Catskill region food blogs

Follow the seasons with recipes tailored to our region’s harvest. Catskill food blogs will inspire you with recipes developed by local farmers and chefs.

Our region's bloggers aren't just blessed with great cooking and writing skills - they're also great photographers. So we'll let their images speak for themselves!

Peach Johnnycake from Cheryl Paff.

atthefarmersmarket.com

Farmers' Market Manager, Cheryl Paff features creative, seasonal recipes inspired from her finds at the farmers' market each week.

Kid goats in orbit at Stone & Thistle Farm.

farmandfablemusings.blogspot.com

Denise Warren of Stone & Thistle Farm writes about sharing great organic food through farming, cooking, selling and serving.

Cumin-crusted grassfed steak from Ulla Kjarval.

goldilocksfindsmanhattan.blogspot.com

Ulla Kjarval of Spring Lake Farm specializes in recipes for grass-fed meats grown by her family and neighbors.

Ramp compound butter from Catie Baumer Schwalb.

pitchforkdiaries.com

Chef Catie Baumer Schwalb offers up a diverse mix of recipes along with professional tips for the home cook.

May days

The growing season is upon us and with the fresh food comes some fantastic seasonal celebrations and workshops. Who needs to wait until to Memorial Day?

The table is set at a Neversink Farm barn dinner.

May 14th

Ribbon Cutting & Pig Roast

11 am to 4 pm

Larry's Custom Meats

3487 State Route 205, Hartwick

Pig Roast (picnic style), refreshments, facility tour to celebrate their NEW USDA Slaughterhouse. Visit the CADE webpage for more details on the project. Call Larry's at (607) 293-7977 for more information.

May 19th

Farm to School Meeting

2 to 4 pm

Cornell Cooperative Extension of Sullivan County

64 Ferndale-Loomis Road, Liberty

A follow-up meeting to previous discussions about sourcing local food at area school districts. Farmers, school food service directors, school business managers and interested community members should attend. Content will cover a nuts and bolts implementation guide you need to start your farm to school programs, no matter how large or small. Technical Assistance will be provided will be conferencing in guest speakers who have been successful with farm to school programs as well as reps from the New York State Department of Agriculture & Markets for Q&A’s. For more information, contact Nancy McGraw, Deputy Public Health Director, at (845) 292-5910 x 2242 or by email at Nancy.mcgraw@co.sullivan.ny.us or call CCE at (845) 292-5250.

May 20th

You "Can" Sell What You Grow

10 am to 3 pm

Cornell Cooperative Extension of Delaware County

34570 State Highway 10, Hamden, NY

$20 per person

Distribution and marketing of farm products have always been the most difficult part of small scale agriculture. Cooperative Extension of Delaware County is offering a program on how New York farmers are getting their products to New York tables. This program will provide the opportunity to hear directly from buyers, market managers, and other innovative individuals regarding their businesses and how local farms can either participate or set up similar models in this region. For more information, contact Janet Aldrich at jla14@cornell.edu or (607) 865-6531.

May 21st

Spring Day Lunch with Neversink Farm and Peekamoose Restaurant

12 to 2 pm

What do you get when you take a Chef who's trained at LeBernadin, Gramercy Tavern and the Hudson River Club and Neversink Farm a producer of fine hand crafted organic vegetables?Answer: A truly special multi-course gastronomic event prepared mainly with Neversink Farm's produce cultivated less than 50 feet away.Please join us for this highly anticipated collaboration of amazing talents: Conor and Kate from Neversink Farm, and Peekamoose Restaurant's very own, Devin Mills. This is local dining at its most local. Tours of the Farm will be available before the lunch.Guests will be seated communally at the farmhouse table, surrounded by the lush mountains, roaming chickens (who have escaped that day's menu) and rolling pastures. Tickets are extremely limited - additional information and tickets can be found by calling Marybeth at 845-254-6500.

