New York Farms & Artisan Producers Showcased in Capitol Hill

Senator Gillebrand with Upstate Farms.

For the last 11 years, New York State Senator’s have hosted a NY Farm Day in DC as an opportunity to show off our state’s breadth of agriculture. This year Senator Kirsten Gillebrand hosted the event and as the first NY Senator to sit on the Senate Ag Committee in more than 40 years, it was apropos.

We had the lucky opportunity to attend the event and take part in all of the delicious fun! We got to sample everything from NYS wine ice cream and cheese to Long Island oysters and vodka (distilled from NYS potatoes!). Western New York was represented with both Upstate Farms and Welch’s Grape Cooperative each having very large displays. We were very excited to finally meet the folks from Tuthilltown Spirits, one of NY State’s most successful artisan distillers and the folks from Local Ocean, a sustainable fish farming project in the Hudson Valley.

Farm educators were also in attendance with Cornell Cooperative Extension showing off their latest raspberry and blackberry varieties.

The reception wasn’t the only thing happening in the Capitol that day. On our flight down we ran into Tony Andolina from Andolina Farms in Brant. Tony was in DC representing Erie County Farm Bureau at the Farm Bill rally happening later that morning. Hosted by the American Farm Bureau, several hundred farmers and farm advocates rallied on the Capitol to show their frustration with Congress not acting on the farm bill. Unfortunately the rally was a little too late as Congress has since neglected to pass the bill, leaving it to expire on September 30 with serious implications for farmers and consumers. More on that here.

While at the NY Farm Day reception, we met Jo Anne Cloughly, Department Chair for the Agriculture and Food Management Department and Associate Professor Culinary Arts at SUNY Cobleskill who was kind enough to share her recipe for Rustic Applecake with Honey Lemon Yogurt Sauce. YUM!

 

The cake, on display.

Rustic Apple Cake with Lemon Honey Yogurt Sauce

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 cups flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• pinch of salt
• juice and zest of half lemon and one half orange
• 2/3 cup sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 1/2 cup plain yogurt
• 2 medium apples, peeled and cored- one diced, one sliced- kept separate
• 2 tablespoons turbinado sugar
• 2 tablespoons butter
•  ¼ cup warm honey

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350. Grease and flour a 9-inch round cake pan with removable bottom. Add the apple pieces and slices into separate small bowls and squeeze the lemon and orange juices over them; set aside. In a large bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder and salt. Toss in the lemon zest and  mix it into the flour mixture. In a large bowl with an electric mixer, beat the sugar and eggs until creamy (about 5 minutes). Slowly fold in the olive oil and the yogurt.

Mix well. Add flour mixture into the yogurt mixture a half up at a time. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and mix well after every addition. Mix the diced apple pieces into the batter. Pour the batter into prepared pan. Arrange the apple slices over the batter. Sprinkle the turbinado sugar and thin pats of butter on top of the cake. Bake for about 45-55 minutes, or until skewer inserted in the center comes out clean. Let cool for about 20 minutes before removing from cake pan. Brush with honey.

Best served warm or room temperature.

Yogurt Honey Sauce

Ingredients:

• 2 cups vanilla yogurt
• ¼ cup honey (lemon honey works well)
• ½ t lemon zest

Directions:

Blend together and serve over top of cake.

Pinterest, Parties and Prizes!

PHOTO/Carole Topalian

Do you like free stuff? How about free stuff from great local farmers and producers?

What about fall? Dinner parties? And how about Pinterest?

If any of this sounds good, we’ve got a contest for you! Starting Monday, October 1st we’ll be launching a month-long contest on Pinterest.com for readers- the Edible Buffalo Ultimate Autumn Dinner Party. The official rules and instructions will be posted and you can start pinning that evening, but we’ll let you in on a little tidbit for now- the prize!

The winner of Edible Buffalo’s Ultimate Autumn Dinner Party Contest will receive a $250 gift card to Farmers & Artisans in Williamsville, NY, as well as a personal shopping experience with advice and information from their in-house chef, baker, and farmer Julie Blackman! It’s a great opportunity to make your dinner party dreams a reality while supporting local business.

Check back here Monday evening for the full details- and start brainstorming! You can check us out on Pinterest in the meantime and learn more about Farmers & Artisans at their website: http://farmersandartisans.com/.

Gelateria Luca Opens On Elmwood Avenue

Gelateria Luca’s selections.

Josephine Letizia knows a thing or two about gelato.

