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Scotch Ridge Trees and Berries

Christmas on the Farm

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By Julia Howard

Opening boxes of holiday decorations, preparing festive seasonal foods, and gatherings with friends and family are some of the ways that we celebrate the holiday season. This time of year evokes different memories for all of us. This week, we look to our local farmers and producers as they share some of their favorite memories of Christmas on the farm.

Laurie Kokinda’s horse Hyde, photo courtesy of Laurie Kokinda

“When we were kids, Christmas Eve was always our big dinner and presents,” shares Laurie Kokinda of Kokinda Farm and Laurie’s Jams and Jellies. “Christmas morning, we always saddled horses and went for a trail ride through Luther Forest. Back then, it was a single dirt road and especially beautiful if we got fresh snow.”

Jim and Himanee Gupta-Carlson of Squashville Farm explains that many religious and cultural traditions have shaped their holiday festivities. Their move to the Upstate NY area and involvement in local farmers’ markets has also guided their holiday rituals. “We always get a fresh tree from Charles of Scotch Ridge Farm,” says Himanee Gupta-Carlson. “We celebrate the Feast of the Seven Fishes on Christmas Eve with seven (or sometimes more!) types of shellfish or fish from Pura Vida Fisheries, and we like to do purple potato latkes during Hanukkah and a roast duck on Christmas Day,” Gupta-Carlson adds.

Slate River Farms, photo courtesy of Nellie Lovenduski

At Nettle Meadow Farm and animal sanctuary, Christmas is celebrated with a big holiday bash hosted by the farm owners for the employees. The farm’s annual party includes a feast, a secret Santa gift swap, games, and good conversation. Farmworker Sean Dean jokes that the farm’s geriatric rescue turkey has the safest home at the farm.

 

Slate River Farms, photo courtesy of Nellie Lovenduski

Nellie Lovenduski of Slate River Farms shares memories of family snowshoeing on the farm, taking chickens for rides in snow tubes, and ice skating on Ensign Brook.

Anna Mae Clark, a long-time market member and best known as ‘the jam lady’, recalls memories of cookies and sweet treats throughout the Christmas season. “My mother made New Year’s cookies around Thanksgiving, and the cookies aged in a crock until they were ready to be devoured at Christmas festivities,” reminisces Clark. Baking her favorite sugar cookies, her grandmother’s oatmeal-raisin cookies, and her brother’s favorite chocolate chip cookies evoke her most meaningful holiday memories of time shared with family.

This holiday season, we encourage you to build traditions of your own. Perhaps by sharing a favorite recipe, shopping for your holiday feast at the farmers’ market, or simply spending time with loved ones — which is where the true spirit of the season lays.

 

This week’s recipe: Buttery Breakfast Casserole

Saratoga Farmers’ Market Gift Guide

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By Mary Pratt

When searching for holiday gifts, come to Saratoga Farmers’ Market for unique products.

At the Wilton Mall entrance, shop evergreens for your home or a gift, from Scotch Ridge Trees and Berries. Charles Holub noted, “We have farm fresh wreaths, kissing balls, door swags, and table top trees.”

He will take special orders for decoration, and you can fetch a fresh Christmas tree at his farm in Duanesburg. The balsam, blue spruce, and concolor fir trees are naturally grown.

Something’s Brewing, photo courtesy of Beth Trattel

Beth Trattel has been a foodie for a few decades. She worked at restaurants since she was 19, and ran “Something’s Brewing” coffee shop in Greenwich.

Now she does her own roasting. “Beans are extremely fresh, sustainably sourced; roasted and flavored in small batches. She’s offering ‘Gift Bags’ with toffee and two sampler bags of coffee. “The chocolate-nut toffee recipe is tweaked by adding maple syrup from Slate Valley Farms”.

Saratoga Suds ‘n’ Stuff, photo by Pattie Garrett

Mary Jane Pelzer, Saratoga Suds ‘n’ Stuff, is a third-generation soap maker. She’s created natural, homemade, handmade soap in small batches for 40 years.

Her basic body bars come in a variety of “flavors” with natural essential oils for “good clean fun.” For holidays her soaps include winter-woods trees, snowmen soaps-on-a-rope. Children (and adults) will enjoy cupcake soaps and ducklings floating on soap.

