Summer 2011 | Issue Seventeen

local banquetvermont’s summer 2011 | issue seventeen

Micro Dairies Charcuterie Backyard Mushrooms FARMS, FOOD, HARLOW FORESTRY FARMSTAND It's all at the 10th Annual and Café Loco Bringing you the best local products including breads, cheeses, STROLLING OF our own pork & grass fed beef, our own chickens & eggs, THE HEIFERS and certified organic produce. June 3-4-5 Open 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. daily BRATTLEBORO, VERMONT We also have a wide selection NTH NUAL of bedding plants, vegetable starts, TE AN and herbs.

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Local Banquet Ad Date produced: May 4, 2011 Run dates: Summer Program 2011 Size: 3.5” w x 4.5” d Color: PMS #397U Green Path: Marketing / Ads / 2011 ads / Local Banquet 2011 Date sent: 5/4/2010 Send PDF to: [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] Ad produced by: Shirley Leclerc / [email protected] CONTENTS summer 2011 issue seventeen

4 Editor’s Note

6 Set the Table with… Hot Sauce

8 Garden Pathways Growing Backyard Mushrooms

11 Vermont Farm Stays

12 A 10-year Stroll

14 After the Fire Renewal at Pete’s Greens

16 Micro Milk

18 A Charcuterie Cure

24 Seeds for Change Farming in a Changing Climate

29 Farmers’ Kitchen Bella Basil

33 Calendar

34 Last Morsel Publisher Editor’s Note Schreiber & Lucas, LLC Editor Caroline Abels It’s practically a requirement for any journalistic publication (such as this one) to keep tabs on what’s new and exciting in the field it covers. Not only is it Art Director Meg Lucas the publication’s responsibility to keep readers up to date, it also makes for good copy. Journalists find it hard to write about “what hasn’t changed since Ad Director Barbi Schreiber yesterday,” even though the fact that something hasn’t changed is often, in its own quiet way, newsworthy. Journalists and editors get a frisson of excite- Proofreader Marisa Crumb ment when something new(s) crosses their path. Contributors As did we when we heard of two recent developments that open up excit- Katherine P. Cox ing possibilities for Vermont agriculture: the formation of a charcuterie busi- Sylvia Fagin ness by a Plainfield food entrepreneur and the design of a farmstead-scale Claire Fitts milk pasteurizer by a South Royalton company. Because dry-cured charcute- Diane Grenkow rie products are simply not made locally now, Pete Colman’s new business, Vern Grubinger Vermont Salumi, will be offering a chance for Vermonters to see whether Jesse North there’s a market for such rarefied but delicious items made from Vermont’s Rachel Schattman finely raised meat animals. Same for the milk pasteurizer being developed by Julia Shipley the company Bob-White Systems. It could make it easier for “micro dairies” Alissa White (farms with roughly six or fewer cows) to sell bottled, pasteurized milk, and in Leah Wittenberg doing so could potentially reinvigorate Vermont dairy—or at least make use Cover photo: Barbi Schreiber of cows here in a different way. Contents photo: George Schick We hope these stories are inspiring for their vision. And perhaps because printed locally on 50% recycled they got us thinking about potential future trends, this issue also includes chlorine–free paper articles on growing backyard mushrooms, cultivating and eating wild edi- Subscriptions, $22 bles with friends, and turning garden peppers into spicy hot sauce (a prod- Subscribe online or uct not usually associated with Vermont, and not commonly made by home send checks to: gardeners). Vermont’s Local Banquet PO Box 69 Vermont agriculture will have to adapt rapidly in the coming years—to Saxtons River, VT 05154 changing tastes, technologies, and a shifting climate (as the story on page localbanquet.com 24 about climate change demonstrates). Not every new idea will float, of 802-869-1236 course, but we’ll try to bring the best ones to you in future issues. In the we welcome letters to the editor meantime, we’ll also remind you of “what hasn’t changed since yesterday” by [email protected] highlighting how Vermont farmers who grow food for their neighbors continue to slowly and steadily build a food system that one day might support us all, and how they do it by waking up early every day, heading out into LOCAL Banquet farm fields no matter what the weather, mucking out barns, and standing vermont’s patiently at farmers’ markets—even if it isn’t really news. Mission Statement The purpose of our publication is to promote and support our local communities. By focusing on fresh, local, wholesome foods grown and made —Caroline Abels in Vermont, we preserve our environment, grow our economy, and enhance our nutrition. Vermont’s Local Banquet (ISSN 1946–0295) If you’d like to write for Vermont’s Local Banquet, please contact the is published quarterly. Subscriptions are $22 annually and are mailed in the spring, summer, editor at [email protected]. To advertise (the deadline for the fall, and winter. Please make checks payable to Fall issue is August 1), contact [email protected]. Also remember Vermont’s Local Banquet. Thank you. that subscriptions are available for $22 a year through our website— Copyright (c) 2011. All rights reserved. No part localbanquet.com—where you can also read back issues. of this periodical may be reproduced without written consent. Opinions expressed in this publication are not necessarily those of the publishers or editors.

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Summer 2011 local banquet 5 set the table with… Hot Sauce by Claire Fitts

Vermont is known for many things, but spicy food is not one called a pasilla in California (even though poblanos and pasil- of them. Fortunately for the spice lovers among us, many local las are completely different), but is called an ancho here in farmers have bucked the trend and have been cultivating Vermont. Your best bet when buying peppers is to choose delicious, spicy chilis for us to enjoy. Hot peppers need heat what looks like the pepper you want and then take a little to grow, but with a good dose of sunlight and perhaps some taste. black plastic over the soil, peppers can thrive in Vermont’s Peppers vary in heat depending on a variety of factors. Heat warm summers. from the sun is a big one. Generally, the more heat they get, If you grow your own peppers, you might have noticed that the more heat they will produce. It also matters what they are when the growing is good, it’s great. Much like zucchini, once grown near. A cayenne grown next to a bell pepper will be a pepper plant starts producing, it has little interest in stop- less spicy than one grown next to a habanero. And con- ping. Fortunately there are many good ways to put up hot trary to popular belief, the seeds are not the spiciest peppers for the winter. Salsa is an obvious pick, especially part of a pepper. In fact, they are the least spicy part! if you grow tomatoes. But hot sauce is a yummy condiment The membrane that attaches the seeds to the flesh that most people don’t think of making themselves, is the spiciest part. You can cut out the membrane if even though basic hot sauce is fantastically easy you want to tone down the spice of a pepper, and can really show off the flavors of your gar- but you will also be removing some of the den or local farmers’ market. tastiest parts. While chili peppers, as we know them, Hotter, smaller peppers generally originated in the New World, their make better hot sauces, but all pep- bright flavors quickly made them pop- pers (even bells) can be blended in to ular everywhere else, and different cul- create a distinct flavor. When making tures have developed different styles hot sauce for the first time, it helps to of hot sauce. Louisiana style, which start with a basic recipe of just vinegar, can be made with most any chili, is the peppers, and salt (1 cup, 3 oz., 1 tsp., type that we in the U.S. most commonly respectively). You can then get an idea think of. It has a high vinegar content for which vinegars combine best with and gives a splash of intense flavor to the flavors of different peppers. Apple any dish. Mexican hot sauces use very cider vinegar has a flavor that often com- little vinegar and generally have a more bines well with fruitier peppers, such as complex flavor. In China, chilis are usu- habaneros and red anaheims. Lemon and ally ground into pastes and then incor- lime juice also make delicious acidic addi- porated into other sauces. In the West tions to hot sauce, especially ones using jala- Indies, fruits often shine with the tropical penos or serranos. taste of habanero peppers. And American Vermont grows a lot of produce that combines audiences have recently discovered the well with peppers, such as onions and carrots. joys of Thai-style sriracha, a sweet garlic- Blueberries make a flavorful seasonal addition, as and-vinegar hot sauce that can be found does basil. Maple syrup goes wonderfully with just in many restaurants and salad bars here in about anything, and hot sauce is no exception. Vermont. Following are some of my favorite homegrown hot sauce Choosing the appropriate pepper for your recipes. They incorporate the chilis most commonly found hot sauce can be the most confusing part. in Vermont: habaneros, jalapenos, serranos, and cayennes. Most of the names we use for chili peppers (Poblanos and anaheims are also popular here.) These recipes come from Mexico, where people use different are for small batches, but are easily multipliable if you’re look- names for the different stages of a pepper’s life; ing to put away enough peppers to have ample hot sauce to an unripe pepper might be called a different name than the keep you warm all winter. ripe, dried, or smoked version of the same pepper. For example, a chipotle is a smoked jalapeno and an ancho is a dried Claire Fitts is the owner of Butterfly Bakery of Vermont, as well as an poblano. Making matters even more confusing, a poblano is avid food writer, recipe developer, and tasty food consumer.

