Capital Roots

🍂 The 17th Annual Autumn Evening is just around the corner!

We’re beyond grateful to Fenimore Asset Management for joining us as a Community Advocate Sponsor this year to help our Mobile Markets program grow, bringing the Veggie Mobile® and Sprout markets to even more communities across the Capital Region.

With their partnership, we can continue to bring the Veggie Mobile® and Sprout markets to public health centers, senior housing, and areas with limited food options to ensure everyone has access to the nutritious, food they deserve.

Learn more about Autumn Evening and how you can contribute to your by visiting: www.capitalroots.org/autumn-evening/

Help Capital Roots build a community where everyone has access to the food they need to thrive! We’re hiring team member for our Retail Markets, making impact everyday through programs like the Veggie Mobile® and Good Food Market.

Learn more and apply today at www.capitalroots.org/work-with-us.

Today, we celebrate Dean Leith Day, honoring the visionary behind Capital District Community Gardens, now known as Capital Roots. Dean Leith believed that everyone should have the opportunity to experience the joy of growing their own food, and his passion for gardening sparked a movement that continues to thrive today.
Dean's lifelong commitment to our organization reminds us of the important work we do every day. His "Dean’s List for Living" offers valuable lessons we can all learn from. His positive outlook, giving spirit, and compassion shine on in every garden we grow.
We are inspired by the countless lives Dean's movement has touched, and we’re driven to reach even more. In his honor, let’s all use today to make someone’s life a little better—whether it’s through a kind word, a helping hand or even some ice cream.
Learn more about Dean Leith’s legacy and the work we continue in his name at www.capitalroots.org.

Good Food is a Mood!

Our new Incubator Kitchen friends launched their pop-up sandwich shop last Saturday to raving reviews with their authentic, mom-and-pop style Italian cuisine with a modern twist.

Join us today and every Saturday in August (10th, 17th, and 24th) from 10:00am-4pm for their incredible bites and their signature sandwiches!

We’re thrilled to announce that quenepas are in season and in stock at the Good Food Market in Troy, NY, and on our Mobile Markets starting this Friday, August 8th! These delicious fruits are not only a seasonal treat but also hold a deep cultural significance for many of our community members.

Quenepas, often described as having a sweet and tart flavor reminiscent of lime with a lychee-like texture, are more than just a delightful snack. They are a cherished part of culinary traditions across the Caribbean, Central America, and beyond. Our Retail Markets team aims to bring you fresh, meaningful produce that not only nourishes but also connects our shoppers to their roots.

Whether you're a long-time quenepa lover or trying them for the first time, we invite you to savor this special fruit that holds a cherished place in the hearts of many. www.capitalroots.org/good-food-market

The 17th Annual Autumn Evening General Admission tickets are now available!

Join us for an enchanting night in support of fresh food access and green initiatives in our community. The event features a strolling supper with our area's finest local chefs, farms, and beverage producers, live music from the Joe Sorrentino Trio, and an incredible wine and dine auction. We can’t wait to see you there!

Tickets are available at www.capitalroots.org/autumn-evening or via the link in our bio.

We’re rolling our Mobile Markets to a new stop at Whitney Young Health Center in Albany, on Tuesdays from 11:00am - 11:45am!

The Veggie Mobile® travels 𝙮𝙚𝙖𝙧-𝙧𝙤𝙪𝙣𝙙 throughout the to public health centers, senior housing, and with limited food options to ensure everyone has access to the nutritious, local food they deserve.

Check out our current stops and support fresh food access: www.capitalroots.org/veggie-mobile

Delicious food is waiting for you this weekend! An all-new, incubator kitchen pop-up - is bringing a taste of Italy to Capital Roots’ Good Food Market Saturdays throughout August! Get ready to experience authentic, mom-and-pop style Italian cuisine with a modern twist, all crafted from generations-old recipes filled with love and tradition.

Join us for their incredible sandwiches, snacks, and their signature 𝑴𝒂𝒎𝒂'𝒔 𝑴𝒆𝒂𝒕𝒃𝒂𝒍𝒍𝒔, inspired by cherished family traditions and perfected over time.

Where: 598 River Street, Troy NY
When: Saturdays
Time: 11AM-4PM

Bring your friends and family to savor mouthwatering dishes that celebrate the joy of food and connection. Come hungry and leave happy! See you there!

Huge thanks to the amazing student volunteers from Albany Medical College who joined Capital Roots for their 2024 Day of Service! 🎉

They helped with a vital mailing project, packed fresh produce heading to food pantries for our Squash Hunger Program, and even beautified our Urban Farm in Troy. Thank you, Albany Med Health System, for your hard work and dedication to making a positive difference in our community!

