Wednesday, July 21, 2010

Upcoming Food and Farming Events in Ithaca, Tompkins County, and the Finger Lakes (Summer 2010)



If you would like your event listed here, please email ithacasfoodweb@gmail.com.

ONGOING MARKETS DURING 2010:

Ithaca Farmers Market Tuesdays at Dewitt Park, Ithaca (corner of N. Cayuga Street and Buffalo), from 9am-2pm (market runs from 5/4 - 10/26).

Dilmun Hill Farm Stand, Tuesdays, from 2:30 - 5:30 on the Cornell Ag Quad in front of Mann Library.

Ithaca Farmers Market Thursdays at Dewitt Park, Ithaca (corner of N. Cayuga Street and Buffalo), from 3pm-7pm (market runs from 6/3-10/28).

Congo Square Market Fridays from 4:00 pm to 8:00 pm June through September at the Southside Community Center, 305 South Plain Street, Ithaca.

Ithaca Farmers Market Saturdays at Steamboat Landing from 9am to 3pm. (market runs from 4/3 - 10/30, reduced hours until 12/18).

Ithaca Farmers Market Sundays at Steamboat Landing from 10am-3pm (market runs from 5/2 - 10/31).


Summer 2010 CALENDAR OF EVENTS:

July 22, 2010

July 22, 2010. Aurora Farm Field Day. 9 am – 3 pm. Musgrave Research Farm, 1256 Poplar Ridge Road, Aurora, NY. Research demonstrations and presentations of interest to the local farming community will be offered. Lunch provided. Topics include: Corn and Soybean Studies, Herbicide Resistance Management, Corn Rootworm and GMO’s: The Old Fashioned Extension Trial, Soil and Climate Change: Adaptive Management Approaches, Potassium Management of Corn-Alfalfa Rotations, Managing White Mold, Rust and Other Diseases in Soybean, Nitrogen Needs of Corn, and Corn Breeding for Pest Resistance and Productivity. DEC and CCA credits have been applied for. For more information, contact Larissa Smith at lls14@cornell.edu or 607-255-2177.

July 28, 2010

Kitchen Garden Tour, Wednesday, July 28, 6:30-7:30pm, Location near Ithaca. Tour a shared garden space near Ithaca. The garden, orchard and passive solar house were built in the early 1980s by the current owners. Maintenance is now shared by the owners and tenants, plus their neighbors and friends. The tour features a fenced-in, raised-bed vegetable and herb garden, and an orchard with blackberries, blueberries and apples. Pre-registration is required (address and directions are provided when you register!) and space is limited.Fee: $5/person. Please call 272-2292 for more information and to register.

July 28, 2010

July 28, 2010. Organic/Grassfed Dairy Pasture Walk. 10:30 am – 2:00 pm. Zufall Dairy, 20 Campbell Road, Lisbon (St. Lawrence County). This dairy has been 100% grassfed for three years. Since the animals are outside for more than half the year, there’s less manure to handle. The cows are cleaner and have fewer foot problems. The herd makes a circuit of most of Mr. Zufall’s 540 acres, taking about 30 days to get back to the beginning. The family clips off what the cows don’t eat in any given area so weeds don’t take over and everything grows at about the same rate. Event organized by Cornell Small Dairy Program and NOFA-NY with refreshments provided by Horizon Organic and GLCI. For more info, contact Kristina Keefe-Perry at 585-271-1979 x505 or e-mail Kristina@nofany.org.

July 28, 2010

Summer Sprouts is offered Wednesdays, 10:00-11:00 am from June 23 to September 15 for preschooler ages 2 to 5 and their caregivers. Meet under the Reading Tree for tales about gardens and the creatures that live there and venture into the Garden for hands-on fun! Donations welcome. No need to register. Ithaca Children's Garden, Route 89 at Cass Park, Ithaca, New York 14850 http://www.ithacachildrensgarden.org/

