Argentine empanadas, seafood raw bar selections, BBQ chicken, vegan specialties, French pastries, waffles on a stick, and yogurt parfaits are just some of the choices customers can enjoy when Saratoga Farmers’ Market opens its new hospitality tent Saturday, June 15th, during regular market hours. Seven vendors of ready-to-eat foods, offering a range of cuisine and including breakfast and lunch selections, will be at the market every Saturday for the outdoor season, which finishes at the end of October. Also located in the tent will be Battenkill Valley Creamery, the market’s popular purveyor of milk and other dairy products. The tent is sponsored by Allerdice Party Rent All of Saratoga Springs.
“We selected our Saturday prepared-food vendors based on the diversity of their menu offerings, which ranges from savory to sweet and spans several culinary styles,” notes Charles Holub, president of Saratoga Farmers’ Market Association. “High Rock Park is a wonderful downtown setting for people to linger with friends and family, and this new hospitality tent will provide additional options for ready-to-eat food at the market, as well as several tables where customers can sit down and relax.”
The vendors at the tent, who are exempt from the market’s normal rules on geographic location and agricultural production, will be offering a variety of selections including:
Ana’s Empanadas (Rutland, VT): Argentine-style empanada turnovers, filled with locally-raised meats, vegetables and cheeses
Good Morning Café (Ballston Spa): grilled cheese-tomato-basil on Rock Hill Bakehouse bread, vegetable hash, yogurt parfaits, homemade granola
Lollie Waffles (Gansevoort): made-to-order waffles on a stick, with chocolate-hazelnut sauce, local maple syrup, or powdered sugar
Mrs. Londons (Saratoga Springs): assorted pastries and baguette sandwiches
Pura Vida Fisheries/Moby Rick’s (Saratoga Springs): crab cakes, fish n chips, raw bar
Sunset Farm (Fort Ann): chicken BBQ, burgers, sausage with peppers and onions
Vital Eats (Salem): vegan/vegetarian salads, soups and wraps
These vendors complement other very popular meal offerings at the market, including burritos and smoothies by Funky Fresh Foods, egg breakfast sandwiches by M&A Farm, and beverages by Something’s Brewing.
The Saratoga Farmers’ Market celebrates its 35th anniversary in 2013. Its 50+ vendors bring a wide variety of products to the bi-weekly market in High Rock Park, including vegetables, fruit, mushrooms, meat, poultry, eggs, baked goods, fresh and frozen prepared foods, beverages, peanut butter, honey, jam, yogurt, cheese, and milk—as well as plants, flowers, handcrafts, and knife sharpening services. The market was voted New York State’s “Favorite Farmers’ Market” in both 2011 and 2012.
The three Saratoga County markets run by Saratoga Farmers’ Market Association are open until the end of October as follows:
The Saratoga Farmers’ Market operates twice a week at High Rock Park from May through October on Wednesdays from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. and Saturdays from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.
The Malta Farmers’ Market is open from June through October on Tuesdays from 3 to 6 p.m. in the Allerdice ACE Hardware parking lot at 2570 Route 9 in Malta.
The Clifton Park Farmers’ Market will be open Thursdays from 2 to 5 p.m. beginning July 11th through October in the parking lot of St. George’s Church, 912 Route 146 (near the intersection of Moe Road).
Saratoga Farmers’ Market Association maintains a “producer-only” standard for all of its markets, requiring its full-fledged members to grow or produce their goods in Saratoga, Schenectady, Rensselaer, or Washington counties to ensure that products are fresh and unique, not purchased for re-sale. The market makes a few exceptions to this rule for foods not available locally, including fresh fish and mushrooms. By adhering to this standard, the market ensures that sales provide economic, ecological, and social support to local communities. Food vendors in the Saratoga market’s hospitality tent that operates on Saturdays are not required to meet all these criteria.
Tags: farmers' market, saratoga
