Shelterbelt Farm, in Caroline (9 miles SE of Ithaca) is home to the Frenay/Modisher family and — cattle, sheep, chickens, geese, dogs, bees, fruit trees, and vegetables. Why are they a Sign of Sustainability? They farm with the goal of regenerating the health of the community and the land! They focus on building soil and plant diversity, by incorporating elements of silvopasture and agroforestry. Farm owner, Craig, applies his net-zero building design and construction skills at STREAM Collaborative architecture. Farm owner, Erica, supports beginning farmers via the Cornell Small Farms Program.

Nu Spice is an Ithaca-based, black-owned, woman-owned catering company, specializing in soul, southern and comfort food. NuSpice Catering was born in 2007, when Candace Foster followed her passion to share timeless family recipes with the community. Since then, Nu Spice Catering has fed hundreds of people at dozens of events — including Ithaca’s Taste of Soul event in 2019.

The Foodlink Community Cafe is an extension of Foodlink, a Rochester-based nonprofit dedicated to ending hunger and building healthier communities by addressing both the symptoms and root causes of food insecurity. The brand-new cafe is a “pay-what-you-can” nonprofit restaurant concept and offering healthy, delicious meals.

Elderberry Pond is a USDA Certified Organic Farm, fine dining restaurant, & country foods store. Stop by and enjoy dinner at the restaurant made of repurposed materials. It overlooks the orchards, vineyards and 36 acres of seasonal vegetable plantings. Their menu features fresh produce picked daily, pasture raised meats from the farm, organic & biodynamic…

Kal Awad and Sam Walker opened State Bakery and Smokehouse last July on Route 89 in the small Seneca County hamlet of Canoga. Even during a pandemic, it’s proven to be quite the hit! Some of their offerings include sourdough bread, breakfast sandwiches on biscuits, pastries (including Walker’s famous Cruffins – muffins made from croissant dough), crab pies and barbecue of all kinds — pulled pork, brisket, chicken and sausage.

Cornell has multiple maps that outline the eco-friendly features on every corner of campus. Check out the maps here!

Chef Mike Boise and winemaker Nancy Gable joined forces to create Salt of the Earth, a hip little joint in Union Springs (on the northeast side of Cayuga Lake).

Vaughn and Sue Sherman of Jerry Dell Farm have a mission to produce quality, fresh and local foods. They have been certified organic since 2000! Jerry Dell Farm Store, located at the Freeville location, offers certified organic produce (provided by Ithaca Organics), local free-range eggs, and their own Raw Milk Cheddar Cheese – as well as other Artisan raw milk cheeses from around the Finger Lakes.

How do they help the planet? Let us count the ways!

Cornell Small Farms Program is an offshoot of Cornell University’s College of Agriculture and Life Sciences (CALS). They have information GALORE for aspiring and current small farmers, gardeners, beekeepers, livestock producers, and more. Check out their upcoming workshop series on everything under the sun, with tiered pricing based on income level. Their newsletter is also packed with news, funding opportunities, events, and more! Subscribe to keep up with them and take advantage of these resources.

Schrader Farms Meat Market is a small meat processing facility and retail store in Romulus, NY. They’re your source for high quality, locally-grown meat and honest, reliable, and trustworthy service. Their beef and pork is naturally raised with no added hormones. They offer custom cuts, weights, and flavors. Visit their website to shop their beef, pork, chicken, and variety of specialty smoked products!

This Trumansburg cafe serves breakfast and lunch that is delicious, locally sourced, and farm-to-table! They offer takeout every weekend, and this weekend they’re featuring Down East Lobster Mac ‘n Cheese with a panko-parmesan crust. Visit their website to see their menu and place an order!

These friends make flours from from 100% locally-grown grape seeds and skins and process them at their mill in Hector, NY! Wine flour can be used to supplement flour in other recipes with flavor, color and nutrition. In addition to antioxidants, vitamins and minerals, each tablespoon adds two grams of protein and three grams of fiber. Visit their website to order some of their autumnal cupcakes (which can also be made to accommodate our gluten-free pals)! They’re selling out quick!