July 28, 2010

July 28 – 29, 2010. Cornell Fruit Field Days. 8 am – 5 pm. NYS Agricultural Experiment Station Fruit and Vegetable Research Farm, 1097 County Road No. 4, Geneva, NY. Grapes and berry fruits will be the focus on July 28, and tree fruits will be addressed on July 29. Fruit growers, consultants, and industry personnel are invited to tour field plots and learn about the latest research and extension efforts being carried out by researchers on Cornell’s Geneva and Ithaca campuses, and on commercial farms elsewhere in the state. The focus will be on all commodities key to New York's $300 million fruit industry: apples, grapes, cherries, raspberries, strawberries, blueberries and other berry crops. Pre-registration is required, available on the NYSAES home page under "Events" (http://www.nysaes.cornell.edu/), on the Cornell Fruit web page under "News and Events" (http://www.fruit.cornell.edu/), and through Cornell Cooperative Extension regional fruit program newsletters.

July 29, 2010


Canning Vegetables and Meats with a Pressure Canner, Thursday, July 29, 6:30-9:00 PM at 615 Willow Ave, Ithaca. Learn the procedures for safely canning low-acid foods, such as vegetables and meats, in a pressure canner.  Get updated information on canning techniques, and learn about the different types of pressure canners that can be used. No canned foods will be taken home by participants. Cost is $15.  Register by calling (607) 272-2292 or in person at CCE-Tompkins. http://ccetompkins.org/nutrition/food-preservation

July 31, 2010

Cob Oven Building Workshop on Jul 31, 2010: 10:00 AM at 200 Noble's Hill, Van Etten, New York 14889. Learn how to make a beautiful and functional cob oven from the dirt right under your feet. Material gathering party July 31 and August 1, oven building Sunday August 15. All day, all welcome, please bring a dish to pass. Contact Roberto (589-7649) for more details
July 31, 2010

COMPOST WITH CONFIDENCE CLASS: TROUBLESHOOTING, Jul 31, 2010: 12:00 PM - 01:00 PM Local compost experts will provide information and give hands-on demonstrations to help you set up and manage a compost system in any setting. Each class of the series (last Saturday of the month, noon - 1pm) will cover composting basics.In addition, the July class will focus on "troubleshooting" - what could go wrong and how to prevent / remedy the situation. The class will be taught by a team of Tompkins County Master Composters, who are prepared to answer questions, Sign-up for this FREE class by emailing Liz Falk, erf59@cornell.edu or call (607) 272-2292. Ithaca Community Gardens, Compost Demo Site, Route 13 and Carpenter Circle, Ithaca, New York 14850

August 5, 2010

FINGER LAKES CULINARY BOUNTY DINNER, 6:30pm Aug 05, 2010, at Geneva on the Lake Hotel & Resort, 1001 Lochland Road, Route 14, Geneva , New York 14456. Cost: $75/person. The event is coordinated by Finger Lakes Culinary Bounty, a non-profit membership group that promotes the Finger Lakes region as a culinary destination. The event begins with an hors d'oeuvres reception featuring artisanal cheeses, fruits and wines from the Finger Lakes followed by a five course gourmet dinner prepared by noted local chefs and paired with Finger Lakes wines. The dinner concludes with a choice of desserts and a gift box of truffles. Stories of the farmers, wine makers, chefs and other producers will be featured, along with a silent auction of gift baskets of regional products, and certificates for fine dining at local restaurants. Tickets are $75, purchased by contacting Geneva on the Lake at (315) 789-7190. All proceeds benefit Finger Lakes Culinary Bounty and its work to strengthen our regional economy by connecting area farms, food producers, wineries and restaurants. For more information, contact Elizabeth Karabinakis at (607) 272-2292 or evk4@cornell.edu.

August 7, 2010

August 7, 2010. From the Ground Up: A Local Food System Grows. 10:30 am – 1:00 pm. 61 Conklin Road, Walton NY 13856 Walton (Delaware County). Learn about this innovative, community-based effort to get healthy, local produce into the school system and grocery stores. The Walton Farm to School Project is an effort not only to introduce youth to agriculture, but also to engage students in all aspects of food production. Meet students from the Walton Central School District growing food not only for the school cafeteria, but also for the local grocery store and area food programs (Senior Meals and the Food Bank). The project has several end goals: 1) to help close the loop between local food production and consumption, 2) to identify some of the more common challenges facing local purchasing for schools and groceries, 3) to promote clear pathways for students to enter careers in sustainable farm and food systems, and 4) to provide a venue for youth empowerment and community development. NOFA-NY members $5, $15 for non-members.

