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 Senator Gillibrand to Host New York Farm Day 

            A cornucopia of New York farm products--from eastern Long Island to western Chautauqua, from North Country to the Southern Tier--will be showcased in the Nation's Capitol on September 17.            

 Washington Gets a Taste of New York

                New York's award winning wines, farm-fresh products, sensational seafood, and fine restaurants will soon travel to the nation's Capitol to tastefully remind Congress, the Administration and others that New York is a major agricultural state, and agriculture is a major part of the state's economy.

             On Tuesday, September 17 from 5:30 to 7:30 pm, Senator Kirsten Gillibrand will host "New York Farm Day" in the elegant Senate Kennedy Caucus Room at the crest of Capitol Hill.  Attendees will include many other Senators, the New York Congressional delegation from the House of Representatives, members of the Committes on Agriculture, legislative chiefs of staff, agricultural specialists in Congress and the Administration, members of the Washington media, top area restaurants and fine wine shops. 

             "Senator Gillibrand has been a great advocate for New York agriculture, including the grape and wine industry," said Jim Trezise, President of the statewide New York Wine & Grape Foundation, which organizes the event.  "New York has some of the best wines, craft beers and spirits, other farm products, seafood and restaurants in the world, and we are honored to partner with her in tastefully proving that to official Washington."

              Since its inaugural launch in 2002, New York Farm Day has become the most popular event on Capitol Hill, with attendance normally exceeding 700 guests.  A major part of the attraction is that the people presenting the wines, beers, spirits, and foods are the same people who produce them--it's not just another catered event.

             "Farm Day is a unique and important opportunity for us to showcase the best of what New York's farmers and producers have to offer.  Every year we bring New York to Washington, DC, and I am thrilled that this has become such an anticipated event on the Congressional calendar," said Senator Gillibrand, New York's first member of the Senate Agriculture Committee in nearly four decades.  "New York's farmers and producers are some of the best in the world and this is a great opportunity to spread the word even further about the quality of our produce.  I know we are all looking forward to sampling some of the incredible wine, beer, spirits, milk, food and produce that will be on display."

              The event is generally organized according to the State's major wine-producing regions--Long Island, Brooklyn and New York City, the Hudson Valley, the Capital District, Central New York, the Finger Lakes, the Niagara and Erie areas, and North Country.  Each region features a diverse array of foods and beverages, with some including restaurants which use only New York products

              Farming is a $38.4 billion industry vital to New York's economy, according to a recent economic impact study commissioned by Farm Credit East, a sponsor of the event.  About 23% of the State's land area, or 7 million acres, are covered by 36,000 family farms.  New York ranks high among the major agricultural states in America--first in the number of yogurt producers; second in apples and maple syrup; third in grapes, grape juice and wine; and fourth in pears and dairy, which is by far the largest segment of the agricultural sector.  The grape, grape juice and wine industry alone generates more than $3.7 billion in economic benefits annually to the State of New York.

              New York Farm Day is made possible by the generosity of its sponsors including CoBank, Constellation Brands, Farm Credit East, Hudson Valley Agribusiness Development Corporation, Mastercraft Glassware, New York Apple Association, New York Farm Bureau, New York State Restaurant Association, New York Wine & Grape Foundation, and Yankee Farm Credit.

               Below is the all-New York "menu" for Farm Day 2013, with new participants indicated by an asterisk (*)

                                                    Long Island

K & B Seafood--Fresh Oysters and Clams  

Cool Fish Restaurant--Chilled Satur Farms Corn Soup with Micro Cilantro and Blue Claw Crab

Wines of Long Island--Bedell Cellars, Jamesport Vineyards, Lieb Cellars, Martha Clara Vineyards, One Woman Wines & Vineyards, Palmer Vineyards, Sannino Bella Vita Vineyard, Wolffer Estate Vineyard

                                                   New York City

Brooklyn Brewery*--Brooklyn Greenmarket Wheat Beer

Brooklyn Winery*--2012 Finger Lakes Chardonnay (Stainless Steel), and 2012 Finger Lakes Dry Riesling

Kings  County Distillery (Brooklyn)*--Kings County Moonshine, and Kings County Bourbon

61Local restaurant (Brooklyn)*--Veg Out Toast (Bien Cuit Bread with Regal Vegan Faux Gras spread, The Jam Stand Sweet WINOnion Jam and BK Farmyards Herbs); Brooklyn Meets Bavaria (Bien Cuit Bread with Brooklyn Cured Chicken Apple Sausage, A. Bauer's Bavarian Style Mustard, and a Brooklyn Brine Pickle); Ricotta Toast (Bien Cuit Bread with Salvatore Ricotta Cheese and Classie's Jam); Sweet (Liddabit Sweets Caramel Corn with Dark Chocolate and Honeycomb from Tremblay Apiaries); Peoples Pops (Fresh Fruit from Red Jacket Orchards and Herb Popsicles--sometimes alcohol infused).

Orwasher's Bakery--Ultimate Whole Wheat Bread and Spelt Bread (both with Finger Lakes Flour), Levain Locale (Champlain Valley Flour), Chardonnary Miche and Cabernet Rustica (Grapes from Channing Daughters Vineyard in The Hamptons, Long Island)

                                                  Hudson Valley

Tuthilltown Spirits Farm Distillery--Whiskey, Vodka, Gin, and Cassis with ingredients from Tantillo's Farm, Jenkins and Lucken Orchards, Dressel Farms, Cochecton Mills Grain Co.

