Saratoga Farmers' Market

sustainability

Going Green at the Saratoga Farmers’ Market

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By Catherine Morba

Since 1994, the number of registered farmers’ markets nationwide has increased from under 2,000 to more than 8,600. Communities have renewed interest in eating locally grown food, a change that for many is motivated by the desire to be more environmentally conscious. At its core, buying local is a sustainable choice because of reduced transportation and food packaging. There are simple ways to make market shopping that much more (or rather, less!) impactful on the planet. The Saratoga Farmers’ Market collaborated with Sustainable Saratoga to compile tips for shoppers to be as “green” as the leafy collards we covet.

Photo courtesy of Pattie Garrett

1. Write a shopping list: Check the refrigerator to see what groceries you already have before leaving the house. A list will also limit the number of shopping trips you’ll take for forgotten items throughout the week.

2. Carpool: Trade off driving with family and friends to save on mileage and emissions. Bike or walk if you are able! Remember that on November 2nd, the market will move to Wilton Mall, where it will be held from 9:30-1:30 every Saturday in front of the Bon Ton entrance.

3. Take a bag, leave a bag: Have a stock of reusable bags at the ready. The Friends of the Market volunteers offer a “take a bag, leave a bag” initiative for those who forget to bring them, and also accepts donations of reusable totes.

Battenkill Valley Creamery, photo courtesy of Pattie Garrett

4. Return packaging: When making a purchase, ask the vendor if they reuse packaging. Battenkill Creamery sterilizes and reuses all of their glass dairy bottles that are rinsed and returned by customers. Bring back egg cartons, berry boxes, plastic planters, glassware, or rubber bands. Dump sturdier produce into a bag and return the packaging on the spot.

5. Buy in bulk: Buying large quantities of staple items saves on packaging, especially when you bring containers from home. Vegetables, cheeses, and meats can be repackaged and frozen for later use.

6. Contribute Compost: Divert food from the waste stream by bringing food scraps from home to add to the market compost bin, located near the market administrator’s table. The compost is brought to the Franklin Community Center and used for soil enrichment in their community garden.

Gomez Veggie Ville, photo courtesy of Pattie Garrett

7. Ask a vendor: If you’re looking for tips on proper food storage, returning packaging, buying in bulk, or cooking seasonal recipes, the best source of information is the person who grew, raised, or made the product.

From Hiking Boots to High Rock: Saving the Planet with Farmers’ Markets

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By Marley Bonacquist-Currin

 

Marley Bonacquist-Currin hosting the Power of Produce Club for Kids, photo courtesy of Pattie Garrett

A year ago I left the United States in my hiking boots with high hopes of learning to save the planet. Three months later, having learned a lifetime of lessons from a 100 person eco-village in Iceland, I returned to my home country, full of excitement and enthusiasm for doing what I loved and for helping our world by living what I had learned.

And quickly I began to feel as though my dreams were being crushed like a bug.

I walked into grocery stores full of packaging and plastic-looking produce. After a semester of growing everything but the kitchen sink, my heart sank. I felt as though I had fallen into a dream at Solheimar, the eco-village in Iceland, and had been brutally awakened by a harsh reality back home that people don’t care.

Then, an internship with the  Saratoga Farmers’ Market popped up. It felt like a match made in heaven, and happily, it was, right here on earth.

This summer, I’ve run barefoot through High Rock Park on rainy days, laughing with the vendors as thunderstorms and torrential showers have hit, sweated on sunny days while sipping real-food smoothies to cool off, and be surrounded by fresh produce and wonderful people.

When I came back from Iceland to my world as a Siena College student, I didn’t feel at home. At the Saratoga Farmers’ Market, I realized home was amongst the berries and beans, mushrooms and melons. The positive energies and fresh local foods remind me that people do care. Packed from open to close, with kids flooding in on Wednesdays to spend their Power of Produce tokens on fresh blueberries and string beans, the market suggests that there is a generation of people growing up barefoot in the grass, eyes full of wonder, who believe that farmer’s markets are the real grocery stores.

As my last semester at Siena College begins, I look forward to helping businesses realize the planet is worth saving through farmers’ markets. I want my generation and others to know that it’s time to get started.

The Saratoga Farmers’ Market is at High Rock Park, 3-6 p.m. Wednesdays and 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturdays through October. We move to our winter location at the Lincoln Baths Building in the Saratoga Spa State Park on November 4.