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A Farm-to-Table Thanksgiving Guide: The Meats (and Meat Alternatives)

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By Emily Meagher

Thanksgiving is just around the corner, and at the farmers’ market, there will be holiday offerings aplenty the next two Saturdays. Whatever the size of your gathering or the dietary preferences of your diners this year, market vendors are bringing plenty of options for every course. This week, we are looking at the various local meats in stock.

Ramble Creek Farm, photo by Pattie Garrett

If you plan to host a traditional Thanksgiving meal, a turkey is likely to be on your shopping list. Preorder a pasture-raised, non-GMO-fed turkey at Ramble Creek Farm, with various bird sizes available from 10 to 18+ pounds. Order at the market or online, and pick up at the market on November 20.

Other meat vendors offer a full range of meats for those looking to try a different main course this year. Chicken may fill that turkey craving but better serve a smaller group of diners. This year, Squash Villa Farm offers Delaware breed heritage birds, a critically endangered species that is rare to find but offers great meat. Longlesson Farm offers whole chickens as well, and Ramble Creek Farm has various parts available.

Elihu Farm, photo by Emily Meagher

For non-poultry meats, find many different cuts of lamb, such as shanks, loin chops, and riblets, at Elihu Farm. Hebron Valley Veal will have roasts, chops and cutlets of veal available. Squash Villa Farm offers goat leg roasts.

Longlesson Farm, photo by Pattie Garrett

Pork, including roasts, hocks, and sausages, will be available at three vendors: Pork & Greens (a new vendor at the farmers’ market offering various breeds of sustainably raised pork), Ramble Creek Farm, and Longlesson Farm, where pork returns in stock on November 20th. The latter farm has plenty of beef available, as well.

Looking for a vegetarian or vegan centerpiece instead? You can use various in-season produce items to create a flavorful and visually stunning meal without meat. Try dishes like whole roasted cauliflower, lentil shepherd’s pie with a parsnip and potato mash, or a “squashducken” (a squash, stuffed in a squash, stuffed in another squash!).

For the other courses, the farmers’ market is sure to fill your needs as well. More on the vegetable sides, desserts, and dressings you can source at the market in next week’s edition.

This week’s recipe: Accidental Turkey

Oktoberfest-ivities to celebrate local fall food and drink

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By Emily Meagher

As the air gets a slight chill, we look forward to incorporating fresh produce and locally crafted products into the many festivities that the fall season offers. Before we can think of Thanksgiving or Halloween, the Bavarian Oktoberfest gives us a joyful excuse to start connecting food and community in September.

Yes, September: Oktoberfest takes place in the two-plus weeks leading up to October. The world’s largest “Volksfest,” a beer festival and traveling funfair, originated in 1810 and is held annually in Munich. If you are looking to host your own Oktoberfest celebration, here are some ideas for items to grab from the farmers’ market to honor traditional Bavarian foods while supporting local food and drink producers.

Mean Max Brew Works, photo by Emily Meagher

The classic image of Oktoberfest is gleeful celebrants toasting (or “prost” ing) massive glasses of beer. The Saratoga Farmers’ Market’s newest vendor, Mean Max Brew Works, offers a special “Sixteen Days” Oktoberfest beer, referencing the traditional length of the fest. The brew is a traditional German-style lager and comes in four packs of pint-sized cans (two of which add up to the standard one-liter Oktoberfest serving). Mean Max offers other beers like sours, ales, and stouts, as well.

Ramble Creek Farm, photo by Emily Meagher

Then, for food. As expected, pork plays a part in traditional festivities in the form of sausages and shoulder and knuckle roasts. Stop by Ramble Creek Farm, Grazin’ Acres Farm, or Mariaville Mushroom Men to pick up a pork cut of your choice. But an even more common meat found at German celebrations is roasted chicken. Pick up a whole bird or parts at producers like Squash Villa Farm, Longlesson Farm, Ramble Creek Farm, or Grazin’ Acres Farm. Season thoroughly with poultry seasoning, found at Muddy Trail Jerky. And a lesser known but equally traditional protein is “Steckerlfisch,” literally meaning fish on a stick. Use whitefish, mackerel, or trout from Pura Vida Fisheries and roast with oil, garlic, and spices.

Radishes, photo provided by Green Jeans Market Farm

Lastly, include dishes made from seasonal produce like salted beer radish, available at Green Jeans Market Farm, which serves as a light snack to wash down all that beer. Other traditional snacks include potato pancakes or dumplings, sauerkraut, and of course, freshly baked soft pretzels. Dip the latter in this “obatzda,” a Bavarian beer cheese spread.

