Homemade Granola

Upstate on a Plate

Iconic dishes that shaped the flavor of New York’s North Country and beyond

Food is one of upstate New York’s great storytellers, and in The Flavor of Upstate New York, author June Hersh invites us to listen closely. On the surface, the region’s dishes are fun, creative and deeply comforting — the kind of food best enjoyed with cold beer and good conversation, writes Hersh. But beneath every familiar bite are layers of history, geography and culture.

Chicken riggies, salt potatoes and beef on weck speak to the resourcefulness of Italian, Irish and German immigrants. White corn carries the legacy of the Indigenous Haudenosaunee people who first cultivated this land. Even a simple sprinkle of granola reflects the region’s long tradition of innovation.

Hersh dedicates this book to the Haudenosaunee who revered this land, to the industrious immigrants who helped it flourish, and to the Jewish families who brought humor, mahjong and endless buffets to the Catskills when few other places welcomed them. Their stories — and their food — come together in a rich cultural and culinary mosaic that defines upstate New York. The Flavor of Upstate New York is part cookbook, certainly, but more, it’s a living history, showing how meals have long brought people together at the table across generations, cultures and communities. Here are just a few recipes that capture that shared spirit and the true taste of upstate. Here’s a recipe for homemade granola.

Homemade Granola

Hersh traces the surprising origins of granola back to the 1860s, when Dr. James Caleb Jackson created a hearty baked grain cereal called “granula” at his health sanitarium in Dansville. Years later, John Harvey Kellogg (yes, that Kellogg!) developed a similar version, was forced to change the name, and reintroduced it to the world as “granola.” What began as a wellness experiment in a small upstate town ultimately became a breakfast staple nationwide.

Ingredients

• 4 cups old-fashioned rolled oats
• 1 cup nuts (rough chopped pecans or slivered almonds work well)
• ½ cup seeds (pepitas, sunflower)
• ½ cup unsweetened shredded coconut
• ½ teaspoon kosher salt
• ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
• ½ cup melted coconut oil
• ½ cup neutral vegetable oil
• ¼ cup maple syrup
• ¼ cup honey
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 cup dried fruit (such as raisins, dried cranberries, dried pineapple, dried mango)

Instructions

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and line a large baking pan with parchment.
• Toss together the first six ingredients, then add the oils, maple syrup, honey and vanilla. Toss thoroughly with your hands so the dry ingredients are completely coated with the wet.
• Pour the mixture onto the baking pan and smooth out with a spatula. Bake for 20-30 minutes, stirring the granola every 10 minutes to prevent burning. Remove from the oven when the nutty aroma fills your kitchen and the ingredients are toasted to a medium brown. Let cool, then break up into clumps. Stir in the dried fruit and place in a sealed container.

Read More:

• Succotash
• Beef on Weck
• Local Refreshments: The Capital Region’s Craft Beverage Trail