Saratoga Farmers' Market

Special Events

Fall Celebrations at the Saratoga Farmers’ Market

By

by Kristin Cleveland

October brings a cornucopia of special activities to the Saratoga Farmers’ Market. Along with sales and tastings of autumn’s abundant harvest, we celebrate the last outdoor markets of 2018 with llamas to cuddle, ponies to ride, a pumpkin contest, crafts and children’s activities, live music, and a Halloween Party! 

Saturday, October 13, 9 am-1 pm: Visit with Llamas

Stock up on fresh local farmers’ market food and beverages and meet the llamas of Dakota Ridge Farm! Pet them, learn about their origins and kind temperament and the many uses of their fiber. Children can also decorate a bookmark with llama fiber and everyone can check out the ponchos, blankets, socks, and other products made from high-quality llama fiber. 

Wednesday, October 24, 3-6 pm,: Customer Appreciation Day

As the Saratoga Farmers’ Market’s 40th outdoor market season draws to a close, we say thank you to the community of Saratoga Springs for supporting local farms and businesses! We’ll have fall food tastings and special sales, live music, children’s activities and free pony rides from our friends at Adirondack Dreamcatcher Farm.

Saturday, October 27, 9am-1 pm: Fall Fest

In conjunction with the 17th Annual Downtown Business Association’s Fall Festival, the Saratoga Farmer’s Market will celebrate the fall season in beautiful downtown Saratoga Springs with special activities for people of all ages. Grab a hot breakfast sandwich and cider or coffee and a pastry, stock up on fresh local produce for hearty fall cooking, get a frozen casserole and other locally prepared dishes for quick healthy weeknight meals, enjoy a free fall craft for kids hosted by the Northeast Parent and Child Society, sample pumpkin-spiced treats, and enjoy the seasonal favorites of over 65 vendors gathered in High Rock Park.

Pumpkin display by Burger’s MarketGarden,          photo courtesy of Pattie Garrett

Wednesday, October 31, 3-6 pm: Halloween Party

Trick-or-treating, a kids’ costume contest with prizes, a pumpkin-painting craft, a children’s activity sponsored by the Saratoga Springs Public Library, music, delicious fall food tastings, and just the right amount of spooky fun!

Also, all of our market days feature fresh produce, dairy, eggs and meat from Saratoga and nearby counties; wine and spirits from our region’s vintners and distillers; cozy wool hats and other fall apparel; unique jewelry, pottery and specialty items made by local artisans; potted mums and gorgeous fall flower bouquets; and fresh baked goods, prepared food and live music! And as our outdoor season draws to a close, get ready to join us at our winter home every Saturday from November to April inside the Lincoln Baths at the Saratoga Spa State Park, 9 am-1 pm. For more details see our Facebook page!

Summer Club Lets Children Connect With Power of Produce

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By Julia Howard, Market Administrator

As school ends for the year, the Saratoga Farmers’ Market invites children and families to celebrate summer. On Wednesday, June 21, we’ll host our End of School Celebration and kick off our second annual Power of Produce Club at the market from 3-6 p.m.

What does all of this mean? A lot of fun along with a great opportunity for children to learn how to make healthy food choices while also learning more about the farmers that grow the fruits and vegetables they eat.

The Power of Produce began in 2011 at a farmers’ market in Oregon City, Oregon, with a goal of improving that community’s health. We brought the concept to Saratoga last year and are pleased to be offering it again this year with support from the Christopher Dailey Foundation and the Rotary Club of Saratoga Springs.

The Power of Produce Club (also known as the POP Club), is a free, 12 week program geared toward children ages 5-12. It will take place at our Wednesday markets from 3-6 p.m. Children who attend receive a POP Passport and a $2 POP token that they can use to purchase fresh fruit or vegetables. Each week, the club will offer such activities as cooking demonstrations and scavenger hunts. Children will be able to collect a stamp on their POP Passport each time they participate, and will receive a prize for every four stamps they collect.

Program participants include American Farmland Trust, Cornell Cooperative Extension: Food & Nutrition, Saratoga Springs Public Library, Northeast Parent & Child Society, Chef Dan Spitz, Malta Ridge Orchard & Gardens, and the Agricultural Stewardship Association, among others.

Music by the Zucchini Brothers, Balloon Gal Jenny, and representatives from the Northeast Parent & Child Society, Cornell Cooperative’s Master Gardeners, and Saratoga County Foster Care will kick off this year’s POP Club. Children can visit for the club at its location across from the green market information booth. The opening week’s activity is to make fruit and yogurt ice cream cones along with an educational exercise on healthy snack options and portions.

Last year, about 40 children took part in the program each week. We look forward to an even larger crowd this year.

