Above photo: Eve's Cidery 2020 has sure been a wild ride. The holiday season is looking a little different this year, as we all know. But long after Small Business Saturday has passed, as we close out the new year and embark upon a new 2021 chapter, we encourage you to continue supporting the small local businesses, farmers, producers, and craft beverage makers who have kept you fed, happy, and well all year long. They need your support! Perfect for last minute gift ideas, holiday meal planning, new year indulging and simply treating yourself, check out some special ways you can support the folks surrounding NYC as we say goodbye to 2020. Catskill Brewery: Support this Sullivan Catskills gem when you snag the seasonal Spiced Winter Ale from Catskill Brewery! This beer is a winter warmer brewed with English malts, co-fermented with a Kviek yeast and house Freak Tractor yeast, and spiced with allspice, clove, star anise, vanilla, and orange peel. Stop by the Brewery before it is gone! Finger Lakes Cider: Pour yourself a glass of the Finger Lakes in person or at home! With 10 craft cideries within a 30 miles radio (the highest density of craft ciderines in NY state), visit Ithaca for the cider goods! All 10 cideries have their products online - check them out here. Diamond Mills Hotel & Tavern: Ring in 2021 with a 3-night weekend stay in quaint Saugerties at Diamond Mills Hotel & Tavern. Indulge in a festive all-inclusive package including 3 nights in a King Deluxe rooms, dinner for two on New Years Eve with champagne toast, Brunch on New Years Day & a special 3 Course dinner on New Years Day all for just $975! Dogwood Farms: This farm (new location in Liberty Corner) in Central New Jersey, has
Above photo: Eve’s Cidery 2020 has sure been a wild ride. The holiday season is looking a little different this year, as we all know. But long after Small Business Saturday has passed, as we close out the new year and embark upon a new 2021 chapter, we encourage you to continue supporting the small local businesses, farmers, producers, and craft beverage makers who have kept you fed, happy, and well all year long. They
Though your Labor Day Weekend plans may look a little different (and more distant!) than normal, there are still endless ways to escape for the weekend and explore the amazing treasures just outside New York City. From cozy B&Bs to sunflower picking to hiking and biking and craft beer tasting, mark the end of summer with an agritourism experience fit for everyone! Need some inspiration? Look no further. Visit Saugerties, NY! A quaint mill town, Saugerties is home to farms and wineries open for outdoor fun, tastings and pick-your-own-fruit. Stay for the weekend at the Diamond Mills Hotel and Tavern. Be it a romantic country getaway or family fun vacation, the hotel offers clean and elegant accommodations that everyone will love. Only 2 hours from NYC, south of the Catskill Mountains, this historic site overlooks the Esopus Creek where it meets the Hudson River. Within a short walk, you can rent kayaks, hike the gorgeous Falling Waters Preserve, go fishing or swimming. Call to reserve your stay. Explore Hudson, NY! Plan a weekend getaway to Hudson, NY and cozy up at The Barlow Hotel! Blending historic charm and modern touches, The Barlow reflects Hudson’s unique personality of funky charm and creative design. Located in the center of Hudson’s main thoroughfare, the hotel is just a short walk to everything there is to do, see and taste. Book direct at The Barlow website for best rates and availability! Visit a farm in Central New Jersey. Located within 1 hour of NYC, and steeped in agricultural history, Central New Jersey is known for its farms, canals, farm fresh food, wine and pastoral beauty. The area is filled with family farms, orchards, farm stores, delicious farm-to-table restaurants, and outstanding wine, cider and spirits makers. Escape for the weekend and explore them all! Check
Though your Labor Day Weekend plans may look a little different (and more distant!) than normal, there are still endless ways to escape for the weekend and explore the amazing treasures just outside New York City. From cozy B&Bs to sunflower picking to hiking and biking and craft beer tasting, mark the end of summer with an agritourism experience fit for everyone! Need some inspiration? Look no further. Visit Saugerties, NY! A quaint mill town,
