Shop Local, Eat Fresh at the Saratoga Farmers' Market | Food, Crafts, Music in Saratoga Springs

Shop Local, Eat Fresh

seasonal eating

The Saratoga Farmers’ Market moves indoors on Saturday November 3rd

By

by Kristin Cleveland

Tomorrow, November 3rd, is Opening Day for the Saratoga Farmers’ Market winter season! The market will be held from 9 am to 1 pm every Saturday, from now through the end of April, inside the Lincoln Baths building at 65 South Broadway in the Saratoga Spa State Park.

Just before the 9 am opening bell tomorrow, Saratoga Mayor Meg Kelly, NYS Parks Assistant Regional Director David Barone, Saratoga Convention and Tourism Bureau president Darryl Leggieri, Spa State Park General Manager David Guest, and longtime local conservationist Barbara Glaser will share in a brief ribbon cutting ceremony to celebrate the start of the winter market season and the benefits of having the year-round Saratoga Farmers’ Market. 

Then, at 9 am, customers can head indoors to shop from over 40 farmers, specialty foods vendors and local artists, hear acoustic music, and enjoy the camaraderie of connecting with the community on Saturdays throughout the winter in a beautiful and fully accessible historic building. 

Saratoga Farmers’ Market indoors at the Lincoln Baths. Photo courtesy of Pattie Garrett

The musical guest for November 3rd will be an unplugged version of the ever popular Running the River band; information about additional upcoming Saturday musicians, sponsors of children’s activities, and other guests can be found on the calendar page of www.saratogafarmersmarket.org. Also on the website is a link to sign up for a weekly email newsletter, making it easy to find out about seasonal vendor offerings and special community events.

The Saratoga Farmers’ Market has been in operation since 1978 with a commitment to providing local products from Saratoga county and surrounding Schenectady, Rensselaer, Washington and Warren counties. For the next six months on Saturdays at the Lincoln Baths, customers will find a wide variety of fresh, locally grown autumn and winter vegetables, fruit and mushrooms. Also available all winter season will be locally produced meat, fish, poultry, eggs, cheese, yogurt, milk, homemade baked goods, jams, wine, spirits, soap, and freshly prepared and ready-to-eat foods. New farms at this year’s winter market are Ramble Creek Farm, Squashville Farm, Green Jeans Market Farm, and Saratoga Urban Farm. 

In addition to farm products, the winter “Holiday Market,” offered every Saturday in November and December, provides unique hand-crafted clothing, jewelry, elegant glass art, gourmet dog food and treats, baby items, and other artisan goods perfect for gifts for everyone on a holiday list.

Grated Carrot Salad

By

Adapted from recipe in Milk Street Magazine, shared by My Saratoga Kitchen Table

Serves: 6

 

INGREDIENTS

*Ingredients available at the farmers’ market

  • 2 Tablespoons white balsamic vinegar
  • 2 Tablespoons chopped fresh tarragon*
  • 1 Tablespoon minced shallot*
  • 1 teaspoon honey*
  • ⅛ teaspoon cayenne pepper
  • ¼ cup olive oil*
  • 1¼ pound carrots, peeled and shredded*
  • 1 cup chopped fresh parsley*

 

INSTRUCTIONS
In a large bowl, whisk together the vinegar, tarragon, shallot, honey, and cayenne. Let sit for 10 minutes. Whisk in the oil until emulsified, then add the carrots and parsley. Stir until evenly coated. Season with cayenne pepper. Serve or refrigerate for up to 24 hours.

From Hiking Boots to High Rock: Saving the Planet with Farmers’ Markets

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By Marley Bonacquist-Currin

 

Marley Bonacquist-Currin hosting the Power of Produce Club for Kids, photo courtesy of Pattie Garrett

A year ago I left the United States in my hiking boots with high hopes of learning to save the planet. Three months later, having learned a lifetime of lessons from a 100 person eco-village in Iceland, I returned to my home country, full of excitement and enthusiasm for doing what I loved and for helping our world by living what I had learned.

And quickly I began to feel as though my dreams were being crushed like a bug.

I walked into grocery stores full of packaging and plastic-looking produce. After a semester of growing everything but the kitchen sink, my heart sank. I felt as though I had fallen into a dream at Solheimar, the eco-village in Iceland, and had been brutally awakened by a harsh reality back home that people don’t care.

Then, an internship with the  Saratoga Farmers’ Market popped up. It felt like a match made in heaven, and happily, it was, right here on earth.

This summer, I’ve run barefoot through High Rock Park on rainy days, laughing with the vendors as thunderstorms and torrential showers have hit, sweated on sunny days while sipping real-food smoothies to cool off, and be surrounded by fresh produce and wonderful people.

When I came back from Iceland to my world as a Siena College student, I didn’t feel at home. At the Saratoga Farmers’ Market, I realized home was amongst the berries and beans, mushrooms and melons. The positive energies and fresh local foods remind me that people do care. Packed from open to close, with kids flooding in on Wednesdays to spend their Power of Produce tokens on fresh blueberries and string beans, the market suggests that there is a generation of people growing up barefoot in the grass, eyes full of wonder, who believe that farmer’s markets are the real grocery stores.

As my last semester at Siena College begins, I look forward to helping businesses realize the planet is worth saving through farmers’ markets. I want my generation and others to know that it’s time to get started.

The Saratoga Farmers’ Market is at High Rock Park, 3-6 p.m. Wednesdays and 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturdays through October. We move to our winter location at the Lincoln Baths Building in the Saratoga Spa State Park on November 4.

A Lovely Lentil Curry

By

Recipe by Marley Bonacquist-Currin

Serves 6-8

 

Ingredients
*Ingredients available at the farmers’ market

  • Olive oil* for sauteeing
  • ½ onion*-sliced thin
  • 1 clove garlic* – minced
  • 1 can unsweetened coconut milk (12oz)
  • Bunch of Spinach or Kale or Swiss Chard (Any seasonal leafy green)*
  • 1 large or 1 cup cherry tomatoes*
  • 4 large carrots*
  • 1 cup of mushrooms* (Oysters and shiitakes are my favorites)
  • ¼ cup curry powder
  • 3 Tbsp. Turmeric
  • 1 ½ Tsp. Salt
  • 1 Tsp Cayenne or Paprika (Depending on preferred spice level)
  • ⅛ tsp. Black pepper
  • 2 Tsp. Granulated garlic
  • 2 Tsp. Granulated onion
  • 1 ½  cups uncooked lentils

 

Directions

  1. Saute garlic and onions in olive oil until the onions are translucent.
  2. Add coconut milk, leafy greens, tomatoes,  carrots (sliced thin), and mushrooms and spices.
  3. Cook for 1 hour over medium-low heat (until veggies are soft).
  4. In a sauce pan, cover the lentils with water. Bring to a boil. Cook for 12-15 minutes more.
  5. Add to curried vegetables.
  6. Serve over mashed potatoes or rice (I prefer basmati or jasmine).