MADISON CO., N.Y. — Since I moved here, I have been impressed by the amount of local food grown and sourced in the state of New York.  Not only am I new to Madison County, I’m also a newcomer to the northeast! I’m originally from Fort Worth, Texas, a city of almost a million people. Grocery stores in Fort Worth mainly consist of national chains and large food store conglomerates. Occasionally, you will find a small, locally owned grocery, but these are rare, especially when it comes to fresh produce. This is largely because Fort Worth is a city in a hot, dry climate with limited green space that often faces droughts and water usage restrictions. Most of the food where I am from is shipped in from other states and countries around the globe.

Something caught my eye when I visited Central New York for the first time: the beautiful rolling hills replete with farmland. From beef and dairy to flowers and vegetables, New York certainly isn’t lacking in the variety of local foods grown here. On top of that, there are so many people passionate about gardening and supporting local agriculture. Below, I have provided some of my favorite places to visit when I am on the hunt to buy local.

Driving across Madison County, you immediately notice the numerous farm stands where you can stop and pick up fresh produce on your way from here to there. There’s Lagoy Farms in Munnsville, Mosher’s in Bouckville, G&M Farms in Morrisville, Henry’s Farm Stand in Chittenango, and the list goes on!

Parry’s “modern day general store” in Hamilton, NY, offers entire aisles of locally sourced products. You can find Madison County brands such as Heartstone Bakery artisan bread, O’Mara Farms beef, Dizzy Lizzie’s products, Kriemhild Meadows butter, and many more! Nelson Farms Country Store and 20 East, both in Cazenovia, are two excellent places to shop local as well!

Farmers markets are my personal favorite way to buy local. Luckily, Madison County has a few that happen every weekend, and some that extend into the winter season.

• Village of Hamilton Farmers Market runs every Saturday from 8am-1pm until the end of October. But fear not! They will pick back up for their Indoor Winter Market at Parry’s in November on the first and third Saturday of each Month.
• The Cazenovia Market, running every Saturday from 9am-2pm, will also close out their outdoor market in late October, but will have a winter market the first and third Saturday of each month at the American Legion in Cazenovia beginning in November.
• The Cottage Lawn Farmers’ Market recently finished their Summer Markets, but has two upcoming markets on the first Tuesday in November and December from 2pm-6pm at Madison County Historical Society.
• CCE Madison County is hosting the Celebrate Madison Holiday Market at the Hampton Inn in Cazenovia on December 2nd from 9:00am-2:00pm, where you can buy a variety of handmade, local goods, perfect for holiday gift giving.

I encourage everyone to support our local farmers and artisans this fall.  Buying local improves our economy, helps the environment, and supports the longstanding farming tradition in Madison County. For more information on how and where to buy local, you can visit the Buy Madison website at https://www.buymadisoncountyny.com/ or visit the Local Foods Map on the CCE Madison County website here.

Sarah Rosenthal recently completed her Masters of Food Studies at Syracuse University and is the Agriculture Economic Development Manager at CCE Madison County. 

–Sarah Rosenthal
Cornell Cooperative Extension Madison County