EscapeMaker.com will offer the first-of-its-kind “Virtual Agritourism Conference” on its B2B site: www.EscapeMaker.biz, launching May 6th, 2019. The conference, presented by EscapeMaker.com and Fulton Stall Market, is not only the first digital conference focusing on the tourism and agriculture industries (agritourism), but also will be produced solely by women, 30% of whom are certified as an M/WBE (Minority Women-Owned Business Enterprise). Fourteen female industry experts will come together on one online platform to share insider tips, trends and best practices for preparing a business to capitalize on the rapidly changing travel landscape and to meet the demands of leisure, group, event and corporate travel markets. The interest in agritourism travel, i.e. visits to farms, wineries, craft beverage trails, bed and breakfasts, harvest festivals, farm-to-table events, etc., has greatly increased in recent years in the NYC metro area and everywhere as people get more interested in where their food comes from, how it’s made and sharing authentic experiences outdoors with their friends and families. Based on a survey produced by EscapeMaker for GrowNYC, many regional farmers and producers have PYO (Pick-Your-Own) operations or tasting rooms, but are still seeking education on marketing, event production, temporary on-site lodging, infrastructure improvements, insurance, liability risks, packaging and partnership opportunities, best practices in tourism and more. Each of the 12 digital presentations is 25-45 minutes long and includes access to information on financing from Kiva, plus additional workshop downloads and links to more resources. All combined, the conference is 6+ hours of education. Presented by EscapeMaker.com and Fulton Stall Market, the conference sponsors and partners include: Kiva, Edible Manhattan, New York Apples, Heritage Radio Network, Metro-North Railroad and Women in Hospitality United, all of which are organizations with a commitment to the advancement of the food, farm, beverage and agritourism industries and their stakeholders. The
EscapeMaker.com will offer the first-of-its-kind “Virtual Agritourism Conference” on its B2B site: www.EscapeMaker.biz, launching May 6th, 2019. The conference, presented by EscapeMaker.com and Fulton Stall Market, is not only the first digital conference focusing on the tourism and agriculture industries (agritourism), but also will be produced solely by women, 30% of whom are certified as an M/WBE (Minority Women-Owned Business Enterprise). Fourteen female industry experts will come together on one online platform to share insider
Oh, the sweet life in Dutchess County! Join us on a wine and strawberry adventure from NYC! We’ll start the day at McEnroe Organic Farm in the midst of their strawberry season. Pick strawberries, shop on your own for yummy baked goods, pony up to the King’s Highway Cider Shack for a drink and bask in the summer sun on this gorgeous farm, known for its sustainability practices. Then, we’ll head to the renowned Millbrook Vineyards & Winery for a tasting of 5 wines as you soak up vineyard views and then get a tour of the winery. We’ll cap off the day with a visit to Clinton Vineyards for a tour, a wine tasting and a farm-fresh dinner, sourced from local ingredients. You’ll return to the city refreshed, renewed and feeling sweet! Price includes tours, wine tastings and dinner. Additional glasses or bottles can be purchased for a fee. Pick up at 10am and return to Bryant Park on NW corner of 6th Ave. / 42nd St. by 9pm. $149/pp.
Oh, the sweet life in Dutchess County! Join us on a wine and strawberry adventure from NYC! We’ll start the day at McEnroe Organic Farm in the midst of their strawberry season. Pick strawberries, shop on your own for yummy baked goods, pony up to the King’s Highway Cider Shack for a drink and bask in the summer sun on this gorgeous farm, known for its sustainability practices. Then, we’ll head to the renowned Millbrook
This time of year, I run into two cooking woes. 1) What to make when I'm too tired and lazy to chop and prep and use every one of my pots and pants, and 2) what's a quick and easy bite to make/bring to one of the many holiday parties popping up on my calendar? This quick, easy, farm-fresh dish is the perfect solution to both! It takes 10 minutes, makes very little mess, and is an absolute crowd-pleaser! Enter: The Pawlet & Honey Crostini. During my Saturday shopping excursion at McCarren Park in Brooklyn for my Honey Roasted Carrots, I picked up a few additional items for my crostini. From Vermont's Consider Bardwell Farm, I perused a variety of delicious cow and goat cheeses. I was specifically searching for something that was soft and easy to melt, so I was directed to the "Meltlet" cheese, which is a version of their Pawlet. It was nutty and mild and perfect for a sweet and savory recipe. I bought 1/4lb ($5). I picked up a fresh baguette ($3) from New Jersey's Baker's Bounty. The outside felt nice and crusty, but the inside was soft and pillowy. The perfect type of bread for a crostini! The honey, which I picked up for my Honey Roasted Carrots last week, came from Nature's Way ($6.25/honeybear). There's something about fresh cheese that brings on an unstoppable craving for wine, am I right? Luckily, Borghese Vineyard was set up just across from the cheese stand, so I made my way over to pick my poison :). They had so many delicious bottles straight from their Long Island vineyard, but I settled on an easy-drinking red wine, the Petit Chateau ($17). Time to head home and assemble my delicious and festive treats! Here's how
