Upper West Side: 97th Street Greenmarket to Lose Organic Grain Seller

Is New York turning into Iowa? Well, not exactly. But wheat is being grown in New York State. And one company, Cayuga Pure Organics, an upstate New York grain and bean grower, has been selling freshly milled whole oats, barley, and rye at the 97th St. Greenmarket.  But hurry. The Ithaca New York concern, founded in 2003 by two area farmers, won’t be at the locale past next week, according to company founder Erick Smith.

Not just in Iowa: wheat grows in NY. Photo: by Bern@t

On Friday, a woman selling at Cayuga’s booth said business at the 97th Street locale had been “slow.”  Asked whether the company, which grows its own grains like corn and spelt and then mills them in a nearby upstate town is decamping  to (ahem) greener pastures, Smith said: “It is true that we will not be at the 97th St market after next week.” Sales haven’t “been strong enough to justify it,” he added

However, Smith says that Cayuga will continue to market its wares in the neighborhood further uptown, at the Columbia greenmarket on Broadway at 114th Street.

While not exactly the heartland when it comes to grain production, NY does plant some bean and grain crops. The  state placed 10th in oat production, 32nd in wheat and 24th for soybeans, according to the NY Sate Department of Agriculture and Markets.

Here’s a list of Cayuga’s products:

• Black beans
• Pinto Beans
• Red beans
• Navy beans
• Soybeans
• Clover seed
• Cornmeal flour
• Spelt Flour
• Rye flour
• Farro
• Freekeh (roasted spelt)
• Whole Wheat
• Whole Otas
• Whole barley
• Whole rye
• Whole wheat flour
• Polenta
• Cracked wheat