Local Foods, Healthy Schools: Schoharie & Otsego Counties

09/14/2025

Do you know the best way to store fresh tomotoes?

Harvest of the Month FUN FACTS! 🍅

The best way to store tomatoes is NOT in the refrigerator. They should be kept at room temperature! Storing in the refrigerator actually damages them, it disminishes their flavor and their texture!

So keep those tomatoes out on the counter and free up some room in the fridge! 🍅

09/11/2025

Mark your calendars!

Save the Date! The 2nd NYS Farm to School Summit will be Monday, February 23-Wednesday, February 25, 2026 at the Saratoga Hilton & City Center.

General registration is not open yet, but you can get a jump on booking your hotel room! https://book.passkey.com/go/CornellFarmToSchoolSummit2026

We can't wait to see you there!

09/09/2025

Harvest of the Month FUN FACTS!

🍅Did you know there are over 10,000 varieties of tomatoes in the world?🍅

And with so many varieties, they aren't all red! Some are yellow, orange, green, pink, purple, black or even white!

Like and share this post and follow us to learn more fun facts!

09/02/2025

The school year is here! Which means it's time to kick off our Harvest of the Month Program!

🍅 September is Tomatoes!!🍅

Harvest of the Month (HOTM) is a way to feature a different food that is grown, harvested, or produced in New York State each month. Participating schools generally have this food 2-3 times throughout the month.

It's a great way to learn about the foods that are made here in NY and try them out in New ways!

Comment your favorite ways to eat tomatoes! 🍅 And stay tuned for more HOTM content!

If you or your school would like to receive Harvest of the Month materials (including this poster) or to learn more about the program, please contact Mariah Goodwin at mog27@cornell.edu.

08/21/2025

Join us 𝐓𝐇𝐈𝐒 𝐒𝐚𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐝𝐚𝐲 & 𝐒𝐮𝐧𝐝𝐚𝐲!!

08/15/2025

08/02/2025

There are only 2 days left to come down and see us at the Otsego County Fair! Make sure you come to Martin Hall to learn more about the Farm to School Program along with all of the other programs offered by Cornell Cooperative Extension of Schoharie and Otsego Counties!

07/23/2025

Local Foods, Healthy Schools - Farm to School

The Farm to School Program provides the opportunity for school cafeterias to serve more local, farm fresh food to students, offer education in the classroom on where food comes from, and overall strengthens the local community. Currently, ten schools within Schoharie and Otsego Counties working with our local Farm to School Coordinator on strengthening their program. The schools include:

Cherry-Valley Springfield Central School
Cooperstown Central School District
Edmeston Central School
Gilboa-Conesville Central School
Gilbertsville-Mount Upton Central School
Laurens Central School
Oneonta City School District
Schenevus Central School
Sharon Springs Central School District
Worcester Central School

This program is intended to assist all ten school districts to achieve the 30% New York State Initiative. Furthermore, it will help schools establish a stronger economic position to maintain or exceed a higher level of NYS farm product procurement through developing a Farm to School infrastructure.

An additional feature of this program is Harvest of the Month. School cafeterias highlight a New York State product as part of the meal or in taste tests. At each school, a collaborative team has been put together with the Farm to School coordinator to help further develop their Farm to School program and address any challenges specific to that school.

To learn more about Farm to School in Schoharie and Otsego Counties, contact Mariah Goodwin at mog27@cornell.edu or call (607) 547-2536. Visit our website at: https://cceschoharie-otsego.org/nutrition-health/local-foods-healthy-schools-farm-to-school

07/23/2025

We are so excited to introduce our new Farm to School Coordinator, Mariah Goodwin! Stop by Martin Hall at the Otsego County Fair and Progressland at the Schoharie County Sunshine Fair to meet Mariah and learn about the Farm to School program.

Hello all, my name is Mariah Goodwin and I am the new Special Projects Educator for Schoharie and Otsego Counties! I am ecstatic to be working on the Farm to School programs and cannot wait to start working with everyone on this initiative.
I grew up here in Otsego County on my family’s dairy farm, where I was a member of 4-H for many years. I then went to Cornell University where I received a degree in Animal Science and concentrated in Dairy Science. And for the last six years I have been in Vermont where I was lucky enough to work for Hildene, The Lincoln Family Home, on their working farm. There is a magnificent relationship between the local schools and the farm at Hildene that allowed me to learn so much and be able to feed my passion of teaching others about agriculture and food systems.

While I am grateful for my time in Vermont, I am very glad to be back home and taking on this new challenge. I have always loved educating people on anything agriculture related, and now I can’t help but be excited that I finally get to make it my main focus. As you get to know me, you’ll find out that I love to garden, make just about any kind of baked goods, and to spend time with my family and friends.

I hope that I’ll be able to connect with many of you soon and that we can work together to make a great program! Please feel free to reach out to me at mog27@cornell.edu.

10/08/2024

Cornell Cooperative Extension of Schoharie and Otsego’s (CCESO) 2024 Annual Meeting will be held on Wednesday, October 16th from 6 to 8 pm at The Morris Conference Center - The Craven Lounge at SUNY Oneonta.

The Annual Meeting will begin with the Association’s annual business meeting. After, join us for a reception that will feature Hors d'Oeuvres and refreshments from local producers. Attendees can mingle and chat with CCESO’s staff, Board members and Program Advisory Committee members, volunteers, and program participants. Don’t miss this opportunity to learn more about CCESO’s innovative educational programs and relevant outreach activities, to meet new staff members, and to win door prizes, too!

RSVP requested (not required) by registering below or calling (518) 234-4303 Ext. 111

*For those who choose not to participate in person, you may attend our business
meeting on zoom at the link below:

https://reg.cce.cornell.edu/2024_Annual_Meeting_243

09/20/2024

𝐈𝐓’𝐒 𝐇𝐄𝐑𝐄! 𝐌𝐨𝐡𝐚𝐰𝐤 𝐕𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐲 𝐆𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐬 𝐃𝐚𝐲 𝐢𝐬 𝐓𝐎𝐃𝐀𝐘 𝐅𝐫𝐢𝐝𝐚𝐲, 𝐒𝐞𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐦𝐛𝐞𝐫 𝟐𝟎𝐭𝐡 ! 𝐏𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐞 𝐦𝐚𝐤𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐝𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐍𝐎𝐖!

Cornell Cooperative Extension Schoharie and Otsego Counties (CCESO) is participating in Mohawk Valley Gives, an online fundraising campaign to benefit nonprofit organizations throughout the region. 100% of all donations will directly support CCESO’s education programs, outreach activities, and operations in Otsego County, allowing CCESO to continue to bring local experience and evidence-based solutions together, and helping Otsego County’s residents thrive in our rapidly changing world. Please visit CCESO’s Mohawk Valley Gives page below to donate, or to learn more about our efforts.

https://www.givemv.org/organizations/cornell-cooperative-extension-schoharie-and-otsego-counties

08/18/2024

2024 Family Farm Day!