History
The Saratoga Farmers’ Market was established in 1978 in a car park in Saratoga Springs, selling fresh produce sourced from local farms in the region. The market grew in popularity, and the 1990s saw the market, and its vendors moved into the newly built High Rock Park where it took up a permanent outdoor base during the summer months with a beautiful setting and ample parking for customers. As the market continue to expand in the early 2000s, the market needed an indoor location for the winter months and moved to the Lincoln Baths building at Saratoga Spa State Park. Today, the Saratoga Farmers’ Market bustles twice a week in Saratoga’s High Rock Park from May through October, with over 50 vendors under three vast pavilions and on the outside green lawns, and flourishes with more than 30 vendors inside the Lincoln Baths building at Saratoga Spa State Park from November to April.
Goods and Produce
The Saratoga Farmers’ Market sells a wealth of fresh farm produces and artisan products, from fruit, vegetables and flowers, honey, freshly baked goods, pasture-raised meat and poultry, homemade cheese, milk, and yogurt, ocean and river-fresh fish and seafood, and handcrafted jams and preserves. Newer vendors at the market sell handcrafted hard cider, crackers, and pickles, among other delicious fare, as well as handmade and organic clothing, handcrafted gifts and home décor, and other items.
Education and Events
The Saratoga Farmers’ Market offers an array of activities and events throughout the year, including live music, culinary demonstrations, information tables, social activities and more. The Power of Produce (POP) Club for Kids is a children-friendly program that offers fun opportunities for kids to learn more about the local food system through educational games, exposure to new fruits and vegetables, and demonstrations. Other programs include summer internships, ‘Help Feed the Hungry,’ which donates extra garden produce to a local food bank, ‘Market Manners for Dogs,’ and Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) – a unique collaboration connecting people to a local farm and farmer.
Visitor Information
The Saratoga Farmers’ Market is based at Saratoga’s High Rock Park Pavilions from May through October and open Wednesdays from 3:00 pm to 6:00 pm and the Lincoln Baths building at Saratoga Spa State Park from November to April on Saturdays from 9:00 am to 1:00 pm.
The Saratoga Farmers’ Market presents a Market Bistro on Wednesdays which sees a local chef or market farm vendor preparing delicious entrées from local produce and served at small tables against a backdrop of live music. The Market also offers a unique ‘Veggie Valet’ service, which takes all purchased goodies to visitor’s cars via a free wagon service.
The Greater Lake George Area boasts spectacular natural scenery, outstanding attractions, exceptional dining and shopping and a wealth of outdoor and recreational activities. The region features beautiful beaches, inviting picnic areas, a network of hiking and mountain biking trails, scenic drives and rides, island camping, boat launching sites and the Warren County Bikeway. Outdoor activities include swimming, fishing, hiking and trekking, mountain biking, tennis, miniature golf, horseback riding, river rafting and tubing and hot air ballooning, bowling, and parasailing. Cultural and historical experiences abound with plenty of museums, galleries, theme parks, historical forts and more to visit and enjoy with the whole family.
Back to: Saratoga Springs, NY
Lincoln Baths, 65 South Broadway, Saratoga Spa State Park, Saratoga Springs, NY 12866, website, Map
Conclusion
The Saratoga Farmers’ Market is a summer/fall market-based in Saratoga Springs, NY. Established in 1978, the Farmers’ Market offers a variety of bounty at a twice-weekly summer/fall market in Saratoga’s High Rock Park between the months of May and October and inside the Lincoln Baths building at Saratoga Spa State Park from November to April. From its humble beginnings in a car parking lot in Saratoga Springs, the market has grown in leaps and bounds to the two venues it calls home today, as well as two new sites in Malta and Clifton Park.
The Saratoga Farmers’ Market is managed by the Saratoga Farmers’ Market Association, which runs local “producer-only” markets that require vendors to grow or produce their goods in Saratoga, Rensselaer, Schenectady, or Washington counties. The Association’s standards also require products to be fresh and unique and not purchased for resale to provide economic, ecological, and social support to local communities.
