POP Club

Empowering kids to try new foods one bite at a time

August 9, 2023 By marketeditor

By Julia Howard

If you’ve ever struggled with getting your child to eat fruits and vegetables, I understand how frustrating it can be. Family mealtime can feel like a nutritional battleground where no one wins, and everyone feels defeated. But don’t lose heart. Exposing your child to fruits and vegetables without pressure is key, and the Saratoga Farmers’ Market’s new partnership with the Better Bites program is here to help.

The Better Bites Bunch recently joined Saratoga Farmers’ Market’s POP Club for Kids with engaging character messaging in an environment abundant with fresh fruit and vegetables. POP Club is a 12-week Wednesday market program offering children and families fun activities. Children who participate receive a $2 POP coin to spend on fruit and vegetables of their choice; this may be the moment that your “picky eater” takes a bite of something new.

“The farmers’ market and Better Bites are a natural fit,” says Jodie Fitz, Better Bites program developer. “Children are having an immediate connection and building a positive relationship with healthy foods by participating in games and activities at the farmers’ market.”

Better Bites is a licensed, registered dietitian-approved program designed to encourage a healthy lifestyle by bringing awareness to proper hydration, an active lifestyle, and increasing fruit and vegetable consumption.

The character messaging within Better Bites immediately engages children with Jodie’s cast of loveable characters that embody the program’s philosophy. For picky eaters, Better Bites introduces Teeny the Tiny Taste Tester, a fairy who reminds children to try a teeny tiny taste because ‘…you never know if something is thumbs up or thumbs down until you actually try it.’ While Teeny shares other messages, Fitz explains that the characters have a magical touch with their messaging that has an impact.

At POP Club, Better Bites activities have included a fruit and vegetable memory game, farmers’ market bingo and scavenger hunt, and character coloring sheets displayed at vendors’ farm stands. All activities are paired with prizes and $2 POP coins.

Better Bites will return for POP Club’s season finale on Wednesday, September 6. The program continues to build community relations at area schools and community programs, servicing pre-k to 5th-grade students. For more information, visit https://www.jodiefitz.com/better-bites/.

The Saratoga Farmers’ Market is open on Wednesdays from 3:00 – 6:00 p.m. and Saturdays from 9:00 a.m.-1:00 p.m. at High Rock Park in Downtown Saratoga. Find us online at www.saratogafarmersmarket.org, where you can sign up for our weekly newsletter, and follow us on Facebook and Instagram @SaratogaFarmersMarket.

Mid-week farmers’ market returns to High Rock Park

April 28, 2023 By marketeditor

By Julia Howard

Local food and farming as all about following seasonal rhythms. The Saratoga Farmers’ Market also abides by springtime signals of warmer weather and longer days with its annual return to High Rock Park in downtown Saratoga Springs. But don’t hurry to High Rock just yet. There is one more market indoors at the Wilton Mall on Saturday, April 29, before the customary move outdoors that will kick off on Wednesday, May 3, from 3-6 pm.

This year’s return of the midweek market to downtown Saratoga offers a more intimate, slower-paced alternative to the Saturday markets. Product offerings include fresh produce, plants and flowers, eggs, baked goods, prepared foods, crafts, tool sharpening services, and more.

For customers, the smaller size of the Wednesday market is a draw with smaller crowds, more convenient parking options, and opportunities for meaningful interactions with farms and businesses selling at the farmers’ market.

“Since there’s less traffic, products don’t sell out as quickly, and there’s not such a rush for customers to get to the market. The atmosphere is very laid back,” adds Charles Holub, owner of Scotch Ridge Berry & Tree Farm.

This season’s Wednesday markets will introduce new vendors like Meltwater Farm, Greener Pastures, The Bread Butler, Caliva Cookie, and others. Market-goers will be reunited with returning businesses like Owl Wood Farm, Squash Villa Farm, Gomez Veggie Ville, Mister Edge Sharpening, Euro Delicacies, Saratoga Apple, and more.

Adding to the Wednesday market’s appeal are this season’s educational workshops, community programs, and events for children and families that will be offered exclusively at the midweek market.

The Saratoga Farmers’ Market is pleased to partner with Loving Earth Compost to offer an accessible community composting program to market shoppers, promoting sustainability and environmental consciousness.

A family-friendly affair, this season’s Wednesday markets will offer the Power of Produce Club with themed activities for children of all ages (June 21 through September 6). The 12-week program offers cooking demonstrations, scavenger hunts, crafts, and farmer meet and greets that provide nutrition, agriculture, and exercise education. Each child will be given a $2 POP token to purchase fresh fruit or vegetables at the market.

Market-goers can also expect weekly live music and community guests (including the Cornell Cooperative Extension’s Master Gardeners offering gardening tips and soil). On Wednesdays in July and August, representatives from the Office for the Aging will hand out free Farmer’s Market Nutrition Program coupons for fruits and vegetables at the farmers’ market. Market-goers can also enjoy a free, 1-hour educational workshop series beginning in June with topics covering sustainable living.