6 local banquet Summer 2011 Vermont Sriracha Jalapeno Lime Hot Sauce Cayennes are long, red peppers that are strikingly beautiful Jalapenos are the most popular hot pepper grown in the U.S. and often used for decorative purposes. Besides the heat, Like a bell pepper, the green variety of a jalapeno is the unripe their flavor is mild, so they go well in places where pure heat variety. Red jalapenos are hard to find, but they are sweet, is needed to let other flavors shine. spicy, and delicious. 3 oz. cayenne peppers 4 oz. green jalapeno peppers (about 4 large) 4 medium garlic cloves 1/2 cup lime juice 3/4 cup white vinegar 1/2 cup white vinegar 1 2 tbs. maple syrup 1 /2 tsp. salt 1/2 tsp. salt Remove the stems from the peppers and roughly chop the rest. Simmer all ingredients in a small pan for about 20 min- Remove the stems from the peppers and roughly chop utes, or until the peppers are soft. Purée the hot sauce in the rest. Peel and slice the garlic. Simmer the garlic, pep- a food processor, being careful to leave room for steam to pers, vinegar, maple syrup, and kosher salt in a small pan vent while puréeing. for about 20 minutes at medium heat, or until the peppers and garlic are soft. Purée the hot sauce in a food processor, being careful to leave room for steam to vent while puréeing.

Tomatillo Serrano Salsa Serranos look like slender jalapenos and can be used in many of the same ways. They have an extra little flavor punch that Habanero Mustard Hot Sauce pairs them well with flavors like lime and tomatilla. 7 medium tomatillos The hottest pepper commonly grown in the U.S. (and long thought to be the hottest pepper in the world until it was 1 medium yellow onion surpassed by the Indian ghost pepper), the tiny habanero 3 oz. serrano peppers (about 12) packs a punch. If you can taste beyond the heat, it has a wonderfully sweet and tropical flavor. They can be red, 1 cup white vinegar orange, or yellow. 1 tsp. salt 2 oz. habanero (about 8) Peel and halve the tomatillos. Lay them cut side down on a 1 cup white vinegar greased pan. Roast for 15–20 minutes at 400 °F or until the tomatillos are soft. Remove the stems from the peppers and 2 tbs. mustard powder roughly chop the rest. Simmer the peppers, vinegar, and 1/2 tsp. salt salt in a small pan for about 20 minutes, or until peppers are soft. Purée all ingredients in a food processor, adding water Remove the stems from the peppers and roughly chop as necessary, and being careful to leave room to let steam the rest. Simmer the peppers and vinegar in a small pan vent while puréeing. for about 20 minutes, or until peppers are soft. Purée all of the ingredients in a food processor, being careful to leave room to let any steam vent while puréeing. Note: Make this into a delicious barbeque sauce by adding 2 tbs. Vermont maple syrup. Illustrations: istockphoto

Summer 2011 local banquet 7 garden pathways Growing Backyard Mushrooms by Alissa White Even for the most adventurous gardeners and avid wild mushroom foragers, the idea of growing one’s own gourmet mushrooms may seem mysterious. But there are a number of methods that gardeners and farmers use to incorporate gourmet mushrooms into their landscapes, and these methods are fairly easy for anyone to try at home. Visiting a mushroom farm or attending a hands-on workshop is the best place to start, and below are some simple secrets of backyard mushroom cultivation to serve as an introduction.

My first attempts at growing gourmet mushrooms were while studying sustainable agriculture at UC Santa Cruz. After joining some experts on forays into the forest and attending a workshop, I incorporated shiitake, oyster, and native choice edibles into a permaculture demonstration garden I installed on campus. I went on to grow Grey Dove oyster mushrooms for local restaurants and markets in Santa Cruz. That was six years ago, and since moving back home to New England I’ve been growing a few of my favorite mushrooms at home and sharing my experience with anyone who wants to learn.

Mushroom Culture Mushrooms such as shiitake and oyster are simply the fruit of much larger fungal organisms. The bulk of the fungal body is made up of a network of threadlike cells called mycelium, which run through a medium, such as dead wood or soil. This mycelial network can be likened to a root system and can be seen as white fuzz on the inside of logs, or under duff on the forest floor. The mycelial networks of fungi play a crucial role in natural ecosystems, helping break down plant materials and returning them to plants as the nutrient-rich organic matter that feeds the regeneration of plant life. For the eager mushroom gardener, understanding what types of materials, or substrates, your favorite gourmet mushrooms grow on is very important. Shiitake, a favorite for many of us, grows on fresh wood and is selective about which kinds of wood it will grow on. Portabello mushrooms, on the other hand, grow on compost and manure. Oyster mushrooms are more versatile, growing on a wide range of materials, like many kinds of wood, straw, cotton waste, spent brewers grains, and coffee grounds. The chanterelle, a choice edible for gourmet cuisine, grows only in a symbiotic relationship with the roots of a living tree.

Let’s Get Growing! If you’re eager to try growing gourmet mushrooms at home, start by spending some time surveying your home for the perfect place. Find spots in your yard that have shade, Photos courtesy of Alissa White courtesyPhotos of Alissa

8 local banquet Summer 2011 dappled light, and a moist microclimate where they are protected from the evaporative forces of wind and sun. Think about where you observe mushrooms in natural ecosystems. Although we often associate mushrooms with darkness, a bit of of light is important; a brief pass of sunlight over a mushroom patch aids in fruiting, as a moment of evaporation wicks water upward. Although fungi generally reproduce via spores in natural ecosystems, most mushroom cultivation is done via spawn. Spawn refers to any material that is impregnated with mycelium. Often spawn is myceliated grains, sawdust, or pieces of wooden dowels and can be ordered from a number of sources. The substrate that the desired mushroom will grow on is embedded with myceliated spawn, and then given the perfect conditions to grow. The temperature, moisture levels, and ratio of spawn to substrate will affect the time it takes for mycelium from the spawn to colonize the material. This can take between 6 weeks and 12 months, depending on the species. Be patient, though; once the mycelium has fully colonized a material it begins a fruiting cycle, which lasts until the material is exhausted. Fruiting often occurs roughly a week after a rain event, natural or simulated. Nicholas Laskovski of Dana Forest Farm in Waitsfield cultivates certified organic, forest-grown shiitake mushrooms on cut sugar maple logs at his family farm. He harvests a quarter pound per log twice a year, over a span of 3–8 years. At times, Nicholas says, he’s harvested multiple pounds from a log in a single fruiting event. “[To stimulate fruiting] I give the logs a cold water bath for 24 hours after they’ve been inoculated and sitting in the forest for about one year. Because of this trait, it allows me to rotate the logs in a manner that gives me perpetual fruiting over the summer.” Nick sells his mushrooms at his farm and to local restaurants in the Mad River Valley (www.facebook.com/DanaForestFarm). Basic Backyard Methods The Mushroom Patch Raised Garden Bed Kits As with many recipes, these are just suggested ingredients in suggested and amounts. Ultimately you will be creating lasagna layers of whatever card- Greenhouse Kits board, wood chips, sawdust, or other substrate you have nearby with

Continued on page 27

Alissa recommends the following resources:

Definitive Texts of Mushroom Cultivation Growing Gourmet and Medicinal Mushrooms, by Paul Stamets The Mushroom Cultivator: a practical guide to growing mushrooms at home, by Paul Stamets and J.S. Chilton

On Mycological Rescue of the Planet • Easy to assemble and use Mycelium Running: How mushrooms can save the world, by Paul Stamets • Exceptionally durable Mushroom Identification Guides • Improve garden production Mushrooms Demystified, by David Aurora • Lengthen growing season • Many stock sizes and options National Audubon Society Field Guide to North American Mushrooms, by Gary Lincoff • Aﬀ ordable pricing Sourcing Mushroom Products Good Wood Wichland Woods: www.wichlandwoods.com 802-875-4102 Fungi Perfecti: www.fungi.com Complete details and prices on our website Field and Forest Products: www.fieldforest.net www.goodwoodvt.com

