Above photo: Nina White, Farmer & Master Baker at Bobolink Dairy Farm & Bakehouse
As a business founded and run by women for 20+ years, nothing brings us greater joy than celebrating the many other successful women-led businesses that surround us. This Women’s History Month, we wanted to share some exciting news, upcoming events and ideas for how to support and celebrate the women in food, farming and agritourism in the region.
Thanks to the USDA AMS FMPP 2021 grant, EscapeMaker was given the opportunity to work with Fulton Stall Market to upgrade the market’s website, add online ordering of local farm and food products, and create an online video series called “Edible InStALLments.” The series includes virtual farm tours, food demonstrations and educational workshops by regional farmers, food and craft beverage producers. Episodes will roll out regularly over a 2-year period.
To kick off the series, and celebrate Women’s History Month, we launched the first episode, which features three of the wonderful female producers at Fulton Stall Market, Beth Litt of Brittle and Beyond, Annette Davis of Pudding Pan Desserts, and Margot Reiss, “The Soup Lady,” of Kitchen 36. Now more than ever, we need to support our women farmers and producers and encourage them to get their MWBE certifications. Your conscious buying decisions create more opportunities for women entrepreneurs in food and beverage. Enjoy the first episode and stay tuned for more videos to come!
In addition to this web series, on May 8th & 9th, 2021 (Mother’s Day Weekend), EscapeMaker.com will present the 1st Annual Women in Food & Farming Festival at Stone Ridge Orchard in the Hudson Valley of New York State – 2 hours outside of New York City. The hybrid live/virtual event will honor and celebrate women-owned farms and businesses in the food and craft beverage industries and provide resources to entrepreneurs. Women vendors, farmers, producers, and speakers will be featured in two ways:
- Saturday, May 8: A live outdoor New York State farmers market where local foods and beverages from women producers and farmers will be for sale to the public from 11am-4pm at Stone Ridge Orchard.
- Sunday, May 9: Online virtual event (on-demand), which will offer online presentations and workshops for women and budding entrepreneurs. Topics will include Food Justice, Craft Beverage Trends, Food & Spirituality, Nutrition Tips, Farming in the COVID Age, Funding Your Start-Up or Expansion, Social Media and Promotion Tips, Women Cookbook Authors, and Women Chef & Farmer Spotlights
Tickets are ON SALE NOW. Visit WomenNourish.com for details on participating producers, virtual topics and more! Presented by EscapeMaker and Fulton Stall Market, and sponsored by The New York Cider Association, Cabot Cheese, Hudson Valley Farmhouse Cider, SnapDragon & RubyFrost Apples, The Diamond Mills Hotel Saugerties, VisitIthaca.com, and SullivanCatskills.com, with media partners Heritage Radio and Edible Manhattan.
Looking for a weekend getaway where you can support women, eat delicious food, and drink local wine? Off to the Finger Lakes we go! According to Finger Lakes Wine Country, “women are at the forefront of an important shift in today’s farm landscape. They tend to farm on smaller land lots, grow diverse crops, favor sustainability, and prioritize food over commodity crops. Some even produce wine.” There are a large number of women winemakers in the region. Spend a weekend in charming Ithaca, explore the Cayuga Lake Wine Trail, or even road trip across the entire Finger Lakes Wine Country, and make plans to visit any (or all!) of the following women winemakers.
- Julia Hoyle, winemaker at Hosmer Winery
- Meagz Goodwin, assistant winemaker at Red Newt Cellars
- Kim Marconi, winemaker, & Paige Vinson, assistant winemaker at Three Brothers Wineries & Estates
- Alexandra Bond, winemaker & partner at Hector Wine Co
- Nova Cadamatre, winemaker & owner at Trestle 31
- Sue Passmore, winemaker at Buttonwood Grove Winery
- Nancy Irelan, winemaker & co-owner at Red Tail Ridge Winery
- Ann Raffetto, winemaker, Jess Johnson, co-winemaker at Wagner Vineyards
- Brittany Bagley, owner of Bagley’s Poplar Ridge Vineyard
- Taylor Stember, assistant winemaker at Anthony Road Winery
- Abby Stamp, assistant winemaker at Lakewood Vineyards
- Ashley McCaffrey, assistant winemaker Fox Run Vineyards
- Jenna Pultinas, winemaker at Zugibe Vineyards
Spend the weekend in Central New Jersey eating local cheese and farm fresh ice cream, picking spring produce, indulging in delicious lavender products and more — all on farms run by women!
For starters, stock up for your next cheese board with Nina White, Farmer & Master Baker at Bobolink Dairy Farm & Bakehouse.
You can also learn about locally-sourced and artisan-made dairy products with Anna Reinalda, Manager at Cherry Grove Farm.
Purchase naturally and responsibly raised pheasants, ducks, poussin, chickens, and turkeys and their signature quail from Joan Rude, Farmer at Griggstown Farm & Market.
Visit the award-winning winemakers and farmers, Pam, Tannwen & Reuwai Mount of Terhune Orchards.
There are 10+ women-led businesses you can support in this region, which is as easy as a day trip from NYC. Check out the rest of them here.
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