Vermont's Local Banquet Winter 2016

vermont’s

local banquet winter 2015–2016 | issue thirty-five

Ice cider • Bone broth • Vermont farmers overseas

good stuff in... good stuff out

the fine art in food

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Imagine Eve’s first taste of the unforgettable fruit…

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Farming, Friends and Outdoor Fun Overnight Camps Ages 9 to 17 Barn Day Camp 4 to 10 Plymouth, Vermont www.farmandwilderness.org

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Williamsville Eatery We’re Vermont’s newest Slow Food restaurant

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Find us Locally at

Discerning Restaurants

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Farmer’s Markets

Jersey Girls Dairy operates a retail farm store in Chester, Vermont. All of their products, plus a unique hand picked selection of other local Vermont products are available there.

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C ON T E N T S w i n t e r

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t h i r t y - f i v e

Twelve-year old boy tending chickens with his father, John Spargo. Bennington, Vermont, August 1914.

6 Publishers’ Note

20 Icing the Apple

8 Set the Table with…

22 Seeds for Change

Bone Stock

Five Years of Funding Farms

11 New Crops from New Americans

29 Farmers’ Kitchen

14 Ducks: A Plucky Issue

30 Winter Farmers’ Markets 2015–2016

16 A Touching Separation

34 Last Morsel

18 Vermont’s Ambassador Farmers

Publishers’ Note

Publisher Schreiber & Lucas, LLC Editor Caroline Abels Art Director

We think a lot about food here at Local Banquet. How it’s grown and who’s growing it and the practices that enhance and sustain our planet.

But what if the crops you want to eat are not grown at all in the state where you live? Or what if you want to take your locally sourced farming knowledge and share it far beyond the state where you live?

On page 11 we present a photo spread that shares the story of crops as cultural archetypes. The New Farms for New Americans program, based in Burlington, has been assisting refugees and immigrants in the growing of distant crops here in the state. They recently worked with UVM Extension to compile a book that celebrates their efforts. We celebrate the book, and these unusual crops, on these pages.

In this issue we also look at what’s happening agriculturally beyond our borders and travel with some of Vermont’s farmer ambassadors to far-off lands such as Nepal, Burma, and Cuba. On page 18 you can read about how these Vermont farmers are sharing their expertise and years of hands-on knowledge and problem solving directly with local farmers to improve on-farm production.

Back at home we take a look at the Vermont Farm Fund, a revolving loan fund, as it celebrates five years of offering “no-hassle” loans to Vermont farmers and food producers. In place of paying back a loan, the VFF likes to say that recipients “pay forward” their loans so that the money is again available to other Vermont farmers in need. Find out more on page 20.

Over the years of publishing Local Banquet we’ve gained a deep respect for those who work the land locally, but international issues are always knocking on our door here in Vermont. We aren’t isolated, and we hope this issue is a reminder that international cross-fertilization in agriculture can yield some impressive and heartening results.

Meg Lucas Barbi Schreiber

Meg Lucas

Ad Director

Barbi Schreiber Proofreader

Marisa Crumb Contributors Caitlin Gildrien Cheryl Herrick Ian and Jennifer Lutz Bonnie North Leda Scheintaub Jen Rose Smith Katie Sullivan 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 Rokeby Museum in Ferrisburgh recently published a short book called Farming and Feasting with the Robinsons. Based on a series of articles by Jesse Natha that ran in Local Banquet in 2009, the book illuminates the late 19th-century farming practices and foodways of the Robinson family, who lived at Rokeby for many generations.

Farm illustrations by Rowland Evans Robinson and Robinson family recipes adapted for the modern kitchen are at the heart of the book.

It can be purchased at the Rokeby Museum store for $15, or email rokeby@comcast.net to inquire about a postal order.

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) 2015. 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 : Highland cattle at Greenfield Highland Beef, Greensboro; photo by Caroline Abels Contents page : Work That Educates, 1914; photo by Lewis Wickes Hine, 1874–1940, Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division, Washington, DC. M E M B E R

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VERMONT BUSINESSES FOR S O C I A L RESPONSIBILTY

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Set the Table with…

Bone Stock

by Leda Scheintaub When Rebecca Wood and I were writing The Whole Bowl a couple of years ago, we had no idea that bone-based broths were just about to become the next biggest thing in food. Soon the liquid elixir would be dished out in coffee cups to hungry urban hipsters, bone broth delivery services would sprout up, and to prove how far people will go to milk a trend, a $22 bone broth cocktail was introduced in Los Angeles.

But bone broth, or stock, has ancient roots and numerous health benefits, guaranteeing that it will outlast any trendiness.

(We call our recipe bone stock rather than broth, and while I’ll leave the debate on the distinctions to various food blogs, know that if the word bone is in the title, bones are what this incredibly healing food will be based on.)

Rebecca Wood, author of the Whole Foods Encyclopedia, introduced me to bone stock a decade or so ago; it took me a few years to get into a stock-making groove, but once I did, there was no turning back. The chef in me loves stock as an elevated ingredient, an instant upgrade to any savory recipe.

And stock appeals to my affinity for traditional foods, as this deeply nourishing, mineral-rich liquid boasts anti-inflammatory, immune-boosting, and gut-boosting benefits. As Rebecca says, there’s good reason why traditional chicken soup is fondly dubbed “Grandma’s penicillin.”

While folks in New York City are lining up around the block to purchase cups of what their grandmothers made from kitchen scraps, many of us in Vermont are going the local, DIY

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route. We are learning that tossing the carcass from a roasted chicken into a pot is one of the simplest and most economical ways to start a stock, and we fill our freezer with bones until we have enough to make a potful.

Our stock recipe, based on the one from The Whole Bowl, shows you how easy it is to make your own; don’t think of these as hard-and-fast instructions but rather as guidelines to get you into the kitchen making stock. From there it’s hard to go wrong, as it’s not an exact science but little more than tossing some bones into a pot, adding water, and simmering away.

With cold and flu season in full swing now, you can use your stock to make Cold Quell Soup, a healing tonic containing yams, fresh ginger, and plenty of pungent mustard greens. It’s one of the simplest recipes in The Whole Bowl, yet a profoundly healing one.

Leda Scheintaub is the author, with Rebecca Wood, of The Whole Bowl: Gluten-Free, Dairy-Free Soups and Stews (The Countryman Press, 2015). Her previous book is Cultured Foods for Your Kitchen: 100 Recipes Featuring the Bold Flavors of Fermentation (Rizzoli, 2014). You can visit her at ledaskitchen.com. Leda and her husband, Nash Patel, run Dosa Kitchen, a farm-to-truck Indian eatery based in Brattleboro.

Find them on Saturdays this winter at the Brattleboro Winter Farmers’ Market, where they’re serving up mugs of their signature bone stock.

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Stock-Making Tips: The best gelling occurs when some cartilage-rich knuckles and/or hooves or chicken feet are included; for added flavor and nutrients, use shanks or other marrow bones.

The longer you cook the bones, the more minerals are extracted and the more the stock will gel, a sign of a gelatin-rich stock. However, excessive cooking and/or high heat may result in a thin stock (as the gelatin chains become shorter with overcooking). Not to worry; whether or not it gels, your stock will be both delicious and healing.

There’s no “master” recipe or perfect timing for stock making; the point is to make the recipe work for you and your schedule.

If you’re uncomfortable leaving the pot on the stove while you sleep or are away from home, go with the slow cooker option. A little vinegar or wine added to your stock acts as a solvent to extract nutrients.

Photo by Beth Shepard, copyright © Beth Shepard Communications LLC.

Salt helps draw minerals from the bones and boosts the stock’s flavor and shelf life.

Depending on how much salt you add, reduce the amount of salt accordingly in the written recipes in which you use your stock.

To increase flavor, roast your bones before tossing them into the stockpot.

Add meat scraps to heighten flavor and nutrition.

Reuse your bones for a second or even third batch of stock, until they crumble when you press on them.

Add vegetables during the last few hours of cooking so they don’t disintegrate and toss them out at the end, as all their flavor and nutrients will have transferred to the stock.

Mix and match seasonings to create your own signature stocks. My two favorites are turmeric-ginger and rosemary-tomato.

Bone Stock

Cold Quell Soup

We make a week’s supply of stock and freeze any that we’re not going to use within five days. We use it liberally in our soups, stews, and any savory dish that calls for liquid. Or, for a quick energy boost, we season it to taste and drink it as an on-thespot restorative. I often toss in a square of the mineral-rich kombu seaweed, which adds even more nutrients and enhances the stock’s savory (umami) flavor.

Serve this bold yet simple soup at the first suggestion of a cold or flu as a bit of preventative medicine: The oil from the mustard greens warms the nasal passages, helps disperse congestion, and increases energy flow throughout the body; the greens help move stuck energy; and the yam and ginger support qi and blood circulation. The yam’s sweet flavor also acts as a counterpoint to the piquant greens and ginger.

Makes about 3 ½ quarts stock

Serves 4

2 lbs. raw or cooked bones (buffalo, beef, lamb, pork, poultry, or game, or a combination)

1 large yam, peeled and chopped 6 cups bone stock (at left)

4 quarts water

1 Tbs peeled and minced fresh ginger

2 Tbs traditionally aged vinegar or ½ cup wine (any type)

1½ tsp. unrefined salt, or to taste

Unrefined salt

1 bunch mustard greens, stems removed and leaves chopped

1 onion, peeled

Extra-virgin olive oil

1 carrot

Combine the yam, stock, ginger, and salt in a medium saucepan; place over medium-high heat and bring to a simmer. Cover, reduce the heat, and simmer for 15 minutes, or until the yam softens. Add the mustard greens and simmer for 5 minutes, or until the greens are wilted, their color darkens a bit, and their bite mellows to your liking. Adjust the seasonings, spoon into bowls, finish with a splash of oil, and serve.

1 garlic clove 2 bay leaves or 1 celery stalk with leaves 1 to 2 Tbs spices of choice Place the bones and water in a 6- to 8-quart nonreactive stockpot. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, then reduce the heat and simmer for 5 minutes with the lid off. Skim off and discard any foam that rises to the surface. Add the vinegar and season with salt. Return to a simmer, then reduce the heat to the lowest setting so the stock is at a bare simmer and cook for about 24 hours for poultry and 48 hours for beef and other weightier bones, adding the onion, carrot, garlic, bay leaves, and spices during the last 3 to 4 hours. Alternatively, combine all the ingredients in a slow cooker and cook on low for more or less the same amount of time.

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Reprinted with permission from The Whole Bowl: Gluten-Free, Dairy-Free Soups & Stews,

by Rebecca Wood and Leda Scheintaub, The Countryman Press 2014.

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New Crops from New Americans New American farmer Janine Ndagijimana harvesting amaranth.

Janine grows acres of African eggplant and of irengarenga (amaranth) on the land she farms at the Ethan Allen Homestead and other Intervale locations.

We eaters and fans of food love to share memories of delicious meals, tell the backstories of where our food came from, and follow the journeys our food has taken. But food itself tells many stories, just by appearing in a time and place. Flavors, ingredients, and preparations illuminate human journeys, joys, conflicts, aspirations, and labors. Foods also tell the story of arrival, a story that’s told over and over again, all over the globe, as people cross borders and make homes in new places.

Global Food, Local Food: Guide to Growing, Harvesting & Preserving African & Asian Crops in the Northeast, published recently by the University of Vermont Extension’s Center for Sustainable Agriculture and the New Farms for New Americans program of the Association of Africans Living in Vermont, tells the stories of New American farmers, cooks,

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and communities in Vermont and offers an introduction to some of the faraway crops they’ve been adapting to the Vermont growing season.

The book, and the programs that led to its creation, were featured at a community dinner in Burlington’s South End Kitchen last August. The meal featured unique Vermont-grown vegetables and herbs prepared by the farmers and chefs who have brought them to Vermont fields and kitchens. Here are some photos and captions that share the spirit of the evening. The book is available for sale from the New Farms for New Americans program (aalv-vt.org), or for free download at uvm.edu/sustainableagriculture.

Text by Cheryl Herrick and photos by Jennifer Brown of the UVM Center for Sustainable Agriculture.

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1. Sautéed Burundian-style amaranth greens: Amaranth is a highly nutritious leafy vegetable eaten all over the world. At the August dinner, this green type, called irengarenga in the Kirundi language of Burundi, was sautéed and quickly braised with onion, olive oil, and tomato.

2. Gourds: These gourds are shown growing in the trellis garden of Burlington resident Lang Lai, who is originally from Vietnam.

3. Appetizers at the dinner: Nepali-style bitter melon salad and Vietnamese spring rolls.

4. Cover of the Global Food, Local Food guide: The book features the contributions of a dozen New Americans who came to Vermont from across Asia and Africa.

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5. Guests at the August dinner: Guest Jan Blanchard (pictured 2nd from left) said, “I love bitter foods! The bitter melon salad was my favorite, hands down. I loved how the bitter flavor lingered, and the nice clean finish.”

6. Thai basil: It’s distinguished by its small leaves and purple stems, as well as a spicy anise flavor that holds up even when cooked.

7. Bissap: A sweet tea made from the flowers of a species of hibiscus that’s widely consumed throughout Western Africa and in Arabic-speaking countries, where it’s called “karkaday.”

8. Loan Nguyen, interpreter and community leader: At the dinner, she spoke about the Vietnamese spring rolls and the ingredients grown by New American farmers, including Thai basil, cilantro, and mint.

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9. Lang Lai of Vietnam: Pictured here with the trellis system on which he grows a variety of gourds, including the type of bitter melon that went into the salad at the August dinner.

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A Plucky Issue Why raising ducks in Vermont has its challenges—but also some rewards

Photos courtesy of Flatlander Farm

by Katie Sullivan

When I was young, we visited my grandmother in Haverhill, Massachusetts every few months. She never cooked a meal with less than a cup of cream or a pound of butter. But of all of the rich and sumptuous meals I enjoyed at her house, roast duck is the one I remember best. A rich, crispy layer of skin, brown with the bursting promise of fat. And beneath that, dark meat tasting beefy and oily in the best possible way. I remember eating serving after serving, despite going through a phase of extreme pickiness about meat. We left no trace of flesh on that duck.

Much later, after I had a year of raising chickens under my belt, I began to dream of reproducing that roast duck meal. It seemed reasonable to raise some ducks along with our chicken flock, so we attempted to keep them in the same pen as the chickens. Alas, the sharp-beaked chickens harassed their larger cousins mercilessly, while the ducklings peeped for mercy. A little cardboard separator solved that issue until a new crisis developed: The ducks relentlessly shoveled water out of their waterer with their beaks and onto the floor as they fed and drank. We thought they might want some water to swim in so we provided a little pool, but even more water hit the floor, making a deep, smelly, mucky mess.

When the ducks were out on pasture, they foraged much of their diet with gusto. Rapidly moving bills plucked up bugs, shoots, seeds, and more. We moved their pasture routinely and they rewarded us by eating less grain and more forage than our Cornish Cross meat chickens. The ducks grew larger than the chickens, but also more rapidly than we planned to dispatch them.

Our itinerant slaughterer wasn’t thrilled to see a few ducks at the end of our line of chickens, so he charged us more for their slaughter. He explained that the carcasses wouldn’t be picked clean (pinfeathers and down don’t come off in mechanical plucking, so you have to remove them by hand or hand over an incompletely plucked bird); he said we’d have to take what we received. He was right. Enough pinfeathers were left that preparing our first roast took an additional half an hour of plucking. Our parents bought some of the ducks to support our enterprise, but we couldn’t have sold them to anyone outside filial bonds without embarrassment at our still-feathery product.

The meat we enjoyed was delicious, but the imperfectly cleaned skin detracted from the experience. And I don’t know what Grandma did to make the duck she cooked so tender, but it was apparent that the tough ones I raised got more of a workout during their lives. Memory is imperfect, and I’m certainly not denigrating them—they just didn’t quite match my dream.

Ducks have been popular livestock around the world for thousands of years. Ideally suited to cold areas and moist areas, they thrive effortlessly in climates where chickens require significant care and infrastructure. While most breeds raised in the U.S. are derived from wild mallard ducks, the Muscovy duck (native to South America) is also a popular domestic fowl; they’re more land oriented than mallard-derived ducks and grow larger. According to Storey’s Guide to Raising Ducks, the best egg-laying duck breeds match or outperform the best chicken-layer breeds, while a fast-growing Pekin duck can gain nearly as much weight from one pound of complete feed as an industrial Cornish Cross meat chicken, while maintaining more capacity to forage effectively.

What, then, makes ducks so rare on American farms, while chickens are completely ubiquitous?

Duck raisers in Vermont who I spoke with all highlighted the challenge of plucking. Unlike chickens, who molt once per year all at once, ducks and other waterfowl maintain a constant shedding and regrowth of feathers so that their insulation and buoyancy are not lost for a period of time. As a result, ducks have many more pinfeathers (short stubs of new feathers growing in). Pinfeathers are not removed in a mechanical plucker and must be tediously pulled by hand with small pliers or scissors.

Ducks also have more down feathers, which increase their cold hardiness but which are also challenging to remove. Itinerant poultry slaughterers, who process a large number of chickens and turkeys on Vermont’s small farms, often charge more for the additional feather removal, making ducks more expensive for the consumer. However, Andy Ware of AlpineGlo Farm in Westminster notes that duck plucking “goes okay if they get scalded at a different temperature than chickens, and you can add dish soap to the scalding water for better feather penetration.”

Predators are another issue noted by duck raisers. Ducks are relatively slower than chickens, and, lacking the ability to roost, are very vulnerable to nocturnal ground predators. Keith Drinkwine at Flatlander Farm in Monkton experienced a weasel attack that left half of his full-grown meat flock dead. James Perry at Perry Family Farm in Northfield struggled with hawks taking ducks out of his pond until he installed some baffle wire to prevent hawk attack.

But ducks offer a few advantages over chickens, for Vermont farmers, in particular. They are happier on damp or swampy land than chickens are, although duck populations need to be limited to the holding capacity of a wet area to prevent environmental degradation. Ducks herd comfortably and Continued on page 26

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A Touching Separation

For the past eight years, calves at Greenfield Highland Beef in Greensboro and Plainfield have been permanently separated from their mothers through the process of “nose-to-nose weaning,” or “fenceline weaning.” Rather than be removed abruptly from each other, cow and calf are allowed to spend the weaning period on opposite sides of a slatted metal gate, allowing them to touch noses and smell each other before the cow invariably loses interest in her calf and the calf is comfortable on its own.

It’s a process that farm owners Janet Steward and Ray Shatney say is more humane for both calf and cow. They’ve also noticed that calves weaned in this way are bigger and healthier. Here’s how it works:

After seven months of being together on pasture, the calf and its mother are taken into the barnyard, where they are kept on opposite sides of a slatted metal gate.

Appeoximately eight or nine calf-cow pairs live in the barnyard at a time. The weaning process usually takes place in the late fall or early winter, since nearly all of Greenfield Highland’s calves (about 40 new ones a year) are born in the spring.

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The mother cows are let onto pasture every day, but they’ll come down to the barnyard and check on their offspring three to four times a day.

After the initial physical separation, the mothers do engage in the kind of bellowing that’s typical during weaning, but Janet says it’s over sooner than in conventional weaning, when cows and calves are not allowed to see each other and mothers tend to wander extensively, looking for their calf.

Ray Shatney pictured.

After 10 days or so, the mothers’ milk production begins to stop and the cows no longer actively come to visit their calves.

When the calves no longer call for their mothers and are eating comfortably, they are moved onto a different pasture from their mothers. “We started fenceline weaning more as a humane decision,” Janet says, “but then we began to notice that the calves don’t lose as much weight.” She says the calves are less stressed and eat more than during conventional weaning.

It’s not clear how many other farms in Vermont practice nose-to-nose weaning, or if it’s practiced with farm animal species other than cattle.

Janet learned about it at a workshop given by the American Highland Cattle Association. And Ray recalls an incident many years ago that inspired him to adopt the process: “I came home one time, had a calf in the barn down by the road, and its mother was in the middle of Route 16, trying to find it. After that we decided we didn’t want to wean ‘em on Route 16.”

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

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Ambassador Farmers Vermont growers share their skills with farmers around the world

by Bonnie North

“These women came down—they call them ‘The Forest Women,’ women who plant on the edge of the mountain’s forests. Some walked for two hours! They’d never attended an educational workshop before…. It was pretty amazing.”

That’s Howard Prussack, owner of High Meadow Farm in Westminster, recalling his first assignment to Nepal with Winrock International as a “Farmer-to-Farmer” volunteer. It was in late 2006, just months after the cease-fire of a vicious civil war.

“When we got there the country was still traumatized,” he recalls. On that trip for a couple of weeks, Howard worked with a small wholesale nursery run by the Gautam family, who had labored for generations yet never made a decent profit. They were so impoverished that son Hari wouldn’t dare to even contemplate getting married and having his own family.

“All their techniques were from the 30s, 40s and 50s,” says Howard. “They did everything just as their elders had done and they were losing, like, 90 percent of their seeds. We showed them how they could make sterile seed-starting media with elements they had on hand, suggested some better procedures in propagation, and gave them marketing tips and general advice on doing business.”

Howard’s wife, Lisa, also volunteered that year, teaching basic book and record keeping, which was a big transition for the Gautams. “Their records were always ‘all in their head.’ Which is OK—to a point,” Howard says, “What’s really hard to do in your head is comparisons of methods, yields, and so forth. Learning how to keep records and draw comparisons was tremendous for them.

“But we had to learn some things ourselves…” he recalls, “We kept pointing out labor- and time-saving ideas and finally by the third day we understood that had no real meaning to them. They said: ‘Mr. Howard, we don’t have to worry about saving time.’ They wanted to create work for people, not to save labor and time! They knew that if the lowest among them prospered, it’s good for everyone.”

Within one year, the nursery’s income had doubled, it employed 23 people, and Hari Gautam won the designation of “Young Entrepreneur of the Year.” On Howard’s second trip to Nepal in 2011, Hari brought his wife to Kathmandu so the two could meet. With tears in his eyes, Hari said that Howard and Lisa’s visit was the turning point in his life. “This is what made my business a success,” he proclaimed.

Winrock International matches volunteers who have experience and skills in innovative approaches to agriculture with farmers, local organizations, and service providers in target countries who will benefit from their expertise. Howard, along with longtime Vermont farmer Mimi Arnstein, have been important figures in Winrock’s programs, many of which are funded in part by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID).

In 2012, over the course of three weeks in Myanmar (Burma), Howard provided training and technical assistance to more than 900 men and women from 34 different villages. The level of interest surprised him. “My first morning there I had to give a talk to 200 people!” In village after village, the farmers were rapt; practices that seem simple and obvious to us, such as soil testing and integrated pest management, were entirely new concepts.

“In these small countries they’re using much more in the way of chemical inputs than anyone realizes—and almost indiscriminately,” Howard says. “In Burma, itinerant salesmen walk around with backpacks full of chemicals. The salesmen convince them Continued on page 27

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(left to right) TOP ROW: Touring urban gardens in Cuba; Howard with farmers in Burma; Howard works with farmers at the gardens of the local Agricultural Cooperative Association in El Salvador; MIDDLE ROW: (left to right):Farmer to Farmer participants Mimi Arnstein, Cuban farmer Hector Correa, Howard Prussack, and Chuck Mitchell in Cuba; In Burma Howard provided training and technical assistance to more than 900 men and women from 34 different villages; Hari Gautam and Howard Prussack in Nepal; LOWER ROW: Howard working with local farmers in Nepal; Howard poses with workshop attendees in Nepal.

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Icing the Apple

by Jen Rose Smith

2015 was a banner year for apples. By early October, Vermont’s trees were bowed low with ripe fruit. At Windfall Orchards in Cornwall, Brad Koehler’s century-old trees groaned under cascades of apples he would sell at farmers’ markets or ferment into a dry, European-style hard cider.

But he would reserve crates of his sweetest fruit for ice cider, a richly flavored, alcoholic drink that evokes traditional ice wines but is startlingly new—and entirely New World.

Like ice wine—which is made from grapes that freeze on the vine, resulting in higher concentrations of sugar—ice cider exploits the differing freezing points of water and sugar to condense fresh cider prior to fermentation. It’s a process that doesn’t truly begin until nighttime temperatures drop into the teens, when you-pick farms and outdoor markets have long since closed.

The ice cider technique that most closely mimics the traditional ice wine harvest is called cryoextraction. Apples are left to freeze on the trees, where each passing day concentrates their sugar content. The fruit is harvested from leaf-bare trees, then pressed and fermented at low temperatures.

It’s not a process that works for all varieties of apples, as some plop onto the grass before the first deep freeze. So most Vermont ice cider producers harvest apples when ripe, and press them as the weather begins to cool. They then prepare the fresh cider for fermentation through cryoconcentration: Fresh cider is left outside to freeze naturally for 4 to 8 weeks, then the frozen cider is brought inside to melt. As the block of juice begins to thaw, the stickiest and most sugary liquid is drawn off—like sucking the sweet stuff out of an icy popsicle.

Cider makers measure the sugar content of what they’re drawing off and repeatedly bring the vat of icy cider outside to freeze again. It’s labor intensive and delicate, but results in a rich, full-flavored nectar ready for fermentation.

Ice cider was invented in Québec’s Eastern Townships, which are just north of Vermont. Christian Barthomeuf made the first bottle; he is a French-born vintner who moved to Canada in the 1970s and initially struggled to make his Eastern Townships vineyard a success. He produced Québec’s first ice wine, but remained dissatisfied with the results. Around that time, he took an inspiring walk through a neighbor’s orchard and had a startling realization: Ice cider could be a natural alternative to ice wine.

Québec’s climate was better suited to apples than grapes, and like grapes, apples have a lush sugar content balanced by plenty of tannins. Ice cider hit Québec’s store shelves in 1996, and by 2014 the minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food recognized Québec Ice Cider as a reserved designation of the

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province, where there are now approximately 50 producers.

It took more than a decade—and one pivotal sip—for ice cider to cross the border into Vermont. Eleanor and Albert Leger, a Canadian-American couple with a home in the Northeast Kingdom, were looking to make a life (and a living) on their Charleston farm. “Cider was not a “thing” back then,” says Eleanor. “But in 2006 we were up in Montréal and tasted ice cider for the first time. We looked at each other and said: ‘Why is nobody making this in Vermont?’”

The Legers released their first vintage in 2007 and started Eden Ice Cider. Cambridge’s Boyden Valley Winery also released ice cider that year. Each was the result of painstaking experimentation and broad collaboration. Boyden partnered with nearby orchards and pressed fruit at Castleton’s Brown Family Orchard. Eleanor Leger took Cornell University’s renowned cider-making course and the Legers met with French producers.

As they began to develop an ice cider recipe, the Legers looked for distinctively flavored heirloom varieties. They consulted Zeke Goodband of Scott Farm in Dummerston, who sent them home with dozens of bags that the couple then pressed and tested individually. Eventually they settled on a blend of 15 apples: Their ice cider contains McIntosh and Empire varieties from Champlain Orchards, plus Roxbury Russet, Ashmead’s Kernel, Black Oxford and several Reinettes from Scott Farm.

Apples are generally categorized by their acidity, sugar content, and tannins. Honeycrisp and Macouns are classic “sweets,” with high sugar, low acid and low tannins, while “sharps” can bring a hefty dose of acid with a bit less sugar— like Granny Smiths, these are pucker sour, but without the mouth-drying edge that tannins bring. The classic cider varieties used by British and European cider makers are “bitters,” with relatively low acid and sugar, whose astringency recalls strong black tea or heavily oaked red wines. Many apples fall between the categories and are called “bitter-sharps,”“bitter-sweets,” or “sharp-sweets.” Vermont’s ice ciders build their recipes from this panoply.

“We were looking for an ice cider that had a good acidity on the mid-palate and on the finish,” Eleanor says. “Even if it’s a sweet ice cider, it needs a balance of acidity and sweetness.”

The Legers continue to experiment and release bottles that are made with just a single kind of apple, or exclusively heirloom varieties.

In contrast, Boyden Valley Winery settled on three varieties of apple that create a consistent, balanced ice cider: Northern Spy, a cider apple with substantial acidity, and Empire and

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Continued on page 25

Photo by Eleanor Leger

Cider left outside at Eden Ice Cider Wi nte r

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seeds for change

A $20,000 Business Builder loan from the Vermont Farm Fund helped Bread and Butter Farm pay for a combined renovation/ addition of their existing facilities.

Five Years of Funding Farms

by Caitlin Gildrien Early on a January morning in 2011, Pete Johnson of Pete’s Greens in Craftsbury heard a funny noise. When he looked out his window, he saw his barn engulfed in flames. The building and all of the equipment and product inside was in the process of becoming totally destroyed—and everything had been substantially underinsured.

This personal tragedy was met immediately with an outpouring—what Pete calls an “overwhelming amount”—of generosity. Local and statewide fundraising gave Pete a solid foundation to begin rebuilding the barn, this time with expanded processing and storage capacity, and the farm was using its new building by July of that year. By then, Pete had already contacted his friend, local foods advocate Robin McDermott, to discuss the idea of “paying forward” the funds he’d received. They formed an advisory board and partnered with Hardwick-based Center for an Agricultural Economy to create the Vermont Farm Fund, which was intended to be a revolving loan fund for other farmers facing a crisis.

The next month, numerous crises arrived on the winds of Tropical Storm Irene. Dozens of farmers were among the many Vermonters impacted by Irene’s high winds and flooding, which wiped out crops, infrastructure, and even the very soil on some farms. The destruction from Irene “kicked us into gear,” Pete says. The Fund began receiving additional donations, including $50,000 from the Waterwheel Foundation. Eleven zero-percent-interest loans were made to impacted farmers in the months following Irene. These funds covered repairs, new equipment and infrastructure, and sometimes simply paid the bills until farmers could get on their feet again. As farms did recover and those loans began to be paid back, Pete and the VFF board looked toward their next step.

It turned out that, in the absence of a major statewide catastrophe, the demand for emergency loans was not as great as they’d expected. “We generally do about one emergency a year,” Pete says, “but, thankfully, there haven’t been that many disasters on farms.” So VFF decided to also offer loans to busi-

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nesses looking to expand or invest in new infrastructure or ideas. Initially called Innovation Loans, the name of the program eventually became Business Builder Loans, which are available to food-processing businesses as well as farms. “People seemed to think that they needed to have some brilliant, new, innovative idea to apply,” Pete says. “We think most farmers are pretty innovative as it is, but Business Builder really sums up what it’s all about.”

In 2014, the Business Builder program raised its maximum loan amount from $10,000 to $30,000, a change that Pete says improves both the impact and the stability of the Fund. “We’re able to work with more established businesses, with bigger projects.” And those larger, dependable loans enable the Fund to sustainably take some risks.

As a nonprofit, the Fund keeps its overhead low. Its sole paid staff member, program manager Nancy Baron, works part-time out of her home in Warren. The Fund’s low interest rates – zero percent for Emergency loans and only three percent for Business Builders – means that annual fundraising is required to cover overhead costs. In addition to those low interest rates, one of the Fund’s selling points is its “no-hassle” application process. “We do our due diligence,” Nancy says of the application screening process. “But relationships count for a lot.”

While credit history certainly plays a role, applicants can potentially overcome a poor credit score with strong business plans and references.

“I think our loans are really more binding than a bank,” Nancy says.“ They know that if they default, the funds won’t be there for the next farmer to recover from a disaster or finance their great idea.” The Fund has never had a default, she says, then pauses. “A few...revised payment schedules. But no defaults.”

Pete echoes this sentiment. “It’s part of the beauty of Vermont that somebody always knows somebody who knows the applicant. The whole thing feels personal to everybody involved. We’ve had no defaults, not because we haven’t made

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risky loans, but because everybody believes in the mission of it, that the money goes back to another farmer. Some farms have paid back their loans and are now coming back for second ones, which is great.”

In addition to relying on good references, the Fund also leans heavily on the experience of its board to determine which Business Builder projects are likely to result in real improvements to the bottom line of the businesses that apply.

Loan recipient Randy Robar of Kiss the Cow Farm in Barnard found that agricultural literacy a major benefit of working with the fund.

“Traditional lenders don’t understand anything to do with farming,” he says. “But the board has real farmers on it. They get it, you know? And that’s hugely helpful.”

The board includes University of Vermont Extension’s Vegetable and Berry specialist Vern Grubinger, Center for an Agricultural Economy’s Executive Director Sarah Waring, and former dairy farmer Bruce Urie, in addition to founding member Robin McDermott and Pete himself. Pete believes in “easy loans” rather than grants for businesses, since they cultivate a more robust business, and then feed their success back into the larger community. Kiss the Cow used their loan funds for equipment to pasteurize and process their milk into ice cream, diversifying their income beyond the relatively limited market of raw-milk sales.

Business Builder loans have enabled other dairies to install pasteurization and processing equipment, allowed for expansion of facilities for washing and packing produce, improved nutrient management systems, and funded expansion of buildings and facilities. They also have acted as working capital for farms receiving “payback grants,” such as those given by the Natural Resource Conservation Service for erecting hoop-houses.

Aaron Locker of Kingsbury Market Garden in Warren is one of those on his second loan from the Fund. The first, an emergency loan, was awarded after floodwaters from Irene ruined produce and washed away precious topsoil. His was the first of the Fund’s loans to be paid back in full, and this past summer he received a $30,000 Business Builder loan, which he used toward the purchase of two tractors and a flat-bed truck, and to build a greenhouse and pole barn. The equipment will increase efficiency, saving hours of traveling by tractor to remote fields, while the new buildings will help Aaron use his staff more effectively year-round by expanding the season for growing and processing.

“Working with the Farm Fund has been great,” Aaron says.

“The terms are great, and the money goes back to another farm. Once I pay this one off, I’ll probably just turn around and apply for another.”

A Business Builder loan is now helping Aaron Locker make his recently purchased farm more efficient and profitable with new equipment and construction.

A loan is helping kickstart Rob Rock’s agriculture machinery and fabrication business, a bonus for Vermont farmers in need of his custom farm equipment and metal-working services.

For application information and a list of farms that have benefitted from the Vermont Farm Fund, go to vermontfarmfund.org.

Caitlin Gildrien is a writer and graphic designer living at the feet of the Green Mountains of Vermont. Along with her husband and two small children, she also grows several acres of organic vegetables on their 200-year-old farmstead.

Find her at cattailcreative.com.

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Adam and Christine of Blue Heron Farm sought a loan to help them transition to a more efficient, no-till, permanent raised-bed system.

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ICE CIDER Continued from page 20

Mcintosh, dessert varieties with high sugar content. To many cider makers, the broad and infinitely variable possibilities are thrilling. “There are so many different blends,” notes Boyden’s Bridget Jones. “The use of so many different varieties is really expanding the palate of ice ciders.”

Even though Vermont’s ice cider landscape is new, it’s expanding rapidly. As the Legers began releasing bottles of their first ice cider, they wondered if they could create a larger market for their product by stimulating a bit of competition.

They invited Champlain Orchards to partner with Eden to launch their own label and asked Brad Koehler to do the same.

Each orchard developed a signature blend, and the contrast between the two captures the breadth and variety that is possible when working with apples.

Brad settled on a mix of more than 30 varieties of dessert apples—some foraged—that he brings to the Legers’ West Charleston winery. “I wanted something complex, with lower tannins,” says Brad. Champlain Orchards has since brought their ice cider production in house, and they bottle two blends: a Honeycrisp-only ice cider, and a lightly effervescent blend of the Honeycrisp and heirloom varieties. The carbonation adds a welcome piquancy, a tingling reminder that ice cider invites endless experimentation.

There are now almost two dozen ice cider producers in Vermont, and each one offers a new way to explore the flavors and diversity of the state fruit. In climate-controlled produce sections of grocery stores across America, mass-produced, storage-friendly apples are still the norm, but Vermonters are learning to love the russeted, mottle-hued, aromatic fruits that grew here centuries ago and are now being tended by a new generation of orchardists. As we relearn the flavors of the apples that 18th- and 19th-century Americans tended and relished, ice cider makers are transforming them into an entirely new North American tradition.

Vermont Ice Cider Makers Boyden Valley Winery boydenvalley.com | 802.644.8151

Champlain Orchards

champlainorchards.com | 802.897.2777

Eden Ice Cider

edenicecider.com | 802.334.1808

Hall Home Place Ice Cider

hallhomeplace.com | 802.928.30091

Newhall Farm

newhallfarmvt.com | 802.342.1513

Whaleback Vineyard and Winery whalebackvineyard.com/home | 802.287.0730

Windfall Orchards

windfallorchardvt.com | 802.462.3158

Learn more about Vermont’s ice cider producers at vermonticecider.com Jen Rose Smith writes about food, drink, and travel, and is the author of the upcoming Moon Handbook to Vermont.

She is a frequent contributor to Localvore Today and Best of Burlington, and likes her ice cider with a hunk of Shelburne Farms’ clothbound cheddar.

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DUCKS Continued from page 15

To find out why slaughter facilities reject ducks, I contacted John Smith at Maple Wind Farm, where 20,000 to 25,000 chickens and turkeys are slaughtered each year (some raised on the farm’s Huntington land and others brought from other farms to Maple Wind’s inspected poultry-processing facility in Richmond). John said that plucking ducks the standard way (dunking the deceased bird in hot water to loosen the feathers and allow for rapid feather removal) would take too much staff time due to the additional labor of pinfeather removal by hand, thus putting the cost well past that of chicken slaughter. The alternative method for plucking ducks involves removing the large, outer feathers, dipping the carcass in hot paraffin wax, dipping the carcass in cold water to harden the wax, and then removing all feathers by peeling away the wax. But too low a wax temperature will result in an incomplete pluck, and too hot a temperature will damage the skin of the bird, making it a delicate and logistically challenging alternative to the hot water method.

Some final thoughts about the future of ducks in Vermont came from Keith Drinkwine at Flatlander Farm, who compared them with chickens. Keith estimates that his ducks cost 30 to 40 percent more to raise than Freedom Ranger chickens. For one, ducklings cost almost twice as much as chicks. The two additional weeks ducks require to reach finishing weight adds labor costs to a pasture-based system. And finally, slaughter costs are double those for chickens, if slaughter can be done off-farm at all. The relatively high price of duck at market, combined with low levels of demand, keep duck a specialty rather than a staple meat.

I still love duck, but I haven’t raised ducks in a few years because of the plucking issue. Furthermore, I haven’t seen duck at the store, nor have I purchased any. Some farms in Vermont may gravitate toward raising ducks in the near future, especially if they can find willing itinerant slaughterers. For now, I’m inspired to seek out some hard-to-find local duck and try my grandmother’s roast one more time.

Katie Sullivan, proprietor of Sheep and Pickle Farm, raises sheep for meat and fiber on the property of the Catamount Family Outdoor Center in Williston. She never tires of pondering the ethics and economics of raising animals.

photo by katie sullivan

can be moved as a group outside fencing more easily than most chickens and although they can be more challenging to market and sell, specialty meats like duck can command a higher price for farmers.

Vermont farmers who have raised ducks enjoy them. Andy Ware at AlpineGlo Farm says, “Ducks are a great addition to the homestead. They are less destructive to your property than chickens, way more entertaining, and lay great eggs, or can be eaten for meat.” At Flatlander Farm, Keith Drinkwine’s favorite attribute of his ducks is their ability to herd across pasture; he has much more fun ushering an orderly group of ducks to a new foraging area than a gang of flapping chickens. And James Perry of Perry Family Farm adds that ducks are easy to raise, but they don’t coexist well with chickens. As with my own experience with ducks, they are defenseless in the face of sharp chicken beaks.

As I searched for Vermont farms that raise duck, I found several that once raised duck, but no longer do. Even farms offering a wide variety of meat and fowl options, such as Tangletown Farm in Glover, do not offer duck (although they once did). Two farms I contacted as potential current sources of duck let me know that they have discontinued raising them for off-farm sale. Andy Ware has cut back production to a homestead scale, citing trouble finding a willing USDA-certified processor. He and his partner, Rachel, would like to raise ducks again, but await improved slaughter resources.

Rocio Clark of Applecheek Farm in Hyde Park told me that she and her husband, John, pretty much ceased raising ducks in 2014. They had raised 200 every year, and had two restaurants plus farmers’ market customers purchasing the birds. But Rocio said they ran into significant issues achieving reliable, clean plucking. She feels confident that there are markets wanting to buy ducks raised on Vermont farms, but regrets that no USDA-inspected slaughter is available to enable Vermont farms to take advantage of the market potential. Even though rules for off-farm chicken slaughter and duck slaughter are the same, ducks present the same plucking challenges for inspected operations as they do for itinerant slaughterers, and for the most part they are not currently welcome at Vermont’s poultryprocessing facilities.

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AMBASSADORS Continued from page 18

that they need to use this stuff but they’re not given instructions; they’re not using protection; aren’t wearing rubber boots or masks—it’s too hot. They’re going out spraying poisons in their bare feet.”

Calling it his “Rural Agricultural Prosperity Tour”—planting new ideas and fresh hopes—Howard has now completed five assignments with Winrock. In addition to his two trips to Nepal and one to Burma, he’s gone to El Salvador and, most recently, to Cuba—where things were much different.

Cuba had been struggling under the United States embargo for nearly 30 years when its patron, the Soviet Union, collapsed in 1991. Both the agricultural and transportation systems were abruptly paralyzed as the country lost its primary supplier of fuel, pesticides, fertilizers—and food. Cuba’s agriculture— based upon extensive industrial mono-cropping—primarily of sugar cane for export, was entirely dependent on fossil fuels to operate.

Cubans refer to the time as “The Special Period”—more than a decade of serious hardship defined by widespread food shortages. Although genuine starvation was avoided, the average Cuban literally lost 20 pounds of body weight. Permaculturists, primarily from Australia, responded to the crisis by distributing aid and teaching their techniques to locals, who rushed to implement them on Cuban fields, raised beds, and urban rooftops.

Although international relationships prevented USAID’s Farmer-to-Farmer project from involvement with Winrock in an exchange with Cuba, Mimi Arnstein, who had launched Northeast Organic Farming Association Vermont’s Farming Beyond Borders program, worked on the needs assessment and relationship-establishment necessary for Winrock itself to sponsor the trip. Mimi had previously gone on F2F assignments to Haiti and the Dominican Republic under the sponsorship of Partners of The Americas. Those experiences—plus three independent trips to Cuba attending agricultural conferences— also gave her insights that were crucial to the success of the effort.

The Vermont group that visited Cuba in March 2015 included Mimi, Howard Prussack, and former Vermonter Chuck Mitchell, who farmed in Elmore for many years. As they visited more than 20 farms, food cooperatives, and agricultural organizations, there were some surprises. Mimi, who ran Wellspring Farm in Marshfield until 2014, marveled at the Cuban farmers’ ability to produce food with very few inputs.

“Here in Vermont we strive to reduce outside inputs, but we always have the option of buying what we need,” she says.

“In Cuba, farmers have to make do with what they have, which promotes sustainable agriculture, innovation, and sharing among producers.”

And Howard says, “In their society, they’re not poor. In fact farmers are held in very high esteem and generally earn a better living than doctors and other professionals. There was a critical need to feed everyone and the government instituted sweeping programs to entice people to farming. Many highly educated workers left white-collar careers and went into farming.”

“But they do need equipment,” he is quick to add. One of the damages left over from the sugar cane years is El Marabú— a large, thorny, invasive weed that is almost impossible to remove. Howard was shocked to see that “people are digging this awful weed out by hand. They need tractors and bulldozers to help get rid of this stuff! They need equipment of all types. A guy who seemed to do pretty well on a small fruit farm was selling juices near a local hospital. We asked him what he thought would help his enterprise do better and he said: ‘ICE! If I could have ice….’ Some of the simplest things, like a little ice machine, would make a big difference to so many farmers there.”

Howard was also surprised to see how much wealth and development there had been in Cuba before the revolution.

“When you drive through these neighborhoods in Havana you can see this incredible architecture—the remnants of these gorgeous buildings. When the revolution hit, all that was abandoned. The rich fled and left everything behind.”

Since then Cuba has made astonishing progress.

Vermont environmentalist Bill McKibben has written that Cuba today may be “the world’s largest working model of a semi-sustainable agriculture.” Still, one crucial area that some Cuban farmers want assistance with is achieving organic certification. Much of small-scale agriculture in Cuba is now organic.

As Isis Salcines, co-founder of one of Havana’s largest cooperative gardens, insisted during an interview this past April with WDEV’s Mark Johnson in Stowe: “After 18 years we no longer farm organically out of necessity, but out of conviction.” Nonetheless, to export and reach the lucrative organic markets in the U.S. and Europe, Cuban farmers will need certification. Vermont’s experienced organic farmers offered advice on navigating that process.

Winrock’s programs work directly with the people who live in a place, allowing them to define the assistance they want and the scope of the work. Howard appreciates this simple but effective approach.

“Many NGOs go in with their own ideas, and they drop a boat load of money, do a bunch of window dressing, put photos on their website—and they’re gone….I only want to do assignments where I’m dealing directly with small famers, the ones who are really gonna get benefit out of it.

For her part, Mimi cherishes the personal exchanges that result from her ambassadorships.

“We can learn from each other because we all care about the same things,” she says. “Farming is a hard line of work, and as farmers we stand on common ground with common problems, even though we may come from very different cultures.”

Bonnie North is the former publisher of Baltimore Eats, a monthly covering the sustainable food movement in Baltimore, Maryland. She moved to southern Vermont in 2010 and is now a freelance writer and jewelry designer.

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Farmers’ Kitchen

Andean Agriculture

by Ian and Jennifer Lutz Located on the southern slope of Mt. Ascutney in Weathersfield, Cas-Cad-Nac Farm (CCNF) has been our home since 1995.

A true labor of love, we originally purchased the property specifically for starting an alpaca-breeding operation. Today CCNF is a full-time, diversified, family-run enterprise.

Our farm has three primary sources of revenue. We are first and foremost producers of high-end alpaca-breeding stock, which we sell both throughout the U.S. and internationally. We’re also the co-owners of the Vermont Fiber Mill & Studio in Brandon, where we turn the majority of our herd’s annual fiber clip (alpacas are, after all, fiber-producing animals) into finished yarns and top for sale nationwide. Last, each year we process 30 to 40 of our 250 animals into a selection of fine meats (inspected by the Vermont Agency of Agriculture), which we offer for sale to individual consumers, to several local restaurants, and online.

Although relatively new to the North American culinary landscape, alpaca is a delicacy in many parts of Europe, Australia, and New Zealand, and for thousands of years has been a staple protein of the Andean Altiplano, where the animals originated. Alpaca is a mild flavored and lean red meat; when asked to describe it, we most often liken it to veal. It is a versatile meat, capable of working in a variety of different types of cuisines and recipes.

We already had been processing some of our nonbreeding animals for a few years when we met Pam Knights, one of the co-founders of the Vermont Fresh Network. Nowadays, Pam runs her own communications firm, Pam Knights

Communications, and she works with farmers, restaurants, and the hospitality industry, so we began working with her on marketing our farm and its alpaca meat. The relationship brought us into contact with Pam’s son, Chef Jean-Luc Matecat. It was Jean-Luc who was the first chef here in Vermont to champion our alpaca, and he worked with us on developing the 18 recipes that would eventually become the Cas-Cad-Nac Farm Cookbook. Our family’s favorite recipe to come out of that project is Chef Matecat’s version of steak frites, which uses our alpaca striploin medallions. Lately, we’ve served them with the addition of a garlicky chimichurri sauce on the side. The combination of the tender little steaks with the nexus of salt, pepper, garlic, cilantro, and olive oil is very hard to beat!

Ian and Jennifer Lutz own Cas-Cad-Nac Farm in Weathersfield.

The farm’s cookbook and its various cuts of alpaca meat may be purchased at the farm itself or can be ordered from the online store at CCNFalpaca.com.

Alpaca “Steak Frites” Serves: 6 (2 medallions each)

photo by FirstLightStudios.net

Alpaca Steaks 2 pounds alpaca striploin medallions 4 cloves garlic, thinly sliced 1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme 1 teaspoon ground black pepper 2 tablespoon olive oil kosher salt Hand-Cut Oven Fries 6 medium Yukon Gold potatoes, washed 2 tablespoons olive oil 1 tablespoon kosher salt 1 teaspoon black pepper 12 cloves garlic, crushed 1 tablespoon paprika (optional) baking parchment paper Marinate the alpaca medallions in a shallow bowl with the garlic, thyme, black pepper, and olive oil for at least a few hours (overnight is better). After the steaks have

been marinated and you are ready to prepare the meal, preheat the oven to 425 °F. Cut the potatoes with skin on, end to end, into 8–12 wedges each, depending on the size of the potatoes.

Do not cut them too large or they won’t fully cook.

Toss the cut potatoes in a large bowl with the olive oil, salt, pepper, garlic, and paprika (if using), coating them evenly. Feel free to add any other herbs or spices to really make this dish your own. Lay the potatoes on a baking sheet lined with parchment and bake for approximately 20 minutes until they are fully cooked.

While the potatoes bake, prepare the medallions.

Remove them from the marinade and roughly scrape off any herbs or garlic stuck to the meat. Season the medallions generously with kosher salt. In a skillet on medium-high heat, add a small drizzle of cooking oil and sauté the medallions for 3 minutes or so on each side for medium-rare. Remove them from the pan and set them on a rack or plate to rest for roughly 4 minutes. Place a portion of fries and 2 medallions on each plate and serve.

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WINTER FARMERS’ MARKETS 2015–2016

Bennington Farmers’ Market Baptist Church, East Main Street First and third Saturdays, 10am–1pm November 7–April 16 Accepts EBT and debit card benningtonfarmersmarket.org

Brattleboro Winter Farmers’ Market Robert H. Gibson River Garden,157 Main Street Every week, Saturdays 10am–2pm November 7–March 26 Accepts EBT and debit card facebook.com/BrattleboroWinterFarmersMarket

Burlington Farmers’ Market Memorial Auditorium Irregular Saturdays, 10am–2pm December 5, 12, and 19, January 9 and 23, February 6 and 20, March 5 and 19, April 2 Accepts EBT and debit card burlingtonfarmersmarket.org

Caledonia Farmers’ Market Association Welcome Center, St. Johnsbury First and third Saturdays, 10am–1pm December 5 and 19, January 1 and 16, February 6 and 20, March 5 and 19, April 2 and 16 Accepts EBT and debit card sites.google.com/site/caledoniafarmersmarket/

Capital City Farmers’ Market City Hall, Montpelier First and third Saturdays, 10am–2pm December 5 and 19, January 9 and 23 Accepts EBT and debit card montpelierfarmersmarket.com

Capital City Farmers’ Market Montpelier High School cafeteria Irregular Saturdays, 10am–2pm February 2 and 20, March 5 and 19, April 2 and 16 Accepts EBT and debit card montpelierfarmersmarket.com

Champlain Island Farmers’ Market Congregational Church of South Hero Every other week, Saturday, 10am–2pm October 24, November 7 and 21, December 5 and 19 Accepts EBT and debit card champlainisl&sfarmersmarket.com

Dorset Farmers’ Market J.K. Adams,1430 Route 30 Every week (except Easter), Sundays 10am–2pm October 18–May 1 Accepts EBT and debit card dorsetfarmersmarket.com

Feast and Field Market Barnard Town Hall Every other week, Thursdays, 5–7:30 pm November 19–February 25 feast&field.com

Thanks to VTFMA and NOFA-VT for providing this list.

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Groton Growers Farmers’ Market Groton Community Center Third Saturdays, 10am–1pm October–May Accepts EBT and debit card grotongrowers.org

Hartland Farmers’ Market Hartland Public Library Fields,153 Route 5 Friday, 4–7pm December 18 Accepts EBT and debit card hartlandfarmersmarket.com

Jericho Farmers’ Market MMUUF Barn Route 15 and Raceway Road, Jericho First and third Thursdays, 4–7:30pm December 3 and 17 Accepts EBT and debit card northfieldfarmersmarketvt.com/

Middlebury Farmers’ Market Mary Hogan Elementary School Every Saturday, 8:30am–12:30pm November–April Accepts EBT and debit card middleburyfarmersmarket.org/

Northfield Farmers’ Market Plumley Armory, Norwich University First Sundays, December 6, January 3, February 7, March 6, April 3 Accepts EBT and debit card northfieldfarmersmarketvt.org

Pittsford Farmers’ Market Lothrop School, Pittsford Saturday 9:30am–2pm December 19 sites.google.com/site/pittsfordfarmersmarket/home

South Burlington Farmers’ Market University Mall, 155 Dorset Street Every week, Sundays, 10am–2pm, October 25–December 20 Accepts EBT and debit card facebook.com/southburlingtonfarmersmarket

Vermont Farmers’ Market Vermont Farmers Food Center, 251 West Street, Rutland Every week, Wednesdays and Saturdays, Wednesday: 3–6pm; Saturday: 10am–2pm, November 4–April 30 Accepts EBT and debit card VTFarmersMarket.org

West River Farmers’ Market Flood Brook Union Schoo, Londonderry Every week, Saturdays 10am–1pm October 24–January 2 Accepts EBT and debit card westriverfarmersmarket.com

Windsor Farmers’ Market Windsor Welcome Center First and third Saturdays,11am–2pm, November–May Accepts EBT and debit card windsorfarmersmarket.blogspot.com

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Rural Needs From A To Z

2014 Winner of 6 Daysies

“BEST BEER TOWN IN NEW ENGLAND.” - Boston Globe

TWO restaurants | ONE location

R. B. Erskine, Inc. Grain & Supplies Chester Depot, VT 802-875-2333

Mon. - Fri., 7:30 - 5:00 Sat. 7:30 - 3:00

Loyall Certified Organic

Business in the front. Party in the back.

Brewery opens at 11:30AM for LUNCH + SUPPER 23 South Main Street

Waterbury, VT

prohibitionpig.com

* Blue Buffalo Now * Fromm Stocking: * Dave’s Natural * Special Orders

A...Arctic Sport Muck Boots, $121.50 B...Bulk Bird Seed C...Chain, Clevises, Cable, ComeAlongs D...Dog Vests & Collars in Orange E...Electric Deicers, Buckets & Bowls F....Fence Panels: ¼” Wire, 16’, 4 Styles G...Good Work Gloves & Mittens H...Heat Tape & Hand Warmers I....Ice Walkers: Stabilicers & Yak Trax J....Jiffy Pots, Jolly Balls & Jingle Bells K...Kids Gloves & Mittens L....LEADER EVAPORATOR Dealer M...METALBESTOS Chimney In Stock N...Nest Boxes & Nest Eggs O...Organic Feeds & Fertilizers P....Plumbing Supplies Q...Quality Hand Tools R...Rosin & Roof Rakes S....Stove Pipe: 3” - 10” + Adapters T...Tanks, Tubs, Totes & Tiedowns U...USA Pet Foods & Supplies V...Vermont Made Products W...Wire: Welded & Woven X...Xtra Service Y....Yard Hydrants & Parts Z....ZipLoc Freezer Bags to 2 Gallon Good Service. Everyday Low Prices.

Much, Much More

RURAL VERMONT:

30 years

amplifying the voices of farmers and advocating for a fair food system.

Vermont’s food system plan being implemented statewide to:  increase economic development and jobs in the farm and food sector;  improve access to healthy local food for all Vermonters.

www.VTFarmtoPlate.com Farmers, Food Businesses & Service Providers: Get Listed for FREE on the VT Food Atlas

www.VTFarmtoPlate.com/ATLAS

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We've got the experience. We've got the guts.

We just need you.

Stand by your farmer and stand with Rural Vermont.

Join

Ruralnt o Verom day!

T

www.ruralvermont.org (802) 223-7222

Together, Better Choices …like partnerships with local farmers.

Greenfield Highland Beef,

Plainflield

City Market is dedicated to strengthening the local food system.

We’re grateful to our local farmers 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, 7am - 11pm (802) 861-9700 www.citymarket.coop

LIVE

MUSIC

Acoustic Tuesdays 6-9 pm 1st Fridays KARAOKE 3rd Fridays OPEN MIC Every Saturday at 9 pm

American Neighborhood Dining with 10 Craft Beer Taps, Local Spirits, Farm-Direct Ingredients.

Serving Dinner Tuesday, Wednesday & Sunday 4:30–9pm, Thursday–Saturday 4:30–10pm Bar is open nightly until... • Closed Mondays Available for Private Luncheons

26 Depot Ave, Windsor VT (802) 674-4180 www.windsorstationvt.com

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local banquet 3 3

Those of us who eat local food, diligently compost our kitchen scraps, and use natural cleaners on our kitchen counters may feel a pang of guilt whenever we reach for a piece of plastic wrap or a plastic container in which to store our food.

All that sustainably grown goodness covered in a petroleum-based, throwaway material?

Thankfully, Sarah Kaeck of New Haven has taken the ‘sting’ out of food storage. The Bee’s Wrap product she invented allows bread, cheese, and vegetables to be wrapped in a reusable material made of organic cotton fabric coated with beeswax, jojoba oil, and tree resin. It can be used to cover bowls of food, too (although it’s not recommended for meat or fish).

The material is slightly stiff but becomes pliable through the warmth of the hands that are molding it. Bee’s Wrap can be washed and reused for up to a year, then it can be composted. It comes in a few colors, and the mild scent of beeswax fades after a few washes.

Sarah sources her beeswax from sustainably managed hives in the Southwest, where there are fewer golf courses and lawns (which tend to use chemicals that infiltrate wax production).The managers of these hives use pesticides and antibiotics minimally, if at all, and they feed the bees their own honey in the winter, rather than replacement sugars.

Bee’s Wrap is made in a small shop in Bristol by Sarah and a few other workers. It has gained widespread attention beyond Vermont, having been been featured in O: The Oprah Magazine, The Boston Globe, Saveur, and Real Simple. Bee Culture magazine called the product “paradigm-shifting.”

“I would love to see Bee’s Wrap become a staple in kitchens all over the country—and the world, for that matter,” Sarah told one journalist. “The thought that Bee’s Wrap could eliminate a substantial amount of plastic wrap for food storage is encouraging.”

--Caroline Abels

photos vermont’s local banquet magazine

LAST MORSEL

Wrap Local

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Based on a series of articles that ran in Local Banquet in 2009.

This book illuminates the late 19th-century farming practices and foodways of the Robinson family in Ferrisburgh.

SHARE A TASTE OF VERMONT

You can purchased it at the Rokeby Museum store for $15, or email rokeby@comcast.net to inquire about a postal order.

THE OLD TAVERN RESTAURANT

46 Depot Street Ludlow, VT

Farm to Table fine dining.

Farm to Table fine dining.

Romantic setting. Groups welcome.

Romantic setting. Groups welcome.

Open nightly for dinner from 6-9pm

PHELPS BARN PUB Thursdays: Burger & Brew Night, $12 pp Fridays: Flatbread Pizzas Live music Saturday nights, no cover.

Pub Menu, Tuesday - Sunday from 5-9pm

802-228-5200 www.stemwindervt.com

Visit our website for the latest menus and special dining events.

Wine, Cheese & Specialty Foods Since 1996 802-228-4128 www.wineandcheesedepot.com

92 main street, grafton, vt 05146

GraftonInnVermont.com 800.843.1801

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NOFA Vermont’s 34th Annual

WINTER CONFERENCE

OUR SOIL, OUR HEALTH Linking the health of the soil to the health of plants, animals and people

February 13-15, 2016 • Burlington, Vermont Learn more, register, & meet our exhibitors and sponsors at WWW.NOFAVT.ORG/CONFERENCE

75+ workshops, keynote speakers, roundtables, & celebration for commercial growers, gardeners, homesteaders, and food lovers.

www.nofavt.org/conference (802) 434-4122 · info@nofavt.org