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From Making Cheese to Bottling Milk: Partnership Expands Offerings

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By Himanee Gupta-Carlson

Argyle Cheese Farmer is known for its yogurts and cheeses. Marge Randles spent years working with milk, cultures, and natural flavorings to create a growing array of items ranging from cheese curds and schmears to sweetened and plain yogurts.

Argyle Cheese Farmer, photo by Pattie Garrett.

She and her husband Dave have been part of the Saratoga Farmers’ Market since 2007. Over the past two years, their offerings have expanded – to such items as pizza, baked breads, grab-and-go macaroni and cheese, and now bottled milk.

The changes are a result of a partnership they formed in 2020 with Ideal Dairy Farms whose herd produces the milk for Argyle Cheese Farmer products. Unlike Argyle Cheese Farmer, Ideal Dairy’s business was primarily with wholesale milk purchasers, which meant they lacked local familiarity. By putting both names on most of their new product labels, the partnership has benefited both.

Argyle Cheese Farmer production facility, photo provided.

Take the milk. It is known as A2 and is available at the Saratoga Farmers’ Market in a variety of sizes, and as white milk or in chocolate- and coffee-flavored varieties. The term A2 refers to a protein found in milk, and as Marge Randles explains, this milk contains only that protein.

 

“It’s genetic,” she says. “In Ideal’s herd, there is a group of 250 cows that produce milk that contains only this protein.”

The lack of other proteins make the milk closer in structure to that of goat milk. While the milk still contains lactose, A2 milk often is more digestible for those who have difficulties tolerating milk.

A2 Milk, photo provided.

It also tastes good. It is rich in protein, and high in flavor. This is because it “is a whole milk, almost straight from the cow to container,” says Marge Randles. The milk is pasteurized for safety and homogenized for consistency and texture. However, unlike other milk producers, Argyle Cheese Farmer does not separate the fats from the milk.

The new Argyle Cheese Farmer offerings reflects how some smaller dairy farmers are adapting to changes in local agriculture. Dave Randles is part of a multi-generation dairy farm family. He and Marge no longer keep cows but still put their expertise to good use.

This week’s recipe: Cheeseburger Pie

Mushroom Kale Pizza

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Adapted from the recipe by Half Baked Harvest, shared by My Saratoga Kitchen Table
Serves: 6 servings

 

Photo by Pattie Garrett

Ingredients
*Ingredients currently available at the farmers’ market
● 2 cups shredded Tuscan kale*
● 2 Tablespoons olive oil
● 2 Tablespoons balsamic vinegar*
● 8 ounces mixed mushrooms*, torn
● 2 cloves garlic*, minced
● 2 Tablespoons fresh thyme leaves*, plus more for serving
● kosher salt and pepper
● ½ pound pizza dough, homemade or store-bought
● 4 fresh sage leaves*, chopped
● 1 pinch crushed red pepper flakes
● 1 cup shredded Havarti cheese* (I used Argyle Cheese Farmer’s Faith)
● 1 Tablespoon butter*, thinly sliced into 3 pieces

 

Instructions
1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Grease a large baking sheet with olive oil.
2. In a medium bowl, combine the kale, olive oil, and vinegar. Massage the kale with your hands for 1 minute. Add the mushrooms, garlic, thyme, salt, and pepper.
3. On a lightly floured surface, roll the dough out to a 10 to 12-inch circle. Transfer the dough to a prepared baking sheet.
4. Top the dough with sage, red pepper and then layer the kale mushroom mixture. Top with Havarti cheese and thin slices of butter.
5. Bake for 10 to 15 minutes or until the crust is golden and cheese is melted.
6. Top with fresh thyme.

Notes:
● If using a cast-iron skillet, place the skillet in a hot oven for about 10 minutes. You can heat the skillet on the stovetop. Be careful not to let the skillet start smoking or get scorching hot. Add oil and maybe sprinkle a little cornmeal in the skillet. Carefully add the dough to the skillet, pressing the dough up the sides.
● The original recipe calls for 1 Tablespoon fig preserves spread on the dough and 3 ounces of goat cheese crumbled and added with the red pepper.

Breakfast Pizza

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Recipe shared by Fired Up Pizza
Makes 1 10-inch pizza

Ingredients
*Ingredients currently available at the farmers’ market
● 1- 6 oz. pizza dough
● Olive oil
● 1 egg*, lightly beaten
● 1 cup of finely shredded cheddar cheese*
● Salt and pepper to taste
● Optional toppings: cooked bacon* or breakfast sausage*

Instructions
1. Stretch dough into a 10-inch circle on a sheet pan or pizza stone. Brush top of the dough with olive oil.
2. Spread the cheese evenly over the crust. Pour the egg over the top of the cheese. Add toppings, if desired.
3. Bake at 500 degrees for 12-15 minutes. Allow to cool slightly and enjoy!

