‘Making Food Matter Together’

From Scratch Club is a small group of women, living within the Capital Region (Albany, Troy, Schenectady, Saratoga Springs) striving for a sustained connection to their kitchens,  gardens and communities by being advocates for local food, farming and home cooking.  They host two food swaps a month and participate in various out reach events where they demonstrate cooking techniques and food projects in hopes of advocating home cooking and creating.  They also stream pod casts and host DIY Food Projects & Cooking School through the FSC Academy.  On their blog they share stories, recipes, DIY projects, homesteading tutorials, kitchen tips and food policy news in hopes of inspiring people to jump back into the kitchen, their gardens and communities as a daily way of life regardless of income, space and time.

Come check out their demonstration booth at the 4th Annual Local Harvest Festival.  Please see below their demo schedule for the day:

From Scratch Club’s FSC Academy Mini Lessons

12:30: Dairy: Butter & Compound Butter
1:30pm DIY Project: 2-3 Simple Edible Gifts
2:30pm Fermentation: Learn the Basic Principles!
3:30pm Food Preservation: What to Do with Your Vegetable Scraps!

 Divinitea

In November of 1997, Linda Smith and Cary Berliner, started a small organic tea company dedicated to the principles of organic farming, fair trade, and healing the planet through environmental and social consciousness.  They create all of their tea blends with the mission of creating world peace one cup at a time.  Their teas are blended using only the finest Certified Organic and Biodynamic teas, herbs and spices gathered from around the world. They strive to create the tastiest, purest and freshest teas and herbal infusions.   All of their blends are made to order in small batches and are all unconditionally guaranteed.  When they first opened shop they sold only four blends, now they offer 300 different flavors of tea!  Pumpkin Spice, Coconut, Moroccan Mint, Pear Green, and Vanilla Chai are just a few of the many blends they offer.  Stop by and see for yourself!

Have you seen this truck rolling around?  Bettie’s Cakes Double Decker Bus has been turning heads in the Capital Region since December of 2009.  This is just one of the many locations you can find her famous cupcakes.  With three store locations and two mobile markets serving the Capital District, Bettie is serving up creative flavors of cupcakes that range from Sweet Caramel Mocha to Classic Vanilla Cake with butter cream frosting.  Each unique cupcake is baked with the most natural, fresh ingredients to ensure that every bite is delicious!  Stop by Bettie’s double decker bus at Honest Weight Food Coop’s Local Harvest Festival in Washington Park on September 23rd where you will be sure to find a flavor that you like.  Your taste buds will thank you!

Have you all heard about the coolest after-school youth program in the Capital District?! The Produce Project, a program of Capital District Community Gardens, is a year-round job training program that increases employment and educational opportunity for youth from Troy High School.  Students are employed year round to operate a 2.5 acre, urban, organic-produce farm under the supervision of CDCG’s staff.  Students cultivate greenhouse and outdoor crops.  Tomatoes, kale, eggplant, and peppers are just a few of the crops they currently have available.  Stop by the Local Harvest Festival on September 23rd to meet some of the area’s youngest farmers and see what they have been growing in Troy, NY.

Photo take at 8th Street Garden Location in Troy, NY

“min·gle [ming-guhl] v. : to mix, to blend, to unite…is our approach to life.”

Yup, that pretty much sums it up… although it excludes the words, “absolutely delicious!”

Mingle has been a very welcome addition to the Capital Region’s growing restaurant scene. Working as a chef for over twenty years, Chef Un-Hui ‘s signature flavors have been found at some great local restaurants including the Ginger Man, Sage Bistro and Avenue A.

Now in her own kitchen, the family owned-and-operated restaurant on Delaware Avenue has created an ethnically diverse menu that incorporates spices & bold flavors from around the world.

In addition to making delicious dishes, Mingle has shown that they are proud of their local community, partnering with local businesses in the Delaware Avenue district. They also have recently begun sourcing all of their produce through local farms via the Honest Weight Food Co-op and even give a little extra love to Co-op members.

Go Mingle!

Jose was nice enough to share their menu for the Local Harvest Festival, stop by to taste their amazing flavors….

Vegan  Chap Chae: Korean sweet potato noodles tossed with tofu & marinated in sesame oil and soy. Our Chap Chae is sautéed with shiitake mushrooms, zucchini, carrots, red peppers and spinach. Finished with toasted sesame seeds and scallions.

Spicy Vegan Chili: Hearty blend of portabella mushrooms, kidney beans, red bell peppers, carrots, celery, yellow onions and zucchini. A favorite of carnivores and  herbivores alike.

Chicken and Spinach Mac: Chef’s take on a classic.  A rich and creamy blend of 5 cheeses (ricotta, cheddar, swiss, provolone, fontina), julienned chicken breast, spinach, bow tie pasta and our house-made marinara.

Cookies, brownies, and scones oh my!  Bake For You is an artisan bakery that specializes in making small to order batches to ensure maximum freshness. All Bake For You items are made with organic sugar, flour, free-range eggs and Vermont butter,  striving to use local ingredients whenever possible.  They offer a wide range of baked deliciousness for all to enjoy including their signature White Chocolate Chip Craisin Cookies (a must try!), Earl Grey Brownies, Cheddar and Thyme Scones, and Blondie Bars.  Not only do they taste great but they are packaged to impress!  Feeling tempted?  Well you should be!  Visit their booth at the Local Harvest Festival to see what your new favorite treat will be.

3 Chicks and a P is a family run business out of Schenectady, NY that specializes in homemade hummus.  They use locally grown herbs and freshly squeezed lemon juice in all of their recipes.  They also source their packaging materials from an area supplier.  Their signature flavors are Garlic Breath and Italian Herb, each week they offer an additional flavor.  In the past the flavor of the week has been Roasted Red Pepper, Sun Dried Tomato and Roasted Pine Nut, Jalapeno and Cilantro, Black Bean, and Garlic and Chive.  They are gladly accept flavor suggestions from their customers.  Stop by to see what amazing flavor of they week they will have for you to try at their booth at the Local Harvest Festival!

Photo Source: Our Daily Eats

Our Daily Eats’ mission is to create exceptional food products.  Since its creation in 2004 this family run business has been doing just that.  They  began by producing Spicy Maple Almonds in their home kitchen.  They have since expanded not only where production takes place, out of the comfort of their commercial space in Albany, NY, but also where their products are available, you can find ODE at many Capital District Farmer’s Markets, in stores across NY State, and online.  They offer a delicious selection of  several varieties of roasted nuts and seeds, two types of roasted peanuts (Thai Chili and Crunchy BBQ), unique flavored granolas (Maple Crunch and Lemon Coconut), and pesto (they even offer a vegan version!)  Each batch is carefully created using their own recipes.  If you are nuts for nuts this is a must try!  Stop by their table at the 4th Annual Local Harvest Festival in Washington Park and try some of their taste bud satisfying products.  As their website says, “breakfast, lunch or dinner may never be the same.”

Check out the amazing local artists we’ve go lined-up for this year’s Local Harvest Fest Stage….