The home.grown. Rundown on Some Underdog Winter Squashes winter squash header Now that the weather seems like it’s finally cooling off for good: We offer a variety of tasty, local winter squashes that are perfect for your favorite cold weather meals! November is prime time for winter squashes, and we’re proud to source our hard squashes from farmers here in the Northeast, like Torrey Farms in Elba, NY, Plainville Farm in Hadley, MA, and Mazza Farms in Essex, VT. While many Northeast folks stick with classics like butternut and acorn for cooking and baking, there are a variety of other winter squashes out there that have just as much flavor: we’re here to shed some light on some of those lesser-known winter squashes. Some decorators use the underdog vegetables below on their front porches and fireplace mantles, but they’re actually delicious relatives to favorites like acorn and butternut. Check out the info below!   Sweet Dumpling Squash (pictured above) is a smaller winter squash averaging 4 inches in diameter and weighing less than one pound. Its shape is similar to that of an acorn squash, with an ivory colored skin and green, yellow, or orange stripes running vertically down the sides. Sweet Dumplings are extra tasty when cut in half, baked and drizzled with home.grown. maple syrup. Also, with their bowl-like shape they’re perfect for stuffing with meat, cheeses, and vegetables.  
Raw Organic Delicata Squash

Raw Organic Delicata Squash Ready to Cook With

Delicata Squash is a smaller, underrated squash perfect for the winter. Being smaller than most other squash varieties, they are easy to cut and prepare. They have a sweetness to them that makes them very tasty, you don’t have to add anything. Also, unlike other types of squash, Delicata has a tender, tasty skin perfect for eating, and very convenient for preparing. You can eat them like fries, only they’re a much healthier alternative. In the words of Lloyd Zimmerman of Coxsackie’s Black Horse Farms, “they’re truly underrated!”  
Butter Kin squash on display

Butter Kin fall squash at the farmers market

Butterkin Squash is a cross between a pie pumpkin and a butternut squash. They have a dark orange interior that is deliciously sweet and smooth in texture. Butterkins can be used to substitute in any dish that calls for butternut squash or cooking pumpkins. For the best preparation, cut the butterkin in half, place face down onto a foil lined baking sheet. Bake in 400F oven until soft. Remove the seeds and discard. Carefully scrape out the softened squash from the cavity and enjoy!  
Small blue hubbard squash at the market

Small blue hubbard squash at the farmers market

Baby Blue Hubbard Squash was developed in 1953 here in the Northeast by the University of New Hampshire. They have a sweet, yellowish flesh. Luckily, Baby Hubbard Squash is delicious to eat and simple to prepare. Try it roasted, cut into small pieces and tossed with rosemary, olive oil, salt, and pepper. It’s fantastic when served with roasted meats such as turkey, pork, or chicken.       One of the best perks of all winter squashes is the health benefits they provide. They’re a great source of vitamin A and C, potassium, and B vitamins and minerals, including copper and manganese. They’re very versatile and nutritious! No matter which type of squash you select, you can be confident that you’re making a healthy decision. They bring beautiful color and nutrition to your fall harvest meal! These underdog squashes may be lesser known, but they’re always a tasty addition to any cold weather meal. Between the different varieties there is plenty of selection, and numerous health benefits. This year, take a chance on one of these vegetables: you might just find a new favorite!   fall_activityBlog   Visit a Local Orchard or Cider Mill This Season! Written by Jon Waiksnoris, Marketing Intern   It’s fall in the Northeast, and apple flavors are back in popular taste! Now that the weather has finally cooled down, enjoying a beautiful day at the orchard picking apples and tasting cider is the perfect way to celebrate the season. At Price Chopper & Market 32 we love this time of year, because we team up with a variety of local farms who supply our stores with home.grown. apples and cider every fall. Rulfs Orchard in Peru, NY has been a local partner of ours for over 20 years! Originally a dairy farmer, Robert Rulfs added a cider mill to his farm in 1983 and never looked back. Today, the orchard offers many different types of produce, apples, and berries. Featuring