This week’s recipe: Obatzda (Bavarian beer cheese spread)

Saratoga Farmers’ Market Meat Producers

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Elihu Farm, photo by Emily Meagher

By Mary Pratt

The meat vendors bring cuts of beef, goat, lamb, pork, and veal all year. They humanely raise animals and are not CAFOs (concentrated animal feeding operations). Growth promoting hormones and routine antibiotics are never used, and no animal by-products are ever fed.

Ramble Creek Farm, photo by Pattie Garrett

Josh Carnes started Ramble Creek Farm in 2018. The farm raises heritage-breed pigs to produce their “forest-raised pork,” which lives in their woods protected by an electric-powered net. The farm also produces beef.

Nathan and Meghan Mattison started Grazin’ Acres Farm in 2012 after meeting at the Washington County Fair, where they continue showing their cattle. They offer beef cuts and will provide custom cuts that customers order. They also pasture-raise their heritage breed pigs. In the future, they’ll also offer cuts of lamb.

Longlesson Farm, photo by Pattie Garrett

Another beef and pork producer, Longlesson Farm, has been a vendor for many years. The farm, started by Christophe Robert’s wife Shannon’s parents, now has 450 acres that supply pasture and hay for their herd of Black Angus. They’ve learned that grass is good for cows, and cows are good for grass! And they’ll have new cuts of pork in the fall.

 

 

Hebron Valley Veal, photo by Pattie Garrett

Hebron Valley Veal is also a new vendor. Ariel Garland and Matt Campbell raise calves from their dairy cows. Their calves are never tethered and receive milk from their registered Holsteins. When six months old, the calves are processed for rose veal cuts, which are lean and tender.

The Market’s goat meat producer, Squash Villa Farm, run by Himanee and Jim Gupta-Carlson, recently bought historic Wright farm in Easton, where French Alpine descendant goats enjoy grazing. Squash Villa is the only goat farm at Wednesday and Saturday Markets.

Mary and Bob Pratt have raised lamb since 1987 at Elihu Farm, named for Revolutionary Patriot Elihu Gifford. Their sheep are purebred Romneys (longwool) and crossbreds (medium wool). Their cuts of lamb are very healthy since most of the fat surrounds the muscles and is easily trimmed.

Mariaville Mushroom Men is from Schenectady County. Bobby Chandler said that in addition to mushrooms, they raise pork and currently offer seasoned bacon, pork chops, and spare ribs.

This week’s recipe: Lamb Satay

Get to know greens at the farmers’ market

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Fiddleheads, Ramble Creek Farm, photo by Madison Jackson

By Madison Jackson & Julia Howard

Spring is finally bringing warmer weather and with it an abundance of much-anticipated seasonal produce to the Saratoga Farmers’ Market. Greens, in many forms, including perennials, hearty cold-weather crops, and greenhouse-grown, have been catching our eye, and we invite you to try some fresh new flavors of the season.

Several farms at the Wednesday and Saturday farmers’ markets offer varieties of greens. This includes red romaine, baby spinach, radicchio, green romaine, red leaf, arugula, mustard greens, red chard, and tatsoi. These greens offer distinct fresh flavors and textures, and they are high in nutritional value, too. Depending on the green, some may be cooked, wilted, or enjoyed fresh as a salad.

Pea & sunflower shoots, Leaning Birch Farm, photo by Madison Jackson

Vibrant sunflower and sweet pea shoots are available at Leaning Birch Farm on Saturdays. Pea shoots have the sweet, grassy flavor of snap peas with a refreshing crunch, and sunflower shoots have a nutty taste with a similar crisp bite. According to Nic Fera of Leaning Birch Farm, both are a year-round crop for their farm. “They are great to add a little fresh accent to dishes,” says Fera.

Capital Greens NY brings varieties of microgreens to the Saturday farmers’ market, including the mixes like their Signature Gourmet, Thai Basil, and Gourmet Fiesta. Microgreens are young vegetable greens packed with nutrients and are easy to incorporate into many dishes or used as a garnish. Try them on sandwiches, in salads, on pizza, or blend them into a smoothie.

If you’re a fan of fiddleheads, stop by Ramble Creek Farm this month while they’re in season. Fiddleheads are young shoots that grow from the ostrich fern, and with a very narrow harvest season, you can only enjoy these shoots in the early spring from around late April to early June. With a nutty and sweet flavor reminiscent of asparagus, fiddleheads may be steamed, braised, or sauteed, as they contain a trace amount of a toxin and cannot be consumed raw.

This week, we encourage you to try something new, whether it be a new product or shopping with a new vendor at the Wednesday or Saturday markets.

