By Andrea Grom
On cool, rainy, and blustery fall days, a good soup or stew hits the spot. This week, I asked the vendors of the Saratoga Farmers’ Market to share their favorite soups and stews. Their suggestions were wide-ranging and included a variety of seasonal ingredients from the market.
The foundation of a good soup is broth or stock. Making one is easy and inexpensive; just simmer vegetables (or peels), water, and bones. Most of our meat vendors sell various soup bones for this purpose, or you can create a delicious stock from roasted chicken leftovers. A veggie broth of vegetables and mushroom stems is tasty too.
Many of our farmers enjoy blended soups. Rose and Dan from Leaning Birch Farm like butternut squash soup with brown butter and sage. Andy from Burger’s MarketGarden says his honeynut squash, a small and sweet butternut, is perfect for soups and stews. Christophe from Longlesson Farm makes vichyssoise, a velvety, cold potato leek soup, as a first course. Lindsay from Owl Wood Farm loves a bright tomato-dill soup and carrot-ginger soup with her baby ginger.
Our vendors also crave soups with body and texture. Nichole from Thymeless Homestead enjoys curry lentil soup with her lamb or chicken. Meghan from Grazin’ Acres Farm makes a mixed bean soup with potatoes, celery, carrots, onions, and ham. Paul from Old World Farm also loves a bean soup, but includes sweet peppers, onions, and garlic. Other favorites include: cabbage and sausage soup with a baguette (Katie from Katie Bakes GF); tortellini soup with chicken, cilantro, garlic, carrots and black beans (Laurie from Kokinda Farm); Thai curry and noodle soup or Khao Soi with shiitake mushrooms instead of chicken (Elise at The Mushroom Shop); chowder with bacon ends (Ariel from May-K-Mark), and tomato crab bisque with a vodka flambé (Steve from Yankee Distillers).
Rich stews of vegetables and slowly braised meats are beloved by our farmers as well. Beef stew in all its variations is quite popular, such as beef bourguignon with red wine and thyme, Irish beef stew with potatoes and stout, and Hungarian goulash with onions, caraway, and paprika. Lou from Jireh Farm also recommends a slow-cooked chicken stew with vegetables, herbs, and rice.
Soups and stews are deeply satisfying and nourishing. Our vendors have a wealth of knowledge on how to make their products shine in them. They’re looking forward to sharing more with you and to hearing about your creations!
The Saratoga Farmers’ Market is open Wednesdays, 3–6 PM, and Saturdays, 9 AM–1 PM, at High Rock Park in Saratoga Springs. Visit www.saratogafarmersmarket.org to sign up for the weekly newsletter and follow the market on Facebook and Instagram @SaratogaFarmersMarket.
