Redeeming my own birthday gift from Phillis, I drove up to Albany to see my two favorite musicians (one local, one not). About an hour into the drive, I came upon the adorable hamlet of Clinton Corners, NY. Despite the regional transformation from agricultural to residential, the area still has an agricultural bent to it. A sign at the local Agway says, “Pick up chicks here.”  There are numerous farms in the area with grass-fed beef, maple syrup, fresh eggs and more. Clinton Vineyards is here. But the highlight of Clinton Corners (in my not-so-humble-opinion) is Wild Hive Farm Bakery and Café.

Don Lewis‘ Wild Hive is more than a Bakery Cafe; it’s a locavore haven. They micro-mill local organic grains for all of their breads. They raise their own chickens for their eggs. They sell products from other local farms, including an extensive dairy case. Their menu boasts a 10-mile hamburger! And the café food is delicious.

I first learned of Wild Hive in July 2008 at a NOFA-NY event at Lightning Tree Farm. I got to sample breads made from a variety of grains, baked in Don’s special oven. It was love at first sight (bite?) and I’ve been a fan ever since.

Wild Hive’s Micro Mill is rather popular with other locavore bloggers in my neck of the woods. Most of us have a story about how incredibly flexible and creative staff at Wild Hive is when it comes to delivering the goods. At our locavore pot luck, several of us shared our Wild Hive stories. One told of meeting Wild Hive employees at a halfway point to exchange white powder for money in parking lots! When I ordered several pounds of grains at once, they called to tell me that the postage would be significant and if I could wait a week, one of them was planning to run an errand in my neighborhood and could drop my order off at my home. Can you imagine? How many people have a miller that will do that? (For that matter, how many people have a miller?)

The Wild Hive Café is also a community gathering space and an educational resource. Just chatting at the check-out, I picked up a valuable tip for storing garlic: clay pots in a dark, dry place.

You can keep up with their menu and seasonal offerings as they come in by following Amy’s Wild Hive blog.

I couldn’t help myself—I stopped back in on the return trip. On this fortuitous forage, I scored:

• several bags of a variety of milled grains
• Italian whole wheat bread
• sprouted wheat loaf
• garlic from a local farm
• Ronny Brook Creme Fraiche
• Ronny Brook butter
• homemade ravioli
• homemade spelt fettuccine

And for immediate (or soon thereafter) consumption: an entirely local egg and cheese sandwich, corn muffins, cinnamon biscuits, and Deans Beans coffee!