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Shop Local, Eat Fresh

Saratoga Farmers' Market

Soup: The Trick to Beating the Summer Heat

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By Stephanie Duscher

 

With the recent heat we have patiently been enduring, the last thing most people want to eat is hot food like soup. However, aside from being able to cook with all the delicious in-season fruits and veggies this season has to offer, enjoying a hot, spicy soup, like Mexican street corn soup, offers many practical health benefits. 

According to research, eating hot foods like soup in warm weather can benefit your body by cooling you even more than cold foods. Interesting, right? Eating hot food increases your body’s internal temperature, which causes you to sweat more. When your sweat naturally evaporates, your body becomes cooler than before. This effect is even more noticeable when eating a spicy soup, as spicy foods like peppers can cause you to sweat, making your body cooler. 

For this reason, hot soups like Mexican street corn soup are perfect for the heat. Not only is it super tasty, but you can enhance its flavor by using fresh, locally grown ingredients like peppers, cilantro, garlic, and onions from the farmers’ market. 

For this soup, the real spotlight is on fresh corn, and Gomez Veggie Ville has a plentiful supply this season. Their farming practices ensure that their corn is sweet and grown without using GMOs or harmful chemicals. So, whether you make street corn soup or use it in other seasonal dishes like grilled corn on the cob or a fresh summer salad, you’ll know that your food is grown with care and comes from a good place. 

Is corn not your thing? Plenty of other delicious in-season fruits and veggies are perfect for soup-making. Grab some soup supplies at the farmers’ market on Wednesdays or Saturdays. The market has plenty of watermelons, eggplants, zucchini, carrots, mushrooms, potatoes, peas, peppers, zucchini, tomatoes, squash, cucumbers, and many more summertime favorites. 

Don’t limit yourself to Mexican street corn soup either! The possibilities for soup-making are endless. Summer vegetable soup, zucchini soup, and even a creamy broccoli soup can be refreshing in the summer heat. Go ahead and raise your body temperature. Ultimately, it will cool you off!

The Saratoga Farmers’ Market is open Saturdays from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. and Wednesdays from 3 to 6 p.m. at High Rock Park in downtown Saratoga Springs. Find us online at saratogafarmersmarket.org and follow us on Facebook and Instagram.

Farmers’ market programs help keep fresh food affordable

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By Himanee Gupta

 

Summer is the season of abundance for fresh fruits and vegetables. However, for some, rising food prices might make this bounty harder to afford.

The Saratoga Farmers’ Market seeks to bridge that gap through several initiatives.

This summer, the market is participating in a partnership between the Capital District Physicians’ Health Plan and Greenwich-based Comfort Food Community that makes $5 vouchers available to CDPHP members for shopping at the farmers’ market. Through the program, participants in CDPHP Medicaid plans can receive up to $100 in vouchers throughout the outdoor market season. The vouchers are redeemable for food items from participating vendors at the farmers’ market. Comfort Food Community representatives distribute vouchers at the market every other Saturday.

Owl Wood Farm, photo by Pattie Garrett

This program supplements the market’s year-round EBT token redemption program. Through this program, customers who own an EBT (Electronic Benefits Transfer) card can exchange their SNAP benefits for farmers’ market tokens to purchase fresh foods, including fruit and vegetables, bread and baked goods, meat, fish, and poultry, dairy products, honey and maple products, and value-added foods like soup mixes, sauces, and jams and jellies. Herb plants and plants that produce food are also approved purchases with EBT coins. The market additionally offers SNAP incentive programs, such as FreshConnect, that provide extra coupons or tokens to spend, meaning customers receive more value than they spend. With FreshConnect, for every $5 a customer spends with their EBT benefits, they receive a $2 FreshConnect coupon to spend at the farmers’ market.

The Farmers’ Market Nutrition Program (FMNP) also offers coupons in the summer months. Through this New York State program, WIC (Women, Infants, and Children) participants and seniors can receive $5 coupons to purchase fresh fruit and vegetables at the farmers’ market. Our local WIC office distributes WIC coupons. Saratoga County Office for the Aging distributes senior coupons. Individuals aged 60+ with a limited income may pick up a booklet containing five $5 coupons (limit one per person).

Gomez Veggie Ville, photo by Pattie Garrett

Vendors cannot give change for items purchased with such coupons. However, many will work with you to ensure you receive that the goods you receive are of at least an equal value to the coupons used in making the purchase. 

To use FMNP coupons at the market, look for the blue poster at participating vendors’ stalls or simply stop by the market information table for a complete list of farms accepting FMNP coupons. The FMNP season runs from June through October.

The Saratoga Farmers’ Market is open Saturdays from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. and Wednesdays from 3 to 6 p.m. at High Rock Park. Find us online at saratogafarmersmarket.org and follow us on Facebook and Instagram.

