Shop Local, Eat Fresh at the Saratoga Farmers' Market | Food, Crafts, Music in Saratoga Springs

Shop Local, Eat Fresh

Wednesday Market

Psst… Some of the best things happen on Wednesdays

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By Himanee Gupta-Carlson

Burger’s MarketGarden, photo by Pattie Garrett

Weekends are market days for many farmers. But the Saratoga Farmers’ Market would like you to let you in on a secret – there’s a midweek market, as well.

Tucked into a corner of the Wilton Mall parking lot is the Wednesday market, featuring about 15 local farmers and prepared food vendors. From 3 p.m. to 6 p.m., they offer eggs, fresh produce, plants, baked goods, and prepared foods.

“It’s our best-kept secret,” says market board president Beth Trattel. “A simple way to pick up the freshest foods in a safe, no-fuss environment.”

In years past, the market association promoted its Wednesday market as a family-friendly space to gather for music, children’s games, and food purchases. This year, with COVID-19 restrictions on public gatherings in place, live music and games are on pause. But farmers are still coming.

518 Farms mushrooms, photo by Pattie Garrett

Who’s there and what are they bringing? Here’s a snapshot.

As you enter the market from the former Bon Ton parking lot, flowering plants and other seedlings from Burger Farm greet you. Nearby, Shushan Valley Hydro Farms offers hydroponically grown herbs and vegetables. Surrounding Shushan are baked confections from The Chocolate Spoon, casseroles from The Food Florist, and Mediterranean meals to go from Euro Delicacies.

Further into the market are more farmers: Owl Wood Farm and Gomez Veggie Ville with their colorful piles of vegetables; eggs, chicken, and more vegetables at Squashville and Green Jeans farms; mushrooms and lavender at 518 Farms; and apples and cider of both the sweet and hard type from Saratoga Apple. On another end, you’ll find My Dacha Slovenian Café with its meals-to-go offerings. And tucked in between other stalls are Saratoga Garlic with its pickled garlic and aioli offerings, Gifford Farms with produce and baked goods; and Mister Edge’s popular knife sharpening service.

Gomez Veggie Ville, photo by Pattie Garrett

More vendors will start attending as the state eases its COVID-19 restrictions.

For now, Wednesday remains a great space to get the fresh ingredients for one or two meals, perhaps a prepared meal for Friday, and a few sweet treats. Try carrots dipped in aioli , scrambled eggs with arugula, radishes and lettuce tossed in a salad, and more.

 

See our full listing of this season’s Wednesday vendors

Wednesdays at the Saratoga Farmers’ Market

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By Himanee Gupta-Carlson

When the opening bell rings at 3 p.m. next Wednesday at High Rock Park, the Saratoga Farmers’ Market will begin its 41st season.

The Wednesday market runs May 1-October 30, from 3-6 p.m. Like the Saturday market, it offers a wide array of amazing foods fresh from our region’s local farms, along with locally made wines and spirits, art, and meals to go.

For many market regulars, the Wednesday market is the farmers’ market at its best. It offers an opportunity to browse at a leisurely pace, planning a few nights’ meals while listening to local music, and taking part in a series of all-ages activities.

Earn a $2 Bicycle Benefits coin each time you ride to the Farmers’ Market

“The intimate size of our midweek market creates a more relaxed pace,” says market activities coordinator Julia Howard. “It’s a little more spacious, airy. It’s a great way to meet up with friends.”

This year, the market is celebrating eight new vendors:
● Goode Farm, fresh and dried flowers and wreaths;
● Slate River Farm, herbs, meats, eggs, and seasonal ramps and fiddlehead ferns;
● High Peaks Distilling, spirits;
● Italian Market, pasta sauces;
● Alaturco Mediterranean Grill, gyros;
● Oliver’s Café, crepes and kettle corn;
● Left Field, snow cones; and
● Vedanta du Mas Designs, art.

As always, the Wednesday market will offer free music, children’s activities, its Power of Produce Club, and information booths. About 20 other vendors – ranging from small farmers to local artists and food entrepreneurs – will be returning to the market, as well.

Power of Produce Club at the Wednesday market

The Tisch Family Band will serenade market visitors on opening day. Throughout the season, the market will participate in the Bicycle Benefits program, and host tours. Market staff also are planning to organize monthly bus trips for Saratoga seniors.

As a shopper and a farmer, I look forward every year to the start of the Wednesday market. It evokes the historic roots of Saratoga’s producer-only market and the region’s agricultural heritage. I enjoy talking to vendors as I fill my bags with great foods for a few days before I return to the market Saturday to replenish.

Alexander’s Bakery Makes Allergen Free Treats Its Focus

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By Mariah Rankin

 

Vicki Brignati always loved to bake. But when her son Alex was diagnosed with severe allergies to peanuts, tree nuts and peas, her baking took on a different meaning.