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10 local banquet Summer 2011 Farm Stays Nye’s Green Valley Farm The McMeekin House 27 Bascom Road A number of farms in Vermont Bed & Breakfast 8976 Route 15 West Orwell double as B&B’s. The next time Jeffersonville 948-2713 your relatives come to town, they 644-1984 [email protected] vtequinetours.com/mcmeekin/ can have a bucolic, back-to-the- [email protected] nyesgreenvalleyfarm.com land experience—or you can Liberty Hill Farm Bed & Breakfast take a weekend and have one The Parent Farmhouse 511 Liberty Hill Road yourself! 854 Pattee Hill Road Rochester Milton 767-3926 524-4201 [email protected] [email protected] libertyhillfarm.com parentfarmhouse.com Shepherd’s Hill Farm North Russell Young Farm 25 Hartwood Way 861 Russell Young Road Taftsville Allenholm Orchards Bed & Breakfast Jerusalem 457-3087 150 South Street 877-896-7026 [email protected] South Hero [email protected] shepherdshillfarm.com 372-5566 russellyoungfarm.com 888-721-5566 Trevin Farms [email protected] Shelburne Farms 901 Willowbrook Road allenholm.com 1611 Harbor Road Sudbury Shelburne 623-6473 Bryn Meadow Farm 985-8686 [email protected] 3960 Spear Street [email protected] trevinfarms.com Charlotte shelburnefarms.org 425-5570 Turkey Hill Farm [email protected] Stony Brook Farm 55 Turkey Hill Road brynmeadowFarm.com 239 Brook Road Randolph Center Hyde Park 728-7064 Couture’s Maple Shop 888-2650 [email protected] and Bed & Breakfast [email protected] turkeyhillfarmvt.com 560 VT. Route 100 www.stonybrookfarmvt.com Westfield Vermont Grand View Farm 744-2733 Sweet Retreat 1638 Scales Hill Road 800-845-2733 Washington Guesthouse and Sugarworks 685-4693 [email protected] 329 Frost Road maplesyrupvermont.com [email protected] Northfield grandviewfarmvt.net 800-707-8427 Crescent Bay Farm Bed & Breakfast [email protected] 153 West Shore Road sweetretreat-vermont.com South South Hero 372-4807 Central Amazing Planet! Farm & Justice [email protected] Center crescentbaybb.com Champlain Valley Alpacas 218 Depot Road Williamsville Emergo Farm Bed & Breakfast and Farmstay 348-9818 261 Webster Hill 152 Merino Lane [email protected] Danville Bridport amazingplanetfarm.com 684-2215 758-FARM (3276) 888-383-1185 [email protected] Baked Apples at Shearer Hill Farm [email protected] champlainvalleyalpacas.com emergofarm.com Bed & Breakfast Devils Den Farm Bed & Breakfast Shearer Hill Road Green Mountain Girls Farm 396 VT Route 110 Wilmington 923 Loop Road Chelsea 464-3253 Northfield 685-4582 800-437-3104 505-1767 devilsdenfarm-bandb.com [email protected] vermontfarm.blogspot.com/ shearerhillfarm.com Four Springs Farm Labour of Love 776 Gee Hill Road Cold Moon Farm 9 Sargent Lane Royalton 251 Pratt Bridge Road Glover 763-7296 Jamaica 525-6695 [email protected] 988-0775 [email protected] fourspringsfarm.com [email protected] coldmoonfarm.com Maple Wind Farm Hollister Hill Farm 1340 Carse Road 2193 Hollister Hill Road Spirit Hill Farm Huntington Marshfield 137 Hale Road 434-7257 454-7725 Brattleboro [email protected] [email protected] 254-6829 [email protected] (If you run a farmstay and are not listed here, e-mail [email protected] and we’ll add you to our online list.) add you e-mail [email protected] and we’ll not listed here, run you a farmstay and are (If maplewindfarm.com/on-the-loose-yurt-rentals/ hollisterhillfarm.com spirithillfarm.com

Summer 2011 local banquet 11 A 10-year Stroll Brattleboro’s Strolling of the Heifers is much more than a parade

Orly Munzing leads off the 2010 parade by Katherine P. Cox

With hundreds of spectators lining Main Street in Brattle- ing farms has meant reaching beyond “the choir” and edu- boro, the groomed and bedazzled heifers are led down the cating everyone about what’s at stake. Her goal is to get peo- center of the street to the cheers of onlookers. Hundreds of ple involved in a way that’s enjoyable, not political—a “kines- cows preen for the delighted crowd, followed by more farm thetic way,” she says. “Make it fun and sexy.” animals (bulls, goats, and horses), tractors (also decorated The original mission, says Martin Langeveld, marketing direc- for the parade) floats, clowns, marching bands, street per- tor, was to save and sustain family farms by raising people’s formers, and all manner of groups touting their various farm awareness through the parade and through exposure to edu- affiliations. cational programs. “This was at a time when the term ‘local- It has happened every June since 2001. But today Strolling vore’ didn’t exist. The whole idea of connecting with where of the Heifers has catapulted beyond being just a parade to your food comes from has taken off these last 10 years. Now offering a weekend-long celebration at the beginning of each the mission is connecting people with healthy local foods and June that includes both the serious (summits and film fes- farmers and producers and what they do.” tivals) and the fun (attempts to break the Guinness Book of A way to foster that connection is to encourage young peo- World Records for the world’s largest smoothie, made from ple to consider farming as a viable career. In 2009, Strolling local yogurt, maple syrup, apples, and apple cider to promote of the Heifers developed the Beginning Farmer Apprentice- Vermont’s dairy, maple syrup, and apple industries). ship program, which placed at-risk youths on farms in Wind- Underlying the frivolity, however, is the earnest mission of the ham County for six weeks during the summer; they continued Strolling of the Heifers organization: to support local farm- it the following summer. The success of that pilot program, ers by connecting people with local foods and with the farm- funded through a grant, led the Windham Regional Career ers who produce that food; to save local farms; to take sus- Center to adopt it this year and to offer it as part of its agricul- tainability mainstream; and to build strong, local communi- tural curriculum. ties. The organization communicates that mission through a “It’s sustainable,” Munzing says of the program, which is her handful of innovative endeavors such as the young farmers’ goal for all projects the organization runs. “We take on a pro- apprenticeship program, a microloan program for farmers, gram, do the PR, invite people in and get them involved, cre- and a loan program for new and small businesses in the food ate partnerships, and move on.” and farm industries. Focusing on issues facing today’s farmers, the organiza- Orly Munzing, executive director of Strolling of the Heifers, tion also established several projects that have an important conceived the idea of the Brattleboro organization 10 years financial impact. Obtaining credit can be a hurdle for small ago to bring attention to dairy farmers and “put Brattleboro farmers; traditional bank loans are not always available to on the map and capture people’s imagination,” she says. “I had them. So the folks at Strolling of the Heifers explored options no idea it was going to be where it is today.” For Munzing, sav-

and established a microloan program. courtesy of the Heifers Photos of Strolling

12 local banquet Summer 2011 “It started with Orly asking farmers, ‘what can we do now?’ ” Langeveld says. Their answer was “we need money.” Money to fix a broken tractor, put a new roof on the barn, and to buy equipment. So the organization gathered bankers, investment brokers, and others “to talk about this need, and we came up with the microloan program,” he continues. “I’m not a banker. I’m not an investor,” Munzing explains. “We’re a small organization.” But an organization that knows how to partner with the right people to make things happen. It turned to Dorothy Suput, founder of the Boston-based Car- rot Project, which helps farmers find financing through alternative resources and provides business and management advice. The Strolling of the Heifers Microloan Fund for New England Farmers raised funds through grants and concerts— Pete Seeger, Guy Davis, John Sebastian, and the Paul Winter Consort have been headliners over the years—and in 2009 awarded its first loans to qualifying farmers. The Carrot Project now administers the fund program for Strolling of the Heifers. More recently, Strolling of the Heifers developed the Farm Food Business Plan Competition for new and small businesses that are in the farm or food sectors. A collaboration with the Brattleboro Development Credit Corp., a nonprofit economic development organization, it was launched this year to provide support to farms that can’t compete for loans against big 2010 Stroll participant businesses. Farms, existing small businesses, and new businesses in the food industry provide executive summaries and festival to its events—films showcasing the importance of business plans, and judges select the finalists for prizes that local farms, foods and producers—and plans to tackle criti- run from $1,000 to $10,000. Winners were scheduled to be cal issues with its Slow Living Summit. The summit will fea- announced during this year’s Strolling of the Heifers annual ture speakers such as environmental activist Bill McKibben; weekend celebration June 3–5. Gary Hirshberg, president of Stonyfield Farms; Josh Viertal, president of Slow Food USA; and Chuck Ross, Vermont sec- This year’s 10th anniversary festival, while ensuring fam- retary of agriculture, among others. They plan to discuss ily fun with the parade, the Ultimate New England Sandwich and exchanged ideas about building healthy local econo- Competition, and the Tour de Heifer bike race, will add a film mies, supporting new businesses, and engaging the public in advancing the “slow living” movement. “People will walk away with ideas and projects and partner with other people,” Munzing said before the event. They’ll be able to discuss projects through the website developed for this conference and take action in their communities.” She continued, “We try to bring energy, education, nutrition, health, investing—the whole picture—into what a community should be. We invited people to come together to define what this new economy should look like—all under one barn.” In bringing various groups together, it gives them a bigger voice, she added. Strolling of the Heifers hopes the conference will generate a change in how people think of their communities and promote further investment in their economies. “It’s all about sus- tainability and social entrepreneurship,” Langeveld says. “Eat- ing local, buying local has become mainstream; a sustainable economy also has to come into the mainstream. The slow metaphor can be applied to all aspects.” Katherine P. Cox is a freelance writer who lives in the Connecticut River Valley town of Westmoreland, N.H. A former writer and editor at The NH Keene Sentinel in Keene, N.H., her work has appeared in Monadnock Table, Here in Hanover, 2010 Stroll participants and Southern Vermont Arts & Living.

Summer 2011 local banquet 13 After the Fire Destruction, adjustment, and renewal at Pete’s Greens by Julia Shipley

grooming his flank. Joining us, a grey cat sashays over a burnt extension cord, and then a third cat, fluffy and black, creeps among chunks of charred wood, nails, and a rusted clamp. These felines seem like keepers of the ruin, and it’s ridiculous, but I wonder if they were white cats up until the night of Jan- uary 11. Their casual acceptance, nonchalance, and adaptation to the facts—it was a barn, and now it isn’t—is similar to Pete’s demeanor, as he admits wryly, “Before it burned it was the cleanest it had ever been. We knew exactly where everything was, so we know exactly what we lost.” And then he says with equanimity, “I wish it’d been the house instead of the barn—a house is more replaceable, less critical—but you don’t get to choose what burns.” Then Pete Johnson—whose business, Pete’s Greens, has grown exponentially over the past decade to the point where the four-season organic farm feeds approximately 1,000 families through its 350-member CSA and its accounts with restau- Pete’s barn, January 12, 2011 rants and stores—leads me over to an assortment of objects arrayed on the lawn, relics from the fire, what I’d classify as Barn’s burnt down…now I can see the moon. –Chinese proverb “evidence that metal doesn’t burn.” Yet the converse is also true: Yes, we can see the moon, but it “It’s not definitive, but this is what we think might have won’t shelter tractors, nor can vegetables be washed, packed, caused it”, Pete continues. Next to the shaft-less rake, and the and stored inside its lovely glow. Oh, the moon is beautiful, handle-less potato fork, there’s a hunk of busted metal. It’s a but what can it do for food and a business after the fire is put three-phase converter. “This looks like it exploded, like it just out? blew apart—but the electric motor sitting right next to it was I. What it was completely intact, which leads us to think, since they were Well, at least for now, there are no parking issues at Pete John- both exposed to the same degree of heat, that the exploding son’s Craftsbury Village Farm. You don’t have to wonder where converter began the fire.” to tuck your car so it’s not obstructing a tractor’s path. You Pete pauses and says, “I don’t dream about it, so that’s a good don’t need to hunt for an unobtrusive parking place, which thing.” But he admits to rechecking certain orange gleams he of course, is exactly where all Pete’s employees have stashed catches out of the corner of his eye, just to be sure. their rigs. Ever since a fire destroyed Pete’s yellow barn, the “It’s a special club,” says Paul gvvvf of High Ledge Farm in heart of his organic vegetable business, sometime during the Woodbury. “It’s a deal changer.” He and his family lost their dark morning hours of January 12, 2011, you can pretty much house, greenhouses, a barn, and other outbuildings on April park anywhere you want. 9, 2009, in a fire caused by a faulty propane tank. With a short- On a recent spring evening, I stand at the former threshold term loan from High Mowing Seeds in Wolcott they were able to the old barn, a renovated dairy barn. It had contained trac- to purchase a truck and a van and continue vegetable farm- tors and field equipment on its upper level, in what was for- ing, but two years later, they are just now breaking ground to merly hay storage. And the lower level, originally designed build a new house. for cows, had housed a washhouse, pack house, and cold Paul says, “As a mental exercise, I like to have a plan, and so I storage. Although 20 dumpsters of burnt remains have been had thought out, were this to happen…” His voice trails off, filled and trucked out between the time of the fire and my and then he says, “It’s not something you can practice for.” visit, and 50 to 70 tons of ruined storage crops have been bur- ied in the field, and although designs for the new vegeta- “The look on Pete’s face when I went to see him 24 hours after ble processing facility have been drawn (and a site selected) his fire…his look was familiar. After the fire’s out, it gets worse and concrete poured (by the time you read this, the new facil- for a long time—much worse.” ity will have four walls and a roof), there’s an un-ignorable II. What it is gaping hole where the huge barn stood. As I examine the Pete realized the day after the fire, “We didn’t have the means barn’s socket-like foundation, a black cat rubs against my leg, to pull out of this on our own.” At the time, all the newly

sits precisely on the charred footing of the barn, and begins Greens courtesyPhoto of Pete’s

14 local banquet Summer 2011 acquired processing equipment, substantial barn renova- tions, and more than $250,000 of stored meat and produce had not been added to the insurance policy. As he said in his CSA e-mail newsletter three days after the fire, “There’s no way to sugarcoat this…we were underinsured.” For more than 40 days following the fire, his 81-year-old neighbor, Greg Williams, arrived on the farm to put in full days with Pete and a crew, plowing through rubble, hauling out burnt equipment, and dredging up ruined food. Pete notes that Greg’s motto is, “it’s just stuff,” but recalls that when Greg came upon the wasted frozen strawberries, he just lost it. Considering the work Pete invested in his business to turn it from a bunch of rented fields and an office/living quarters in a camper-trailer into the Craftsbury Village Farm—one of the most productive organic farms in Vermont—he observes that making sacrifices and scrambling the first couple of years, as The barn at High Ledge Farm being rebuilt well as having key employees, allowed him to back off and not work as hard the last couple of years. He says if this fire contra dance; the Juniper Moon Farm fundraiser; the High- had happened seven years ago, he would have jumped back land Lodge fundraising dinner; and the Three Course Vermont in full bore, but it’s different now; and yet, it’s requiring him to Dinner Benefit at the Blue Moon Café in Stowe. jump back in full bore. Larger events included The Bid for the Barn, an online auc- And a massive portion of Vermont’s organic food consumers tion that generated more than $64,000, and the Hug Your wants to plunge back in with him, at least financially. With a Farmer Benefit Concert at Higher Ground in Burlington, with torrent of fundraising benefits, donations, and people simply performances by 13 musicians, including Jon Fishman and wanting to help, Pete’s Greens has been on the receiving end Page McConnell of Phish. There was even a wool CSA from of staggering examples of support and generosity. Virginia that auctioned off, among other things, a miniature donkey and raised $11,000. As this article went to press, more For Pete, perhaps one of the most touching events was the than $150,000 had been raised to restore operations at Pete’s Community Dinner and Art Sale held in February in the base- Greens, and on April 28, Governor Shumlin, who had stood in the statehouse the morning after the fire and publically pledged to aid Pete’s Greens, announced the business had been approved for a $300,000 low-interest loan. As I’m interviewing Pete over dinner at Clare’s, a man comes to our table and exclaims, “Hey! I wrote you a check—I remember writing it.” After he leaves I ask Pete about being on the receiving end of a fire-hose force of generosity. He attests, “I’m super appreciative, but I’m not used to… [he searches for the words]…it makes me uncomfortable.” And meanwhile there have been other agriculturally cata- strophic events. How does anybody account for the dispro- portionate responses to tragedies such as the fire on May 26, 2010, in North Walden that destroyed a barn and 150 cows, or the fire on April 15, 2011, in Mt. Holly that consumed an historic barn and killed more than 200 animals? Or what about when Paul Betz and his family lost everything, or when Barn collapse at Taylor Farm cheesemaker Jon Wright of Taylor Farm in Londonderry suf- fered a barn collapse on February 6, 2011? What begets this ment of the United Church of Craftsbury. “We felt totally monumental response to Pete’s plight, and not to other farm loved; some of the older people in the community, people I businesses? had never even met before, came.” The way Paul Betz sees it, Pete’s community isn’t just where While the rubble of his barn was still steaming in a grey heap, Pete lives (Craftsbury has a population of roughly 1,200). “He dozens of other fundraisers broke out in surrounding com- has direct relationships with people all over the state.” munities. A partial list includes: the Applecheek Farm dinner; American Flatbread’s fundraiser; the Vegetable Valentine Caitlin Gildrien, outreach coordinator for the Northeast Pete’s Barn Fundraiser at the Craftsbury Outdoor Center; Go Organic Farmers’ Association (NOFA) of Vermont, cites the Green for Pete’s Greens on St. Patrick’s Day at Clare’s Restau- apparent relationship between direct marketing and the size

Photos courtesy of Taylor Farm and Knobb Hill Joinery Farm Inc. Taylor courtesyPhotos of rant in Hardwick; the Vermont College of Fine Arts’ benefit Continued on page 23

Summer 2011 local banquet 15 Micro Milk A South Royalton company envisions a rebirth of Vermont dairy through small-scale pasteurization

by Sylvia Fagin

Local food and slow food frequently mean small food: small Currently, consumers can buy raw (unpasteurized) milk farms, small producers, small quantities. The English language directly from dairy farmers. But not all consumers want to happens to provide a nice term for very small: micro. So it fol- drink raw milk. Customers wanting pasteurized milk from lows that the antidote to a huge, consolidated milk produc- local farms have few choices. Only Strafford Organic Creamery tion system might be a micro dairy. in Strafford, Monument Farms Dairy in Weybridge, Thomas If not exactly an industry term, the phrase “micro dairy” is Dairy in Rutland, and Oak Knoll Dairy in Windsor bottle exclu- being used with increasing regularity. A Google search on it sively Vermont milk for retail sale throughout the state. yielded two producers of small processing equipment and What’s more, small farms wanting to sell pasteurized Vermont several news stories about small farms and their products, milk can’t easily do so. Over the years, the consolidation of from across the country and the world. the milk industry has made small-scale bottling a thing of the And several times in that Google search, Bob-White Systems, past. Bottling equipment is hard to find, tricky to repair, and, a company based in South Royalton, appeared. due to its relative scarcity, often expensive. He may not have coined the term, but Steven Judge, Bob- uuu White’s founder, uses “micro dairy” to refer to a dairy farm In a sunny storefront that was once a video rental store, with six or fewer cows that sells all its products—such as milk, Bob-White Systems (the company is named after the north- yogurt, cheese, and butter—directly from the farm. ern bobwhite quail, a game bird common in the small North American dairy pastures of yesteryear) sells new and used “It’s becoming an industry term,” Judge says. “It wasn’t even a small-scale dairy equipment and cheese making supplies— term 10 years ago. Having only three or four cows was incon- and demonstrates a prototype of the company’s low-impact, ceivable.” Judge should know. He’s been in and out of the small-scale pasteurizer. dairy business for “about 40 years,” and has seen a lot of farms fold in that time. He believes that micro dairy pasteurization Pasteurization, which has been used on commercial milk will help individual farmers regain control of the dairy indus- since the early 1900s, involves heating milk to a certain tem- try after years of consolidation. perature—at least 161°F for fluid milk—long enough to kill potential disease-causing bacteria. Most large-scale and Judge’s vision is this: hundreds of micro dairies throughout commercial pasteurization use a system called “HTST,” which Vermont, each with a handful of cows providing fresh, “gen- stands for high temperature, short time. In HTST systems, milk tly pasteurized” milk directly to neighbors. According to com- enters the pasteurization unit through a tube, is heated to the pany calculations, a four-cow dairy selling milk at $7 per gal- required temperature, and is held in a loop for the necessary lon—a theoretical price based on the going rate for raw time, usually less than 30 seconds. The milk then exits the unit milk—could net almost $21,000 annually. That’s not enough through another tube to another bulk tank. to make a living, Judge concedes, but enough to supplement another income stream from the farm, like a CSA, or an off- Large commercial dairies pasteurize hundreds or thousands the-farm job. Milking four cows, and pasteurizing their milk, of gallons a minute. Monument Farms, which milks 450 cows, takes only an hour or two a day, Judge claims, leaving plenty uses an HTST system to pasteurize 16 gallons a minute; the of time for other endeavors. HTST system at Strafford Organic Creamery, which milks around 50 cows, uses an Israeli-designed system that pasteur- The key to this vision is Bob-White’s low-impact, small-scale izes slightly more than two gallons a minute. Bob-White’s sys- pasteurizer designed specifically for micro dairies. Although tem could pasteurize one gallon per minute. the company has yet to sell a single one—their system hasn’t met all the conditions necessary for state approval—Bob- HTST pasteurization differs from vat pasteurization, which is White staff are hard at work promoting the benefits that the small-scale system most commonly used by small cheese- small-scale pasteurization could bring to Vermont agriculture. makers. In vat pasteurization, the milk is poured into the tank,

16 local banquet Summer 2011 heated, and held at the required temperature for the required time, usually 10–15 minutes for milk, longer for butter, cheese, and yogurt. Vat pasteurization is a longer process and is “harsher on the milk,” according to Judge—thus the Bob- White claim that their system is “low impact” and retains the milk’s delicate, farm-fresh flavor. Rather than shrink an existing HTST system, Bob-White chose to take the essential HTST concepts and apply them to a small, farmstead-scale machine. Consequently, current pasteurization regulations, written for large commercial equipment, don’t apply to its system. Bob-White engineers met with the FDA about their prototype and are incorporating the FDA’s feedback into their design process. Once the redesign is complete, the company will seek approval from the Vermont Agency of Agriculture for the unit. The unit isn’t designed for milk that’s going to cross state lines, Judge says, so the company will seek approval from individual states, rather than try to comply with the federal pasteurized milk ordinance (PMO). Judge hopes the unit will be ready for state inspection in late summer. But are there farms interested in selling bottled pasteurized milk? Judge gets calls from small farmers across the nation interested in doing just that. Bob-White’s modeling theorizes that Vermont could support roughly 1,000 micro dairies each bottling about 20 gallons a day—enough to provide milk to approximately 60 families—although the market for farm- Bob-White’s low-impact, small-scale pasteurizer bottled, pasteurized milk is mostly untested. “The vat is designed so you can do 45 gallons or 4 gallons,” One small Vermont farm currently bottling milk on the micro Margaret explained. In addition to yogurt, the Oshas will likely scale is Farm and Wilderness in Plymouth. Chantal Deojay also pasteurize milk for soft cheeses. “We like the versatility,” milks three cows and uses a 35-gallon vat pasteurizer to pas- she added. “You never know when we’re going to have the teurize milk four times a week. She sells the non-homoge- next idea.” nized milk for about $7/gallon at the Rutland and Shrewsbury The Oshas purchased their small vat pasteurizer from Micro- co-ops and the Woodstock Farmers’ Market store. Dairy Designs in Maryland for $20,000. The unit includes a Her small-scale equipment—which fills only one bottle at a chiller and a filler/bottler unit, and if they so chose, the Oshas time—wasn’t cheap, Deojay concedes; she estimates that she could adapt it to bottle fluid milk and cream as well as yogurt, paid or so $30,000 for all the components. But the milk sells although they aren’t currently planning to do so. well. “People love it,” she says. The Bob-White system, which Judge anticipates will retail for It’s hard to know if Judge’s vision of 1,000 such micro dairies approximately $25,000, is equally versatile, able to process producing fluid milk could become reality. Diane Bothfeld, any amount of milk. Bob-White is also working on developing Vermont’s deputy secretary of agriculture, notes that “Ver- a filler/bottler to use with the pasteurizer, so that farmers can mont already produces more milk than it can drink,” shipping meet federal Grade A dairy regulations. Grade A dairy prod- most of what’s produced here out of state. Even so, “small ucts, which include fluid milk and yogurt, can’t be touched dairy is really booming” in Vermont, according to Dan Scru- by human hands. Thus, any farmer wanting to sell Grade A ton, dairy and energy Chief of the Division of Food Safety dairy products across state lines must also purchase a filler, a and Consumer Protection at the Agency of Agriculture. He machine that fills and seals the container. notes that a number of licenses are pending for small-dairy Judge thinks that doesn’t make sense. He’d like to see small- producers. scale milk processors avoid the need to purchase expensive uuu automated fillers; efficient, small-scale fillers can cost as much Judge also sees potential customers for his small-scale pas- as $20,000, he estimates. So he’s been talking with the Ver- teurizer among Vermont’s small-scale producers of cheese, mont House and Senate agriculture committees, exploring butter, and yogurt. Turkey Hill Farm in Randolph Center is one the feasibility of regulating small dairy farms less like huge of those small-scale producers. Owners Stuart and Margaret milk producers and more like delis and restaurants. “In a com- Osha sell raw milk directly from their farm and will continue mercial kitchen, you’re allowed to have raw food and cooked to do so, but they recently purchased a 45-gallon vat pasteur- food in the same place,” he notes. “You’re allowed to fill con- ization system in order to make yogurt from the milk of their tainers by hand if you’re wearing gloves and a hairnet.

Photos courtesy Systems Photos of Bob-White five cows. Continued on page 31

Summer 2011 local banquet 17 by Jesse North

Here in the kitchen of Pete Colman’s barn-apartment in Plain- these products aren’t easy to make, as anyone who’s dab- field, a small banner on the wall bears the magnanimous face bled at aging a roll of pancetta or a batch of saucisson sec in of the Italian priest and saint Padre Pio, with the words “Don’t their appropriately humid basement can tell you. Tempera- worry, soon you will be cured.” In the context of this home— ture, humidity, pH, and mold growth, like the bloom on a soft just steps away from a sparkling new meat-curing shop that cheese, require regular monitoring. Second, it is conventional shares the same barn—it’s hard to know just who the saint is wisdom that food-related startups are more than usually vul- addressing: the cook who lives there or…the pig. nerable to failure in their early days—business expertise is Maybe both. “Prosciutto is going to cure us,” Colman declares, required. And third, in the case of cured meats, navigating the unable to pass up the pun. Prosciutto is, of course, itself regulatory landscape is time-, space-, capital-, and patience- cured—that is, it’s one of the dry-cured and aged products intensive. that make up a certain category of processed meats known in Colman has the background to get into the business. When French as charcuterie or in Italian as salumi. he speaks he sounds like a lot of other 29-year-old Vermont But anyone in Vermont with a hankering for charcuterie is guys, but there’s a certain fastidiousness to his appearance buying a product with a lot of miles on it—the best stuff, of that suggests a distinctly Italian sensibility that goes beyond course, comes from Italy. Here, charcuterie has yet to make the striped flag on the arm of his ITALIA t-shirt. He grew up a big appearance aside from the bacon, wet-cured hams, in Montpelier and, later, on his family’s Cate Farm in Plain- and maple breakfast sausage New Englanders have come to field but returned each summer to visit family in Umbria, Italy, adore. But the dearth of dry-cured charcuterie appears to be where he had lived until he was 4 years old. ending. Just as Vermont has become a powerhouse in the It was on one such trip five years ago that Colman had his Pro- cheese world during the past couple of decades, so too are sciutto Revelation: “Why am I eating this here and why am I we developing a real taste for the powerful flavors, melting not eating this in Vermont?” he recalls asking himself. That is textures, and funky undertones of these other gems of con- the question that spurred a young world traveler to don “a trolled decay. white frock and work in a 50-degree room under neon lights” Colman is one of the enterprising producers poised to lead to learn nose-to-tail pork processing alongside blue-collar the way. His business, Vermont Salumi, currently offers a Italian butchers; to drink coffee and to chiachierrare with mar- selection of fresh sausages made from locally sourced meats, ket shoppers at a butcher’s stand; and to “jump into the Fiat available at the Montpelier and Burlington farmers’ markets at six in the morning with Mario and Francesco,” crossing the and from his stand at Cate Farm in Plainfield, where his busi- Umbrian countryside to slaughter and process hogs on pri- ness is based. His line, from liver-sausage ravioli to cocktail vate farms. There, prosciutto hams were laid on plain wooden wieners, is also available for tasting at Montpelier’s new res- boards, a finger run through their heavy covering of salt in the taurant Salt. Colman plans to introduce a dry-cured salami pattern of a cross, and “that’s science,” he says. this summer, with other delicacies—including prosciutto, nat- This is all to say that Colman comes to the meat curing with a urally—to follow as his business grows. certain kind of experience that is unusual for a Vermont meat Going into the business of dry-curing meats, or even add- processor. The cultural schism and the dearth of expert pro- ing these small treasures to a restaurant menu, is uniquely ducers, perhaps even more than the regulatory labyrinth, has challenging because it requires a trifecta of expertise. First, played a key role in keeping prosciutto and rillettes off the

