Local Apples: One of our Favorite home.grown. Crops
We’re proud to partner with a wide variety of apple orchards and cider mills here in our region: When it’s made of grown here, we get it here. Apples are one of the top crops in our region, and we get excited each year when apple season hits. There are a ton of orchards and farms in the Northeastern US, and we are lucky to work with some of the region’s best.
Patch Orchards, Lebanon NH
We begin in Lebanon, NH, home to Patch Orchards, a local partner of ours for over 20 years! The Patch family has been farming their land for 8 generations. The orchard offers a large variety of apples including Mcintosh, Cortland, Empire, and more.
Dressel Farms, New Paltz NY
Dressel Farms is a family-owned and operated business located in New York’s Hudson Valley. Fred Dressel originally bought the farm in 1957 and ran it for more than 15 years before passing duties down the family lineage. The farms’ main business is apples, growing more than 300 acres of apples trees and carrying over 20 varieties of apples. Dressel Farms proudly utilizes an IPM program that meets their needs as farmers while ensuring a healthy environment for the products and the community.
Hudson River Fruit, Milton NY
Now a fourth-generation family owned and operated company, Hudson River Fruit Distributors in Milton, NY is one of the largest apple growers and shippers on the east coast. Over the past 50 years, they have built their reputation in the industry as a dependable, quality shipper of the freshest regional apples.
Beak and Skiff, Lafayette NY
Beak & Skiff began in 1911 when onion farmer George Skiff and dairy farmer Andrew Beak met at the farmer’s market. They decided to join forces, and the results are a successful business over 100 years later. Now in their fifth generation, Beak & Skiff has continued to make advancements and improvements in and around their orchard. With a tasting room, gift shop, corn hole games and more, you could almost spend an entire day at their farm: check it out here!
Truncali Farms, Marlboro NY
Located in Marlboro, NY, Truncali Farms is a small family fruit farm established 95 years ago. The 100-acre farm is now in its third generation and is a leader in food safety and sustainability measures. Truncali Farms ensures safety in their food and products, so you know you’re only getting quality!
Sunrise Orchards, Cornwall VT
Sunrise Orchards began in 1974 when Barney and Dee Hodges and David and Eunice Van Vleck first started planting the farm. Today, Sunrise is a 200-acre, family owned and operated apple farm devoted to growing excellent apples for the Northeast region. We’ve been partnering with the Sunrise folks for over a decade!
In the Northeast, apple season is one of our favorite times of year. We love partnering with local apple farms here to bring you the freshest, highest quality fruits around. Without the hard work of these farms we wouldn’t be able to enjoy these products each year.
Craving local apples after reading this? Luckily, tasty in-season apples are only a click away!
National Thank A Farmer Day
At Price Chopper & Market 32, we’ve been supporting local farmers since our company founding in 1932. This includes partnering with all types of local farms, not just fruits and vegetables growers: greenhouses, dairy farms, maple farms, apiaries, tree farms and more. We feel that supporting Northeast farmers is the anchor of our home.grown. commitment to supporting all things local here in our region.
Today, on National Farmer’s Day, also known as National Thank A Farmer Day, we’d like to take a moment to thank all of our local farm partners. Their passion and hard work every day allows us to provide you with the freshest ingredients and products each time you come to our store. Without these farming partners, our commitment to local would be impossible to achieve.
In honor of National Farmer’s Day we wanted to shout out a few of our many farming partners!
Turek Farms in Kings Ferry, NY is a family operated grower and shipper of fresh vegetables. Turek’s commitment to food safety is inspiring, going through detailed in-field inspections, hand-picking produce, and going to a third party to ensure food safety measures are met.
Casertano’s Greenhouse in Cheshire, CT has been a leader in the wholesale greenhouse business for over forty years. Supplying a variety of products from perennials, perennial starter plugs, annuals, and ground covers.
Mapleland Farms is a pure New York maple syrup producer in Salem, NY. In 2015 Mapleland Farms LLC purchased 350+ acres of land, and today they tap over 900 trees!