pick-your-own Macintosh apples, a corn maze and fresh baked goods, Rulfs Orchard is definitely worth a visit this fall! Established in 1911, Beak & Skiff Apple Orchard is the result of onion farmer Beak and SkiffGeorge Skiff and dairy farmer Andrew Beak, joining forces to enter the apple business. Located in Lafayette, NY, Beak & Skiff offers a variety of apples for picking. They also produce delicious cider in their mill using fresh apples exclusively grown on their orchard! Cold Hollow Cider Mill is a Vermont cider mill we’ve partnered with for more than 20 years! In 1974, Eric and Francine Chittenden began making apple cider for friends, soon after, they realized they should open up a business. They wanted to make cider to distribute to supermarkets, and become a Vermont tourist attraction in the meantime. Today, through their own old-fashioned style, Cold Hollow Cider Mill is both one of New England’s top producers and one of Vermont’s biggest tourist attractions. Located in Altamont, NY, Altamont Orchards has been a family operated farm in the Capital Region for over 49 years! Dating all the way back to 1792, the farm has been leased and sold numerous times. However, in 1967 the Abbruzzese family became the first family to work and live on the farm. They still own the farm today, promising to raise and produce only the finest products for their community and customers. Be sure to check out their farm market featuring, apples, apple cider donuts, pies, breads, pastries, and more! Check out the info below to find out more about our local apple partners and what they have to offer!

Rulfs Orchard: 531 Bear Swamp Rd, Peru, NY / http://www.rulfsorchard.com/ Walhowdon Farm & Orchards: 33 Walhowdon Way, Lebanon, NH Hudson River Fruit: 65 Old Indian Rd, Milton, NY / https://www.hudsonriverfruit.com/ Sunrise Orchards: 1287 N Bingham St, Cornwall, VT / https://sunriseorchards.com/ Crunch Time Apple Growers: Wolcott, NY / http://www.crunchtimeapplegrowers.com/ Jaeschke’s Orchard: 23 Gould Rd, Adams. MA / http://jaeschkesorchard.com/ Brace’s Orchard: 444 Brace Rd, Dallas, PA Beak & Skiff: 2708 Lords Hill Rd, Lafayette, NY / http://beakandskiff.com/ Breezelands Orchards: 1791 Southbridge Rd, Warren, MA / http://www.breezelandsorchards.com/ Mayer Brothers Cider Mill: 1540 Seneca Creek Rd, Buffalo, NY / http://mayerbrothers.com/cider-mill-store/ Fowler Farms: 10273 Lummisville Rd, Wolcott, NY / http://www.fowlerfarms.com/ Rogers Orchard: 336 Long Bottom Rd, Southington, CT / http://www.rogersorchards.com/default.aspx Cold Hollow Cider Mill: 3600 Waterbury Stowe Rd, Waterbury Center, VT / http://www.coldhollow.com Altamont Orchards: 6654 Dunnsville Rd, Altamont, NY / http://altamontorchards.com/

(more…)   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! team collage gbTeammates 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. gb barge     Homegrown At Price Chopper and Market 32, we believe in celebrating all things local. We team up with a variety of small-scale “mom ‘n pop” artisans and producers who supply either their neighborhood Price Chopper/Market 32 store or a group of stores in their area, and while these local producers make up a small portion of the many items we offer in our stores, each one of them are important to us. We ourselves started as a single grocery store in New York, and our home.grown. commitment to supporting all things local in the Northeast would not be complete without these neighborhood folks.   Check out some of our featured mom n’ pop local producers below!   Granddaddy’s BBQ, Bethel CT Find them on Facebook! Granddaddy’s is a husband & wife BBQ duo with a catering business and line of delicious sauces. The Craig family signed up to supply our Oxford Market 32 when they heard we were coming to town last year. Kutik’s Honey Farm, Norwich NY Find them on Facebook! A household name in rural Norwich, Kutik’s is a family-owned operation that delivers honey to our Norwich store, located a few miles from the farm. Grandpa’s Stuff Maple Products, Pawlet VT Check out their website! Grandpa’s Stuff is produced by a Vermonter who hand-crafts his maple spread “just like Grandpa Hawkins used to do”, carried in select Vermont stores! Gazebo Room, Lewisberry PA Find them on Facebook! Originating from a restaurant in Harrisburg and a favorite salad dressing brand of Pennsylvanians, Gazebo Room dressings are carried in our Montrose store in northern Pennsylvania.   