August 7, 2010

August 7, 2010. Learn about Organic Beekeeping and Celebrate National Mead Festival.11 am – 2 pm. Hamlet Organic Garden, 321 Beaver Dam Rd, Bellport, NY 11719 (Suffolk County). Celebrate National Mead Day and the Hamlet Organic Garden (HOG), a 230 member CSA farm in Brookhaven Hamlet. In addition to fruits and vegetables, members receive HOG honey through a collaboration with beekeepers Desmond Lowe and Judy Calloway of Calloway and Lowe Apiary. First we'll learn about bees and their place on an organic farm, and sample some HOG wildflower honey. Then with Matt Bollerman and Matt Bobiak (official HOG home brewers) we'll learn about the history of mead, sample some local, Long Island brews, and sample our own HOG meads from last year's Mead Day. We will start a must, rack mead to secondary, add herbs, spices, fruits, and bottle a mead from secondary, showing the entire mead-building process. $5 NOFA-NY members, $15 for non-members.

August 10, 2010

August 10 – 12, 2010. Empire Farm Days. Crops, livestock, fruits, vegetables, wine, lawns, manure management, high tunnel agriculture, gardens, garden pests, the maple industry – you name it, the Cornell Center at the Empire Farm Days, the Northeast’s largest outdoor agricultural trade show, has it.  Starting at 9am each day, Cornell experts on farm management, next-generation transitions, value-added agriculture, and product marketing will be available to answer your questions and provide resources. The 2010 Empire Farm Days ‘Ask the Experts’ area at the Cornell Center will focus on sustainable and local food production, bioenergy resources, and veterinary medicine. The “Hot-Topics” booth, a recent and popular addition to the Cornell Center, will feature Cornell faculty and extension educators on critical issues facing New York growers and residents, such as food safety and security, agriculture labor management and the continuing problem of late blight. There will be more than 30 different booths; over 21 programs scheduled, New York cheeses, apples, wines, fresh-roasted corn, ice cream, and food products developed with Cornell expertise will be available for attendees to sample. For more details, contact Empire Farm Days Manager Melanie Wickham, 877-697-7837, mwickham@empirefarmdays.com or http://www.empirefarmdays.com.


August 13, 2010

Northeast Organic Farming Association (NOFA) Summer Conference on August 13-15, 2010 at University of Massachusetts, Amherst. Join with organic farmers, gardeners, landscapers, activists and consumers from all over the Northeast to celebrate the production and consumption of local organic food. Over 200 workshops, dozens of exhibitors, a Teen Conference, Children's Program, an Afternoon Fair with farm animals, live music, auction, and an ALL-LOCAL dinner. Keynote speakers are Sally Fallon Morell of the Weston A. Price Foundation, and Dr. Fernando Funes of the Cuban Association of Agronomists and Foresters. Conference website: http://www.nofasummerconference.org/

August 14, 2010

FARM CITY DAY, Spend the day on a working dairy farm: lean about cows and crops and meet the people who care for them. Activities for the day usually include a farm tour, a sheep and border collie demonstration, and cheese and milk samples with the Tompkins County Dairy Princess and her court, who make and serve a giant ice cream sundae for the crowd. Food concession and silent auction featuring goods and services donated by local businesses benefits the Tompkins County Ag-in-the-Classroom-Program in local schools. Aug 14, 2010: 11:00 AM - 04:00 PM Sweyolaken Farm, 380 Bostwick Road, Ithaca, New York 14850 http://ccetompkins.org/agriculture/events/farm-city-day

August 18, 2010

August 18, 2010. Hudson Mohawk Grass Masters. 6:30 pm. Mack Brook Farm, Karen Christiansen and Kevin Jablonski, 312 McEachron Hill Rd, Argyle (Washington County). We will be touring the farm and discussing animal handling techniques. Mack Brook has also developed a very successful local, low cost marketing strategy. Co-sponsored by Cornell Cooperative Extension. For more information please contact Elizabeth Marks, Coordinator at 518-828-4385 ext 105.