Champlain Valley Apiaries is a 3rd generation Middlebury, Vermont family owned business. Founded in 1931 by innovative beekeeper Charles Mraz, they have been producing delicious Vermont honey for over 85 years.
Located in Warren, MA, Breezeland Orchards has been owned and operated by the Tuttle family since 1896, five generations! Through their practice of low ecological impact farming they enjoy reduced pesticide use, ensuring their products are safer and higher quality.
The McNamara family has been farming the banks of the Connecticut River in Plainfield, NH at McNamara Dairy since 1950. Today, there are three generations that live and work on the farm together, providing excellent care for the animals, producing high-quality products and being stewards of the land.
Thank you to these and all of our local farmers who work every day to provide high-quality, local products. We appreciate you and Happy National Farmer’s Day!
An Apple A Day Keeps The Athlete Okay!
Written by our home.grown. friends at the New York Apple Association
You know apples are healthy and nutritious. You may not know that they can also help athletes go further by improving endurance.
A study at the Osaka City University Graduate School of Medicine in Japan took 18 healthy volunteers who either received Applephenon [a polyphenol extract from unripe apples], or a placebo of vitamin C. All the subjects were then took part in two fatigue-inducing workload trials on a bicycle ergometer for two hours. 30 minutes after the start of the tests – and 30 minutes before the conclusion – the participants also performed non-workload trials at maximum velocity for 10 seconds.
The tests found that maximum velocity was higher in the group that received Applephenon prior to the test than for those who received the placebo. This led to the conclusion that Applephenon replicates antioxidant activity, reducing physical fatigue.
And that’s just the beginning of the advantages. Watch NYAA Consulting Dietitian Linda Quinn and learn more about the Nutritional Benefits of Apples for Athletes in just 90 seconds!
Our February home.grown. Brewer of the Month: Paradox Brewery!
We love all things local, and one of our favorite sectors of local food is local beer. There are so many different brews, flavors, and styles, and so many stories to tell! That’s why we’re embarking on a new home.grown. adventure: to bring you fresh craft beer stories each month from our Northeast region; the best region in the United States if you ask us!
Up next: Paradox Brewery!
This February, or should we say “Febrewary,” we’re highlighting Paradox Brewery. Located on Route 9 in Schroon Lake, Paradox is the home of Pure Adirondack Craft Beer. The brewery was founded in the heart of the Adirondack Mountains and they pride themselves on creating pure, authentic brews with all the tastes and feelings of the area. If you ask the team over at Paradox, they’ll tell you their foundation is the water they use; it can only be found 600 feet below the Adirondack Park. Water so pure it needs no filtering or treatment before being brewed!
The beginnings of Paradox date back 30 years to when President and Founder Paul Mrocka fell in love with brewing while stationed in Germany as an Army Pilot. Mrocka began brewing for family and friends around Paradox Lake, and those lucky enough to know where to go on the lake could go share a beer with him. Mrocka became fairly well-known for his beer and in 2013 eventually received enough encouragement to open the brewery in Schroon Lake.
When following the Paradox Brewery Beer Trail you will find a wide variety of unique, and tasty Adirondack Beers. Check out their core beer selection including Paradox Pilsner, a crisp and highly-drinkable cross between a Czech and German style lager. Also, definitely don’t forget their Off Trail Series, where Paradox enjoys trying new ingredients and different ideas. Off Trail brews include American Wheat, a beer full of wheat, with esters from their house yeast blend, white wine, and a hint of lemon character. American Wheat brings lots of hop flavors and aromatics. Paradox also offers a menu full of seasonal brews and bottle releases.
Interested in trying some Paradox Brewery brews?
Check out our in-store tasting schedule below to sample Paradox Brewery’s craft beer, take home some brewery swag and more.
Saturday 2/3, 11am – 2pm at our Lake Placid Price Chopper
Saturday 2/9, 11am – 2pm at our Malta Price Chopper
Saturday 2/16, 11am – 2pm at our Wilton Market 32
Saturday 2/23, 11am – 2pm at our Amsterdam Market 32
Interested in visiting the brewery?