For more information on our program for all things local in the Northeast, visit our home.grown. page. Guest blog written by Ben Taylor of Merle Maple Farm   As the weather begins to warm up, it’s time for maple season! We at Merle Maple Farm, based in Attica New York, are proud to produce high-quality and consistent maple syrup for our local partners at Price Chopper and Market 32. Their commitment to providing local products for customers is beneficial for local economies and strengthens the “Tree to Table” connection that maple farming thrives off of.   maple_merleMerle Maple Farm is owned and operated by the Merle Family, which is currently in its 6th generation of family ownership. We have over 17,000 taps in the woods which collectively produce over 350,000 gallons of sap per season. We boil this sap down to the sweet product we all know as maple syrup: between 6,000 and 9,000 gallons per year! Maple syrup is all-natural, with no additives and no modification; just pure nature-derived goodness.   The Merle family produces a wide variety of maple products, from maple syrup to BBQ sauce, and cotton candy to sugar candy. We enjoy chatting with folks about all things maple, showing people how we make our maple products, and being engaged in the local community.   We hope that you enjoy our maple syrup as much as we enjoy producing it. Thanks for reading!   Find out more about Merle Maple Farm by visiting their website, and find out more about our local maple producers on our maple page! We had a great day today visiting the team at Mapleland Farms! We hung out at the sugar house with Mary Jeanne & the Mapleland Farms family to chat with our Facebook followers about all things maple! With Mary Jeanne’s help, we were able to answer many of your maple questions. Below are some of the most popular questions & answers from our local experts! Does the color of the syrup relate to the flavor of the syrup? MJ: The darker the syrup the stronger the flavor. The color is determined by the sugar content of the sap when it comes out of the trees. However, all maple syrup is 67% sugar!   Has the weather this year been affecting your productivity? MJ: We count on cold nights & warm days to make the sap run. This year, there’s been cold nights & cold days, or warm nights & warm days, so the sap production is down slightly.   How much sap does it take to make one pint of maple syrup? MJ: It takes about 40-50 pints of sap for one pint of pure maple syrup.   What is the difference between the grades of syrup? MJ: There are 4 grades of pure maple syrup: golden, amber, dark, and very dark. The darker the syrup the stronger the flavor. All 4 grades have the same sugar content–67% sugar!   Which grade of pure maple syrup is best for cooking? MJ: We recommend dark or very dark. The darker the syrup, the stronger the maple flavor.   Can you substitute pure maple syrup for sugar in baking? MJ: Yes! When baking, substitute pure maple syrup with sugar 1:1 and reduce the amount of liquid slightly.   Does where the maple syrup comes from (NY, VT, Canada) affect the flavor? MJ: Definitely! Just like wine regions, maple also has different flavor regions.   How should maple syrup be stored? MJ: If unopened, pure maple syrup will keep for 2 years. Once opened, it should be kept in the refrigerator. Pure maple syrup can be put in the freezer; however, it will not actually freeze.   Do you tap the same trees every year? MJ: We tap every tree, every year!   Special thanks to our friends at Mapleland Farms. Look for their award-winning pure maple syrup at 3 of our locations: Fort Edward Market 32, Wilton Market 32, & Market Bistro in Latham. Learn more about them & shop all their products online. Click here. maple in store Written by Tyler Blance, Marketing Program Coordinator – Local  It’s maple season in the Northeast and we’re celebrating at Price Chopper and Market 32! HG_maple_1200X628We’re proud to team up with a variety of different maple farmers and producers across the 6 Northeast States we operate in! Our maple friends supply different stores with a range of items like pure maple syrup, maple cream, maple candies, and even maple cotton candy! Our Price Chopper brand of maple syrup is produced in Vermont from the sap of Vermont maple farms! Maple is a delicious seasonal flavor, but did you know that it’s also an important agriculture product of our region? The Northeast is home to the ideal weather climate for turning maple tree sap into pure maple sugar (syrup): Vermont alone produces over 5% of the world’s maple syrup supply! Pouring maple syrup from a ladle onto fresh snowThere are a lot of different maple sugar farms in our region, ranging from small hobby farms who tap trees for personal consumption, all the way to folks who tap 17,000 trees, like our friends at Mapleland Farms in Salem NY !  