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

Shop Local, Eat Fresh

small businesses

Making the most of Super Bowl-Valentine’s Day

By

By Julia Howard

Whether you’re shopping for Super Bowl snacks or scrambling to find a thoughtful gift for Valentine’s Day, or maybe both, Saratoga Farmers’ Market vendors are prepared to meet all your needs at tomorrow’s market. 

Southy Sweets’ assorted Valentine’s Day special, photo by Toni Nastasi.

First, let’s talk about sweets. Our favorite chocolatiers at Saratoga Chocolate Company ask, “What’s Valentine’s Day without chocolate?”. Shop for their Valentine’s Trio, a variety of dark and milk chocolate infused with organic cacao nibs, passion fruit, and sugared violets. Southy Sweets has decadent chocolate and vanilla cake, chocolate-covered strawberries, and chocolate-covered pretzels. Our friends at Boozy Moo! encourage you to show your love with their Red Velvet Valentine ice cream cake made with Bailey’s Red Velvet liqueur, vodka, red velvet cookie crumble, and whipped cream frosting.

Now for snacks. Argyle Cheese Farmer, Nettle Meadow, and R&G Cheesemakers have a variety of cheeses for your Super Bowl spread or to share with your love on Valentine’s Day. But buyer beware, these local cheeses are so good that we won’t blame you if you decide to keep them for yourself. Muddy Trail Jerky Co. has dip mixes, sweet potato chips, and a variety of jerky suitable for snacking and gifting. And, Pork and Greens has a special that includes 1lb of tenderloin, bacon-pork rillettes, and a bag of pea shoots for $32.50. The kit also features cooking tips, recipes, pairing suggestions, and P&G stickers. Pre-order by emailing thisisporkandgreens@gmail.com.

Ballston Lake Apiaries, photo by Toni Nastasi

For Valentine’s Day gifting, Kim Dolan of  Kim Dolan Designed Jewelry says, “Why break tradition when it’s something as timeless as handcrafted jewelry?”. Shop her selection of silver and gemstone jewelry. Ballston Lake Apiaries has various hand-poured beeswax candles.

Something’s Brewing, photo by Toni Nastasi

Last but certainly not least, Something’s Brewing understands the ultimate gift is a great cup of coffee. Try their chocolate fudge-flavored coffee for Valentine’s Day. And, don’t forget to stock up on beer from Mean Max Brew Works – perfect for the Super Bowl and your favorite beer enthusiast.

There are no rules for snacking or gifting, so if you feel like indulging in chocolate-covered strawberries during the half-time show or giving yourself a beautiful piece of jewelry, follow your happiness and shop local.

This weeks’ recipe: Raspberry Crumble Bars

 

 

Shop Local at the Farmers’ Market this Holiday Season

By

Supporting small businesses is always a must in our eyes, but this year it’s more important than ever. Not only does it give our local economy a boost, but you’re more likely to find unique gifts for your loved ones.

The Saratoga Farmers’ Market offers a spacious shopping environment featuring 50+ local businesses, with some attending exclusively for the holiday season. These holiday season vendors will rekindle your excitement for shopping and finding the perfect gift.

Sweetbrier Farms, photo provided

Sweetbrier Farms makes small-batch, plant-infused wellness and beauty products. They offer hand-made soaps, tinctures and glycerites, herb-infused raw honey, salves and balms, and teas. Sweetbrier’s products are made from “responsibly wildcrafted ingredients” – many from their farm in Salem.

With seasonal favorites like eggnog and hot cocoa, Grandma Apple’s Cheesecakes make great gifts for any “sweet tooth”. Grandma’s handcrafted, artisanal cheesecakes come in various flavors and sizes that make the perfect cake easy to find.

For the spirits connoisseur on your list, Springbrook Hollow Farm Distillery, nestled in the foothills of the Adirondacks, produces hand-crafted, high-quality spirits in a natural and innovative process. They make award-winning vodka, gin, rye whiskey, moonshine, Limoncello, Orangecello, and Cowboy Coffee.

