ITHACA, N.Y. — Two holiday farm markets in Downtown Ithaca will bring seasonal, farm-fresh products direct to local shoppers just in time for upcoming Thanksgiving and Christmas celebrations. More than 25 local farmers and food producers will gather in Press Bay Alley, 116-118 Green Street in Ithaca — just a block from the Ithaca Commons – on Tuesday, November 20 from 4:30-7:30pm for the pre-Thanksgiving Holiday Farm Market.
Shoppers can beat the holiday grocery store crowds and stock up on all the supplies they need in one location for a delicious, locally-sourced feast. Producers attending the Thanksgiving market will sell a wide selection of organic, pasture-raised and heritage meats; fall vegetables and winter greens; cheese; chicken and duck eggs; garlic; herbs; honey and mead; goat milk fudge; ginger candy; heirloom apples; pears; jams; mushrooms; hard and sweet cider; craft beer; ginger beer; naturally fermented foods including pickles, kraut and kimchi; sweet and savory hand pies; wine flour; fresh pasta; bread and baked goods; and MORE!
Two vendors — Good Life Farm and Park Hill Poultry – will bring fresh pasture-raised or heritage turkeys to sell at the market, however consumers are advised to place their orders in advance with the farms to be certain of getting a bird for the holiday table.
Limited non-food items will include local handmade fiber goods, medicinal tinctures, skin care products, and holiday greenery. A full list of expected market vendors and their products, with links to websites, can be found at: http://ccetompkins.org/events/press-bay-holiday-market .
A second holiday farm market at Press Bay Alley is scheduled for Thursday, December 20 from 4:30-7:30pm for pre-Christmas Holiday shoppers. Both holiday markets are organized by the Finger Lakes Meat Project, a regional initiative of Cornell Cooperative Extension of Tompkins County, created to increase the “freezer trade” (bulk meat sales directly to consumers). A central component of the project – the Ithaca Meat Locker – is located just off Press Bay Alley and subscribers will be able to access their lockers during market hours. Ithaca Meat Locker staff will be on hand to show visitors the community freezer and answer questions about how to rent freezer space to store bulk meat purchases or hunted game.
Stores in Press Bay Alley – including Press Cafe, Amuse: Modern Cottage Industry and Bramble – also will remain open during both holiday markets. Press Bay Alley is a unique micro-retail space, created in 2014 in the converted storage bays directly behind the “press bay” on Green Street where the Ithaca Journal newspaper was printed from 1905 until 2006. It is conveniently located just 1 block west of the Green Street Public Transit Hub and near the Green Street and Cayuga Street parking garages.
Questions about the Press Bay Holiday Farm Markets or the Ithaca Meat Locker should be directed to Matt LeRoux, Ag Marketing Specialist at CCE-Tompkins, at MNL28@cornell.edu or (607) 272-2292.
–Cornell Cooperative Extension
For more articles out of New York, click here.