Saratoga Farmers' Market

Spatzle

The usual – and the unusual – at Saratoga Farmers’ Market

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Many regulars treat their trips to the twice-weekly Saratoga Farmers’ Market as opportunities to stock up on provisions for the week.

But going to the market also can be an opportunity to discover something new – an unusual fruit, an heirloom vegetable, a different kind of homemade sauce. To bring out that adventurous spirit, we asked our summer interns, Laura Kenny and Elizabeth Horgan, to explore the market and share their favorite finds. Here’s a short list of what they came up with:

1/ Lovage. Its flavor and smell can be described as a mix of celery and parsley, but with a higher intensity of both of those flavors. This herb is delicious in salads and soups. Find it at Otrembiak Farm.

2/ Lions Mane. This poofy mushroom sold by Mariaville Mushroom Men and Ramble Creek Farm is often equated to a steak or a lobster. Slice it thinly, cook it in a hot, unoiled saucepan for 3-4 minutes. Then add oil and seasonings of your choice. Turn off the heat and let it rest. It will taste a little like steak or lobster.

Celtuce, photo courtesy of Squashville Farm

3/ Garlic Scapes. These green curlicues are the flower of the garlic. Farmers cut them off to help their garlic grow and invite you to enjoy them as a vegetable or meat seasoning, atop pizzas, in pasta sauces, pickled, or stir-fried.

4/ Celtuce. This Asian green is harvested usually in late summer for its stem. Its young leaves, however, also are delicious in a quick stir fry with oil, red pepper, and peanuts. Find the leaves at Squashville Farm.

5/ Salsa Gardens. If all the fresh food makes you want to grow your own, check out the salsa and pizza “gardens” that Balet and Burger nurseries offer. All you need in a single pot.

Vital Eats, photo by Laura Kenny

6/ Kettle Corn. The Proper Popper turns this fair-like treat into a weekly market affair. Find them Saturdays with the other prepared food vendors.

7/ Chickpea cheese dip. Vital Eats offers its So-Cheezy and Zesty-Cheezy vegan condiments on Saturdays. These flavorful sauces are nut, soy, and dairy free. Chickpeas and vegetables pack creamy, tangy flavor that’s full of antioxidants, and protein.

Otrembiak Farm, photo by Laura Kenny

8/ Scallop squash. We often think of patty pan squash as small and yellow. But it can be big and multi-colored, as many vendor stalls attest. Small to medium scallop squash can be treated like zucchini. The skin is thin and the seeds are small enough you can slice and cook however you would like. You can pickle, saute, grill, or even bake this squash. Larger pattypan squash needs a little extra TLC, but they are the ultimate vessel for stuffing and baking.

9/ Spatzle. The Vermont Spatzle Co. offers a gluten-free version of this German specialty on Saturdays. Ask them for their list of recipes.

Photo courtesy of Feathered Antler

10/ And for that newborn, check out the hand-painted onesies at the Feathered Antler.

Of course, the interns made many more discoveries. We invite you to join them and explore.

Spätzle with Mushroom Cream Sauce

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Recipe courtesy of the Vermont Spätzle Company

Serves: 2-3

Ingredients

*Ingredients currently available at the farmers’ market

  • 1 pint of mushrooms*, sliced
  • 1 white onion*, diced
  • 2 Tablespoons of butter*
  • 1 Tablespoon of flour (gluten free, if desired)
  • 1 ½ cups of beef broth*
  • ¼ cup cream* or half & half
  • 2 Tablespoons parsley*, chopped
  • Salt and pepper to taste
  • 1 Tablespoon butter*
  • 1 12 oz. package of Vermont Spätzle Company spätzle

Directions

In a large skillet, melt butter on medium heat and add the onions. Add the mushrooms and saute until onions and mushrooms are soft. Season with salt and pepper. Sprinkle flour onto the onions and mushrooms. Cook for 1 minute. Stir in broth and simmer for 5 minutes.

Melt better in a sauté pan and sauté spätzle according to package directions or until desired crispness.

Add the cream and simmer on low for about 5 minutes until it thickens. Add the chopped parsley. Add spätzle to the mushroom cream sauce or top spätzle with mushroom cream sauce on a serving plate . Sprinkle with more parsley if desired and serve immediately. 

Check out more spätzle recipes at www.vtspatzlecompany.com

New Vendor Brings Spätzle Love to Wednesday Market


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By Julia Howard, Market Director

Minutes before the opening bell rings Wednesdays at the Saratoga Farmers’ Market, Julz and Marty Irion fire up a burner to warm samples of their product, a gluten free spätzle.

The bell rings and a heady aroma fills the air. Market goers walk by, stop and smell.
“Would you like a sample?” Marty asks. As the shoppers taste the dish, Marty and Julz tell its story. Spätzle is a German dish made typically with wheat, flour, and eggs. The Irions’ version is gluten free, made with a blend of tapioca, corn, and potato flours along with local milk and eggs, and nutmeg. 

The Vermont Spatzle Company. Photo courtesy of Pattie Garrett

Together, Marty and Julz have created a no-boil spätzle that is unique, delicious, and the only one of its kind worldwide.

Marty was born in Erlangen, Germany and loved the dish made the traditional way. He and Julz met in 1985 and married four years later. Julz started to make spätzle for the family.

Eight years ago, the couple needed to drop wheat from their diets. They were unwilling to let go of their love for spätzle so Julz began experimenting with alternatives. She found that creating a good gluten free version of the German favorite was not easy. The experiments stretched out for seven years. Until March 2017. “The family sat around the dinner table that night,” recalls Marty. “We taste it and we all said at the same time, ‘This is so good.’ ” They also realized they needed to share it, and decided, on March 11, 2017, to go forth with that plan.

Vermont Spätzle Company, based in Arlington, VT, sold its first spätzle in June 2017. The Irions offer it now at 60 stores and farmers’ markets. The appeal of their spätzle goes beyond being gluten free. On the packaging are the words “Package to pan in 90 seconds”, making spätzle a quick and easy dish to prepare.

For Julz, perfecting spätzle has been a carefully thought out craft. It’s not just the ingredients that matter, she says, but also the method of combining them, one at a time, in layers. She emphasizes its versatility: Her spätzle absorbs flavor, retains moisture, and is readily combined with a wide range of ingredients. Marty meanwhile focuses on his love for spätzle, a love he shares as he offers samples and stories.

Both he and Julz are gratified that so many customers keep coming back.

The Saratoga Farmers’ Market is 3-6 p.m. Wednesdays and 9 a.m.-1 p.m. Saturdays at High Rock Park. Find us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and the FreshFoodNY app. E-mail friends@saratogafarmers.org for volunteer opportunities.