Cooperstown Tourism: Pride of New York – NYC Winter Jam

New Yorkers Invited to Warm Up with New York Food & Beverages.  New York State Agriculture Commissioner Patrick Hooker today announced that fifteen New York farmers and food companies will showcase their locally grown and produced foods and beverages at the 4th Annual New York City Winter Jam this Saturday, February 7, 2009.   From 11:00 am to 4:00 pm in New York City’s East River Park in Manhattan, “Pride of New York” branded foods and beverages will be served in a heated “Warming Hut” and an outdoor farmers’ market.

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The free outdoor family event, hosted by the New York City Department of Parks and Recreation, celebrates winter in New York with world-class snowboarding and winter sports demonstrations, I Love New York winter tourism information, and a sampling of Pride of New York foods and beverages. 

“Branded with the Pride of New York logo for easy identification by consumers, Winter Jam will introduce thousands of New Yorkers to a variety of foods and beverages made in New York and on New York farms,” the Commissioner said.  “We are pleased to once again join this annual winter festival, exposing city residents to the elements of Upstate in both fun and food.  Please join us in the Warming Hut where you can enjoy a hot cup of New York apple cider and taste other delicious locally produced foods and beverages.”

Attendees of Winter Jam can escape the cold in the Pride of New York Warming Hut.  Inside the heated tent, visitors can register for a chance to win a Pride of New York gift basket from Allens Hill Farm (Ontario County), Cooperstown Cookies (Otsego County), Fly Creek Cider Mill (Otsego County), Nelson Farms (Madison County), Keuka Lake Coffee Roasters (Yates County) and other New York farms and businesses. Visitors can also taste first-hand the following products from Pride of New York members from across the State.  The products include:

·       Hot apple cider from Red Jacket Orchards (Ontario County)
·       Cheddar cheese from McCadam Cheese (Franklin County)
·       Empire apples from the New York Apple Association (Monroe County)
·       Maple sugar candies from Pure Catskills/Watershed Agriculture Council (Delaware County)
·       Kefir smoothies from Mountainside Farms/Evolve (Delaware County)
·       Fresh apple slices from Champlain Valley Specialties/Grab Apples (Clinton County)
·       Greek yogurt from Agro-Farma/Chobani (Chenango County)
·       Concord grape juice from Growers’ Co-op Grape Juice Co. and Welch’s (Chautauqua County)
·       Soy milk and soy puddings from ZenSoy (Erie County)
·       Potato chips from Martin Sidor Farms/North Fork Potato Chips (Suffolk County)

Winter Jam will also feature a Pride of New York Farmers’ Market next to the Warming Hut, where attendees can purchase New York State products directly from growers and producers. The local products that will be available for sale include:

·       Apple juice and fruit juice blends from Red Jacket Orchards (Ontario County)
·       Maple and honey products from Remsburger Maple (Dutchess County)
·       Baked goods from Horn of Plenty/Meredith’s (Ulster County)
·       Potato chips from Martin Sidor Farms/North Fork Potato Chips (Suffolk County)

The Pride of New York is the State’s marketing and promotion program that generates interest and demand for New York food and agricultural products. The Program helps farmers and food processors brand their products with the Pride of New York emblem, and encourages retailers, restaurants, and distributors to highlight the New York State products they use and sell by displaying the emblem.

More information about New York City’s Winter Jam in East River Park is available at www.nycgovparks.org/sub_things_to_do/events/winterjam/.  More information on Pride of New York can be found by calling 1-800-554-4501 or visiting www.prideofny.com.

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Cooperstown Pumpkinfest 2008 Pictures

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Buy Torchon at Fly Creek Cider Mill

A foie gras aficionado’s dream, Au Torchon is a traditional ancient preparation. Fresh foie gras is seasoned with salt and pepper and marinated in Sauternes wine. Once the flavors are infused, the foie gras, tightly wrapped in a towel, is delicately poached in duck consomme. It is one of the most unadulterated foie gras preparations possible. Sliced into perfect rounds, the torchon is perfectly served with crusty French bread or petite toasts.

