By Tim Rowland | A genre of 20th century agrarian artists loved nothing better than a pastoral scene with a stream tranquilly meandering through a neatly clipped meadow. But today, with the onset of a changing climate, farmers are understanding that the ideal was not ideal. Streams need the shade of trees to protect cold-water […]
Where to Pre-Order A Local Thanksgiving Turkey
There is no sugarcoating it: a locally raised turkey will cost more money than the big birds at the grocery store. So why spend more on something you can get so cheaply? The average grocery store turkey cost around $1.27 per pound last year, according to the American Farm Bureau. The unbelievably cheap turkeys sold at […]
What Do Certifications Mean For Small Farms & Consumers in the Adirondacks?
Food labels and certifications such as “natural,” “organic,” “cage-free” and “pasture-raised” are time-consuming for the producer and confusing for the consumer — so are they worth it? Like the labels themselves, the answer is confusing. It was 85 years ago that J.I. Rodale, building on a British theory of farms as living “organisms,” founded the […]
Thank You For A Successful 2024 Adirondack Harvest Festival!
Cornell Cooperative Extension of Essex County would like to extend a huge thank you to everyone who made our 2024 Adirondack Harvest Festival a success! This event would not have been possible without the hard work of over 81 businesses and organizations, 42 volunteers, and 21 staff members. We’d like to extend a huge THANK […]
Noris Village Market a Cornerstone for Local Farmers & Locavores
By Tim Rowland There is the taste of savory chicken salad, the sound of chattering customers, the smell of freshly roasted coffee, the feel of smooth, artisanal soaps, and all of it is good — but on walking into Nori’s Village Market in Saranac Lake, what’s really striking is the color. Vibrant, emerald green lettuces […]
The Pandemic Caused Some Farms to Pivot, Now What?
An overriding theme of the 2020-21 Covid-19 pandemic is that it might not by itself have created permanent change, but it speeded up trends that were already in motion. In the years leading up to Covid, Nathan and Racey Henderson, owners of Reber Rock Farm in Willsboro, had been poring over the numbers looking for […]