Scotch Ridge Berry & Tree Farm, photo by Emily Meagher

Scotch Ridge Berry & Tree Farm has handmade wreaths, kissing balls, holiday swag, and tabletop Christmas trees all this month. Gorgeous greenery makes a memorable and personal gift, and even more so when it’s locally made.

Saratoga Suds ‘n’ Stuff makes soap the “old fashioned” way – “by hand, in small batches, using fat and lye and some essential oils to scent it.” For the holidays, find soaps in the shape of gingerbread men, Christmas trees, and other fun seasonal shapes alongside their traditional soaps.

Goodway Bakery has been baking cookies, cakes, pies, and brownies in Troy for over 40 years. Their rum cakes, in particular, have an excellent shelf life for 2-3 weeks at room temperature, making them perfect gifts.

Owl Wood Farm, photo by Pattie Garrett

For the farmers’ market enthusiast in your life, Owl Wood Farm has freshly-harvested, Certified Naturally Grown produce every Saturday in December. Assemble a gift basket of produce, purchase a gift certificate, or buy a 2021 CSA subscription for a friend or family member.

Amazing authentic Indian food for Christmas? Why not! Daily Fresh Food makes to-go curries, vegan samosas, soups, and other specialty dishes that make a great gift and offer a break from cooking.

Many holiday season vendors offer pre-order for easy pickup as well as online ordering. Find their website or like them on social media to stay up to day on their products and specials.

This week’s recipe: Shaved Brussels Sprouts Salad

Starting small begins with dreaming big

By

By Mary Pratt

Elihu Farm, photo by Pattie Garrett

Before Bob and I started Elihu Farm, we lived in New Scotland, self-employed writing about acid precipitation and climate change (before it became a ‘hot topic’).

Eventually one of us said, “We should do something agricultural.” Soon we bought our Elihu Farm in Easton, named for Revolutionary Patriot, Elihu Gifford. Instead of raising vegetables and berries, the book left in our house, “Raising Sheep the Modern Way,” pushed us that way. We’ve raised sheep since 1987. And concentrate on lamb cuts, pastured eggs, and wool.

The way we started has made me curious about how other Saratoga Farmers’ Market vendors began.

Argyle Cheese Farmer, photo by Pattie Garrett

Before we joined the Market, we met Marge and Dave Randles. Dave and his brother ran Randles dairy farm, founded in 1860 in Argyle. Dave explained, “Seventeen years ago, the price of milk was abysmal, so we thought of doing value-added products.”

Making cheese was Dave’s first idea, at Argyle Cheese Farm. But “Marge is a visionary,” he said, “who thought about a variety of products.”

They offer fantastic yogurt, award-winning cheese, cheese spreads, cultured buttermilk, smoothies, gelato, and more. Check out tzatziki sauce, new breads, doughnuts, and baked goods.

Something’s Brewing, photo by Pattie Garrett

When the Market needed a new coffee vendor, Beth Trattel, Something’s Brewing, at first shared a small space with Argyle Cheese Farmer. “The Market was a better fit than my coffee shop in Greenwich.”

“About two years ago, I started coffee roasting.” with sustainable beans. “It’s like making wine, or cooking,” she said. “…more creative and flexible.”

Her Battenkill River Coffee has several varieties, and she blends her own teas, blueberry lavender this week. In addition, she makes lemonade, iced black tea, iced mocha, Italian cream soda.

Mark Bascom and Lindsay Fisk, planted Owl Wood Farm in Salem five years ago. They heard owls in woods at a leased farm and their current farm.

Owl Wood Farm, photo by Pattie Garrett

They studied environmental science at two colleges, including sustainable agriculture. Lindsay explained, “We started working on farms during summers, and took various apprenticeships after college.”

After the apprenticeships, they decided to raise Certified Naturally Grown vegetables, herbs, and strawberries. Lindsay said, “It’s a grassroots alternative to the National Organic Program, and we do it so we can be third-party verified.” At Farmers’ Market, salad greens are the most popular.

This week’s recipe: Iced Mocha