August 19, 2010

August 19, 2010. Small Ruminant Dairy: Raising Sheep in the Pasture. 10:30 am – 1:00 pm. Northland Sheep Dairy, 3501 Hoxie Gorge – Freetown Rd, Marathon, NY 13803 (Cortland County). Sheep are able to turn grass into milk, meat, and fiber. Come see some management strategies for incorporating small ruminants into a grass-based farming system. $10 NOFA members, $20 non-members.

August 24, 2010

August 24, 2010. Solar Electric at Twin Oaks Dairy! 10:00 am – 12:00 pm. Twin Oaks Organic Dairy, 3185 NYS Rt. 13. Truxton, NY 13158 (Cortland County). Bob, Rick and Kathie Arnold worked with Triangle Electrical Systems of Plattsburgh, NY to install their 27.6-kilowatt PV (solar electric) system. The system was sized to produce 107% of the annual electrical energy needs at Twin Oaks' main farmstead. Assistance from The New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA) and the USDA helped to reduce the cost of the four large arrays that are on two axis trackers. For those times when the energy produced by the panels is greater than the needs of the farm, the excess flows into the utility grid. Co-sponsored by the Cornell Small Farms Energy Work Team and the Northeast Organic Farming Association of New York. Free. To register, contact Violet Stone at 607-255-9227 or vws7@cornell.edu.
August 25, 2010

August 25, 2010. Wind, Solar & More at Apple Pond Farm! 10am – noon. Apple Pond Farm and Renewable Energy Education Center. 80 Hahn Road. Callicoon Center, NY 12724 (Sullivan County). This unique horse-powered, organic farm seeks to be as independent of fossil fuels as possbile. Dick Riseling and Sonja Hedlund will offer a tour of their 2 story straw bale house which uses less than $25 of energy per year. The farm also features a 10kw wind turbine (intalled in 2003), and a solar thermal system (installed in 2004). A recently installed furnace will burn used vegetable oil over the winter. Cost of installation, production of energy, assistance from NSERDA and other funding and tax credit assistance will be identified for each system. Sponsored by the Cornell Small Farms Energy Work Team. To register, contact Violet Stone at 607-255-9227 or vws7@cornell.edu.

August 26, 2010

The History and Cultivation of Garlic. Join local garlic guru Glen Bucien at the Edith B. Ford Memorial Library on Thursday, Aug. 26th at 7pm. Glen will talk about his experience as a garlic growing pioneer and provide a fascinating glimpse of a culinary staple. This event is free. For more information, contact the library: ovidlib@rochester.rr.com, 607.869.3031, www.ovidlibrary.org

August 26, 2010

NEW YORK STATE FAIR, http://www.nysfair.org/ Each year in late August and early September, 4-H youth from around New York State come together at State Fair for activities and events that include animal shows, teen leadership opportunities in the Youth Building, horticulture contests, public presenting, cooking contests, AND....much more!!! call 607-272-2292. Aug 26, 2010, New York State Fairgrounds, 581 State Fair Blvd., Syracuse, New York 13209

August 31, 2010

August 31, 2010. Basic Tractor Maintenance for Women! 5:00 pm – 7:30 pm. Oechsner Farms, 1045 Trumbulls Corners Rd, Newfield (Tompkins County). Thor Oechsner taught diesel and heavy equipment mechanics for seven years, operated his own repair shop and is now an organic field crop farmer in Newfield, NY. Join him, and a cohort of women in agriculture, to learn about the basics of preventative tractor maintenance. You will discuss different oils, oil change intervals and other maintenance that will keep your tractor running smoothly through the season. When you register, take a moment to tell us what you most want from this class, so Thor can tailor the instruction appropriately! Supported by the USDA Beginning Farmer and Rancher Project Grant Program. Register at www.nofany.org.

