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June is National Dairy Month, which originated in 1937 as “National Milk Month” by the National Dairy Council in an effort to encourage consumers to drink more milk during a time of surplus. Today, many organizations and regions continue to observe June as Dairy Month along the same theme.
Posts Tagged ‘Dairy’
June Harvest of the Month | National Dairy Month
Geopolitics of Cheese
I enjoy a wide variety of dairy products. And I especially like cheese. All sorts of cheese. Hard, soft, sharp, mild, pungent, curds. Sliced, shredded, cubed, balled, spread, powdered, creamed, and whipped. A little tossed into my breakfast omelet; a slice, perhaps two, on my sandwich at lunch; a touch grated or sprinkled into my salad and/or over my pasta and/or drizzled on my veggies at supper. And then, of course, there’s pizza, cheesy burritos, mac and cheese, cheesecake, cheese Danish, wine and cheese. I can go on. » Continue Reading.
Richard Gast: Scream for Ice Cream
You know it’s hot outside when you stop by a friend’s home on the 4th of July, he’s got a growler of Township 7 Raspberry Haze ale and a half-gallon of Stewart’s butter pecan ice-cream on the kitchen counter, and he’s making himself a craft-beer float. “Try one!” he said. Let’s just say it’s an acquired taste.
But it made me think that something similar may have been the inspiration for Butterbeer, the brisk, inebriating beverage enjoyed by the characters in J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter novels. So, I asked him what the inspiration for his craft-beer float was and he just looked me like it was a dumb question. “It’s hot,” he answered. Then he told me that July is National Ice Cream Month. And since it was Independence Day, it was our “patriotic duty” to drink those craft-beer floats. » Continue Reading.
Ausable Valley Cheese Tour October 11th
Cheese-makers at three Adirondack dairies will be highlighting their wares during the second Essex County Cheese Tour on Sunday, October 11, from 10 am until 4 pm.
This self-guided driving tour follows the scenic Ausable River Valley during the Fall Foliage season. » Continue Reading.
Essex County Cheese Tour Offers Local Dairy Treats
I’ve made my own yogurt for years and recently started experimenting with fermented food. I’m now struggling to produce Kefir without a grainy taste.
I just can’t seem to get the balance right. With a cupboard full of sourdough starter and ginger beer plant grains, my pantry looks like a science experiment.
With everything else bubbling and brewing, the one product I have no desire to make is cheese. » Continue Reading.
Supporting Local Dairy: Look for the Code, Buy Direct
During the years in which I’ve been paying attention to North Country agricultural news, I’ve noticed that when a headline announces a story about “farming” it’s most likely to be about dairy farming. I suspect this narrow definition of farming stems from the general history of farming in the Northeast which for more than a century was focused primarily on dairy production. Nowadays, traditional family dairy farms often struggle to make ends meet and the news is not always uplifting. In terms of “buying local,” how does one support the North Country dairy farms?
We want to make sure our dairy farmers are making a viable living, and buy their products, but how can we know where our regular “store-bought” milk is coming from? » Continue Reading.
Adirondack Family Activities: Donnelly’s Ice Cream
A choice is something we (as Americans) are used to getting but with Donnelly’s Ice Cream the one thing you don’t get to decide is the flavor of the day. As the Donnelly’s motto attests, “Please pick a size, the flavor has already been decided.”
Over the years that we’ve lived in the Adirondack Park, Donnelly’s Homemade Ice Cream has been the only reason some groups we’ve led hiking in the High Peaks have made it down the mountain. A beacon to many a hiker, Donnelly’s Homemade Ice Cream is a social place as well as ice cream pit-stop at the four corners of Route 86 and 186, commonly known as Donnelly’s Corners, just minutes from Saranac Lake. It doesn’t seem to matter how weary we are on a hike off the mountain we can always manage to muster the energy for a cone of the flavor of the day. » Continue Reading.
Essex County Grange Hall Farm Mixer
The Greenhorns, a national nonprofit organization led by a self described “raucous posse of America’s new generation of farmers,” will host a grange hall mixer at the historic Whallonsburg Grange Hall on the shores of Lake Champlain this Saturday, June 25th beginning at 10 am and continuing into the night.
More than 150 aspiring, young, beginning and veteran farmers from the Hudson Valley, Champlain Valley, Capital Region, Adirondacks, and even some Vermonters are expected to attend this inaugural event. » Continue Reading.