 

Shakshuka

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Recipe by Suzy Karadsheh, The Mediterranean Dish

Prep time: 10 min

Cook time: 30 min

Makes 6 servings

 

Shakshuka is made with gently poached eggs in a simmering mixture of tomatoes, bell peppers, onions, and garlic.

Ingredients

*Ingredients currently available at the farmers’ market

  • Extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 large yellow onion*, chopped
  • 2 green peppers*, chopped
  • 2 garlic cloves*, chopped
  • 1 teaspoon ground coriander
  • 1 teaspoon paprika
  • ½ teaspoon ground cumin
  • Pinch red pepper flakes, optional
  • Salt and pepper to taste
  • 6 medium tomatoes*, chopped (about 6 cups chopped tomatoes)
  • ½ cup tomato sauce
  • 6 large eggs*
  • ¼ cup chopped fresh parsley*
  • ¼ cup chopped fresh mint*

Instructions

  1. Heat 3 tablespoons olive oil in a large cast iron skillet. Add the onions, green peppers, garlic, spices, and a pinch of salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables have softened, about 5 minutes.
  2. Add the tomatoes and tomato sauce. Cover and let simmer for about 15 minutes. Uncover and cook a bit longer to allow the mixture to reduce and thicken. Taste and adjust the seasoning to your liking.
  3. Using a wooden spoon, make 6 indentations, or “wells,” in the tomato mixture (make sure the indentations are spaced out). Gently crack an egg into each indention.
  4. Reduce the heat, cover the skillet, and cook on low until the egg whites are set.
  5. Uncover and add the fresh parsley and mint. You can add more black pepper or crushed red pepper if you like. Serve with crusty bread of your choice.

Notes

  • Leftovers will keep for 1 to 2 days if stored properly in the fridge in tight-lid glass containers. Warm over medium heat, adding a little more liquid to the shakshuka sauce if needed.
  • If you want to add meat, cook about ½ ground beef or ground lamb in some extra virgin olive oil. Season well with salt and pepper. Once fully cooked, remove the meat from the skillet, wipe the skillet well and follow steps #1 and #2 to make the shakshuka sauce, only this time, add the cooked ground meat to the skillet to simmer with the tomatoes for 15 minutes or so before adding the eggs.

 

Eggs at Saratoga Farmers’ Market

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By Mary Pratt

 

Five vendors offer chicken eggs at Saratoga Farmers’ Market. All their hen shelters are on pasture in spring, summer, and fall. Most hens can choose to go outside their shelters in winter. 

Squash Villa Farm, from the Town of Easton, Washington County, raises vegetables, goat meat, and eggs. They’re the only vendor who has chicken and duck eggs and attends Wednesday and Saturday Markets. Himanee Gupta-Carlson said, “Jim and I started raising poultry for eggs in 2012.”

Photo by Pattie Garrett (eggs)

“Today, we raise heritage breed hens, such as Cuckoo Maran, Cuckoo Araucana, and Speckled Sussex.” They produce a variety of eggshell colors – brown, green, blue, and white. Their duck eggs are from Muscovy.

Laurie Kokinda from Kokinda Farm in Mechanicville offers vegetables, fruit, and jam, and began raising hens for eggs in 2012. They also raise heritage chickens, including Black Asterlop, Polish, and Olive Eggers, which produce several colored egg shells. 

Laurie explained that during pasture season, her hens can go all over their yard when she’s at home. They are fenced into a portion of her yard when she’s away. In winter, they can go outside under a covered area.

Lovin’ Mama Farm (eggs), photo provided

Mary and Bob Pratt’s Elihu Farm, also in the Town of Easton, offers lamb, wool, and eggs. They started raising hens for their own use; then, around 2000 began raising more and more hens for eggs to sell.

Their hens are hybrids produced by Moyer’s Chicks in Pennsylvania, which lay brown eggs. Their hen shelters and feeders are on pastures and frequently moved. In winter, their hens can still go outside. Chile powder and alfalfa powder are added to their feed to keep the yolk color orange.

Jireh Organic Farms and Livestock, newest to our market, is a disabled veteran owned organic farm out of Saratoga County. They use non-GMO feed for their cage free, hand raised hens. Later this summer they will also have grass fed beef available.

Lovin’ Mama Farm, according to Corinne Hansch, raises organic vegetables and flowers and also heritage breed hens for organic eggs. Their hens include Whiting True Blue and Whiting True Green, whose feathers have been used for fly fishing. Also, Cucu Marana, for dark brown eggs.

Their hens receive non-GMO feed and rotationally graze in summer.  From November to March, they live in vegetable tunnels with deep straw where they receive leftover vegetables and micro-greens for dark orange yolks.

