Season to Season: Adirondack Harvest and the Year-Round Local Food Movement Artwork

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Season to Season: Adirondack Harvest and the Year-Round Local Food Movement

December 01, 2025 • ADK Taste

In this episode, we explore what it really means to eat locally in the Adirondacks — not just during summer’s peak produce season, but all year long, even through deep winter. We sit down with Bella Susino, Program Leader of Adirondack Harvest, the regional initiative (housed within Cornell Cooperative Extension of Essex County) connecting people, farms, forests, and communities across the North Country.

Bella takes us from the grassroots origins of Adirondack Harvest in the early 2000s to the vibrant, ever-growing local food scene of today. We talk drought, climate resiliency, winter markets, CSA culture, local economic impact, and why “buying local” is really an investment in your neighbors, community health, and even the ecosystem.

Along the way, we get into farm-to-school programs, the challenges behind digital marketing for small farms, how restaurants can be better partners, and why Essex County remains the beating agricultural heart of the Adirondack Park.

And yes — we also get a peek behind the scenes of the beloved Adirondack Harvest Festival, plus Bella’s heartfelt ode to Raquette Lake and a gentle reminder that some backcountry treasures should stay off the map.

What you’ll hear in this episode:

How Adirondack Harvest grew from grassroots farmland protection efforts into the region’s most comprehensive local food network.
Why Essex County is the agricultural “breadbasket” of the Adirondacks — and how drought and new weather patterns are reshaping farm life.
Winter farmers markets: where to find them, what to expect, and how to discover year-round local products.
The real economic impact of buying local — and why co-ops, farm stands, and direct-from-farm bulk buying matter.
Bella’s favorite success stories connecting farms to restaurants, schools, and hospitals (including seed potatoes, microgreens, and local food in the Saranac Lake Medical Center).
New initiatives for 2026: cuisine trails, international food trails, increased digital help for farms, and expanded education efforts.
The roots and evolution of the Adirondack Harvest Festival — from its Rutabaga Festival beginnings to 3,000-visitor celebrations today.
Why Leave No Trace matters far beyond hiking… and what “old-world Adirondack living” really means.

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Produced by NOVA