The Sicilian native has brought a scoop of culture to the Elmwood Village since opening Gelateria Luca’s doors in early September. Committed to providing an authentic Italian experience, Josephine and her brood offer a variety of gelato and sorbetto flavors, ranging from the expected (chocolate and lemon) to the exotic (blood orange). Their craftsmanship extends beyond frozen treats and also encompasses a mouth-watering selection of baked goods, including cannoli, biscotti, cheesecakes, and amaretti.

Josephine and her family have always been gelato aficionados, so when the commercial space on the corner of Elmwood and Potomac became available, she says, they seized the opportunity. Letizia cites the friendly, diverse, and family-oriented atmosphere as the driving force behind setting up shop in the Elmwood Village.

Letizia’s son Luca, for whom the Gelateria is named.

What does Letizia hope to bring to this vibrant neighborhood? “I think we’re just trying to say, in a subtle way: this is the way it’s supposed to be done, and this is the way it’s supposed to taste”. It seems her commitment to quality and authenticity has paid off; Letizia says business has been steady and feedback has been overwhelmingly positive. “The nicest compliment someone can say,” she adds, grinning from ear to ear, “is when people come in and say, ‘you know, it reminds me of Firenze!’”

Gelateria Luca is located at 988 Elmwood Avenue, Buffalo New York and the can be reached by phone at 716-882-5353.

Contributed by Margot V. Knab

Colors of Chautauqua Learning Festival Explores the Natural and Cultural Landscape of Southwestern New York

Along a road in Amish Country. Photo/CCVB

The new Colors of Chautauqua fall learning festival, October 5-21, 2012, in Chautauqua County, NY celebrates both the brilliant colors of the season as well as the culture of lifelong and leisure learning in southwestern New York State. Many of the workshops offered explore the natural and cultural nuances of this southwestern New York region.

Several workshops study the landscape through the perspective of canvas or lens. Participants will learn about color theory, composition, how to identify good landscapes as well as create movement through painting with instructors Audrey Dowling on the grounds of Chautauqua Institution and Thomas Annear overlooking the vineyards at Johnson Estate Winery. The grounds of Chautauqua include a beautiful lake, charming Victorian houses, landmark buildings, a small bubbly creek in a picturesque ravine, boats stacked on the shore, trees in full fall glory, fall gardens and many other choices as subjects. Along Lake Erie, the escarpment provides grand views and a spectacular lake backdrop, while the vineyards overlay a grid work across the rolling lake plane. The basics of photography will be taught using vineyards and landscapes as inspiration with James Hoggard, or the ancient, 12,000 year-old Allenburg Bog with nature photographer Gary Cuckler.

Beneath the landscape lies soil rich in both history and nutrients. Rainbows End Herb Farm and Green Heron Growers will offer workshops using herbs grown in the region, teaching about the plants, how to harvest and use them to their fullest potential with preparation of foods and herbal medicines. At Jamestown Community College, educators from the Roger Tory Peterson Institute and Chautauqua Watershed Conservancy will offer instruction on using free software to improve habitat for birds and wildlife. Participants will plan a garden while learning about their own property and about becoming stewards for the watershed. The workshop, “Creating Habitat”, will introduce participants to a new social media tool called YardMap, designed to allow users to map their yards while sharing their interests in gardening, landscaping and wildlife watching with others.

Many of the workshops will be presented as tours and or talks. The Lifelong Learning Center at SUNY Fredonia will offer the chance to take a tour of Amish country and meet members of the region’s Old Order Amish community with stopovers at a blacksmith, quilt shop, toy factory and bake stand. At Johnson Estate Winery, Wholesale Manager Bob Dahl will lead a bicycle tour with lake vistas inAmerica’s Grape Country, visiting three of the region’s wineries along the way. In Jamestown and Fredonia, the Fenton History Center and Festivals Fredonia both offer tours through historic cemeteries where costumed and knowledgeable guides will tell stories of the residents buried within. Well-known authors and divers, Mike and Georgann Wachter will present a talk about the pristine and perfectly preserved shipwrecks that occurred on Lake Erie where a sunken treasure of history lies along the bottom. There is even a whiskey seminar at Webb’s Captain’s Table featuring five whiskeys from New York State.

Descriptions of all the workshops offered during the Colors of Chautauqua can be found on the Chautauqua County Visitors’ Bureau website calendar as well as in a downloadable version of the program guide. Both are available at http://www.tourchautauqua.com. Registration information is also available online or by calling 866-908-4569.

