In November, daylight diminishes. Lamps, blinking bulb strings, and candles begin to glow after our early sunsets and into the night as we move meals and other social activities indoors. With that shift from fall to winter come the holidays and their myriad meanings, meanings that invariably and deliciously center on food.
The Saratoga Farmers’ Market marks the season with its annual migration indoors, beginning this year on Saturday, November 6, into the Wilton Mall. For us – the farmers and vendors – the market gives us the means to give you – our community of customers – the gift of food. Food offers warmth amid chill, light amid darkness. What we give to you also creates something for us: A chance to rekindle traditions that have been a part of our individual families while – like the craftspeople we are – innovating to remake those traditions anew. Here’s how some of our vendors celebrate:
Spinning the dreidel
For NightWork Bread owners Leigh Rathner and Cindy Rosenberg, Hannukkah is all about food and games: Platters of latkes, homemade applesauce, and jellybeans. The latter are used as game pieces when it comes time to play with the dreidel.
Rosenberg recalls the “epic dreidel battle” that took place one year. Teens, grandparents, friends, and relatives gathered around the dinner table to take a spin. The cheers mounted as players were eliminated, winnowing the field to two who played round after round, trying to best the other.
In the end, everyone wins because their bellies are full of good food and good fun.
Making the ordinary special
Ariel Garland, of Hebron Valley Veal, recalls her years as an “apprentice” in her mother’s kitchen, learning to make her family’s staple holiday dishes. One among many is mashed potatoes – which, Garland says, “I can assure you aren’t your ordinary mashed potatoes, as these are made with plenty of butter, garlic, and love.”
Garland now cooks not only her mother’s specialties but also a family post-holiday favorite – shepherd’s pie – that features her farm’s ground rose veal.
She counts an appreciation for being able to spend time with family and delicious food as constants. “My parents are both phenomenal cooks and our family’s favorite way to show they love you is to fill your belly.”
Sharing the harvest
After Elise Olsen and Jacob Howard became a couple, they started spending Christmas with Olson’s family in southwest Connecticut. Olsen would bring fresh produce from a vegetable farm where she worked, and the family would spend the day cooking, eating, and watching movies.
This year, with the start of their business The Mushroom Shop, they are planning to add mushrooms to the holiday mix, along with this recipe for a Lion’s Mane Bisque:
Taking the edge off the cold
For Daily Fresh prepared food vendors Sneha Narayanan and Sathya Raghavan, fall is all about festivals including Diwali, Thanksgiving, Christmas, and more. Narayanan prepares a variety of Indian dishes, including one of her favorite sweet drinks: an almond kheer.
The drink consists of ground almonds, saffron, and cardamom blended into warm milk. It is refreshing and light when served cold in the summer, and comforting and flavorful as a warm drink in winter.
“It is a favorite family drink during the holiday season,” Narayanan says.
Nourishing body and soul
Lovin’ Mama Farm owners Corinne Hansch and Matthew Leon spend long hours working outdoors from early spring through fall. By November, they say, “our bodies and souls are in major need of rest and nourishment.”
They earn that well-deserved rest by piling their holiday tables with roasted, baked, sauced, steamed, and raw veggies from their fields, and adding to this mix cheeses, meats, wines, and ciders from other farmers. They place the foods in locally made pottery and, with family and friends, eat.
“Holidays for us are spending time feasting on the fruits of our labor, resting for the coming season, and rejuvenating mind, body, and soul with nourishing local products from our community.”
Holiday Meats at the Saratoga Farmers’ Market
Elihu Farm: For Christmas and New Year's, whole bone-in legs, boneless sirloin half legs, leg steaks, loin chops, racks, boneless whole and half shoulder roasts, shoulder chops, whole shanks, and osso bucco - shanks cut into slices, and ground lamb. Orders are being taken from now until December 6
Hebron Valley Veal: Veal roast chops, veal steak, and varieties of veal sausages
Longlesson Angus: Customers can preorder prime rib for the holidays, and we will have pork on the 2nd week of November
Ramble Creek Farm: Pasture-raised turkey (preorders are being taken now), chicken, and pork
Squash Villa Farm: Goat leg roast, fresh heritage breed chicken (small whole chickens, around 3-4 lbs, we will begin to have these available around Thanksgiving)
*For 6 recipes, please visit our eNewspaper on pages 24 and 25: https://saratogatodaynewspaper.com/our-publications/saratoga-today/item/14972-november-5-november-11-2021