May 21st

Salad Days of Spring

11 am to 2 pm

Slow Food Upper Delaware River Valley

$25 Slow Food Members / $35 non members

Take a walk with noted herbalist Nathaniel Whitmore to forage for your lunch and enjoy a bit of spring. You will bring your found wild edibles back to the Old North Branch Inn and prepare a lunch with these ingredients and others sourced by visiting chef and innkeeper Mona Jess Coade-Wingate. Enrollment is limited. Please email your reservation to upderiva@gmail.com or call (845) 866-1484.

May 23rd

Cool Aid: A Farm-to-Table Event for All

5:30 pm to 7:30 pm

Onteora MS/HS Cafeteria

Admission is free, hors d'oeuvres are $2 each

Join local chefs, parents and students at this fundraiser to support sourcing of local produce through the purchase of a walk-in freezer at the Onteora School District. Chefs from Bread Alone, Cucina, Emerson Resort, Mizuna Cafe, New World Home Cooking, The Peekamoose, Pika's Farm Table and The Red Onion will prepare hors d'oeuvres. For kids, there will be crafts, music and healthy snacks. Gardening and nutrition experts will be on hand with presentations. Plus a photo booth and a silent auction! For more information, contact Maxanne Resnick at MaxInMountains@aol.com.

Local food hits the airwaves.

Linda Smith of Sherman Hill Farmstead being interviewed by

Beth Stevens for WJFF's Farm & Country.

Hear what local farmers and advocates have to say about what’s happening in the region on Farm & Food Radio Shows. Community-produced radio is another important way to maintain your connection with your neighbors!

Thunder County

102.1 FM, Liberty

Agriculture and Garden Report

Saturdays, 6:30 am

Hosted by Mike Sakell of Thunder Country and Trish Westenbroek of Cornell Cooperative Extension of Sullivan County this show features interviews on timely topics including growing and harvesting seasonal products and common landowner issues. People from across the county working in agriculture are regularly featured.

WGXC

90.7 FM, Acra

Greenhorn Radio

Sundays, 6 to 7 am

A show for young farmers, by young farmers. America’s cutting edge, under-forty farmers are interviewed weekly by Severine Fleming.

WJFF

90.5 FM, Jeffersonville

Farm and Country

Saturdays, 7:30 to 8 am

A broad cast of characters brings interviews, recipes, and more from local farmers, chefs and anyone who gets their hands dirty.

WIOX

91.3 FM, Roxbury

The Farm Hour

Mondays, 6 to 7 pm

During this hour, you can expect to hear live interviews with the farmers and producers of our region, as well as special guests calling in to share agriculture related news, products and research topics. Sometimes we bring the farm to the radio airing what we call "ON the Farm interviews" where FarmHour contributors go to the farms with a handheld recorder and take a break with a farmer or farmhand to have a conversation or get right into the swing of the operation recording the sounds of a farm with a recorded narrative of the action.

We are advocates
 and we see this program as a collaboration with the farming community
. You are invited at all times to generate questions, come visit, ask us to research a topic, cover something of importance.
 Our approach to content is non didactic, no platforms, 
no 'best practice' propaganda,
 rather observations from people working the land.

Sugar Blossom Flowers will sweeten up your summer with local bouquets

I don’t know about you, but there’s been so much rain lately, that we’re starting to day dream about warmer days, and dare I say it? Summer!

Speaking of … we recently came across an interesting new flower share program from Sugar Blossom Flowers and hear they are offering a bonus bouquet to anyone that signs up by May 1 (that’s this Sunday folks)! Thanks to owner Ann Manby for putting the following information together for us.

A spring bouquet featuring pink and yellow Ranunculus (from a certified organic grower) and salmon Alstroemeria

Beginning Memorial Day, Sugar Blossom Flowers will be creating hand-tied bouquets of some of the freshest, most beautiful flowers in bloom and bringing them to a market near you! We’re excited to be working with several established, talented and responsible local growers including Anne Hart of The Cutting Garden, Jill Wiener of Earthgirl Flowers and Tannis Kowalchuk of Willow Wisp Organic Farm.

