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peanut butter

Lamb Satay

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Adapted from How to Cook Everything by Mark Bittman, shared by Elihu Farm

Ingredients
*Ingredients currently available at the Saratoga Farmers’ Market
● 1 pound boneless sirloin lamb* (or whole boneless sirloin roast*, or a boneless half shoulder*)
● ½ cup soy sauce
● ¼ cup water
● ⅛ teaspoon cayenne (or to taste)
● 4 Tablespoons smooth peanut butter*
● 1 Tablespoon garlic*, minced
● 2 teaspoons ginger, grated or minced
● 1 Tablespoon lime or lemon juice
● 20 bamboo skewers

Instructions
1. Combine soy sauce, water, cayenne, peanut butter, garlic, ginger, and lemon or lime juice in a bowl.
2. Cut lamb into thin strips, and marinate for 2-3 hours. (It’s easier to cut thin strips of lamb that are frozen and haven’t completely thawed.)
3. Soak bamboo skewers in water for at least 20 minutes. Thread the lamb strips on the skewers. Put a strip of foil along the edge of the grill to protect the ends of the skewers. Grill 1-2 minutes on each side.

Variation: Marinate a boneless shoulder roast overnight, and grill to rare or medium-rare. Slice thinly.

Green Peanut Butter Banana Smoothie

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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.

Fall Favorites at the Farmers’ Market

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By Madison Jackson and Emily Meagher

Before the farmers’ market moves back indoors, we spend one last month with our tents up and our coats on to share fresh, local products with our community. Summer produce makes way for the fall harvest; a time for comforting food and drinks and festive seasonal products. Here are ten fall favorites you can find at our markets in October.

1. Apple cider and cider donuts
Saratoga Apple and Slyboro Cider House both operate their own orchards. Try their fresh apples, pressed apple cider, hard cider, and cider donuts. A real Upstate NY treat!

Saratoga Peanut Butter Company, photo by Madison Jackson

2. Pumpkin Pandemonium Peanut Butter
The name says it all. This Saratoga Peanut Butter Company creation is chock-full of rich pumpkin and peanut flavors. A guilt-free treat at only 2 grams of sugar per serving, it’s great on sandwiches, apples, ice cream, and more.

3. Hand-painted hats
Artist Gretchen Tisch, owner of Feathered Antler, gives hats a fall makeover. Pick up a leaf-accented fedora or hand-knit beanie at the market.

4. Hot chocolate cheesecake
Grandma Apple’s Cheesecakes’ flavors vary with the season. Our current favorite is hot chocolate cheesecake. It’s perfect for when you have company, but perfectly acceptable to eat all by yourself! Also available are apple and pumpkin cheesecakes and cheesecake filled apples dipped in chocolate.

5. Apple cider fromage frais
Nettle Meadow does cheesemaking with a creative touch, and it shows with their seasonal favorites. Back at the market are the soft apple cider fromage frais, pumpkin spice and maple chevre, and the brie-like Early Snow.

6. Local wool
Elihu Farm’s sheep produce award-winning wool, sold as washed and unwashed fleeces at the market. Pick up a fleece to do some cozy fall crafting!

Saratoga Suds ‘n’ Stuff, photo by Emily Meagher

7. Spooky soaps
At Saratoga Suds ‘n’ Stuff, no shape of soap is too crazy. Their fall mineral soap collection includes ghosts, pumpkins, black cats, acorns, leaves, and owls.

8. Ornamental corn
Fresh summer corn is making way for ornamental fall corn. Pick up some calico or broom corn from local farms for fresh seasonal home decor.

9. Hand-ground cinnamon
Saratoga Spicery’s fresh-ground spices and spice mixes include hand-ground cinnamon. Give your baked goods an extra fresh flavor!

10. Pumpkins!
Farmers’ markets in October wouldn’t be complete without fresh gourds and winter squash. Local farms have a variety of colors, shapes, and sizes in stock – you can even find some hand-painted mini pumpkins.

Photo by Madison Jackson

This week: not a recipe, but a craft… how to make felt balls with wool roving!