The Saratoga Farmers’ Market is 3-6 p.m. Wednesdays and 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturdays at High Rock Park. Find us on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.

 

Fresh Fruit and Yogurt Cones

Adapted from recipe on www.cookingmamas.com

Ingredients
*Ingredients currently available at the Saratoga Farmers’ Market

• fresh fruit*
• Vanilla yogurt* (maple, honey can be found at the farmers’ market)
• Waffle cone, waffle bowl, or homemade waffle

Directions

1. Fill a waffle cone with a spoon full of vanilla yogurt, then a layer of mixed fruit. Add another spoonful of yogurt, then top it off with fruit. Enjoy!

2. Fruit suggestions: Strawberries*, mango, blueberries, kiwi, apple chunks*, or whatever you have on hand.

 

Market Creates Community at High Rock Park

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By Himanee Gupta-Carlson

Shortly before 9 a.m. tomorrow, Saratoga Mayor Joanne Yepsen will cut a ribbon at High Rock Park to officially open the Saratoga Farmers’ Market’s summer season. With her will be farmers and other vendors, volunteers and staff, artists and musicians, community service providers, dignitaries and other guests.

The brief ceremony captures a sense of how the market twice a week from May through October creates a sense of community that is vibrant, festive, and supportive.

“Community is our sustenance,” says market director Julia Howard. “It brings us all together.”

The Saratoga Farmers’ Market started in 1978 with starter plants and produce. Over the years, meats and dairy products, prepared foods, wool and fiber, household cleaners, gift items, and crafts were added the offerings.

For farmers and other vendors, the market is a vital source of income. But the market also is much more.

Running the River by Eric Jenks
Running the River
Photo by Eric Jenks

“Having music at every market helps local performers gain exposure,” Howard says. “Plus, we work with such organizations as Saratoga Bridges to offer employment for some of our janitorial tasks to individuals who need it. And our weekly children’s activities are often the result of our relationships with local businesses, libraries, and youth groups. We couldn’t be who we are without those networks of support.”

Tomorrow’s market will highlight these networks. CAPTAIN Youth & Family Services will offer a free planting of flower seeds to children of all ages. Musician Thomas Brady and the band Running the River will perform. Mamatoga will co-host a meetup from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. for mothers and children. And new vendors – among them Zoe Burghard Ceramics, Freddy’s Rockin’ Hummus, The Smoothie Shoppe, Dickinson’s Delights, and Slate Valley and Nettle Meadow farms – will join the market’s regulars.

Setting up market at Rock Park by Eric Jenks
Setting up market at Rock Park
Photo by Eric Jenks

Behind the scenes, the Friends of the Market volunteers will operate its compost collection and recycling programs, assist shoppers with its veggie valet service, gather donations for the Franklin Community Center food pantry, and be on hand to relieve vendors. Also behind the scenes vendors will arrive early and stay late to put out market signs, traffic cones, and help clean up High Rock Park before and after the market.

“That cooperative spirit makes us so much more than a shopping place,” Howard says. “We’re in it together.”

Visit the Saratoga Farmers’ Markets at High Rock Park from 3-6 p.m. Wednesdays and 9 a.m.-1 p.m. Saturdays.

Chopped Spring Salad

Adapted from recipe by Jenny Rosenstrach and Andy Ward featured in Bon Appetit
4 Servings

Ingredients

*Ingredients currently available at the Saratoga Farmers’ Market

• ½ cup plain yogurt*
• 2 tablespoons olive oil*
• 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
• 1 garlic clove, finely grated*
• ¼ teaspoon Vital Eats Sriracha Ketchup*
• 2 tablespoons finely chopped chives, plus more for serving*
• 2 tablespoons finely chopped mint, plus more for serving*
• Kosher salt, freshly ground pepper
• ½ Asian cucumber, chopped (about 1 cup)*
• 2 asparagus spears, chopped*
• 2 scallions, chopped*
• 3 radishes, trimmed, chopped*
• 1 cup pea shoots*
• ¾ cup cherry tomatoes, quartered*

Preparation

1. Whisk yogurt, oil, lemon juice, garlic, Sriracha, 2 Tbsp. chives, and 2 Tbsp. mint in a small bowl to combine; season with salt and pepper and let dressing sit at least 1 hour to allow flavors to meld.

2. Just before serving, toss cucumber, asparagus, scallions, radishes, pea shoots, and tomatoes in a large bowl to combine; season with salt and pepper. Divide evenly among plates and drizzle with dressing. Top with chives and mint.

Do Ahead: Dressing can be made 3 days ahead. Cover and chill.

