Saratoga Farmers' Market

Wednesday Market

Alexander’s Bakery Makes Allergen Free Treats Its Focus

By

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

By

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!

Summer Club Lets Children Connect With Power of Produce

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By Julia Howard, Market Administrator

As school ends for the year, the Saratoga Farmers’ Market invites children and families to celebrate summer. On Wednesday, June 21, we’ll host our End of School Celebration and kick off our second annual Power of Produce Club at the market from 3-6 p.m.

What does all of this mean? A lot of fun along with a great opportunity for children to learn how to make healthy food choices while also learning more about the farmers that grow the fruits and vegetables they eat.

The Power of Produce began in 2011 at a farmers’ market in Oregon City, Oregon, with a goal of improving that community’s health. We brought the concept to Saratoga last year and are pleased to be offering it again this year with support from the Christopher Dailey Foundation and the Rotary Club of Saratoga Springs.

The Power of Produce Club (also known as the POP Club), is a free, 12 week program geared toward children ages 5-12. It will take place at our Wednesday markets from 3-6 p.m. Children who attend receive a POP Passport and a $2 POP token that they can use to purchase fresh fruit or vegetables. Each week, the club will offer such activities as cooking demonstrations and scavenger hunts. Children will be able to collect a stamp on their POP Passport each time they participate, and will receive a prize for every four stamps they collect.

Program participants include American Farmland Trust, Cornell Cooperative Extension: Food & Nutrition, Saratoga Springs Public Library, Northeast Parent & Child Society, Chef Dan Spitz, Malta Ridge Orchard & Gardens, and the Agricultural Stewardship Association, among others.

Music by the Zucchini Brothers, Balloon Gal Jenny, and representatives from the Northeast Parent & Child Society, Cornell Cooperative’s Master Gardeners, and Saratoga County Foster Care will kick off this year’s POP Club. Children can visit for the club at its location across from the green market information booth. The opening week’s activity is to make fruit and yogurt ice cream cones along with an educational exercise on healthy snack options and portions.

Last year, about 40 children took part in the program each week. We look forward to an even larger crowd this year.

The Saratoga Farmers’ Market is 3-6 p.m. Wednesdays and 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturdays at High Rock Park. Find us on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.

 

Fresh Fruit and Yogurt Cones

Adapted from recipe on www.cookingmamas.com

Ingredients
*Ingredients currently available at the Saratoga Farmers’ Market

• fresh fruit*
• Vanilla yogurt* (maple, honey can be found at the farmers’ market)
• Waffle cone, waffle bowl, or homemade waffle

Directions

1. Fill a waffle cone with a spoon full of vanilla yogurt, then a layer of mixed fruit. Add another spoonful of yogurt, then top it off with fruit. Enjoy!

2. Fruit suggestions: Strawberries*, mango, blueberries, kiwi, apple chunks*, or whatever you have on hand.

 

Market Creates Community at High Rock Park

By

 

By Himanee Gupta-Carlson

Shortly before 9 a.m. tomorrow, Saratoga Mayor Joanne Yepsen will cut a ribbon at High Rock Park to officially open the Saratoga Farmers’ Market’s summer season. With her will be farmers and other vendors, volunteers and staff, artists and musicians, community service providers, dignitaries and other guests.

The brief ceremony captures a sense of how the market twice a week from May through October creates a sense of community that is vibrant, festive, and supportive.

“Community is our sustenance,” says market director Julia Howard. “It brings us all together.”

The Saratoga Farmers’ Market started in 1978 with starter plants and produce. Over the years, meats and dairy products, prepared foods, wool and fiber, household cleaners, gift items, and crafts were added the offerings.

For farmers and other vendors, the market is a vital source of income. But the market also is much more.

Running the River by Eric Jenks
Running the River
Photo by Eric Jenks

“Having music at every market helps local performers gain exposure,” Howard says. “Plus, we work with such organizations as Saratoga Bridges to offer employment for some of our janitorial tasks to individuals who need it. And our weekly children’s activities are often the result of our relationships with local businesses, libraries, and youth groups. We couldn’t be who we are without those networks of support.”

Tomorrow’s market will highlight these networks. CAPTAIN Youth & Family Services will offer a free planting of flower seeds to children of all ages. Musician Thomas Brady and the band Running the River will perform. Mamatoga will co-host a meetup from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. for mothers and children. And new vendors – among them Zoe Burghard Ceramics, Freddy’s Rockin’ Hummus, The Smoothie Shoppe, Dickinson’s Delights, and Slate Valley and Nettle Meadow farms – will join the market’s regulars.

Setting up market at Rock Park by Eric Jenks
Setting up market at Rock Park
Photo by Eric Jenks

Behind the scenes, the Friends of the Market volunteers will operate its compost collection and recycling programs, assist shoppers with its veggie valet service, gather donations for the Franklin Community Center food pantry, and be on hand to relieve vendors. Also behind the scenes vendors will arrive early and stay late to put out market signs, traffic cones, and help clean up High Rock Park before and after the market.

“That cooperative spirit makes us so much more than a shopping place,” Howard says. “We’re in it together.”

Visit the Saratoga Farmers’ Markets at High Rock Park from 3-6 p.m. Wednesdays and 9 a.m.-1 p.m. Saturdays.

Chopped Spring Salad

Adapted from recipe by Jenny Rosenstrach and Andy Ward featured in Bon Appetit
4 Servings

Ingredients

*Ingredients currently available at the Saratoga Farmers’ Market

• ½ cup plain yogurt*
• 2 tablespoons olive oil*
• 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
• 1 garlic clove, finely grated*
• ¼ teaspoon Vital Eats Sriracha Ketchup*
• 2 tablespoons finely chopped chives, plus more for serving*
• 2 tablespoons finely chopped mint, plus more for serving*
• Kosher salt, freshly ground pepper
• ½ Asian cucumber, chopped (about 1 cup)*
• 2 asparagus spears, chopped*
• 2 scallions, chopped*
• 3 radishes, trimmed, chopped*
• 1 cup pea shoots*
• ¾ cup cherry tomatoes, quartered*

Preparation

1. Whisk yogurt, oil, lemon juice, garlic, Sriracha, 2 Tbsp. chives, and 2 Tbsp. mint in a small bowl to combine; season with salt and pepper and let dressing sit at least 1 hour to allow flavors to meld.

2. Just before serving, toss cucumber, asparagus, scallions, radishes, pea shoots, and tomatoes in a large bowl to combine; season with salt and pepper. Divide evenly among plates and drizzle with dressing. Top with chives and mint.

Do Ahead: Dressing can be made 3 days ahead. Cover and chill.

Saratoga Farmers' Market