GROWING YOUNG MINDS

At the Beverly J. Martin Elementary School in Ithaca, the New York Coalition for Healthy School Food (NYCHSF) and Greenstar Community Projects are piloting a Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Snack Program. This program is especially important now that food costs have gone up so much, and may truly be helping to fill a basic need. Each day, children get two types of fruit in the morning and two types of vegetables in the afternoon, featuring local produce whenever possible.The program increases their fruit and vegetable consumption by two servings per day, helping to create a habit of snacking on fresh fruits and vegetables and introducing children to new varieties of produce. Researchers at Cornell will evaluate the program. In addition, children will receive theWellnessWakeup Call program, NYCHSF’s signature nutrition education program delivered in easy-to-digest sound bites. Next summer, a blueprint program guide will be created to help other schools implement the project. The program is sponsored by United Way, Ithaca Public Education Initiative, Gannett Foundation, Rotary Club and the Howland Foundation. The program is still seeking funding from businesses that would like to sponsor a classroom, foundations or individual donations to complete funding for the 2008–09 school year. For more information, contact amie@healthyschoolfood.org or call 607-272-1154.
– Amie Hamlin

APPLE CIDER DOUGHNUTS

When it comes to seasonal eating, doughnuts are the equivalent of tomatoes and strawberries for me. I only eat apple cider doughnuts and only in season, which is this time of year, when cider is fresh and orchard keepers are frying up these sweet, warm rings to sell alongside vats of hot apple cider. There’s an “oh, yeah” moment when I get to the farmers’ market and I see the rows of fresh doughnuts all hot and ready for picking.More moist and flavorful than regular doughnuts, because they’re made with apple cider rather than milk, apple cider doughnuts are sometimes called fried cakes. The cake-like insides have a hint of caramel and the crust is crispy and golden brown. You can usually find them in plain, cinnamon or glazed versions but I like plain, dunked in my little cup of warm juice. Like all things delicious, there are plenty of good cider doughnuts to be found around our region. Schutt’s AppleMill inWebster fries up a good cake and Littletree orchards outside of Ithaca is doing some good doughnuts also. Check out your local farmers’ markets, roadside stands and apple orchards to get yours.– Zoe Becker

LEARNING FROM FARMERS, LENTO STYLE

Since the day it opened in the Village Gate plaza in Rochester, Lento restaurant has been bringing you the goods from our local farms. Their menu proudly states who they’re collaborating with to source the ingredients in their seasonal creations. With a new effort this fall, they’re bringing you the farmer as well. They kicked off a “Meet the Farmer” lecture series on Tuesday evenings in October, where a different grower speaks about his or her farm, the varieties they produce and the ups and downs of farming. For those skeptical about the flavor difference of produce from local, small farms versus large-scale, commercially raised goods, they offer side-by-side taste comparisons. “We want to give the community an opportunity to learn more about where their food comes from, and to meet the people who make small-scale sustainable agriculture possible,” says Art Rogers, the owner and executive chef of Lento. The series is free and the lineup includes Ganz farm in Lyons, Raindance Harvest farm in Ontario, Aberdeen Hill farm in Gorham, Freshwise farm in Penfield and Seven Bridges farm in Lima. The series concludes with a tasting dinner featuring food from each of the farms in the series. For more information contact Lento restaurant at 585-271-3470. – MichaelWelch

MUST-HAVE MUSTARDS

Honestly, my favorite primary food group is sandwiches. If I could eat a sandwich at every meal, I would. The best kind is the one that I go at Dagwood Bumstead–style with my head deep in the refrigerator, piling up ingredients as I find them. Discovering some leftover roast pork is a total jackpot; same goes for meatloaf, salamis, pickles and rotisserie chicken. Recently I found a jar of Nunda garlic mustard stashed in a drawer so I slathered it on bread with cheese and sliced ham from the Piggery people in Trumansburg. It was an absolute bonanza of a sandwich and this mustard, with its savory/sweet flavor and creamy texture, had me doing culinary back flips. Every day I find products that keep me excited about the local foods movement in our region, and this mustard is one of them. Golden Oaks Foods in Nunda (pronounced “noneday,” for those of us who stumble over town names out here) is owned by Ron andWendy Ochs and was started in 1997. After some tinkering with a family recipe that was created in Ron’s family in the late 1800s, the Ochs started selling the mustards, adding varieties as the business grew. They’re up to nine concoctions now with the delectable versions “smokey” maple (which is made with maple from the Ochs’ own trees), cracked peppercorn, and jalapeño among them. If you’re not a sandwich person, the mustards are good to use in salad dressings, for glazing roasted meats and vegetables and for dunking warm, soft pretzels. They can be found in many vineyard tasting rooms, gourmet food shops and farm markets and sell for $5 on the Nunda site, www.nundamustard.com. – MichaelWelch

NEW YORK FARM DAY IN THE CAPITOL

Take a look at these numbers: 35,000 farms, 7.5 million acres of farmland, #2 in the nation in apple and maple syrup production, #3 in the production of grapes, wine, corn and dairy. Since this is New York State we’re talking about, how do you like them apples? We love our NY cities but obviously, farming and agriculture are vital to New York’s economy. And NY Senator Hillary Clinton knows it. On September 23rd she and her staff hosted New York Farm day, for the 7th time, to let the rest of her colleagues on the Hill know what you already do, that NY is more than just the Big Apple, but a farm state too. A crew of farmers, brewers, cheese makers, chefs, winemakers, bakers, and other movers and shakers in the NY agriculture industry traveled to the Russell Senate building on Capitol Hill inWashington, DC to showcase the splendor that comes from our farms, vineyards and kitchens. The Finger Lakes was well represented by some of our finest. Sam Izzo (Simply Red), DebWhiting (Red Newt) and Frank Caravita (Fox Run) carried the cook’s torch while BobMadill (Sheldrake), DougMiles (MilesWine Cellars) Peter Saltonstall (King Ferry), Ann and John Martini (Anthony Road), Joyce and Art Hunt (Hunt Country Vineyards), Dan Mitchell (Ithaca Beer), and Mark Nicholson (Red Jacket Orchards) poured the libations that keep us all happy back here at home. The Finger Lakes Culinary Bounty and New YorkWine and Culinary Center were also there, displaying the goods that come from our region. In case you’re thinking all these politicians are just having a good time, a lot of work got done too. Senator Clinton announced two initiatives her office is launching that support New York State agriculture: Gift baskets for the holidays featuring New York State products; and a “Farm to Hospital” program that provides grants to hospitals, VA centers and non-profits to purchase healthy, locally-produced food for patients, staff and visitors. “Senator Clinton has been a real champion for New York agriculture,” said Jim Trezise, President of the statewide New York Wine & Grape Foundation, which organizes the event. “This year’s New York Farm Day was bigger and better than ever, and the enthusiasm was palpable. The whole purpose of this event is to showcase New York as a major farm state so policymakers will take us seriously when agricultural issues come up.” – MichaelWelch