Things to do, places to eat, shows to see, places to stay in Madison County, NY      

Driving into work this morning, two hot air balloons were flying in the Peterboro/Munnsville area and it was a peaceful beautiful sight.  All weekend long the skies of Madison County will be filled with Hot Air Balloons as the third annual Balloons and Bounty festival comes to Wolf Oak Acres in Oneida. 

The fun begins tonight when the festival grounds open at 4pm.  There will be a balloon glow at 7:45 and fireworks at 8pm.  The grounds then stay open until 10 for the flashlight corn maze and other farm activities.
Tomorrow morning bright and early 21 balloons will lift off from the launch field and fill the skies over Madison County.  Pilots from around the country are taking part in this event which continues to grow each year. 
All day long the festival fields will be open for the fall harvest festival.  There will be a farmer's market, wine tastings, and fun for the entire family.  There will also be live music all day long too.  The afternoon balloon launch begins at 4pm.
That same schedule repeats itself on Sunday and Monday, so there will be plenty of opportunities to see hot are balloons fill the skies. 
Check out the complete schedule of events, information on booking a flight and other activities at the farm.  The weather is perfect this weekend, so you have little excuse to miss all of the excitement of the annual Balloons and Bounty Festival at Wolf Oak Acres in Oneida.

This past weekend was the 4th Open Farm Day in Madison County.  By all accounts many people were on the roads headed to local farms to learn more about where there food comes from.  We had the chance to visit five farms, all different than the others.  The morning started with a visit to Greyrock Farm CSA on East Lake Road near Chittenango.  This CSA has been open for a few months and they are doing very well.  The vegetables in the garden looked fantastic and several families were milling about.  Next, it was off to Meadowood Farm on Ridge Road.  This is one of the most picturesque farms in all of Central NY.  There we learned about Belted Galloway beef cows and cheese making with sheep's milk.  From there, it was down the hill to Owera Vineyards.  It was the first time the general public could visit the winery, and they were sampling and selling many of their wines. 
After Owera we headed south to Meadows Farm.  Here they raise Kobe Beef and were giving out slider samples for people to enjoy.  The farm was immaculate and the gardens were gorgeous.  By this point I'd been to four farms in 3 hours and it was time to head for home, lucky for me two farms were on the way.  We visited with Lucky Moon CSA on Lincklaen Road in Cazenovia, just above Chittenango Falls, and enjoyed learning about their vast gardens.  To close things out we took the drive all the way to the end of Rathburn Road to the Brick Farm.  This is a big time chicken operation so we bought some local free range eggs to enjoy.  All in all we hit 6 farms in four hours and it was a very enjoyable day.  Leave your Open Farm Day experiences in the comments below the slide show.

A Yesterday was the hottest July 21st EVER!  It hit 101 at the Syracuse Airport, only the 9th time in 100 years that the mercury broke 100 in Central New York.  I hope everyone found the shade of a nice big maple and kept cool yesterday.
There are a lot of things happening this weekend including the much awaited Open Farm Day.  It is your chance to see over 40 farms and 3 farmers markets to learn about where your food is coming from.  Without further ado, here are some links of interest this morning.

Madison County Hosts Open Farm Day (Syracuse.com) More details and a link to the passport are in this story.

Vernon Downs Opens $8.9 Million Expansion (Oneida Daily Dispatch) They may be located in Oneida County, but you can throw horse hair from the track into Madison County!  Congratulations to this state tax paying casino and hotel that employs hundreds of Central New Yorkers.

Cuomo: Chobani yogurt maker to expand, create 450 new jobs (Syracuse.com) Another cross-county link, but using the rising tide theory this is huge news for an area that has struggled to attract manufacturing jobs for ages. 

Tips to Avoid Heat Related Illness (Madison County Courier) If you are indulging your sense of adventure in Madison County this weekend, make sure you stay well hydrated.

The heat that has gripped the country is moving into the Northeast and it looks like we could approach 100 degrees tomorrow.  Sounds like the perfect time to find some shade of a nice park.  Beaches at Chapman Park and the park downtown in Cazenovia will be open for your water pleasure.  Now on to some news and notes from around the internet today.