localvore’s shopping list. Wall courtesyPhotos of Rose

18 local banquet Summer 2011 “Educating myself is very time consuming,” says one chef who chose to remain anonymous for this story because they Some Commonly Found Cured Meats are still navigating the regulatory landscape. As producers Because of their saltiness and powerful flavor, the dry-cured and chefs learn the craft of meat curing, though, the public meats are usually served sliced very thin. They are safe to eat response is turning out to be overwhelmingly positive. “Peo- as is, without further cooking. ple are really looking for something different,” says the chef with whom I spoke. Bacon ~ A lightly brine-cured, smoked pork belly available in a slab or sliced, and cooked before eating. By using advanced curing techniques, Vermont chefs are also making the most of the exceptional but expensive local Canadian bacon ~ A lightly brine-cured, smoked, and meats that farmers raise, while offering their customers a fully cooked eye of pork loin. product that’s truly worth the premium price. As the chef told Chorizo ~ A dry, highly spiced sausage of Spanish origin, me, “Charcuterie encompasses so many of the things we’re often smoked. already doing: working with local flavors, giving people a Coppa ~ An aged, salt-cured whole muscle taken from taste of the place where we are, like with cheese.” the pork shoulder. But if the lengthy curing process naturally teaches patience, Guanciale ~ An unsmoked pork jowl, cured with salt and governmental red tape provides the test, because the cured aged. meat entrepreneur has the added burden of designing a facility and earning the blessing of regulators. The uncooked but Lardo ~ A lightly spiced salt-cured slab of pork fat, taken ready-to-eat nature of dry-cured charcuterie is inherently from the belly or sides. risky in the eyes of a food-safety specialist, who is accustomed Lonzo ~ The whole pork loin, cured with salt and aged. to relying on full cooking, pasteurization, or chemical pres- Pancetta ~ A rolled, unsmoked Italian bacon, often ervation to minimize the growth of pathogenic bacteria that lightly spiced, cured with salt, and aged. Usually cooked can make people sick. The cured meat products we are famil- before eating. iar with here in Vermont—wet-cured hams, summer sausage, and bacon—generally come to the consumer fully cooked or Prosciutto ~ An unsmoked Italian pressed ham, cured in need of cooking. Dry-cured items go through a different with salt and aged. process that makes them safe to eat without cooking, yet Ver- Salami ~ A dry, usually unsmoked sausage, often mont’s regulators are new to monitoring many of the prod- strongly spiced. Salami are made in many variations in ucts that are cured in this way. flavor, shape, and size. The first step toward regulatory compliance is to design a Saucisson sec ~ A dry, unsmoked sausage of French facility that meets basic sanitation standards, which vary origin. based on the nature of the business—many of which are sta- tus quo for an inspected restaurant kitchen. Picture gleam- ing stainless steel tables, slick white walls, and meticulously labeled containers. But for meat curing, there’s an important additional step. The holy grail of commercial and some retail food-safety regulation is the Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points (HACCP) plan. This plan is an objective tool for assuring that the producer is, in Colman’s words, “reining in the chaos” in a way that is reliable, replicable, and backed by a solid foundation in food science and grounded in documentation of con- trollable variables like temperature, pH, and humidity at key steps in the process. What this translates to in practice is a daily routine of monitoring those variables and documenting that everything is within the safe range. Add to your picture a bunch of checklists. Putting together an HACCP plan for each product and building an inspection-ready facility can be a harrowing journey for a small-scale food entrepreneur. The job of inspectors and regulators is to periodically monitor the process but also to guide producers down the path to successfully getting off the ground and growing their business. However the intense process keeps some prospective meat–curers working on the sly, or stops them in their tracks.

Continued on page 21 Pete Colman with Mexican-style chorizo

Summer 2011 local banquet 19 LOCAL BANQUET AD.QXD 5/3/2011 12:16 PM Page 1

 Supporting local farmers for      

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 F

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20 local banquet Summer 2011 CHARCUTERIE Continued from page 19 and proven. Then his agency approves the plans or works Or for some, it catches them by surprise. Healthy Living Natu- with the business to revise it until an acceptable plan is cre- ral Foods Market in South Burlington is home to the fine meat ated. As interest in dry-cured meats has grown in the last year counter of butcher Frank Pace. For a time he was rounding or so, Quenneville and his peers are looking outside Vermont out his selections with some house-cured meats. They looked for examples of regulatory structures that work for producers lovely hanging above his head behind the meat counter, and and satisfy health concerns. his customers’ demand for saucisson sec and salami amounted Elisabeth Wirsing, Food and Lodging Program Chief at the Ver- to about 100 lbs. a month of cured sausage sales. mont Department of Health, describes the process for restau- “It was amazing,” Pace recalls. “People loved it.” With one rants that want to add what they call “specialized processing important exception: the health inspector. Pace’s cured prod- methods” to their repertoire as “somewhat informal.” She asks ucts ended up in a pile out back, covered with bleach to ren- chefs to propose a processing plan—similar to HACCP—that der them unsellable and inedible, because he was creat- will “document and demonstrate that the process will prohibit ing these products without the proper facilities and with no the pathogens we’re concerned about.” This plan must be HACCP plan. There’s no record of Pace’s cured meats making approved by a third party, such as a food safety expert at the anyone sick, but neither was there a system in place to docu- University of Vermont or a qualified consultant, and submit- ment their safety, besides his expertise and good judgment. ted with a letter requesting a “variance” from the usual food As a result, Healthy Living has abandoned the house-cured safety guidelines. meat business. “This is an evolving process; we’re trying not to make it “The infrastructure is just too much,” says Pace. But he doesn’t incredibly laborsome for folks,” Wirsing says. “We know the rule it out of his future. “If I had the money I’d do it myself sanitarian isn’t the first one you call.” Apparently not—there wholeheartedly,” he says. are currently no variances on file with her office. This leaves chefs and restaurant owners without a tested precedent to But the regulatory learning curve is mutual; while producers follow, but the opportunity to write their own rules and docu- are navigating existing rules, regulators are endeavoring to ment their safety if they step into the spotlight. understand products and processes that are new to them and deciding how to regulate them appropriately. That is to say, And the spotlight may be just the place to be. With Vermont’s they want to know what you’re doing and how you’re doing cheese industry as a model, and inspired by the success of it, but more important, they want to be sure you know what more traditional local meat curers such as Vermont Smoke you’re doing and that you can prove to them its safety. and Cure and Dakin Farm, makers of dry-cured meats could become a mainstay of Vermont gastronomy. Pete Colman, for “I’m not a curing expert, I’m a regulator,” says Randy Quenne- one, is optimistic. “Ten years from now,” he says, “it’s gonna be ville, Section Chief of Meat Inspection at the Vermont Agency on every shelf.” of Agriculture, which regulates all retail and commercial meat processing that happens outside a restaurant setting. He Jesse North lives in Goshen, where she wishes relies on producers to write their own HACCP plans and, ulti- she had a more humid basement. mately, to document that the processes they propose are safe

Visit Our Farmstand 80 VARIETIES OF APPLES

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Summer 2011 local banquet 21 Coming Soon The Sumner House

