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Eating with the seasons – even in February

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By Himanee Gupta

 

One belief about eating local is that we cannot do it in February. The ground is frozen. Nothing is growing. It is cold. 

We grit our teeth as we head for the grocery store, knowing that what we’ll find will have traveled several hundred miles and will not be cheap.

Pretty bleak? 

It need not be.

While it is true that farmers cannot grow much in frozen soil, they still can offer foods grown, raised, or made at their farms. That is what the Saratoga Farmers Market brings you every Saturday. Even though the offerings and number of vendors are smaller at this time of year, there’s good stuff available for delicious meals throughout the week.

Consider: 

  • Soups made with butternut squash, carrots, turnips, and potatoes. Gomez Veggie Ville and Lovin’ Mama Farms have these classic winter vegetables. Cook them with bone broths from King’s Creek Farm or simply water. For a creamy touch, give the soup a light puree with a blender, and then stir in some A2 milk from the Argyle Cheese Farmer. Put some microgreens from the Perfect Plant Farm on top.
A2 milk from Argyle Cheese Farmer, photo by Madison Jackson
  • Meats. Chicken, duck, goat, pork, beef, and veal are currently available. Think about roasts, stews, meatloaf, chili, casseroles, and burgers – just to get started. Farm-raised meat might seem expensive by the pound. However, many cuts are available in smaller packages, such as stew meats and chops. And our meat producers are good cooks who know how to prepare a larger cut, such as a roast or a whole duck or chicken, and also how to create marvelous second, third, or even fourth meals with leftovers. They’re happy to share their tips. Stop by the tables of Hebron Valley, Hepatica, Jireh, King’s Creek, Longlesson, and Squash Villa farms, and ask.
  • Homemade sides and treats. In addition to sweet and savory baked goods are stuffed dates, pickled beets and cabbages, jams, cheeses, granola mixes, and hummus. Combining farm-made foods with vegetables and meats can add a healthy, flavorful balance to winter meals. Look for such items at Kokinda Farms, Nightwork Bread, Puckers Gourmet Pickles, Parchment, Sweet Prophecy, and The Cookie Lab, among others.
Kokinda Farm, photo by Toni Nastasi

And the days are getting longer, so popular items such as eggs, spinach, kale, and salad greens are becoming more available.
        One trick for making the most of a farmers market visit both now and year-round: Treat your shopping list as a guide, not a rule. Take in all of what the market offers. Let yourself make changes and substitutions because you can. That’s what makes eating local possible and exciting, even in February.

The Saratoga Farmers’ Market is open on Saturdays from 9:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m. in the Wilton Mall Food Court. Find us online at www.saratogafarmersmarket.org, and follow us on Facebook and Instagram @SaratogaFarmersMarket.

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.

 

Corn Cookies + Blueberry Compote Treat

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Recipe by Val Hernández, owner of Cookie Lab Confections

Blueberry compote recipe 

Makes 1 ½ cups of blueberry compote 

 

Ingredients

*Ingredients currently available at the farmers’ market

  • 1 ½ teaspoon of all-purpose flour 
  • ½ lemon, freshly juiced 
  • 1 ¾ cup fresh blueberries* (pick up some of your favorites from the Saratoga Farmer’s Market!) 
  • ¼ cup granulated sugar 
  • Pinch of salt (kosher salt is our go-to!) 

Instructions

  1. In a medium-sized saucepan, whisk lemon juice and flour. 
  2. Toss blueberries, granulated sugar, and salt, and the lemon mixture to evenly coat blueberries. 
  3. On medium-high heat, bring the blueberry mixture to a boil, stirring it occasionally, then reduce heat and simmer for 5 minutes, just as blueberries start to blister.
  4. Remove from heat and cool completely (24 hours or at least an hour in the fridge) before enjoying it with Cookie Lab’s Cornbread cookies! 

 

Ways to enjoy blueberry compote with cornbread cookies: 

  • Pick up one of our Cornbread cookies (or two) and make a Blueberry Compote cookie sandwich to enjoy after dinner or to start off your day with something sweet! 
  • In a small bowl, serve yourself some fresh Blueberry Compote, break Cookie Lab’s Cornbread cookie into quarter pieces (or smaller if you’d like) and enjoy with a spoon!

Cookie Lab Confections: A story baked into every flavor

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By Caroline Moran

 

Living in Puerto Rico at the start of the pandemic, Val Hernández, founder of Cookie Lab Confections, was on the hunt for a good cookie. Searching high and low for unique specialty cookies, she was disappointed to find the same old classics (chocolate chip, snickerdoodles, etc.). Not letting the lack of variety stop her, she took it upon herself to purchase an oven and begin experimenting with new flavors. Val quickly discovered a passion for baking. It was apparent she could bring joy to the people around her through baked creations.

Research of various farmers’ markets led her to Saratoga Springs, where she fell in love with the “opportunity to get involved with the local community, meet new people, and showcase [her] cookie creations.”

Brownie and Confetti Cookies, photo provided by Cookie Lab

One of the most rewarding aspects of the business is “every bit of loving feedback” Val receives when she experiments with a new “flavor story.” Using this method, she chooses a treat and asks herself, “how can I turn this sweet treat into cookie form?” A key aspect of this process is thinking outside the box with flours and mix-ins. For her Maple Bisquick cookie, pancake mix replaces traditional flour. Her Deconstructed Rice Krispie cookie incorporates white chocolate chips and a marshmallow center to emphasize the cereal’s flavor.