Vonnie’s Kitchen is a Black-Owned, Woman-Owned, Food-To-Go business that offers delicious Caribbean and Dominican-style dinners every Saturday, with plant-based options! Owner, Vonnie, moved here from the Bronx and is a single mom trying to put herself through school. Let’s help her find success in Ithaca! Order by Thursday via her website for pick-up or delivery Saturday.

This Ithaca 501(c)(3) nonprofit introduces plant-based foods and nutrition education in schools through interactive classroom visits, after-school cooking classes, and more! They also focus on exercise, kindness to animals, and intersectional issues, like race and the environment. Their goal is to educate entire school communities; not just students, but also parents, teachers, paraprofessionals, administrators, and food service personnel. Visit their website to learn about this organization and for policy updates on this cause!

These friends support animal rights and the vegan ethic in the Rochester area by educating the public about specific animal issues, raising awareness of and expressing dissent against examples of exploitation and abuse, and advocating for more compassion. Visit their Facebook page to learn how you can get involved!

These folks are sustainability superstars! They’ve super-insulated all of the production, storage, and retail buildings, and have installed efficient lighting throughout their facilities. They also had a geothermal heating/cooling system installed and a 348-panel solar system. These improvements allowed them to reduce their carbon impact by nearly half! They’ve also got 24 acres of land that are certified organic and soil that uses compost and poultry manure only. Bravo, Hunt Country Vineyards! Be sure to check out their website for info on the vineyard and upcoming Nature Workshops.

It’s a CSA, but different! Small World Food offers the widest variety of local, organic food in Rochester with crazy flexibility — No more worries about missing a week or whether you’re actually going to eat everything in your CSA box. With their CSA Share Debit Card, you’ll get exactly what you want, exactly when you want it, and can choose from multiple local farmers to support every week. In addition to produce, they offer jam, honey, maple syrup, juice, pasture raised meat & eggs, granola, dairy products, fermented veggies and MORE (including these spooky loaves of bread 👻 )!…

A place for free meals, hospitality, companionship and advocacy for those in need, regardless of their faith, beliefs, or circumstances. Want to give? Loaves & Fishes is still accepting food donations and volunteers with increased safety protocols. Want to receive? In response to COVID-19, free fresh meals will be packaged to-go and served outside in front of St. John’s Episcopal Church, 210 N. Cayuga St.

Iron Flamingo Brewery in Corning, NY supports local businesses by allowing food to be ordered in from other restaurants 😱, and sourcing their hops and malt from local farmers. They earn extra points from us by proudly using solar power for the brewing process! 👍 Visit their Events page to see what food trucks will be there this week, and head over to enjoy 16 brews on tap and a rockin’ beergarden! You can also head over to their website to browse their beer menu and learn more about them.

This “spirited cookery” & cocktail bar in Geneva features seasonal & local foods. Cherish the fall weather and sit on their beautiful back patio for dinner on Mondays and get an additional pre fixe menu (ooh-la-la), or on Sunday for brunch; Or any other day! They’re open 7 days a week for dine-in and take-out. Visit their Facebook page or their website to check out their menu and learn more about them.

A small vegetable farm in Hector, NY using organic growing methods; CSA members can pick up their veggies at farmers markets in Corning and Elmira, or pick up straight from the farm. Is a weekly share too much? They have alternative options too! AND, they just won a grant through our very own Finger Lakes Climate Fund! Congrats to Muddy Fingers!

