Vermont's Local Banquet Magazine Fall14

vermont’s

local banquet fall 2014 | issue thirty

Seed Saving Eating Mutton On-Farm Pasteurized Milk

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Leslie’s Tavern

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Enjoy the apple harvest! Pick Pick apples, have a have picnic, a picnic, Enjoy the apple harvest! apples, Including beers from our own brewery, Hill Farmstead, Lawson’s Finest shopthe at the Cider House FarmFarm Market.Market. or shoporat Cider House Liquids & The Alchemist Heady Topper TAPS We grow locally so that you can buy locally.

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Call for reservations 802-824-4663

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Plainfield Food Co-op & Community Center 153 Main Street • Plainfield • Vermont Rt 2 E from Montpelier, R @ blinking light Open 9am-8pm 7 days • 802–454–8579 Visit us on FB!

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18 Apples’ Golden Age

8 Set the Table with…

20 Winter CSAs

Mutton

10 Garden Pathways Homemade cough syrup

13 Planting a LiLi Bob-White’s New Pasteurizer

16 Seeding Variety in Vermont

22 Seeds for Change The Challenges of Sourcing Locally

29 Farmers’ Kitchen Zucchini Gone Wild

31 Calendar 34 Last Morsel

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t h i r t y

Mrs. Alice White at the Victory Store vegetable counter in Hardwick, selling donated farm produce; proceeds went to the war fund.

Photo by Albert Freeman, October 1942.

6 Editor’s Note

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Editor’s Note Recently I was at a potluck put on by Slow Food Vermont, chatting with a local homesteader about food and ag, and I ended up telling her: “I’m not a foodie—I’m a farmie.”

A farmie…I’d never used that word before. I wasn’t even sure it was a word. I tell many people I’m not a foodie, usually after they hear I’m the editor of a food magazine and assume that “Oh, you must love to cook,” or “Gosh, you must eat so well at home.” If they only knew my penchant for Peppermint Patties and that I still don’t know how to braise meat.

I much prefer gnawing on the complex issues facing small and mid-size farms—issues a “farmie” would care about, like farm subsidies, land acquisition, animal welfare, farmer pay. And my hope is that more foodies will become farmies—that for every beautiful tomato or pastured pork chop people buy at a farmers’ market, they’ll spend 10 minutes online trying to learn why that pastured pork chop costs what it does, or 10 minutes talking to a farmer about how he or she is really doing (physically and financially) as they labor to grow those tomatoes.

Better yet, they could choose just one food or agriculture nonprofit to join or support, and engage in meaningful advocacy to make our food system more just, humane, and equitable. (You can find local nonprofits by visiting the Vermont Food Atlas, an online guide to all-things-ag in Vermont.)

“Not going to happen,” you may be thinking. “People just want to eat a tomato, not think about it.” But nerve-wracking agricultural developments, such as the current drought in California and the recent outbreak of a piglet-killing disease in factory hog farms, are opportunities for people to start thinking about agriculture, not just food.

In a June blog post for the New York Times, food writer Mark Bittman advocated that we “try to move [the word] ‘foodie’ to a place where it refers to someone who gets beyond fun to pay attention to how food is produced and the impact it has.” I like ditching the word “foodie” altogether and using “farmie” instead because it puts farms at the center of everything. As a popular bumper sticker says, “No farms, no food.”

Much of what we try to do at Local Banquet is bridge the gap between food and farm. So in this issue, Elena Gustavson presents some of the challenges that a restaurateur faces in sourcing from local farms; Katie Sullivan demonstrates the connection between the viability of sheep farming in Vermont and eating mutton; and I introduce some dairy farmers using an on-farm pasteurizer to sell farm-fresh milk directly to customers.

If these topics strike you as interesting, or if you just know in your bones that the issues they raise are important, you’re a farmie already.

—Caroline Abels

Publisher Schreiber & Lucas, LLC Editor Caroline Abels Art Director

Meg Lucas

Ad Director

Barbi Schreiber Proofreader

Marisa Crumb Contributors Juliette Abigail Carr Elena Gustavson Helen Labun Jordan Oliver Levis Katie Powers Katie Sullivan Allison Teague Printed with soy ink on FSC certified 50% recycled chlorine–free paper Subscriptions, $22 Subscribe online or send checks to: Vermont’s Local Banquet PO Box 69 Saxtons River, VT 05154 localbanquet.com 802-869-1236 we welcome letters to the editor info@localbanquet.com

vermont’s LOCAL Banquet Mission Statement The purpose of our publication is to promote and support our local communities. By focusing on fresh, local, wholesome foods grown and made in Vermont, we preserve our environment, grow our economy, and enhance our nutrition.

Vermont’s Local Banquet (ISSN 1946–0295) is published quarterly. Subscriptions are $22 annually and are mailed in the spring, summer, fall, and winter. Please make checks payable to Vermont’s Local Banquet. Thank you.

Copyright (c) 2014. All rights reserved. No part of this periodical may be reproduced without written consent. Opinions expressed in this publication are not necessarily those of the publishers or editors.

On the cover : Cows at the O’Dell farm, Middletown, NY; photo by Caroline Abels.

Contents page : photo, U.S. Farm Security Administration/Office of War Information.

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M E M B E R

VERMONT BUSINESSES FOR S O C I A L RESPONSIBILTY

WEST RIVER

FARMERS MARKET SHARE A TASTE OF VERMONT

Join us at the Farmers’ Market on the West River in Londonderry.

45 Vermont Vendors offering fresh produce, meats, cheeses, herbs, flowers, maple syrup, baked goods, breads, specialty foods, and unique artworks.

Savor the experience of farm to table dining featuring inspired American cuisine, led by Chef Martin Schuelke.

Enjoy the candlelit ambiance of The Old Tavern Restaurant (open nightly), or choose the Phelps Barn Pub for casual dining (Wednesday - Sunday).

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Fresh garden veggies from our own backyard garden, fresh eggs from our hens, homemade ice cream & the best grass-fed burgers in town!

Come join us for our annual Localvore Dinner Buffet September 27th Sat 5pm In the Royal Apple Orchard

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Set the Table with…

One local farmer hopes Vermonters can be less sheepish about eating this flavorful meat

Mutton

I once had a “wild” sheep named Janet. When I would walk down to the field where she was kept with the other sheep, she would observe me with calm confidence. Then, when I would open the gate from one enclosure to the next, she’d jump the fence and run away up the hill. Like a deer, she’d turn in stark profile, then baa to her compatriots: “Freedom, girls! Freedom!” But my other sheep were perfectly content to remain domesticated.

When Janet abdicated her role as a parent and left me two lambs to raise, I debated what to do with her. Could I sell her?

She was at least eight years old, rather over-the-hill by commercial standards. Moreover, few shepherds would delight in acquiring a fence-jumper and a neglectful mother. Putting her down would be wasteful, but keeping her would easily double my shepherding workload, given the necessity of retrieving her whenever she escaped.

I finally settled on a solution: mutton.

With the help of some friends, I loaded Janet into a trailer (a story in itself!) and took her to the Royal Butcher, an Animal Welfare Approved abattoir in Randolph. Three days later, 200-pound Janet had become 96 pounds of roasts, ribs, and ground. Two massive hind legs presented a challenge— my oven just isn’t that big! Nevertheless, I’ve braised, curried, roasted, and burgered my way through most of this bounty.

The economics of eating Janet will thrill any committed localvore. Janet cost $50 when I purchased her as a breeding ewe for my lamb and wool operation, and she cost approximately $125 to maintain over the winter. My total cost, including slaughter, for 96 pounds of meat was $300, or a little more than $3 per pound. That is really, really cheap by local food standards. Granted, $50 is a low price for any sheep, and Janet was exceptionally large, but these numbers bore out for most of my other mutton-sheep purchases. Not only was the meat frugal, it also offered a humanely raised product that price-equivalent, conventional meat could barely hope to touch. uuu

In the U.S., mutton has a bad rep. Sources agree that mutton’s downfall came about when soldiers who endured poor-quality boiled mutton in World War II’s Pacific Theater came home with a distaste for the meat. At the same time, rapid changes in farming at home were increasing the availability of pork, chicken, and beef. Agricultural industrialization marginalized sheep, which do not tolerate feedlot crowding and corn-based diets as well as other meat animals. According to the USDA’s National Agriculture Statistics Service, the total number of 8

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sheep in the U.S. declined from nearly 60 million in the 1940s to a bit less than 10 million today. Less than a third of Americans eat lamb at all, and mutton makes up a vanishingly small proportion of American meat consumption, except among immigrants who come from lamb-eating cultures in the Middle East, Central Asia, and elsewhere. (It is also relatively popular in the United Kingdom and Ireland.)

I didn’t grow up eating mutton, but my love of lamb and commitment to local and humane meat on a budget led me to the idea of buying live cull sheep from local flocks (always fully diclosing my intentions): a 4-year-old Icelandic that couldn’t breed, a 2-year-old Border Leicester wether whose care was costing more than the value of his wool, a Romney ewe with a bum udder. These animals gave me valuable sheep experience prior to buying my own flock in 2012. Each represented an economic conundrum for their shepherd but a culinary adventure for me. The first roast I ate from Janet, the tenderloin, was as tender as any lamb but with more concentrated, bolder flavor. The grassy, lamby flavor of the ground meat stood up well to the bright spices in curries and stews. I braised the shoulder in a Dutch oven with barbecue spices and found to my surprise that mutton compares favorably with traditional pork.

Every year, most shepherds face the quandary of what to do with prime-age animals that cannot produce within the flock. For hobbyists, whom I define as those who raise small flocks of sheep primarily for enjoyment and with minimal concern for profitability, non-breeding or problem animals can simply be retained as pets or painstakingly retrained. But for shepherds who want to make their sheep a business, the time and

photo by katie sullivan

by Katie Sullivan

feed costs associated with non-producing animals mean keeping them is unfeasible.

The lack of a general mutton market is another obstacle.

According to information provided voluntarily through an inquiry I made on the Vermont Sheep and Goat Association listserv, many shepherds working on a small scale quietly eat their older sheep themselves but would be happy to sell some.

None reported regular consumer demand. Refugee and immigrant communities represent a small but growing opportunity, but marketing effort is required to seal those deals.

Marketing norms may also contribute to the challenge of selling mutton. Most Vermont shepherds who sell fiber as well as lamb choose not to emphasize the fates of sheep that don’t contribute to the flock. Perhaps they fear repercussions from customers who think of sheep as pets and don’t want to acknowledge the food side of the equation. Alternately, shepherds may find themselves unable to part with animals they have cared for over the years.

In any case, farm operations that are serious about generating a living income need an outlet for older but edible sheep.

That’s where you come in. uuu

Mutton is an affordable meat, and delicious. If you like lamb, chances are you will like a well-prepared cut of mutton. Just as veal is meltingly tender but less flavorful than beef, so does lamb compare to mutton. Good mutton is lamb-flavored but denser, more concentrated in flavor. As with other red meat, it goes well with a variety of spices. A good mutton leg or loin roast will surpass a lamb roast, and the leftovers make a fine broth and soup. Some breeds and older sheep can be gamier, so if strong flavor is a concern, look for younger sheep from richer pastures.

The main drawback of mutton, and a main source of mutton’s bad rep, is the significant amount of fat found in some cuts. Ground mutton in particular can contain more than 25 percent fat. The best way that I’ve found to cope with the fat is simply to choose recipes where I can cook the mutton separately and drain it before adding in anything else. Mutton works brilliantly in most applications where ground beef is used. Shepherd’s pie, chili, stir-frys, and more taste great with ground, drained mutton in place of beef. In shepherds’ pie, it’s even traditional! Mutton can be made into burgers, but be aware of the grease factor if you are grilling. I’ve had a few charred fireballs due to dripping grease!

Mutton also substitutes well in nearly all Indian dishes that call for lamb. Why cover up the delicate flavor of lamb with strong spices when mutton will bring delicious flavor, too?

And cubed leg or shoulder makes for fabulous stew meat.

Substitute mutton in beef stew or beef with barley soup. For stew meat from tougher sheep, use vinegar or other acids to help break down tougher meat fibers. Barbeque works along the same principles. It may be heretical to the ears of pork enthusiasts, but pulled barbecued mutton has amazing flavor and texture.

Some cuts of mutton make delicious roasts. The loin and the leg can be tender even on older sheep. Rosemary and garlic are traditional flavors, but you don’t have to feel constrained

Mutton Gyros (serves 3) 1 lb. ground mutton 1/3 cup red onion, finely chopped pitas lettuce tzadziki (yogurt/cucumber mixture) spice mix: 1 tsp. oregano 1 tsp. marjoram ¼ tsp. thyme ¼ tsp. garlic powder ½ tsp. fresh ground black pepper ¼ tsp. dried mint ½ tsp. cumin ¾ tsp. salt 1 Tbsp. lemon juice Gently simmer mutton to render fat and drain most of the fat. Add onion and gently simmer until onion is translucent. Add spice mix and simmer for 10–15 minutes, stirring occasionally for even cooking. Serve in a warmed pita with tzadziki and lettuce. Add hummus, tahini, and/or tomatoes if desired. This quick meal is a great summertime treat!

by tradition; consider adobo, cumin, black pepper, chili, and curry. Other cuts, such as the shoulder or brisket, are best braised. Don’t be intimidated by braising meat; cooking meat at a low temperature for many hours doesn’t require much attention. Choose a marinade and put the roast in a pan with the marinade and cook on low heat in the oven until the meat is fork tender. Braising melts the fat, which you can choose to remove from the braising liquid. uuu

Supporting mutton, then, will expand your culinary reaches while saving you money. It will also add a revenue stream to the balance sheets of local sheep farmers, making their enterprises more competitive and sustainable. Mutton may be a vanishingly small piece of the culinary landscape of Vermont now, but a few people expressing interest in mutton by talking to a sheep farmer at the farmers’ market or calling a few nearby sheep farms could start the ball rolling.

My freezer now only has a few more packages of ground and a roast or two from Janet. As I reach for one to defrost for dinner, I am grateful that she fed me all winter long. Her daughter Agnes has fabulous wool and a friendly, affectionate personality. I will sustain my sheep, and the sheep will sustain me in return.

Katie Sullivan lives in Brookfield, where she works for Fat Toad Farm caring for dairy goats and making caramel.

And she runs Sheep and Pickle Farm, where she raises sheep for fine wool and meat.

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garden pathways

make your own

IMMUNE-BOOSTING

COUGH SYRUP With cold season fast approaching and the autumn harvest at hand, consider creating this tasty, family-friendly remedy for winter ailments. As well as relieving those irritating coughs, this homemade cough syrup is a powerful immune booster.

Store-bought liquid cough remedies, laced with preservatives, corn syrup, and synthetic mystery ingredients, simply mask symptoms without supporting your body’s natural defenses.

The immune-boosting herbs in this recipe address the root cause of coughs by strengthening your response to infections. And given that the homemade variety is reliable and easy to make using local ingredients, and that it stores well in the refrigerator, you can reap the benefits for months to come.

Ingredients Honey: Raw, local honey is a key ingredient in cough syrup. As well as offering a delicious way to hide the taste of medicine, honey also contains its own unique properties that make it an ideal remedy for coughs and colds: it is antiseptic, anti-inflammatory, promotes tissue healing, and soothes the pain of a sore throat. Use raw, not processed, honey for medicine-making, because pasteurization destroys the probiotic critters and denatures many of the proteins that give honey its medicinal clout. Do not give any kind of honey to children under 1 year old due to risk of infant botulism.

Liquor or Tinctures: I recommend using Flag Hill Farm’s Pomme-de-Vie Apple Brandy, Vermont Spirits No. 14 Apple Brandy, or Whistlepig Distillery Rye Whiskey. The liquor acts as a preservative, as well as adding a warming, soothing aspect to your formula. Alternatively, consider adding herbal tinctures. You can make them yourself or purchase locally made tinctures at your food co-op or farmers’ market. Tinctures will act as a preservative, just as liquor does, while adding additional medicinal benefits. To strengthen your formula, use the immune-boosting herbs listed below.

Herbs: The herbs listed below all grow in Vermont. You can purchase them from your local herbalist, an herb farm, or at your food co-op. You can also harvest them yourself; just be 10 local banquet

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sure to read about ethical wildcrafting before you set out— there are specific ways to harvest without decimating plant populations, and it’s essential to know how to harvest and process each herb before you start. If you are concerned about the safety of an herb, discuss it with a knowledgeable professional.

Wild cherry bark (Prunus serotina) has long been famous as a cough suppressant and tonic for the respiratory system. It tones and relaxes the smooth muscle of the bronchi (the passages between the lungs and throat) to ease uncontrollable, spasmodic coughing. It is most appropriate for hacking, unproductive coughs, but it is widely used whenever coughing is an issue. Folklore tells us that when pharmaceutical cough syrups were first introduced, customers didn’t trust them until the company made them cherry flavored, because cherry was such a well-known cough remedy.

Cherry has some safety issues, as it contains small amounts of cyanide (technically cyanogenic glycosides) as do other members of the rose family, including apples, peaches, and almonds. The highest concentration of cyanide is in the seeds, which are not used for medicine. Cherry must be taken in very high doses to have a harmful effect. It lowers blood pressure by relaxing the smooth muscle of blood vessels, just as it relaxes the bronchi, so folks who take blood pressure medications should be aware that it can contribute to dizziness when you stand up (orthostatic hypotension). It is not safe in pregnancy due to potential harmful effects to the fetus.

Elecampane (Inula helenium) has a long tradition of use for coughs. It is a warming, aromatic expectorant and respiratory anti-inflammatory, with a stimulating, spicy flavor. It’s a great ally against thick, stuck chest congestion—the type where you’d feel better if you could just knock the gunk loose.

It is also used to calm persistent, irritable coughs, especially those related to chronic conditions. It may not be safe in pregnancy, although this is speculation based on some of its chemical compounds; consult a professional or avoid it.

By late summer, the ditches and hedgerows of Vermont offer plenty of this dramatic plant—tall and stately with sunflower-like blooms and very large leaves. Dig the root in the

photo by meg lucas

by Juliette Abigail Carr

Immune-Boosting Cough Syrup At its heart, syrup is sweet medicinal tea. This recipe yields roughly 15 oz. that contain tea, honey, and tincture or liquor. You can leave out the liquor if you prefer; it will still work, but you should use it right away and it won’t be as strong.

6 oz. raw honey 3 oz. liquor, or 1.5 oz. each of elderberry tincture and cherry tincture cherry bark, 1 T dried or 2 T fresh elecampane root, 1 T dried or 2 T fresh hyssop flowering tops, 1 T dried or 2 T fresh elderberries, 1 T dried or 2 T fresh Tools: double-boiler mesh strainer, or colander lined with cheesecloth potato ricer (recommended) glass jars labels, or paper covered in packing tape patience and an assistant to lick the pot Heat honey in the top of a double boiler over low heat.

Add about half of each herb. This is flexible and should be adjusted to taste. Cover and heat on low for several hours.

Do not allow temperature to rise above 110 degrees. I infuse it all day, but this isn’t strictly necessary. The longer, the better.

As honey is infusing, put the other half of the herbs in a jar and add 6 oz. of boiling water, then cover and steep (infuse). When honey and water are both fragrant and you’re sick of waiting, strain honey and infusion together into a quart jar. Use the potato ricer to press the strained herbs, removing the last, strongest medicine.

Let mixture cool, then add tinctures or liquor. Volume can be adjusted to taste. Label and store in a cool, dark pantry or the fridge.

Illustration by Franz Eugen Köhler; public domain image

Dose Adults, give 1 to 2 tablespoons every 4 to 6 hours.

Children, give ½ to 1 teaspoon, 3 to 4 times per day.

fall as the plant dies back. Most herbalists will have this root for sale in the fall, especially if you let them know you’re looking for it. If you can’t find elecampane, our lovely Northern Prickly Ash makes a good substitute.

Elderberry (Sambucus canadensis or S. nigra) has become one of the most widely used herbs in the world, thanks in part to extensive research on its benefits. Numerous studies confirm elderberry’s long tradition of use as an antimicrobial immune stimulator. Elderberry might not make you feel better, but it may help you get better, faster. It is used inter-

Elecampane nationally as a daily preventive against winter ailments and in larger doses to help lessen the duration and severity of infective illnesses. It is safe for children and pregnant women.

Although it does not specifically ease coughs, I always add it to cough syrups with the hope of lessening the duration of my family’s misery.

Elder bushes are easy to identify with their compound leaves, graceful July flowers (helpful at easing cold symptoms), and dark purple-black fruit. Only the flowers and ripe fruit are medicinal; the rest of the plant can make you sick. It is extremely important not to confuse the black European or American elderberry with the poisonous red elderberry, which has more cone-shap flowers and red berries (drupes). If the fruit isn’t black, it’s not safe. Again, red = poisonous.

Hyssop (Hyssopus officinalis) is a sweetly aromatic member of the mint family. There is something so uplifting about its calming fragrance, honeyed taste, and the sight of those tiny purple-blue flowers floating in the teacup—it never fails to soothe the minds and hearts of my loved ones, along with their sinuses, throats, and lungs. As an expectorant, hyssop stimulates coughing to bring up stuck yuckiness. It is astringent, so it has a drying, anti-inflammatory effect on the special skin inside the nose, throat, and so on, making it particularly helpful against wet congestion of the lungs and sinuses.

Hyssop is relatively easy to grow in your perennial garden and will often bloom the first year. It is also easy to buy from your local herbalist or co-op. Hyssop is not safe in pregnancy.

Read more about the medicinal uses of honey, in-depth explanations of ideas touched on in this article, and a whole lot more about making your own medicine at oldwaysherbal.com/blog.

Juliette Abigail Carr is a clinical herbalist in South Newfane and the proprietor of Old Ways Herbal. She teaches about family herbalism and homesteading at her family’s farm and locations around the state. Read more and contact her at oldwaysherbal.com/blog.

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Vermonters who love local food usually think “Vermont” when they think “local.”

But Vermont farmers and food businesses operate at different scales and sell products to all types of markets. With more than 33 million potential customers in New England and New York, regional markets are increasingly important for our statewide producers and processors. Increasing their access to regional grocery stores, restaurants, and institutions—where the large majority of New England’s food is purchased—is necessary to significantly expand markets for Vermont-grown products and to increase farm profitability—two specific Farm to Plate goals.

Farm to Plate is Vermont’s statewide initiative to grow Vermont’s farm and food economy and to improve access to healthy local food for all Vermonters. A 10-year plan, launched in 2010, to strengthen the working landscape, build the resilience of farms and food enterprises, improve environmental quality, and increase healthy, local food access for all Vermonters is being implemented by more than 300 farm and food sector organizations across the state.

Vermont farmers who want to operate at a certain scale often find that they need customers beyond Vermont’s borders. Customers throughout New England often think of Vermont as “regional” and their next place to purchase from after purchasing products from their own state. Similarly, here in Vermont we can broaden the definition of “local” by including regional suppliers when certain items can’t be locally sourced. In other words, it’s better to buy from Maine than Mexico.

Even with a strong local food movement, we are far too reliant on food grown and distributed outside our region and on decisions made beyond of our control. Supporting “regional” after “Vermont” is increasingly important as the New England states work to define the regional food shed.

Each of the New England states is participating in the “New England Food Vision”—an aspiration to regionally produce at least 50 percent of the fresh, fair, and accessible food consumed by New Englanders by 2060. Vermont has been assisting the other New England states in food-system planning, as we have the most comprehensive foodsystem plan in the country—known as Farm to Plate.

s te ms

Shop Online - or - Stop by

WWW. BOBWHITESYSTEMS. COM

461 WATERMAN ROAD ROYALTON, VT 05068

Contact us

802.763.2777 BOBWHITESYSTEMS@GMAIL.COM

Planting a LiLi To understand what the LiLi pasteurizer—conceived and developed in Vermont—could mean to the dairy community of Orange County, New York, I drove to the Hudson Valley in early July and chatted with some longtime dairy farmers.

They told me—a few minutes before the ribbon-cutting ceremony that would officially inaugurate Bob-White Systems’ first on-farm pasteurizer—that there used to be 600 dairy farms in their county, just east of where New York, Pennsylvania, and New Jersey all meet. Now there are 43, 44, maybe 45.

“You can make more money growing houses,” one farmer said.

It sounded all too familiar to this Vermont visitor. Yet the LiLi (pronounced “lily”)—a new kind of HTST (high-temperature, short-time) pasteurizer—could lead to a better day for at least two Orange County farm families, allowing them to sell non-homogenized, gently pasteurized milk to consumers who want farm-fresh milk but don’t necessarily want raw milk.

Many of Orange County’s dairy farmers had come to the O’Dell farm in Middletown that Sunday to support Rose and Lee Hubbert and their business partner, Mike O’Dell, as they launched their new venture: the sale of on-farm pasteurized milk under the brand name “Ole’ Mother Hubbert Creamline Milk.” The farmers were supportive but also curious: Would people pay roughly $1.50 more per half-gallon for this milk? Would

Orange County’s first fluid milk processing venture in 40 years bring economic security to those involved? And what exactly was this LiLi pasteurizer?

Rose Hubbert (second from left in photo) was in charge of the day’s ribbon cutting and celebratory barbecue. For more than a year, she worked with Steve Judge of Bob-White Systems (based in South Royalton, Vermont) to make the O’Dell farm the first site in the country to use the new LiLi. “It’s been a bumpy road, but we’ve gotten through it,” Rose said triumphantly through a microphone to 30 or so onlookers.

Then she cut the ribbon with her family and Mike O’Dell.

Mike (third from left in photo) is the farmer in the business venture, officially called Back to the Future Farm. Just shy of his 21st birthday on the day of the ribbon cutting, he grew up dairying with his dad. Now he’ll be milking the Ole’ Mother Hubbert cows while the Hubberts handle marketing and milk sales.

On the next two pages are more photos from that day, plus more about the LiLi pasteurizer. Should a Vermont dairy be the next to buy a LiLi, I won’t have to drive so far to see the latest example of regional farmers taking back control of their own pasteurized milk production.

—Text and photos by Caroline Abels, editor Vermont’s Local Banquet

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local banquet 13

Many small producers use VAT pasteurizers, but the LiLi processes more quickly, at 2 gallons per minute, and uses heat more efficiently, resulting in a less energyintensive process and milk that retains more of its nutritional value and flavor. Rose (pictured here) says it’s the closest you can get to raw milk with pasteurization.

Other HTST pasteurizers are on the market, but Bob-White says its LiLi is unique because of its small scale, gentleness with the milk, relative affordability (aproximately $75,000) and the fact it is delivered pre-assembled and ready to run.

Cornell Cooperative Extension agents, reps from the New York state agriculture department, local politicians, and even the Orange County Dairy Princess, complete with tiara, came out to support the new venture on July 13.

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Ole’ Mother Hubbert milk comes from a mixed herd of some 48 cows; Mike O’Dell owns the Holsteins and the Hubberts own the Jerseys. Processing began in early June of this year (a month before the official ribbon cutting). Over the summer, the LiLi processed 50 to 100 gallons of the herd’s milk a week; the goal is 300 gallons a day.

Bob-White Systems has been selling small-scale dairy and cheesemaking equipment to micro-dairies since 2006.

Rose Hubbert says the support she got from the South Royalton company as she oversaw the installment of the LiLi pasteruizer was “phenomenal.”

Ole’ Mother Hubbert whole milk and chocolate milk is currently being sold in local stores and at farmers’ markets. Rose recently got approval to sell at two New York City Greenmarkets. She is planning to also make cheese using the pasteurized milk, having taken a cheesemaking course with Vermont cheesemaker Peter Dixon.

Lou and Barbara Bataille of Milford, PA—15 miles from the O’Dell farm—attended the ceremony for the LiLi pasteurizer (re-imagined here as icing on a cake made by a local baker). Lou had bought some Ole’ Mother Hubbert milk a few days before and “almost drank a half-gallon of it at once…. It tasted like milk used to taste when I was growing up.” He called Rose to compliment her and she invited him to the event. “I said, ‘Rose, when are you going to start making butter? Let me know, because the kind in the store, it’s just not the same.’”

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local banquet 15

Seeding Variety in Vermont

by Allison Teague Seed saving—the act (and art) of preserving seeds from plants that are allowed to bolt or mature—has taken on increasing importance of late. With challenges brought on by a changing climate, and with increased efforts by seed companies to corner the seed market, diversity has all but disappeared from available seed stock, and seeds that regenerate themselves have started to become a rarity.

But in Vermont, at least three organizations are attempting to increase seed diversity, preserve regional knowledge of seed saving, and educate a new generation of Vermonters. uuu

Sylvia Davatz of Hartland has been growing seed varieties for her seed catalog, Solstice Seeds, since 1996, and she’s been a member of the Seed Savers Exchange for longer than that. A year and a half ago, she and a few other seed savers around New England founded the Grassroots Seed Network (GSN), which preserves and maintains a heritage of open-pollinated, vegetable-seed varieties and fosters the exchange of knowledge and information among regional seed-savers.

Still in its early stages, GSN is governed by its membership.

Sylvia says the group felt it needed to be a “democratically gov-

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erned” seed saving organization where the savers “are the board of directors, set policy, and determine the direction of organization.”

The five Grassroots Seed Network steering committee members have committed to the educational aspect and potential of GSN. “It’s incredibly important to ensure that collections are passed on from some of us who are older, to the next generation of seed savers,” Sylvia says. With seed variety and supply narrowing in the last decade, “We now have an incredibly small number of crops,” she says, “and the urgency to save seeds in home gardens, to decentralize our food supply, has become dramatic. We have a food emergency here. That is not an exaggeration.”

Genetically, heirloom seed varieties offer regional adaptivity, “and as the climate changes, that becomes important,” Sylvia points out. “Open-pollinated varieties [naturally pollinated by insects, birds, wind, or other natural pollinators] are resilient and adaptable, where hybrids are not.”

The GSN website is still being established, but has seed lists and information on how to donate, as well as forums where people can get their questions answered and share information related to seed saving.

Sylvia “adores the whole local food movement,” but notes that “the next logical step is to also grow seed locally.” uuu

photos by Allison Teague

An international nonprofit based in Brattleboro, Sacred Seeds is creating and supporting plant sanctuaries that offer a buffer against the rapid loss of biodiversity and cultural knowledge around the world. Sacred Seeds board member Sarah Newmark explains that it’s not seed saving that’s going on at these sanctuaries but another form of seed preservation. ”What happens in 300 years when you need saved seeds and they are no longer viable, or the climate those seeds are used to being in no longer exists?” Sarah asks. “So, we are creating living seed banks” that encourage resilience and adaptability to environmental changes.

Sacred Seeds gardens are nonprofit sanctuaries closely aligned with the for-profit Brattleboro company New Chapter, which sells herbal and organic supplements. The Sacred Seeds foundation gardens, located everywhere from India to Africa to North and South America, were launched with the idea of saving seeds in order to plant them the following year, not to store them.

“We’re capturing knowledge as all these gardens interact with each other,” Sarah says, “by working in one place and sharing knowledge in another place that’s experiencing similar problems.” She said that through the Internet, gardeners in Costa Rica can talk to someone in India, for example.

“It is a breathable and movable system of living gardens, of medicinal and culturally relevant seed plants or food,” Sarah adds. By preserving cultural and ethno- and biological diversity

Sylvia Davatz’s garden in Hartland and knowledge, as well as seeds, the gardens become important to the sustainability of a region, and worldwide.

Newmark’s father, Tom Newmark, co-founded Sacred Seeds with New Chapter founders Paul and Barbi Shulick.

Answering their need in 1994 for an alternative to commercial ginger, which is heavily sprayed and fumigated, New Chapter bought a farm in Costa Rica. A 200-acre biodynamic ginger and turmeric farm in the rainforest of Costa Rica, Cinqa Luna Nueva was the first Sacred Seed sanctuary and today has achieved Demeter certification—the highest level of organic farming in the world.

It is “a living medicinal herb garden that represents the importance of already threatened plants and the knowledge of the living environment in Costa Rica,” Sarah says, adding that the farm has taken on a deeper meaning for the neighbors and communities around it.

While creating a safe haven in Costa Rica was important to New Chapter, it became clear that that wasn’t enough. In every ecosystem all over the world, climate change threatens the loss of traditional food and medicines, and the knowledge of how to grow and use them. So now, 32 foundational gardens are established, 12 of them in the United States.

And two of those U.S. gardens are in Vermont—Sacred Seeds at the Intervale Center: The Abenaki Heritage Garden and the Sacred Seeds project at Kindle Farm School.

Sarah and Kindle Farm School’s assistant director, Drew Gradinger, happen to be life partners, a fact that perhaps was not insignificant in shaping the eventual garden partnership.

But Kindle Farm was a natural fit for New Chapter and Sacred Seeds, as it met the school’s mission to serve “students who often face a mix of academic, social, emotional and behavioral challenges that hamper their ability to learn in a traditional school setting.”

The Sacred Seed garden idea was put before the students last year. Drew said they “jumped on it.” For the past 12 years, Kindle Farm had already had a large organic garden covering several acres.

Cyndy Fine of Genius Loci, a conscious and sustainable garden and landscape designer in Westminster, was asked to help design the Sacred Seed garden. She says she mentored the stuContinued on page 25

The seed library at Windsor Public Library

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local banquet 17

Apples’ Golden Age

by Helen Labun Jordan

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When left to their own devices, they start their own experiments in diversity. The new fruit usually tastes lousy, but they’re different, and occasionally you’ll stumble on a winner like Granny Smith, which began in an Australian compost heap in the mid-1800s. Of course, we also have new

With history, beauty, possibility, surprise, legacies, and unexpected discoveries, apples’ stories may very well lure us back to another Golden Age. varieties from more traditional breeding programs, like the ones at Cornell or the University of Minnesota, programs that, after the Granny Smith/Braeburn revolution, had reason to believe unfamiliar apples could make it in the national market. A second Golden Age might be possible. uuu

Vermont has a head start on heirloom-based apple diversity given its many long-existing apple trees. “Places like Appalachia and Vermont never quite lost interest in those old varieties,” Rowan notes.

Dwight Miller Orchards in Dummerston, for example, has operated continuously in the Miller family since the 1760s. They cultivate trees from the Civil War period. They started their McIntoshes with grafts taken directly from the very first McIntosh tree. “We have about 70 varieties of apples,” Reed Miller reports. “But heirlooms aren’t what we do, we do organic…those [heirloom] apples are just a part of our history.”

Alongside businesses growing heirloom apples because they’ve always grown those trees, we also have new businesses with a new take on the heirlooms’ potential. One promising market is hard cider, with local makers interested in more traditional styles—dry, usually still, with a flavor one might describe as “bracing.” Creating traditional ciders requires apples with a certain balance of acid and tannins. Back in the 1800s, when hard cider was a staple beverage, plenty of orchardists cultivated trees that provided that balance. Although not all of these varieties work for modern commercial cider makers, who need to think about things like price and volume, some do. Terry Bradshaw, director of UVM’s Horticultural and Research Center, notes the 1700s era Esopus Spitzenburg is a common choice.

Cider makers also turn to heirloom apples to add distinctive flavor to their ciders. Again, the eating or “dessert” apples that came to dominate 20th-century production often don’t fit the bill. “Imagine dessert apples if you took all the sweet away,” Terry explains, “Many of them would not have a pleasant flavor.” But heirloom apples, like Kingston

photo courtesy of walden heights nursery

I didn’t know an apple could be revolutionary just by being green. Yet in the 1980s, when Granny Smiths began to claim their slice of the supermarket produce aisle, they broke up the duopoly of red and yellow (mostly red) and proved that consumers could accept different-looking apples. Bi-color Braeburns arrived in the 1990s, followed by Fuji and Gala.

Suddenly, mainstream consumers had a new picture of what an apple could look like.

Rowan Jacobsen recapped this apple revolution for me when we discussed his new book Apples of Uncommon Character. Rowan, a Calais resident, is the writer to turn to if you’re looking for spot-on flavor descriptions delivered within the context of big ideas about food. This latest book, his seventh, uses 123 apples to sketch a portrait of what he sees as America’s second Golden Age of apples.

I pointed out that getting 1980s Americans to eat apples with green skin didn’t sound much like a portent of a Golden Age. “It’s the potential,” Rowan said. “It’s a cascading effect of getting to diversity.”

Diversity defined the first Golden Age of apples in the 1700s and 1800s, when backyard orchardists grew myriad apples, thousands of varieties. Each variety offered particular desirable traits—some apples ripened early, others stored well, while others made excellent hard cider. In the 20th century, this landscape of apples went the way of many previously diverse crops. People relied more and more on supermarkets for their apples. Commercial production began to concentrate in the best growing locations (namely, eastern Washington). Large producers in turn concentrated their varieties, narrowing down to apples well suited to the highest yields, distant transportation, long shelf lives, and a certain “look—red, unblemished, symmetrical—what became our idealized vision of an “apple.”

Most apples failed to make the cut, apples like Vermont’s own Bethel apple, a mediocre-tasting fruit whose only winning attribute is serious cold hardiness. That the Bethel apple also offered a chance to express Vermont pride didn’t prove compelling in eastern Washington.

So the Bethel, like its 19th century brethren, became an old-fashioned, increasingly rare find, “ waiting for the grid to go down and its fortunes to rise again,” according to the apple book.

Rounding the bend now in the 21st century, apples’ prospects for regaining diversity are rosier than other crops that suffered a similar collapse. Apples—unlike, say, heirloom tomatoes—can grow without human intervention.

We can neglect them for generations and still find those abandoned trees growing untended, still producing fruit.

Plus, apples grown from seed don’t keep their parents’ traits.

Black, have great flavor if you take the sweet away.

The search for unique cider flavor has led some producers to prospecting in not only heirloom trees but the accidental offspring of those trees as well. Shacksbury Cider’s Lost Apple Project, for example, recently sent the cider equivalent of talent scouts out to the roadsides and field edges of Addison County in search of apples for their 1840 cider. Where earlier generations of growers had abandoned cider trees, the Lost Apple folks found a whole new wave of potential cider apples waiting to be discovered. Sunrise Orchards is now working with Shacksbury to propagate the most promising cider apples from their Lost Apple collection. The fruit should be ready for harvesting in 2017. uuu

photo by Helen lebun jordan

While cider makers experiment with new cider flavors, others are experimenting with new dessert apples. Here’s Terry Bradshaw’s rule of thumb for new apple varieties grown from seed: One in a hundred tastes good to eat, one in a thousand is worth continuing to cultivate, and one in ten thousand is a real knockout apple. Knockout apples have exceptional taste and yield, and they’re easy to grow. Honeycrisp, developed by the University of Minnesota, is an example of an apple with these qualities. Apples of Uncommon Character succinctly summarizes this apple’s defining attribute: “Growers can’t plant [Honeycrisp] fast enough; they sometimes refer to it as Moneycrisp.”

While Granny Smith and Braeburns succeeded simply by finding a place on the grocery shelf, Honeycrisp not only found a place, it demanded customers pay a premium over other apples to get them. And customers paid. Robert Kirigin at Hunger Mountain Coop in Montpelier, which stocks a wide range

Apple tree growing from seed

of apple varieties, reports that Honeycrisp sales went up 1,400 percent from 2005 to 2013. The available supply of Honeycrisp started out very small, accounting for some of the magnitude of that increase, but for comparison the sales of “heirloom”labeled apples rose only 7 percent during the same period. Vermonters might wax poetic over heirloom apples, but we’re buying the Honeycrisp.

Nothing is more modern than Honeycrisp, plus apples like SweeTango and Jazz, which followed in its footsteps. However, they do have something in common with their heirloom ancestors: They’re bred because they excel at a certain thing.

Just as the Bethel apple excelled at cold hardiness, these apples excel at being dessert apples. They aren’t the prettiest apples, they make terrible cider (“tastes like perfume” Reed Miller reports), but each bite bursts in your mouth with a sweetness that can be irresistible. uuu

We can safely say that today’s apple possibilities have piqued customers’ interest. Unfortunately, this interest could reach celebrity tabloid proportions and apple diversity still wouldn’t come close to touching apples’ first Golden Age. Commercial growers can only invest in so many varieties—and that number is nowhere near the estimated 14,000 that once grew in backyards across North America. We need a multitude of hobbyists—growers who can experiment and who will nurture an oddball apple simply because they have an affinity for it.

Todd Parlo of Walden Heights Nursery, in Walden, sees a resurgence in these backyard growers. His small nursery contains one of the most diverse inventories in the region, maybe even the nation. And Todd has a long list of things to love in an apple tree. There’s the fruit itself; Todd describes some that taste just like a cherry lollipop, others that are peppery, others that taste like anise or grapes. Looking beyond the fruit, apple trees have beautiful flowers and can be trellised into garden archways. You can burn the pruned branches for heat or cooking.

You can climb in the trees or swing in them. Plus, experimenting with new varieties is fun. By that measure Todd is having a great deal of fun—he’s up to 500 apple varieties at his nursery, from “tried and true” heirlooms to newcomers in the trial stages.

Todd recommends that any backyard orchard begin with standard trees that are easy to grow, but his customers usually don’t stop there. “People want weird apples and heirloom apples because they have a story,” he says happily.“ And it’s important to our culture to have these stories.”

You’ll find many of those stories collected in Apples of Uncommon Character. As you piece together its apple portraits—everything from the famous fruit that Isaac Newton saw fall (Flower of Kent) to apples whose “parchmentlike” skin contain flesh that’s “exploding with lychee and lime” (Reine des Renette)—it’s hard to believe we were once on the verge of letting these apples slip into extinction. With history, beauty, possibility, surprise, legacies, and unexpected discoveries, apples’ stories may very well lure us back to another Golden Age. Helen Labun Jordan lives in Montpelier, where she works for Bear Pond Books. Read more of her work at her website, discoveringflavor.com.

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local banquet 19

Winter CSAs Want to eat a diverse local diet this winter? Want to hang out with your neighbors once a week and catch up on what’s happening?

How about discovering new recipes? All while supporting your local farm. More and more Vermont farmers are growing for the colder months by planting crops suitable for storage and employing high-tunnel growing techniques. This can bring delightful vegetables

and greens to our tables long after the first snow has graced the land.

In addition, many CSAs offer meats, cheeses, eggs, and bread. With the help of NOFA-VT we’ve compiled the list below of farms offering winter CSAs. Because each CSA differs based on the individual farm, it’s best to contact the farms in your area to find out all the details and what they have to offer.

AD D ISO N

CH I T T EN D EN

L A MO I L L E

Elmer Farm

Full Moon Farm, Inc.

Applecheek Farm

Gildrien Farm

Intervale Community Farm

Valley Dream Farm

855 Case Street Middlebury 802-377-8195 elmer.farm@yahoo.com

2083 Gilman Road Hinesburg 802-598-1986 info@fullmoonfarminc.com

490 Delorm Road Leicester 802-989-7223 gildrienfarm@gmail.com

128 Intervale Road Burlington 802-658-2919 info@intervalecommunityfarm.com becky@intervalecommunityfarm.com andy@intervalecommunityfarm.com

New Leaf Organics 45 Mountain Terrace Bristol 802-453-6160 newleaf@gmavt.net

Jericho Settlers' Farm 22 Barber Farm Road Jericho 802-899-4000 jsfarmvt@gmail.com

The Last Resort

2246 Tyler Bridge Road Bristol 802-989-3378 localfood@lastresortfarm.com

Jubilee Farm

4582 Main Road Huntington 802-434-5667 jubileefarm@gmavt.net

B ENNINGTON

Maple Wind Farm

Clear Brook Farm

1340 Carse Road Huntington 802-434-7257 bruce@maplewindfarm.com bruce@otloose.com

Historic Route 7A Shaftsbury 802-442-4273 andrew@clearbrookfarm.com

Mighty Food Farm

GR A N D I SL E

549A Cedar Hill Road Pownal 781-307-6801 farmers@mightyfoodfarm.com

Health Hero Island Farm

350 Westshore Road South Hero 802-378-5033 healthheroislandfarm@gmail.com

Someday Farm

2087 Dorset Hill Road E. Dorset 802-362-2290 proftfamily@myfairpoint.net

Blue Heron Farm

34 Quaker Road Grand Isle 617-276-4728 harmonyvt@yahoo.com

True Love Farm

925 Cross Hill Road North Bennington 802-447-1472 karen.trubitt@trubitt.com

M.R. Harvest, LLC

55 Adams School Road Grand Isle 802-373-9803 Tom@mrharvest.com

Wildstone Farm

536 Schanker Road Pownal 802-823-0141 wildstonefarmvt@gmail.com

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567 MacFarlane Road Hyde Park 802-888-4482 applecheek@applecheekfarm.com 5901 Pleasant Valley Road Cambridge 802-644-6598 valleydream@myfairpoint.net

ORANGE Cedar Circle Farm

225 Pavilion Road East Thetford 802-785-4706 kate@cedarcirclefarm.org growing@cedarcirclefarm.org

Sugar Mountain Farm

252 Riddle Pond Road West Topsham 802-439-6462 walterj@sugarmtnfarm.com

Winter Moon Farm

138 Towle Hill Lane Corinth 802-439-3804 wintermoonfarm@gmail.com

Your Farm

2340 Route 5 North Fairlee 802-923-6339 danielle@yourfarmonline.com

O R L EA N S Berry Creek Farm

PO Box 76 Westfield 802-744-2406 berrycreekfarmvt@comcast.net

Pete's Greens

266 South Craftsbury Road Craftsbury 802-586-2882 X7 pete@petesgreens.com

The Garden of Eurbin

18 Chamberlin Road Barton 802-525-4663 thegardenofeurbin@yahoo.com

RUTL AND Alchemy Gardens

224 Frank Lord Road Shrewsbury 802-492-2087 alchemygardens@gmail.com

Boardman Hill Farm

1030 Boardman Hill Road West Rutland 802-683-4606 coxveg@hotmail.com

Wood's Market Garden

93 Wood Lane Brandon 802-247-6630 woodsmarketgarden@msn.com

WASH ING TON Bear Roots Farm, LLC

175 Snowbridge Road Barre 802-760-0494 bearrootsfarm@gmail.com

Callahan Farm

534 Smith Hill Northfield 802-485-7889 callahan@tds.net

Dog River Farm

90 Murray Road Berlin 802-223-1559 dogriverfarm@gmail.com

Field Stone Farm

793 Gib Lane Northfield 802-485-3349 icblackmer@tds.net

Gaylord Farm

2587 Main Street Waitsfield 802-496-5054 gaylordfarm@gmavt.net

Good Heart Farmstead

60 Dugar Extension Worcester 802-223-1166 goodheartfarmstead@gmail.com

photo by henry homeyer

Green Mountain Girls Farm 923 Loop Road Northfield 802-505-9840 farmers@eatstayfarm.com

Rogers Farmstead

WINDH A M Circle Mountain Farm

280 Lee Road Guilford 802-258-0600 circlemtfarm@gmail.com

Dwight Miller & Son Orchards 511 Miller Road East Dummerston 802-254-9111 dmorchards@gmail.com

Full Plate Farm

11 University Way Brattleboro 802-257-1773 fullplatefarm@gmail.com

Harlow Farm

117 Deep Root Dr Westminster 802-722-9203 westminsterorganics@myfairpoint.net

Hermit Thrush Homestead

4615 Green River Road Halifax 802-251-7292 meggie@hermitthrushhomestead.com

New Leaf CSA

111 Dutton Farm Road Dummerston 802-254-2531 farmer@newleafcsa.com; littlegoat1@hotmail.com

Walker Farm

1190 US Route 5 East Dummerston 802-254-2051 jacmanix@sover.net walkerfarmvt@gmail.com

Wild Carrot Farm

511 Upper Dummerston Road Brattleboro 802-579-1261 wildcarrotfarm@gmail.com

WINDSO R Cedar Mountain Farm 25A Linden Road Hartland 802-436-1448 fjordworks@yahoo.com

Deep Meadow Farm

6377 Route 5 South Windsor–Ascutney 802-376-7400 farmer@deepmeadowfarm.net

Luna Bleu Farm

96 Boles Road South Royalton 802-763-7981 lunableufarm@myfairpoint.net

934 Rowell Hill Road Berlin 802-371-5098 rogersfarmstead@gmail.com

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local banquet 21

seeds for change

The Challenges of Sourcing Locally

The sun is up, the kids are stirring, and as I sit at my kitchen counter in Cabot with a cup of strong black coffee in hand, I review my list: 7 a.m.,Kids to School; 8 a.m., Craftsbury; 9 a.m., Hardwick; 9:45 a.m., East Hardwick; 10:30 a.m., Kitchen.

It’s going to be tight.

You see, I own a small eatery in a small town, and like many other restaurants in Vermont, my menu is heavy with local ingredients.

Although I’ve been picking up local meat and root vegetables with little problem over the winter, it is now a beautiful mid-June morning, and a few of our local farms have begun harvesting fresh greens and herbs. When I put the last two pounds of day-old, slimy, West Coast grown organic greens in our chicken bucket a few weeks before, I had resolved to no longer buy greens until they could be purchased closer to home. Fortunatley, I had Peace of Earth Farm in Albany which sells beautiful shoots and sprouts, to tide me over until now.

Pete’s Greens, an organic vegetable farm in Craftsbury, has just released their salad greens for wholesale and I’m on my way to pick up my first bags of Vermont-grown mesclun, baby spinach, cilantro, and basil—the stars and supporting cast members on my menu of Asian-influenced food. It is exciting, but my enthusiasm is tempered by the pressure I am feeling to get back to the kitchen. Two-and-a-half hours later, after kissing the kids good-bye and chatting with a teacher, I drive down the dirt road to Pete’s Greens’ plywood- and tin-covered, warehouse-like structure, where my greens await me in the room-size cooler.

Back in the car, I point myself in the direction I have just come from and head into Hardwick, stopping first at the Center for an Agricultural Economy’s Vermont Food Venture Center to sneak into a freezer to pick up Under Orion Farm’s beef and maple syrup, wishing I had time to chat with my former colleagues but knowing that time is against me. As the sun climbs higher, I keep my fingers crossed that I am early enough to snag a parking space on Main Street in Hardwick where, at the Buffalo Mountain Cooperative, Peace of Earth Farm has left me bags of shoots in the cooler and I’ll grab a block or two of Vermont Soy tofu and other ingredients I might have overlooked earlier in the week during my typical Monday morning ordering frenzy. Pulling out of a prime spot in front of the store, I swing toward East Hardwick and Snug Valley Farm, where Ben Notterman will load up a couple of boxes with ground pork, sausages, and shoulder from his chest freezers, while I scratch the ears of the farm dogs and chat with his folks. By now it is 10:30 a.m., and with my face to the sun, I head back to my kitchen in Cabot to get the restaurant ready for dinner.

The chalkboard at DownStreet Eats, Cabot

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uuu

Like many people, I like the story behind my food. I’ve been fortunate to get to know many of the people who grow the food I eat, and my respect for their work knows no bounds. The food is fresh, beautiful, delicious. By purchasing it, I’m investing my dollars into people and businesses that I

photo by elena gustavson

by Elena Gustavson

respect, and I am convinced that many of those dollars will then stay and benefit the community in which they reside.

Yet as a business owner, and a business with marginal profits at best, time is money and, well... money is money. On this morning, reviewing my invoices as I unload my bags and boxes into the coolers and freezers, I gulp a little. I just spent quite a few dollars, and I worry that if the patrons don’t come, and keep coming, it will be a struggle to pay the bills. Running a small restaurant in a small town with a young family in tow is rewarding, but challenging. I take a deep breath, start calculating my food costs versus my potential sales, and decide I can stretch things a bit more by featuring the fresh, yet fragile greens in our popular Vietnamese rice roll, and as an accompaniment to the savory jeong (Korean pancake).

Time is short now and there is much left to do to prepare for dinner. Popping in the door mere minutes before the first of my crew arrives, I have little time to think about much else beyond what is right in front of me. Our prep is broken into increments of time, punctuated by clean up and dishes, then more prep and more dishes. Although we are hours away from opening the doors, I know that those hours will slip past quickly and that rhythmic efficiency is key to being prepared at this stage.

As the crew begins the washing and prepping of our vegetables, I handle the meat. The shoulder from Snug Valley Farm is firm and well marbled. Snipping the twine, I massage spices into the flats and crevices of the meat, retying the twine and prepare it for the slow braise in our oven. I don’t take this meat for granted. Before I connected with Snug Valley several months before, I had a hell of a time trying to find a consistent supply of local, quality pork that was relatively easy for me to obtain. Now that I have, I have every intention of utilizing as much of the meat as I can.

Cleaning up my prep space, I move on to the greens. Submerging the greens in a tub of cold water, I pick out the occasional grass blade. The leaves are a myriad of texture and color, and I can almost smell the rain and soil. I pop one in my mouth. Sweet. Pop another leaf, this one more serrated on the edges. Bitter.

Perfect. uuu

Many of the restaurants in Vermont face the same challenges I do when it comes to sourcing local food: it is more work; it is more expensive; it is not always a consistent supply or quality.

But I wonder: What is it like for a farm to sell to a restaurant?

A few weeks later, I’m perusing the pick sheets—lists of available items—that a few farms have sent my way—and I’m cradling the phone on my shoulder as I dial a familiar number.

Picking up the phone, Tim Fishburne, sales manager at Pete’s Greens, says “Hey. Can I call you back in 15 minutes? Sorry about this. Just give me 15 more minutes and I will be ready for you.”

No problem. I hang up the phone and set my kitchen timer. I get back to writing a response to Provender Farm, which had sent me their availability list about two hours earlier.

Fifteen minutes later, pencil in hand, Tim and I chat pleasantries for 10 seconds or so before he lets me know that we need to move on. No offense is meant, but it is a Thursday in July and it’s a very busy day on the farm.

I think a moment about all the juggling I do to source and gather local ingredients for my one restaurant, so I ask Tim if he can spare just a bit of time to tell me what it’s like to provide food to a lot of restaurants. Tim is frank. “Don’t get me wrong.

I know how hard it is for restaurants with high food costs and slim margins. Our challenge is being able to sell enough product at a price point that makes it worthwhile for both of us.

Combine that with selling to several different restaurants across the state, both big and small, and it is challenging to provide enough diversity of product at a good price when you are only dealing in volumes of 10 lbs. here or 5 lbs. there.”

So what is a cook like me supposed to do? Running around picking up products within a 30-mile radius doesn’t make a lot of economical sense nor is it in keeping with my own values of treading lightly on our resources. Getting food delivered via Black River Produce is a convenient alternative, but part of our business plan is to source as close to the restaurant as we can, and although BRP does an amazing job with Vermont produce, much of it comes from southern Vermont— a bit too far for my comfort zone here in Cabot.

I realize I don’t have an easy answer, and with 10 months invested in my venture now, I think the answer is still a ways off. Despite the challenges within our local food systems, I am confident that solutions will continue to emerge from farmers, entrepreneurs, and consumers. Smaller, “newer” farms will mature and hone their experiences, while some will grow larger and refine their systems; savvy go-getters will find opportunities to fill in the gaps in our distribution system; neighborhood restaurants will continue to provide both quality and ethical choices for their customers and, in return, consumers will invest back into these food communities. uuu

With the pleasant heat of this summer and just enough rain, I’ve had farmers knocking on my door to provide me with food and my whirlwind trips have become fewer and fewer this season. With hope, by the time this article comes out, my storeroom will be as full as my cooler as the season begins to wind down and I begin to source and store vegetables for our winter menu.

We are fortunate, here in Vermont, to have so much available to us, even when it isn’t necessarily easy or convenient to source from a business perspective. While I continue on my own adventure as a new restaurant owner, I imagine this logistical challenge will often take a backseat to other, more pressing matters, but I look forward to continuing my relationships with farmers and with my customers, and doing something that I love.

So on that note, take good care, eat good food, and don’t forget to hug your farmer (and kiss the cook).

Elena Gustavson owns and operates DownStreet Eats, a local eatery in Cabot Village. Before opening a restaurant, she was a nonprofit wonk, working on awesome food-system issues with good people. She was also a kitchen monkey for many years and ran a modestly successful online retail store, before that was cool.

She lives with her three wonderful kids and two ancient cats in a tiny house with a big heart.

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“Autumn is a second spring when every leaf is a flower.” ~Albert Camus The Book Nook — proudly feeding the mind since 2006.

136 Main Street, Ludlow VT 05149 • 802–228–3238 thebooknookvt@hotmail.com • thebooknookvt.com

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Time to sign up for our Winter CSA. Application online on our Website.

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Also at Manchester and Londonderry Farmer’s Markets 24 local banquet

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N E W H A L L FA R M I C E C I D E R , T h e N e w C l a s s i c Ve r m o n t F l a v o r E n h a n c i n g c o c k ta i l s , c h e e s e , d e s s e r t , or enjoyed as desser t itself! w w w . n e w h a l l fa r m v t . c o m

SEEDS Continued from page 17

dents, who did all the research and chose all the plants in the garden. They researched local cultures, including the former owners of Kindle Farm, learned about compass points—“where the sun comes from”—and figured out how many types of plants to include, using math to figure out the square footage.

They also did all the planting.

The circular Sacred Seed garden at Kindle now consists of more than 18 native plants and flowers. Drew Gradinger says the garden has been a huge success, and at least one student has gone on to intern at the Luna Nueva farm in Costa Rica, marking first steps in a possible career path.

photo by Allison Teague

uuu

Library patrons at Windsor Public Library now have access to free, non-genetically modified seeds, gardening tips, and seed saving information, thanks to Lisa Richardson, an organic farmer who moved to Windsor from New Hampshire in 2012 and established her Mack Hill Farm.

Lisa has been very involved in GMO labeling efforts and is a big advocate of heirloom seeds. She echoes the importance of “knowing what seeds and plants do well in a particular region to help that region thrive” and building “localized knowledge and a resilient community,” and those are the aims of the seed library.

Lisa said she became acquainted with a seed saving library in Portland, Oregon while completing a Master Gardener course at the University of New Hampshire Cooperative Extension. One of the requirements was to provide education to a community or group of people.

So in March 2013, Lisa approached the Windsor library to see if they had the interest and space. Finding both, she started a lending library of seeds with donations of her own seed stock as inventory. Now donations come from gardening library patrons resulting in hundreds of varieties of seeds. Lisa says the drawers are usually quite full of both flowers and vegetables.

With a library card, patrons may “borrow” up to five packets of seeds from the library. To return the seeds in the fall, the gardener lets a few of the plants go unharvested and collects the seeds from these plants, returning them to the library. When the seed library gets low, Lisa just calls Johnny’s Selected Seeds in Fairfield, Maine or Vermont’s own High Mowing Organic Seeds in Wolcott—which are both members of seed saving networks and which have been “generous” with contributions.

Sylvia Davatz collecting caraway seeds Monthly gardening chats attract more than just seed borrowers from the library. Lisa says experienced, older gardeners come and share their knowledge and seeds, too. Now in its second year, the seed library is bringing in a younger generation with an interest in gardening and seed saving. The library encourages younger gardeners to make connections with those with 40 or 50 years of experience, so that knowledge and experience can be passed on.

Lisa notes that the seed library idea has caught on and several libraries around the state are adopting the idea now. uuu

While the GSN, the Windsor seed library, and the Kindle Farm Sacred Seed project are not all directly connected, the roots of each project share the same goal and offer diverse approaches to building a decentralized, sustainable system of regional food production.

Sylvia Davatz encourages people to join a network, whether it is through a Sacred Seed foundational garden, a seed saving network, or a library. With groups of loosely interconnected seed savers, sustainable diversity blossoms; Sylvia sees hope in the “rise in curiosity” about seed saving and a growing awareness of how important it is.

“There is no food without seeds,” she reminds us.

Allison Teague, a southern Vermont freelance writer, artist, and photographer, writes about regional food sustainability and climate change, and how these impact Vermonters. She enjoys discovering the diverse and unique solutions that Vermonters use to solve problems.

Elmore Roots Nursery "if it grows in elmore, it will grow where you are"

Vermonters have a local organic source for fruit trees and berry plants

802.888.3305

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good stuff in... good stuff out

A full-service auction company, Sharon Boccelli & Company is a trusted name in the antiques trade, with over 30 years experience buying, selling and appraising antiques and collectibles. Whether you need a complete estate liquidation, appraisals for probate or insurance, or to sell individual pieces, your needs will be handled professionally and promptly by our experienced staff.

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Saturdays 10 am-1pm through October 25 River Walk Park, Depot and River Streets, Bennington On November 22 and December 20, and 1st and 3rd Saturday of the month January through April First Baptist Church 600 East Main St., Bennington

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Dorset Farmers Market

Mon - Sat 7–9, Sun 9–9 2 Main St, Brattleboro BrattleboroFoodCoop.coop 26 local banquet

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Every Sunday, 10 am-2pm through October 12 H.N. Williams Store 2732 Route 30, Dorset Beginning October 19 J.K. Adams Kitchen Store 1430 Route 30, Dorset www.dorsetfarmersmarket.com

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Sustainable

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Heirloom Apple Cider • PYO Starting September 6 Join us for Heirloom Apple Day Sunday, October 12 And our On-the-Farm Dinner Saturday, October 25

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Zucchini Gone Wild Not many people would say zucchini is their favorite vegetable, but it’s an easy one to grow and it probably puts out more pounds of edible matter than any other plant in the garden.

That’s all well and good early in the season, but inevitably the zucchini runs away from the gardener. First you miss one or two, and before long you’re putting those enormous kielbasas anywhere they’ll fit.

At Earth Sky Time Farm in Manchester, we grow lots of zucchini for our CSA and to sell at farmers’ markets. We try to harvest them every other day and we try to pick them at roughly 8 inches long, but life here can be a little unpredictable with the bakery, the kids, the interns, the broken tractors, the potato beetles, the all-night dance parties…whatever. So the zucchinis often get too big.

But, we do have a solution for this abundance: EGGPLANT! Say what? Well, in many ways zucchinis are a lot like eggplants: Both vegetables have colorful skin and mild white flesh, both are mostly water, both need to be cooked, and both are good fried or grilled. But unlike zucchini, eggplants are a long season crop and you only get a few fruits per plant. Since there are so many nice things to make with eggplant, we started substituting zucchini in our favorite eggplant recipes—and what do you know: it works.

Earth Sky Time is a farming community built around food, and at the center of it all is our oven—a 40,000-pound, Spanish, wood-fired bread oven called a Llopis. Because it’s always hot, we cook everything in it.

For our “Mama Ganoush” we start by roasting all of the overgrown zucchini we can rustle up. We roll them in a little olive oil and roast them in deep pans—in other words, we forget about them in the big oven for a couple of hours. We wait until they are black and burnt. Then we take them out and cool them. We then purée them (skin on) in a food processor with sunflower seeds, olive oil, lemon juice, garlic, tahini, sea salt, and smoked paprika.

Keep the mixture cold and enjoy this summer treat. It’s up to you if you want to tell your friends that it’s not made with eggplant.

Earth Sky Time is a small certified organic farm and wood-fired bakery in Manchester. We are a community of friends and family working together to feed our corner of the planet some of the best food around. We offer CSA shares and participate in four weekly farmers’ markets: Manchester, Dorset, Londonderry, and Ludlow.

We also produce VT Goldburgers (carrot-curry-ginger-almond-

MAMA GANOUSH (or MOVE OVER, BABA) a few big zucchini 1 cup olive oil 2 cups of sunflower seeds 1/2 cup of lemon juice 1 tablespoon salt 1 teaspoon smoked paprika as much garlic as you like Leave the zucchini unpeeled, but remove both ends. Brush zucchini with olive oil and roast or grill until blackened. Pureé the zucchini with the remaining olive oil, seeds, lemon juice, salt, and garlic in a food processor. Enjoy.

flax burgers) and Hoomoos Za’atar, both available at food co-ops and stores throughout the region (see our website for details). We also host Farm Night vegetarian dinners with live music and dancing every Wednesday.

For more info visit earthskytime.com or call 802-384-1400.

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k i t c h e n

photo of Bonnie and Kate and the zucchini by Oliver levis

by Oliver Levis Earth Sky Time Farm

Join Us! Shop locally... we are growing everyday!

Sterling College Working Hands.Working Minds.

802.885.3363 Ecology • Sustainable Agriculture • Outdoor Education • Environmental Humanities • Sustainable Food Systems

Hours: Monday - Saturday 8–7 Sunday 10–5 springfieldcoop.com 335 River St., Springfield

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Check out our website to find the location near you or call us to order.

802.472.3621 www.patchworkfarmbakery.com

Saturday, September 13

Top 10 Easy Non-Gilled Edible Fungi Workshop 10am–1:30pm Learn the top 10 easy-to-identify, edible fungi with mycologist Sue Van Hook. If you have a hand lens, small basket, and a field knife, these will come in handy (although are not necessary) during the foraging walk following the morning talk. Bring a picnic lunch and water. Adult: $25 per person, $45 for two; children 6–12, with adult: free. Preregistration required. Mount Independence State Historic Site, 497 Mount Independence Road, Orwell.

802-948-2000 elsa.gilbertson@state.vt.us

Sunday, September 14

Tour de Goat 11am–6pm Join Vermont Farm Tours for the first annual Tour de Goat! 10- or 30-mile road ride (the road goat) and/or a 6- or 18-mile mountain bike ride (the mountain goat). Return to the farm for tours, music, Nepali dinner, and goat roast! $45 adult, $20 youth. 1020 Pine Island Road, Colchester.

802-922-7346 vermontfarmtours.com

Photo by Jack Delano. Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division Washington, DC.

Sunday, September 14

13th Annual Small Farms Food Fest 11am–5pm Local farmers and food producers bring a prepared dish to sell, an orchardmade table will be raffled off as a symbol of people sitting together and breaking bread, live music plays all day long with six different local bands, tractor hayrides, apple picking, rope making, circus arts with Phin, apple prints, and more happen at this family-friendly event! FREE for those under 6.5 or over 65, otherwise $5. And farmers may charge for the food they prepare. Shelburne Orchards, 216 Orchard Road, Shelburne.

802-985-2753 shelburneorchards.com

Friday, September 19 through Sunday, September 21

Eat X NE Eat X NE will strengthen Vermont’s local food movement by welcoming the entire community to a free, all-ages festival that aims to raise more than $20,000 in donations to local food nonprofits: educates entrepreneurs, families, and gardeners on the business, preparation and cultivation of local food; and celebrates our vibrant culinary tradition through fun gatherings at the peak of our abundant harvest. Visit the website for times and ticket info.

Oakledge Park, Burlington. eatxne.com

Saturday, September 20

Plymouth Cheese and Harvest Festival 10am–4pm Celebrate the award-winning world of Vermont-made cheese! Cheese sampling by Vermont cheesemakers and guided tours of the Plymouth Cheese Factory; activities for the entire family: wagon rides, historic farm and craft demonstrations, barbecue and harvest treats, and more! President Calvin Coolidge State Historic Site, 3780 Route 100A, Plymouth.

802-672-3773 william.jenney@state.vt.us

Friday, September 26 through Sunday, September 28

Draft Animal-Power Network 2014 Annual Gathering The Annual Gathering is a great opportunity for people interested in draft power and those experienced in draft power to share knowledge and experiences. The event will feature demonstrations on cultivation, forestry, and mowing with horses and oxen, community meals, raffle and silent auction, and more! Cummington Fairgrounds, Cummington, MA. 802-763-0771 draftanimalpower.org

Sunday, September 28

19th-Century Apple and Harvest Festival 11am–3pm Head to the Morrill Homestead in Strafford for this fun event for all ages.

Press cider in an antique press, sample cider, taste heirloom apple varieties, play period games, hike the lookout trail, play Valley Quest, and enjoy lunch.

Rain or shine. Adult: $10; children under 14: $3. Justin Morrill Homestead, 214 Justin Morrill Highway, Strafford.

802-765-4484 john.dumville@state.vt.us

Tuesday, September 30

Season Extension and Winter Storage 4–6pm Extending the season with row covers and high tunnels can provide significant increases in crop yields and income. Join organic farmers Tim Sanford and Suzanne Long as they share experiences and methods for supplying their winter CSA and farmers’ markets. We’ll also tour their recently expanded storage facilities and learn tips for maximizing the storage life of fallharvested crops. Vern Grubinger of UVM Extension will join this workshop. $10 NOFA and VVBGA members, $20 non-members, registration online.

Luna Bleu Farm, 96 Boles Road, South Royalton.

802-434-4122 nofavt.org

Saturday, October 4

1st Annual “Bee Here” Now 10am–2pm Learn more about the role of bees in our food production and what threatens bee populations. Win a prize as the best-dressed Be a Bee, check out a Mraz observation hive, and join other family-friendly activities. Chas Mraz, Anna Beauchemin, and Hope Johnson will provide presentations and workshops with fun activities. As details unfold, we’ll post them on our website and Facebook. Shelburne Orchards, 216 Orchard Road, Shelburne.

802-985-2753 shelburneorchards.com

Saturday, October 4 and Sunday, October 5

Vermont Sheep and Wool Festival 10am–4pm Join us for the 26th Annual Vermont Sheep and Wool Festival. Participate in workshops, shop with various vendors, visit the animal barn, attend fiberarts classes, and more! Adults: $6, seniors: $5, children under 12: $1:, 2-day discount available. Turnbridge Fairgrounds, Turnbridge.

802-592-3062 vtsheepandwoolfest.com

Sunday, October 12

12th Annual Pumpkin Festival at Cedar Circle Farm 10am–3pm Family fun, everything pumpkin! Ongoing horse-drawn wagon rides, pumpkin picking, cider pressing, kids entertainment and crafts, theatrical performances, live music all day. An organic “Good Food” concession. A green event. Rain or shine. No pets. Parking $10/car. Come by foot or bicycle for free! Cedar Circle Farm & Education Center, 225 Pavillion Road, Thetford.

802-785-4737 cedarcirclefarm.org/events/festivals

Saturday, October 18

Truckload and Carboy Saturday 9am–6pm Fill your car trunk or pickup truck with apples from the ground for a great deal...and/or fill a carboy for the long, cold winter with a special blend.

Shelburne Orchards, 216 Orchard Road, Shelburne.

802-985-2753 shelburneorchards.com

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C A L E N D A R

Weight-pulling contest for horses at the 1941 “World’s Fair,” Tunbridge.

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City Market is dedicated to strengthening the local food system. We’re grateful to our local farmers and food producers who provide our Co-op’s Members and customers with nourishing food all year long!

82 S. Winooski Ave. Burlington, VT 05401 Open 7 days a week, 7 a.m. - 11 p.m. (802) 861-9700 www.citymarket.coop

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Organically raised beef, pork, chicken & eggs.

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Open 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. daily

PO Box 260, Route 5, Westminster, VT (802) 722-3515 (1/2 Mile North of Exit 5 / Interstate 91 )

2014 - 2015 Winter Market Organic Produce & Sustainably Raised Meats December through April enjoy organic Harlow Farm produce, winter greens, frozen fruits and veggies, beefalo, chicken, pork and eggs, as well as a wide assortment of products from other local food producers by joining our Winter Market.

Our Winter Market is a free-choice online market with easy to use ordering and convenient pickup locations.

To find out more or to become a member visit www.harlowfarm.com/wintermarket/ Harlow Farm Westminster VT

802-722-9203

Brattleboro Area Farmers’ Market celebrating

years

Saturdays 9-2

Rte 9, Western Avenue May – October

Wednesdays 10-2

Market is now at the Whetstone Pathway by the Co-op.

June 11 – October 15

Temple Chiropractic Supporting the health care needs of the community for the past 35 years Specialist in the treatment of non-surgical back & neck pain

Live Music Saturdays· EBT & Debit

DR. VERNON R. TEMPLE DR. DAVID PARELLA Chiropractic Physicians

802-254-8885 brattleborofarmersmarket.com

102 Saxtons River Road Bellows Falls, VT 05101 802–463–9522

A Wood-Fired Artisan Bakery In Alstead, NH

Your Farm, Your Food,

Available in Stores & Farmers’ Markets Throughout the Region

Our Kitchens... www.hardwickagriculture.org

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The Waterville House Three summers ago, Jacob and I moved back to Vermont from the southeastern corner of Idaho. Tired of the long Teton Valley winter, we’d stared longingly at the March photo on our Vermont Life calendar: a tractor crawling along its farm beneath Mount Mansfield. In the picture, pastures were an electric new green and budding trees made the air look hazy. We had both grown up in Vermont, and we were craving mud season. Out the window in Tetonia, snow still fell, the ground asleep for weeks yet.

We came back, that summer, to live and work on a farm in Tunbridge. One muggy August afternoon, liberated from the fields, we snuck our biodegradable soap down to the White River. The tingle of peppermint and the shock of an icy-cold beer were euphoric.

“I bet we could do something on our own,” I bragged to Jacob. “Get a little piece of land and find a tractor. We could figure it out.”

At the time, there was a sense of ease associated with the title of ”farm hand.” Our pay was reliable, whether the tomatoes sold at market or not. At the end of the season we were free to go. And yet there was something missing: the challenge of ownership, the chance for real responsibility.

“I’m in.” Jacob grinned, sudsing up. “You want veggies?

Cows? Olive trees?”

A month later, searching the classifieds for our own place, we saw an ad: Organic Farmland for Rent—Waterville. We didn’t know there was a Waterville in Vermont, but Jacob dialed the number immediately, pacing back and forth on the sidewalk in front of the Randolph library.

“It’s not a job interview,” I whispered when he finally came inside.

“No, but this is the one,” Jacob said.

We visited the Northeast Kingdom property on a balmy October day. The meadows smelled sweet and reminded me of painting watercolors with my mother. A pond sat still within a circle of white birch. Stone walls defined the curve of the property line. Old maple trees formed a hedge. Mount Mansfield loomed navy and crooked to the south. There was room for a big garden—the soil mostly clay but well cared for—and the barn was broken in, with space for hay and animals.

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The house, however, was not as beautiful. The kitchen sink revealed a dead mouse. In place of a front door there was a thick blanket. The refrigerator was rusted and yellowing. The tenants showed us around reluctantly. They said the well water gave them giardia, and they said they’d burned four cords of wood the previous winter and still had to fill the oil furnace twice.

We did not arrive at a decision with grace or ease. We discussed, at length, the amount of work to be done. There were house chores: Paint the kitchen floor. Deep clean. Cut firewood.

Buy furniture. Put up a front door. Cut more firewood. There were chores to prepare for animals: Repair fence. Mow. Fix barn stalls. Buy hay. Clean chicken coop. Buy salt blocks, heat lamps, buckets for water and grain. There were garden chores: Till. Add compost. Dig. Rake. Sow cover crop. Order seeds. We knew that some of this work would eventually be left behind, that we would spend endless hours on a property that we’d only be renting. Yet we wanted to make this a working farm again, and we wanted to make it our home.

The tenants moved out on the first of November, and when we saw the place empty, I was horrified. Now it looked like an abandoned hunting camp. We hadn’t signed a lease yet but we kept visiting, and we kept stopping at the hardware store on the way. We spent days clearing garbage from the front “yard,” scrap metal, bathtubs, and a rusted camper. Jacob cut firewood and I Windexed the windows. We painted the plywood kitchen floor the color of bricks.

On the last day of November, just before we signed that lease, I found myself pushing seed garlic into the cold soil. I forgot about the dead mouse (actually, the dead mice) and the cobwebs in the bathroom. I forgot about the drafty windows and the threatening sky. I remembered that I wanted a responsibility. I remembered that I like to eat, and eat well, and I hurried to help mulch our first planted bed, as the sun made that late-fall, pre-dusk announcement in brilliant orange before sliding behind the mountains.

Katie Powers is a graduate student in creative writing at the Bennington Writing Seminars. She and Jacob still live at the Waterville house, where they produce organic vegetables and pastured eggs, dairy, pork, beef, and poultry.

photo by katie powers

LAST MORSEL

by Katie Powers

WE BELIEVE IN LOCAL!

We’re proud to be a supporter of Vermont’s local food movement for almost 30 years. Even the gardens at Healthy Living Market are edible!

We’re getting ready for the annual Thanksgiving turkey event. Check out healthylivingmarket.com for info on LOCAL TURKEYS, who grows them for us, and how to order one for your holiday.

222 DORSET STREET, SOUTH BURLINGTON 802.863.2569 • HEALTHYLIVINGMARKET.COM

Snow Farm

Meats- (B)raised with Love Newfane, Vermont Meat CSA- in VT and delivered to MA and CT Beef, pork, lamb and chicken Organically raised on pasture

facebook.com/snowfarmvt snowfarmvermont@gmail.com

5th Annual Putney Farmers’ MARKET Fresh Taste Local Flavor Produce & MEATS Baked Goods Food Purveyors Crafts Artisans LIVE MUSIC Every Week

EBT & DEBIT CARDS ACCEPTED

Sundays 11am – 2 pm May 25 thru October 12

Across From the Putney Coop Exit 4 off I-91 Putneyfarmersmarket.org

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Pick for Your Neighbor underwritten by:

You can pick and purchase extra apples at participating orchards to donate to the Vermont Foodbank.

Adams Apple Orchard, Williston Allenholm Farm, South Hero Burtt’s Apple Orchard, Cabot Champlain Orchards, Shoreham Chapin Orchard, Essex Junction Cortland Hill Orchard, Brattleboro Dolly Gray Orchard, Hardwick Douglas Orchard, Shoreham Green Mountain Orchards, Putney Hackett’s Orchard, South Hero Hall’s Orchard, Isle La Motte

Vermont Foodbank www.vtfoodbank.org

a Hunger Action Month Event

Happy Valley Orchard, Middlebury Liberty Orchards, Brookfield Mad Tom Orchard, East Dorset Mendon Mountain Orchards, Mendon Scott Farm, Dummerston Shelburne Orchards, Shelburne Wellwood Orchards, Springfield West Swanton Orchards, Swanton Woodman Hill Orchard, Vergennes VT Technical College Orchard, Randolph