Colors of Chautauqua is a learning festival promoted by the Chautauqua County Visitors Bureau and held in collaboration with Chautauqua Institution, Jamestown Community College’s Center for Continuing Education, SUNY Fredonia’s Center for Lifelong Learning, the Chautauqua County Chamber of Commerce and the Department of Economic Planning and Economic Development, as well as area businesses including Webb’s Resort, Johnson Estate Winery, Portage Hill Gallery, and Camp Chautauqua. ChautauquaCounty is located in the southwestern corner of New York State with New York’s largest grape growing region, five lakes, Victorian and Amish communities, and Lucille Ball’s hometown of Jamestown. For more information and a schedule of vacation learning events during the Colors of Chautauqua as well as throughout the year, call 1-866-908-4569 or visit the Chautauqua County Visitors Bureauwebsite at http://www.tourchautauqua.com.

 

Post courtesy of the Chautauqua County Visitors Bureau.

 

Let Them Eat Butter: A Look At The Weston A. Price Foundation

by Megan Mills Hoffman

I had a wonderful time this past weekend at the Weston A. Price Foundation’s 2nd Annual Conference in Buffalo. What’s not to love about a group that proclaims “They’re happy because they eat butter!”?! I’ve heard about this group a few times in the last year, from my friend Nancy Leone, a rolfer in Hamburg who’s personally introduced me to cool progressive local farmers, from my sister in Pasadena, CA during her conversion to the health benefits of raw milk, and most recently from Elm Street Bakery in East Aurora through their winter workshop series featuring bone broth soups. I’ve learned to pay close attention to any theme in my life that comes up three or more times (that’s my secret to life success).

The Weston A. Price Foundation has chapters throughout the country which help consumers find locally-grown organic and biodynamic vegetables, fruits and grains; and milk products, butter, eggs, chicken and meat from pasture-fed animals. It is based on the work of Dr. Price, whose research “demonstrated that humans achieve perfect physical form and perfect health generation after generation only when they consume nutrient-dense whole foods and the vital fat-soluble activators found exclusively in animal fats”. The work of the organization is now lead by Sally Fallon Morell, known for her book Nourishing Traditions: The Cookbook that Challenges Politically Correct Nutrition and the Diet Dictocrats, which I am in the habit of giving to new mothers for its section on healthy diets and homemade formulas for babies.

The two day series offered workshops on all aspects of the current food dialogue, with an emphasis on traditional healing foods. Both meals during the conference were prepared by the Buffalo Niagara Convention Center’s Chef Ray Thom using locally sourced food that included eggs from Beiter and Son’s Farm in South Wales, and chicken and ham from Erba Verde Farms in Cuba. According to Paul Frank, one of the conference organizers, all chefs love to work with the Foundation because they are able to cook with real foods, with the organizers helping them source local fresh products. Over the past 6 years, the Foundation has hosted 3 conferences each year, and worked with 18 different chefs. Paul told me that once a chef interrupted a planning meeting, thrilled to have a soup stock that actually jelled from the real gelatin, as a result of using bones for the soup stock, saying “I’ve never seen this happen before!”

It’s very refreshing to encounter an organized group of food health activists who support local farms and products. In just the past year membership has grown from 13,000 members to 15,000. Your 2012 membership will help secure scientific research in a fully equipped lab at the University of Illinois, run by the scientist who first spoke out against trans-fats. In addition to an annual Weston A. Price Foundation membership ($40/$25), WPers also strongly encourage annual membership with the Farm-to-Consumer Legal Defense Fund ($50) which advocates for the ability of farmers and consumers to make personal choices about the food we consume. For information about a local chapter, contact Jill Tiebor-Franz (716) 655-5133, jatf62@roadrunner.com or visit www.westonaprice.org.

A Recipe For Your Weekend- Spider Bite Mixed Drink

Black Willow Winery’s Black Widow Berry wine shines as a mixer for a spectacular beverage. Try it out at your next get-together with friends- it’s super simple.

Ingredients:

1 bottle Black Widow Berry wine
2 cups crushed ice
6 oz. coconut rum (non-sweet)
3 oz. lime vodka

Stir and serve! Makes enough for a 2 qt. carafe.

Courtesy of Black Willow Winery / reposted with permission from CityGirlCountry.

