County. This region is so rich with cultural and agricultural assets that it’s easy to get caught-up in the towns where we live and work. That’s a mistake. To say that I, a woman who has lived the majority of her life living in America’s concrete jungles, was taken by the beauty and allure of what I saw on my Washington
County tour would be an understatement. I almost thought of trading in my home in Washington to buy a little country cottage (read here if you don’t know how those work). I decided to wait on it and see how I felt later on, it is just over a year since my last move!
As we drove to our first stop, Teri explained to me the work that ASA does to safeguard the future of the farming communities of New York’s Rensselaer and Washington Counties. With the help of ASA, farm owners are able to conserve their land, which permanently protects it from development, and ensures that future generations can continue to enjoy the local agricultural traditions, landscapes, and products. The importance of this work was driven home as I watched the stunning vistas pass by through the car window.
We arrived at our first stop, the brand-new Bunker Hill Organic Creamery. We were welcomed by the sounds of nearby goats who wanted to make sure we came and said hello. After making their acquaintance, Teri brought me to the cow barn. The cows here eat and roam at their leisure. Teri showed me some of the equipment needed for the cows, such as a cattle headlock feeder and hay bales. It was really interesting to see. Thanks to two DeLaval robotic milking machines, the cows also milk at their leisure. These magical machines are able to identify the cow (so they aren’t being milked too often), sense the teats and milk the cow without aid of a human. That gives a level of freedom to the cow and to the farmer, who can use that time for other tasks around the farm. It’s a truly incredible system. As Teri told me, happy cows make the best milk. We’ll all be able to test that theory when Bunker Hill finishes their bottling building and are able to start selling their milk. They will be the only farm in Washington County to sell organic milk with the cream on top. In the meantime, they sell organic beef and pork in their shop.
Our next stop was at Gardenworks Farm, owned by third-generation farmer, Meg McEachron Southerland. What was originally a poultry farm started by her grandfather, now boasts endless fields of raspberries, blueberries, flowers, pumpkins, and more. This farm used quality commercial LED grow lights for indoor growing, and you could tell! The fruits and vegetables that were growing under the lights looked so delicious! I learnt about the benefits of growing crops indoors compared to outdoors and why LED lights are so effective. One could easily spend a whole day here. Start your day picking blueberries and raspberries. Then enjoy a delicious lunch prepared with locally-sourced ingredients in their café, followed by a tour of the art and antique farm and ranch equipment on display. Finish with some shopping in their market that sells everything from local meats, cheeses and veggies to jewelry to beautiful dried flowers that Meg dries on-site. There’s even a B&B on the property if you just can’t bring yourself to go home… and I wouldn’t blame you. I could have easily spent a lot more time here.
But leave we did and headed to our third stop, Lavenlair Farm. Row after row ofmagnificent lavender plants await you as you pull onto the property. It’s hard to feel anything but relaxed here. Between the photo-worthy scenery and the fragrant lavender, Lavenlair Farm is a peaceful retreat from the bustle of daily life.
As soon as I stepped out of the car, I could feel the calm spreading over me. There is even a 100ft diameter, lavender planted, Petit-Chartres labyrinth – “Lavenrinth” – for meditative strolling. The on-site shop sells a variety of lavender items giving visitors the opportunity to take the Zen vibe home with them. Note: There are bee hives on the farm, so they caution visitors to not wear bright colors or wear strong perfumes.
Our last stop was Hicks Orchard and Slyboro Ciderhouse. We were fortunate to enough to have owner, Dan Wilson, spend some time with us and share his thoughts on the future of cider. As New York’s oldest U-Pick apple orchard, starting a ciderhouse was a natural addition to the farm. They make all their cider on-property and have a charming tasting room where you can sample them and take your favorites home with you. Dan sees a huge future in the evolution of cider, and is planting new and unusual varieties of apples at Hicks in an effort to develop complex ciders. Because cider uses a similar fermenting process as wine and pairs well with food, he doesn’t see why cider couldn’t become an everyday drink as well. I think he may be on to something big here.
Driving back to ASA, I was struck by the abundance and beauty I had seen and then by the realization that I had barely scratched the surface of what Washington County has to offer. I will definitely be making a point of coming back and discovering more. This City Girl has a future spending quality time in the country.
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Do not miss the opportunity to experience these wonderful places for yourself. Buy your ticket for the ACE Washington County Farm Tour and get your own inside look at what makes each of these places unique.
In addition to these four farms, the tour starts and stops at Hubbard Hall where you can start the day at the Farmer’s Market and end it with a beer at Argyle Brewing (opening especially for this tour) and conversation with WAMC’s Joe Donahue. A tour of Hubbard Hall by Executive & Artistic Director David Snider will available as well.
Tickets are $55 each and include transportation on a chartered, air-conditioned bus to all tour stops, tour/entrance fees, cider tasting and a custom tote bag for transporting all your goodies.
Tour date: July 15, 2018
Time: 12pm – 6pm
Purchase tickets and get additional details at: upstatecreative.org
Partners:
Agricultural Stewardship Association
Washington County Tourism
Hudson Valley Agribusiness Development Corporation
Gold Sponsor:
Workforce Development Institute
Silver Sponsor:
Nordlys Foundation
Bronze Sponsor:
Glens Falls National Bank and Trust Company
Special thanks to Salem Farm Supply for their generous support.[/cs_text][x_feature_box title=”Guest post by Rachel Dunn, Marketing Consultant & Strategist” title_color=”” text_color=”” graphic=”image” graphic_size=”100px” graphic_shape=”square” graphic_color=”#ffffff” graphic_bg_color=”#2ecc71″ align_h=”left” align_v=”top” side_graphic_spacing=”20px” max_width=”none” graphic_image=”https://fecfe2.p3cdn1.secureserver.net/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/Headshotish.jpeg”]Rachel Dunn is a freelance Marketing Consultant & Strategist, who has spent 20+ years thinking about how to sell other people’s stuff. She is a recent transplant to Saratoga Springs from Florida, and enjoys exploring her new surroundings, provided it’s not too cold outside.[/x_feature_box][rev_slider citygirlgoescountry-rachel][/cs_column][/cs_row][/cs_section][/cs_content]