Peanutty Apple Wraps

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Lucy making an apple wrap, photo by Jodie Fitz

Recipe by Jodie Fitz

Ingredients
*Ingredients currently available at the farmers’ market
● ¼ cup peanut butter*
● 1 tablespoon honey*
● ½ teaspoon cinnamon*
● 10 thin apple* slices (approximately ½ an apple)
● 1 Flatbread

Instructions
1. Wash, core, and slice the apple into thin slices.
NOTE: You can peel or not peel, the preference is yours.
2. Stir the peanut butter, honey & cinnamon together.
3. Spread the peanut butter mixture onto the flatbread, add the apples and roll it, or fold it, like a burrito.

Celebrate National Peanut Butter Lovers Day at the Farmers’ Market

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By Kristin Cleveland

Popular Peanut Butters. Photo by Pattie Garrett.

“I wonder how many peanut butter and jelly sandwiches I’ve eaten in my life?” my spouse often asks as he smears a thick layer of nutty goodness onto a slice of bread. Considering he has eaten one for nearly every lunch since he had a full set of teeth, and he’s now in his early 50s, I calculate approximately 17,167, though I do know that some of those sandwiches were PB & honey. I think that still counts.

Joe is one of the many people for whom March 1 was designated National Peanut Butter Lovers Day; according to the National Peanut Board, about 94% of American homes contain at least one jar of peanut butter. And it makes sense — whether eaten on toast for breakfast, in a sandwich for lunch, as a savory sauce for dinner, or with celery or apple slices for a snack, peanut butter is not only delicious, it’s also packed with protein, healthy monounsaturated fats, vitamin E, folate, and a variety of minerals, which combine to make it a particularly heart-healthy high energy food. 

Saratoga Peanut Butter owner Jessica Arceri.

And here in Saratoga Springs, we have even more reason to celebrate: our very own Saratoga Peanut Butter Company! As a young adult Jessica Arceri, a physical education and nutrition expert and health-conscious parent, began crafting nut butters for her family and friends. In 2005 she started selling her creations at the Saratoga Farmers’ Market and in local groceries. Now Saratoga Peanut Butter is in stores throughout New York State and can be ordered online. But with over a dozen flavors, including some seasonal specials, it’s particularly fun to go to the Saratoga Peanut Butter table at the Farmers’ Market and enjoy a sample.

Combining easily with many flavors, peanut butter is a versatile food. On Arceri’s website, yopeanut.com, you’ll find recipes for entrées such as Pad Thai and spicy sauté sauce, sweet treats including three varieties of peanut butter cookie, and a range of breakfast foods like low sugar, high energy granola bars, smoothies, pancakes and oatmeals. Because of Arceri’s focus on fitness, all of her nut butter ingredients are sourced in the USA, she never uses palm oil, refined sugars, or other additives or preservatives, and she uses no or low amounts of sodium.

Sydney Robyck shares some SPB favorites.     Photo by Pattie Garrett.

Stop by the Farmers’ Market on Saturday to celebrate National Peanut Butter Lovers Day. In addition to samples of freshly made local peanut butter, you can pick up regular or gluten-free peanut butter cookies from The Chocolate Spoon, Grandma Apple’s peanut butter cheesecakes and cheesecake pops dipped in Saratoga Chocolate Company’s Velvet chocolate, and recipes and ingredients for more delicious meals and treats!

Peanut Butter Banana Oatmeal

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recipe courtesy of Jessica Arceri, Saratoga Peanut Butter Company

* Ingredients currently available at the farmers’ market

Ingredients:

1 large ripe banana, peeled and roughly chopped

1 tsp butter, coconut oil or non-dairy butter

½ tbsp Saratoga Peanut Butter* or Almond Butter* (any variety)

½ cup rolled oats

½-1 tsp chia seed or ground flax

½ cup milk*, almond milk or other non-dairy milk

1 tsp ground cinnamon

1/8-1/4 tsp ground nutmeg

Pinch of salt

1 tsp pure vanilla extract

Top with: ½ tbsp peanut butter*, nuts, cinnamon, pure maple syrup*

Instructions:

  1. In a medium-sized pot over medium heat, cook the banana and oil for about 5 minutes, stirring frequently.
  2. Stir in ½ tbsp peanut butter, add the oats, chia, milk, spices and a pinch of salt. Whisk well until combined.
  3. Bring to a low boil and then reduce heat to a simmer, stirring often for 8-10 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in vanilla.
  4. Serve in a bowl and top with peanut butter, nuts, cinnamon and maple syrup.