Celebrate Spring at the Saratoga Farmers’ Market

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By Julia Howard, Market Director

More often than not, spring arrives in Saratoga with snow. Temperatures still struggle to climb above freezing, and a warm cup of soup seems more soothing than a frozen fruit smoothie.

Still, we know spring is coming as the snow starts to melt and the days lengthen. And with it comes a fresh start, an opportunity to reflect on lessons of the past alongside a chance to learn something new. In this spirit, the Saratoga Farmers’ Market will host its annual Spring Festival at the Lincoln Baths Building in the Saratoga Spa State Park tomorrow.

Last year’s inaugural festival drew a rousing crowd of newcomers and regulars, eager to learn about keeping bees, cultivating mushrooms, and preserving fresh foods. This year, we hope to see an even bigger crowd. Our lineup includes:

One-hour workshops:

• 9-10 a.m.
Using Native Plants in Your Landscape, with Susan Schurman O’Donnell of Dutch Girl Garden Design.

• 10-11 a.m.
Food Preservation 101: Canning, Freezing & Dehydrating, with Diane Whitten of Cornell Cooperative Extension.

• 11-Noon a.m.
The Ins and Outs of Composting, with Michael Cohen of Sustainable Saratoga.

• Noon-1p.m.
Live cooking and food sampling, with Chef Dan Spitz

Cornell Master Gardeners Photo by Pattie Garrett
Cornell Master Gardeners
Photo by Pattie Garrett

Cornell Cooperative Extension information tables, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.

• Master Gardener advice on gardening, soil preparation, plants and trees, along with soil testing for $1.

• Food preservation methods.

• Cooking with seasonal produce, healthy eating, and nutrition.

Children’s activities, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.

• Planting seeds in eggshells, with Sustainable Saratoga.

• Making paper plate banjos, with the Northeast Parent and Child Society.

All workshops are free and will take place on the second floor of the Lincoln Baths Building. Please ask market volunteers or staff at the informational table for elevator access, if you need it. All workshop attendees also will receive a gift for attending.

In addition, many of our regular farmers will be providing information on their seasonal community shared agriculture programs (CSAs). CSAs offer subscribers a chance to receive seasonal produce on a regular schedule while investing in local farms. Like our Spring Festival, they build community and help sustain our region’s rich agricultural heritage for the generations to come.

The Saratoga Farmers’ Market remains at the Saratoga Spa State Park, Saturdays, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. through April 29. The summer season at High Rock Park begins Wednesday, May 3, 3-6 p.m.

 

 

Recipe photo by Pattie Garrett
Recipe photo by Pattie Garrett

Potato Gratin Topped with Fresh Spinach

Adapted from recipe by Cook’s Country, shared by My Saratoga Kitchen Table
Serves: 8

Ingredients
*Ingredients currently available at the Saratoga Farmers’ Market

  • 1½ cups heavy cream*
  • 1 cup salt free chicken broth
  • ¾ cup Parmesan cheese*
  • ⅛ teaspoon ground nutmeg
  • 8 cups fresh baby spinach*
  • 3 garlic cloves, minced*
  • 4 ounces thinly sliced bacon, chopped fine*
  • 2 pounds potatoes, russet or desired potato, peeled and sliced ⅛ inch thick*

Instructions

1. Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 400 degrees. Grease 9 X 13 inch baking dish. Whisk milk, broth, ½ cup Parmesan and nutmeg together in bowl. Set aside.

2. In 12 inch nonstick skillet over medium-high heat, cook bacon until crisp. Remove, allow to cool on a paper towel-lined plate to drain. Chop the bacon into small pieces. Add spinach and garlic to the skillet and cook until spinach is wilted, about 3 minutes, stirring often. Transfer spinach mixture to paper towel-lined plate to drain.

3. Arrange potatoes in even layer in prepared dish. Distribute spinach mixture evenly over potatoes. Pour cream mixture over spinach mixture and sprinkle remaining ¼ cup Parmesan. Bake until potatoes are tender and cheese is spotty brown, 35 to 40 minutes. Let cool for 15 minutes. Serve.

 

Saratoga Farmers Offer ‘Taste of the Market’

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By Julia Howard, Market Director

The Saratoga Farmers’ Market opens its indoor market season at 9 a.m. Saturday at the Lincoln Baths Building in the Saratoga Spa State Park.

Northern Cross Vineyards at Saratoga Farmers' Market
Northern Cross Vineyards

Established in 1978, the market offers products from farmers and artisans who are mostly in Saratoga, Schenectady, Rensselaer, and Washington counties. While some exceptions are made for products and vendors outside this area, the market maintains its reputation as being among the best places to buy local products directly from those who produce them.