Micosta--Grape Juice Sweetened Elderberry Yogurt; Aronia Raspberry Juice; Black Currant Juice; Aronia Raisins; with ingredients from Micosta Enterprises, Love Apple Farm, and Holmquest Farm

Chobani--All Natural Greek Yogurt, including Apricot, Blackberry, Pear and Banana, made from New York Milk

Wines of the Hudson Valley--Brotherhood, America's Oldest Winery; Millbrook Vineyards & Winery; Stoutridge Vineyard

                                               Capital District

Bilinski Sausage Company*--Gourmet All Natural Chicken Sausage

Hawthorne Valley Farm*--Sourdough Baguette Slices with Fresh Mayhill Cheese, and Seasonal Bianca Cheese; Lacto-fermented Ginger Carrots, Caraway Sauerkraut, and Jalapeno Sauerkraut

F.X. Matt Brewing Company*--Saranac Pumpkin Ale and Saranac White IPA Beer

                                                Central New York

Empire Brewing*--Golden Dragon (Belgian style Golden Ale spiced with locally grown organic Thai Basil); Hop Harvest (American style Pale Ale made with 100% New York State wet hops)

State University of New York (Morrisville)--Chilled Watermelon Gazpacho with Chobani Greek Yogurt Garnish; Roasted Beet, Chevre and Pumpkin Seed Salad (Alambria Springs Farms, Earlville, NY, and Lively Run Goat Farm, Interlaken, NY); Smoked Kielbasa with Sweet and Spicy Apple Mustard (Five Roses Farms, Eaton, NY and Morrisville Fresh, LLC); Fresh Bean Hummus Tart (Fresh Herbs of Fabius, Fabius, NY); Roasted Corn and Black Bean Tacos with Salsa Verde (Mosher's Farm, Hamilton, NY, Cayuga Pure Organixa, Brooktondale, NY, and Fresh Herbs of Fabius, Fabius, NY);

Maple Strawberry Mousse Cake (Morrisville Fresh, LLC)

New York Apple Association--Fresh New York State Apples and Cider

Empire State Honey Producers Association--Fresh Honey Comb, Elvis Honey Canapes, Honey Chocolate Chip Cookies featuring Honey from the Seaway Trail, Thousand Islands, Johnston Honey Farm, and Lloyd Spear Honey-

New York Maple Producers Association--Pure Maple Spread

State University of New York (Cobleskill)--Pumpkin Streusel Cake with a Berry Spice Chevre Mousse (with Honeybee Farm's Very Berry and Spice Chevre; Cowbella Butter and Yogurt; Black Willow Farm Eggs; and Wellington's Herbs and Spices--Cinnamon, Nutmeg, Ginger, and Ground Cloves)

                                                  Finger Lakes

Wines of the Finger Lakes--Anthony Road Wine Company, Dr. Konstantin Frank Wines, Fox Run Vineyards, Glenora Wine Cellars, Greenwood Winery, Hazlitt 1852 Vineyards, Heron Hill Winery, Hosmer Winery, King Ferry Winery, Lakewood Vineyards, Red Newt Cellars, Serenity Vineyards, Standing Stone Vineyards, Three Brothers Wineries & Estates, Wagner Vineyards

Finger Lakes Culinary Bounty--Cheese from Muranda Cheese Company and Finger Lakes Farmstead Cheese; Bread from Wide Awake Bakery with Farmer Ground Flour; White Bean Hummus with Cayuga Pure Organics Beans, Regional Pantry Sunflower Oil and Garlic from Muddy Fingers; Java-Gourmet/Keuka Lake Coffee Roasters (Harvest Spice Decaf and Meritage Blend Coffees), Seneca Salt Bark 60% Cholocate, Javalicious Party Mix

Climbing Bines Craft Ale Company*--India Pale Ale

Finger Lakes Distilling*--McKenzie Rye, and Seneca Drums Gin

Cornell University (College of Agriculture & Life Sciences)--Roasted Pumpkin Seeds from Stony Brook WholeheartedFoods; Artisan Cheeses from Sprout Creek Farms, Danascara Artisan Cheese, Goats & Gourmets, Keeley's Cheese Company, and Old Chatham Creamery

                                                Niagara and Lake Erie

National Grape Cooperative/Welch's--Sparkling Red and White Grape Juice

Upstate Niagara Cooperative--Upstate Farms Greek Vanilla Yogurt for Fruit Parfaits, and Intense Chocolate, Vanilla, and Pumpkin Spice Milks

Wines of Lake Erie and Niagara Escarpment--Mazza Chautauqua Cellars, The Winery at Marjim Manor, Leonard Oakes Winery (Steampunk Cider)

Five&20 Spirits*--Rye Whiskey, Pear Eau de Vie, Steuben Grappa

                                                     North Country

McCadam Cheese--Adirondack Wicked Sharp Cheddar, Pepper Jack, Horseradish Cheddar

North Country Specialties--Dilled Garlic Scapes from Reber Rock Farm; Yogurt from North Country Creamery at Clover Mead Farm; Sweet Tangos Apple from Gunnison Orchard; Flavored Maple Cream from Cedar Brook Maple Confections; Maple Syrup from Parker Family Maple and Homstead Maple; Honey Crisp Apples from Northern Orchard; Hot Pepper Jelly from The Spicy Wench; Adirondack Beef Sticks from Adirondack Beef Company

Wines from Thousand Islands Winery and Coyote Moon Vineyards* 

Mercer's Wine Ice Cream--Riesling, and Chocolate Cabernet Wine Ice Creams

Ice Wines and Dessert Wines of New York--Casa Larga Vineyards, Hunt Country Vineyards, Lakewood Vineyards, Leonard Oakes Winery

  "A meal without wine is like a day without sunshine."

                                                       --Anthelme Brillat-Savarin