Volunteers Needed! Join our mailing support team to help spread the word about Capital Roots and make a difference in our community! This is a perfect opportunity for those who prefer indoor tasks and want to support our mission behind the scenes. Plus, it's a great way to meet other volunteers and make a real impact!

Sign Up Today at https://bit.ly/CR-Mailings!

This week, we're thrilled to feature some amazing local produce from our wonderful farm partners:

🍑 Juicy Peaches from Yonder Farm: Sweet, succulent, and a true seasonal delight.

🍅 Colorful Cherry Tomatoes from Juniper Hill Farm: Bursting with flavor and perfect for salads or snacking.

🌽 Fresh Sweet Corn from Davenport Farm: Sweet, crisp, and a summer staple you won’t want to miss.

🫑 Vibrant Peppers from Gade Farm: Perfect for adding a kick to your summer recipes!

Support our local farms, enjoy affordable produce, and experience flavors that make everything more delicious! Visit our market today and taste the difference local makes. 💚

www.capitalroots.org/good-food-market

"All I have to do to get my fruit and veggies is go outside my door. It’s so convenient!”

This simple act of stepping outside to find fresh produce is made possible by our dedicated 𝗥𝗲𝘁𝗮𝗶𝗹 𝗠𝗮𝗿𝗸𝗲𝘁𝘀 𝗧𝗲𝗮𝗺. They tirelessly work to ensure that our beloved Veggie Mobile® brings fresh, local foods to communities across Albany, Rensselaer, and Schenectady counties every week.

Whether you’re picking up a staple like bread and milk or indulging in a freshly picked peach that arrived just this morning, our Mobile Markets are about more than food. They’re about nutrition, accessibility, and dignity for everyone in our community.

To continue reaching more seniors and families in need, we need your support. A donation today at www.capitalroots.org/donate can ensure that everyone, regardless of age or ability, can enjoy the healthy foods they deserve.

Expanding our Healthy Communities work in Watervliet, NY this spring, we learned that campers walk daily from the Civic Center to the Community Pool through a corridor busy with truckers and commuters, creating unsafe conditions.

To highlight the young pedestrians using the sidewalks, we've painted murals along 2nd Ave, featuring the Civic Center's camper-submitted art. We’re excited for them to see their art making an impact on their community!

Additionally, we’re adding traffic-calming measures, like a crosswalk, to ensure everybody can cool off in the pool safely.

Check out this feature which highlight’s Capital Roots’ 𝙃𝙚𝙖𝙡𝙩𝙝𝙮 𝘾𝙤𝙢𝙢𝙪𝙣𝙞𝙩𝙞𝙚𝙨 𝘾𝙤𝙤𝙧𝙙𝙞𝙣𝙖𝙩𝙤𝙧, 𝙇𝙪𝙘𝙖 and his community garden plot. It also includes great recipes you can make with the bounty of locally sourced ingredients from your garden or the wonderful farms in our region.

Don’t have a garden and can’t get to a farmer’s market? Come to the Good Food Market for low-cost local food (598 River St, Troy).

https://www.timesunion.com/food/article/3-summer-recipes-make-beets-watermelon-zucchini-19567981.php

Make a Difference! Be a Harvest Helper!

By making a nominal donation to Capital Roots each month you help us grow and make our community stronger.

For as little as $1 a day, you can make a huge impact in supporting people across the Capital Region having access to affordable, quality fresh food that they deserve.

Become a Harvest Helper today at www.capitalroots.org/donate

Join us tomorrow, July 16th for at the Good Food Market! Starting at 2PM, we'll be sampling Halva made right here in our Incubator Kitchen by the incredible Khalis Roots. Their delicious, sweet treats and flavorful Ghee is available Tuesday-Friday 10AM-7PM and Saturday from 10AM-4PM at 598 River Street in Troy. Visit www.capitalroots.org/good-food-market to learn more.

Throwback Thursday! Here’s a view of the 11th and Eagle Garden in Troy in 1991 compared to how it looks today!

For over 30 years it has remained a green space filled with families growing their own food and flowers.

www.capitalroots.org/community-gardens

We want to shout out our friends at Warriors Troy! Every Thursday their team and volunteers hand out food, personal items, clothes, and more to hundreds of our neighbors in Troy.

Each week, our Squash Hunger team packs and provides beautiful, top-quality New York State produce for them to distribute.

As Sidewalk Warriors saw more visitors lining up, we made sure they received more to meet demand. Since the start of the year, over 𝟏𝟑,𝟎𝟎𝟎 𝐩𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐝𝐬 of fresh food has made it’s way from our organization to theirs. That’s a community working together.

If you'd like to help make our communities healthier, visit www.capitalroots.org/donate.