Make the most of everything Paradox Brewery has to offer! Visit paradoxbrewery.com for taproom hours and menu, get info on brewery tours and more.
Brewery & Taproom Address: 154 Route 9 Schroon Lake, NY 12870
We love all things local, and one of our favorite sectors of local food is local beer. There are so many different brews, flavors, and styles, and so many stories to tell! That’s why we’re embarking on a new home.grown. adventure: to bring you fresh craft beer stories each month from our Northeast region; the best region in the United States if you ask us!
Up next: Brewery Ommegang!
Looking for tasty Belgian-Style brewing in the beautiful Northeast? Look no further than Brewery Ommegang, located in Cooperstown, NY. Ommegang began creating these Belgian brews back in 1997, in a building that was built to replicate a Belgian farmhouse. The brewery has grown rapidly since its early days: In 2005 they were struggling to meet demand, so they added 40% more to their production capacity over the next year. These days, the brewery distributes its beer to 46 states, including Alaska and Hawaii, plus the District of Columbia. They also export to Canada, Mexico, the US Virgin Islands, and recently France!
Ommegang provides a unique variety of thirst-quenching ales, including their Game of Thrones series of beers, paying homage to the Emmy Award-Winning Show. The latest in this series is Bend the Knee, a golden ale with a frothy head. It mixes maltiness and citrus flavor, and finishes strong with a firm bitterness from hops. They also offer a range of other ales from dry-hopped pale ales to refreshing wheat ales and everything in between!
Interested in trying some Ommegang brews?
Check out our in-store tasting schedule below to sample Brewery Ommegang’s craft beer, take home some brewery swag and more.
Saturday 1/5, 11am – 2pm at our Cooperstown Price Chopper
Saturday 1/12, 11am – 2pm at our Wilton Market 32
Saturday 1/19, 11am – 2pm at our Johnstown Price Chopper
Saturday 1/26, 11am – 2pm at our Clifton Shoppers World Market 32
Tune in next month for our February Brewer of the Month!
Our December home.grown. Brewer of the Month: Stony Creek Brewery!
We love all things local, and one of our favorite sectors of local food is local beer. There are so many different brews, flavors, and styles, and so many stories to tell! That’s why we’re embarking on a new home.grown. adventure: to bring you fresh craft beer stories each month from our Northeast region; the best region in the United State if you ask us!
Next up to the plate: Stony Creek Brewery!
The pride of Branford, CT, Stony Creek Brewery was rebranded by co-founder Ed
Crowley in 2015. Prior to the rebranding, Stony Creek was a small-scale contract-produced craft brand, mainly known for their IPAs named after Connecticut’s two area codes, 203 and 860. Stony Creek became much bigger after their rebrand, which launched in February 2015, and they opened up their first brewery right along the Branford River.
The brewery’s 30,000 square foot size makes it the second largest brewing facility and taproom in the state of Connecticut. One of its unique features is a 2,500 square foot tasting room with 23-ounce glass mugs hanging on the wall behind the bar as part of the brewery’s Mug Club. The “Mug Club” is a way of giving back to devoted customers by giving them “their own little piece of the creek,” according to Ed Crowley Jr!
We’re proud to team up with the great people over at Stony Creek and we look forward to showcasing their crafty creations, today and in the future
Interested in trying some Stony Creek brews?
Check out our in-store tasting schedule below to sample Stony Creek’s craft beer, take home some brewery swag and more.
Saturday 12/1, 12pm – 3pm at our Bethlehem Price Chopper
Friday 12/7, 5pm – 8pm at our Wilton Market 32
Friday 12/21, 5pm – 8pm at our Clifton Shopper’s World Market 32
Saturday 12/22, 12pm – 3pm at our Malta Price Chopper
Saturday 12/29, 12 pm – 3pm at our Market Bistro (Latham)
Interested in visiting the brewery?
