Welcome, This is a Farm Tour
It was a rainy day alas. PLUS: Post Malone *actually* comes to town, a Grasso's Italian Ice revival, and a call for single men.
I’ve always been a fan of the Saratoga Showcase of Homes. So when Saratoga PLAN’s Anna Gomez Domenech invited me on the first-ever Saratoga Farm Showcase—a similar type of self-guided tour, but with goats—I was all in.
“Many are unaware that Saratoga County has more than 600 local farms, with 94 percent being family owned and more than 100 of them selling directly to consumers,” Anna told me. “These farms play a critical role in the community, but agricultural land is increasingly at risk. Saratoga County is the second-fastest-growing county in New York State, and we’re seeing irreplaceable farmland being developed.” Organized by PLAN, which has conserved 30 farms to date, the Farm Showcase was an attempt to bring much-needed attention to these locally owned businesses.
And though Mother Nature tried to stop us—what does one wear to a farm tour in a torrential downpour?—my boyfriend, Pete, and I donned our raincoats and set forth into the storm. Our first stop was Pitney Meadows Community Farm, where we picked up our wristbands and a map of the 21 participating farms. Inside Pitney’s farm stand, we sampled cheese from Argyle Cheese Farmer and honey from Let it Bee Apiary. Well, Pete did. I asked for a cracker with only honey on it, much to the horror of the guy doing the sampling. “It’s not the same,” he said under his breath, as if he was personally offended that I don’t eat cheese.
I do drink wine, though, and there was plenty of that over at Greenfield Center’s Fossil Stone Farms, which opened its rustic-chic tasting room June 1. “We’re a horse farm with a slight wine problem,” owner Mike Spiak told us when we arrived. “We wanted to grow grapes, and we board horses to pay the bills.” Mike let us taste each of his fruity-but-not-too-sweet wines, all cool climate varietals from grapes he’s able to grow in upstate New York, before taking us out to the vineyard (luckily, the rain had stopped). “When we say grown by hand, we mean grown by hand,” he said, tearing a shoot off one of the vines. “Because I’m out here all day doing this.” The grapes are harvested by hand, too. Every September, Mike hosts a harvest party at which friends, family and customers help pick the grapes.
Elsewhere around the county, we met the mares and foals at McMahon of Saratoga Thoroughbreds, sampled maple syrup that had been aged in bourbon barrels from Cooperstown Distillery at Twin Leaf Farms, and fed an apple to a very forward miniature horse at Smith Bros Farm & Orchard Bake Shop before taking home one of the shop’s still-warm peach pies. We missed out on Arnold’s Farm Fresh Produce’s heavy equipment display, Stem & Stone’s flower-planting activity, and the walking tours at Dancing Grain Farm Brewery, but were sure to make it to my No. 1 farm showcase destination: City Goat Farm.
Located in the notably rural town of Charlton, City Goat Farm is an all-volunteer venture that has rescued more than 40 farm animals in need since its founding in 2021. At the farm now: a flock of chickens, a pair of ducks, a gaggle of turkeys (which need names!), some shy sheep, some not-so-shy goats and potbelly pig brothers Orson and Welles. “They love each other,” City Goat Farm Executive Director Megan Miraglia said as Welles nuzzled Orson repeatedly. The goats, meanwhile, minded their own business, climbing on their “patio furniture” and sticking their heads through the fence in hopes that we’d produce more treats. “They’ve never been totally sold on the pigs.”
Despite the weather, Anna says PLAN received great feedback from both farmers and attendees. “We’re hoping to make the Farm Showcase an annual event,” she says. “Hopefully it won’t rain for the next one—fingers crossed.”
—Natalie
Quote of the Week
“Even if I’m unhappy, I’m still on a lake.”
—one Saratogian’s pre-July 4th musing
Pre Malone
During Belmont week, rumors were swirling about what celebrities were in town for the big race, with the biggest buzz being about Post Malone staying at The Adelphi. While we never got confirmation—in fact, he was seen in Nashville the day before the Belmont—we know now that the singer will be bringing his F-1 Trillion tour to SPAC on September 23. “The lawn is going to be crazy,” said Erica Ziskin, who won tickets to the show in one of this week’s many radio giveaways. “If it’s lawn tickets I won, I’ll probably sell them.”
Rise and Grind
If you’ve been driving down to Upstate Canna Co. for all your weed needs, listen up. RISE Dispensary in Clifton Park is now officially open for adult-use cannabis sales. Previously only licensed to sell medical marijuana, RISE is celebrating its promotion with a grand opening celebration today. Stop by before 11am for complimentary bagels, between 10am-noon for a live radio broadcast on FLY 92.3, between 11am-3pm for vouchers to local businesses, and at 6pm for “mingle magic” with mentalist Dustin Dean. Profits from the day will be donated to HicksStrong, an organization that supports veterans, active-duty service members and their families by offering free, confidential mental health services.
Ice Is Back
After four years of silence on its Facebook page, Grasso’s Italian Ice returned seemingly from the dead to promote a GoFundMe that’s raising money to restore the family company’s iconic ice cream truck. Dating back to the 1930s, Grasso’s was a fixture of the Saratoga summer for generations of children, many of whom, as adults, still recognize second-generation owner Ralph Grasso around town. The future of the business is now in the hands of the fourth generation, which is hoping to raise $28,300 for much-needed truck renovations including a complete overhaul of the brake system. The plan is to begin the renovation in the fall in order to have the truck back up and running for the 2025 season.
It’s Josh O’Clock
In honor of the Fourth of July, People magazine’s newest issue boasts “100 Reasons to Love America”—and a Capital Region viral sensation made the cut. Rensselaer native Joesph Carr’s Josh Cellars was deemed “American. Affordable. Meme-worthy,” clocking in at No. 58. As we reported this past winter, Josh jokes hit the internet by storm (one personal fave: “you can’t call it josh wine unless the grapes are from the josh region, otherwise it’s just sparkling wine”—who needs grammar?). Some of the Josh wisecracks had as many as 20+ million views on Twitter/X, and some Josh YouTube vids (including one starring Albany chef Dominick Purnomo!) topped 17 million views. As People explains (or doesn’t—the trend is sort of inexplicable): “The wine with a surprisingly bro-y name went viral in January. Why? Hard to say.” Thanks for clearing that up. At least we all agree that, “It’s Josh o’clock somewhere.”
Get Down, Link Up
Mystified by LinkedIn? Join the club! Thankfully, Voorheesville’s Miranda VonFricken is here to help. Her new book, Own Your Awesome on LinkedIn, promises to “unravel” the secrets of the job-focused social media platform. There’s a workbook-style section to help you draft the perfect profile, and helpful chapters such as “Growth Mode” and “Find Your People” are there to assist you in forging the work connections that LinkedIn promises in the first place. “It's part strategy, part energy, all awesome,” Miranda says. “And it's for everyone—entrepreneurs, students, job seekers, employees, and executives.” For sale now on Amazon.
Last Call
It’s a tale as old as time—or at least as old as 2022, when we started hosting singles nights. While the women’s tickets for both of next week’s speed-dating events sold out almost immediately, the men’s tickets…did not. We specifically need a handful of 40+ and 55+ men to make our numbers even for our Monday night event at Panza’s. Have anyone in mind? Give them a bit of encouragement—it’ll mean more coming from you than it does from me. If they need an extra incentive, tell them to use the code MANUP25 at checkout for $5 off.
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