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Daily Archives: June 27, 2017

Chautauqua Area, New York – Unique Places To Visit

 

Produce Auctioneer

www.americanpresstravelnews.com – June 25th – Today is a full day of exploring the area. Joanna Dahlbeck from Chautauqua Tourism introduced me to some of the little known places you can visit in the area. There are many small towns in the Chautauqua area. We started with an Amish Produce and Flower auction in North Clymer. This particular day at the auction had was called the wholesale day. It is open to the public, but the items are on a flat. If you bid, you need to buy the whole flat. Other days are retail and you can bid on one of an item. To find out more the website is: www.chautauquaproduceauction.com. The flowers were so beautiful that it was hard to resist. But we were too far from our TN. home to pack them away.

Beef cattle raised on healthy forage

Not far from the auction was the Green Heron Growers. One of their specialties is growing shiitake mushrooms. Julie Rockcastle met us and explained the process of growing these delicious mushrooms. They also raise chickens, grass fed beef, vegetables and herbs (and much more). All certified organic. Julie and her husband Steve offer farm tours along with workshops and culinary experiences. 

Shitaki Mushrooms are the best

Julie also explained their internship program, giving the opportunity to train farmers to the benefits of organic farming. To find out more, take a look at their website: www.greenherongrowers.com or call (716) 720-3695. For information on their Great Blue Heron Music Festival take a look the this website: www.greatblueheron/wp/

Stedman Corners Cafe

 It was such a beautiful day, so we decided to have lunch at Stedman Corners Cafe in Mayville. They have a lovely outdoor area and we enjoyed one of their over sized sandwiches in the cool breeze. Located at Stedman Corners in Mayville, N.Y.

Stedman Cafe Antique Sign

Stedman Corners Corners Cafe started as a general store in 1898. It was a favorite place to buy “fresh ground coffee”. Today the cafe serves breakfast and lunch and on some nights dinner. Check out their website: www.stedmancafe.com or their Facebook page www.facebook.com/Stedman-Corners-Cafe-291711394269098/ or call (716) 789-5047.

Great Ham Sandwich

Lake Erie and Lake Chautauqua – Grape Arbors As Far As You Can See

www.americanpresstravelnews.com News.com – June 27th – Riding around the Lake Erie region of Chautauqua there are vineyards almost everywhere. 

To find out more about the business of grapes in this attractive area we visited The Cornell University Lake Erie Research Extension Laboratory. We learned that there are approximately 30,000 acres in the Lake Erie region of New York and Pennsylvania. 98.5% of these grapes are used for juice, jam and other fresh or fermented products. The Lake Erie Regional Grape Program consists of Extension Educators and research faculty/staff from Cornell University and Penn State University devoted to projects aimed at increasing yields, product quality, diversity and improvement of cultivars, efficiency of production, profitability and adoption of environmentally sound cultural and pest management strategies. To find out more take a look at their website: www.lergp.cce.cornell.edu/.

Our next stop was at the Johnson Estate Winery. This is oldest estate winery in the New York State, established in 1961.

Johnson Estates Wines

The Johnson’s Estate is a Story of Three Generations, beginning in 1877 with an English orphan named Frederick Johnson. In 1908 Johnson purchased this home circa – 1822 with the adjoining farm along the banks of Freelings Creek, in Westfield, N.Y. There is a full history on the website.

Today it is owned by Frederick Johnson Jr. with his wife Jennifer, former president of the Chautauqua – Lake Erie Wine Trail. They completed a renovation of the tasting room in 2011 for the winery’s 50th anniversary celebration. This building has been beautifully renovated complementing the old with the new. They have a full side viewing window with the full size stainless steel tanks.

Wine tastings and pairings are popular at this winery, with a large selection of estate wines and gifts.  They have group tours by

Grape Vineyard

appointment. Also, they have many summer events that a space can be reserved online. Check out their website: www.JohnsonWinery.com or call (716) 326-2191.

Also call: 1-800-374-6569