Feathered Antler, photo by Pattie Garrett

Gretchen Tisch’s life-time creativity is inspired by exploring the outdoors. Her handmade Feathered Antler products include stationery, jewelry, hand-knit scarves and hats, and clothing decorated with hand-painted antlers, moose, and trees.

Her unique pet portraits are created from owners’ photographs. Gretchen said, “I can still take orders in time for Christmas”. She’s also offering hand-painted mugs and wooden Christmas tree ornaments.

Zoe Burghard Ceramics, photo by Pattie Garrett

Zoe Burghard learned to be a potter at Earthworks in New York City. Later, like many other market vendors she concluded, “I’ve learned by doing.” From the City, she and her family moved to Saratoga because they liked the different pace.

Today her functional and Raku pottery is all wheel thrown and all one of a kind. The functional includes vases, jewelry holders, cups, spoon rests, salt and pepper shakers and clever bowls. Raku pottery originated in Japan, and Zoe’s is beautifully decorative.

Terri Smith from the Weaving Tree Studio said they offer a variety of gifts, such as snowmen socks stuffed with rice, glittery glass, hand-painted bottles with battery operated lights. She said her most popular gifts are egg crates, decorated with amusing phrases.

Big Breath Wellness makes jewelry, skin care, natural aroma therapy, and other gifts. Tierney Carey said their jewelry is “wearable art” with many stones from Columbia. They offer “Mommy, Daddy, and Me” jewelry sets. For “making holiday magic” they have handmade dream catchers, crowns and wands.

Tierney and partner, Yadira Roman, offer gift baskets with three themes: empress relaxation, blue goddess self-love, and sleepy witch self-care. This Saturday they’re featuring special baskets for $20.

Touch, don’t squeeze: Checking produce for ripeness

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By Himanee Gupta-Carlson

Halls Pond Farm, photo courtesy of Pattie Garrett

Early September is a time of abundance at the Saratoga Farmers’ Market: Summer squashes, tomatoes, and eggplants are plentiful. Fruits such as peaches, plums, cantaloupes, and watermelons are just coming in. The harder shelled delicata, acorn, and spaghetti squashes are making their first appearances, giving market goers much to choose.

With the choices come questions of sweetness and ripeness: Which tomato is sweetest? Will that watermelon be red and juicy when cut, or green and bitter?

There are no easy answers, as one only knows the true taste of such items when they’ve been cut open. And many traditional methods of testing summer produce for ripeness like knocking on melons or squeezing tomatoes are unreliable and potentially damaging.

However, there are a few tricks to determining ripeness.

Gomez Veggie Ville, photo courtesy of Pattie Garrett

“Color, feel, and smell,” says Paul Moyer, of Old World Farm, which brings nearly 50 varieties of tomatoes to market. Moyer picks up a tomato and holds it, “like you would hold a baby or a fragile item that might easily break.” He recommends looking for uniformity in color, touching it very gently for firmness, and smelling it at the base. Similar principles apply to eggplants.

Soft skinned zucchini and summer squash should be firm but not hard and unblemished. They will spoil quickly so are best used soon after purchase. Harder skinned winter squashes, however, will continue to ripen after harvest and often gain sweetness with time.

Farmers harvest some fruits before they reach full ripeness such as peaches or plums to avoid spoilage. They might be rock hard at market but will soften within a few days if kept in a bowl on a counter away from the sun.

Burger’s Marketgarden, photo courtesy of Pattie Garrett

That practice differs, however, for melons, which will remain ripe if picked ripe but will be hard and bitter if harvested too soon, says Ryan Holub, of Scotch Ridge Trees & Berries. Scotch Ridge sells berries in the summer and fall, and seedlings for backyard gardens in spring. Among its offerings this year were watermelon plants, which are producing melons now.

“If it twists off the stem easily, it’s ready,” Holub says, adding that a melon picked too soon has little chance of ripening once off the vine.

Traditional Meals for Traditional Holidays

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By Mary Pratt

As we approach our traditional winter holiday season, the Saratoga Farmers’ Market offers delicious selections for traditional preparation. Whether you’re gathering guests or enjoying a quiet celebration, the Market supplies ingredients from appetizers to entrees to desserts. Scotch Ridge Trees and Berries completes your home with holiday decorations.

