Category: Activities

This is an abridged version of an article that originally appeared in NOFA Notes, the quarterly newsletter of the Northeast Organic Farming Association of Vermont. For more information about NOFA Vermont and the benefits of organic, please visit www.nofavt.org
 

Butternut Mountain Farm

In the 1970s, David Marvin started Butternut Mountain Farm, a small sugaring operation on his family’s land in Johnson, Vermont. Over the last 40 years, what began as a very small sugaring operation has grown to encompass approximately 16,000 taps, and employ over 85 people – packaging and distributing syrup from at least 300 producers to a range of customers, including major retail and grocery chains and natural foods markets throughout the nation. This syrup, processed in the heart of Morrisville, is sold locally and online under the Butternut Mountain Farm label, bottled for numerous retailers’ private label brands, processed into maple sugar and candies, and sold to food producers who use it in products ranging from specialty cheese to vodka. 
 
When Marvin began sugaring, Vermont produced an estimated 225,000 gallons of syrup per year, but efficiencies in production have allowed Vermont’s maple syrup industry to expand significantly; last year Vermont’s maple syrup production neared 1,300,000 gallons. That’s a quantity that even Vermont’s devoted maple-loving population can’t hope to consume locally, so much of the syrup is sold out-of-state through various markets: approximately 15% of the state’s production is sold directly through retail channels, and the remainder is sold either as bulk or wholesale. As an aggregator and distributor, Butternut Mountain Farm serves an important role that allows Vermont syrup from many family farms to reach larger markets.
 
Going Organic

In 2000, Marvin was approached by a customer – a large, national natural foods store – with a suggestion that he could expect a 30% increase in sales with certified organic syrup. So, Marvin applied for and gained organic certification for his sugaring operation. He and the store were both surprised when, instead of the predicted 30% sales increase, sales of organic syrup actually doubled. 
 
Next, Marvin challenged himself to grow the sales of organic syrup in his other market channels. Now, 50% of the syrup sold by Butternut Mountain Farms is certified organic, and in addition to his own production, Marvin purchases organic syrup from at least 50 other certified organic maple syrup producers. The organic syrup’s sales continue to outpace its conventional counterpart. 
 
Marvin initially resisted certification; feeling that the guidelines were common sense and that he didn’t want to deal with additional paperwork. He now recognizes the importance of organic certification, not just because of the sales it brings, but as a way to guarantee that he himself, and the sugar makers he works with, follow sound management practices.
 
Organic standards protect the organic integrity of syrup by requiring sugar makers to use non-synthetic defoamers (which are added to sap during boiling), clean equipment with food-grade sanitizers, and avoid galvanized buckets and storage tanks (which contain tin). In addition, organic syrup is periodically tested for potential contaminants.
 
More extensive are the requirements producers must follow to protect the long-term health and future growth of their sugarbush. These practices center around the creation of, and adherence to, a forest management plan that outlines strategies to promote and manage overall forest health, biodiversity, invasive species management and stand regeneration.  In this way, the organic guidelines serve as a set of best management practices to ensure producers keep long-term forest health in mind. 
 

Protecting the Organic Sugarbush  

Organic standards have a lot to say about ensuring the long-term health of our maple forests. Organic producers are required to work with a forester to create and follow their forest management plan, and they also must submit to a yearly inspection where all of these processes are verified by an independent third party. Here are some key management practices required for organic maple production:

Logging practices:

Producers must log in a sustainable manner that minimizes impact. 
Logging roads must not cause runoff, unnecessary compaction, or erosion issues. 
Producers cannot use whole-tree harvesting to remove logs from a forest, the practice of which can significantly limit re-growth of future forests.
Tree selection:
To ensure growth of sizeable trees for a future maple crop, producers must wait until trees are at minimum 9” in diameter before tapping. 
Producers must encourage biodiversity in their sugarbushes to increase nutrient recycling and to reduce the spread of insect and disease.
Tapping: 
Tap holes must be distributed over as large an area of healthy wood as possible. This ensures that the tree will be able to continue normal sap flow and prevents the tree from damage and/or death.
Producers can only put a limited number of taps per tree.
Producers can’t use fungicidal treatments, which prevent tap holes from closing, invite disease and bacteria into the trees, and can stunt their future growth.
 
