Columbia County Bounty Springs into the Spotlight

 Summer is the prime growing season in Columbia County and the perfect time to unveil the new Columbia County Bounty brochure for residents and tourists alike.

Columbia County Bounty (CCB) was launched this past March at the Chamber's Agricultural Brunch. The idea behind CCB is to promote and support networking connections between local agricultural producers and culinary businesses. CCB aims to educate the community about the preservation of our local farms through the purchase and use of local and regional sustainable foods and products not only from Columbia County , but also the entire Hudson Valley .

CCB is now pleased to present its first guide to restaurants, retail farms and farm markets across the County. With gracious support from the Columbia County Board of Supervisors, the County Tourism Department, the Furthermore Foundation, Cornell Cooperative Extension and Hudson Valley AgriBusiness Development Corporation this fabulous brochure was published earlier this month. It features a beautiful cover design by Arlene Boehm Graphic Design that captures the essence of the Bounty. The brochure will be distributed throughout Columbia County and various other locations. Contact or stop by the Chamber today for your free copy.

With over 56 restaurants/chefs and 65 farms/markets participating in the program CCB has kicked off with huge success. To date there are almost 90 Charter Members of CCB. One may become a Charter Member by signing up for a small fee of $25. This includes a binder listing of all restaurants and farms and a CCB decal to hang proudly in your place of business. Click here for a membership application.

CCB Charter Members are invited to special events throughout the year that may not be open to the public. In May restaurateurs and CCB Charter Members visited local farms to gain a better insight of how the farm is operated and what may be available to the restaurants. Tour attendees were able to gain an insight into Markristo Farm, Butternut Creek Growers, Harrier Fields Farm, Golden Harvest and Van Wie Natural Foods. In August, Charter Members are invited to sample extraordinary food at the 2 nd Annual Bounty of the County Supper . The barn supper matches ingredients donated by local growers and producers to local chefs to create a special dish. This exclusive event is only open to CCB Charter Members, restaurants and farms. Another highlight for CCB will be a Restaurant Week in late September followed by the 2 nd Annual Columbia-Greene Chili Cook-Off & Riverfront Fair along with a restaurant tour for farmers in November.

One prime example of the Bounty connection is CCB Co-Chair, Lori Selden of Mexican Radio who has made many connections through this program. “As a result of Columbia County Bounty, we have been able to expand our relationships with local growers including Holmquest Farms who have been specifically planting hot peppers, tomatillos and other produce for our restaurants,” said Selden . Selden further commented, “This program has enabled our restaurants to truly buy local and not have to go to the Green Market in New York City and bring the local product back to Columbia County . It has also given us the opportunity to discuss the wonders of our local farms with our guests in both our Hudson and NYC locations.”

In recent news there has been a concentrated focus on the concept of “food miles” that captures the essence of eating locally produced foods. Does your apple come from Washington state or Kinderhook? Does your spinach come from a huge commercial farm in California or an organic grower in Claverack? Does your steak come from Omaha or a farm just north of Hudson ? How many miles does your food travel, from field to table?

CCB is working to keep those distances purely local, by connecting restaurateurs and caterers with growers and livestock producers in the immediate area. The hot pepper in your dish at Mexican Radio on Warren Street might come from Holmquest Farms in Hudson . The greens in Lippera's chicken roulade comes from Little Seed Gardens in Chatham, while Bezalel Gables catering in Spencertown makes a vanilla bean ice cream from Gumaer Dairy Farms' cream from Stuyvesant Falls. CCB Co-Chair, Chef David Robinson of Bezalel Gables Fine Catering and Events is always looking to use the freshest ingredients possible. “I have brides that come to Columbia County expecting to eat from these grounds, not food imported from California ,” noted Robinson. “This program has allowed me to make connections to deliver the highest quality of food and service to my clients,” added Robinson.

It is not only that locally grown fresh food is tastier, it's also potentially safer. “Eating a meal that hasn't traveled very far doesn't assure that it won't be infected with E. coli, but the odds are better,” writes Kim Severson in the New York Times . “And it saves having to wait around while the FDA searches through thousands of acres of lettuce fields and tests tons of manure at large-scale cattle ranches.”

Columbia County has become a prime tourist and agricultural destination in New York State . The farm community generates approximately $80 million in revenue each year. It provides small quaint villages and towns for shopping and dining and is becoming the envy of many other regional farm to plate organizations. CCB can give the recognition our farmers deserve with Columbia County becoming a culinary destination.

While restaurants and farms are the backbone of Columbia County Bounty the local consumers also play a key role. CCB encourages conscientious consumers, concerned with supporting local agriculture, to ask for local product when they dine out and patronize those establishments that participate in the Columbia County Bounty program, which is signified by a CCB window decal.

You are invited to support this effort! Restaurants and farms that have not signed up as a CCB member can do so by contacting the Chamber at 828-4417. Local businesses and individual supporters are also welcome.