Many of these farms offer sugar house visits and seasonal tours that are open to the public, and multiple Northeast state associations provide resources on visiting these local maple farms. You can see the process of maple production and become a Maple Master! Check out the links below to see what resources your state has to offer! Maple_NY1200x628Visit a New York Maple Farm Visit a Vermont Maple Farm Visit a New Hampshire Maple Farm Visit a Pennsylvania Maple Farm Visit a Connecticut Maple Farm Visit a Massachusetts Maple Farm And if you aren’t able to make it out to your nearby farm this year, our Vermont pals at Coombs Family Farms offer this pretty cool video that tells the story of their maple farm. For more information on our Northeast maple producers, visit our home.grown. maple page. May your maple season be extra sweet this year! Submitted by our home.grown. friends at Cabot Creamery Farmers are a dedicated group. For generations they have staked their livelihood to working the land and feeding America. For us at Cabot Creamery Co-operative, that tradition began in 1919 when a group of 94 farmers came together to bring their excess milk to new markets in a way they could as individual farmers. That spirit of hard work and cooperation remains at the core of Cabot nearly 100 years later.  The cooperative now includes 1,200 family farms spread across New York and New England. These farmers live in your local community. They serve on school boards and volunteer fire departments. They work 365 days a year to deliver the highest quality milk to our creameries, which in turn is made into award winning cheese and dairy products.  Just this year Cabot Sharp Cheddar and Cabot Greek Yogurt took home ‘Best in Class’ at the World Championship Cheese Contest in Wisconsin. image1[1]Price Chopper and Market 32 are also dedicated to bringing local products to local communities. In conjunction with their Homegrown Flavors program, the farmer-owners of the Cabot Creamery Co-operative have had the chance to visit their local store and sample their cheese and dairy products. These in-store interactions are valuable. They provide the farmer a chance to meet folks in their community and provide shoppers with an opportunity to try Cabot products and meet the people behind them. As a cooperative, our farmers truly own the business and any profit made goes back to the farm. When you buy Cabot products, you are supporting local farms and their ability to farm into the next generation. The farms that make up Cabot vary in size and location throughout the Northeast, but at the core of each one is family. Whether it’s the Ziehm family of Tiashoke Farm in Cambridge, New York or the Tully family of Tully Farm in Dunstable, Massachusetts, each farm is connected to their local community. They are committed to producing high quality milk and are proud of the Cabot products that are made using that same milk. If you’re in a Price Chopper Market 32 and see Cabot handing out samples, be sure to stop by, say hello to your local farmer and try some of our award-winning cheddar cheese! Visit our home.grown. web page for more information on our local growers and producers. CabotHGFlavors Written by Sara Lilkas, Marketing Intern   Spring is here! Well almost, but in only a few short weeks the first day of spring will be here (March 20th to be exact) and hopefully some warmer weather! Even though warmer weather is not guaranteed by a date on the calendar, spring seasonal craft beer is! The March lineup features four great breweries from New York State, featuring ingredients that are also produced in New York State. First up is Shmaltz Brewery from Clifton Park, NY. Their new seasonal Brewer’s Wanted is a pale ale made using malts and hops from New York State. The beer is exclusively sold in shmaltz-brewing-logothe state of New York and a portion of the sales goes towards training new brewers. Shmaltz has teamed up with Schenectady County Community College and the Greater Capital Region Work Force to create a training program for new brewers. But for now more about the beer! The Brewer’s Wanted Pale Ale is a crisp spring seasonal perfect for an early spring BBQ! Try Shmaltz Brewer’s Wanted: Saturday March 5th, 2016  Sunday March 6th, 2016 Next up is a new brew from Davidson Brother’s brewery