Butter's Back: The Calving Day Kick-Off to the Outdoor Farmer's Market Season

Thanks to You...

​We are all still glowing from the good feels from Calving Day this past weekend. We want to thank all who attended the event at Red Gate Farm, you all made it a great success. We estimate that over 300 people visited the farm, which is almost as many calves have been born this year! 

We want to give a special thanks to our FFA volunteers who helped move calves and set-up before the event and also worked hard at our busy food vending station.
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And yet another big thank you goes out to Mariah Fairbanks and Barb Lee who organized and ran the kids’ activity station which was...shall we say, quite popular? Speaking of popularity, another huge thanks goes out to Suzie Jones from Jones Family Farm for not only bringing and selling out of gelato, but for also taking charge at the food station.

Last, but absolutely not least, we need to thank the farmers, Nancy, Brian and Bruce Rivington, and the farm employees of Red Gate Farm who opened up their daily lives for us to explore and who gave their time to guide and educate us through our first Calving Day event.

A Closer Connection to Your Food.

​Holding Calving Day was incredibly important to us. Calving is such an essential part of the production of our butter, and of the dairy industry in general, that we felt it was necessary to invite the public to bridge the gaps between farmer, processor and consumer. We were ecstatic that our invitation was met with such enthusiasm, curiosity, and engagement - from people of all ages, no less.

​We had a good mix of people familiar with farm environments, and those who were having their first up close encounter with farm life. We realize a farm can pack a punch in visual, olfactory, auditory, and tactile stimulation. Yet, all our visitors seemed to revel in the experience and we appreciate everyone’s effort to be careful and courteous during their time at the farm.

What Did You Think?

But these are just our impressions and we’d love to hear more about how you experienced Calving Day. We’ve created a survey to help you share your reactions and thoughts about the event so we can build a better, more transparent producer/consumer relationship.

If you missed Calving Day, don’t worry. Red Gate Farm will be participating in Madison County’s Open Farm Day on Saturday, July 29th 2017. You’ll have another chance to visit the farm then and learn all about how our cows turn grass into butter.

A group of lucky Calving Day Visitors witnessing a birth of a newborn calf.

And now the moment you’ve been waiting for…We’re Back at Farmer’s Markets!

On Saturday May 6th, we will be returning to the following farmer’s markets for the 2017 summer and fall season:

Hamilton Farmer’s Market
Saturdays, 8am until 1pm, May 6th to October 28th.

Just 3 miles down the road from our future creamery and our self serve farm store, the Kriemhild Kupboard, this market has a special spot in our heart as it is our one of our first markets we ever attended in Kriemhild history. We also love to share the space with so many of our other local food producers in the center of the beautiful village of Hamilton.  

Cazenovia Farmer’s Market
Saturdays, 9am to 2pm, May 13th to October 28th.

Just around the corner from Cazenovia Lake, the Cazenovia Farmer’s Market is a smaller market that still offers a great diversity of local food and handmade crafts.

Oneida County Public Market
Saturdays 9am to 1pm, May to October.

The Oneida County Public Market is located at Utica’s Union Station in the historic Braggs Square. This market was established in 2011 as an economic development initiative with the objective of bringing a year-round produce market to downtown Utica. The second focus of this initiative was to revitalize the Railroad Express Agency wing of the Union Station, which is now in it’s second phase of renovation. The next section of interior space is being renovated to accommodate additional vendors and further expand this beautiful and historically rich community hub. Don’t let the train whistles surprise you!

CNY Regional Market
Saturdays, 7am-2pm, year-round. (until we run out of butter)

The CNY Regional Market is one of our more recent markets, and definitely the busiest. There are hundreds of vendors and an expansive variety of food and other goods. You can find us under the big green overhang, enjoying the open air of the D-Shed.  

Pleasantville Market
Every first and second Saturday of the month, 8:30am-1pm, April 1st to November 18th.

The Pleasantville Market is the the largest, year-round farmers market in Westchester. It’s a trek for us, but well worth it to be among the greatest farmers and food artisans the Hudson Valley has to offer. Also, Aba’s falafel stand is almost worth the trip itself.

Some New Things...

Yogurt for You

You asked, we listened. We are now partnering with Trimona Foods  to offer organic, grass-fed, Bulgarian yogurt at the Cazenovia and Pleasantville Market. We were introduced to Trimona Foods through our co-packer, and already carry their yogurt at the Kriemhild Kupboard. We really enjoy their yogurt, which comes in plain and also multiple unconventional flavors such as blueberry lavender, raspberry coconut, and mango passion fruit. Being that we share multiple values, we felt that carrying Trimona yogurt was the next best thing to making our own.

Farmer’s Market Stand Makeover

We’re debuting our new farmer’s market stand this season. Our fleet of vendors (aka, all of us) are now equipped with some snazzy new set-ups for optimal farmers’ market aesthetic satisfaction. So, keep an eye open for us.

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Calving day was a great kick-off to our production season and we’re all excited to see your smiling faces at our outdoor farmers markets. So, dig out your reusable bags and bask in the abundance of your local food hub.