 Sweet Success
 
Butternut Mountain Farm now has a waiting list of producers who want to sell syrup to them. As Vermont’s maple production continues to increase, Marvin will continue to seek new markets. Butternut Mountain Farm is doing essential work to build the infrastructure and sales channels that support many other farmers in Vermont’s diverse agricultural economy. Vermont is the nation’s leader in maple syrup production, and as long as climate conditions favor its production in this state, Butternut Mountain Farm will be a key driver supporting the strength of the sugaring industry for those involved. 
 
Want more details on organic agricultural practices? Go to www.nofavt.org and browse their extensive resources!
 

Source: Dig in VT Trails

The official Maple Open House Weekend is over, but there’s no reason not to create your own maple weekend in Vermont.

We have plenty of sugar houses open to visitors throughout the season, some throughout the year. They offer education, tastings, treats for sale, and often offer their own special events like sugar on snow parties, pancake breakfasts, and a chance to help with the syrup making. You can check them out at the DigInVT Maple Syrup page. We’ve developed these listings with help from our partner, the Vermont Maple Sugar Makers Association.

The Vermont Department of Tourism, another DigInVT partner, has also developed their own recommended maple vacation packages for weekends away (or close to home) available from their website.

And, of course, our maple-related blog entries give some ideas of how to use the syrup that you acquire while you explore.

Vermont’s Inn and B&B’s can be both a place to stay and a resource for exploring maple and other Vermont foods. Our Places Page lists establishments with a particular interest in Vermont food. One Bed and Breakfast in Chester, VT, Inn Victoria, shares below how they partned with Mitch’s Maple Sugar House to create a maple syrup experience for their guests:

Spring is just around the corner in New England, which means it’s sugaring season here in Vermont! Just minutes away from Inn Victoria you will find Mitch’s Maple Sugar House, where you can enjoy some of the best, pure Vermont maple products including Maple Syrup and Maple Cream!

A great deal of time and passion goes into this sugar house, dating back to 1945 Mitch’s Maples is owned and operated by Mark Mitchell. Our innkeeper, Jessica has been going here her whole life, growing up right down the road. Mark’s father Don would let her taste test the fresh, hot syrup right when it was being made, and you can come do the same! The Mitchell’s run sugar-house tours all season, where you can see  smell & taste the boiling sap. This is a “can’t miss” opportunity while staying at Inn Victoria in the spring. You can come learn about the different grades, where it comes from and how maple syrup is made from sap to syrup. Then taste it yourself the next morning at breakfast, you can’t beat it! Don’t go home without some of Mark’s famous Maple Cream either!

We use Mitch’s maple syrup for a variety of things, from our Crème Brule French toast, to whipped pancakes to our famous maple-nut granola! Thank you Mark for your continued business with Inn Victoria.

Penny and Dan Cote
Owners of Inn Victoria, Chester, Vermont
Written by Jessica Knisley, Innkeeper
This post originally appeared at: http://blog.innvictoria.com/

These are some starting ideas – you can create your own maple adventure by saving new ideas to a My Places folder! And, of course, start planning ahead for Maple Open House 2015!

Source: Dig in VT Trails

Several years ago I visited a certain European country where maple syrup was not part of the national menu (the country was Macedonia, but I’m not going to point fingers). Our hosts admitted that, while they appreciated visits from Vermonters, they’d also filled a kitchen cabinet with bottles of unused maple syrup. They couldn’t believe how many pancakes Vermonters must eat to go through as much maple syrup as we apparently consumed.

Well. It’s not about the pancakes (although they’re delicious, along with waffles, crepes, and French toast).

I started to list all the places where I regularly use maple syrup. It was long. No one took notes. Today, on the eve of Maple Open House Weekend, I’m reviving that list for a simple reason: I don’t want anyone to worry that they won’t find a use for all the syrup they acquire while touring Vermont’s sugarhouses. Or, if you’re well aware of how to go through gallons of syrup, this list may come in handy for people to whom you’re giving maple syrup gifts – in foreign countries or closer to home. Here we go:

• Maple syrup goes on anything served at breakfast – pancakes, yes, but also bacon, sausage, ham, porridge, biscuits, grapefruit, yogurt, granola. . . In Quebec they’ve been known to poach their eggs in syrup (not sap, syrup).
• Ice cream, milk shakes, panna cotta, pudding, mousse, maple cream pie – any dairy based dessert should have maple in it.
• Whipped cream – I make my whipped cream fresh, with maple syrup, and this allows any dessert to have maple in it. I even make a whipped cream, ricotta, and maple syrup dip for cookies (ginger snaps and biscotti work well).
• Frosting and icings – for the same reason as whipped cream
• Homemade BBQ sauce, ketchup, chutney, jams, jellies, and plum sauce. 
• Mixed into butter or cream cheese as a spread – a dollop of maple butter in the middle of a popover fresh from the oven? Or on hot grilled cornbread? Delicious.
• Nut butters – either homemade or mixed into unsweetened natural nut butters. You’ll have a better peanut butter-banana sandwich than Elvis ever imagined. Also good stuffed in a date and dipped in chocolate.
• Salad dressing – my standard salad dressing is oil, vinegar, pepper, salt, Bragg’s aminos (or soy sauce) and maple syrup.
• Baked beans, chili, black bean soup, refried beans, dal, three bean salad, sweet & sour lentil salad – there may be a bean dish that isn’t improved with at least a little maple syrup, but I don’t know it. (Okay, I don’t add maple syrup to my hummus, except when I make it with dried fava beans, when I do add some).
• Roasted winter squash, sweet potatoes, parsnips, beets, onions, turnips. I don’t like turnips, but when I roast them I add maple syrup. Also, when I mash them. If you want to get really creative, mashed turnips with maple syrup is a great addition to pizza crust dough. It’s true.
• Butternut bisque, pumpkin curry, red lentil / ginger / apple soup, beet soup – you’ve got a storage crop? You’re making it into soup? Add a little maple syrup.
• Braised meat and marinades for meat (ribs must, practically by law, involve maple syrup when served in Vermont)
• Maple cured salmon
• Raita – it’s not a traditional preparation of this Indian yogurt and cucumber salad, but try adding shredded apple and maple syrup (I got that idea from the fabulous Maple Syrup Cookbook by Ken Haedrich).
• Most things with curry powder, not just raita.
• As a glaze to brush on baked goods – try melting together 3 Tb butter, 1 Tb mustard and 2 Tb maple syrup (add 1/8 tsp salt if the butter is unsalted) and brush on on whole wheat rolls or homemade soft pretzels.
• As a glaze on chicken
• In baking (which we already have a blog post about)
• I do not personally add maple syrup (or any sweetener) to my coffee, tea, or cocktails – but I understand that other people enjoy it.

And that’s just the list of regular maple syrup use in my kitchen, not the fancy stuff like Jicama, Orange and Grape Salad (again from Ken Haedrich) or the extravagant Baked Vermont dessert that takes a Baked Alaska concept to a new place (from Gesine Bullock-Prado, her site is so beautiful, just go and browse). And that’s only the syrup – that doesn’t include maple sugar, maple cream, maple candies or any of the other maple specialty products I have on hand, which include hot sauce, ice cream, pork spice rub, maple-pepper, maple-filled truffles, and multiple maple spirits. If I really looked, I’d probably find more.  

The conclusion here: you will never run out of uses for maple syrup. And, frankly, my stocks are getting low, it’s time to do something about that. . .

Helen Labun Jordan writes about food, agriculture, and other topics from Montpelier, VT. Want more ideas about touring Vermont sugar houses? Check out her article on maple and the taste of place from the Spring 2011 issue of Vermont’s Local Banquet.

Source: Dig in VT Trails

Vermont has plenty of chefs inventing new recipes to highlight local ingredients every day, and we can enjoy the results of their work whenever we choose to venture out for restaurant dining (particularly using the DigInVT map. . . ). But there’s one highly sought after source of local food inspiration that’s not so easy for the average Vermont diner to find: the local dishes that are appearing in school cafeterias. . . particularly menu items that students help invent. This Saturday, the public has a chance to observe school-based local foods creativity at the 7th annual Junior Iron Chef competition.

In 2008, Vermont Food Education Every Day (VT FEED, a partnership of NOFA-VT, Shelburne Farms, and, at the time, Food Works at Two Rivers Center) and the Burlington School Food Project (BSFP) founded one of the first youth culinary competitions to focus on local food and school meals. The idea was simple – teams of middle and high school students would invent original recipes using local ingredients and then prepare them for a panel of judges. The response was tremendous- participation has more than doubled since that first year, with 270 students on 64 teams signed up for this year’s contest. And the recipes sound very tasty. Rainbow Root Latkes with Apple Compote, Rootin’-Tootin’ Root Veggie and Black Bean Burritos with Basil Tortillas and Zesty Yogurt Sauce, and Maple Spiced Apple and Goat Cheese Crepes are just a few of the dishes on this year’s menu. 