Celebrate the weekend with East Side Market! Enjoy products from area farmers and craft vendors including fresh local produce, maple syrup, cheese AND live music. Now through October 11th. Eastside Market is now also offering pre-orders for those who don’t wish to enter the market at this time. Place your order online, and pick up your items on Friday afternoon. Visit their Facebook page to learn more ✨

Overlooking beautiful Keuka Lake is Heron Hill Winery (with additional tasting rooms in Himrod and Cananadaigua). Not only do they offer delicious wines, but these sustainable folks also grow their grapes without chemical fertilizers 🙅‍♀️, herbicides 🙅, or pesticides 🙅‍♂️. AND, they use cultivation practices that protect soil 🌱, support biodiversity 🐛, and reduce the need for irrigation 💧 Visit their Facebook page to book a tasting!

This hoppin’ farm and craft market, nestled between Seneca and Keuka Lake has been around since the 80’s and has grown to be 200 (TWO-HUNDRED 🤯) shops. What you can do there: enjoy a hearty breakfast 🥞, buy fresh, local produce 🍒, check out the shops 👜, see a free show 🎭, and relax at lunch in the mini-pine tree forest! 🌲👨‍👨‍👧‍👧🥪🌲 Check out their Facebook page to see cute pictures of all the great things they have to offer!

Beak & Skiff Apple Orchards in Lafayette, NY (between Cortland and Syracuse) has been growing apples for over 100 years. Like 1911 Cider? 🍻 It’s made from their apples!!!! 🤩 They’ve also got apple picking starting on August 27th 🥳; a great social-distancing-friendly activity made safer by COVID guidelines put in place to protect you. Visit their Facebook page to learn more. 😊

The Finger Lakes Most Awarded Craft Brewery! This old dairy barn in Geneva has been equipped with two tap rooms for tastings and pints. They’ve reopened Thursday – Sunday with an abbreviated food menu on Saturday and Sunday. They’ve also got tons of bands coming this month; Check out their event page to peruse the…

Develop your green thumb during quarantine! Fruition Seeds has you covered with 300 varieties of certified organic vegetables, herbs & flowers to surround you with beauty & abundance. They also select varieties for early maturity, productivity & disease resistance here in the short seasons of the Northeast so you & your garden will thrive in every season. They’ve even got a “Plant Now! Guide” (like this one for the month of April) to set you up for success. Check it out! 🌱🍅🌽🥦🌺🌼✨

Windsong Farm raises grass-fed and grass-finished beef and lamb, and makes excellent fleeces, sheepskins and an array of wool products. They also produce pastured chicken and duck eggs, duck and fruit jams and jellies. They are another one of the approved vendors this season at the Ithaca Farmers Market, and you can even order online ahead of time and pick up there! For more info, visit their website.

Love the idea of eating locally-grown fruits and veggies? Want to support your local farmers and local economy? Don’t know where to begin? buylocalfoodny.org, a project of Cornell Cooperative Extension of Tompkins County, is a great place to start. There you’ll find a directory of places to find local food, tips for saving money, and much more. A wonderful resource to take advantage of, for those new to buying local and all you seasoned buyers!

Crow and Owl Farm is a farm startup on White Hawk Ecovillage in Danby. Farm-owner, Steve Woinoski, is currently prepping fields for hazelnuts and berries. He’s also a member of the New York Tree Crops Alliance (NYTCA), which is a small group of tree farmers from Tompkins County and the surrounding areas who helped to make Steve’s dream a reality! Read more about Steve’s journey and NYTCA here!

Wellspring Forest Farm & School has a vision that humanity learns to see the forest as a valuable, productive space, forming relationships based on an intimate way of knowing and rooted in participatory action. Through mentoring students, they transform the eastern temperate forest into a productive and diverse ecosystem for generations to come. Take a class, order some mushrooms, or stay at their fun yurt Air BnB! For more info, visit their website.