Make the most of everything Stony Creek Brewery has to offer! Visit stonycreekbeer.com for taproom hours and menu, get info on brewery tours and more.
Brewery & Taproom Address: 5 Indian Neck Avenue, Branford, CT 06405
It’s American Craft Beer Week and we’re celebrating!
We’re proud to team up with local craft brewers in each of our Northeast states, bringing some of the best regional tastes to our stores. Thanks to their continuous hard work and brewing efforts, this exciting week can be celebrated the right way: at home in the Northeast. Happy Hour just got a lot closer!
Check out some of our featured local brewers below.
Genesee Brewery, Rochester NY
We’ve been teaming up with the folks at the Genesee Brewery for over 40 years! Located in Rochester, NY, Genesee Brewery was founded in 1878 and has since become one of the largest and oldest continually operating breweries in the country. Genesee Beer is brewed with six-row barley, malt, corn grits, and hops from the Yakima Valley. They offer classic varieties such as Genesee Cream Ale, Genesee Light, and the newly introduced Genesee Ruby Red Kolsch.
Susquehanna Brewing Company, Pittston PA
Located in Pittston, PA, at Susquehanna they live and work by the slogan “Brewed Right,” pointing out their drive to make delicious beer, the correct way for their Northeast Pennsylvania customers. If you’re ever in the Scranton area, pull up a seat at the brew house tasting room to sip some Pennsylvania beer while it’s being brewed in front of you!
Woodstock Inn Brewery, North Woodstock NH
North Woodstock, NH is home to one of the premier breweries in the state: The Woodstock Inn Brewery. Woodstock Inn was the third brewery to open in New Hampshire, and since then has grown into a 37-barrel production facility, home to two dozen year-round and seasonal brews. Raspberry Weasel Wheat Ale and Last Chair Ale are just a couple of the many delicious options that Woodstock has available for the season.
Two Roads Brewing Company, Stratford CT
Two Roads was created by four friends who made it their goal to start a craft brewery. Located in Stratford, CT, Two Roads focuses on putting unique spins on classic beer styles, striving to make each taste their very own. Paste Magazine named the brewery one of the ten best in America. Not to mention, their beer has won many awards of its own, including their Belgian Style Lambic Ale at the 2016 Great American Beer Festival!
Druthers Brewing Company, Saratoga Springs NY
Druthers Brewery was assembled in 2012 and has quickly become a popular destination in Saratoga Springs, NY. The brewery contains a 10 barrel brewing system that supplies the beer. Druthers offers an ever-changing and updating beer menu, however, their seasonal brews are always a hit. For this time of year, try Brevity Wit, a Belgian-style wheat beer spiced with sweet orange peel and coriander. Made with 40% wheat, the flavor is fruity, light, and refreshing for thewarm weather.
Berkshire Brewing Company, South Deerfield MA
Berkshire Brewing Company was founded in 1994 in South Deerfield, MA. Their goal was to continue the tradition of high quality craft beer in the region, something they have definitely accomplished. See for yourself by trying their classic beers like Drayman’s Porter, a sweet, dark-ruby brown ale with hints of chocolate malt and mocha, topped off by a hop bitterness. Or drink for the season with a Gold Spike Ale, a pale golden ale with a crisp, clean malt flavor, perfect for the transition from spring to summer.
von Trapp Brewery, Stowe VT
Inspired by brews from the Austrian countryside, von Trapp Brewery in Stowe, VT, puts an American twist on these mouth-watering tastes. Opened in the spring of 2010, von Trapp now brews approximately 50,000 gallons of beer each year, available year round and seasonally. Bohemian Pilsner, a two-time award winning beverage, has a spicy citrus flavor, combined with a dry, peppery finish. Also available, Kolsch Style, an ideal summer ale that experiments with German hops to create an enjoyable, hoppy adventure.
Enjoy American Craft Beer Week and celebrate our local brewers with us! We love bringing these tastes to our stores and hope to continue working with these partners for the long haul.
In the meantime, remember to enjoy responsibly. Cheers! 
