Saturday, Aug. 10: Along the Shawangunk Ridge, where for many decades people eked out a hardscrabble existence each summer by picking wild blueberries and huckleberries for sale to the New York City market, berry season is now in full swing. That means that it’s time once again for the streets of Ellenville to fill with locals and visitors alike, all in quest of the purple-stained tongue that’s a badge of being a true blueberry-lover.
Sunday, Aug. 11: In the mountainous Asturias region of Spain, where more than 200 varieties of apples are grown, traditional sidra is a staple of Basque culture. Tart, earthy and dry, sidra is meant to be drunk up quickly, before it settles and loses its sparkle. The “pour” is very important.
Both Chef Linda Soper-Kolton and Chef Sara Boan graduated from the Natural Gourmet Institute in Manhattan before landing their dream jobs at the Catskill Animal Sanctuary, tucked away between Saugerties and Lake Katrine, where they teach the vegan way of compassionate cooking. Now the dynamic duo is making the rounds at bookstores and other venues to launch a cookbook, Compassionate Cuisine: 125 Plant-Based Recipes from Our Vegan Kitchen.
Frances Roth and Katherine Angell opened the institute in 1946, determined to establish a school that would become “the culinary center of the nation” and believing that America could have “the best meals on earth.”
Saturday/Sunday, June 22/23: This celebration of all things handmade at the Dutchess Fairgrounds features contemporary crafts and art, gourmet specialty foods, tastings from Hudson Valley distilleries and wineries, interactive craft demonstrations and family activities.
“Lis” is Polish for “fox,” a nod to the location on Foxhall Avenue.
Festa at Italian Center Thursday, May 16-Sunday, May 19: One doesn’t have to stroll far along the streets of Poughkeepsie’s Mount Carmel district to come across a bakery or restaurant that reaches back into the century-old culinary traditions brought to the Hudson Valley by Italian emigrants. The story goes that Eleanor Roosevelt’s limousine driver would pull up to Caffe Aurora and fetch her a box of pastries to take home to Hyde Park.
Saturday, May 18: There will be more than 10,000 cupcakes on hand as well as live bands, bouncy houses, wagon rides and the Gardiner Cupcake Classic 5K Run through the orchards.
Saturday-Sunday, May 18-19: Receive a souvenir wineglass at your starting winery and enjoy delicious wine-tastings paired with a mouthwatering food bite – cheeses, meats, salads, pastas or desserts – at some or all of the 15 member wineries.
Saturday-Sunday. Apr. 28-29: Tap celebrates artisanal beer from small makers – no major corporate brands, even the ones that disguise themselves as boutique and micro. The Festival features pale ales, pilseners, weisbiers, porters, stouts, Scotch ales and much more, from hearty Bohemian and Bavarian-style lagers to glorious Belgian-style ales.