What better cocktail to serve in New York State than a Manhattan made with Yankee Distillers rye whiskey, made from 100 percent Saratoga grains. You can top it with a fermented black cherry from Pucker’s Pickles.

Battenkill Valley Creamery makes eggnog that’s ready for adding optional liquor. Or prepare homemade with their dairy products, and Market eggs, using SimplyRecipes.com.
For appetizers, check the holiday cheeses from Argyle Cheese and Nettle Meadow. Argyle’s annual gift baskets will work for a cheese platter along with yogurt dips for Market vegetables. Nettle Meadow’s holiday cheeses include pfeffernusse, cranberry, and eggnog fromage frais. Pura Vida expects to have Peconic Bay scallops, and try their blowfish, either sautéed or fried like chicken wings. Add Freddy’s Rockin’ Hummus to your appetizers, and serve with Saratoga Crackers and Mrs. London’s breads.

For entrees, Longlesson Farm and Lewis Waite Farm offer glorious beef rib roasts. You can pre-order three or four rib, or whole roasts. Elihu Farm will have fresh lamb again, including bone-in or boneless legs, whole or half racks, and loin strips. Mariaville Mushroom Men features gift baskets and teas, along with grow kits. Their mushrooms make an excellent side dish with beef or lamb.

Don’t leave the Market until you pick up salad greens, tomatoes and herbs, potatoes and vegetables, and Momma’s Secret Salad Dressings. For an alternate starch, try Mangiamo’s pasta. And add Saratoga Apple’s hard cider to your basket.

Finally, no meal is complete without dessert and coffee. The Chocolate Spoon offers cookies and cakes all year, and for holidays one can order fruit or cream pies and cheesecakes. From Saratoga Apple you can choose varieties to make baked apples and apple pie. Grandmas Apple’s also makes cheesecakes. In addition to serving cup after cup of coffee at the Market, Something’s Brewing now roasts organic coffee beans in several flavors. Add this, and treats from Saratoga Chocolate, to complete your basket of products for holiday celebrations.

Holiday Wreaths Complete the Circle of Farmer’s Season

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By Himanee Gupta-Carlson

 

Photo courtesy of Pattie Garrett

For Charles Holub, of Scotch Ridge Trees & Berries, diversity is “the lifeblood of a small farm.” His farm in Duanesburg is a case in point.

Scotch Ridge starts its season with the Saratoga Farmers’ Market selling seedlings started in its greenhouses for spring gardens. As spring shifts toward summer, cartons of berries, tomatoes, and bouquets of cut flowers become the primary crops. Summer folds into fall and then winter, and as December arrives, trees and handmade wreaths, door swags, and kissing balls make their appearance.

Holub was busy making wreaths last week in his workshop, a shed that serves as an entry point for berry pickers in the summer and cut-your-own tree visitors on weekends in December. An ice-coated pond and piles of greenery surrounded the shed. Inside, the spicy scents of Douglas fir, Scotch pine, white pine, blue spruce, and Frasier fir, a propane heater and soft stereo music system created a festive environment.

“My grandson was here last weekend,” Holub said. “He called it the Christmas place.”

Photo courtesy of Pattie Garret

Holub starts his wreaths with a handful of branches trimmed to size. He mixes varieties of greenery to achieve a diversity of color, texture, and smell and crimps them onto a frame, handful by handful. He adds sprigs of laurel and holly, and cones, ribbons, and continues to crimp until the circle is complete. All of the natural materials are gathered from his land or from the farms and yards of friends and family.

Holub grew up on the land he farms. The eldest of five children, he enjoyed a 35-year engineering career with New York State and retired at age 55. A few years before retirement, he began planning Scotch Ridge Farm. He planted his first trees around 1991 and began bringing them to market about 10 to 12 years later. Seedlings, berries, tomatoes and cut flowers followed as the operation grew.

Now, he plants about 1,000 trees a year. The trees take about 12 to 15 years to mature, and in the busy weeks of December, he makes about 30 wreaths a week.

“Farming is a risky venture,” he says, “Yet, there’s a great satisfaction in growing things and having success.”

The Saratoga Farmers’ Market is 9 a.m.-1 p.m. Saturdays at the Lincoln Baths Building in Saratoga Spa State Park. Follow us on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook.