5 FREE 'New York' Foods At The Great New York State Fair

Taste NY returns to the Great New York State Fair. This year they're offering up over 70 tasty food samples from some of the Empire State's finest businesses.

Here are 5 that I'm looking forward to having!

Get Cheesy

If you've never sampled 1000 Island River Rat Cheese you're missing out on some of the tastiest I've ever sunk my teeth into. I enjoy it so much that I've driven all the way to the North Country specifically to purchase their cheese. If its flavor you’re after, you won't be disappointed. The River Rat Company has a vast number of unique flavored cheeses to sample. A few of my favorites are the toasted onion cheddar, the wasabi cheddar, and their sweet maple cheese.

Tomato Goodness

Geulah's Spicy Tomato Spread is their "claim to flame." Have you ever found yourself dipping your garlic or Italian bread in your marinara sauce while you're preparing your spaghetti dinner? I do this quite often when I'm cooking up a pasta feast. Now I can enjoy a tomato flavored spread with a kick anytime, and so can you at this year’s Great New York State Fair. Geulah's is a small Rochester based company and Western New Yorker's have been raving about them for years.

Italy Gets Saucy

Casa Visco is based in Schenectady, NY. Since I have family in the Capital region, I've had the opportunity to taste their sauces on several occasions. My mom enjoys making her own homemade pizza. When she does, she uses Casa Viscos’s California Garlic pizza sauce, and it's amazing! The only product Casa Visco manufactures is sauce. Since they specialize in sauce, they pay extra attention to detail. They've been making sauce since 1945 and they are currently the #1 selling brand in all of New England. There are 27 varieties of sauce to choose from, and you can taste some yourself at this year’s Great New York State Fair.

Cherry Cheer!

Cheribundi got its start when a professional tennis player used to munch on cherries as a snack. When they were eating the cherries, they noticed that their back pain went away. This phenomenon caught the attention of Cornell University so they did some research. Lab tests revealed that cherries and cherry juice have countless health benefits. In addition to alleviating pain, cherries have been known to promote better sleep too! Maybe I should skip the Nyquil and have a handful of cherries instead. Cheribundi's facilities and orchards are in Geneva, NY. They've got the juice, and they're bringing it to the NY State Fair for you to try....for free!

Granola Greatness!

I've never been a big fan of breakfast cereal but I do have a few I really enjoy: Cinnamon Toast Crunch, Golden Grahams, and Lucky Charms are few of my favorites. I also love, love, love granola. I've been known to eat an entire box in one sitting. Gatherer's has taken granola to a whole new level. Featuring flavors like toasted coconut, chocolate, pecan, and cranberry, Gatherer's gourmet granola will have your taste buds dancing with delight! Gatherer's is based in Delmar, NY and they would love for you to sample some at the fair this year at Taste NY located just inside the main gate.

To see the complete listing of free food samples at the fair CLICK HERE.