Food Features

Maple Madness

Sugar shacks around the Hudson Valley are offering tours, festivals and pancake breakfasts during this month, culminating in two maple weekends: March 20, 21 and the 27, 28

Local sugar shacks: Sugarbrook Maple, 351 Samsonville Road, Kerhonkson, Call for tours mid-Feb.through March, (845) 626-3466
Lyonsville Sugarhouse, 591 Cty Rte 2, Accord, Sap house open daily during season, call first (845) 687-2518

Events:
March 14
Rosendale indoor farmers market pancake breakfast
Sugaring Off Sundays: Every Sunday in March enjoy mapley events at the Farmers Museum in Cooperstown

March 20, 21 & 27, 28
NY Maple Festival Dutchess County Fairgrounds Maple Days at Cronin's Farm in Hopewell Junction.
Maple Pancake Breakfasts: at Muscoot Farm and Hahn Farm.
Sharpe Reservation Maple Celebration, March 20, Fishkill

For more maple weekend events throughout the state, visit the NY Maple Growers site.
NEW! How to tap a maple tree

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Backyard Birds

Barbara and Mark Laino hosted a backyard chicken workshop in Warwick Saturday. The couple operates what Mark calls a micro-farm, with about 100 chickens and a CSA for between 12 to 25 members.

Their work derives strictly from passion for organic foods: at the end a year selling eggs at marketsm they essentially break even financially, Mark said. Both work full-time jobs, meaning the farming happens in the wee hours of morning. and after the sun goes down.

The workshop covered everything from supplies to natural health care for chickens. The farm also sells heritage breed chicks, pullets and groups of chickens. There are also more workshops planned and an organic seedling sale.

Contact Barbara through HVFN or visit the farm website.

It Takes a Village To Make A Sausage

Two pigs, thirty people, a lot of sausage. During a two-day workshop at Mead Orchards in Tivoli, NY, butcher Bryan Maher and chef Daniel Meyer of Brooklyn's The Green Grape taught a village about preparing hog from head to tail. The weekend's menu included pork belly braised in milk and honey, Northeastern picadillo with apples and dates, and breakfast with apple fritters fried in pork lard. The Greenhorns, a nonprofit film project about young farmers, and Smithereen Farm sponsored the event.

A Seedy Shindig

Ken Greene and Doug Muller hosted a tour of the Hudson Valley Seed Library farm Sunday, Oct. 15, 2009. The partners discussed their intent to improve the biodiversity of seed stock and taught a lesson on how to save seeds in your home garden. The seed library is launching its 2010 catalog Nov. 14 with a gallery show. The library invited artists to create seed pack designs. The art selected will be exhibited along with pottery by Ayumi Horie. Find out more about what these seedy guys are up to at their website.