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Producers Touring Essex County Farms

Last month, Cornell Cooperative Extension of St. Lawrence County organized a full day trip for local farmers to meet and learn from Essex County food producers. In addition to a chartered bus ride, there were two tracks for participants to choose from, each with two farm stops. Both the produce track and the livestock track featured profitable and progressive Adirondack farmers who have successful value-added enterprises. At the close of the day, visitors and hosts came together on Lake Champlain for a local food BBQ which offered the chance to network with other producers from across northern New York. 

Here are the farms that each participant could see and learn from.

  1. Mace Chasm Farm- Courtney Grimes-Sutton and Asa Thomas-Train graze cattle, sheep, pigs, and poultry in Keeseville. Unique parts of this business include having an on-farm butcher shop where they prepare smoked meats and a wide range of sausages. Though in a remote location, they have a thriving on-farm store, and sell their meats directly to customers at farmers’ markets.
Mace Chasm Farm
Owners Courtney and Asa sharing their businesses’s evolution of the past decade at Mace Chasm Farm.

2. North Country Creamery- Ashlee Kleinhammer and Steve Googin run this 100% grass-fed, Non-GMO, & Animal Welfare Approved dairy in Keeseville, NY. They produce a variety of cheeses including Camembert, Havarti and feta, along with cream-line yogurt and have a permit to sell raw milk. In addition to the dairy operations, they operate Clover Mead Farmstore.

North Country Creamery
The jersey cows heading to the milking parlor at North Country Creamery.

3. Wild Work Farm- Lissa Goldstein started in 2018 growing vegetables and fruit in the High Peaks region of the Adirondacks. Her farm produces high-quality products for sale at farmers’ markets, through a market share program, and to restaurants and wholesale accounts. Wild Work has their gaze set towards social, environmental and economic sustainability, and long-term resiliency in her business. Read more Producers Touring Essex County Farms

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Fruition Livestream: Summer Recap

In the past three months, those tuning into the Fruition Local Foods Livestream have gotten a significant taste of the north county’s food scene. This series gives viewers a chance to really get to know the people behind the businesses. Interviewees shared how and why they grow, cook, and sell the food and products that they do. Viewers have the chance to win prizes that are generously donated by the farmers and chefs on the program. Past viewers have walked away with a Thanksgiving Turkey, gift certificates, and fresh local honey, just to name a few. Celebrate the growers and makers in our community and tune in for the next showcase this Wednesday, August 18th from 7 to 8 pm.

Each month features three unique farmers or food entrepreneurs. Here are some of the tidbits we’ve enjoyed so far from each month. 

May Showcase 

During the first-ever local foods showcase the Livestream provided some insight into the culinary magic that is happening at Big Spoon Kitchen in Potsdam. Owner and chef Will Trithart shared how meals rotate weekly based on seasonally available items. 

Eight O’Clock Ranch has continued to provide their customers near and far, with a range of delicious and healthy meats. We heard from owner Kassandra about how their business model started off nearly 20 years ago with sales mainly by mail but has since shifted in the past few years to predominantly local sales. Read more Fruition Livestream: Summer Recap

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Farm to Table Podcast

Students from the class, Seeding Hope, taught by Rebecca Rivers at St. Lawrence University had a unique assignment last fall. Their course goals included, “shining a spotlight on existing projects that successfully unite diverse groups of people in grassroots efforts to protect and restore natural resources. We will focus on what we can learn from them about protecting the environment, sustaining human communities and increasing social justice.”

Three first-year students, Lydia Fedorowich, Sergey Avery, and Enith Alejandra Altamirano Salazar took on the task of identifying nearby organizations that play an active role in the north country food system. Their assignment was to create a podcast episode that included interviews with area people engaged in agriculture and food at the local level.

Click on the bar below to hear this episode. The guests include:

  • Extension Educator Flip Filippi,  Local Food Program Leader
  • Will Trithart Owner and Chef at Big Spoon Kitchen
  • Andy Peet, the General Manager of the Potsdam Food Co-op

Lauren grew up in neighboring Vermont exploring and loving the green mountains and vast landscapes. Her undergraduate degree made her appreciate the communities that surround local foods and a Master’s Certificate in Food Studies from the University of Southern Maine made her want to pursue a career in the food system. In 2021 and 2022, she was the Local Foods Marketing and Development Educator for Cornell Cooperative Extension of St. Lawrence County.