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Tips for a Fun Filled Local Foods Weekend

Local Foods Weekend is fast approaching! While it may seem like “just another fall weekend,” in fact it’s a uniquely curated extravaganza with an incredible range of experiences into the farms and food system of the region. Over 30 public events hosted by food producers and businesses participating in Local Foods Weekend on September 8, 9, 10 offer you a chance to connect with and visit one or multiple locations. Here’s 6 tips to create a memorable weekend.

1. Discover different event activities

With so many options to choose from, we don’t want you to feel overwhelmed to plan your Local Foods Weekend experience. Think about what you’d like to see or do. Do you have a big family and want to find children’s activities? Is eating great local food a top priority? Do you love hands-on learning? Each business event is categorized by “activity type,” and many events are associated with multiple types. The 9 different categories of activity types include: 

  • Children’s Activities
  • Demonstration
  • Free Samples
  • Guided Tours
  • Live Music
  • Open House
  • Plein Air Viewing
  • Prepared Foods
  • Workshop

You can look for the activity types in the brochure found on the website here and check out the activity icons next to each event listing. These listings are also organized by day and time in the brochure, which can help narrow down events to attend. 

A brochure listing of events over multiple days.
Check out the Local Foods Weekend brochure on the webpage to find activities you’d like to attend.

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Save The Date for Local Foods Weekend 2023

Local farmers and food businesses are busy working in the fields and kitchens to bring delicious food to our plates, pantries, and freezers. Whether you make a salad with greens you picked up from a farmer’s market, cook a roast from the farm down the road, or enjoy meals at restaurants sourcing ingredients from our area’s growers, you are participating in our fabulous local food system. 

To highlight these valuable members in our community and give them the credit and support they deserve, join us on September 8th, 9th, 10th, 2023 for the second Local Foods Weekend! The weekend consists of different public events hosted by local farmers and food businesses. It is a 3-day celebration of the products and the people that grow, raise, sell, or prepare food in and nearby St. Lawrence County and is organized by Cornell Cooperative Extension of St. Lawrence County. Every eater can play an active role in building a resilient local food system, and here’s a chance to learn more about the many farmers and food entrepreneurs involved. 

Visit one or more of the 30+ events at locations across St. Lawrence County. There’s something for all interests including children’s activities, special menus, free samples, guided farm tours, workshops, open houses, and more. 

Photo of a woman standing at her market tent with assorted herbs, vegetables, holding sunflowers.
Ashley Campbell of Trout and Heron in Potsdam is ready to welcome visitors to her new educational facilities with garden-centered creative children’s activities during the weekend.

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Festivities at the Learning Farm

On Saturday May 6th, Extension’s Harvest Kitchen and high tunnel were filled with families and friends enjoying the beautiful sunny day during the Grow and Preserve Open House. Visitors learned about numerous food preservation and gardening resources available at Extension through an assortment of activities. We shot some photos of all the happenings, check them out below!

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As a result of our many years of teaching food preservation classes, the Harvest Kitchen has a well-stocked kitchen. For the Open House, we assembled a Preservation Equipment Showcase so community members could wander through the shelves to compare tools. In 2022, after 50 years of putting up food for her own household, Mary Robinson went through the training to become a Master Food Preserver volunteer. She’s pictured here, sharing information about food preservation with a visitor. Other volunteers sharing their experiences in preserving the harvest include Kathryn Farr, Sasha Kocho-Williams, and John Youngblood.
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One thing our Master Food Preserver volunteers love is how canned foods pack a lot of flavor while simplifying future meals. Danielle Barse and Jan DeWaters gave out free samples of chili and corn relish in the Harvest Kitchen, along with the recipes to make these water bath canned and pressure canned recipes at home.

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