April 2022
"Spring is here!" Canton Apples, Canton, NY
Image courtesy of the Farm-to-Table Initiative led by Cornell Cooperative Extension of St. Lawrence County.
GardenShare's Bonus Bucks Benefits from
Stewart’s Holiday Match!
Thanks to Stewart’s Shops Holiday Match Grant, GardenShare’s Bonus Bucks program can reach even more local families in need.

The Stewart’s Holiday Match Grant has distributed nearly $34 million since the program’s inception. This year, GardenShare was a lucky recipient.

Bonus Bucks is a cost-sharing program for income-eligible St. Lawrence County residents. The program assists participants in purchasing either a Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) share or items at any of the five St. Lawrence County farmers markets.

To learn more about Stewart’s Holiday Match Grant, visit their website.
Applications are now open for the 2022 Bonus Bucks program!
 
  • Are you eligible? Find out on GardenShare.org and fill out the application.
  • Are you already a shopper at the farmers markets or a CSA shareholder? Consider donating to the program to help spread the joys of fresh, local food.
Upcoming Events for GardenShare!
Save the Date!
It's almost time for GardenShare's Annual Fundraising Dinner.
On Wednesday, June 8th, we will be hosting the event at The 1844 House.
Our May 2022 Enews will have more information!
Are you looking for locally grown goods? GardenShare's Online Food Guide has a curated list of food resources such as farms,
restaurants and retail that support local farmers, and more!
What's in Season?: April
Even though we've seen a handful of mornings with snow on the ground, we promise that spring is here!

Look around at the produce in season. From the field, you can find wild leeks. From the greenhouse, leafy greens, spinach, and arugula make for a great salad. Check to see if that horseradish in your garden is ready for picking. Get excited because rhubarb and asparagus season is right around the corner!

Remember, local goods like eggs, cheese, and meats are available all year round!
Cornell to host Two-Part Point-of-Sale Webinars
An Electronic Point-of-Sale (POS) system presents new opportunities for farmers to improve sales. To orient farmers to Point-of-Sale, a two-part webinar series is planned for Thursdays, April 21 and 28, from 6:30-8:00 PM. The webinars are appropriate for any farm stand/store vendor interested in or currently using Square or another POS system. 

Farms that would like to participate in the POS research are encouraged to register here.
More information can be found on Cornell Cooperative Extension's website.
Growing Our Minds
Check out what's happening in the community!
Faculty and students from Clarkson University have partnered with Canton Central School to create a resource recovery education project. University students mentor younger learners through classroom lessons and after school activities to teach them about reducing food waste, sustainable waste practices, and biogas production from organic wastes.

Clarkson University and Canton Central School would like to thank Constellation Energy, the nation’s largest producer of carbon-free energy, for sponsoring this initiative.
Whitten Family Farm would like to share that sign ups are available for its Food Waste Repurposing program!

A composting program to repurpose food waste, this will keep food out of landfills, provide fertilizer to local farmers, and stimulate the local economy. With weekly pickups in Potsdam, Massena, Winthrop and Brasher Falls, the fertilizer will be used on the family farm and sold to growers in the community.

If you've been looking for a composting system here in the North County, contact the Whitten Family Farm at (315) 328-5559 or WhittenFamilyFarm@gmail.com.