Pricing starts at $15 per week, plus tax. Full Shares include 15 weeks of fresh bouquets from Memorial Day through Labor Day. Partial Shares are available by the month for June, July or August (4 weekly bouquets). You choose the most convenient pick-up location: Callicoon Wine Merchant (Callicoon), CAS Arts Center (Livingston Manor), Catskill Harvest (Liberty), Eureka Market & Cafe (Grahamsville), or Pepacton Natural Foods (Downsville).

Complete details regarding our Summer Flower Share program are posted here. You can also find us on Facebook, and we’ll be among the 50+ local purveyors at FOODSTOCK May 7 at the Villa Roma. We hope to see you there!

Spring events!

Come out of hibernation and head out for a variety of happenings this spring. Whether you're a farmer, a foodie or just interested in learning more about agriculture the Catskills region, there's something coming up that will pique your interest.

Get to know the vendors at FOODSTOCK with this WJFF video.

New York State Cheesemakers Guild Annual meeting

Pot Luck Lunch and Cheese Sampling

Wednesday, April 20th, 10 am to 4 pm

Kortright Creek Creamery at Stone & Thistle Farm

1211 Kelso Road, East Meredith

Hobnob with New York State cheese makers and learn about the regulatory, production and sales challenges. Get the skinny on how fast cheese makers are growing in NYS! Presentation by Dave Barbano from Northeast Dairy Research Center at Cornell University on potential legislative changes involving raw milk cheeses and on milk chemistry research. Registrants are encouraged to bring food and cheese to share. Contact Nancy Taber Richards of Finger Lakes Farmstead Cheese Company at (607) 387-3108 or nancy@fingerlakes-cheese.com

Ground Up: Cultivating Sustainable Agriculture in the Catskills Region

Saturday, April 23, 12 pm

Callicoon Indoors Farmers Market

Delaware Community Center, 8 Creamery Road, Callicoon

Last spring, students and faculty from Columbia University collaborated with the Open Space Institute (OSI) and Catskill Mountainkeeper to assess the current state of agriculture in the Upper Delaware Valley. The resulting report will be shared at this event happening in conjunction with the final indoor farmers’ market of the season in Callicoon. The report presents case studies of six farmers who, through creative adjustments in both production and presentation, have constructed their own models—dynamic templates for resource protection and adaptation to changing markets.

The study concludes with a series of “what if?” scenarios: What if all available farmland in Sullivan County were in production? What if schools in Sullivan County all served local milk? As the report contemplates economic and other impacts of increased local government advocacy for farmers, the farmers believe, in the meantime, that consumers will continue to dictate the role local agricultural operations play in major metropolitan markets. Contact Emily Offen of OSI at eoffen@osiny.org or (212) 290-8200 ext. 306.

Value Added Food Classes

Each class runs from 5:30 to 8 pm

An ongoing series offered by SUNY Sullivan, Loch Sheldrake

Participants will meet regional entrepreneurs, gain access to materials on how to develop their own products and join a network that will participate in future field trips and related classes. Contact Kristin Geeslin at (845) 434-5750 x4382.

April 28th, Cornell Cooperative Extension of Sullivan County, Liberty

Launching and expanding a value-added food with Jill Padua of Jill’s Kitchen. Processing regulations with Paula Barber of NYS Department of Agriculture & Markets.

May 5th, First Presbyterian Church of Jeffersonville

Evaluating marketing channels with Trish Westenbroek of CCE-Sullivan County and distribution opportunities with Dan Young of Culinary Alliances.

Foodstock

Food & Wine Festival

Presented by WJFF Radio and Catskill Harvest Market

Saturday, May 7th, 11 am to 4 pm

Villa Roma Resort, Callicoon

Admission is $20 with wine or $15 without wine

For tickets, call (845) 482-4141 or email winston@wjffradio.org.