The Saratoga Farmers’ Market is open on Saturdays from 9:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. in the Wilton Mall Food Court. Find us online at www.saratogafarmersmarket.org, where you can sign up for our weekly newsletter and follow us on Facebook and Instagram. The farmers’ market will return to High Rock Park on Wednesday, May 3, 2023.

Learning about the importance and tastiness of local farming

June 22, 2021 By marketeditor

By Emily Meagher

Friends of the Market Host POP Club, photo courtesy of Pattie Garrett

School’s out for summer! That means a few months of family fun, relaxing, and, well… boredom. The Saratoga Farmers’ Market’s Power of Produce (POP) Club is here to keep local kids active and learning all summer long with educational activities, interactions with their local farmers, and challenges to try fresh market produce to get even the pickiest eaters to try new fruits and veggies.

This year’s POP Club, now in its 6th season, will run June 30 through September 1, every Wednesday at the High Rock Park market. Children may show up any time between 3-6 pm to participate in a fun, educational activity. Every week’s activity will be hosted by a community guest, including the Saratoga Springs Public Library, Cornell Cooperative Extension Food & Nutrition, Caffe Lena Music School, The Children’s Museum of Saratoga, Northern Rivers, and C.R.E.A.T.E. Community Studios. Children may participate in cooking demonstrations, scavenger hunts, crafts, gardening, and farmer meet and greet that provide nutrition and education.

Children who participate are given a $2 POP coin to spend on fresh fruit and vegetables at the market, and they will earn a stamp in their POP Passport – four stamps earn them a prize.

Buying produce with a POP coin gives kids the opportunity to meet farmers, learn money skills, and make smart food choices. “It’s great to see kids as young as kindergarteners come up to our stand, excited to shop for themselves. Especially when that week’s POP tasting has been a fruit or vegetable they hadn’t tried before but realize they like, and then spend their token to get more,” says Mark Bascom, owner of Owl Wood Farm and the market association’s president.

POP Club is open to all local children but is especially geared toward those aged 5-12. It is a free program, made possible through the generous support of the Christopher Dailey Foundation and the Adirondack Trust Company.

On Wednesday, July 7, 3-6 pm, don’t miss POP Club at the Saratoga Farmers’ Market’s ‘End of School Celebration’. This free family event will offer activities for children of all ages and a concert by Jack and Steve Zucchini (formerly of The Zucchini Brothers)!

This week’s recipe: Popsicles for All

Find more information and get updates on this season’s POP Club on our Facebook event page!

A fresher way to get through the week

June 15, 2021 By marketeditor

By Emily Meagher

Market at High Rock Park, photo by Pattie Garrett

Weekend farmers’ markets are a great way to unwind from the week, spend time with family and friends, and stock your fridge for the week ahead. But there’s no need to wait until the weekend to do this – the Saratoga Farmers’ Market’s midweek market, rain or shine, on Wednesdays, 3-6 pm, offers a way to get the freshest foods – usually picked off the land the day before or even that morning.

This year’s return of the midweek market to downtown Saratoga in High Rock Park offers a more intimate, slower-paced alternative to the Saturday markets. Product offerings include fresh produce, plants and flowers, eggs, baked goods, prepared foods, tool sharpening services, and more.

Scotch Ridge Berry Farm, photo by Pattie Garrett

Vendors appreciate the market’s different characteristics. “Midweek markets are a great opportunity for farmers since it provides a platform to sell your freshest products that otherwise might not make it to the weekend,” says Charles Holub, owner of Scotch Ridge Berry & Tree Farm. He notes that since his farm doesn’t use pesticides or herbicides, they must pick berries every other day to avoid critters. “And naturally grown fruit doesn’t keep long after picking – just a day or two – so these midweek markets let us sell more of our product,” Holub adds.

For customers, the smaller size of the Wednesday market is a draw, especially this year. “Many customers prefer the smaller crowds – plus it makes it easier to have more meaningful personal interactions with customers,” says Becky Dennison of Shushan Valley Hydro Farms. “Since there’s less traffic, products don’t sell out as quickly, and there’s not such a rush for customers to get to the market. The atmosphere is very laid back,” adds Charles Holub.

A family-friendly affair, this season’s Wednesday markets will offer the Power of Produce Club with themed activities for children of all ages (running June 30th through September 1). Market-goers can also expect weekly live music and community guests (including the Cornell Cooperative Extension’s Master Gardeners offering gardening tips and soil testing every third Wednesday of the month). Also, on Wednesday, July 21 and Wednesday, August 11, representatives from the Office for the Aging will hand out free Farmers’ Market Nutrition Program coupons to be spent on fruits and vegetables at the farmers’ market.

Visit the Wednesday market every week, 3-6pm at High Rock Park!

This week’s recipe: Pasta with Spring Vegetables