The Mysterious Caves and Underground Waterfalls of CNY (Central NY Region) Chittenango Falls is featured in the latest travel story to come out of the Central New York region.

Oneida Indian Nation's film 'First Allies' to be filmed, produced locally (Oneida Daily Dispatch) A little Hollywood will come to Madison County as the Oneida Nation will fund a $10 million film about their role in the Revolutionary War. 

"First Allies" Casting Call July 25th (Oneida Daily Dispatch) You can audition for a role in the upcoming film!

Historic Properties Showcased: Exhibit Places Special Focus on New Woodstock (Madison County Courier) The area is full of wonderful historic buildings and this exhibit highlights many of them.

Greyrock Farm CSA Blog If you have ever wondered what goes into running a CSA, here is a great blog from Greyrock Farm near Chittenango.  It is a very interesting read.

Yesterday kicked off Madison County Buy Local Week, which is a week long effort to increase awareness about the abundance of local farms and foods that are available right here in Madison County. 
The event kicked off with the Fresh! Gala held on a dairy farm in Canastota.  There were better than 100 people in attendance and they were treated to a cornucopia of local foods, drinks and an awesome view of Oneida Lake and the "Great Swamp" area of Madison County. 
The food spread was spectacular and featured all locally raised products from the beef and lamb to the pesto, bread and mushrooms. No one should have walked away hungry. 
The week continues with the Taste of the County.  This week long event highlights six restaurants featuring a special local dish.  The menus and options can be found here.
The week will conclude on Saturday with Open Farm Day.  Forty farms and three farmers markets will participate in Open Farm Day this year. The farms will open their doors to the CNY community on Saturday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Farms will be offering samples, farm tours and rides, as well as animal interaction, and many farms will have farm stores or stands where you can purchase their products. Passports will be distributed the week of Open Farm Day in the Hi Neighbor, Mid-York Weekly, and Oneida Daily Dispatch newspapers. Passports will also be available for download at www.madisoncountyagriculture.com. All details, including maps and addresses, are posted on the website. And, you can follow Buy Local Week on Facebook, Twitter, and Flickr.

As Madison County Buy Local Week continues, it is time for our top of the line chefs to shine.  Six restaurants in the county will be featuring special locally made dishes for your enjoyment.  Here is a rundown of those local menus.  It will be hot, hot, hot this week so let someone else do the cooking for you.

Circa on Albany Street in Cazenovia will feature :

Local Tomato Jam Crostini
with herbed Meadowood bribis and crunchy frenched onions
Heritage Breed Pork Chop
with red currant compote, new potatoes, and green onion flan
Local Blueberry Compote
over Kimberly’s Vanilla Ice Cream with a Ginger Crisp


  The Colgate Inn on Payne Street in Hamilton:

Mosher Farm Sweet Corn Soup BBQ
Meadows Farm Kobe Short Ribs
with Three Onion Potato Hash and Sautéed Swiss Chard
Mosher Farm Berry Tart

The Copper Turret Restaurant and Tavern on West Main Street in Morrisville
Alambria Springs Fresh Farm Salad
with a creamy green garlic dressing
18 hour Short Rib of Beef
over fresh herb pappardelle pasta
Carrot Cake Ice Cream Sandwich
filled with in-house made cream cheese ice cream
Hunt Country Hunter Red wine

The Hamilton Inn on E. Lake Road in Hamilton
Baked Goat’s Milk Cheese with Garden Lettuces,
Roasted Figs, Pears, and Toasted Almonds
Bacon Wrapped Colby Meatloaf
set on Yukon Gold mashed potatoes
Mixed Berry Mascarpone Napoleon

Ye Olde Landmark Tavern on US Route 20 in Bouckville
Grilled Flatbread
fresh mozzarella, Shiitake mushrooms, arugula
Braised Drover Hill Farm Short Rib
over pickled red onion, crushed new potatoes
Frozen Raspberry Mousse
Fox Run Vineyards Cabernet Franc