 

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Wassailing Weekends Continue at Fly Creek Cider Mill

Steeped in tradition and legend, wassail dates from the 1300’s when sharing a pot of holiday wassail was a community event. The word evolved from the Old English “waes hael” meaning good health. It was the custom to drink and shout again “Waes Hael!” before passing the bowl on to the next eager participant. Wassailing became a tradition as carolers carried bowls of hot wassail for good health, refilling them from neighbor’s own simmering pots of wassail.

It is this celebration of friends and holiday spirit that prompts the Fly Creek Cider Mill to feature wassail and its preparation. “Wassail is a great use of our award-winning cider for experiencing the traditions of the past during the hectic holiday season,” states Mill co-owner Brenda Michaels. Mill visitors learn how to prepare wassail several different ways with a variety of different pre-mixed spice blends. Available too, are wassail gift mixes, a good way to spread holiday cheer with friends and family.

Cider will be available every day from 9:00 – 6:00 until the Mill closes for the season December 21st. The Mill will re-open for its 153rd season on April 3rd, 2008. Click here for a complete list of holiday events and money-saving coupons visit the Fly Creek Cider Mill website.

Our favorite Holiday Wassail recipe: Holiday Wassail/Hot Mulled Fly Creek Cider

• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• dash or two of nutmeg
• 1 tsp. Whole Cloves*
• 3 inch cinnamon stick*
• 1 tsp. Whole Allspice*
• 1/2 Gallon Fly Creek Cider

Combine Fly Creek Cider Mill CIDER and all ingredients in a large saucepan or crock pot. Slowly bring to a boil. Cover and simmer 20 minutes. Remove spices. Drop orange and apple slices on top. Simple, easy and delicious! Serves 8 people.

*available as a pre-prepared mix in bulk or teabag form from the Mill or its on-line store at http://www.flycreekcidermill.com.

For a complete history of Wassail follow this link to Colonial Williamsburg.

 

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Arlyn Belden Receives 2008 Service Recognition Award

2008 Service Recognition Winner

Fly Creek, NY – The Fly Creek Cider Mill & Orchard awarded their 2008 Service Recognition Award to team member Arlyn Belden of West Edmeston at the annual Team Recognition Banquet held at Portabello’s Restaurant in Fly Creek. Some 65 team members and guests enjoyed a delicious buffet created by the Kantor family and sponsored in-part by Maines Foodservice. They celebrated a successful 152nd season and recognized one another with individual, often humorous, memories of the year.

The evening highlight was the award presentation to Belden. This annual award recognizes a team member’s dedication to the Michaels family and fellow team members and making the Mill a fun place to work. Arlyn was nominated by team leaders and past award winners for her positive attitude and infectious smile. She is eager to help in every area of the Mill and does so without hesitation. “Arlyn is flexible in scheduling and is always willing to fill in at short notice. She is a pleasure to work with and is helpful to anyone with a question,” said Lin Molloy, the Mill’s Personnel and Inventory Leader.

The Fly Creek Cider Mill, located just 3 miles from Cooperstown and 24 miles south of Herkimer, is open daily 9 – 6 through December 21. Wassailing Weekends and an upcoming Gift Basketing Workshop on December 6 & 7 will round out this year’s events. Opening day for 2009 is set for April 3rd. The Mill’s on-line store is open all year. For more information on these and other events visit the Mill’s website at http://www.flycreekcidermill.com.

Image Attached:

1. Arlyn Belden with past award winners (L-R) Meghan Bouton, Sondra Croft, Anthony Scarfuto, Nancy Strongreen and Ann Clinton.

• Click For More Information

 

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New store added to Canastota alpaca farm

From the Oneida Daily Dispatch: CANASTOTA — At BMR Acres, it’s all about the “alpaca lifestyle.” That is why Brian and Mary Ellen Rose, of 2542 Pine Ridge Road, now have five of them, in addition to other animals, and have opened a farm store that features alpaca-related products, including hats, gloves, scarves and other products made from alpaca fiber.

Opening the store is one small part of the business plan that the Roses created when they first purchased the 23.5 acre plot of land that they live on in Canastota, which was vacant and had been used as farmland many years before.