It's the best time of year to shop, support and eat local! The Good Food Market has an incredible selection of freshly picked fruits and vegetables with more arriving from local farms each week. The taste, quality, and affordability are unmatched with our 🟣Purple and 🟢Green Pricing. Some of our farm favorites this week include:

𝐉𝐮𝐧𝐢𝐩𝐞𝐫 𝐇𝐢𝐥𝐥'𝐬 spicy, crisp arugula at 🟣$2.18 / 🟢$1.74 per bag
𝐆𝐚𝐝𝐞 𝐅𝐚𝐫𝐦'𝐬 nutritious cauliflower at 🟣$1.24 / 🟢$0.99 per pound
𝐒𝐮𝐧 𝐒𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐅𝐚𝐫𝐦'𝐬 beautiful bunched carrots at 🟣$2.72 / 🟢$2.18 per bunch
𝐆𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐭 𝐉𝐨𝐲 𝐅𝐚𝐫𝐦’𝐬 sweet and savory Japanese Sweet potatoes at 🟣$2.18 / 🟢$1.74 per pound

Visit www.capitalroots.org/good-food-market to shop and shop .

Have a 4th of July feast with goods grown and raised on soil.

Stop by our Good Food Market for fresh, locally-sourced ingredients, foods and meats that will make your Independence Day extra special. Shopping local isn't just good for our community—it's patriotic! 🇺🇸🌽🥕🍓

Open 10AM-7PM today at 598 River Street in Troy. We will be closed July 4th. and re-open Friday, July 5th from 10AM-7-PM.

Celebrate the season at Capital Roots' 17th Autumn Evening on September 12th, 2024!

Indulge in a tasting where the Capital Region's best chefs collaborate with local New York farms to craft exceptional dishes. Sample top-notch drinks from local breweries and wineries, with options for everyone.

Help us deliver fresh, local food to those in need by joining our Honorary Committee which support our Mobile Markets that bring fresh market staples and produce to urban neighborhoods, senior communities and community centers throughout the Capital Region.

Learn more about Autumn Evening and being part of the Honorary Committee by visiting: tinyurl.com/229nuftw

Russell Sage College's Sage Food Hub is an on-campus resource of food, OTC medications, and hygiene items available to members of the Russell Sage Community. Fresh produce is hard to come by, so the Healthy Communities team helped them get a Rise Gardens system!

Now they'll be able to grow their own greens and produce year-round, and the Russel Sage community can pick it themselves. Thank you to NYSDOH - New York State Health Department and their Creating Healthy Schools and Communities grant for making it all possible!

Like many Capital Region individuals, the seniors at Troy Housing Authority's Conway Court face food access challenges but they are passionate about gardening. Luckily, they have a spacious yard that’s perfect for growing fresh, healthy produce!

Along with the Capital Roots Healthy Communities team, the volunteers from Farmers Insurance (and our puppy friend Noodle!) helped build raised beds, filled them with decomposing sticks, fresh compost and planting seedlings.

The plant beds will also be tall for accessibility by our friends at Conway using wheelchairs and mobility devices! Learn about our Healthy Communities team and programs in the Capital Region at www.capitalroots.org/whatwedo

Make your extra special with the freshest produce for your cookout staples. This week our squash and corn on the cob are looking BEAUTIFUL! Give them a nice grilled char by themselves or have the freshest vegetarian kebab.

And let’s not forget dessert! Pick up a pint of Row by Row Farm's juicy strawberries to create a strawberry shortcake that will have the whole neighborhood stopping by!

Stop by the Good Food Market Tues-Friday 10am - 7pm and Saturday 10am - 4pm. We will be celebrating Father’s Day early tomorrow with delicious tastings and pop-ups!

We were proud to host a hardworking volunteer team from yesterday, who helped build a shed and beautify our Bogarten Community Garden in Albany!

The shed will allow a stable and secure space for materials that local gardeners use to maintain the fruits, vegetables and flowers they grow!

Learn more about our gardens, apply for a plot yourself or support these incredible green spaces at www.capitalroots.org/community-gardens.

You do not want to miss this! The wait is over and we are so excited to have Zory's Empanadas' pop up right at the Good Food Market tomorrow, 𝗪𝗲𝗱𝗻𝗲𝘀𝗱𝗮𝘆, 𝟲/𝟭𝟮 𝗳𝗿𝗼𝗺 𝟭𝟭:𝟯𝟬𝗔𝗠-𝟭:𝟯𝟬𝗣𝗠 at 598 River St. in

Zory's are hot, golden and crispy savory hand-pies - a deliciously unique street food derived from the Dominican Republic. Zory's will feature chicken and beef empanadas, delicious fries and beverages!