This time of year, I run into two cooking woes. 1) What to make when I’m too tired and lazy to chop and prep and use every one of my pots and pants, and 2) what’s a quick and easy bite to make/bring to one of the many holiday parties popping up on my calendar? This quick, easy, farm-fresh dish is the perfect solution to both! It takes 10 minutes, makes very little mess, and
It all began in 1998 when Ken and Kimm Schick bought an old dairy farm with over 200 acres in Fultonville, NY. They came from Northwestern NJ, a farming community that was slowly being sold off to developers and built up. They went to upstate NY to escape the noise and traffic that came with this development and get back to the country living and fell in love with this piece of heaven that has since become Hummingbird Hills Winery. They are the first active winery in Montgomery County and are proud to say that all of their wines are produced right at the winery. The fruits used to produce the wine are also grown right on the farm: grapes, elderberries, apples and let’s not forget Dandelion! Hummingbird Hills offers several specialty wines, such as Eldeberry Delight, Lions Tooth Blend, several varieties of apple and many delicious grape wines. They use as little preservative as possible to bring out the natural flavor of the grapes or fruit in the fermenting process. The vineyards do not use chemicals on or around the grape vines. The fields having once been cow pastures were well fertilized and there are some weeds to contend with. Their name Hummingbird Hills comes from their love affair with the hummingbirds and they have many that keep them company at the winery. Their tag line is “Escape from the Normal” and they mean it. Hummingbird Hills Wine is not like most wines you will taste, they have many unique blends and flavors. The atmosphere is very rustic and homey; you will enjoy spending an afternoon among friends pulled up to the bar. Learn more at www.hummingbirdhillswinery.com. VISIT: Visit the winery in Central New York for a weekend getaway! The winery is open Saturday and Sunday from 11am
It all began in 1998 when Ken and Kimm Schick bought an old dairy farm with over 200 acres in Fultonville, NY. They came from Northwestern NJ, a farming community that was slowly being sold off to developers and built up. They went to upstate NY to escape the noise and traffic that came with this development and get back to the country living and fell in love with this piece of heaven that has
With Mother's Day fast approaching, we know what's going through your mind: breakfast in bed? That book she mentioned she'd like to read? A trip to her favorite nail salon? Family gathering over brunch? Flowers again? While all these gestures are lovely and universally mom-approved, maybe it's time to switch it up and give the moms in your life something new, like a weekend getaway! Flowers wilt, but experiences create memories that last a lifetime. Hop in a Zipcar or grab a train ticket via Amtrak or Metro-North Railroad and take a special lady to do something unique this year! Fresh out of ideas? You've come to the right place! Check out some Mother's Day inspiration below... Visit Ithaca on Saturday, May 13th for the Honey Bee Jubilee at Varick Winery & Vineyard. Taste wines and enjoy honey-inspired foods! Or head up on Sunday, May 14th for a Mother's Day Supper Club with Northland Sheep Dairy. $55 per ticket include cheese and cider pairing in the pasture and a 4-course supper with Good Life Cider pairings. If there's one thing most moms can agree on, it's CHOCOLATE! Visit Dutchess County this Mother's Day weekend and enjoy wine and chocolate tastings at Millbrook Vineyards & Winery. The tastings take place on Saturday, May 13th and Sunday, May 14th with two tasting reservations at 1:00pm and 3:00pm. Prepare to be dazzled by Oliver Kita Chocolate from Rhinebeck, NY and a handful of Millbrook wines. Is your mom an outdoor adventurer? Hop on the train to Westchester where you can hike, bike and walk through trails offering picturesque scenery, parks, picnic spots, restaurants, historic sites and nature preserves along their routes. Pack a special picnic to celebrate Mother's Day and enjoy the spring season! Or maybe she's up for a fishing adventure!? Getaway
With Mother’s Day fast approaching, we know what’s going through your mind: breakfast in bed? That book she mentioned she’d like to read? A trip to her favorite nail salon? Family gathering over brunch? Flowers again? While all these gestures are lovely and universally mom-approved, maybe it’s time to switch it up and give the moms in your life something new, like a weekend getaway! Flowers wilt, but experiences create memories that last a lifetime.