Saratoga Farmers Market News

I received this today from the Saratoga Farmers Market and am posting it here for your information.  Don't forget the Farmers Market has moved indoors to the Division Street Elementary School until May.  Bummer.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Saratoga Springs Farmers' Market November 6, 2009 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Market News ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ TOMORROW  WE BEGIN THE 2009 WINTER MARKET! In our new site!!   Yes, the winter market will begin 9am, Saturday November 7th at the Division Street Elementary School!  We are very excited about new digs and hope you will be too.  The school will allow us ample parking for all, easy handicap access and more room for MORE VENDORS!  Product will plentiful.  Leeks are in, brussel sprouts are gorgeous, winter squashes abound and beautiful greens are plentiful.  In addition we will be having new baked goods, new prepared foods, new mushroom vendor and all our wonderful true blue regulars: yogurt, cheeses, meats, eggs, apples, soaps and holiday greens. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ FALL FESTIVAL was a great success at our last outdoor market.  Whinnie the Pooh and gang made a day of it at the market, much to the delight of our younger customers.  Our musicians, 3/4 North, got our toes warm with unavoidable toe tapping and the sun even decided to show up!  Congratulations to Russ winning the Great 137 pound pumpkin and the gracious Jeanne who also had the right guess, but lost in a stick draw. (She got a market T-shirt and a mini gourd!) ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ MARKET SHED has been converted to the Market Table  at the winter market and will continue to provide "market money" (tokens) for those short on cash, but are carrying credit cards or EBT cards.   We also have the great gift ideas: market tote bags (canvas and insulated),  t-shirts and gift certificates!    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ FIRST RAFFLE OF THE INDOOR MARKET proceeds from the winter market basket raffles will be going to offset the extra expense of our beautiful new location at the gym of Division St Elem School. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Enter now! For one dollar* enter to win a BASKET FULL OF MARKET GOODIES.   You can enter as often as you like.  Enter at the market table.  BASKET WILL BE GIVEN OUT  NOVEMBER 7th, 11 am  at the FIRST INDOOR MARKET!! *Starting next week our monthly raffle basket with a Thanksgiving theme will begin, but the ticket prices will go up to $2 each or 3 for $5.   The gift baskets have over a $100 in product value.  Tomorrow's basket is worth over $125!!! ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~   LIVE MUSIC:will be on hold until we find suitable space at the market ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ RECIPE OF THE WEEK ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  STUFFED CABBAGE ROLLS Cabbage is a much-aligned vegetable, but its versatility is astounding and is a wonderful resource for many varying culinary dishes.  Cabbages have evolved into a diverse family and have been challenging chefs to keep coming up with new ways to use them.  Cabbage is good braised, steamed, fried, or sautéed.  It's the basis of American coleslaw, German Sauerkraut, and many oriental dishes.   It is inexpensive and grows easily in many conditions and are plentiful now at your farmers' market.  Americans are very familiar with the head cabbage, which comes in many varieties from green to red.  Then there is Bok choy, the mild-flavored Asian cabbage in bright colors.  Chinese cabbages have oblong heads with thin, juicy, full-flavored leaves.  Each presents a never ending lists of uses and all are found locally produced.   Cabbage is a great accompaniment to rich meat dishes and all root vegetables.  It goes well with spices, red wine, apples, onions, chestnuts, radishes, beets and sour cream.  My family loves stuffed cabbage rolls on a cold winter night.  I like it as it lends itself to be cooked ahead, frozen and then ready to go on days that are short for time.  My husband loves them in a tomato sauce and my daughter covered in a soy sauce.  I could see them being finished in a wine and brown sugar topping.  They are generous in their adaptation to personal tastes.  Your palate is the selecting criteria.   Ingredients 1 pound of ground meat (beef, lamb, turkey, sausage) 1 large egg 1/2 cup bread crumbs (West Village market crumbs are super) 1/2 cup uncooked long-grain rice  (white for oriental, mixed brown/white ok with tomato) 1/2 cup water 1 large carrot, grated 1 large garlic clove, minced 1 tsp salt 1/4 tsp. black pepper 1 savory or green cabbage (approximately 2 lbs.) Directions Combine in a large bowl all the ingredients above, except the cabbage and set aside. Take the cabbage and cut out the core.  Drop the cabbage into 3-4 qts of boiling water.  Boil for 5-10 minutes and remove from the pot and carefully remove the softened out leaves.  Return the cabbage to the simmering water to continue softening the inner leaves as you begin to stuff the leaves.  Leaves need to be supple enough to roll.  Wrap the meat mixture in the leaves and folding much like you would a tortilla.  (Stuffing down center, fold in the sides and roll up the middle).  Repeat this process until all the stuffing is used.  You can tie them closed with string or place seem side down to cook.  At this point you can freeze (up to a month) or store (up to 3 days) for later use. Hubby's Tomato based sauce Chop up one cup of cabbage leaves (can use remaining cabbage leaves from above).  Combine with 1 medium onion chopped.  In a large dutch oven type pot, heat 3 tablespoons of vegetable oil and add the chopped cabbage/onion mixture and sauté until golden brown.  The add 1/2 cup dry white or red wine and bring to a boil, then reduce immediately to a simmer for 5 minutes.  Add 4 large tomatoes, diced with their juices, 1 cup of water, 1/4 cup brown sugar, 8 gingersnap cookies, crumbled and 1 tbsp of lemon juice.  Bring all this to a boil for 5 minutes.  The reduce heat and add cabbage rolls, seam side down, adding a little water to just cover rolls.  Cover and simmer for 1 1/2 hours, shaking pan a couple of times throughout,  to be sure sauce does not stick.  Serve hot with sour cream. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ The Saratoga Farmers' Market is open for its winter season, Nov.-April, Saturdays 9a-1p at the Division Street School in Saratoga Springs, NY. For more info go to www.saratogafarmersmarket.org