Author: vermontnews

It’s Agricultural Literacy Week, organized by the Farm-to-Community mentors at the Northeast Organic Farming Association (NOFA-VT). It’s a week designed to encourage Vermonters to learn more about agriculture and farms in their community.

The NOFA-VT webpage about Agricultural Literacy Week shares events happening around the state from November 18th – 22nd. On November 22nd a final celebration will take place at the Monitor Barn in Richmond. This celebration is co-sponsored by NOFA-VT and the Vermont Youth Conservation Corps, and will feature local foods, local music, and speeches by local farmers. Food preparation begins at 4:00 pm, with dinner and music at 6:00pm.

You can also host your own agricultural literacy events. The NOFA-VT site lists possible activities to do, such as movie screenings, speakers and topics to discuss. Earlier this month, I helped organize an event for educators at Bear Pond Books in Montpelier to share ideas for agricultural literacy. Popular children’s book author and illustrator Gail Gibbons joined NOFA-VT educator Abbie Nelson for a Saturday morning discussion, and we posted notes afterwards on the educators’ blog. We had a full room of local educators interested in thinking about how they can promote agricultural literacy in their schools and communities.

Do you have anything planned for Agricultural Literacy Week? Any books to read, movies to see, or events to participate in? Let us know!

We’re looking for guest blog posts for the holiday season. We know there are lots of activities happening around the state – we want to know what’s happening in YOUR part of the state. Share events, foods, and favorite places with people interested in exploring Vermont, whether they’re visiting from afar or traveling closer to home. Writer’s guidelines available by e-mailing helen.labun.jordan@gmail.com with WRITER GUIDELINES in the subject line.

Source: Dig in VT Trails

The popular beer Heady Topper, produced by Alchemist Brewery, is in perpetual short supply. Retail stores put limits on how many 4 packs of the hoppy IPA customers can purchase. The Alchemist’s retail outlet in Waterbury limits by the case. And as basic economics would predict, the short supply has led to black market sales of the beer at inflated prices, sales that frustrated the producer so much they started a designated retailer program.

Why is there such a demand for Heady Topper? It tastes good. It’s hip to get a beer in short supply. The whims of the beer muses. The Alchemist provides some answers to this question (including the related ‘why don’t you brew more?’) on their blog.

One result of the demand has been high traffic at the Alchemist’s Waterbury retail location – traffic it wasn’t designed to handle and that has become too disruptive. So, the Alchemist is closing their retail operation at the end of this week (11/15). As this Vermont Public Radio story explains, an upshot of that decision will be much more Heady Topper at other retailers. But that doesn’t mean folks won’t be on a pilgrimmage to Waterbury for a last stop at the home store. If that’s you, we suggest taking this opportunity to explore beyond a single location.

Waterbury has great restaurants – yes, they serve Heady Topper, along with othe fine beers and cocktails.

On Rte 100 between Waterbury and Stowe, you’ll also find food retail outlets such as the Cabot Annex Store (which includes Lake Champlain Chocolates), Laughing Moon Chocolates, Cold Hollow Cider Mill and the Ben and Jerry’s ice cream factory. Check out this DigInVT blog post about the Cabot Annex Store.

You could also use the Alchemist as a starting point to explore all of Vermont beer. . . although perhaps not in one day, we’ve got a lot of great craft breweries. As the Vermont Brewers Association says “Small State. BIG BEER.” You can explore breweries as a category on our Places map and check out the beer and cheese pairing trail.

Or, check out the entire central VT region using our Regions page.

There’s lots of exploring to do!

Helen writes about food and flavor at www.discoveringflavor.com

Source: Dig in VT Trails

The sweets-fueled Halloween rush is over – which leaves some folks vowing never to touch another piece of candy, and other vowing to get back to high quality sugar indulgences. We’re voting for the second strategy, because Vermont has some exquisite confections to enjoy responsibly. Here we offer a few ideas excerpted from blog posts submitted by students in the University of Vermont Farm-to-Table Foods System class:

Lake Champlain Chocolates By Tara Fisher: Who wouldn’t want to be a Taste Tester for Lake Champlain Chocolates? The pin stating that you are a Taste Tester can be earned by taking a tour of the Lake Champlain Chocolates factory. You will learn where the ingredients that are used to make the chocolates come from. A cocoa bean is passed around for people to see firsthand the actual product that makes up the main ingredient in chocolate. The stages of how the cocoa bean is processed to be used in the chocolates are also explained and . . .. Many of the ways that the cocoa bean is processed have not changed for many years. The tour guide will also explain the three basic types of chocolates that can be used to make the Lake Champlain Chocolates. As it is explained to you, you are given a sample of each one so you can taste the differences that give the Champlain chocolates their amazing tastes. . . .During the tour you get to watch the workers in the factory make the Lake Champlain chocolates! The hand detailing they do on all of the novelty pieces that they create can be seen along with the making of the more common chocolates. . .The day that I visited and took a tour the snowmen were the novelty pieces that were being produced. I found it fascinating to watch the intricate details, like the faces, being added to each of the snowmen! 