As for upcoming flavor stories, Val aims to bring the tastes of some beloved Puerto Rican treats to the region. Mantecaditos are a classic buttery shortbread topped with nonpareils, which will pair well with the flavor profile of Quesitos (a puff pastry with a sweet cream cheese filling).

While new flavors are in production, Val’s current favorite is her Brownie & Confetti cookie. Inspired by a trip to New York City, the idea for a “two-in-one” cookie led to a perfect mashup of “dark, moody flavors” and “light vanilla flavors.”

Val’s journey began by laying down roots at local farmers’ markets. Now, she dreams of opening a cookie and coffee shop where she hopes to serve freshly baked cookies alongside Puerto Rican coffee. 

Cookie Lab Confections’ treats can be found at the Saratoga and Clifton Park markets and are available online for free delivery throughout Albany, Schenectady, Rensselaer, and Saratoga every Friday.

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.

 

Saratoga Farmers’ Market Will Open Outdoor Season in Temporary Quarters

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By Himanee Gupta

The month of May will be a bit different for the Saratoga Farmers’ Market this year. Normally, this is when we clang our opening day bells at our outdoor location on Wednesday afternoon and Saturday morning at High Rock Park.

This year, we will be elsewhere for a few weeks, and we invite you to join us there.

We kick off our outdoor season at 3 p.m. this coming Wednesday, May 4, outside the City Center Parking Garage while construction crews widen the sidewalks at High Rock Park and build it into the downtown segment of the Saratoga Greenbelt Trail. Our Saturday market will go outdoors at 9 a.m. on May 7 in the parking lot of the Wilton Mall, marking our third year of opening at that locale.

Final 2022 Wednesday Market Map Parking Garage

We look forward to being at High Rock by Memorial Day.

In the meantime, spring is in full spring. Market stalls are brimming over with fresh bags of arugula and spinach, seasonal greens like ramps and claytonia, radishes, pea shoots, and the first chard and kale of the season. Eggs are abundant. Chicken, pork, beef, lamb, rose veal, and goat meat will soon be available. Our chefs will also be in action, offering a range of warm, ready-to-eat items. 

The COVID-19 pandemic coupled with construction prevented the market from operating at High Rock in 2020 and part of 2021. The market was set to return to its usual outdoor location at High Rock Park until we learned in late March that this would not be possible.

The city said it was planning to extend the Saratoga Greenbelt Trail from Lake to Excelsior avenues, right across the lawns outside the High Rock pavilions where the farmers market takes place. Construction would be in progress, and parking would be limited.

Owl Wood Farm by Pattie Garrett

“We were taken by surprise,” admits Mark Bascom of Owl Wood Farm and president of the market’s board.

“We immediately worked to find solutions for our market to return to High Rock Park as soon as possible.”

As of now, work on the Greenbelt is in progress. Lawns outside the market pavilions are being dug up. When completed, this portion of the trail will connect downtown Saratoga to Exit 15 trail at Excelsior Avenue. It will consist of a 10-foot wide ADA-accessible paved path along High Rock and Excelsior avenues and a continuous sidewalk network. The city plans to replace 49 trees with 62 healthier trees.

For many longtime Saratoga Farmers Market vendors, news of the construction turned into an opportunity to build better relationships with city officials. Beth Trattel, owner of Something’s Brewing and market board vice president, praised both the city and the mall for expressing their support for the market’s continuation. 

“The City Center and its executive director Ryan McMahon generously stepped up to let us use the space in front of the parking garage structure for the Wednesday market,” she said. “It has good visibility and will coincide with our goal of providing a vibrant community meeting place that is accessible to all.”

Chicken Spinach Salad with Butternut Squash

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Recipe by The Roasted Root, shared by My Saratoga Kitchen Table

Serves: 4

Ingredients

For the Vinaigrette:

  • ¼ cup olive oil
  • 3 Tablespoons cider vinegar*
  • 1 Tablespoon maple syrup*
  • ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon

For the chicken and butternut squash:

  • 1 pound boneless chicken tenders or breasts*
  • 1 Tablespoon olive oil
  • 1 teaspoon oregano
  • 1 teaspoon paprika
  • 2 teaspoons olive oil
  • 2 cups butternut squash*, peeled and chopped
  • ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon

For the Salad:

  • 5 ounces of fresh baby spinach*
  • ½ cup raw pecan halves
  • ¼ cup golden raisins
  • 1 large green apple*, cored and sliced

Instructions

  1. For the vinaigrette: Whisk all the ingredients for the vinaigrette in a small bowl until smooth.
  2. For the chicken and butternut squash: Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.Place chicken in a casserole dish. Drizzle with 1 Tablespoon olive oil, and sprinkle with oregano, and paprika. Place the squash on a baking sheet. Drizzle with 2 teaspoons olive oil and ½ teaspoon cinnamon. Roast the squash and chicken in the oven for 25 minutes or until the squash is tender and golden brown. Continue to cook the chicken until cooked through.
  3. For the Salad: Place spinach in a bowl or on individual plates. Top with pecans, raisins, squash, chicken, and apples. Drizzle vinaigrette over salad.

*Ingredients currently available at the farmers’ market