Hudson Valley Food Guide

I’m out at the Rosendale Farmer’s Market today from 10-2pm — I’ve got the cookies, brownies, and granola bars that I usually sell, plus new stuff like buckwheat-millet banana bread, seedy gluten-free wholegrain bread, porridge muffins, and a pesto swirl roll. All vegan and not too sweet.

By the way, this is one of those posts that’s too long for email — click into it for the full list!

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When people ask me why I moved from Brooklyn to the Hudson Valley, I lie. It was too expensive, too hard to have babies, we needed space for my parents to visit. Not untrue, but also: I’m in love with this place between the Catskill mountains and the Hudson river. I had an inkling that that might be the case, but my first spring here confirms it. The way the mountains rise up around you when you drive west — not jagged and exciting like California, more like a feeling of being held. The lushness of the spring reminds me that the East Coast is the only home I’ve ever known, and though I never paid attention to plants growing up, these are the ones I feel closest to. Right now I’m reading Sophie Strand’s The Body Is A Doorway, which I think describes the magic of this place better than I can so early in my life here, though as I grow into it I hope to tell it better myself.

Food is just one story of the Hudson Valley, but it runs through so much. So let this newsletter be an atypical, highly personal food guide to the region. I’ll share where I love to eat, of course, but also the farms and farmer’s markets to visit, the events I'm excited about, and the local producers I think are geniuses. As always, leave a comment if you’ve got a question or something to add, or forward to anyone thinking of visiting or moving up here!

True artists of the Hudson Valley

Happy Belly Hudson — Monica is lowkey the most inspiring baker; I don’t think about competing with Happy Belly, but it’s what I measure my work against. Scroll through these pictures and look at that stuff. Everything is vegan and gluten-free, so the textures tend to be dense or chewy (try a mochi donut), the flavors are so interesting, nothing is too sweet. Ingredients are sourced with integrity. The products are only available at the Woodstock Farm Festival on Wednesdays, Hudson Farmer’s Market on Saturdays, and Beacon Farmer’s Market on Sundays, except when something comes up like a kid’s sickness and then they actually take time off because they run their tiny business in a balanced and healthy way.

Atina Foods — I worked for Carrie and Suresh last summer, as you might know, because I love their locally-focused Ayurvedic-style preserves. The flavors are powerful — just a sprinkle of fermented garlic scape dust on your avocado toast or a smear of rhubarb ginger jam in your grilled cheese is enough. You can find their products at certain grocery stores or usually at the Woodstock Farm Festival or you can order online.

Lagusta’s Luscious — I’ve been a fan of Lagusta forever for her food and her approach to sourcing ingredients and running a business, but let me reiterate that the food itself is really good. Right now you can’t order chocolates online, but you can get them at the New Paltz cafe or the NYC store. Her latest chocolate project, Softer Power Sweets, uses CBD and THC as ingredients — you can find the THC ones at most Hudson Valley dispensaries or at Housing Works in the city.

Wild Hive Farm — Don of Wild Hive has been in the game for a long time; he started the farm in 1982, and slowly built its reputation for extremely tasty Hudson Valley grains and flours. I particularly love the porridge mix that I use in these muffins, but try to use as many of the flours as I can in my baking. You can find the products in some specialty grocery stores or order online to get them shipped or pick them up yourself at the farm.

The events on my calendar and where to look for more

I’m planning to go to the Fermentation Festival on June 14th at Twin Star Orchards in New Paltz; on June 21st is an event I’m part of — We Feast On Crumbs at the Center for Photography; I’m hoping to make it to the Soil Fest at White Feather Farm on July 26th, there’s a cool-sounding exhibition at Sky High Farm on June 28th, and the Sunflower and Sangria Festival on August 16th+17th looks cute (I mean, sunflowers!!!) and then way out on November 16th is the Nut Fest at Breadtree Farms — I might be a vendor or contribute in another way to that one. I’ll also probably have another mushroom dinner popup with Collar City mushrooms in the late summer or early fall.

If you’re thinking about traveling upstate for a food-or-farm-related event, keep an eye on these calendars:

Catskill Fungi - mushroom & foraging walks (try one of Gabriela’s “Deep Imagination” walks!)