from Glens Falls, NY. As part of davidson brewingtheir beer tour through the British Isles, they are stopping in Wales with their Welsh Braggot. Braggot’s are traditionally made from ale and honey and is a mix of a mead and what is considered an ale today. As a brand new brew to the Davidson lineup, stop by and try this new take on a very old brew (braggots date back to the 1500s!) Try Davidson Brother’s Welsh Braggot: Friday March 11th, 2016 Saturday March 12th, 2016 Adirondack Brewery is the next New York State brewery being featured in March. They will adkpublogobe featuring their new Peanut Butter Porter. A dark beer the combination of chocolate malts, coffee, and peanut butter makes for a delightfully delicious porter! Try Adirondack Brewery’s Peanut Butter Porter: Friday March 18th, 2016 Saturday March 19th, 2016 The last tasting of the month is an IPA collaboration between Olde Saratoga Brewing Co, Adirondack Brewery, and Death Wish Coffee. The brewers from both breweries worked together to create a unique blend of flavors taking the best flavors from their respective IPA’s and then adding Death Wish Coffee Beans to the mix! Try Olde Saratoga Brewing Co.’s Deathwish IPA:saratoga Friday March 25th, 2016 Saturday March 26th, 2016   We have had a last minute addition to the tasting schedule! Boulevard Brewing Co, from Kansas will be featuring The Calling. An IPA featuring topical fruit aromas and a dry finish, this IPA uses a variety of hops! Try Boulevard Brewing Co.’s The Calling: Friday March 25th, 2016 the calling ipaSaturday March 26th, 2016   Make sure you follow us on Twitter (@PriceChopper and @Market32byPC) to stay up to date on changes and additional tastings added to the schedule!   Written by Sara Lilkas, Marketing Intern  Happy New Year! We hope that everyone had a happy and safe New Year’s celebration and that you are looking forward to 2016 as much as we are here at Price Chopper and Market 32. As part of 2016 we will continue to have craft beer tastings every month at all of our locations with Growler Stations. This month features breweries that call the Greater Capitol Region home and even feature ingredients from other local businesses. Learn more about the breweries being featured this month below! First up in 2016 is Brown’s Brewing Company, featuring their Uncommon brownsPorter. The Uncommon Porter features a blend of different coffee flavors from local coffee shop Uncommon Grounds which is based out of Saratoga Springs, NY. One of my personal favorite brews from Brown’s, the Uncommon Porter features caramel, chocolate, and just a hint of vanilla. Try Brown’s Brewing Company Uncommon Porter: Friday January 8th, 2016 Saturday January 9th, 2016 Since it is the beginning of a new year it is only fitting that a new beer should be featured this month! New from Founders Brewing out of Grand foundersRapids, Michigan (they are the one exception to the local brewers featured this month!) is the Azacca IPA. As the name implies this beer is made with Azacca hops which are named for the Haitian God of Agriculture. Azacca hops feature citrus and tropical tones. Try Founders’ Azacca IPA: Friday January 15th, 2016 Saturday January 16th, 2016 Shmaltz Brewery from Clifton Park, NY is the next brewery being featured this month! A year-round offering, the Slingshot American Craft lager features a citrusy aroma and is a light straw color. Brewed in the style of an American Pale lager, it is brewed without any “cereal” elements such as rice or corn. Try Shmaltz Brewery’s Slingshot American Craft:shmaltz-brewing-logo Friday January 22nd, 2016 Saturday January 23rd, 2016 New from the Olde Saratoga Brewing Company is the PB&J stout. A twist saratogaon their classic Oatmeal Stout the PB&J stout, is in fused with peanut butter and raspberry jam! Try Olde Saratoga Brewing Company’s PB&J Stout: Thursday January 28th, 2016 Friday January 29th, 2016 Saturday January 30th, 2016 To finish up the first month of the New Year, Davidson Brothers Brewing Company will be sampling their Coffee Stout. Featuring a caramel, chocolate, and coffee aromas, the Coffee Stout is a lighter and tasty stout. davidson brewingFor those who usually only drink lighter colored beers, don’t let the dark color of this brew fool you, the Coffee Stout is the perfect introduction to darker beers. Try Davidson Brothers’ Coffee Stout: Saturday January 30th, 2016 Sunday January 31st, 2016   Follow us on Twitter @PriceChopper and @market32bypc for updates and changes to the schedule. Please enjoy responsibly!