Community – Fruition

January 27, 2025Erica LaFountain and Flip

Celebrating our Volunteers with tamales

Our volunteers make it all possible here at the Extension Learning Farm. We recently gathered to celebrate the dedication and year’s accomplishments of all three Ag and Food System volunteer programs (Master Food Preserver, Energy Navigator and Master Gardener). From teaching classes, answering 1-1 questions, attending events for outreach and more- these are active, capable folks! For a change of pace, it was fun to simply gather and enjoy time together. Extension organized a tamale-making activity in the Harvest Kitchen for any volunteer who thought that would be an enjoyable treat, then a larger group came together for a shared potluck lunch and conversation. Check out the slideshow below for a few shots of the action.

At our 2nd annual Volunteer Appreciation event, we recognized Ken Kogut with the Fruition Service award for his spirited contributions, his continuous learning, and his 30+ hours spent helping us build a new High Tunnel last fall. Thank you, Ken!

Linda mixing the dough for the meat tamales, a mixture of corn masa, lard, salt and water.
Nancy and Matt sorting the corn husks, placing the smooth side up for filling.
Filling and folding the tamales before steaming.
Filling a corn husk with the masa dough and black bean filling.
Sasha loading the tamalero to steam the tamales.
Sasha and Jan loading in the tamales to be steamed.
Fresh tamales!
Ken Kogut being presented with the Fruition award by Erica LaFountain Community Horticulture Educator. The award is presented annally to a volunteer in the Ag and Food Systems department who brings spirit and integrity to their volunteerism with Cornell Cooperative Extension.
The diverse potluck had tasty morsels from fresh bread and warming soups to hardy salads and fermented pickles.
Sampling the freshly made tamales.
An abundant spread.
Enjoying the potluck feast and one another's company.

We look forward to widening the circle of volunteers. There is a new group of Master Gardeners whose training will finish in April, and openings for Energy Navigators trainings starting in mid-February and mid-April, find more here. The Master Food Preservers just secured May 13-15, 2025 for a training too so keep your eyes peeled for registration opening!

July 13, 2023Sara Trimm

How to share your extra garden produce

Nothing beats the taste of those first few harvests from the garden. The flavor and freshness, combined with the pride of knowing you grew it yourself, just can’t be beat. Once the newness wears off, the freezer fills, and the excitement of processing our garden goodies turns into a real chore though, we might find ourselves with an excess of wonderful food and no energy to deal with it.

Melons and lemon cucumbers harvested from CCE for donation

When you find yourself with an overabundance, you can share it with the people in our community who love delicious, fresh food but have no means of growing their own. Here are some suggestions for connecting with them

The local organization GardenShare has created a comprehensive interactive map where you can easily search for food pantries and community meals in your area. Locations and details are listed online here.

screenshot of local food guide map from GardenShare — Sample of GardenShare’s interactive map results

United Helpers many subsidized housing units throughout the county, and their house managers would be glad to talk to you about donating to the residents. Recovery and Safe Houses also welcome donations and reaching out to their respective directors would help you understand what they need most, or what they could consume.

There are many food donation options in every community here in the North Country. In my experience, these organizations and the people they serve are always grateful for fresh, nutritious food, even if you only have enough for one family. Free will dinners sometimes provide “take home food” when they have extras, and your produce could be part of that offering. If we all share just a portion of our harvests, the impact will be staggering. Read more How to share your extra garden produce

July 27, 2021Lauren Olson

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.