Wild Hudson Valley — foraging walks and workshops led by extremely knowledgable guides (I interviewed Justin for the sunflower story)

Glynwood — they hosted a grains conference I went to, as well as a baker’s meetup with some of the best bread I’ve had anywhere.

Breadtree Farms — I’m obsessed with Breadtree, which you’ll be hearing a lot more about soon. They’ll host the Nut Fest in November, but there are some farm tours before then that I hope to get to.

Churchtown Dairy — They just held what looked like a great farm/food systems mini-conference, but hopefully will schedule more things like that in the future.

White Feather Farm — cooking, crafting, yoga

Seed Song Farm — stuff for kids, volunteer days, educational and hands-on workshops

Wave Farm — not technically food-related and they don’t farm waves

All the Farmer’s Markets

The Beacon Farmer’s Market (Sunday), Hudson Farmer’s Market (Saturday) and Kingston Farmer’s Market (Saturday — Rising River Bakehouse does the best baked goods) are all big and wonderful, with great selections of prepared food, baked goods and produce. Rosendale is the market I’m working every other week on Sundays — it’s smaller, but has live music and a nice relaxing vibe. The Woodstock Farm Festival on Wednesday evenings feel like a party all summer — we went there on my birthday this week and made a dinner of Neapolitan pizza, a yuca dish, some empanadas, and vegan ice cream and popsicles for all of us. There are other farmer’s markets I don’t go to as regularly in Saugerties, Catskill, New Paltz, and Rhinebeck.

Farms to Visit

I’ve already mentioned Churchtown Dairy, Seed Song Farm, and Bread Tree Farms for their events and Grieg Farm for its goats. Hudson Valley Cold Pressed Oils opens (some of) its sunflower fields to the public during the summer, and said they’d have music and food.

A bunch of working farms have volunteer days — AYNI Herb Farm (Miro went to the first one), Soul Fire Farm, Sky High Farm, Rise & Root Farm, Rock Steady Farm, and Sweet Freedom Farm. There are also farms that have breweries or cideries and some pick-your-own crops, like Rose Hill, Arrowood, Twin Star, Slow Fox, Plan Bee (I catered a wedding here), Chatham Berry Farm, Indian Ladder (which is the new home of Collar City Mushrooms). Kelder’s Farm is kind of a scene but has a lot of kids’ stuff.

Where to Actually Eat

Kingston

Get the freshest hottest cinnamon-sugar donut (not vegan) at Half Moon or an expensive-but-worth-it breakfast sandwich at Fantzye Bagels (I’m partial to The Remix or The Other on rosemary-salt). Rosie’s is sunny and has solid baked goods (I was writing this sentence there with a fiddlehead bialy) but gets crowded on weekends. Try the tempeh reuben at Village Grocery or just buy a dense flavorful loaf of Jon’s bread. If you’re not already full of RAY BAKES, get a treat at Sweet Maresa’s, whose style is more buttery than mine but very delicious and much cuter (RAY BAKES are always brown). Have a cocktail at Sorry Charlie (pizza is good too) or Unicorn Bar (wait who made that cookie…) If you have small kids, go to West Kill and set them loose in the backyard.

For dinner, I really insist you check out Graziano’s. There’s just one dude there who makes all the pasta and ricotta and works every saucepan at the same time; they get the fat capers and they give you your water in a paper cup. Or if you want dinner to feel fancy, you could go to sonder, which is my favorite of the Brooklyn-style casual-but-pricey new spots — they do a bowl of beans really well. If you don’t want fancy, get a bunch of pupusas from Pupuseria Mi Ranchito or takeout from Top Taste (as a vegetarian, though, it’s less exciting) or make room for lunch/snack/dinner at Calcutta Kitchen (bring your own container or buy a tiffin!)

Go to Adams Fairacre Farms even if you don’t need groceries, just to see it. Their produce is great, they have a huge honey and cheese selection, solid premade foods, and Emily would tell you to get the honey-roasted peanut butter. Mother Earth’s Storehouse is nearby, with an incredible bulk aisle and Farmer Ground flour at bulk prices.

