The outdoor Saugerties Farmers Market, held in the Main St. parking lot opposite Cahill Elementary, returns for the summer season Saturday, May 25. Markets will run weekly from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. through Saturday, Oct. 19. Twenty-two local farmers and vendors will be in attendance at the first open-air market, with 28 vendors signed up for the season.
At this week’s market, customers will find a variety of fruits, vegetables, baked goods, and crafts, as well as breakfast and lunch items. Shoppers will also find planters and seedlings for home gardens.
A ribbon-cutting ceremony will be held at 10 a.m. with state Sen. Cecilia Tkaczyk, Town Supervisor Kelly Myers, County Legislator Bob Aiello, Town Board member Leeanne Thornton and village trustees Vince Buono and Jeannine Mayer in attendance.
Chef demos
Following the ribbon-cutting, chef James Tamayo, of the Inn at Tamayo, will commence a cooking demonstration and food tasting at 11 a.m. Chef Tamayo is a 1981 graduate of The Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, NY. He then worked in a variety of hotels and restaurants, including the Whitehall Hotel in Chicago, and in New York City at the Plaza Hotel, Greene Street Cafe, and The Russian Tea Room before owning his own restaurant, Cafe Tamayo, in the heart of Saugerties.
Tamayo has done a demonstration at the Saugerties Farmer’s Market every year since it began more than a decade ago. Because he currently organizes the other chef demonstrators, he typically does the first demonstration of the season to allow the other chefs time to prepare. This year, Tamayo has arranged for 10 demonstrations throughout the summer farm market season, including his own.
For this year’s demonstration, Tamayo plans to prepare a dish with eggs from Joe Aiello’s farm in Glasco. Tamayo says, “it will probably be a frittata, with other vegetables from the same farm. Hopefully leeks and spinach.”
Tamayo says he participates every year in an earnest effort to help preserve agriculture in the Hudson Valley. This summer farm market season, Tamayo says he’s looking forward to the usual spring veggies like asparagus, as well as the offerings of a new vendor, Do-Re-Me Farm of New Hampton, NY. Tamayo says Do-Re-Me promises to have some foraged and some farmed mushrooms. With any luck, we may see morels and chanterelles at this summer’s market.
Meet the Master Gardeners
Cornell Cooperative Extension Master Gardeners, Barbara Bravo and Ann Abrams, will also be there to lend their expertise in optimal garden health. Master Gardeners have attended the Saugerties Farmers Markets for about seven years. The Master Gardeners generally staff a table once a month from opening day through September or October.
The mission of Master Gardeners is to represent Cornell Cooperative Extension (CCE) and to share their knowledge with fellow gardeners. The gardeners are trained in many areas of horticulture: ornamental and vegetable gardening, soil, compost, insect, animal pests and weed control. Also, CCE continues to train and inform the Master Gardeners regarding invasive species and new diseases.
Expect to find informational flyers about installing a lawn, planting timetables, compost-making instructions and deer resistant plants lists, courtesy of the Master Gardeners. They also invite market-goers to bring ground samples for pH testing.
When asked why the Master Gardeners participate in the farm market every year, Bravo said in an email, “gardeners love to talk to other gardeners.” This year, she says she looks forward to “being outdoors in the fresh air and sharing my knowledge with those who seek it.”
For the whole family
For children, Saugerties Art Lab is back. Parents can bring their little ones to create glossy paper flowers with provided materials. Meanwhile, throughout the course of the market, the whole family can enjoy the eclectic world-music styling of Hudson Valley-based band Passero.
The vendors
The market will also be welcoming back the following vendors: Barry Blueberries; Cats’ View Farm of Germantown, purveyor of delicious-smelling and homemade goat milk soaps; Luigi’s Infused Oils of the Hudson Valley; Cedar Ridge Nursery of Saugerties; Robert Davenport & Sons of Stone Ridge; Greene Earth Farm; Grey Mouse Farm & Jewelry of Rt. 32 in Saugerties; Heather Ridge Farm of Preston Hollow, NY; Lynnhaven Nubians of Pinebush; Mangia Bene Farm of Saugerties (Glasco); Maynard Farms of Ulster Park; Me-Oh-My Foods of Red Hook; Oliverea Schoolhouse Maple Farm; Our Daily Bread of Chatham; Platte Clove Naturals, Saugerties-based maker of natural bug-spray and wheat-free snacks; Shoving Leopard Farm of Red Hook; Slow Roots Farm of Kingston; Sunporch Baked Goods, purveyor of gluten-free baked goods in Saugerties; and Sweet Pea Groceries natural brand of skincare, hair care and cleaning supplies.
New to the Saugerties Farmer’s Market this season, vendor Karen Country Kitchen will offer one of America’s favorite breakfast delights: home-style waffles. In addition, the following vendors will also be making their Saugerties Farmer’s Market summer debut: Clove Valley CSA of High Falls; Cooperstown Cheese; and Do-Re-Me Farms of New Hampton, NY. Lastly, look for Saugerties-based Sow Good Bakery, with gluten-free, refined sugar-free, vegan, raw and Paleo diet offerings.
Join the family! 