Local dairy farms are an important piece of our Northeast economy. In New York, dairy production makes up for nearly half of the total agriculture output, and there are over 900 dairy farms in the state of Vermont alone! Dairy farms are one of the lifelines of the Northeast, and we’re proud to team up with a variety of local dairies in communities throughout our Northeast footprint.
Our PICS milk is bottled in New York with the help of over 500 Northeast dairy farmers: When you take home a jug of our milk, you’re taking home the product of hard-working local farmers (and cows) from our region.
Argus Acres is an example of one of these local dairy farms. Located a few miles from our Cobleskill store in rural Sharon Springs NY, the farm was founded in 1948 and has proudly served the local community ever since. The Argus family shares their hometown with the Fabulous Beekman Boys and their Beekman 1802 Mercantile shop!
Taft’s Maple and Milk Farm is another Northeast dairy farm staple, located in Huntington VT, just a short drive from our Barre store. The Taft family farm is unique: it thrives off of Jersey cattle and maple sugaring. Maple sugaring is a staple all over Taft’s home state: Vermont alone produces about 6% of the world’s syrup supply!
Located in Hudson Falls, NY, Ideal Dairy Farms is another great local dairy farm. These folks are just a few miles down the road from our Fort Edward store. Ideal Dairy first began selling milk to local residents around 1908. These days they produce over 16,000 gallons of milk per day! Despite operating for over 100 years, the vision of Ideal Dairy has remained unchanged: they’re committed to the production of quality milk for their community.
There are lots of dairy farms in top-producing states like California and Wisconsin, but we choose to source our PICS milk from our neighbors, which traces back to our home.grown. philosophy that everything tastes better when it’s produced nearby. These local dairy farms are just a few of the many hard-working folks that help us bring the highest quality local products to your table.
When it’s made or grown here, we get it here: from milk to marinara sauce!
On Friday, August 4th our team headed north to visit two manufacturing facilities of HP Hood. Hood has been a strategic Dairy partner to Price Chopper for decades; producing many of our Price Chopper and PICS dairy products.
The team started the day at the HP Hood plant in Vernon, NY. This plant produces Price Chopper brand Greek yogurt, as well as Hood cottage cheese. The milk sourced for their Dairy production comes from local farms within a 50 miles radius of the plant. We’re proud of our local roots and being able to source #homegrown milk for our Price Chopper Greek yogurt! The team also toured ESL processing plant in Oneida, NY where Hood branded creams, coffee creamers, and a variety of plant-based and lactose-free milks are made and packaged. The tour of the facilities was nothing short of impressive! Hood’s dedication to quality, innovation and service was evident in their state-of-the-art operation!
HP Hood is one of the largest branded dairy operators in the U.S. as well as an experienced leader in ESL (extended-shelf-life) & aseptic processing and packaging.
Thanks to the team at HP Hood for inviting us in! We had a great day moo-ving around the plants!
We had fun following the Genesee Brewery beer tanks as they traveled along the Erie Canal, passing through our canal town stores in New York!
Teammates from our Main Office watched the tanks leave lock 8 in Rotterdam to kick off our tracking, and then Amsterdam, Palatine Bridge, Little Falls, North Utica, Rome and Clay store teammates visited their local lock to #toastthetanks as they headed towards their Rochester destination.
Folks in canal-side communities from Albany to Rochester have flocked to their nearby lock to toast the massive tanks, snapping photos with Genny brew in hand and celebrating one of New York State’s most historic transportation systems. Drone users joined in on the action too: check out this cool video of the tanks floating through Fort Hunter, shared with us by Doug J. who shops at our Amsterdam store!
After a long journey across the state traveling at about 5 miles per hour, the barges will finally reach their permanent home at the Genesee Brewery this week. It’s been an exciting journey to follow! Cheers to our friends at Genesee, New York’s oldest brewery, and the Erie Canal, which first opened almost 200 years ago in 1825!
To take a look back at some of the action, follow us on Instagram @pricechopper.