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22 local banquet Summer 2011 AFTER THE FIRE Continued from page 15 of a response. She writes, “Pete has a huge CSA, and a farmers’ market and self- branded wholesale presence in Vermont. I think a lot has to do with the range of people who see themselves as connected to the farm—the size of the community from which the farmer can draw their support. For a dairy shipping milk, it seems that community is limited really to the people who personally know the farmer, whereas a direct-marketing farmer clearly has a much wider pool of people who feel invested in their farm.” Betz takes the idea a step further, reflecting on the fact that dairy farming is a system that mandates that “you put your product into a bulk tank [and in doing so] you become anonymous.” He wishes there was a human face on a carton of milk—instead of people thinking it’s a commodity on a shelf—so that when people went to buy milk they would feel there was a person and a story behind it. Then those consumers would be more likely to personally respond to a cata- strophic farm event, such as a fire. “That’s a shortcoming of the dairy industry, an unfortunate reality, and it sucks…” III. What it will be Pete’s discomfort with the mounting total of donations, and a desire to pay it back, helped him conceive of the Vermont Farm Fund. The new fund, estab- MORE THAN JUST WILD LEEKS lished with Center for an Agricultural Economy in Hardwick, will repay the donations “forward,” once Pete’s Greens becomes profitable again, toward emergency farm relief, small farm loan funds, and farm-to-school initiatives. It SUNDAYS 10AM - 2PM will act like a battery, Pete says, and eventually channel the good directed his JUNE 12 - OCTOBER 9 way toward other farmers in dire circumstances. CHAMPLAIN MILL GREEN On the drive back from dinner, I ask if he feels stronger. He misunderstands. “You mean because of driving this truck?” No, I clarify, “You’ve literally, ‘been FACEBOOK.COM/WINOOSKIFARMERSMARKET through the fire.’” “I don’t think I’m stronger.” In the dark cab, there’s a kind of relaxation of our roles, interviewer (writer), interviewee (farmer), and we resume being two neighbors who met before Pete bought a farm with a big yellow barn. He con- fesses, “Either I don’t deal with adversity and I’m shallow, or I deal with it really well.” While acknowledging his wish that this hadn’t happened (my barn burned down), he also welcomes the awesome opportunity the fire brought (now I can see the moon). The new facility under construction is based on a building belonging to Dutch farmer Gerjan Snippe of Bio Brass, a producer of organic cabbages and other brassica crops sold throughout Europe. Snippe’s operation had survived a fire, and the “anal” attention to detail and precision of the large operation also appealed to Pete’s sensibilities and needs. And although Pete concedes, “We’ve worked all weekend, four weekends in a row; I’m tired,” beyond his burned down barn you can see the new facility taking shape, near where the five greenhouses gleam. Saturdays 9-2 Parked close to the charred three-way converter, there’s a tractor with fresh soil Rte 9, Western Avenue clinging to its tines. May – October What about the gaping space where the huge barn stood—what will it be? Wednesdays 10-2 Pete grins. “We’re thinking maybe an ice rink, a racquet ball court, something Downtown by Merchants Bank for the community.” June – October Julia Shipley can easily see the moon over Pete’s vegetable fields. She writes, grows food and hosts guests at The Writer’s Retreat, a farmhouse studio rental in Craftsbury. A Vermont 802-254-8885...... Arts Council 2010–11 Creation Grant recipient, she’s completing a book of stories and Live Music Saturdays EBT & Debit essays about small-scale farming. Her chapter about the agricultural legacy of brattleborofarmersmarket.com Sterling College’s farm is forthcoming in Fields of Learning, published by University Press of Kentucky.

Summer 2011 local banquet 23 seeds for change

Farming in a Changing Climate by Vern Grubinger Extension professor, University of Vermont

Seems like the weather’s been extreme in recent years: heat clr-cc.php.) For example, it’s likely that cool season crops waves, ice storms, and floods. How is this related to climate won’t do as well in areas that warm up significantly, but farm- change? The answer is, indirectly. Weather events are not a ers who grow potatoes or crucifers can fairly easily switch to good tool for assessing the climate, since climate is made up varieties that are more heat tolerant, or change the types of of weather patterns over many decades. There are ups and annual crops they grow. Maintaining the comfort of heat-sen- downs within seasons, but the trends over time are what sitive livestock such as dairy cows is also feasible with prac- counts. They include both temperature and precipitation pat- tices such as improved barn design to promote ventilation, or terns, and these affect environmental conditions, which in misting systems to provide evaporative cooling. Other prob- turn affect plants, animals, and ecosystems. lems will be harder to cope with, such as the gradual decline Research conducted by the University of New Hampshire of perennial crop species, or the greater aggressiveness of makes it pretty clear that the climate in our region is chang- weeds. ing. Scientists analyzed data collected by hundreds of Rising CO2 levels may promote photosynthesis and thus the weather stations and found that the Northeast’s average growth of crops, but the weeds in those crops may grow even annual temperature increased by 1.8 degrees F. from 1899– better. Some fast-growing weeds are especially well adapted 2000. Winters in particular have gotten warmer, with the aver- to utilizing extra CO2 because their photosynthetic system age temperature from December through February warming differs from most crops. Certain perennial weeds such as this- by 2.8 degrees. tles and quackgrass that can store extra energy underground It may not sound like a lot, but these changes have had sig- may become harder to control. Integrated weed manage- nificant effects on the environment, and therefore on farm- ment systems that combine tactics such as crop rotation, ing. For example, the Northeast frost-free growing season is 8 cover crops, cultivation, no-till production, and mulching will days longer than it was 100 years ago; the number of extreme become more important in the future. precipitation events (more than 2 inches of rain in 48 hours) has increased from about 3 to 5 per year; there were, on aver- www.leahwittenberg.com age, 16 fewer days with snow on the ground in 2001 than in Leah Wittenberg 1970; apple and grape bloom dates were about 2 days earlier per decade from 1965 through 2001; and maple sugaring begins 8 days earlier and ends 11 days earlier than it did 40 years ago. In Vermont, climate change impacts are diverse, and will have some positive as well as negative effects on farming. For example, a longer growing season can help the production of annual crops; in recent years we’ve seen mild autumns that allowed pumpkin and squash growers to get higher yields, and let fall raspberry growers harvest fruit that would other- wise be lost to earlier frost. But there are serious downsides to our changing climate, too. Studies suggest that warmer winters could reduce apple fruit yields, and sugar maples in our area are likely to decline in health as the climate warms. The dairy industry will also face challenges, especially from an increase in summer temperatures, since milk production drops off when cows are exposed to hot, humid weather. Farmers will be able to cope with some climate changes more easily than to others. This will depend on what they produce, where they’re located, and the extent of the change. (For a series of fact sheets about climate change impacts on agriculture in the Northeast, see www.climateandfarming.org/

24 local banquet Summer 2011 Climate change will also alter pest populations, although With the support of consumers, Vermont farmers can also exactly how is not clear. It‘s likely that new pests will arrive use the marketplace to combat climate change. Growing the and some existing pests will become more abundant, while demand for local food products can improve the efficiency of others decline. For example, insect pests of crops that travel food distribution and thereby reduce the energy consumed here on storm fronts from southern areas, such as leafhop- by storage and transportation. And eating fresh foods pur- pers, corn earworm, and armyworms, could become more chased from local farms can avoid the need for packaging and abundant as summer storm frequency increases. Other pests refrigeration, further reducing fossil fuel use and GHG emis- that overwinter here, such as the European corn borer, flea sions. Of course, this assumes that local food is aggregated at beetle, and tarnished plant bug could become more abun- roadside stands, farmers’ markets, food co-ops, cafeterias, and dant if milder winters encourage their survival, although the like. Driving from place to place to purchase small quanti- reduced snow cover might lower overwintering populations. ties of local food is not efficient. Changes in rainfall patterns will affect crop diseases, since Although the effects of climate change are daunting and most of them require moisture to proliferate. The likelihood somewhat uncertain, it makes sense to take steps to pro- of changes in pest pressure, plus the uncertainty about it, will tect our agricultural landscape for generations to come. make frequent monitoring for pests an even more important These steps include planning ahead to prepare for likely activity on farms than it already is now. Farmers will want to changes while working to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. avoid being taken by surprise. Many farmers are already taking the initiative in these areas Greater variability in precipitation patterns will have a big by adopting innovative on-farm practices. Consumers can impact on agriculture, too. Farmers will need to take steps to take action by continuing to buy local food, adding climate deal with more intense rainfall events in order to avoid soil change to the list of reasons for doing so. erosion. This could include putting in drainage systems or Vern Grubinger is the vegetable and berry specialist for University of establishing strips of permanent sod in or around fields. Deal- Vermont Extension and the coordinator of the Northeast Sustainable ing with longer periods of drought will call for more invest- Agriculture Research and Education program of the USDA. For a list ment in irrigation and water storage. of sources used in this article, go to www.localbanquet.com. Besides planning to adapt to climate change, farmers can help mitigate the problem by reducing their greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Although agriculture generates only a small part of the nation’s GHG output—about six percent of the AIM MOUNTAIN F 2009 total—Vermont farmers, like everyone else, should do PHR ARM what they can to address the problem. The good news is that E many agricultural actions that reduce GHG emissions can also enhance farm profitability. For example, renewable energy systems can reduce fossil fuel use and CO2 emissions while lowering energy costs. LOCAL-FARM FRESH • ALL NATURAL • NO ANTIBIOTICS • HUMANELY TREATED In order to understand how farmers can help mitigate climate change, one needs to understand something about the Poultry Esta’s Eggs Beef Pork Pasture-Raised Cage Free 100% Grass Fed Humanely Raised greenhouse gases involved. While much of the focus on GHG reduction is on CO2, nitrous oxide (N2O) and methane (CH4) www.ephraimmountainfarm.com (802) 885–8798 are other gases that contribute to climate change. Although they are generated in smaller amounts by human activity than CO2, they are far more potent in terms of their warm- Chai-Wallah’s ing effect. And compared to most other industries, agricul- Authentic real ture produces proportionally more N2O and CH4 than car- Organic Fair Trade bon dioxide. (In general, methane from agriculture is released chai by livestock and manure, while nitrous oxide is released 802–257–4435 www.chai-wallah.com when excess nitrogen fertilizer is applied under certain soil conditions.) Given the information above, there are a several key steps that farmers can take to reduce GHG emissions, including using nitrogen fertilizer more efficiently; improving manure management; taking CO2 from the atmosphere and seques- tering it in plant biomass and soils; increasing the efficiency of farm inputs such as fuel, fertilizers, and pesticides; increasing production of biological-based energy to replace fossil energy; switching to non-carbon energy sources such as wind and solar; and using energy-efficient equipment for heating, cooling, and tillage.