In time, it is the Roses’ goal to create an agri-tourism destination in Central New York for people from this area and other areas to visit for a couple of days at a time. Already, Brian said that he’d like families to feel free to bring children to visit with the animals, which include the alpacas along with one guard llama, miniature donkeys, chickens, ducks and guinea fowl. Brian said that expansions are happening little by little. View the Full Article

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The Apple of Your Eyes, Heart and Brain

There are dozens of reasons why an apple a day keeps the doctor away. By: Kimberly Mickenberg

It´s hard to reconcile all the advice you get when young. “Look before you leap” contradicts “He who hesitates is lost.” But some adages, like “An apple a day keeps the doctor away,” have hung around for a good reason. It turns out that six ounces of daily prevention—notably in the form of a crisp apple—do yield a pound of cure. And more.

At the core of the apple´s impact on health is its ability to prevent metabolic syndrome and the cardiovascular dysregulation that accompanies it—blood-fat disorders such as hypercholesterolemia and triglyceridemia, plaque buildup in arteries, high blood pressure, insulin resistance or glucose intolerance, and the frank risks of heart attack or stroke. View the full article (PDF)

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Cooperstown Dreams Park

Since 1996 ten to twelve year old boys and girls, came to Cooperstown Dreams Park, in Cooperstown New York, to play in the most celebrated baseball town in history. They play the National Invitational Tournament and are inducted into the American Youth Baseball Hall of Fame to honor their baseball achievements. Just like the major league players they get a ring and are then made Cooperstown Dreams Park Little Majors.

The Dreams Park gives young boys the feeling that they are in the major’s and will certainly be a lifelong memory for them. Their photo is placed on the Commemorative Induction Plaque and placed on the walls of the American Youth Baseball Hall of Fame. They can visit the park with their sons, daughters and grandchildren and always remain a member of the Baseball Hall of Fame.

The Dreams Park curator and staff are collecting home run and no-hitter balls, uniforms, banners, hats, bats, and all other important pieces that tell the story of Cooperstown Dreams Park. In the near future Dreams Park alums will be able to return to Cooperstown to see themselves and their teammates immortalized on the walls of the museum gallery.

Brian Smith, President of the Beaver Valley Baseball Club said, “…because of Cooperstown Dream Park, my club has grown to heights that I can not believe. Next year we are sending two twelve year old teams, and a ten year old team to your park. Our club has become known as the elite club in Pennsylvania, and we owe this to your great establishment…”

Patricia Myers, President Ambler Youth Association commented, “We all looked at each other with tears in our eyes knowing what we had just accomplished and had the best group hug that I ever experienced. That’s what it is all about. Your dream has impacted the lives of many and for that, you should be very proud. We look forward to next year.”

Summarized from the Dreams Park Website: The mission of the Cooperstown Dreams Park is to provide a cultural and life enriching experience for young boys and girls who love the game. They visit the Village of Cooperstown and play in the legendary home of baseball. They meet and play against their peers from around the country and the world. They reach within themselves to fulfill their ultimate dream. Visit the Cooperstown Dreams Park Website – View Map of Hotels Near Dreams Park

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New Cancer Coach Bus Will Make Getting Screenings Easier

The Fly Creek Cider Mill is proud to have participated in the fund raising for the newly launched Cancer Coach. Big Squeeze weekend was created in the hope that all women take advantage of the convenient way to get their screening. Early detection is what saves lives. We will have the coach on site and be squeezing next October.

COOPERSTOWN, N.Y.(WKTV) – Cancer screenings can help detect the disease at its earliest stages, but some people have a hard time accessing the screenings. Now, the Bassett Cancer Institute is putting a new mobile cancer screening coach on the road to travel through the 8 counties Bassett serves. The coach will be loaded with the latest, high-tech diagnostic technology. View the Video at WKTV.com

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Pride of New York Harvest Fest Success

From Carlo DeVito’s East Coast Wineries: The Pride of New York Harvest Festival at the Desomond Hotel in Albany, New York was a wonderufl success. Many celebs of the New York wine world were seen walking the floor, including Hunt Country’s Art Hunt, Fox Run’s Scott Osborn, Matt Spacarelli of Benmarl, Chris Reno of Lafayette Reaneau, and many other winery owners and winemakers, as well as scurrying sales staffs. View the Full Post

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