To the Editor:

The Potsdam Food Co-op would like to thank everyone who took part in its first annual local food fest Sept. 8 as it celebrated its 45-year anniversary. It was a beautiful day filled with food, live music, and fun!

Thanks to the vendors who participated in this festive event held under the big tents on Elm Street. We appreciate their involvement by showcasing their products and providing samplings of their items for sale in the Co-op. Visitors enjoyed having the opportunity to talk with vendors and to find out more about their products.

Samples of cheese were offered by Jeff Van Arsdale from Cedar Hedge Farm in Lowville. These delicious cheeses are made from the milk of his happy and well-cared-for dairy goats raised on the farm. Organic Yerba Mate was provided by the organic beverage company, Guayaki.

Dr. John Dewar, gardener extraordinaire from Potsdam’s Village Veggies, served his cold summer tomato sauce. Made with ingredients from the Village Veggie garden, it was perfectly paired with the fresh baguette from the store bakery.

Visitors also had the chance to taste applesauce (sweetened with maple syrup), an all fruit mincemeat, and two fruit-based salad dressings; orange sriracha, and lemon turmeric presented by Lynne of Farmer Street Pantry, Syracuse.

Pigs in the blanket were created by bakery. Their Tart Dough Pastry provided the delicious ‘blankets’ that enveloped the pork and beef hot dogs from The Piggery in Ithaca. Their animals are humanely-treated, given access to fresh pastures, and fed non-GMO grains.

Will Forest from Aqua Vitea Kombucha in Middlebury, VT was on hand to offer samples of their authentic and organic non-alcoholic Kombucha. This fermented tea is created by Aqua Vitea by blending ancient brewing traditions and new technologies. The result is a tasty beverage with many health benefits. Four flavors of their Kombucha is on tap at all times in the Co-op.

Pat and April St. Onge (of Pat & April’s Pork) gave festival visitors the opportunity to try their delicious Italian Sausage from their farm in Fort Covington. Their animals are humanely-treated and raised in a pleasant environment without growth hormones or antibiotics. Woodie's Maple Syrup offered their classic maple syrup, bourbon barrel aged maple syrup, and maple cream from their sugar bush in Hermon.

Fresh cider and cider juices were provided by Canton Apples from their local orchards. Potsdam’s Adirondack Fragrance Farm also furnished bars of their handmade soaps, created with many local ingredients.

Many thanks to Kevin and Jennifer Blanchard of Potsdam’s Willow Tree Florist who donated the beautiful helium balloons that added extra sparkle to the festive day.

We are also grateful to the local musicians who played throughout the day. The musical talents of Oscar Sarmiento, Mark Seymour, Matt Bullwinkel and his son, Simon, were enjoyed by all who attended.

The store was humming on Saturday as many took advantage of the 10% discount on store purchases. The winner of the bread raffle was John Collins. For the next twelve weeks he will have the opportunity to choose a loaf of the bakery's hearth-baked bread for each of those weeks.

A special thank you to our friends and neighbors at the Christian Science Church for allowing us to use their lawn for our Local Food Fest and community celebration. We are also grateful to our working-owners, staff members, and members of our board of directors who assisted in the various aspects of this first Local Food Fest. We appreciate their help and all they did to make this day a wonderful event!

The Potsdam Food Co-op is proud to have served the community for 45 years and looks forward to continuing its tradition of providing a cooperative grocery store where everyone is welcome to shop (with no membership required) and anyone is welcome to join. Committed to the community and local sustainability, its emphasis is on providing natural and organic foods with the practice of buying from local and regional growers and producers. A large selection of specialty foods such as gluten-free, dairy-free, vegetarian, and vegan foods are also available. Find out more about the Co-op by visiting www.potsdamcoop.com, following its Facebook page, calling 315-265-4630, or stopping at 24 Elm St. in Potsdam.

Lynn Clark

Potsdam Food Co-op, marketing/outreach coordinator