Malone, NY – Fresh-picked asparagus, bright red strawberries, sweet peppers, a crisp mix of salad greens, crunchy carrots, white and brown eggs, chicken, lamb and beef – all grown locally, available within a short drive from your home or local farmers’ market, ready to serve as nutritious snacks at home, work or school… If your mouth is watering for a taste of the foods produced in the Northern New York region, but you are not sure to find them, plan to attend one of three “Eating Local Yet?” Conferences:
- Thursday, May 6, 5:30-8:30pm, Plattsburgh High School, 1 Clifford Drive, Plattsburgh;
- Friday, May 7, 5:30-8:30pm, Eben Holden Hall, St. Lawrence University, Canton (interactive campus map http://www.stlawu.edu/campusmap/#);
- Saturday, May 8 10:00 am – 3:30 pm, Case Junior High School, 1237 Washington Street, Watertown. .
Conference organizer Bernadette Logozar is the NNY Local Foods Specialist and a rural and agricultural development specialist with Cornell Cooperative Extension Franklin County says, “This conference program was designed in respond to the needs expressed by North Country residents. They want to know where to find and how to use fresh locally-grown and locally-processed food products.”
Logozar says the types of information to be shared at the conference include:
- What is the difference between local, organic, grass-fed and naturally produced foods?
- What are the different types of meat cuts offered by local livestock producers?
- Where do I find local foods
- How do I cook grass-fed beef?
- Are there ways to eat local foods year round?
“More and more people are looking to make a personal connection with their food suppliers, but they do not know how to talk with farmers or how to ask for the types of products they want. The “Eating Local Yet?” conference will provide consumers with the knowledge, information and confidence they need to buy and enjoy local food,” Logozar says.
Jennifer Wilkins, a Nutritional Science Senior Extension Associate with the Community Food Systems Project at Cornell University, will provide the keynote presentation at the “Eating Local Yet?” Conferences. Small workshop learning sessions at the conference include:
- Getting the Most Nutritional Bang for Your Buck with Nutritionist Martha Pickard of the Adirondack North Country Association
- Buying Meat form Famers: What Cuts to Ask For and How to Cook Them with Local chefs and farmers will present on this[CC1] .
- Seasonal Menu Planning with local chefs from the NNY region
- Is it Local, Organic, Natural – Understanding the Language of Local Foods with NNY Local Foods Specialist Bernadette Logozar.
Logozar plans to survey conference attendees about the types of future local foods programming they would like to see Cornell Cooperative Extension offer. Survey items are expected to include cooking classes, whole chicken preparation, basic food preservation and other interest areas.
The conference agenda also includes networking time with locally-grown and processed finger foods for tasting. The Saturday program includes a “Healthy Local Foods Lunch.”
Pre-registration for the conference is required. The $10 registration fee covers the evening and Saturday conference refreshments and materials. For more details and information about the conference, contact Logozar at 518-483-7403 or bel7@cornell.edu.
To Register Contact your local CCE Office for full details & to register in for session in your area
Jefferson—315-788-8450 Lewis—315-376-5270 St. Lawrence—315-379-9192
Franklin—518-483-7403 Clinton—518-561-7450 Essex—518-962-4810
Registration deadline is May 1st for all locations.
Download Conference Flyer Eating Local Yet Conference Flyer
For more tips on selling food locally, go online to the Regional/Local Foods section of the Northern New York Agricultural Development Program website at www.nnyagdev.org.
