USA TODAY International Edition
New York’s Finger Lakes reach beyond the vine
The grapes in New York’s Finger Lakes region are no longer the only culinary squeeze in the state’s largest wine- producing region. Squash, corn, apples, cabbage and other earthly delights of this agriculturally rich slice of the country are being noticed in what has been predominantly known as wine territory.
The Canandaigua Wine Trail meanders 41 miles through this bountiful landscape from the village of Fairport in the north to the town of Naples in the south. In between are bakeries, breweries, boutiques and bed and breakfasts where you can sample the region’s culinary cornucopia, as well as take your pick of a halfdozen restaurants that feature local fare on their menus. Here are some of the highlights:
MAPLE SYRUP
New York is the fourth- leading producer of maple syrup in the world. The Heroux family, who owns Simply Crepes in downtown Canandaigua, gets theirs from Perl’s Maple Products, a tranquil farm that supplies the syrup that’s folded into crêpes and served for breakfast, lunch and dinner. “This maple syrup is hidden in many dishes, sauces and dressings on our menu,” says Nicole Heroux, whose father, Pierre, has been making crêpes with pure maple syrup since he was a boy in Quebec.
CABBAGE
New York produces a prodigious cabbage crop. On the Canandaigua Wine Trail, this means sauerkraut, like one concocted with pineapple, juniper berries, peppercorns, sautéed onions and dry white wine. “The recipe for our winemaster’s sauerkraut comes from my great- grandmother, who immigrated to the United States from Nothweiler, Germany, in the 1850s,” says John Brahm, who owns Arbor Hill Grapery in Naples, N. Y. You can try his signature sauerkraut made with cabbage from the Great Lakes Kraut Company at Brahm’s adjacent restaurant, Brew & Brats at Arbor Hill, housed inside a 160year- old carriage barn.
GRAPES
Naples calls itself the Grape Capital of the World, where 70,000 slices of grape pie are sold each year. In the southwest nook of Ontario County, Concords rule the grape roost. Farmers have been selling pies from roadside stands since the 1950s. Perhaps the most celebrated baker of grape pies here is Monica Schenk, who has been making pies, fillings and jellies at her shop, Monica’s Pies, since 1983.
SQUASH
Squash- seed oil is all the rage in these parts, thanks to the innovative folks at the New York State Food Venture Center at Cornell University’s Geneva campus. They helped a local farmer turn discarded squash seeds into a gourmet oil that’s mouthwatering in salads, soups and pastas. Butternut and acorn varieties are sold under the Stony Brook Wholehearted Foods label. Chef Trish Aser drizzles it over a yummy shiitake- mushroom risotto at the Brown Hound Bistro in Naples. Also purchase the oil, marketed as Finger Lakes Fabulous Squash Seed Oil, at F. Oliver’s in downtown Canandaigua.
APPLES
Scientists at New York State Agricultural Experiment Station in Geneva developed some of the East’s most popular apple varieties: the Cortland, Empire, Macon and Jonagold. Near the research center is a 600- acre family orchard that has transformed apples like these into juices considered the “best on the planet,” according to a 2010 Zagat Survey. Red Jacket Orchards uses a cold- press technique to smash whole fruit to make pure, unfiltered apple- based juices. At the New York Wine & Culinary Center, try Red Jacket’s juices in such dishes as the bourbon- glazed pork belly with poached quail eggs and polenta cake.
CORN
A strain of Native American corn that was nearly lost 1,400 years ago is making a comeback in the Finger Lakes region, thanks to volunteers using 17th- century methods. The Iroquois White Corn Project incorporates generations of seed- savers who kept the precious corn kernels so they could propagate the heirloom food. Using no chemicals or pesticides, volunteers now hand- plant the corn, pick it and braid its husks to hang to dry in the winter months. It’s then hand- processed, roasted and dehydrated and sold in packages of whole kernels or flour to make breads, muffins and pancakes.
HOPS
Wine might take the top shelf in the Finger Lakes, but the region’s also awash with suds. Ontario County has a growing number of microbreweries, many of which use locally grown hops. Four of these craft breweries line the wine trail, including the Nedloh Brewing Company. Opened in 2014, the 3,500square- foot brewery houses a retail shop and a tasting room where you can sample tap beers including an IPA, rye porter and a farmhouse saison.