Newark Valley Apple Festival Oct. 6th and 7th.

Every year there is an apple festival held in Newark Valley. We have always talked about vending there but never really had much to vend. Produce isn't something that people would buy at an apple festival.

Now that we have the fruit butters, dried herbs and teas, we have decided we will join them this year.

Newark Valley Apple Festival
October 6th & 7th from 10am-5pm

"Admission is $6.00 for adults (members $5.00) and $4.00 for students and senior citizens. Children under 5 are free. Family rate $18. For more information call 642-9516. See you there!

Always fun for the whole family, this event includes "apple everything," kids' activities, great food, crafts, horse & wagon rides, and a well-stocked gift shop. Come see how people lived 150 years ago! You’ll find demonstrations of blacksmithing, open hearth cooking, spinning and weaving, black powder shooting, soap making, tours of the farmhouse, and more.

There will be lots of music including folk, bluegrass, Celtic, traditional fiddle music, string band, and Gospel. New this year - we will feature Morris Dancers, English and Irish folk dancing groups, and Contra Dancing. You can either watch, or join in and learn!"

http://www.nvhistory.org/Apple%20Festival.shtml


We are very excited. It is a great event and there is so much to see and do.
Check out the website. Great bands, great products, great people and a great time!

Every year they do an apple butter demonstration, but never have anyone that sells apple butter. So we fit right in. We contacted them and they were excited that we were interested.

I can't wait to see how it goes. I love the old thyme theme and the old farmstead attire.

Make sure you come out and check it out. And while you are out this way, you can also join us at the Newark Valley Farmers Market on Sunday the 7th from 10am-2pm right down the road from the Bement Billings.

Hope to see you there!

List of all the stores that carry our products.

I sat down the other day trying to figure out just how many stores our products are in. It is extremely humbling considering we started making the fruit butters in October of last year simply to have a little extra at our Harvest Festival that we held last year. To think that not even a year from then our butters would be in so many different stores.

Distributed by Cascun Farm CSA:
                   Gourmet Guild- Brooklyn, NY
                    Knickerbockers Meat- Ny, NY

Distributed by Regional Access:
                   Bellwether Hard Cider- Trumansburg, NY
                   Catskill Harvest- Liberty, NY
                   Chair 6- Lake Placid, NY
                   Clayton Food Co-op- Clayton, NY
                   Down to Earth Whole Foods- Endicott, NY
                   Greenstar Natural Foods Market- Ithaca, NY
                   Lost and Fondue- Skaeneatlas, NY
                   Masonville General Store and Cresent Wrench Cafe- Masonville, NY
                   Mildred's Meadows- Duanesburg, NY
                   Natur-Thyme- Dewitt, NY
                   Pittsford Farm Dairy- Pittsford, NY
                   The Foodshed- Brooklyn, NY

Distributed by us:
                   Cardinal Cafe- Newark Valley, NY
                   Cornell Orchards- Ithaca, NY
                   Eddydale's Farm Market- Ithaca, NY
                   Engelbert Farms- Nichols, NY
                   Lakewood Vineyards- Watkins Glen, NY
                   Shurfine- Newark Valley, NY
                   Six Mile Creek Vineyard- Ithaca, NY

Wow- 21 stores. And we are currently working on a few more accounts including a couple large accounts.

Sometimes in life there are those points when you wonder how did I get to this point? We were at that point last year and were trying to find something to get us over the hump we had been working so hard to get over. Then this came along. We are not over the hump yet, mainly because we are investing so much to be able to expand but we are hoping and praying to god that this is the break we needed.

My days now are filled with peeling fruit, cooking fruit, freezing fruit, prepping fruit, and canning. The kitchen smells of fruit and fruit pies. It reminds me of when I was a kid and I used to walk into grandma's kitchen and she had just taken a fresh baked apple pie out of the oven and the house was filled with that fresh cinnamon apple smell.

There are many times when we have wanted to give up, we have struggled, but have pushed through knowing that someday things would work out. We are still struggling, but we actually see a light at the end of the tunnel. The light is miles away, but at least it is visible.

I have talked to numerous people who think that farming is an easy job. It is far from easy. It  is all about passion, love and dedication. As with any small business or starter business. There are times when you just have to push through even though you don't know when the money is going to be coming in.

One person asked me a few weeks ago how we handle the stress, let downs and disappointments. To be honest, I don't handle it well. I get very stressed and anxious. I get intense. I keep pushing through and telling myself that things always work out. Eric is more laid back. He handles things better than I do. Although I do believe that deep inside he struggles with it because how could you not. But he doesn't let it show on the outside. He stays strong and figures things out. One of us has to be level headed about things I guess.

I guess my point to this little spat is that no matter what life throws at you....you always make it through. And the fruit butters have helped us and I hope they continue to.

“You can only become truly accomplished at something you love. Don’t make money your goal. Instead pursue the things you love doing and then do them so well that people can’t take their eyes off of you.” - Maya Angelou

And of course if it wasn't for all of our loyal customers who continue to come back and love to try the new varieties of fruit butters and our new products that we continuously add we adore you. If it weren't for you we would not be here. We would not be the family we are today. You have truly inspired us to be better people and to give you the best products possible.