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Finding (And Using) Your Roots

As a sophomore at St. Lawrence University, I participated in the Adirondack Semester. This program offers an immersive place-based learning campus located in the Adirondack Park. With sustainable living in mind, a group of 10 students paddled via canoe to lake Massawepie’s Yurt Village. In our village, we had no running water, no technology, and our main mode of transportation was a canoe or kayak. We got weekly installments of fresh produce from Kent Family Growers located in Lisbon. 

Yurt #2 was my home for the semester.

And as ten novices in the kitchen, our semester quickly adapted to utilizing every part of a vegetable. As students, we were accustomed to running to the supermarket for a spice you could not find in your pantry or fresh lettuce in the dead of winter. This was a luxury. These past few months our group meals were shaped around fresh, in-season vegetables. There was no “running to the market.” We ate what we had, and what we had was local. As a part of this program, once it gets too chilly to live in a yurt, the students move on to Capstone Internships.  Read more Finding (And Using) Your Roots

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Cranberry Harvest at Deer River

You may not think of cranberries as a North Country crop, but we have one commercial bog producing over 80 acres of this autumn fruit.  Deer River Cranberries was established in Brasher Falls over 20 years ago and the Local Foods team at Extension caught up with the managers to learn about and photograph the entire harvest.

So how do cranberries get from the bog to your table?

Each ‘bog’ is like a garden bed that’s sunk a foot or two deep and is 5 acres in size. With 15 bogs currently in production, Deer River produces 1 million pounds of berries in an average year (though this year’s crop was earlier and smaller than usual due to cranberry tipworm).

The harvest starts with water being released into the bed, flooding the plants with enough water to just cover the vine tips. Water is reused between bogs, by opening and closing the flumes connecting each bed.

Read more Cranberry Harvest at Deer River

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Questions to Ask When Choosing an eCommerce platform

Have you considered adding an eCommerce platform as a sales channel for your small business? Perhaps you’re eager to reach new customers or have better online visibility. There are many moving parts to consider when choosing an eCommerce platform that best suits you and your products. Thankfully, there are many resources to help get you started. 

We like the chart developed by the CSA Innovation Network because it takes a very complicated landscape of choices, and helps entrepreneurs clarify their needs. Once you’ve done that, it’s possible to eliminate platforms that don’t achieve your goals. Researching the answers to these questions will set you well on the path to finding a solid eCommerce solution for you.

(chart found through thelandconnection.org, click chart to zoom)

If you enjoyed this chart, check out the Farmer to Farmer Exchange eCommerce Platforms Report.

Deciding on a platform for your business can be daunting, but the Local Foods team at CCE St. Lawrence County can help to point you in the right direction. Stay tuned to learn more about the new Ag and Food Producers Academy we are offering this winter which will cover business development and marketing skills.

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.