The student teams are competing to have their dishes featured in the Vermont statehouse and on school menus across the state. While teams may be focused on winning this Saturday, preparing for this competition can create greater, lasting impacts on schools and students.

“Junior Iron Chef VT helps us create school programs that do more than teach cooking skills, recipe development, and local sourcing,” said Lonny Paige, Twin Valley Schools Food Service Director and the coach of three 2013 winning teams. “It teaches our students how they can contribute to community. Our kids are now culinary role models, initiating demonstrations and cooking local farm-fresh foods within Twin Valley schools and for organizations like the Brattleboro Hospice.”

Cooking is so popular at Twin Valley that they had their own competition, with almost 100 students entered, to determine who would defend their school’s title this year.

Do you want to see what the excitment is about? The 7th Annual Junior Iron Chef VT will take place from 9:00am to 3:30pm and will be held at the Champlain Valley Expo Center in Essex Junction, VT. Cost for attendance is $3 for an individual, $5 for a family.

Junior Iron Chef VT is sponsored by School Nutrition Association of Vermont, Vermont Agency of Agriculture Food & Markets, G.housen, Circulon gourmet cookware, Blodgett, and WCAX. For more information, please visit www.jrironchefvt.org.

Source: Dig in VT Trails

Yes, it’s Pi Day and we are posting a Maple Cream Pie recipe and it is not a coincidence. I’ve been meaning to write this for a while because maple cream pie is a dish open to debate (not about whether it’s incredibly yummy, there is no debate there). We can debate the proper crust, as with any pie. Then there’s the question of the maple syrup to cream ratio. Then the question of whether you make a custard, pour it in the pie shell then chill, or make a custard, pour it in the pie shell then bake then chill. And the question, that really shouldn’t be a question, of whether you add black pepper (the answer is yes, you do – although I sometimes use cayenne instead).

My mother makes maple cream pie every Thanksgiving. It is the best maple cream pie in Vermont. I’ve experimented with plenty of recipes. I’ve done side-by-side comparisons with impartial tasters who are not related to my mother and not obligated to think her pie is best. . . and I can’t remember what they said, but I think they said my Mom had the best pie.

I have no idea where her recipe originally came from. I also have to admit that when I was doing my pie experiments I came up with several sources publishing nearly identical recipes, so it’s apparently not a family secret. But I like to pretend that it is:

Maple Cream Pie

One 9-inch unbaked pie shell (whatever pie dough recipe you prefer)

1 1/2 cups heavy cream

1/3 cup all purpose flour

1 1/2 cups maple syrup

2 Tablespoons unsalted butter

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon ground ginger

Generous pinch ground black pepper

Preheat oven to 375-degrees. In a thick bottomed, medium saucepan whisk together flour & cream being careful to get all lumps out. Add remaining custard ingredients and cook, stirring constantly, over medium heat until it gets quite thick (about 10 minutes).

Pour the filling into the pie shell and bake for 30 minutes. Remove, cool, and then refrigerate. Serve cold.

Do you prefer to celebrate Pi Day with Vermont’s official state pie, the apple pie? Here’s a post from our archive featuring an apple pie recipe from Sunrise Orchards. Helen Labun Jordan writes about food (and other things) from Montpelier, VT. Her most recent article is Set the Table With Dandelion Greens (with a simple spring pasta recipe) in the Spring Issue of Vermont’s Local Banquet

Source: Dig in VT Trails

It may be too cold for sap to flow right now, but as daytime temperatures climb we’ll be entering into the traditional start of the maple sugaring season in Vermont. At DigInVT, over the month of March we’ll be providing lots of information for exploring Vermont’s signature flavor. If you’re new to real maple syrup then you’re coming to the right state to try some. And even if you’ve lived in Vermont all your life, there’s always something new to discover. Here are some examples of what’s happening:

March 22nd and 23rd is the annual Maple Open House weekend at sugarhouses across Vermont. To find out specific events during the weekend happening near you visit the Vermont Maple Sugar Makers Association website.

The Vermont Department of Tourism has put together some weekend ideas through their themed vacation packages, check out the list of maple options.