Poolville Country Store on Earlville Road in Poolville
Smitty’s Market Farm Field Greens Salad
with “our own” wild blackberry vinaigrette
Pan Grilled Ingallside Meadows Sirloin Steak
with caramelized onion butter or
“Our Own” Herb Brined Pan Grilled Chicken Breast entrée served with roasted root vegetable medley from Common Threads
Homemade Berry Sorbet

Local Producers: Heamour Farm, Fruit of the Fungi, Drover Hill Farm, In-Beetween Farm, Mosher Farms, Alambria Springs, Stone Brook Farm, Gianforte Farm, Fresh Herbs of Fabious, Lively Run Farms, Meadows Farm, Common Thread, Kimberly’s Ice Cream, Smitty’s Market Farm, Ingallside Meadows Farm, Poolville Country Store, Copper Turret

It was a fairly busy weekend in Madison County with the kick off of Buy Local Week, the long running Lorenzo Driving Competition and everything else that we try to pack into a summer weekend here in Central New York State.  Here is a bit of the coverage of this past weekends events.  Enjoy!
The Story Behind Chittenango Creek's Catch and Release Fishing Section (Post Standard/Syracuse.com) Anglers noticed something different along an almost two-mile stretch of the world famous trout stream.  A new section was named catch and release only.

Fourth Annual Buy Local Week Kicks Off (YNN)
Buy Local Week on Today in Central NY (cnycentral.com)
Fresh! Gala Opens Madison County's Celebration of Agriculture (Post Standard/Syracuse.com) All of these stories focus on yesterday's Fresh! Gala and the upcoming Buy Local Week highlighting agriculture in Central New York and Madison County.

Horses, Drivers Compete at Lorenzo (Post Standard/Syracuse.com) This is a signature event for Equine Alley and it has been bringing visitors to Madison County and Cazenovia for over 30 years.

A Very Cool Picture of an old Rail Road Car Names "Chittenango Falls" Look into the discussion thread below the picture to learn about the car and rail road history in Upstate New York.
Dutch Girl Teams Up with the Imaginary Farmer (Madison County Courier) I love the headline as it sounds like the name of a book or something, but the story is a good story about small farmers working together to make their business work.

Morrisville State College Shows off Roadster at Syracuse Nationals (Oneida Daily Dispatch) The Syracuse Nationals is a big time summer event just 25 minutes from Madison County . This year Morrisville State students built and then raffled off a roadster to a lucky winner.

The annual Buy Local Week in Madison County kicks off this Sunday, July 17, at Monanfran Farm in Canastota, owned by Maurice and Amy Kelsey and family.  The event will be held from 2-6 p.m. and will feature local foods and live bluegrass music.

Dinner at the Fresh! Gala will be prepared by Serendipity Catering with foods supplied by over two dozen Madison County farms.  The meal will include a steamship of beef from Sidehill Beef, Meadowood Farm lamb kabobs, Maple Avenue Farms beef sliders, sausage from Drover Hill Farm and Ingallside Meadows Farm, Canaseraga Farm's fried green tomatoes, cheese from Dutch Girl Cheese and Jewett's Cheese house, and much much more.  Wine will be supplied by Owera Vineyards, beer from the Empire Brewing Company, hard cider from the Harvest Moon cidery at Critz Farm, hops lemonade from Foothill Hops Farm, and coffee and tea from Shapna. 

Wagon rides to the dairy barn will offer a first-hand glimpse at the dairy operation and the Kelsey’s prizewinning Holsteins.  A silent auction and raffle will also be included in the festivities.  More than 200 people attended the Fresh! Gala last year. 

