Something happens when you sit down to a meal on a working farm. Each thing your senses take in is imbued with a different sensibility, a joyful gravity. The sun on your shoulders, the warm and fragrant soil, and the delicate hum of farm life gently remind you that this is no ordinary meal.
Western New York is home to more than 6,000 farms across eight counties, several of which rank among the state’s most productive for dairy, vegetables, and specialty crops. In the city, we have more farmers markets and access to local produce than we’ve seen in half a century. And yet 243 farms in our area shuttered between the 2017 and 2022 Census of Agriculture. At a time when sixty-one percent of New York farms collect $50,000 or less in annual sales (and twenty percent earn less than $10,000), a sold-out farm dinner is not just a beautiful meal in a memorable setting; it is also a small act of economic solidarity.
This summer, several farms and chefs across the region are hosting dinners worth building your calendar around.
McCollum Orchards and Gardens with Terroir General Store
In Lockport, McCollum Orchards and Gardens carries nearly 200 years of family history on its 100 acres. First established in 1827 by brothers Joel and Hiram McCollum, the farm passed through six generations before Rich Woodbridge (Hiram’s great-great-great-grandson) and wife Bree moved back in 2011 to revive it. Today, the farm is Certified Naturally Grown and known for its flower u-pick garden and farmstand…