photo by Carole Topalian

Community Supported Artisanal Yogurt (CSAY)

White Cow Dairy, makers of fine European-style dairy foods has announced that they will offer a CSA share for select craft dairy products.  The milk produced by their small herd of grass-fed cows is turned into amazing yogurt, custard, energy drinks and soft cheeses by dairy farmer and artisan Patrick Lango.  White Cow Dairy has been lauded by Slow Food International, The New York Times and Bon Appetit magazine, to name a few.

Due to demand, White Cow will offer three types of dairy shares throughout the winter, and shareholders are welcome to sign up for as many as they’d like, in any combination.  The three share types available include: 1 pint of plain yogurt at $4.50 per week, 1-9 oz. tub of quark at $3.50 per week, and 1 liter of yogurt whey at $4.50 per week.  The yogurt can be eaten plain or with fresh honey, fruit or jam.  Quark is a soft German cheese that is slightly tangy like sour cream, but rich, delicious and tremendously versatile.  A natural probiotic, yogurt whey is loaded with amino acids and makes an excellent and healthy addition to beverages, soups and sauces.

Payment for the season is due upon sign-up, and missing a pick-up is no problem; shareholders will simply receive double their share the following week.  The early winter share runs now through Christmas with customer pick-ups at Elmwood-Bidwell Farmers Market.  The late winter share begins after the holiday and pick-ups take place outside of Caffe Aroma at the corner of Elmwood and Bidwell.

Interested parties should venture to White Cow’s tent at Elmwood-Bidwell Farmers Market on a Saturday morning, or send the dairy an email at orderfresh@aol.com.  Orders for early winter shares should be placed before October 1^st.

Edible Reads: Two Books Worth Feasting On

It is hard to imagine that it wasn’t until 2008 that a portrait book of American farmers was first published.  American Farmer is the result of photographer Paul Mobley’s four year odyssey through the rural farming communities across our country spanning over 100,000 miles from Alaska to Maine.  With over 200 portraits, Mobley captures the spirit and integrity of those who work the land and produce the food that sustains us.  Editor Katrina Fried provides in-depth, personal interviews with many of Mobley’s subjects which gives the reader compelling insight into their lives and histories. This book is a must-have for anyone who appreciates the hallowed connection between farm and table.

SLOW: Life in a Tuscan Town is a visually stunning representation of multimedia artist Douglas Gayeton’s time in the small Tuscan town of Pistoia.  Gayeton gives us a glimpse into a world rich with culinary traditions which embrace the ideals and rituals that celebrate the everyday pleasures of food.  Gayeton’s photographic images are riddled with stories, recipes and insights that make them multi-dimensional to the reader and tell the story of the people of Pistoia in a uniquely revealing way.  The narrative which accompanies these fascinating images is equally engaging with chapter titles like, “Cooking Zolfini In a Flask or A Mushroom the Size of a Soccer Ball” or “Putting La Madre in a Jar”.   Alice Waters, renowned chef and co-owner of Chez Panisse and long-time advocate of cooking with fresh, locally grown seasonal ingredients, provides the introduction to the book.  And Carlo Petrini, the founder of the Slow Food movement in Italy and author of several books on the subject, penned the preface.

American Farmer and SLOW: Life in a Tuscan Town are great gifts for the foodies in your life, especially those who maybe have one too many cookbooks on the shelf.  Each book retails at $50.00 and can be purchased at ediblebuffalo.com.  For a limited time, Edible Buffalo readers will receive a 10% discount off their purchase when they use the coupon code “Buffalo.”


Our Edible Empire State by Dave Cameron

New York has many distinct and exciting culinary scenes, each one abundant with foods grown and grazed on small farms, cherished by talented chefs and artisans. Now there’s a growing family of Edible magazines to tell the stories of all the producers and processors behind the amazing local food and drink found all across the state.

Beyond the Buffalo region, Upstate foodies can discover the burgeoning farm and vineyard industries covered by Edible Finger Lakes and Edible Hudson Valley.  In New York City, Edible Brooklyn, Edible Manhattan and the new Edible Queens have the latest dish on urban gardeners and city locavores. And on Long Island, Edible East End harvests stories straight from the area’s exciting wine, farm and restaurant richness.

Each publication is independently owned and operated by people who are passionate about local foods and farms and the region they live in, but who also keep in touch with other Edible editors across the state. A new website, EdibleNewYork.com brings them all together for anyone, anywhere to learn about (and salivate over) New York’s diversity of deliciousness. Now it’s easier than ever to find all of the NY Edibles and tell people you know in those regions to check these magazines out. Better yet, send them a subscription and share the stories of good foods to be found in our Edible Empire State.

Dave Cameron is a regular contributor to Edible Finger Lakes and is the writer, producer and host of Eating Ithaca, eatingithaca.com.



photo by Lisa Tucker

Farmers & Artisans Opens

Access to fresh, locally-made artisanal foods just got easier with the opening of Farmers & Artisans, the new gourmet food destination in Williamsville. This new venture is the brainchild of David Setzer, artisan bread maker and owner of Artful Table, Julie Blackman of Blackman Homestead Farm and Jo’El Drajem of Blossom Hill Farm and will be housed in the former location of local ice cream shop Sweet Jenny’s on East Spring St. in the heart of the Village. This also happens to be the same block the Farmers Market at the Williamsville Mill calls home and is bustling each Saturday during the growing and harvest seasons.

With Setzer making bread daily at the site, the goal is to offer both wholesale and retail products to their customers. A full array of local dairy products will be available including cheese, milk and ice cream along with a variety of other items including locally-made charcuterie. Fans of Setzer, Blackman and Drajem will now have a place to go to year-round to purchase and enjoy their high quality products along with the 15 to 20 other local vendors who will be selling their crafted foods at the store throughout the year. For more information visit farmersandartisans.com.



photo by Lisa Tucker

Lake Effect - Locally Crafted Ice Cream

Crafted foods and beverages continue to gain popularity, so it was only a matter of time before someone would be creating deliciously crafted ice cream and how sweet it is! Salty Caramel, Crystal Beach Loganberry and Guinness Chocolate Extra Stout are just some of the uniquely tasty flavors of Lake Effect Ice Cream, Western New York’s homegrown craft ice cream.

What started out as friendly home-made ice cream competitions quickly turned into a burgeoning side business for these two Lockport High School teachers.   Jason Wulf and Erik Bernardi, founders of Lake Effect Ice Cream and lifelong friends, were looking to start a business together that would pair their love of food and family.  Wulf and Bernardi incorporated in March 2008, but they didn’t actually sell their first pint of ice cream until June of that same year.  “We spent a few months testing recipes and perfecting unique, funky flavors that no one else was doing,” says Wulf.

The result is an impressive list of imaginative flavors that know no bounds.  One such flavor is Nickel City Heat, a decadent chocolate cinnamon ice cream with cayenne pepper. While there is no doubt ‘heat’ in the flavor, it doesn’t overwhelm the rich chocolate cinnamon taste.  Even their take on traditional flavors like vanilla, which is actually called Vanilla Blizzard, is daringly different. This version is frosty blue and is topped with bits of white chocolate.  The inspiration for these unique flavors and twists comes from the most obvious and the most unlikely places.  “I made a coconut lime ice cream.  I love the smell of Coconut Lime Verbena lotion from Bath & Body Works and it inspired me to make that flavor [ice cream],” says Bernardi.

After successfully selling at various local festivals for the last year, Wulf and Bernardi have built a devoted fan base. “Our fans are remarkably loyal. They come up and they eat it, they make the funniest sounds and say the funniest things.  It is like a religious experience for some people,” says Wulf.