I walked into the Newburgh Food Show at Adams last month, I wasn't just there as a journalist. I was there as my mother's daughter, taking in the whole experience and looking for something new. The food show itself was built for grazing. Vendors set up across the store to sample everything from small-batch pickles to fresh mozzarella, and the energy in the room made it clear these are people who love talking about what they make. Here's who I met.

When I visited, that philosophy was visible in the simplest way: a mountain of ground mushroom compost alive with worms, insects, and pollinators, a living ecosystem with nothing artificial pushing it along. Sixteen acres stretch from the farmhouse down to the river. A geodesic dome keeps beets, kale, Swiss chard, and herbs growing year-round. Lemon trees thrive there too, over a hundred lemons last year, along with figs and even bananas.