Wood-fired Pizza Gets “Fired Up” at the Farmers’ Market

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By Julia Howard

Fired-Up Pizza, photo by Pattie Garrett

Wood-fired, artisan pizza might be one of the most perfect foods on the planet. Crispy, cheesy, full of flavor — but it has to be done right. Locals Tina Rafferty and Paul Dudka discovered that the best pizza begins with fresh ingredients and the right oven.

Rafferty and Dudka own Fired Up Pizza that ‘opened shop’ at the Saratoga Farmers’ Market just 3 months ago. In that short time, Fired Up has become well known for its breakfast pizza and classic pepperoni, among other 10” specialty pies available every Saturday.

Photo courtesy of Fired Up Pizza

For Rafferty and Dudka, Fired Up Pizza is a pop-up pizza shop and retirement plan all-in-one. “I love the positivity at the farmers’ market,” says Rafferty. “As a new business, it’s a great place to offer and perfect our products, and customers love to watch their pizzas being prepared.”

At the farmers’ market, Dudka runs their custom-built, wood-fired pizza oven just outside the mall entrance. Dudka burns hardwoods to keep the oven at a constant 600 degrees no matter the weather. For him, this temperature guarantees the perfect, crisp crust with the right amount of char. Meanwhile, just inside the building, Rafferty creates pizzas made to order.

“We truly enjoy working together,” said Rafferty on beginning a business with her boyfriend. “And, we both love the farmers’ market,” she adds.

Photo courtesy of Fired Up Pizza

Pursuing a pizza business has meant a lot of trial and error for the couple. One of their biggest challenges has been perfecting their dough recipe to a consistency that, when dusted with cornmeal, will come off a peel without sticking. A ‘peel’ is the shovel-like tool used to slide the pizza into and out of the oven. Rafferty and Dudka have also had to experiment with cook times and temperature while getting to know their wood-fired oven.

Despite these challenges, Rafferty and Dudka’s goals have remained the same: to offer a great artisan pizza with high-quality, locally sourced ingredients.

What’s next for Fired Up Pizza? “We’re always experimenting and taste-testing,” explains Rafferty. “We are looking forward to expanding our offerings to calzones and pizza rolls in the future,” she says. The couple hopes to attend more local events and to offer catering options for private parties and gatherings in the near future. But, for now, you can find them at the Bow Tie entrance at the Wilton Mall serving up fresh pizzas to hungry shoppers every Saturday.

 

This week’s recipe: Breakfast Pizza

Summer Squash Pizza

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Adapted from recipe by Smitten Kitchen, shared by My Saratoga Kitchen Table

Serves: 4 to 8

INGREDIENTS

*Ingredients currently available at the Saratoga Farmers’ Market

Pizza dough:

  • 1 packet active dry yeast
  • 1 tablespoon sugar
  • 2 Tablespoon olive oil, plus more for bowl and brushing
  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 2 cups flour plus more for work surface

Pizza topping:

  • 2½ pounds (about 5 small-medium) zucchini or other summer squash, trimmed*
  • 1½ teaspoons sea salt
  • 2 cups (8 ounces) grated Gruyere cheese*
  • 2 to 3 Tablespoons plain breadcrumbs*

INSTRUCTIONS

  1. Pour ¾ cup warm water into a large bowl. Sprinkle yeast with sugar and let stand until foamy, about 5 minutes.
  2. Whisk oil and salt into yeast mixture. Add flour and stir until sticky dough forms. Transfer dough to an oiled bowl and brush top with oil. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and set aside in a warm, draft free place until dough has doubled in bulk, about 1 hour. Turn out onto a lightly floured work surface and gently knead 1 or 2 times before using.
  3. Heat oven to 400 degrees with rack in center. Brush a 13 X 18-inch rimmed sheet pan with olive oil. Use oiled fingertips to pull, stretch and press the dough across the pan.
  4. Pizza topping: Use a food processor with a grater attachment or large holes of a grater to grate the squash. In a large bowl, toss together the zucchini and salt. Let stand for 20 to 30 minutes until the zucchini has wilted and released its’ water. Drain the squash in a colander and then use hands to squeeze out as much water as possible, a fistful at a time. Toss with Gruyere shreds.
  5. Spread the squash mixture over the dough. Sprinkle with bread crumbs.
  6. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until the topping is golden. Remove from oven, cut into squares.

NOTES: pizza dough recipe from Martha Stewart

Photo courtesy of Pattie Garrett