Finger Lakes, NY -- The Finger Lakes Cheese Trail is pleased to announce their Open House dates for 2014. The first Open House of the season is Saturday, June 7, from 10:00am-5:00pm. 11 of the 13 members will be participating in the event which is hosted for the most part on their individual farms.
Many of the farms will be offering farm tours, and several will have with extra activities created especially for the Open Houses. At Vanillen Dairy in Lodi, there will be plenty of hands-on kids farm activities and even watch a cow get a "pedicure." Vanillen will also be premiering their new name -- Crosswinds Farm & Creamery at the event. At Sidehill Acres Goat Dairy in Candor, visitors will be able to try their hand at goat milking and play with the "kids."
A few members will not be at their farms for the Open House, but will be participating in the best way they can. The Trail's newest member, Heaven Scent Cheese from Cohocton, will be at Lakewood Vineyards on State Route 14 in Watkins Glen. Kenton's Cheese Company will be at the Ithaca Farmers Market that day.
New to the Open Houses this year is Cheese Trail Bingo. Visitors during the Spring Open House and the Fall Open House (October 11, 2014) can pick up a bingo card at any of the participating farms. They then present the card at each farm they visit and get the card stamped. Once they form a bingo, they mail in their completed card to the Trail to get entered for a cheese board and select cheeses from the Trail. The winner will be selected November 1, just in time for the holiday season.
The 9 Creameries that will be hosting the Open Houses on their farms are:
Dutch Hill Creamery, Chenango Forks
Engelbert Farms, Nichols
Finger Lakes Dexter Creamery, King Ferry
Jerry Dell Farm & Store, Freeville
Muranda Cheese Co., Waterloo
Shtayburne Farm, Rock Stream
Side Hill Acres Goat Dairy, Candor
Sunset View Creamery, Odessa
Vanillen Dairy, Ovid
The two creameries that are participating at off-site locations are:
Heaven Scent Cheese, Corning (will be sampling & selling at Lakewood Vineyards)
Kenton’s Cheese Company, Trumansburg (will be at the Ithaca Farmers Market)
The two creameries that are NOT participating in the spring Open House are:
Keeley's Cheese Company, King Ferry
4 Tin Fish Farm, Conquest
The key to making the Open House an enjoyable day is pre-planning a route. Trail reps advise going to the website, looking at the Google map, and planning a route by grouping four or five creameries together. Then add in a few places to stop along the way for food, like Kirtons Farm Market in Hector or Crystal Lake Café at Americana Vineyards in Interlaken, and you’ll have a nice day against the backdrop of the budding and blooming Finger Lakes Region.
The Trail's only other Open House in 2014 will be the Fall Open House on the Saturday of Columbus Day Weekend. That will run from 10:00am-5:00pm and will be Saturday only. The other big event the Trail hosts is the Finger Lakes Cheese Festival, this year Saturday July 26 from 10:00am-5:00pm at Sunset View Creamery in Odessa, which is five miles outside of Watkins Glen.
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About the Finger Lakes Cheese Trail The Finger Lakes Cheese Trail is comprised of 13 working, family dairies throughout the Finger Lakes Region of New York State. They offer a variety of artisan cheeses, including cheddars, goudas, chevres, brie, Swiss, and jacks, along with popular cheese curds. For 2014, there are 8 Destination Farms which encourage visits throughout the year. There are also 5 Non-Destination Farms which participate in off-site Trail events. Trail members’ cheeses are available at their farms, local shops and farmers markets, and several wineries and restaurants throughout the Region. Each year, the Trail hosts Open Houses at their farms, and encourages the public to come visit and tour the farms. They also host the popular Finger Lakes Cheese Festival the last Saturday of July at Sunset View Creamery in Odessa, which is a family focused event that gives cheese lovers an opportunity to visit with all the members on one farm for one day, while enjoying a wide variety of events, classes and demos. They also participate in many community and Regional events throughout the year. People can learn more about the trail at www.flcheesetrail.com or on their Facebook page, Finger Lakes Cheese Trail.