“Her life became devoted to learning everything there was to know about food allergies and keeping him safe,” says Kristen Poulin, who co-owns Alexander’s Bakery with Brignati. “Alexander’s Bakery was created with a simple premise – everyone should be able to enjoy baked goods safely.”

Brignati and Poulin brought Alexander’s Bakery to the Saratoga Farmers’ Market this year. At their stall, located on the north end of High Rock Park on Wednesdays, they offer a range of baked goods, all of which are free of such allergens as peanuts, tree nuts, dairy, egg, soy, wheat, fish, and shellfish. They also sell at the market’s Clifton Park location on Mondays.

Alexander’s Bakery’s goods also are vegan and gluten-free. In this sense, Brignati and Poulin represent a small but growing group of prepared food businesses that are dedicated to creating foods anyone can eat.

“We quickly realized that we were filling a gap,” say Brignati and Poulin.

“We have been so warmly received by people with food allergies and sensitivities. They have told us many times how happy they are that we exist. We’ve also been well-received by many people who do not have food allergies or sensitivities. They simply love our products.”

Among the favorites is a whoopie pie that also is vegan, gluten-free, and made without the major allergens that plague many residents of the Capital area and others nationwide.

In addition to eliminating allergens, Brignati and Poulin try to take advantage of local, seasonal ingredients whenever possible. They debuted an iced blueberry lemon cookie at the market’s blueberry festival in late July. As fall approaches, they’re looking forward to unveiling iced pumpkin spiced mini muffins and apple cinnamon granola. The latter features locally grown apples that Brignati and Poulin dry themselves.

The pair describes the summer and their decision to sell at three farmers’ markets as a big step. They look forward to continued growth through the fall and next year.

The Saratoga Farmers’ Market is 3-6 p.m. Wednesdays and 9 a.m.-1 p.m. Saturdays at High Rock Park. Find us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram, and check us out on the FreshFoodNY app. E-mail friends@saratogafarmers.org for volunteer opportunities.

Garlic and the Love of Farming

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By Himanee Gupta-Carlson

 

Jim and Himanee Gupta-Carlson, owners of Squashville Farm, photo courtesy of Pattie Garrett

My husband Jim and I love garlic. Not just the sight, smell, and taste of the bulbs, which are at their peak season now at the Saratoga Farmers’ Market, but everything about the planting, tending, and harvesting of it.

We began growing garlic seven years ago, well before our backyard land became Squashville Farm. We started with cloves we got from the Row to Hoe Farm. The following year, we purchased garlic in bulk and began saving seed. By 2015, we were harvesting about 600 bulbs a year.

During those years, we also helped form the Friends of the Saratoga Market volunteer organization. In that capacity, we got to know local farmers, learned more about growing food, grew an increasing variety of vegetables, and began raising laying hens, meat chickens, and goats.

This spring, we became vendors at Saratoga’s Wednesday market. At our stall, just past the central pavilion on the north end, you will find lettuce, kale, chard, and other greens; a range of seasonal vegetables; eggs, chicken, and several cuts of goat meat. And, of course, garlic. This is the food we grow to eat and enjoy offering to others.

Garlic comes in numerous varieties, and we like to sample a lot of them. We do this by traveling to the Hudson Valley Garlic Festival in Saugerties, where we meet growers and taste their wares. We decide what to plant based on what our taste buds like.

This year, we chose three varieties, one from each of the “hard neck” families. Our Red Chesnok is a purple stripe, great for baking and eating roasted; our Georgian Heat is a porcelain, great for general cooking and longer-term storage; and our Ukrainian Red is a rocambole, known for having a lot of cloves in varying sizes and a true garlic taste.

We planted cloves in November. They sprouted in the spring. The sprouts turned into stalks that produced scapes in June, which we cut off and sold. The stalks then turned brown, telling us it was time to harvest.   

As my husband notes, garlic is magical. It’s a year-round anticipation, planning, and celebration of farm-grown food.

The Saratoga Farmers’ Market is 3-6 p.m. Wednesdays and 9 a.m.-1 p.m. Saturdays at High Rock Park. Find us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram, and check out the FreshFoodNY app. E-mail friends@saratogafarmers.org for volunteer opportunities.

 

Wednesday at the Farmers’ Market – A festival of fresh

By

By Himanee Gupta-Carlson

 

Market shopper, photo courtesy of Pattie Garrett

The Saratoga Farmers’ Market starts its outdoor season Wednesday at High Rock Park, with 28 vendors – seven of which are new. For the next six months, the market runs from 3-6 p.m. Wednesdays and 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturdays.

Why visit the market twice a week?

Market administrator Julia Howard has a simple answer: Everything is fresh.

The Wednesday market creates a space for families, downtown workers, and others to plan their midweek meals as they shop.

