By Julia Howard
Dads take the spotlight as we prepare for Father’s Day on Sunday, June 19. If you’re looking for the right gift, the Saratoga Farmers’ Market has a variety of giftable items for the foodie in your life. There are also practical gifts, local libations, ready-to-eat foods, and so many ideas that we’ve compiled a gift guide to help you.
Food for the Foodie
The Saratoga Farmers’ Market is an agricultural hub best known for its incredible variety of locally produced foods. A gift bag or basket with strawberries, cheese, bread, jams and jellies, marinades and rubs, and even a steak may be just the thing to make dad feel appreciated. And there is so much more!
Muddy Trail Jerky Co. has grilling rubs, seasonings, and jerky galore for all the dads out there. Ballston Lake Apiaries makes a delicious honey balsamic marinade. Puckers Pickles award-winning pickles and fermented products always make great gifts. Nettle Meadow has a variety of cheeses that pair amazingly with NightWork Bread or Saratoga Crackers. Rum cakes from Goodway Bakery make a giftable sweet treat, as do goodies from Happy Cupcake. Not to overlook any plant-based dads, seasonal vegetables are aplenty, and several local farms bring bountiful harvests to the farmers’ market every Wednesday and Saturday.
Functional and Practical
For the dad that appreciates function and practicality, Feathered Antler has buttoned-down shirts with handpainted flair. Saratoga Suds ‘n’ Stuff has handmade soaps like exfoliating ‘True Grit’ or ‘Rub a Dub Scrub.’ And Sweetbrier Farms has a variety of useful, handcrafted salves, tonics, and topicals. Plan a visit to Mister Edge Sharpening at the Wednesday market, and have his favorite knives and tools sharpened.
Local Libations
If beer, wine, and spirits will make Father’s Day more festive, the Saratoga Farmers’ Market has a variety of local wines from Old Tavern Farm and Galway Rock Vineyard and Winery. Springbrook Hollow and Yankee Distillers bring high-quality local spirits from bourbon to gin. And, Mean Max Brew Works has beer to satiate any beer-lovers palette.
Among all the products and possibilities to show dad your love, perhaps plan a trip to the farmers’ market together. Enjoy the morning or afternoon, sharing the farmers’ market experience: live music, lunch in the park, and local festivities.
The Saratoga Farmers’ Market is open Saturdays from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. and Wednesdays from 3 to 6 p.m. at High Rock Park in downtown Saratoga Springs. Find us online at saratogafarmersmarket.org and follow us on Facebook and Instagram.
