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spring planting

Growing Sweet Potatoes – From Scratch

April 5, 2018 By marketeditor

By Himanee Gupta-Carlson

 

Sweet potatoes from Pleasant Valley Farm, photo courtesy of Pattie Garrett

Late last winter, I wanted to try growing sweet potatoes from my own slips. I asked Paul Arnold, of Pleasant Valley Farm, for advice.

Arnold, a year-round produce vendor at the Saratoga Farmers’ Market, donates a bin of these tasty, nutrient dense tubers each week to the Franklin Community Center food pantry. He pulled out a few and handed them to me.

“Cut these in half and put them in water or very wet soil,” he said. “Then transplant the sprouts when it’s warm enough for them to survive.”

I followed Arnold’s advice but started too late. By the time the sweet potatoes began to sprout slips – small roots trailing in water from the base of the tuber and purple-green leaves at the top – it was late July. Our gardens were full and so was my schedule. The slips never made it into the ground.

This year, I have a plan: I will start my slips next week, and transplant them in mid-June.

Sweet potatoes, unlike “regular” potatoes, are the root of a vine. The vine roots itself into the soil and produces a root, each time it touches the soil. Slips are the start of that process.

Although sweet potatoes require time, sunshine, and warmth to prosper, they are becoming an increasingly popular crop.

One sweet potato, cut in half lengthwise (producing two halves each with a round base) will sprout slips. These roots, once planted in deep trenches or raised rows of soil, will each yield several sweet potatoes.

To grow slips, do as Arnold suggests: Gather a few sweet potatoes, and cut them in half. Place the halves in damp potting soil or water, with half the tuber submerged. Use toothpicks to keep the sweet potatoes upright in water-filled jars.

Like plant cuttings, the sweet potatoes over six to eight weeks will first produce roots and then leafy stems. When the stems are about six inches tall, twist them gently off the tuber, and place them in fresh water for about a week until a new root forms. After all frost danger has passed, transplant them into the soil.

The Saratoga Farmers’ Market is 9 a.m.-1 p.m. Saturdays through April at the Lincoln Baths Building in the Spa State Park. Our outdoor season begins Wednesday, May 2 at High Rock Park. Follow us on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram; and contact friends@saratogafarmersmarket.org for volunteer opportunities.

Filed Under: Featured Article, News Tagged With: ask your farmer, Gardening, how to grow sweet potatoes, Pleasant Valley Farm, Saratoga Farmers' Market, slips, spring planting, sweet potatoes

Seeding a New Year of Growth

January 15, 2018 By marketeditor

By Himanee Gupta-Carlson

 

Pleasant Valley Farm selects seeds for a new season

Let’s be honest: As snow blankets the ground and overnight lows dip below zero, going outdoors to garden is probably not on your mind. If you’re like me, you’re most likely keeping yourself warm by a fire.

One of my favorite things about winter, however, is dreaming about spring and the opportunity to create new growth. Aiding those dreams is the stack of seed catalogs that start arriving in my mailbox around mid-November. These catalogs tantalize my taste buds almost as much as my weekly visits to the Saratoga Farmers’ Market do. They expose me to an array of vegetables, herbs, and fruits. They introduce me to historic heirloom varieties and help me imagine what might prosper in my backyard.

For many farmers, winter is a time of rest. Perusing seed catalogs with notebooks, spreadsheets, and garden layouts nearby make that time more pleasurable.

“The catalogs are a great tool,” says Paul Arnold of Pleasant Valley Farm. “They help you see what will do well in our climate and can encourage you to try new things.”

The catalogs are booklets – often filled with photos – that describe varieties of seeds that suppliers of seeds produce for farmers, homesteaders, and gardeners. They often include growing tips, histories of particular varieties, and user reviews. You can visit seed company websites online and request their free catalogs. Most companies now offer online catalogs, as well.

Arnold recommends Johnny’s Selected Seeds, an employee-owned cooperative based in Maine, and High Mowing Organic Seed Co., which is based in Vermont. Both have a strong record of producing seeds for varieties that thrive in our colder, northern climate, and are among the 370 companies worldwide that have signed a commitment to raise non-GMO seeds.

Besides Johnny’s and High Mowing, I also like Hudson Valley Seed Co. and Fruition Seeds, both of whom are based in New York, Baker Creek Heirloom Seed Co., and the Seed Savers Exchange. Many of these companies will have representatives at this weekend’s Northeast Organic Farming Association of New York’s winter conference at the Saratoga Hilton, which you can register to attend to learn more about seeds as well as farming and gardening.

Visit the Saratoga Farmers’ Market 9 a.m.-1 p.m. Saturdays at the Lincoln Baths Building in Saratoga Spa State Park; follow us on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram; and contact friends@saratogafarmersmarket.org for volunteer opportunities.

Filed Under: Featured Article, News Tagged With: Johnny's Selected Seeds, Saratoga Farmers' Market, seeds, spring planting

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Instagram

This Saturday will be a great one: Owl Wood Farm's This Saturday will be a great one: Owl Wood Farm's fresh veggies are back! Plus find discounts on @nettlemeadowfarm cheeses, new flavors of infused maple syrup at @slatevalleyfarms, and more. Stop by the market 9:30am-1:30pm - we'll be outdoors again in the Bon-Ton/Bow Tie parking lot!

📸: @mysaratogakitchentable
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#farmersmarket #saratogafarmersmarket #saratogasprings #eatfresh #shoplocal #518
We are honored to be nominated as one of the Best We are honored to be nominated as one of the Best Farmers’ Markets in the Saratoga Region for Saratoga Today’s Best of 2021! Thank you to everyone who continues to shop local and show their support!

You can vote for us once a day daily until 4/22 under the “Fun & Leisure” category using the link below:
 https://www.saratogatodaynewspaper.com/best-of-2021#//
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#saratogatoday #saratoga #saratogafarmersmarket #farmersmarket #bestfarmersmarket #shoplocal #shopsaratoga #upstateny #saratogany #supportlocal
Welcome back to another MCM (Market Crush Monday)! Welcome back to another MCM (Market Crush Monday)! This week we talked to R&G Cheesemakers🧀

1. What kinds of cheese do you make?
We offer a full line of artisan cheeses, both cow and goat’s milk, as well as yogurt. Some of our cheeses include mozzarella, ricotta, cheddar, manchego, feta, a variety of spreadable flavored goat cheeses and more! Then we have goat milk greek yogurt and jersey greek yogurt in strawberry and plain.

2. What is your best seller?
Our burrata is really popular and the soft goat cheeses are also a customer favorite which come in flavors like apple cinnamon, garlic and herb, maple chipotle, orange ginger, honey and more!

3. Do you have any favorite products from around the market?
Yes, so many! I’m a big fan of @junbucha365 , the vodka sauce from @giovanni_fresco , @longlesson meat and anything from @saratogachocolateco just to name a few. 

Be sure to stop by R&G Cheesemakers Saturday from 9:30-1:30 at Wilton Mall, we will be outside in the parking lot weather permitting! 
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#saratogafarmersmarket #farmersmarketfresh #farmersmarket #saratoga #wilton #randgcheese #cheese #randgcheesemakers #eatlocal #artisancheese #upstateny
We are moving outside this week! We couldn't bear We are moving outside this week! We couldn't bear to be indoors while it's so nice out, so find our vendors in the Bon-Ton/Bow Tie parking lot this Saturday, 9:30am - 1:30pm. All our current COVID guidelines still stand, so grab your mask and meet us outdoors at the market!

📸 by @mysaratogakitchentable
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#farmersmarket #saratogafarmersmarket #saratogasprings #spring #nofarmsnofood #518

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