Saturday was a Spring day like most– sunny then cloudy, then sprinkles that turn into showers. The sidewalk in front of the Saratoga Farmers’ Market was filled with people on foot, pushing strollers and even on bikes. Opening day looked like it was going to be a great success. White topped booths stood along the sidewalk filled with everything from flowers, farm fresh cheese and veggies to baked goods and grass fed beef.
Going to a farmers’ market is a good way to get a feel for the culture of the city or town you visit. How friendly the people are, what grows locally, how expensive the products are and even what types of things are being sold–ready-made food, dry goods and textiles can sometimes be found. At the Saratoga Farmers’ Market there is a good variety of products to choose from, even this early in the year. There were several booths that sold cheese, mostly goat cheese. If you’re new to goat cheese don’t be afraid to ask for a sample. Most if not all proprietors will be happy to let you sample their products. Since I’m new to goat cheese I tried a sample. The goat cheese was smooth and slightly tangy.
“I’ll take one of those and one of those.” While chatting up the proprietor of Sweet Spring Farm, Jeffrey Bowers, where we bought our cheese, he told me of another event that would make a perfect day trip. Its the cheese tour and it takes place in Washington County during the second weekend in September. On the tour which is tentatively set for September 10th and 11th this year, will not only be Sweet Spring Farm but also 4 other farms including one on the NY/VT border. It’s a self driving tour, the farms are within 20 miles of each other so its possible to visit more than one. While on the tour you will be able to visit the cheese making facilities, pet the animals and of course buy cheese.
The clouds started to thicken and a few sprinkles began to fall. The sounds of a local band, Running the River, filled the air with Johnny Cash, The Beatles and The Rolling Stones as people scurried to get under the pavilion and the rain came down harder.
At the end of the sidewalk was Wildthings Rescue Nursery run by Dawn Foglia. Dawn specializes in native New York plants grown from seeds and cuttings.
Her booth was lined with potted plants along with baskets with mixed herbs from her nursery located about 25 miles south of Saratoga near Schaghticoke NY. I picked out a basket of my favorite herbs for my kitchen windowsill.
Once the rain stopped we headed toward another booth that caught our eye – The Lewis Waite Farm from Jackson NY. This 450 acre family run farm offers not only 100% grass fed beef and natural, pastured pork but lamb, chevron, chicken, duck, rabbit and turkey along with other products that can be purchased through a CSA program. CSA is short for community supported agriculture which is a way for farms to distribute their foods directly on a weekly or monthly basis. It allows people to buy a variety of goods from local farms and pick them up at one location.
The front of their booth was filled with blue coolers that had been filled with ground beef and other beef cuts, bones for dogs and pork. If you would like to buy from them at the market it’s strongly suggested that you go there early, they sell out quickly.
We ended our shopping trip by picking up some sourdough bread from West Village Cafe. It was a difficult decision with all the fresh baked, handmade pastries, cookies and breads. We planned on snacking on our purchases so we went with the sourdough.
Somehow we just couldn’t pass up buying one more thing on the way to the car — lettuce– a whole flat! Different varieties – butter crunch, salad bowl and red leaf which has all been planted in our garden.
Saratoga Farmers’ Market is a vibrant, bustling place that gets better as the season progresses. It’s open on Wednesdays from 3 pm-6 pm and Saturdays from 9 am-1 pm and runs from May through October at the High Rock location and in the winter months at Division Street Elementary School from November-April on Saturdays from 9 am-1 pm. If you’re visiting Saratoga Springs and are staying at one of the many hotels or B&Bs you can grab enough goodies for an impromptu lunch (including wine and apples that are also sold at the market) and head over to Spa State Park. Visit, chat and learn where your food comes from. Its best to buy local.
