By Shannon Hayes

Shannon Hayes is the host of grassfedcooking.com and the author of The Farmer and the Grill, The Grassfed Gourmet, and Radical Homemakers (released April 2010). Hayes holds a Ph.D. in sustainable agriculture and community development from Cornell University and works with her family on Sap Bush Hollow Farm in Upstate New York. The following piece is excerpted from her fourth book, Long Way On a Little: And Earth-Lovers Handbook for Enjoying Meat, Pinching Pennies and Living Deliciously.

Often, one of the first forays customers make into the world of farm-direct meat buying is pastured poultry. From the viewpoint of a farmer, nothing could be simpler (or cheaper) to bring home to the kitchen. During the morning rush at our farmers’ market, I tend to grab the plump birds, bag them up, total the purchase and send my customers happily on their way, scarcely taking the time to even look up. It is only when my husband thoughtfully pokes me in the ribs that I lift my head and notice the occasional truly new customer, whose eyebrows are raised in a state of innocent confusion and trepidation as they take possession of their dinner. If you’ve never purchased a pasture-raised chicken directly from a farmer before, there is definitely some sense of mystery to it. Even veteran farm-direct shoppers can always learn a few things about what they are buying, including how to get the most for their money.

Washington Place Ribbon Cutting August 3, at 2 p.m.


TROY, NY (07/19/2010) -- Neighborhood activists have restored one of the Capital Region's most historic streets to a pristine stretch of granite block pavers.

"Washington Place is one of the few streets in the Capital Region that is still surfaced with its original pavers. It's beautiful," said Lynn Kopka, president of the Washington Park Association. "Once streets like this are gone, they're gone. They disappear under the asphalt."

Washington Place is a 310-foot-long street that borders the southern end of Troy's Washington Park. It is a rare example of an intact 19th century Belgian block paved street.

The National Slow Money Conference was held on June 10-11 at bucolic Shelburne Farms, Vermont.  Organizer and author of the book, "Slow Money", Woody Tasch and his team managed to pull off an inspiring two days of ideas, energy and general optimism that left attendees hopeful for the future.  The fast money monetary system that we've adopted over the last 50 years has led up down the path of wealth concentration and resource exploitation.  Mr. Tasch explained that we need a new type of monetary system, one that nurtures instead of usurps; one that grows sustainable entrepreneurship vs. corporate buyouts and takeovers.  The answer to healing our monetary system and our planet is to invest locally in local food systems.  Organic, free-range, grass-fed derived food is necessary for a healthy bodyand healthy environment.  These farming and food production models hearken back to a different time; a slower time when raising food was done on small family farms.

Well, according to Slow Money advocates like Tasch, the small family farm is the place of the new entrepreneur.  The many new business ventures  in attendance were evidence that going slow and producing local is indeed, the path to new opportunity.  And these companies are all looking to expand.  They are creating jobs, and more importantly, building and supporting the local food systems in their respective communities.

As a Parks and Trails survey released several weeks ago showed, the Mohawk Hudson bike trail is heavily used. And Schenectady officials hope their new greenway, connecting Central Park to downtown via Bradley Street, Brandywine Avenue and Vale Park, will be too once it is completed in November.

There’s no reason why not; this is going to be a pleasant, safe trail — through two picturesque parks, separated from cars all the way — that can be used for both recreation and transportation by residents and visitors alike.

Back in 2003, city and county planners developed a good bike plan for the city. It called for improving connections between the bike path and downtown to get cyclists passing by the city to get off the trail and come through, perhaps visiting Little Italy or Jay Street downtown, or doing a designated loop through Union College, the GE Plot, Upper Union and Central Park.

Some of those connections have now been made. Using the existing bike path, commuters from Niskayuna can easily get to the new Golub headquarters or the community college. Recreational cyclists can do that loop, sharing the road with cars but on routes chosen and signed for safety. Visitors downtown can lock up their bikes at racks watched by attendants at Metroplex’s parking lots. The Erie Boulevard redesign will feature a bike path. And linking it all up, the greenway, which can be used by all types of riders, kids as well as adults.

Schenectady merchants should start encouraging people to come by bicycle, as some do in Saratoga Springs, by offering discounts. The city should have fun, bike-oriented activities, like bike rodeos for kids or races, or close certain roads to cars on occasion for a bike afternoon or night.
There could be big benefits for Schenectady if it becomes known as a bike-friendly city, and it is on its way.