Tickets for this year’s Gala can be purchased online at: http://madisoncountyagriculture.com/buylocalweek/?page_id=4 

 Taste of the County will be an ongoing event at 6 participating restaurants (Circa, the Colgate Inn, the Copper Turret, the Hamilton Inn, Ye Olde Landmark Tavern, and the Poolville Country Store) from Monday, July 18, through Saturday, July 23.  Menus are available on our website: www.madisoncountyagriculture.com

Forty farms and three farmers markets will participate in Open Farm Day this year. The farms will open their doors to the CNY community on Saturday, July 23, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.   Farms will be offering samples, farm tours and rides, as well as animal interaction, and many farms will have farm stores or stands where you can purchase their products.  Passports will be distributed the week of Open Farm Day in the Hi Neighbor, Mid-York Weekly, and Oneida Daily Dispatch newspapers.  Passports will also be available for download at www.madisoncountyagriculture.com/buylocalweek. All details, including maps and addresses, are posted on the website.  And, you can follow Buy Local Week on Facebook and Twitter.

Madison County Agricultural Economic Development (315-684-3001 x 125) is proud to announce this year’s sponsors of Buy Local Week:  Price Chopper Grocery Stores, Cazenovia Equipment, National Grid, Rosamond Gifford Foundation, Gorman Foundation, Central New York Community Foundation, Eastern Carolina-Vail, Farm Credit East, Farm Bureau, Empire Brewing Company, Owera Vineyards, Harvest Moon Cidery at Critz Farm, Shapna Tea & Coffee, Serendipity Catering, Off the Path Media, Madison County Tourism, CNYBounty.com, and Cornell Cooperative Extension of Madison County.

It's a day late because of the 4th of July holiday yesterday, so we will combine the Monday Morning recap with the Tuesday Things column.  It was a fantastic 4th of July here in Madison County with weather that was picture perfect.  Thousands enjoyed parades and fireworks in both Hamilton and Cazenovia yesterday.  Boaters were out on the lakes, grills were running all burners go and it just felt good to be an American.  Here is a trip around the internet and some of the fine things we found over the weekend.

Hundreds Celebrate America's Independence in Hamilton (Oneida Daily Dispatch) I'll argue with their numbers and say there were over 1,000 people lining the streets in perfect weather for the parade.

The Onion Satires the Boxing Hall of Fame (The Onion) You know you've made the mainstream when The Onion chooses to make fun of you!  Congratulations to the Boxing Hal of Fame.

Best Fishing Spots in Chittenango Creek (Guide to Fishing) A couple of SUNY ESF students talk about fishing Chittenango Creek.

Buy Local Week Begins July 17th (Oneida Dispatch) A week full of activities is planned.

Delectable Dairy at Red Gate (Oneida Dispatch) Part of their Buy Local Week series on local farms.

Fruit of the Fungi Grows Mushrooms (Oneida Dispatch) Another in their series on local farms.
Maple Avenue Farmers Farm Fundamentally (Oneida Dispatch) Caitlin Traynor profiles another local beef farm.
Cazenovia Fourth of July Races (9wsyr.com) 1100 runners participated in this year's races.

We really are blessed in Central New York to have great farmers and innovative entrepreneurs.  A lot of the time they are the same people. The incredible growth of what I like to call the "niche" farm here in Madison County over the past 5 years has been exciting.  Today I'll share some links from around the internet to stories about some of those farms and the unique things they do.  It's our way to salute the farmers, since we understand without farmers, there would be no food.

Our Farm to Offer Rhubarb Year Round (Cazenovia Republican) Jimmy and Janine Golub have long been some of our best innovators in agri-tourism.  Here they tell the story of their new Rhubarb product.

Drover Hill Farm Produces Natural Beef (Syracuse.com) It is an article from 2009, but William and Stephanie can be found all over CNY selling their beef to restaurants and at farmer's markets.

Brookfield Farmers Offer Some Off the Beaten Trail Comfort (Syracuse.com) Endless Trail Farms hosted last year's Fresh! Gala.  The Post Standard did a story about their farm and B&B.
Dairy Farmers Team up to Add Value with Butter (Lancaster Farming) Four Madison County Dairy Farms, including the host for the 2011 Fresh! Gala have teamed together to offer grass fed butter.

Cornell Hops Specialist on Tap to Promote New York Beer Production (Ithaca Journal) We've covered this before, but not from the Ithaca Journal.