High Falls & Rosendale

I hope you’re coming on Sundays to catch me at the Rosendale farmer’s market! Maybe afterwards you’ll want a sandwich from The Big Cheese (they have so many vegetarian options). Or if you’ve planned your day in advance, then you’ve already called up Etsuko Kizawa at SOY to reserve your spot — she serves her homestyle Japanese food to just one or two groups at a time. High Falls is not far, so make sure you stop by the High Falls Food Co-op, which of course carries RAY BAKES but also many other delightful local goods, and lately has Sunday popups by Brooklyn Sour. You’re so close to Blue Heron Books you should probably go there too. If it’s afternoon/evening by then, then Ollie’s is a good hang with great pizza.

New Paltz

You already know you’re going to Lagusta’s for a sandwich or sweet treat. But if you have any room in your tummy, Little Loaf makes the best vegan croissants I’ve ever had, and has a beautiful new cafe. Inquiring Minds is a wonderful used/new bookstore that has another location in Saugerties. And there are not one but two refilleries — Black Cat Bulk Goods and Second Nature.

Catskill & Hudson

If you’re anywhere near Hudson at anything close to the beginning of the day, go to Mel the Bakery. (I debated adding Nora to the “True Artists” list at the top, because she is a grains savant, but I know any “Hudson Valley list” would already alert you to that.) But if gluten isn’t your thing, don’t worry, because you’ve got Little Rico right there! Cafe Joust feels really nice inside, the food is limited but good, and sometimes they have people playing a Moog, which Miro would recommend. In the afternoon, hit up Culture Cream for fermented ice cream (kefir or kombucha based). Obviously you’ve already made reservations at Lil Deb’s Oasis, which is #1 food and #1 vibes, so that’s dinner sorted (order the rice & greens & beans even though it seems unassuming).

Just across the river in Catskill, Toko Provisions is the cutest bakery/grocery/sandwich shop that also uses Atina products. They usually carry bread from See & Be Kitchen, but if not, that bakery/cafe is just 15 minutes away (there’s an Arborio Rice sourdough that is like actual candy to me). Left Bank Ciders is right in town (ask me about how cider is the new wine), and aside from making really good stuff themselves, often hosts popups or events that are worthwhile.

Roscoe & Livingston Manor

I feel like my suggestions here are basic but solid — Roscoe Diner is the perfect diner and there’s a really good natural foods store Pepacton. Livingston Manor has a place called The Walk In with excellent fluffy biscuits. Threshold is a new Korean restaurant that made the most inspiring mushroom dish when I was there — roasted oysters with fried croutons and this cashew butter (I think) drizzle that hewed the line between sweet and savory.

Other spots worth traveling to

Honest Weight in Albany is the biggest and most exciting food co-op I’ve ever been inside of (granted, I haven’t traveled enough in Vermont or the Pacific Northwest). There’s a bakery called Flour Bender in Troy that I’ve only been to once, but appreciate deeply (they write the names of the flours they use next to every baked good). Tierra Farm is my supplier for organic nuts and seeds — it’s way out not near anything, but fun to visit and get a huge bag of sunflower seeds or dried fruit.

I can’t say that Poughkeepsie is my favorite place in the world, but if I find myself there I’m going to Rossi & Sons for huge sandwiches, bread and focaccia, hunks of parmesan, the cheapest best olive oil I’ve found around, and frozen tomato sauce or pasta.

Finally, you should probably trek out to Harana Market in Accord but make sure to get there early. And if you’re out there already, visit the Catskill Native Nursery — you can learn a lot even if you’re not in the market for plants (everyone who works there is surly and full of expertise that they share freely).

I guess I skipped Rhinebeck and Red Hook altogether, which is a bit rude, but my favorite places in that direction are beyond the towns — Golden Russet, which is a wonderfully chill diner with delicious griddled banana bread, the best cider selection, and a play area that Miro loves. The O Zone is hard to describe so you should just visit — it’s a plant shop and refillery, but also a sauna in the winter, and has tons of events and a Sunday knitting circle and I’m sure someone told the owner Amelia just to do one thing well, and she nodded and ignored them and created exactly what she envisioned. It’s located on/right next to Greig Farm, where you can pick your own produce in the summer and see baby goats in the spring.

That’s it for now! I plan to keep updating this post on the web, so check back if you’re planning a trip.

What I’m Cooking