Saratoga Hospital starts farmers market for in-house use, public also

PHOTOGRAPHER: Tatiana Zarnowski

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There’s a new farmers market in town, so you can hit up a market three days a week instead of just two.

Saratoga Hospital started its own farmers market this month that will run every Thursday from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. While it was created for hospital employees and visitors, it’s also open to the community.

Held rain or shine, the market will either be in the hospital cafeteria or outside in the courtyard off the cafeteria. The cafeteria is on the ground floor, and you have to go inside the hospital to access the courtyard.

The market is starting small with between five and eight vendors, said Stephanie Seymour, director of food and nutrition services and a registered dietitian.

“We’re trying to start slow and make it work,” she said.

It started May 6, the Thursday before Mother’s Day, so vendors sold a lot of wares, Seymour said. “We had so many the first day. It was unbelievable how many people were out there.”

Jewelry, baked goods, vegetables and apples are among the goods being sold, with honey and maple products likely to come soon.

Slice of Heaven bakery, run by Temple Sinai and Rabbi Jonathan Rubenstein, sells pastries and bread. Saratoga Apple and Little Field Farm of Argyle are the local produce vendors.

Seymour said the hospital plans to buy some fresh produce from Little Field and make an entree or side dish featuring that product to sell in the cafeteria. It will eventually do so for each vendor at the market.

Currently, the hospital gets most of its produce delivered from D. Brickman of Albany and U.S. Foodservice, one of America’s largest food distributors. The hospital uses mainly fresh produce in the meals it prepares. Seymour said many people eat at the hospital, considering the meals inexpensive, tasty and healthy.

She plans to keep the market running year-round, as long as there is interest.

“We’re just going to keep it going as long as everybody wants to keep doing it.”

The hospital initially planned to start the market in the fall, but had to hold off because of the H1N1 risk.

Saratoga Farmers Market currently has summer markets Wednesday afternoon from 3 to 6 p.m. and Saturdays from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the pavilion on High Rock Avenue. A winter market is held at Division Street Elementary School, not far from the hospital, on Saturdays from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.