Opening Day will feature a Taste of the Market. In this, market goers will receive a rare opportunity to sample the fruits, cheeses, vegetables, meats, sweets, and other prepared foods that many of the vendors offer. The Taste of the Market will feature not only food samples but also recipes and cooking advice. Look for menus by the market’s main entrance, particularly from 9-10 a.m.

Customers also will have a chance to begin stocking up on staples for holiday feasts. A special Holiday Market through the end of December will showcase vendors who create crafts, artisanal works, and prepared foods, offering customers a chance to find “gifts and unusual foods not typically available at the market,” said Saratoga Farmers’ Market Association president Phyllis Underwood.

New to the market this winter also will be a recycling and composting effort organized by the Friends of the Market. Bins will be placed near trash receptacles for recyclable items used at the market, and a bucket will be available to shoppers who wish to bring kitchen scraps, coffee grinds, eggshells and other such waste to the market for composting. Volunteers will take the compost to local farms.

Pleasant Valley Farm at Saratoga Farmers' Market
Pleasant Valley Farm

Despite these new events, most of the vendors who participated in last year’s indoor market will be returning this year, and will be in places comparable to those of the past. And in keeping with the traditional transition of seasons, many vendors will maintain locations just outside the Lincoln Baths building for as long as the weather permits.

“We’re excited for this season,” Underwood said. “We will have all our regular vendors and product available plus many new events. Be sure to stop by and check us out.”

The Saratoga Farmers’ Market begins its indoor season Saturday November 5th and will be at the Lincoln Baths in the Saratoga Spa State Park from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturdays.

 

Winter Market Vendors

Argyle Cheese
Ballston Lake Apiaries
Battenkill Valley Creamery
Blind Buck Farm
The Chocolate Spoon
Clarity Juice
Clark Dahlia Gardens & Greenhouses
Denison Farm
Elihu Farm
Euro Delicacies
Feathered Antler
The Food Florist
Fresh Take Farm
Gomez Veggie Ville
Homestead Artisans
Kokinda Farm
Lewis Waite Farm
Longlesson Angus
M&A Farm
Malta Ridge Orchard & Gardens
Mariaville Mushroom Men
Mrs. London’s
Murray Hollow Bakehouse
Northern Cross Vineyard
Owl Wood Farm
Pleasant Valley Farm
Puckers Gourmet
Pura Vida Fisheries
Saratoga Apple
Saratoga Crackers
Scotch Ridge Farm
Something’s Brewing
Springbrook Hollow Distillery
Saratoga Peanut Butter
Sheldon Farm
Shushan Valley Hydro Farm & Underwood’s Greenhouses
Slate Valley Farm

Holiday Vendors

22 Shades of Gray
Bliss Angels
Bon Bon Brazil NY
Creations & Spells
Freddy’s Rockin’ Hummus
Pocket Gardens
Saratoga Suds n Stuff
Sweet & Sassy Confections
Wash Green & Clean

 

Pumpkin Soup Served in a Pumpkin

Adapted from André Soltner’s recipe in the New York Times
Makes 6-8 servings (about 2 quarts)

Ingredients

*Ingredients currently available at the Saratoga Farmers’ Market

• 2 pumpkins, 8 to 10 inches in diameter*
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1 medium onion, sliced*
• ⅔ cup dry white wine*
• 2 small white turnips, peeled and sliced*
• 2 medium carrots, peeled and sliced*
• 1 large potato, peeled and sliced*
• 5-6 cups chicken stock (or water), or as needed
• ½ cup heavy cream*
• Salt and ground white pepper

Instructions

1. Cut off top of one pumpkin at least 5 inches across, so that it can serve as a lid. Scoop out and discard all seeds and stringy material. Using a large sturdy spoon, scrape out pumpkin meat, taking care not to break through the shell. Set aside the pumpkin and its lid in a warm place. Scrape pumpkin meat out of second pumpkin to make 6 cups total. Discard the pumpkin shell, seeds and stringy material.

2. In a large soup pot over medium-low heat, melt 2 tablespoons butter. Add onion and sauté until tender, about 5 minutes. Add wine and simmer for 1 minute. Add turnips, carrot, potato, pumpkin meat and enough chicken stock or water to barely cover.

3. Cover and bring to a boil.

4. Gently simmer soup for 1 hour, stirring once or twice. The soup will be thick; if it seems in danger of burning, reduce heat and stir in a small amount of broth or water.

5. Add cream, and season to taste with salt and pepper. Using an immersion blender, purée the hot soup in the pot until very smooth. Alternatively, remove soup from heat and allow to cool until no longer steaming, then purée in a food processor or blender. Return soup to a clean pot and reheat gently.

6. Pour hot soup into pumpkin. Serve from pumpkin. Optional: thyme leaves as a garnish.