September 9, 2010

September 9, 2010. Solar/Wind Pumping System at Barter Farm! 10:00am – Noon. Barter Farm, 8319 Ford Rd., Branchport, NY 14418 (Steuben County). Jonathan and Juanita operate a 210 acre livestock farm (40 Angus cattle and 130 Cheviot and Dorset sheep). The Barters have recently installed a combination wind and solar pumping system which supplies water to 58 acres of pasture. The pumping system consists of a 350 watt turbine, 160 watt solar panels, back up batteries and a deep well pump. Partial funding for this project was provided by USDA – Natural Resources Conservation Service’s Conservation Innovative Grants program. Co-sponsored by the Finger Lakes Resource Conservation & Development Council and the Cornell Small Farms Energy Work Team. To register, contact Violet Stone at 607-255-9227 or vws7@cornell.edu.
October 9, 2010

FINGER LAKES CHEESE TRAIL on October 9, 10, and December 11, 2010. Learn about the wonderful variety of cheeses produced here in the Finger Lakes by visiting our local cheese producers and sampling their products.  The Finger Lakes Cheese Trail is a new organization of 10 cheese producers from throughout the Finger Lakes who make artisan cheeses from milk produced at their family farms.  Great cheeses are being made, ranging from English style raw milk cheddars, cheese curd, gouda and swiss types from dairy cow milk, to blue cheeses, chevre and feta from goats and sheep milk.  Visit our page on the Finger Lakes Cheese Trail and follow the links to the participating farms! http://ccetompkins.org/agriculture/events/finger-lakes-cheese-trail

October 20, 2010

October 20, 2010. Solar, Wind & More at Fox Creek Farm! 10am - Noon, Fox Creek Farm, 182 Fox Creek Farm Road, Schoharie, NY 12157 (Schoharie County). Fox Creek Farm not only grows vegetables for their CSA, the farm also harvests almost all of the electricity needed for the farm right on site. The farm operates a 200 member CSA off the grid (that is, without a connection to National Grid), and is probably the only CSA of this size in the country doing so. The farm produces its electricity with a farmer-installed 1.3 kW solar array with Evergreen panels (manufactured in Massachusetts), and harvests wind energy with a Bergey XL1 wind generator on a 100 foot tower. On a good day Fox Creek Farm harvests approximately 8 kW in electricity. The farm also features a site build energy efficient walk-in cooler run with an air-conditioner unit in combination with a CoolBot regulator, and a farm house incorporating passive solar design elements. Sponsored by the Cornell Small Farms Energy Work Team. To register, contact Violet Stone at 607-255-9227 or vws7@cornell.edu.

November 12, 2010

IT TAKES A REGION-2010: A Working Conference to Build Our Northeast Food System
Nov. 12-13, 2010, Desmond Hotel and Conference Center, Albany, NY. Northeast Sustainable Agriculture Working Group (NESAWG). Building upon NESAWG's 2009 "It Takes a Region" conference, this conference will look at exciting efforts underway in our region -- including alternative supply chain networks, food system assessments, regional planning, infrastructure initiatives, and policy advocacy. We'll move our work forward and address pressing new issues in work groups, listening sessions, topical break-outs and open networking. We’ll continue to explore scale, size, geography and cross-sector partnerships. Watch for new features this year! Preliminary conference information: www.ittakesaregion.org. Registration opens Sept. 1.

November 14, 2010

LOCAL MEATS EDUCATION & TASTING FAIR, Nov 14, 2010: 02:30 PM - 05:30 PM. Consumers can meet livestock producers from across the Finger Lakes, learn about their farms and products, and taste samples.  There will be presentations on how consumers can process a whole chicken into smaller cuts, recipes for unfamiliar cuts, and other information on buying local meats.  Producers of beef (grass-fed and natural grain/grass fed), pork, lamb, goat, chicken, rabbit, turkey and duck will be present, and some meats will be available for sale. Admission is $5/person.  Tickets will be available at the door but please register in advance by calling Cornell Cooperative Extension of Tompkins County at (607) 272-2292 so that our caterer can prepare an appropriate amount of samples. For additional information, contact Matt LeRoux at mnl28@cornell.edu or (607) 272-2292. $5/person; please register in advance.



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