Pride of N.Y. Harvest Fest Features Local, Value-Added Products
Submitted by Editor on Fri, 11/20/2009 - 4:53pm.
Maegan Crandall
Central N.Y. Correspondent
SYRACUSE, N.Y. — Hungry visitors arrived last Saturday and Sunday at the state fairgrounds to indulge their taste buds and celebrate locally-made and produced New York products at this year’s Pride of New York Harvest Fest.
“The crowds have been great. The event is usually held in Albany, but this year we moved it to Syracuse. We were trying to estimate how many visitors we would have by the amount of wine glasses we gave out. We started out yesterday with 2,500 glasses and we had to get more glasses. We ended up giving away plastic glasses as well,” said Bill Kimball, an event organizer and also employed with New York State department of agriculture and markets.
According to Kimball, most of the food companies were first-timers with the harvest fest because of its move to Central New York.
“They get a lot of good P.R. and recognition, and they also make some money. Our vendors were all quite pleased and really liked the crowd,” said Kimball.
Visitors had the opportunity to sample a variety of local products including jams and jellies, artisanal cheeses, natural meats, maple sugar products, wine and beer, and specialty products such as wine ice cream made by Mercer’s Dairy located in the Adirondack Mountains.
Another popular specialty product was the garlic olives made by Dorothy and Al Williams in Rome, New York. The Williams family grows 28 acres of garlic and sells off the farm and to several locations around the state.
Additional vendors followed the value-added theme with product creations such as gourmet chicken sausage, maple vinegars, black current jellies, organic sunflower oil, and Christmas tree wreaths.
The Small Scale Food Processors Association of New York (SSFPA) also offered visitors a variety of gift baskets with a range of products from New York. SSFPA represents 11 regions across New York State including New York City and Long Island, and offers various value-added products such as vinegars, honey, jams, crackers, salad dressings, and pancake mix. SSFPA also works to mentor and market New York products regionally.
“A lot of our members are farmers who produce value-added products, the other producers use local products. Our mission is for people to use as much local products as they can — it promotes regional identification for small businesses. I believe that growth trickles up not down,” said Alison Clarke, SSFPA president.
Featured pride of New York products were also on display for visitors to browse and become acquainted with, a fully stocked farmer’s market with a variety of local harvest vegetables were available to purchase, and the New York Beef Industry Council handed out samples of beef chili and featured beef recipes.
More than half of the vendors were vineyard owners, and offered an unlimited sampling of various wines, and four beer vendors from New York also offered samples, including their holiday limited edition blends.
“This has been wonderful. This was our first time. We haven’t experienced anything like this so we are really enjoying ourselves. I have a lot family in California so we have tried different California wines, but not our New York State wines,” said Jeanine Glen of Rochester, New York who traveled to the harvest fest with her friend Beatrice Dupree of Buffalo.
The New York maple sugar association also attracted large crowds and even offered a organic variety produced by Don Weed, owner of Schoolyard Sugarbush located in Moravia, New York.
“There is a growing movement with organics. Offering an organic product really does help, in terms of where it is sold. It was worth the effort to get certified for us,” said Weed.
Maegan CrandallCentral N.Y. Correspondent
SYRACUSE, N.Y. — Hungry visitors arrived last Saturday and Sunday at the state fairgrounds to indulge their taste buds and celebrate locally-made and produced New York products at this year’s Pride of New York Harvest Fest.
“The crowds have been great. The event is usually held in Albany, but this year we moved it to Syracuse. We were trying to estimate how many visitors we would have by the amount of wine glasses we gave out. We started out yesterday with 2,500 glasses and we had to get more glasses. We ended up giving away plastic glasses as well,” said Bill Kimball, an event organizer and also employed with New York State department of agriculture and markets.
According to Kimball, most of the food companies were first-timers with the harvest fest because of its move to Central New York.
“They get a lot of good P.R. and recognition, and they also make some money. Our vendors were all quite pleased and really liked the crowd,” said Kimball.
Visitors had the opportunity to sample a variety of local products including jams and jellies, artisanal cheeses, natural meats, maple sugar products, wine and beer, and specialty products such as wine ice cream made by Mercer’s Dairy located in the Adirondack Mountains.
Another popular specialty product was the garlic olives made by Dorothy and Al Williams in Rome, New York. The Williams family grows 28 acres of garlic and sells off the farm and to several locations around the state.
Additional vendors followed the value-added theme with product creations such as gourmet chicken sausage, maple vinegars, black current jellies, organic sunflower oil, and Christmas tree wreaths.
The Small Scale Food Processors Association of New York (SSFPA) also offered visitors a variety of gift baskets with a range of products from New York. SSFPA represents 11 regions across New York State including New York City and Long Island, and offers various value-added products such as vinegars, honey, jams, crackers, salad dressings, and pancake mix. SSFPA also works to mentor and market New York products regionally.
“A lot of our members are farmers who produce value-added products, the other producers use local products. Our mission is for people to use as much local products as they can — it promotes regional identification for small businesses. I believe that growth trickles up not down,” said Alison Clarke, SSFPA president.
Featured pride of New York products were also on display for visitors to browse and become acquainted with, a fully stocked farmer’s market with a variety of local harvest vegetables were available to purchase, and the New York Beef Industry Council handed out samples of beef chili and featured beef recipes.
More than half of the vendors were vineyard owners, and offered an unlimited sampling of various wines, and four beer vendors from New York also offered samples, including their holiday limited edition blends.
“This has been wonderful. This was our first time. We haven’t experienced anything like this so we are really enjoying ourselves. I have a lot family in California so we have tried different California wines, but not our New York State wines,” said Jeanine Glen of Rochester, New York who traveled to the harvest fest with her friend Beatrice Dupree of Buffalo.
The New York maple sugar association also attracted large crowds and even offered a organic variety produced by Don Weed, owner of Schoolyard Sugarbush located in Moravia, New York.
“There is a growing movement with organics. Offering an organic product really does help, in terms of where it is sold. It was worth the effort to get certified for us,” said Weed.