This week’s recipe: Spring Vegetable Pasta

Farmers’ market still essential to community

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By Himanee Gupta-Carlson

Customers respecting social distance while shopping at Elihu Farm’s stand, photo by Pattie Garrett

Community life in and around Saratoga has shut down in the effort to slow the Coronavirus spread. One space that remains open is the Saratoga Farmers’ Market on Saturday mornings at the Wilton Mall.

The market, deemed an essential service, set up outdoors last Saturday in the parking lot outside the shuttered mall. Market staff created “stalls” out of parking spaces and placed vendors in spots that were spaced to maintain a safe distance.

Vendors set up tables and in some cases tents. They donned rubber gloves and had disinfectant wipes and sanitizer on hand.

What makes farms and farmers’ markets essential?

Most crucially perhaps is the fact that they offer food that is locally grown. You can find fresh vegetables, eggs, and chicken at the Saratoga Farmers’ Market, along with such storable vegetables like carrots and potatoes; beef, pork, lamb, and goat; and even shelf-stable sauces, pickles, and dried beans.

Hannah Odasz of Pleasant Valley Farm, photo by Pattie Garrett

“We need to be able to get our food to the community,” said Jason Heitman, of Green Jeans Market Farm, a vegetable grower.

“Farms are the heart of community,” added Julie Noble, of Ramble Creek Farm, which offers mushrooms and meats. “It’s important to keep food local, especially at this time.”

Farmers’ markets rarely operate outdoors before May. Last Saturday was sunny but windy, with temperatures that were below freezing.

As a vendor myself, I shivered through three layers of jackets, wool socks, and gloves. I filled my table with eggs and set out coolers of meat. I was unsure what to expect, but as market regulars and new customers arrived, it quickly became apparent that many hungered not only for food but a sense of community, too.

The Food Florist, photo by Pattie Garrett

Amid sales, vendors and customers exchanged news. There were no handshakes or hugs, but plenty of laughs and well wishes.

“We’ll be continuing the market every week,” said Beth Trattel, market board president and owner of Something’s Brewing. “We’re working with the mall to ensure that the space that we’re in remains safe.”

Kelley Hillis of Puckers Gourmet Pickles could not offer samples of her pickles but did display their award-winning ribbons on her coat.

“Farmers markets are vital,” she said. “The money spent here supports a local producer. It helps keep my family, and other farm families fed.”

 

This week’s recipe: Roast Chicken

Sweet dreams are made… from mushrooms

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By Himanee Gupta-Carlson

Mariaville Mushroom Men, photo by Pattie Garrett

Mushrooms from the Saratoga Farmers’ Market often find their way into my meals. Farms such as Mariaville Mushroom Men and Ramble Creek offer a wide array of these low-calorie, high-protein fungi. All are easy to prepare, taste wonderful, and once in a while, I’ve found, lead to pleasant dreams.

What makes mushrooms stand out from other fresh farm offerings? For starters, they are in a category of foods by themselves. As Brie Mazurek of the Center for Urban Education about Sustainable Education writes in A Guide to Specialty Mushrooms, “Mushrooms are not vegetables. They are closer to animals than plants and belong to their own distinct kingdom, Fungi. As a fruit is to a tree, mushrooms are the spore-bearing fruiting bodies that allow fungi to produce.”

Farmers’ market mushrooms generally are grown in sawdust or logs. For many years, the varieties available were primarily shiitake and oysters. Now, farmers also are growing lions mane, nameko, chestnuts, and king oysters.

Is there a huge difference in flavor or preparation method for these varieties?

To me, no. There are subtle variations that make trying the different mushrooms an intriguing experience. Often, I pick up a different variety each week to sample and experiment with.

Ramble Creek Farm, photo provided

Vendors can offer cooking tips. You also can try this simple roasting preparation, which works for nearly all fresh varieties:

First, give the mushrooms a quick rinse. After they have drip-dried, remove the harder stem edges with a knife and chop the mushrooms into bite-sized pieces. Heat a skillet. Place the mushrooms in the skillet and cook them quickly on medium-high heat, tossing them frequently with two wooden spoons to keep them from sticking to the pan. This roasting method releases the mushroom’s juices and helps bring out their flavor.

After about five minutes, turn off the heat and quickly add a liquid of choice, such as oil, butter, wine, vinegar or lemon juice, or broth. Often, I add olive oil with a little wine. Continue to toss the mushrooms so they do not stick, and add seasonings such as black pepper, garlic, onions, shallots, chopped rosemary and/or thyme. Remove from the pan and serve.

 

This week’s recipe: Mushroom Kale Pizza