View registered participating businesses at WJFF's webpage. FOODSTOCK will feature

farmers, producers, specialty foods, distributors, restaurants and wineries offering their goods for sale and providing tastes for the expected hundreds of guests.

Spring job opportunities

Spring is here and job opportunities are popping up! Here are just a few for those interested in community development, retail, restaurant and farm work.

Community Food Security Associate

Sponsored by Farm Catskills

Located at Delaware Opportunities, Hamden, NY

This 455 hour Rural Health Service Corps member will start in May 2011 and help to make local, nutritious foods more available to low income families and seniors in Delaware County through the organic Food Bank garden at Delaware Opportunities, and meals programs including Meals on Wheels and Head Start offered at various sites around the county. In addition, the member will join Farm Catskills’ Farm-to-School and Farm-to-Institution teams, helping to build relationships between farmers, classrooms, cafeterias and the community. The Community Food Security Associate will assist with various outreach, coordination, and youth training programs related to strengthening the local food system and access to local food. Living allowance of $3000 and Segal Education Award of $1,415. For more information and online application: www.ruralhealthnetwork.org/americorps

Full and Part-time Front Counter Service

Full and Part-time Pizza Makers and Short Order Cooks

Eureka Market and Cafe

7991 Rte 55 (formerly Chestnut Woods)

Grahamsville, NY 12740

(845) 985-5152

Eureka Market and Cafe is a gourmet market and cafe opening in Grahamsville at the beginning of May. We are looking for friendly, reliable, and smiley people to join our fun and upbeat work atmosphere. Experience is preferred for positions offered. Please apply in person with resume Monday through Friday 10am to 4pm and ask for Jamie.

Farm Manager

Blenheim Hill Farm

Farmer sought to take charge of the overall planning, implementation, organization, and management of its farming activities. The individual must be “hands-on” and proficient in critical tasks involved with setting up a new farm – clearing land, building infrastructure such as greenhouses, sheds and fences, as well as livestock and produce production. In addition to being hands-on, the individual needs to be skilled in strategic planning (both short-term and long-term), staffing, and financial management. Interested candidates are asked to submit their resume and cover letter to Mona Meng at mona@smorgas.com

Seasonal market help

Grey Mouse Farm

Saugerties-based business in search of staffing at the Pakatakan Farmers' Market in Halcottsville. Market is each Saturday 9 am to 2 pm beginning May 21st and ending October 8th. The farm's booth is already set up in the barn so no heavy tent lifting is required. Contact Kathy at (845) 246-3405 or greymousefarm@gmail.com

2011 Farmhearts Fellowship Awarded

Victoria Lesser, Bruce Ferguson, Laurie McFadden, Michael Lang and Heather Carlucci

of the Farmhearts Board present funding toward the Farmhearts Fellowship to WAC staff

and 2011 Fellow,

Sonia Persichilli.

We are thrilled to announce Sonia Janiszewski Persichilli as the recipient of the 2011 Farmhearts Fellowship. This position has been made possible through an award from Farmhearts, a Sullivan County-based organization with a mission to preserve the environmental integrity and economic sustainability of agricultural regions by supporting family farms. In 2011, the Fellow will work to advance beginning farmer programming in the Catskills region.

The first item of work will be the formation of a CRAFT (Collaborative Regional Alliance for Farmer Training) chapter. CRAFT is a national model that provides networking and educational opportunities for beginning farmers. Sonia’s work will also include the launch of Catskills FarmLink, a website linking land seekers with available properties.

A Delaware County native, Sonia recently returned to the Catskills with ten years’ experience in communications, marketing and events management. As a third -generation farmer passionate about the future of farming in New York State, Sonia plans to utilize her skills actively promoting agriculture and the region’s farming legacy and opportunities. Sonia currently runs her own freelance business, working with farmers, Farm Catskills and other organizations and businesses to develop marketing and communications strategies and tactics. Throughout her career, Sonia has worked with a wide range of clients from nonprofits to Fortune 100 companies, such as BAE Systems, Honeywell, DSM and Performance Fibers.