Saratoga Farmers' Market

Valentine's Day

Love Found at the Farmers’ Market

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By Emily Meagher

Photo courtesy of Something’s Brewing

This time of year, the farmers’ market is inspired by the Saratoga County Chamber of Commerce’s Health and Wellness Week. Meanwhile, our vendors are also preparing for Valentine’s Day. The result is a special market focused on gifts from the heart as well as food that is good for the heart and overall health.

Tomorrow, prepare for Valentine’s Day by finding gifts that are meaningful and tasty. The Chocolate Spoon will have memorable homemade strawberry marshmallows that are perfect for anyone with a sweet tooth. Pucker’s Pickles will have a limited supply of their very special fermented cherries. And, of course, there will also be chocolate in various forms – like velvety chocolate cheesecake at Grandma Apple’s and a Valentine’s Day trio special (including passion, violet, and cacao nib bars) at Saratoga Chocolate Co. Or, say ‘I love you’ with a gift bag of chocolate coffee and toffee from Something’s Brewing.

Mangiamo, photo by Pattie Garrett

Is a romantic dinner more your style? The farmers’ market has the region’s freshest ingredients. Mangiamo will have pasta rolled and cut to order. The Vermont Spätzle Company will have gluten-free spätzle. You will find the finest cuts of meat from local farms along with the best cooking instructions. Take your pick of beef, chicken, pork, lamb, goat or even fish and seafood. Local farms will have leafy greens like bok choy, swiss chard, microgreens, and kale. And, tables will also be stocked with apples, beets, carrots, potatoes, mushrooms, winter squash, and much more. After dinner, share some local cheese or maybe sip some locally distilled spirits.

While shopping for the person on your heart, consider heart health too. Eating fresh, seasonal fruits and vegetables is crucial for a healthy lifestyle.

Pleasant Valley Farm, photo by Pattie Garrett

We invite you to share the love and to experience the love at tomorrow’s farmers’ market. Eat Smart NY will have healthy snack samples and recipe ideas. There will also be free Valentine cards to write and take and toe-tapping music by Craic Agus Ceol.

Our close-knit community of vendors and customers, weekly musicians and guests make for a joyous place full of friends. So bring your date, family, or friends with you to enjoy a shared outing at the farmers’ market.

 

This week’s recipe: Pasta with Spinach and Ricotta

The Chocolate Spoon Brings Goodies to the Farmers’ Market

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By Mary Pratt

Marcie Place, owner of The Chocolate Spoon, photo by Pattie Garrett

Marcie Place returns to the Saratoga Farmers’ Market this Saturday, after a three-month break. She concentrated on her family, especially her son Ted who has joined middle school. “I started my baking business as a way to work from home after the surprise arrival of my third son,” she said. During this so-called break, Marcie filled corporate orders and developed several new recipes for the Farmers’ Market.

Marcie noted how she benefitted from the Farmers’ Market by moving from routine recipes to being more creative. “I never experimented until I joined the Market and met great vendors. I realized how important it is to use fresh, local ingredients such as rosemary from Otrembiak Farm for the rosemary butter cookies. And, eggs from vendors which make shortbread good, golden, and gorgeous.”

But there are no chocolate spoons among her goodies. “I chose The Chocolate Spoon as my business name because I wanted something memorable and something unique,” Marcie explained. “Once a customer thought I literally sold spoons dipped in chocolate!”

The Chocolate Spoon, photo courtesy of Melodic View Photography

Can we hope that maybe someday she’ll make chocolate lollipops with wooden spoon handles? Meanwhile, we have to try her new products. “Look for treats like speculoos, pecan sandies, Norwegian butter cookies, pistachio cranberry shortbread cookies, and raspberry pie.”

Marcie explained, “Speculoos is a traditional Belgian spice cookie, sometimes referred to as Biscoff.” Its origin goes back into the 1650s when bakers were already making biscuits along with their bread. Her Norwegian butter cookie, “is a simple cookie with few ingredients but the combination is memorable.”

For Valentine’s Day, The Chocolate Spoon will feature ‘pink’: strawberry marshmallows, raspberry Linzer cookies, cookie bouquets, and pink snickerdoodles. The latter obtains its pink color from pureed beets.

The Chocolate Spoon, photo courtesy of Melodic View Photography

In addition to the Farmers’ Market, The Chocolate Spoon caters to special events such as weddings, baby and bridal showers, care packages, book clubs, fundraisers and cookie party favors for birthdays or out-of-town guests.

On Marcie’s table at the Farmers’ Market, you’ll notice a money jar, but it’s not a tip jar. She accepts donations for “Project Cupcake,” her free community outreach project. “It’s a way for me to give back after receiving wonderful guidance and support while my son Ted was in grade school.” Project Cupcake, now in its second year, “provides birthday treats in the classroom for kids whose families may not otherwise be able to provide one,” Marcie explained.

After you read this article, be sure to overwhelm The Chocolate Spoon this Saturday, and every Saturday after that.

 

This week’s recipe: Cheddar & Rosemary Shortbread Cookies

Growing Love on the Farm

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By Himanee Gupta-Carlson

Ann and Josh Carnes met in September 2015 at a fire department pig roast near Josh’s farm in Laporte, Colorado. Ann was growing edible flowers and herbs in nearby Wellington. Josh had just retired from the fire department and had a handyman business and a garden on a three-acre homestead. They fell in love and began farming together the next spring. 

In November 2017, they uprooted their lives and moved to New York to start Ramble Creek Farm. They joined the Saratoga Farmers’ Market in 2018, selling mushrooms, pork and poultry. Late last summer, amid preparations for their first autumn on the new farm, they married.

Their story highlights an important but not always talked about aspect of farm life – its reliance on interdependence. Nine out of 10 farmers farm as families, often as couples. While hard work and low profitability can strain such relationships, these factors also can make the romances more resilient. Nationwide, farm couples divorce less than others. Shared commitments to making farms grow often also help such relationships grow.

For Ann and Josh, that has meant a division of roles alongside frequent consultation. Josh does most of the animal care and the “building and fixing of things.” Ann’s creative talents put her in charge of marketing and branding. She represents Ramble Creek at the Saratoga Farmers’ Market. Josh once a week rises at 2:30 a.m. to drive to New York City for the Union Square Greenmarket.

Both love the work and try to not let it take over their lives completely.

Josh and Ann Carnes on their wedding day

Their wedding illustrated that. 

It took place on their farm on the last sunny weekend before the turn toward cooler weather. They said their vows in what they now call “the wedding pasture,” before friends and family from all over the country. A friend officiated, and as Josh put it, “we all drank, ate, and danced our butts off.”

“Neither of us are sure why we decided to stack a wedding on top of starting our new farm and everything that comes along with that,” says Ann, “but we wanted to make it official.”

“And here we are,” adds Josh, “doing our best for our land, our animals, and ourselves.”