VINES is an organization that establishes community gardens, urban agriculture and community green spaces with a focus on empowering community members of all ages and abilities. Programs include:- a community garden program- the Binghamton Urban Farm (BUF)- Grow Binghamton (a summer youth employment program)- the Green Thumb Educational Workshop Series- the Binghamton Farm Share program (Farm Share)- a community garden program – the Binghamton Urban Farm (BUF) – Grow Binghamton (a summer youth employment program) – the Green Thumb Educational Workshop Series – the Binghamton Farm Share program (Farm Share)

STEPS is a neighborhood health improvement project for southern Seneca County, New York, specifically Covert, Lodi, Ovid and Romulus, with a mission to strengthen families, address challenges that are part of rural life, grow a sustainable regional economy, cultivate leadership, encourage initiative, and foster respect for all. They offer cooking classes, herbalism classes, and all things of the sort! For more info, visit their website.

The Groundswell Center for Local Food & Farming strives to make local ecologically-sound farming opportunities and food more accessible to people of all demographics, through an array of educational programs. Their core values include regenerative agriculture, relationship building, equity and justice, land reparations and reconciliation. Check out their workshops, discussion groups, and other events!

Edible Acres is a permaculture nursery and forest farm research space in Trumansburg, NY focused on low and no tech solutions. Edible Acres can help your garden vision come to life! They provide I wide array of plant stock and offer land management and consultation services.

Blue Spoon Farm, of Groton, NY, raises goats, sheep, geese, turkey, and chickens on 16 acres of flat open pasture land. They are building a diverse and sustainable farm by……- using permaculture principles and holistic management practices- not using chemical pesticides or fungicides on our vegetables or in animal feeds- buying feeds from local farmers- treating animals humanely- practicing rotational grazing – striving for all of hay to be produced on the farm, or locally, and organically- powering their farm with solar energy!!!!!!

Located in the parking lot across from Curley’s Restaurant, from 7 AM – 2 PM on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays, June through October. Stop by Auburn Farmer’s Co-op Market for some fresh strawberries, local produce, baked goods, jams & jellies, and more!

Bringing you wine country in the city, just 4 miles from the heart of Syracuse, Greenwood is farm-to-table! Check out their kitchen garden, where they produce herbs, tomatoes, and other local produce to enhance their one-of-a-kind recipes or take a look at their vineyard, vegetable and herb gardens, winery, tasting room, event area or bistro!

The Bath Farmer’s Market features fresh vegetables, cheese, farm fresh eggs, pastured meats and poultry, local honey, granola, fresh local seafood, just made baked goods, homemade soups, locally roasted coffee, hand spun wool, unique gifts and more! Open YEAR ROUND rain or shine on Saturdays 8:30am – 12:00pm (May – October) 9:00am – 12:00pm (November – April) At Pulteney Square (the Waterfront) in Bath, NY. 

Last year, Crooked Carrot was bought by Headwater Food Hub. Headwater Food Hub works collaboratively with a network of regional farmers and food producers to coordinate a Good Food System that delivers top-quality, sustainable foods year-round. For Customer Partners, they provide a one-stop-shop for this area’s best produce, meat, dairy, and value-added goods. For Farmer and Food Producer Partners, they provide a consistent, large, and fair market for their products.

Looking for quality whole-grain flour? Want to support local business? Look no further! Farmer Ground Flour is made from grain grown in the Finger Lakes region, through a series of beautiful pink granite millstones, designed to keep the nutritional integrity of the grain intact. In Ithaca, you can purchase FGF at Greenstar, Hometown Markets, Ithaca Coffee Co., The Piggery, and Wegman’s.

Located in Willseyville, NY, Double E Forest Farm produces shiitake and oyster mushrooms on hardwood logs. The wood used is selected and cut from over 70 wooded acres using sustainable forestry practices. All mushrooms are cultivated using natural and organic methods. Mushrooms, ramps and fiddlesticks are sold by CSA through Full Plate Farm Collective and direct order.

2 Kids Goat Farm milks their goats and cows daily to produce a variety of fresh and aged cheeses from their rich creamy milk, alternating between goat and cow milk depending on the time of year, to make sure everyone gets a break. They also make their own goat milk soaps, lotions, and lip balms and support the local economy by selling products to local retailers and restaurants. For more info, visit their website.