Or how about staying in and experimenting with maple in your own kitchen? In our post Spotlight on Maple Vermont Fresh Network chefs share their favorite recipes, the Maximum Maple Overload class menu gives creative ideas for using maple, and this post on Rail Dog introduces a new kind of maple spirit.

We’ll be adding more blog posts with maple recipes, events and place profiles over the course of the month, and sharing maple news on Twitter (@DigInVT) and Facebook. Follow along and explore Vermont maple!

Source: Dig in VT Trails

This blog post is part of a series written by the University of Vermont Farm-to-Table Service Learning class – and it’s a warming read heading into the weekend with mixed (unpleasant) weather, when an expedition to a good brunch (or lunch, or dinner) locale may be the perfect plan.

When I first arrived at the University of Vermont, I asked locals and students alike where I could find a great meal in downtown Burlington. Much to my surprise, the response was unanimous: go to the Skinny Pancake.

Skinny Pancake has been on a meteoric rise since selling their first crepe at Burlington’s Jazzfest in 2003. Since then, what was a small crepe cart has rapidly transformed into a lively restaurant on the Burlington waterfront and a second in downtown Montpelier.  Skinny Pancake is committed to providing great food to its consumers with the healthiest ingredients possible. Showing their commitment to healthy and wholesome food, the founders Jonny and Benjy Adler joined their restaurant to the Vermont Fresh Network  in 2006.  Today, the waterfront restaurant affirms its local focus by signing on to growing contracts with local farmers each year. By buying local at every chance and storing goods through the winter, Skinny Pancake Burlington now sources a staggering 68.6% of its food from local producers. Moreover, all of its meat comes from local producers.

I visited Skinny Pancake for yet another time on a springtime Sunday morning. Walking into the restaurant, I was immediately greeted by the smell of fresh food and maple syrup. As usual, I had no idea what to get. With so many great options, the choice required some thinking. After much debate, I settled on the Cattle Rancher and, because I couldn’t resist, the Hot Apple Crispy. The Cattle Rancher is a delicious crepe filled with fresh local greens, caramelized onions, cooked red peppers, Vermont Cabot cheddar, and Boyden Farm grass fed sirloin tip. Further, the Hot Apple Crispy is a delightful heap of Vermont apples, honey, cinnamon, whipped cream, and sugar, all folded into a crepe.

After a small wait, our smiling server arrived with all our food. Just as expected, it was great. To begin, I ate my Cattle Rancher crepe. The greens were so fresh you could taste it and the crepe was a wonderful compilation of sweet and savory flavors. Every bite melted in my mouth. The generous portion of the crepe left me perfectly full, yet, for my Hot Apple Crispy, I was able to find some more room. My dessert wonderfully combined the sweetness of Vermont honey with the tart flavor of fresh sliced apples. I savored every bite and, because I was feeling generous, I shared much of the crepe with my friends.

But it’s not just me who so strongly supports Skinny Pancake Burlington. I did an interview with another happy customer at the Skinny Pancake to see what calls others to the fine establishment. For my interview across the table, I talked with a man named Dave who was up in Burlington from Middlebury. I asked him what his favorite dish was, but he also struggled to decide. Finally, he settled his decision and told me that his favorite dish was anything off the Sweet Classics crepe section. During the interview, he also mentioned that he has been coming to Skinny Pancake Burlington for around four years. When I asked him why he comes so often, he told me that, “I am always happy to go out of my way to frequent here because of its local focus, local ownership, and great food”.  He finished by telling me that the Skinny Pancake Burlington is a great Vermont connection that he is sure to visit each time he is in the area.

I also did an interview across the counter with a server to see how the employees feel about Skinny Pancake. The server told me that she loves working at Skinny Pancake Burlington for two reasons. First, she loves working at the restaurant because of its local focus. She strongly supports Skinny Pancake’s mission to buy local at every opportunity, whether that be lettuce, beef, beer, or something else. Second, she told me that she loves working at the Skinny Pancake Burlington because “everyone on the staff is very happy and very excited to put out healthy, tasty food”.

Just like many others in Northern Vermont, the Skinny Pancake Burlington is one of my favorite restaurants to visit in downtown Burlington. Now, when tourists ask me where they can find a great place to eat downtown, I too answer: go to the Skinny Pancake.

Do you have a favorite VT food experience you’d like to write about? Contact us for information on contributing to the DigInVT.com blog.

Source: Dig in VT Trails