Saratoga Farmers' Market

The Food Florist

Exploring the Sweet Side of the Farmers’ Market

By

By Julia Howard

The Chocolate Spoon, photo courtesy of Pattie Garrett

Beneath a dozen eggs and some carrots with sprawling greens lay some of the most delicious pumpkin chocolate chip cookies I have ever tasted. The Chocolate Spoon was the last stop on my list this past Saturday, and the farmers’ market crowd was beginning to swell. Once the cookies were safely tucked away in my basket, I headed for my car.

Indulging in a sweet treat has become a part of my Wednesday or Saturday shopping ritual – a reward for working hard all week. The rewards vary. Last week, it was applesauce from Saratoga Apple. The apples, slowly and gently cooked, have the perfect chunky consistency and balance of sweetness and tart. With no sugar added, I felt like I was doing something good for myself. The week before that, my treat was Mrs. London’s famous buttery almond croissant. And, the week before that, I fondly recall rich, creamy chocolate milk from Battenkill Valley Creamery.

Slate Valley Farms, photo courtesy of Pattie Garrett

Whatever farmers’ market sweets I choose to indulge in, they are always fresh, delicious, and an ode to quality, local ingredients. Perhaps that’s why they have become my shopping tradition. And, they are treats that I don’t have to spend hours in the kitchen preparing myself.

Argyle Cheese Farmer, photo courtesy of Pattie Garrett

Market sweets come in a variety of sizes to accommodate any desire or occasion. Satisfy a small craving with a honey stick from Slate Valley Farms or personal-sized Sweet Greek yogurt from Argyle Cheese Farmer. Looking for a larger quantity to share? Perhaps a pie from The Food Florist or cheesecake from Grandma Apples Cheesecakes. Tiramisu from Giovanni Fresco is some of the best you’ll try, and baklava from Euro Delicacies is authentic and sweetened with local honey. Dickinson’s Delights’ Nutella crepes are filled with seasonal fruit and make for a decadent and gooey dessert that could be eaten for breakfast.

Looking for gluten-free or dairy-free options? Farmers’ market vendors have those too.

What about the unique chocolate craving that we all succumb to? Saratoga Chocolate Company has a variety of handmade cocoa creations to satisfy that specific desire that must be met.

The next time you’re shopping at the farmer’s market, make time for something on the sweeter side. You’ll be glad you did.

For this week’s recipe, I leave you with chocolate chip zucchini muffins. They are cake-like, sweet, and satisfying with a healthy touch.

Comfort Food from a Truck

By

By Jeremy Riccardi

The Food Flortist
Trisha Nusbaum, owner of The Food Florist

Trisha Nusbaum, owner of The Food Florist, has brought comfort food via a “pop-up” food truck to Saratoga Springs. She joins the Saratoga Farmers’ Market as its newest vendor.

Nusbaum, who has 16 years experience of restaurant ownership, relocated last year with her husband to Saratoga from Indianapolis. She had started The Food Florist in Indianapolis as an expansion-arm of her former business and brought it to Saratoga Springs in October 2015. “When my husband transferred to Saratoga Springs for work, it was natural that The Food Florist would move with me”, Nusbaum said. “I felt Saratoga Springs was a fabulous location and thought it would be a great place to build my business”.

The Food Florist offers a wide-range of meal choices from Swedish meatballs to chicken pot pies. She uses many of the other market vendors’ products to produce her meals, including  Longlesson Farm’s Angus beef for meatballs, Battenkill Creamery’s milk and cream for sauces in casseroles and lasagnas, and Argyle Farms’ Greek yogurt as a sour cream substitute.

Nusbaum uses organic, all natural, or locally produced products in her recipes. She plans to  feature a market ingredient list on her website (http://thefoodflorist.com/), by late April. The website’s product list will also work with Nusbaum’s newest endeavor, opening Food Florist Farms, a six-acre farm with a commercial kitchen and a farm-to-table dining experience later this year.

The Food Florist truck is lined with freezers. Nusbaum cooks and prepares the food in a commercial kitchen at the Knights of Columbus Hall in Saratoga. She freezes her preparations to bring to sell to the market. “My food truck is not an ordinary food truck,” said Nusbaum who describes her concept as a “pop-up truck.” Instead of cooking on the premises, she sells her meals made in advance that customers can finish cooking at home.

Nusbaum hopes that her “pop-up truck” will inspire others to become passionate about no-frills comfort food.  “I love the Saratoga Farmers’ Market,” Nusbaum said. “Showing that you’re authentic is what is important to become a vendor. Every vendor has made me feel welcome and the customers have been so nice. ”

You can get additional information via The Food Florist’s website and Facebook page, or by e-mailing orders@thefoodflorist.com. You can also visit Nusbaum’s truck at the Saratoga Farmers’ Market Saturdays, 9am-1pm at the Lincoln Baths Building in Saratoga Spa State Park.

SWEDISH MEATBALLS
Recipe courtesy of The Food Florist

Ingredients:
*Ingredients available at the Saratoga Farmers’ Market

• 1 1/2 cups bread crumbs*
• 1 tbs salt
• 1/2 tbs dill*
• 1 tsp ground mustard
• 1 tsp pepper
• 1/4 cup chopped onion*
• 1 tsp nutmeg
• 3 eggs*
• 3/4 cup milk*
• 2 1/2 lbs. ground Angus Beef*

Directions:
Mix together bread crumbs, salt, dill, ground mustard, pepper, chopped onion and nutmeg.

Add eggs and milk to the mixture and whisk together.

Then add 2 1/2 lbs. ground Angus Beef. Kneed in by hand until all ingredients are mixed together. Roll into 1.5 oz balls

Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes or until internal temperature is at 165 degrees.

Serve over your favorite egg noodles and enjoy.