and musician Lee Paquin. Hope you can make it!!!

Photos of: @squash.villa.farm , KOKINDA Farm, and @eurodelicaciesco by Graciela Colston

#saratogafarmersmarket #saratogasprings #farmersmarket #agriculture #shoplocal
The Saratoga Farmers’ Market is seeking donation The Saratoga Farmers’ Market is seeking donations to help improve our market and keep our nonprofit organization running. Your donation will be used for essential functions of the market as well as helping us reach more of our long-term goals for the community. We are looking for additional resources to expand our community offerings such as hosting family friendly events, programs and activities.

You can help us by donating via our GiveButter account (link in bio) or in person at the market via our market manager. Thank you for your ongoing support. We couldn’t do it without you! 

#saratogafarmersmarket #supportlocalfarmers #nonprofit #communitylove #givebutter

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