Sustainable Saturday -Honeynut not Nutinhoney

Ithaca, New York is about an hour away in driving distance from Binghamton, New York.

In some ways, we are similar. We are, after all, both upstate New York metropolitan areas.  We both work within our four season/lots of snow in winter climate.  Our climate is not identical, though- Ithaca is close to Cayuga Lake, which creates microclimes where crops difficult here (such as peaches) can grow.  And, oh yes, grapes.  Ever hear of New York State wine?

We differ in other ways.  I am sometimes amazed at the differences in population and culture between the county Ithaca is in (Tompkins, County, population about 102,000)  and Broome County, the home of Binghamton (county population about 198,000).

Smaller doesn't always mean "less".

We both have major colleges/universities but Ithaca (which has about 17,000 less people than Binghamton) has two (Ithaca College and Cornell University).  That may be part of the difference between them and us, but I think it is more complicated than that.  We both have nearby rural farming areas. But, in some ways of sustainable thinking, Ithaca is way ahead of us in the Triple Cities. 

I've blogged a lot about several of the farmers markets in the Binghamton area, where our downtown Binghamton market struggles for existance.

Meanwhile, in Ithaca, Farmers Markets thrive.

At a later date, I'll blog more about what I found in Ithaca today. But now, time for a little nostalgia. Not totally sustainable nostalgia, but hey - it's Saturday.

The entrance of the Saturday/Sunday farmers market along Cayuga Lake (there is a downtown farmers market on Tuesdays and Thursdays, and still another market location on Wednesdays) is inviting.  It's hard to see the "small print" but the sign promises "locally produced within 30 miles".  And do they deliver.  Not just produce, but crafts, and precooked food of various ethnic groups.

And yes, this market been in existence since 1973.  It will celebrate its 40th birthday on October 27.

Here is a new winter squash (on the left), new to us, anyway, called Honeynut.

I did a Google search for "honeynut" (by itself) and came up with a bunch of hits for Honey Nut Cheerios. As much as I like Cheerios, I then thought of this commercial from a competitor.  It's a play on...well, play it and see.

Strange how commercial themes can stick in your mind, isn't it, because Kellogg's Nut n Honey cereal was discontinued a long time ago.

Along with a lot of other cereals.

But...oh yes, we were talking about honeynut SQUASH.  And, in a quick web search, I found a yummy sounding recipe, inspired by - Honey Nut Cheerios.  No Honey Nut Cheerios in the dish, but there is honey, coconut oil and mixed nuts. It actually sounds quite nice, and there is a certain blogger in Nebraska who I now challenge to make this for her family, and report back.

So, about that Honeynut squash. Turns out it was developed by Cornell - which, as I mentioned above, is located in Ithaca.  So it actually is a local squash variety to Ithaca.

We look forward to trying the Honeynut squash and will report back when we do. They feel dense for their size - heavier than you might think.  If we like this squash, we may try to grow it next year.  It's actually a bush winter squash and that would be nice for our community garden plot.

Now, if they can only bring some of those cereals of the 70's and 80's back.

Do you miss any discontinued mass produced foods?