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       As winter has come to an end, and we are finally able to escape our homes and hideouts for some sunshine and fun, Price Chopper would like to kick off the warm weather by inviting you to join us at the Growler station. There’s lots of fun to be had this time of year, why not let your taste buds in on it too? Growler_1200x628 Join us for a tasting of the following beers to bring home with you this spring!   May 12th  & May 13th magic hatFar from your average IPA, Big Hundo is an Imperial IPA filled with hops for the ultimate taste of bitterness! Topped off with a heady aroma and dark golden body Big Hundo is the perfect way to hop into your weekend! Sample and enjoy this beer at our Growler Stations the following days:   founders logoFounders Rübæus is a Fruit/Vegetable beer known for its unique raspberry taste guaranteed to bring flavor! The use of fresh raspberries at all stages of the brewing process make this beer a necessity for the upcoming spring months! Sample and enjoy this beer at our Growler Stations the following days:   May 19th & May 20th paradox breweryParadox Beaver Bite IPA brings the perfect blend of malt and hops creating this tasty Northeast Style IPA. Brewed by Paradox Brewing Company in Schroon Lake, NY Beaver Bite provides a close to home option with a bit of pine character. Sample and enjoy this beer at our Growler Stations the following days:   May 26th & May 27th St Lawrence Brewing logoEffortless Grapefruit IPA, appropriately named for the drinking experience it provides, comes from the Saint Lawrence Brewing Company. Effortless Grapefruit IPA is a smooth, hoppy beer combined with a natural grapefruit taste making it the ideal spring time refreshment! Come and sample this beer on the following days at our Growler Stations:   Cheers. As always, please enjoy responsibly! — Written by Jon Waiksnoris, Marketing Intern 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! 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! Written by Ellie Wilson, MS, RDN Welchs Heart ImageMarch is #NationalNutritionMonth, an exciting time to get energized about delicious foods that power great health. One of my favorite ways to do that is to highlight fresh produce and products that connect all the dots – history, farm-to-table, flavor, and nutrient power that is easy to enjoy in many ways. This led me to our friends at Welch’s, an iconic company bringing the unique Concord grape to your table with wonderful Welch’s 100% Grape Juice. The Concord grape was developed in the mid-19th century by farmer Ephraim Wales Bull. He worked to develop a grape that could thrive in the harsh climate and sandy soil of the Northeast. He was successful in 1849, and named the new North American native grape for its birthplace of Concord, Massachusetts. Fast forward to present day, and the descendants of that original vine are grown in very specific, cooler microclimates, including the “grape belt” in Western New York, on the southeastern shore of Lake Erie. Over 250 New York farm families, a large part of the nearly 1,000 family farmers that make up the cooperative that owns Welch’s, carefully tend the vines and focus on the harvest that is concentrated into a few short weeks each fall. ConcordGrapesinWoodenBowl-118Welch’s deep, rich 100% grape juice is full of the Concord grape’s purple power and delivers beneficial plant nutrients called polyphenols. In fact, 100% grape juice provides many of the same polyphenols and heart-health benefits as red wine. This juice is wonderful as a drink on its own and as a versatile ingredient for recipes your whole family will enjoy. Check these two heart-healthy recipes out and surprise your family and friends with great dishes you will keep on your go-to list. Salmon-038   Our Signature salmon fillets will serve up beautifully in this Spiced Salmon Fillet with Welch’s 100% Grape Juice – support heart health and get one of your two recommended seafood servings for the week! Click for recipe. Sweet and Spicy BBQ Pork Skewers LOw Res     Easy and quick, lean pork tenderloin comes to life with these Sweet and Spicy BBQ pork and bok choy skewers. Click for recipe.   Bonus! Print the coupon, explore and enjoy the goodness of the grape with Welch’s!   Written by Jane Golub, Director In-Store Marketing Programs February 19, 2017 HEX PERFORMANCE ADVANCED LAUNDRY DETERGENT hex2017 is the year you reach those big health goals.  Hex is here to make sure your laundry room is part of that! Wait, laundry room?  Yup, you read it right!  Your bright new workout clothes are going to become sweaty piles of laundry and that jug of blue detergent isn’t going to get them clean.  Why not?  Because those detergents were built for yesterday’s fabrics. What’s different about this new laundry detergent? Hex started with tough-to-clean synthetic fabrics (like your workout clothes).  They found that since they clean those better than the legacy brands, everything else is easy! Learn more at hexperformance.com/transparency. With HEX, one detergent works for everything and you get a true clean on the first wash. They know you have something that stinks, so pick up HEX Performance today in the Laundry aisle!  Available in Single Dose or Liquid and Free + Clear or Fresh Clean Scent.                                 JNG/ sutton-beer-wineWe have so many ways to help you show your love! What are you serving on Valentine’s Day? Market 32 Sutton has everything you need to show you care – inspired meal ideas, wine, beer, and now… spirits! Find your sweetheart’s favorite rum, gin, tequila and liqueur, or toast each other with some sparkling bubbly. Visit our bakery and pick up a chocolate covered strawberry… we have a sweet assortment of treats that will touch her heart. Nothing says “I love you” like a dozen red long-stem roses from our floral department. Market 32 also offers an array of greeting cards, plush toys, chocolates and more to make your Valentine’s Day complete. For more information, click here.   tyson-1200x628Price Chopper and Market 32 have everything you need to satisfy all your hungry fans! Gear up for the big game with savings across the store on pizza, ribs, snacks, adult beverages and more! Snap up these deals and view our weekly flyer for more tasty savings!   View Weekly Flyer pizza-wings-generic iStock-509686328.jpgThe BIG game is a great time to give old favorites a new twist. Global flavors are finding their way into new foods, and guacamole is no exception. Make a play for flavor with these fun avocado recipes from our friends at Avocados From Mexico! Check out the great variety of tortilla chips in the snack aisle and Deli – pita, blue corn chips, scoops and multi-grain are all options to round out your party plan.   Freshen up your guac strategy with this rustic and ready dip. http://avocadosfrommexico.com/recipe/guacamole_dips/rustic-guac-with-corn/   Global flavors up your game – a lime flavored tortilla chip will take you through the halftime fun! http://avocadosfrommexico.com/recipe/guacamole_dips/guacamole-masala/   Go long with a Mediterranean guacamole that’s full of flavor and texture, and brings your party in for the win! http://avocadosfrommexico.com/recipe/appetizers_snacks/mediterranean-guacamole   More to love… in Fort Edward! FE ribbon cutting.jpgWe are proud to announce our first ground-up location in New York! Our Fort Edward, NY store opened its doors on Tuesday, January 10th. Check out pictures below! More on Market 32: Our new store name is inspired by the year our family-run company was founded – 1932. Over nine decades, we have successfully dedicated ourselves to helping our neighbors feed and care for themselves and their families. With Market 32, our goal is to go one step further and ‘feed your imagination’ with a shopping experience unlike any other. If you want food prep tips or need product information, our highly trained teammates are always close at hand to share their knowledge. Their focus is on providing you with solutions that make your shopping experience a rewarding one. For more information on Market 32, please click here.