Eating Local Workshops in Plattsburgh, Canton
Eating locally grown and raised foods is becoming increasing popular in the North Country. To help locavores shop for local products, plan meals, and prepare local vegetable dishes, the Cornell University Cooperative Extension associations of Northern New York have set the dates for the Northern New York Eating Local Yet? summer workshops.
A series of three hands-on classes will be held in Sackets Harbor at The Farm House Kitchen, in Canton at the First Presbyterian Church Fellowship Hall, and in Plattsburgh at the CV-TEC Culinary Kitchen. » Continue Reading.
Northern NY Agricultural Development Numbers
With $300,000 in funding now secure in the 2011-2012 New York State Budget, the Northern New York Agricultural Development Program (NNYADP) is moving ahead with 2011 on-farm research and outreach projects in Clinton, Essex, Franklin, Jefferson, Lewis and St. Lawrence counties.
A 2010 NNYADP Impact Statement provides a snapshot of the NNY region’s agricultural industry: approximately 4,200 farms, 1.11 million acres, a farm employee payroll of $52.9 million, Northern New York farm products’ market value more than $595 million. » Continue Reading.
Warren County Extension to Produce Farm Guide
Cornell University Cooperative Extension Warren County was awarded a New York State Department of Agriculture and Markets grant to develop a Warren County Farm Guide and encourages farmers to participate.
The Warren County Farm Guide is expected to allow for more information to be made available to the public in their search for locally grown products and educational farm tours. The guide will include a listing of farms along with potentially a listing of Warren County farmers’ markets, ongoing ag events and festivals, a harvest calendar, information on Why Buy local, and important agricultural facts. » Continue Reading.
Adirondack Stats: Buying Local Food
Approximate number of active farms in New York State in 1960: 88,000
Number of active farms in New York State today: roughly 36,000
Number of New York State farms in 2007 that had commodity sales below $1,000 during the previous year: about 10,000 (27% of all NYS farms)
The number of farms that sell directly to the consumers in the six Northern New York counties in 2007: 619 » Continue Reading.
Plowline: Images of Rural NY Project Launched
In 1960, New York State was home to 88,000 active farms; today that number has decreased to roughly 36,000 farms – a decline of nearly 60% in 40 years. In response, The Farmers’ Museum in historic Cooperstown, NY is assembling an exciting collection of original photography to chronicle and preserve the changes in agricultural practice, rural life, and farming families of New York State from the 19th century through the present. » Continue Reading.
Local Cheesemaking Workshops Announced
Want to make your own cheese to eat or sell? The demand for artisan farmstead cheeses and interest in making one’s own cheese is on the rise. Thanks to the Northern NY Regional Foods Initiative of Cornell Cooperative Extension, aspiring local cheesemakers have the opportunity to work with Vermont Master Cheesemaker Peter Dixon. In November, Dixon will lead separate workshops on how to start an Artisan Cheese Business and on the art of making cheese for business or personal taste. » Continue Reading.
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- Gov. proposes crackdown on unlicensed cannabis storefronts
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Latest News Headlines
- Aurora displays light up the night
- What are PFAS and are they in Adirondack waters?
- Urging a solution to Jackrabbit Trail access
- Appreciating kinship on a trip to Great Camp Santanoni
- Gov. proposes crackdown on unlicensed cannabis storefronts
- Jones: State needs to do more for fire departments
- U.S. and Canada Reach an Agreement on Diverting Asylum Seekers
- 20-megawatt battery installation proposed in Raquette Lake
- Covered for calamity at Siamese Ponds
- Two charged in Keeseville homicide
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Northern New York Produces the Best Milk and Cheese in the State
The dairy community in New York is comprised of both large dairy operations and small, family run farms, as well as processing facilities that range in type and size from trans-national food processing conglomerates to small, artisanal dairy-product-makers.
The dairy industry is a vital part of the State’s economy and its leading agricultural sector. Our nearly 3,600 dairy producers supply more than 15-billion pounds of milk annually, accounting for about one-half of New York’s total agricultural income and making New York the nation’s fourth largest dairy state.
What’s more, our producers and processors contribute significantly to local economies and to the vitality of local communities. And the milk and milk-products they produce are consistently top-notch.
» Continue Reading.