 

Celebrate the harvest

Zucchini with goat cheese. PHOTO/Michelle Blackley

The Niagara Wine Trail welcomed the 2012 harvest season with wine and food pairings at select wineries last weekend. The ticketed event included wine tasting at each participating winery, food samples and a commemorative glass. Patrons learned how to make pizzelles and what wine to pair with them, at the Winery at Marjim Manor. They tasted fresh tomato basil roll-ups at Niagara Landing, and dared to try their seasonal Hot Pepper Wine!

Harvest bread, goat cheese, and locally harvested apples also tempted palates. Swiss cheese wrapped with Parma prosciutto – a sweet, crisp, nutty, smoky and salty, savory delight, was found at Black Willow Winery; Eveningside Vineyards served pumpkin cupcakes paired with their Reserve Chardonnay.

There was also live music at Schulze Vineyard and Winery, pottery and glass wares for sale.

The Niagara Wine Trail is the fastest growing wine trail in the country and is open year-round. For more information about upcoming events, visit www.niagarawinetrail.org. You can read more about Black Willow Winery and one of their more unique offerings, mead, in the upcoming fall issue.

Niagara Wine Trail Wineries Awarded Recognition at New York Wine & Food Classic

PHOTO/Carole Topalian

From  Niagara Wine Trail USA:

The Niagara Wine Trail is honored to announce that our wineries were awarded last week at the 2012 New York Wine & Food Classic. Over 770 New York State wines, ciders and spirits competed against one another at Watkins Glen, NY event. Resulting from the competition, Niagara Wine Trail wineries were honored with a number of Double Gold, Gold, Silver and Bronze awards. Four of the Niagara Wine Trail wineries were awarded with a total of 23 medals combined.

Awarded wineries include Freedom Run Winery’s Double Gold for their 2010 Meritage, Silver for Freedom Red, and Bronze awards for their 2010 Pinot Noir Estate Reserve, Cabernet Franc, Meritage, and Freedom White. Leonard Oaks Estate Winery was honored with Gold for their 2009 Vidal Blanc Ice Wine, Silvers for their 2010 Chardonnay, 2011 Riesling Reserve, 2011 Riesling, 2011 Traminette, Steampunk Cider, and Bronze awards for 2010 Chardonnay Reserve, 2010 Cabernet Franc Reserve, 2011 Vignoles and Vihno Tesouro. Schulze Vineyards & Winery was decorated with Silver for Crackling Catawba and Ruby as well as Bronze awards for 2011 Vidal Blanc, 2011 Siegfried and 2010 Late Harvest Vidal Blanc. Rounding off the winners, Chateau Niagara Winery brought home Bronze for their 2010 Pinot Noir, and Vizcarra Vineyards at Becker Farms also brought home Bronze for their Spiced Apple.

Awards won may be viewed on the Niagara Wine Trail website at www.niagarawinetrail.org/page/nwt-awards-2012.html. Comprehensive lists of the winners of the 2012 New York Wine and Food Classic may also be viewed online here.

A Recipe For Your Weekend: Roasted Garlic With A Twist

Singer Farm Naturals will be having a garlic talk this Sunday, September 9 at 1pm at their Legacy Barn at 6730 Lake Road in Appleton. They have several varieties of garlic now available. Garlic guru Tom Szulist provided us this easy, tasty recipe:

Roasted Garlic with a Twist

Offer the roasted cloves in one small dish and a high-quality extra virgin olive oil in another. Diners can dip the bread in olive oil, then smear a clove of garlic on it. Heavenly!

Ingredients

• 3-4 head garlic
• 4 tsp extra virgin olive oil

Preheat the oven to 425F.

Remove some of the outer papery covering of the garlic. Keep a few of the bulbs separate and do not bake. Slice off the top of the head so most of the cloves are exposed. Place on a square of aluminum foil for easy cleanup. Drizzle the oil over the cloves. Fold the foil over the head to completely enclose it.

Roast for about 45 minutes, until the garlic is completely soft and lightly browned.

To serve, separate the head into individual cloves. Allow your guests to squeeze out the softened garlic as needed, or squeeze out the cloves into a small serving dish.

Take the extra bulb and peel and mince the garlic. Combine the minced garlic with the paste or allow your guests to add it to their baked garlic.

Save The Date- Local Restaurant Week Runs October 15-21

Local Restaurant Week is back! The biannual event, focused on celebrating independently-owned restaurants in the region, will run from October 15 to October 21. Over 200 establishments participated this past spring and the profits stay in Western New York- it’s a great way to support local businesses. For more information on this event, check out their website at http://www.localrestaurantweek.com/.