“Envision this as dinner Wednesday,” says market administrator Julia Howard. “Fresh-cut pasta noodles, cooked at home, with fresh feta cheese, hydroponic tomatoes and a parsley garnish. Add any number of vegetables from our produce vendors on the side, and cider or wine.”

For breakfast the next morning, Howard adds, try farm-fresh eggs and maple syrup, and perhaps a couple of goat riblets, chicken or a steak for dinner the next night.

“There will be so much good food this year at the Wednesday market,” Howard said. “There’s no reason not to make it a part of your meal planning for the week.”

Midweek markets are a boon for farmers from late spring through early fall when seasonal produce grows rapidly and is at its freshest. By having an opportunity to sell produce more than once a week, farmers are able to supply customers with a larger share of their harvests, which reduces spoilage.

Many farmers also use the market as a space to sell seedlings and container plants. Wednesday’s opening market celebrates this tradition by offering children and others an opportunity to plant a seed at the market, place their name on a label, and over the weeks to come, to watch it grow.

New vendors include pasta makers Mangiamo LLC, the Saratoga Winery, Infinite Concepts jewelry, and produce/meat farmers Green Jeans Market Farm, Halls Pond Farm, Ramble Creek Farm, and Squashville Farm. Joining these vendors are 11 returning produce farmers, a dairy farmer, a maple and honey producer, three baked goods vendors, two prepared foods vendors, two artists, and a knife sharpener.

The Saratoga Farmers’ Market will hold its last indoor market for the season from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. tomorrow at the Lincoln Baths Building in the Saratoga Spa State Park. The market will be outdoors 3-6 p.m. Wednesdays and 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturdays at High Rock Park.

Baker’s Passion Leads to Creation of His Own Business

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By Courtney Kramer

Photo courtesy of Pattie Garrett

Throughout his nomadic life, one thing has remained consistent for Mark Gallucci: his love for baking.

That passion drove him to start his one-man operation, Middle Grove Bakehouse, originating in the town of the same name, just west of Saratoga Springs. Gallucci is among the new Wednesday vendors at the Saratoga Farmers’ Market, where he offers an array of homemade baguettes, sourdough and whole wheat breads, as well as a sour cream coffee cake.

Gallucci has been a baker with the Mouzon House, a popular farm-to-table restaurant located near the farmers’ market’s summer location at High Rock Park. He grew up in the Capital Region but spent his 20s traveling the West Coast. While living in Seattle at age 25, where his friend’s family ran a bakery, he learned how to make and bake bread. From there, Gallucci’s dream to start his own bakery emerged.

About a year ago, his dreams came to fruition when Middle Grove Bakehouse was born. Gallucci finds comfort in the community aspect of the farmer’s market, between both the customers and the vendors. He appreciates that the market creates relationships that provide him with direct feedback from those who purchase his products.

For example, when I was interviewing him for this piece, a customer expressed, “That wheat bread was great with dinner last week, thank you.” Such moments of validation add to the enjoyment that Gallucci already finds in owning his own business.

Although his best-selling products have varied over time, Gallucci especially loves making sourdough bread, partly because it evokes his years of traveling the West Coast and living for a time in San Francisco, which he describes as “the sourdough epicenter.”

But that’s not to say he doesn’t appreciate the wide range of culinary options that the East Coast offers. He especially praises The Country Corner Café in Saratoga (another vendor at the Wednesday market), the Village Pizzeria in Galway, and his former employer, The Mouzon House, where his wife currently works. In addition to baking and selling bread for the Saratoga Farmers’ Market, Gallucci is also a stay-at-home father to his 14-month-old daughter.

Come and visit Mark at Middle Grove Bakehouse on Wednesdays at the Saratoga Farmers’ Market at the High Rock Park Pavilions.

The Saratoga Farmers’ Market is held 3-6 p.m. every Wednesday and 9a.m. – 1p.m. every Saturday at the High Rock Park Pavilions. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

 

Recipe photo courtesy of Pattie Garrett
Recipe photo courtesy of Pattie Garrett

Summer Bruschetta

Mark has provided a recipe for an easy summer appetizer, bruschetta, which begins with one of his baguettes. The rest of the ingredients can be purchased at the Saratoga Farmers’ Market on Wednesdays and Saturdays.

Serves 5-6

Ingredients:

• 5 chopped tomatoes
• 2-3 tablespoons of balsamic vinegar
• 10 finely chopped basil leaves
• A dash each of parsley, oregano, and salt & pepper
• 3 tablespoons of butter
• 2 cloves of fresh garlic, minced

Directions:

1. Mix above ingredients in small bowl.
2. Slice baguette and place pieces on baking sheet.
3. Melt butter and garlic and brush over baguette slices.
4. Broil bread for 1-2 minutes.
5. Spoon the mixture on warm bread and enjoy!