The Saratoga Farmers’ Market is open Saturdays from 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. at High Rock Park. And on Wednesdays from 3 to 6 p.m. also at High Rock Park. Find us online at saratogafarmersmarket.org and follow us on Facebook and Instagram.

Beneath a Small Farm Lies a Big Dream

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By Himanee Gupta

 

Bursts of tiny pink, white, and blue hepatica wildflowers signify spring.

For Arthur Kraamwinkel and Melanie Seserman, spring is their farm, Hepatica Farm, a new Saratoga Farmers’ Market vendor. Kraamwinkel and Seserman are in their 50s; the farm is a vision they plan to build in what they call their “third spring” – after earlier careers, after children became adults.

They raise chickens and turkeys on land in Greenwich protected by a conservation easement. The chicken meat they bring each week to market is certified organic, as are the grains the birds eat and the pastures where they roam. The turkey they’ll offer during the holiday season is being produced in a similar way.

This is only the beginning.

“We are trying to make a biodynamic farm,” Seserman says. “In a biodynamic farm, everything is harmonious. So you don’t just have one product.”

“Right now, we have chickens because chickens are a way that you can bring money into your farm and start to build infrastructure.”

As the infrastructure is built, they plan to raise pigs, then cows, and perhaps goats as well as sheep.

The cows eat grass, and the milk from the cows with the fat skimmed off feeds the pigs. Manure from all animals helps nourish the fields, making way for beneficial flowers, grasses, bees, butterflies, and other living beings to thrive.

“It’s about more than raising all these different animals for meat to make money,” Seserman says. “We have a vision. It’s a little ecosystem we’re creating.”

As we talked, Kraamwinkel drove us up the hills to where the chickens and turkeys are pastured. We stepped over low electrified fencing and greeted the birds.

“Why, hello,” Seserman exclaimed. The chickens clucked in excitement.

The birds reside in several large, airy, open coops. They run about, feast on organic grains and water, and forage in lush grasses below them. 

Each day Kraamwinkel hitches each coop to a tractor and moves them to fresh grass. This practice gives them clean grasses daily and helps the full pasture get the beneficial effects of foraging.

The couple sells their meat at farmers’ markets and small farm stores. They also make it available to those who are food insecure through Capital Roots and the Saratoga Farmers’ Market contributions to the Franklin Community Center and Comfort Food Community. 

The Saratoga Farmers’ Market is open Saturdays from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. and Wednesdays from 3 to 6 p.m. at High Rock Park in downtown Saratoga Springs. Find us online at saratogafarmersmarket.org and follow us on Facebook and Instagram.

 

Celebrating Christmas in July

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By Stephanie Duscher

It may be consistently reaching temperatures of eighty degrees and higher, but somehow it seems like the perfect time to celebrate Christmas (in July!). Recently, my family and I put together a small Christmas in July party with decorations, a movie marathon, and lots of yummy, festive food! If you’re interested in throwing a Christmas in July celebration, we have many ideas to get you started (including a recipe using fresh raspberries from the farmers’ market!).

Raspberries, photo by Stephanie Duscher

Decorations
 Decorations are one of the most important elements of a Christmas in July celebration. To make our living room temporarily feel like Christmas, we put up an artificial tree, which we decorated with pairs of sunglasses, shells, starfish lights, and topped with a sand bucket. We also strung some garland and lights around the room.

Activities
 A Christmas tree doesn’t look quite complete without gifts underneath. A gift exchange game (like the White Elephant Game) is perfect for a party. Christmas trivia is another fun activity; the addition of prizes can make the game even more fun (and add a competitive edge). However, no party is complete without Christmas movies. We set up a projector and played a few of our favorite festive films. To ensure maximum coziness, turn off all lights when playing the movie except for the lights on your Christmas tree!

Christmas in July, photo by Stephanie Duscher

Food
 Food is an essential part of any party. Christmas in July is extra special because it allows you to use all the fresh ingredients that summer offers without any of the restrictions of a traditional Christmas in December.
In making our Christmas cookies, I knew I wanted to use a fresh, in-season ingredient, and what better place to find that than at the Saratoga Farmer’s Market. I found some absolutely delicious raspberries from Scotch Ridge Berry Farm, so I decided to make raspberry tassies from Kate Dean’s recipe at I Heart Eating. However, I made Sugar and Soul’s fresh raspberry filling rather than using canned raspberry pie filling. It was a delicious, festive treat that also incorporated all the goodness of summer!

Scotch Ridge Berry Farm

Other ideas for holiday foods made with local in-season ingredients are festive tossed salads with local cheese, savory tarts with beef or mushrooms, roasted chicken, and baked or mashed potatoes.

The Saratoga Farmers’ Market is open Saturdays from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. and Wednesdays from 3 to 6 p.m. at High Rock Park in downtown Saratoga Springs. Find us online at saratogafarmersmarket.org and follow us on Facebook and Instagram.