Local Companies & Farms that I Heart

Tomatoes from my parent's garden & herbs from my window sill

Hudson Valley oils

I wanted to compile a list of local farms, companies and artisans who I like to buy from and use in my cooking. The reason I blog is, not only to share my love of food, but to share my love of the small farm or artisan who puts all their blood, sweat and tears into everything they grow and create. These people are helping us make a future that will be bright for our children and they are making the world a greater place to live in. There are three main reasons I buy local when I can:

One: Its healthy for my family. This is first and foremost in my mind when I am shopping for food. I want the very best for my family. I want my daughter to grow up knowing where her food comes from and with a healthy attitude toward it. I also want my family to eat homemade food  made with products from people  who love and respect what they are growing, producing or creating. Simple as that!

Two: Its healthy for the environment and planet. When you buy mostly local food you are making choices that affect the environment around you and the planet on a whole. Your carbon footprint gets smaller because the food travels a whole heck of a lot less to get to you. Small farms also make decisions that are often more healthy for the planet. They rotate crop soil so that they are not depleting the soil of all nutrients year after year. They also grow on a much smaller scale needing less water, less fertilizer and less space so, overall better. Most small farms are able to control pests naturally needing way less pesticides and sprays which are terrible for your family to ingest as well as terrible for the environment. Pesticides kill precious honey bees, pollute ground water and create pesticide resistant bugs and pests. This then requires the use of more and stronger ones in the future. Farmers who grow small amounts of meats or have hens that lay eggs, care about their animals and allow them to live a more natural life. This means access to outdoors, less grain feed, less pollution from animal waste and a more healthy meat and eggs for your family to eat.

Vermont Creamery, herbed chevre

Three: Its healthy for your local economy. When you buy local and support local business/farms you help those businesses grow, create jobs and make profit that they can then spend locally as well. These businesses care about the local community because they are part of it. The owners, farmers, CEO's and managers live in the same place you do...your city or town. They aren't sitting in a big office in a far away city raking in the money and not caring a bit for you and your family. They want you to be happy with their product, they take great pride in what they do each day. They till soil, they lovingly care for pigs, cows and chickens, they work all day long making the most perfect baked goods or they water and pick fresh, seasonal produce to be sold that very day. You can see the physical hints that they have been outside or in a kitchen all day just for you and your family. Dirt under their nails, bags under their eyes or big muscular arms; and every one of them is so incredibly grateful you are choosing them over the huge, corporate guy and they hand you the most beautiful vine ripened tomato you have ever seen with an equally beautiful, proud smile. I always bring my daughter with me so that she will connect where her food comes from and hopefully cultivate a future foodie!

Below you will find a list of links to my most favorite local companies, artisans, small businesses and farms from my area. It is by no means a complete list, I will keep adding to it as I make new contacts or realize I might have forgotten the lady who bakes my bread or the gentleman who gave me the heirloom squash last September. So please check back periodically for changes and additions!

Note: I realize not all local companies or farms are created equal, I try very hard to research, talk to and know who I am buying from. All of the links below are people I trust to give me food that is healthy for me and my family. I am also not perfect and I realize not everything can be bought local, I just do what I can and always try to find a local version. I do have an affinity for salty Spanish manchego, California olive oil and Mexican dark chocolate which are not local to me in NY, but 90% of what I buy comes from within 100 miles of where I live.

Wild ramps foraged an hour from my house

Links to my favorite, local, growers, producers & artisans; I live in Upstate NY, in the Albany area, so everything on this list is within 100 miles of that location.

Natural Pasture/Grass-fed Meats

Vermont Smoke & Cure(Smoked meats): http://www.vtsmokeandcure.com/Vermont-Grown-Suasages.html

West Wind Acres (Beef, Pork,Poultry): http://www.westwindacres.com/

Misty Knolls Farms (Poultry): http://www.mistyknollfarms.com/

Sweet Tree Farm (Beef): http://www.sweettreefarm.com/

Gordon's Farm (Beef): http://www.gordon-farms.com/Gordon_Farms/Welcome.html

Mariaville Farm (Beef, pork, lamb, goat, rabbit, poultry): http://www.mariavillefarm.com/


Natural Pasture/Grass-fed Dairy

Meadowbrook Farms (Cow milk): There is no website but this is a link to a local newspaper article about them, http://alloveralbany.com/archive/2011/03/22/milk-delivery-options-capital-region

Hawthorne Valley Farms (An array of dairy products): http://hawthornevalleyfarm.org/

Palatine Valley Dairy (Cheese): http://www.palatinecheese.com/

Sprout Creek Farm (Cheese): http://www.sproutcreekfarm.org/

R&G Cheese Makers (cheese & yogurt): https://www.facebook.com/RGCheese

Nettle Meadow Farm (Goat cheese): http://www.nettlemeadow.com/

Painted Goat Farm (Goat cheese): http://www.paintedgoat.com/

Byrne Dairy (An array of dairy products): http://www.byrnedairy.com/

Ronnybrook Dairy Farm (An array of dairy products): http://www.ronnybrook.com/

Battenkill Valley Creamery (An array of dairy products): http://www.battenkillcreamery.com/

Maple Hill Creamer (100% grass-fed yogurt): http://www.maplehillcreamery.com/Maple_Hill/Home.html

Produce 

McEnroe Organic Farm: http://www.mcenroeorganicfarm.com/

Migliorelli Farm: http://migliorelli.com/

Schoharie Valley Farms: http://www.schoharievalleyfarms.com/

Slack Hollow Farm: http://www.slackhollowfarm.com/

Underwood's Greenhouses: http://underwoodgreenhouses.weebly.com/

Barber's Farm: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Barbers-Farm/270240406370683

Bella Terra Farm: http://bellaterrafarm.net/

Peace Tree Organic Plants: http://www.peacetreeplants.com/

Cornell Farm: http://www.cornellfarm.net/

Quincy Farm: http://www.quincyfarm.net/

Free Bird Farm: http://www.freebirdorganicfarm.com/


Local Artisans/Products/Businesses

Rulison Honey: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Rulison-Honey-Farms/415942860402

Casa Visco (Tomato sauces): http://www.casavisco.com/company-info/

Lake Champlain Chocolates: http://www.lakechamplainchocolates.com/about-us/our-chocolates/

Perreca's (Italian products, bread): http://perrecasbakery.com/

Heidelberg Baking Co. (Bread, baked goods): http://www.heidelbergbakingco.com/

Stonybrook Oils (Small batch squash oils): http://www.wholeheartedfoods.com/

Saratoga Olive Oil Company (Oils & vinegars): http://www.saratogaoliveoil.com/

Honest Weight Food Co-op (Where I grocery shop other than the farmer's market):  http://www.hwfc.com/

Adventure in Food Trading (A little bit of everything, as well as small business support): http://www.adventureinfood.com/



Feel free to leave me a message if you would like a specific request for something you don't see on here, I can see if I can find out information for your area, point you in a specific direction or find someone who does know.