Anna Dawson: 

Local Frozen Food Processor,

Harvest Kitchen Designer,

Farmer,

Teacher and

Public Speaker

       In 1998, I had a

"Pride of New York" Harvest Kitchen built to preserve foods from my garden and my neighbor's crops--a summer kitchen like I remembered.  At first I copied what my mother made in our farm kitchen, but everyone was making jam and pickles for the farmers market.  How could I be different! 

  I was inspired by a Cornell 1960 college memory where my professor vacuum packaged a chicken.  I wondered if I could freeze and vacuum package fruits and vegetables.  Indeed I discovered that I could

     1.  make frozen fruit sauces with much less sugar than jam. 

     2.   try new food combinations since freezing extended the season.  I could mix June strawberries that I had frozen with peaches in August and so much more throughout the year.

T. Colin Campbell, Cornell Nutrition Professor, in his book The China Study in 2004, discovered that a diet consisting predominantly of whole grains, vegetables and fruits reduced the incidence of nutrition related diseases.  Indeed, in our own home and community kitchens, we can design and freeze a whole foods diet that is healthy and affordable if we collaborate with New York dairy, meat, vegetable, fruit and grain farmers.

                Our Mission:

   We want to help consumers easily access sustainably priced, healthy, locally produced, high quality, minimally processed, frozen and vacuum packaged convenience products made from local Hudson Valley and Capital District small and mid-sized farms.

           Training Available!

    We also want to train others to duplicate what we do.   Local healthy food options are possible through community based groups who want to preserve local foods in NY Agriculture and Markets approved Harvest Kitchens. Ask me to do a presentation for your community group!  I will demonstrate the possibilities and you can taste the results.

Explore this website for the food product possibilities that we have designed!

20 Minute Stir Fry Meal Kits

Homemade Soup Kits

Fruit Snacks & Whole Fruit Sauces

Whole Grain Cereal

Quick Bread Kits:  muffins & more

    Come and visit our

"Pride of New York" Harvest Kitchen.

Map to Hometown Foods Kitchen:
Click on this map to get directions from your starting point to Hometown Foods.