Lake Champlain Chocolates By Margaret Liljedahl Every year, Lake Champlain Chocolates produces a million pounds of chocolate. In 1983, the company grew out of the kitchen of the Ice House restaurant in Burlington and now sells chocolates in every U.S. state. . . Upon arriving at the factory, visitors are greeted by chocolate brown walls and plaques depicting the various stages of chocolate production. Every hour from 11am to 2pm on weekdays, tours are given from an observation room overlooking the factory floor. The presentation lasts roughly 40 minutes and guests are able to sit and listen to a tour guide, watch a video, and indulge in abundant samples. The tour focuses on all stages of chocolate production and includes explanations of how all types of chocolate are made. Visitors can watch as confections are produced by the thousands to satisfy chocolate cravings nationwide. Lake Champlain Chocolates prides itself on being a pioneer in terms of sourcing local ingredients such as dairy, syrup, and the company has even begun to cultivate its own honey at the Intervale Center in Burlington. Futhermore, Lake Champlain Chocolates uses only natural ingredients; most of their products only contain around 5 ingredients! After the tour, the factory store is a wonderful way to continue the indulgent experience by buying chocolates for later. There is even a “factory seconds” area in which guests can purchase slightly imperfect, yet entirely delicious, chocolates at a discount .. . .

Maple Butter Recipe By Angela Russo With local butter and local maple syrup, there is nothing quite like Vermont maple butter. It is sweet, creamy, and delicious. It can be made in less than five minutes start to finish, and depending upon who hangs around your house, it may be gone in even less time than that! With butter this tasty, you should stop by Mirabelles, located on Main Street in Burlington, to pick up a muffin or croissant to soak up your homemade butter. Mirabelles has been voted the “Best Bakery in Chittenden County” and emphasizes its use of local ingredients to make all of its products from scratch.

Maple Butter
(Yields ¾ Cup)
Ingredients:
½ cup softened butter
¼ cup maple syrup
Preparation:
Mix butter and maple syrup with electric mixer until blended. Serve on toast, crackers or warm muffins

Cookies from a City Market Cooking Class By Sam Ahern In the heart of Burlington, Vermont, City Market Onion River Co-op is far from your average local market. City Market is a community-owned and run food cooperative that provides for the needs of all members of the Burlington community. For those who want a classic PB & J on sliced white bread or those who would rather a loaf of fresh baked sourdough, City Market has adapted to what each member of the community wants. City Market prides itself on its dedication to supporting the local Vermont food system and Vermont’s economy. Working with thousands of local Vermont farmers, City Market has created life long relationships with these vendors and provides the community with a wide selection of locally grown products. Not only does City Market provide a spectrum of local products. Uniquely, the Co-op also provides a range of classes and workshops available to both members and non-members. From classes on how to start a school garden or your own compost to cooking classes on vegetarian and vegan diets, City Market offers a multitude of classes to take for learning experience or just for fun! I attended ‘Intro to Paleo Foods’ and had a wonderful and educational experience working with all locally grown and organic products and I was introduced to the intriguing diet of the earliest humans by Allison Johnson . . .

Allison Johnson’s Coconut Chocolate Chip Macaroons (24-32 cookies)
1 cup coconut butter/Mana
2/3 cup grade b maple syrup
1 tsp. sea salt
2 cups of unsweetened shredded coconut
½ cup chocolate chips (Chocolate Dream or Enjoy Life)

Instructions:
•    Begin by warming coconut butter/Mana in either a hot water bath or in the microwave (WARNING: If using the microwave, watch carefully and only heat for 10 seconds at a time, removing to stir and check the butter each time)
•    Once the coconut butter/Mana has fully melted, put in a medium mixing bowl and mix together with syrup and salt until well combined
•    Fold in the shredded coconut and chocolate chips
•    Use a rounded tablespoon to form 1-inch balls and press flat onto a baking sheet
•    Bake at 300 degrees for 25 minutes, until edges brown slightly; allow to cool before removing from tray
•    Serve and enjoy!

Helen Labun Jordan writes about food and the business for food for local and regional publications, and online at www.discoveringflavor.com

Source: Dig in VT Trails

This weekend, my local farmers’ market in Montpelier had its last outdoor market for the season. It was cold, it was gray, people sold hot soup and clustered around the wood fired pizza oven for warmth. It definitely felt like the end of the summer season.

BUT it was not the end of the Farmers’ Market season! In Montpelier, like in many communities, we pick up again with a holiday market before Thanksgiving then launch into a series of indoor winter markets. When you stop to think about it, a lot of Vermont products are available even when the ground is frozen – maple syrup, honey, cheese, meat, root vegetables, fibers like yarn or felt, grains, crops we can keep in cold storage (like apples) and crops with their seasons extended through greenhouses and other techniques (winter spinach is sweet and highly recommended!). Then we have specialty foods, like spirits or jams, that capture Vermont ingredients when they’re in-season and preserve them for the rest of the year.

Hot sauces made from Farmers Market ingredients by Butterfly Bakery

Farmers markets in the non-summer months can be just as festive as markets outdoors in the sunshine. There’s often music, lots of prepared food for lunch or a midmorning snack, activities for special occasions like Valentine’s Day or to celebrate the sugaring season, and folks are generally pretty happy to know the world isn’t hibernating until June.

For your food exploring pleasure, here is a list of farmers’ markets currently registered with NOFA-VT as having a winter season. If they don’t have a specific winter schedule posted in their listing, visit their website to be sure you have the right dates, times, and locations – as that might change from their summer season.

And be sure to check our events page later this month for upcoming holiday markets and special market events in November and December!

Source: Dig in VT Trails

This week, Shelburne Farms hosted a farm-based education forum that brought together farms, educators, and tourism enterprises. The event was a great reminder that visiting Vermont’s farms and agricultural lands is a chance for beautiful sightseeing and good food, and it’s also a learning experience. Many farms are particularly focused on creating learning opportunities for children. Farms across the state pair with schools, summer camps, libraries, nature centers and other programs to open their doors for educational experiences, as well as developing activities for day visitors outside of a formal program.

Along with discussing the logistics of creating educational programs for young learners (what information do parents need before the trip? what are the safety guidelines to go over? is there a bathroom?) forum participants talked about offering hands-on experiences to keep these visitors engaged in learning throughout the trip. Many people shared examples of how simple those activities can be:

• Drawing a map – with clipboards, paper, and colored markers, children can map their visit, reinforcing what they learn and also creating a record of the trip they can share with parents and friends.
• Stamping a passport – with stamps or stickers showing what parts of the farm have been visited
• Sitting on the tractor – with enough supervision, climbing up to the tractor seat can be better than playground equipment
• Getting a pumpkin’s eyeview – aka hiding under the garden fabric before moving on to pumpkin picking
• Identifying herbs – sight, smell, and taste can be guides in this matching game in the garden
• Connecting seeds to plants – students may know what their vegetables look like, but matching them with the seeds they began as can be trickier
• Dancing the waggle dance – learning how bees show where to find food
• Helping with chores – simplified versions of chores like carding wool or collecting sap from buckets

The Project Seasons book from Shelburne Farms gives examples of almost 150 different activities, and the list of their school field trips hints at the range of activities possible, too.

What are your favorite farm visits? What activities do they offer? Let us know! @DigInVT

Source: Dig in VT Trails

This weekend, I got a chance to see Of Land and Local, an art exhibit at the Burlington City Arts gallery on Church Street in Burlington. It was, admittedly, not opening night (that was in September) – but the exhibit is appearing both at the BCA gallery and locations around the state through October, November, and the first week of December, so there is still time to see it. A full schedule is found here.

Jean Luc Dushime, Of Land and Local

Burlington City Arts describes the exhibit as a multidisciplinary exploration of place, initiating a conversation about Vermont’s landscape. They note that artists and farmers are key to building the cultural fabric of Vermont, and that while culture defines place, physical places also define culture. In the press release about the exhibit, Vermont Tourism Commissioner Megan Smith says:

“Land is intrinsically tied to history and memories,Of Land and Local asks Vermonters and visitors to explore these connections, what formed our perception as well as use of Vermont’s land and landscape, and how that shapes us as individuals and as a community.”

The Vermont Department of Tourism is a partner in both the Of Land and Local exhibit and DigInVT.com. Seven Days Newspaper is the third sponsoring partner of the art exhibit.

Diane Gabriel, Of Land and Local

For someone like me who has grown up in rural Vermont there is also the basic interest in seeing what is everyday turned into something that is art. Spectacular foliage and sweeping views of idyllic farm fields speak to the heart of even the most blase Vermonter, but art like Of Land and Local reminds us to find significance in the most familiar objects and to think about what has shaped the place where we live our daily lives.

It should go without saying that we would recommend pairing the visual appreciation of Vermont’s agricultural heritage with gustatory appreciation as well. One short trip can engage all five senses. Check out our Places page to find restaurants in the area to vist after a trip to one of the galleries featuring Of Land and Local. 

What other current art exhibits celebrate our farm lands? Let us know any you enjoy. You can also find statewide guides to art in the events section of the Vermont Department of Tourism Trip Planner, from the Vermont Arts Council, and from Art Hounds on VPR.

Abby Mannock, Of Land and Local

Source: Dig in VT Trails