Summer 2011 local banquet 25 Pfister Farm

wagon & Buy one item and receive 25% off sleigh rides a second item of equal or less value. *Cannot be combined with other discounts or coupons except for our “Quote Board” discount. Offer expires December 31, 2011 Call for 136 Main Street, Ludlow VT 05149 • 802–228–3238 reservations [email protected] • thebooknookvt.com www.karlpfistersleigh.com 802-824-4663

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26 local banquet Summer 2011 MUSHROOMS Continued from page 9 mycelium mixed in, in the right proportion. Mushroom patches can be layered over garden beds with holes for plants to achieve a companion-planting scenario. 1. First clear your chosen site of existing debris, which may be hosting other fungi. Let’s imagine it’s a 3 x 6 foot space. 2. Lay cardboard over the site and cover with moist sawdust or wood chips that are 1 to 2 inches thick. 3. Spread an approximately 2-quart bag of sawdust spawn. 4. Lay bits of ripped cardboard randomly, with the corrugation facing the sawdust spawn. (The corrugation is easily exposed if the cardboard is soaked and pulled apart.) A Few Backyard Favorites 5. More sawdust or wood chips ½ to 2 inches thick. Get a positive identification on a mushroom before you 6. More cardboard—with a goal of 80–90 percent coverage. eat or propagate it, please! As the old adage goes, “There are old mushroom hunters, and there are bold mush- 7. More sawdust/wood chips—total coverage if possible. room hunters, but there are no old, bold mushroom 8. Add water. hunters.” Log culture Oyster, Pleaurotus ostreatus This is the best method for beginners and is best done with a Usually a white or cream-colored fan with gills that run group of people, or at a workshop. from under the cap, down the stem, generally clustered. 1. Find logs 4 to 8 inches in diameter that the desired mush- Reduces cholesterol, inhibits tumors. room is known to grow on, and cut them to the desired Elm oyster, Hypsizygus ulmarius length—1 to 2 feet, or longer for stacking. Grows to look like an oyster mushroom, often quite large 2. Check the ends of the log for white clouds to be sure the and rare in the wild. Usually grows singly, sometimes with logs are not colonized by another mycelium yet. one or two others. 3. Drill holes across the surface at roughly 5-inch spacing. I King Stropharia, Stropharia rugoso annulata recommend drilling the holes deeper than the length of the Often large, up to five pounds, brown-burgundy colored dowels—this will give the mycelium a little “cave” to colonize. caps with brown gills and a white stem. Rhizomor- A 5/16 inch bit should be what you need. phic and able to thrive in microbially rich conditions— 4. Insert inoculated dowels (a mallet is useful) and seal with well adapted to disturbance and grasses. Active against wax. Optionally, log ends may be sealed with wax as well. The coliforms. wax will keep moisture in, prevent other fungi from coloniz- Shiitake, Lentinula edodes ing, and keep bugs from eating the mycelium. Nutritious and prized medicinal mushroom—anti-tumor, 5. Place logs in a moist location with dappled shade. Prop- antiviral, immune system stimulant. Brown cap with ping them on a pallet or rock may prevent competition from white gills and white/creamy stem, bruises brown. soil microbes—especially for shiitake. If you have inoculated a log in the winter, keep it in a warm place inside so that the mycelium will continue to colonize the log, and then place it age you to research what they like to grow on, to collect local outside in the spring. It is very important that the log remain cultures, and then to grow them in your home landscape. moist for 8 to 12 weeks so that the mycelium can colonize it; Maitake, reishi, oyster, morel, and pheasantback mushrooms the most common reason for failure is the log becoming too grow in Vermont forests. dry. Maintaining a balanced moisture environment for the log is important. If a log becomes too waterlogged, the fungi may When you harvest a mushroom, pull the stem butt along with also fail. I suggest placing it in a loosely open plastic bag near it—this is the base of the mushroom stem where it connects your shower, or spraying it frequently. to the mycelium. Cover the harvested area with fresh mulch to protect and feed the mycelial network. Cut the butt from 6. Wait 6 months to 2 years, depending on the variety of the mushroom body and place it in a bag with some moist mushroom and type of wood used for fruit. You will see white sawdust or mulch to keep it from drying out. You should be clouds on the log ends when they are colonized. Soaking logs able to see the mycelium at the base of the stem butt, which in water for 24 hours may induce fruiting. can be used to inoculate substrates elsewhere. Collecting Local Cultures Alissa White is a potter and orchardist living in Huntington. She If you know how to identify wild mushrooms and you feel works at Arcana Gardens and Greenhouses and at Burlington City comfortable with the basic methods I’ve described, I encour- Arts. She also teaches workshops for Burlington Permaculture and the Flashbulb Institute for Urban Technology.

Summer 2011 local banquet 27 beadniks 115 Main Street Brattleboro, Vermont 05301 802-257-5114 Vermont’s Premier Bead Store & A Whole Lot More www.beadniksvt.com

Featuring Award Winning Farmstead Gouda

The farm stand is open 7 days a week Taylor Farms’ products are also available at the West River Farmers’ Market in Londonderry or online all the time

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28 local banquet Summer 2011 farmers’ kitchen 29

local banquet banquet local with Green Beanswith Green Pesto Potato Salad Potato Pesto Bon Appétit, July 2004 cup chopped green onions cup chopped green 4 / 4 Tbs. white balsamic vinegar white Tbs. 4 until water of boiling salted pot in large potatoes Cook lon- 4 minutes beans; cook Add 10 minutes. just tender, and bowl large to vegetables Transfer well. Drain ger. tossing onions, Mix and green in pesto 10 minutes. cool be made 2 hours ahead. (Can completely. Cool coat. to Just before temperature.) room let stand at Cover; and with salt serving, taste mix in vinegar and season to pepper. Makes 10 servings. From From halved potatoes, 4 pounds 1-inch-diameter yellow Dutch pieces 1-inch cut into Gold potatoes (Yukon lengthwise can be substituted) 1-inch pieces cut into trimmed, beans, 1 pound green pesto organic 1 cup Bella Farm 1 Summer 2011 Summer 2011 a value-added product means that we have have we means that product and a value-added

pesto at the Burlington Farmers’ Market in City Hall Park, City City Park, Hall in City Market Farmers’ Burlington the at pesto For more information on Bella Farm, or to find more recipes, visit visit recipes, more find to or Bella on Farm, information more For . You can find their their can find . You [email protected] e-mail or bellapesto.com

Market in Burlington and Hunger Mountain Co-op in Montpelier. Co-op Mountain and Hunger in Burlington Market

a great deal of flexibility in our business: the basil that looks looks in our business: the basil that deal of flexibility a great to goes while the rest market, the farmers’ to goes perfect the number the same time, the greater At kitchen. the pesto the basil, picking to (growing commit we steps of production sale), the it until it, and storing it, processing it, washing it’s I believe reason, that on. For risk our business takes more from sell, ranging to of products a diversity have to important added. value whole to we do it why exactly remember we work, but exhausting It’s just tastes pesto exclaim, “Your we hear someone time every on a twist salad is a great potato summer!” This pesto like it! you enjoy We hope summertime dish. favorite Pesto is summer. It is the bright flavor of fresh basil, the bite basil, the bite of fresh flavor It is the bright is summer. Pesto pesto oil. Tasting of olive and the smoothness garlic, of raw and sunlight warmth of sensations bring the visceral can my Bella Farm, At of winter. days in the darkest us, even to well as seven of basil, as varieties eight and I grow small crew the We process culinary herbs. garlic and many of varieties pesto, nut-free dairy-and signature our into basil and garlic Pesto. Organic Bella Farm called Kelli friend of my brainchild the was pesto make The idea to in Vermont farms vegetable on many She had worked Brooks. farms with vegetable I had a history in California. and a few dairy with value-added worked recently but had most as well, cheese and keifer goat (organic Does’ Leap Farm like producers Farm (organic and Butterworks County) in Franklin makers and I While Kelli Kingdom). in the Northeast makers yogurt finding the that believed we vegetables, growing both loved and a new help us create would product value-added right in 2009, and together Farm Bella started We farm. exciting still the she is in the field with me, works no longer while Kelli maker. pesto chief of organic acres We lease three small operation. a very are We greenhouse and share in Burlington Intervale the at farmland at Working there. other farms with 14 space and equipment be a part of an us to made it possible for has the Intervale farmers. and innovative of experienced amazing community considerably. costs our start-up It has also helped us reduce the from will graduate we is established, Once our farm to Monkton. the operation and move Intervale forth between find us running back and The summer months so up the freezer stocking and the field, kitchen the processing Selling a the year. throughout available our pesto make can we whole product by by Rachel Schattman Bella Farm

Bella Basil Photo courtesy of Bella Farm Bella of courtesy Photo ThePutneyFarmers’ ThePutneyMarket Farmers’ Market SundaysSundays,, 11-2 11–2 • May 8th thru October 9th May thruAcross October from the co-op on Carol Brown Way Across from the co-op on Carol Brown Way Now accepting Debit and EBT cards ﬁnd out all you need to know onfind our website: us on facebook · putneyfarmersmarket.org putneyfarmersmarket.orgThese businesses proudly support the Putney Farmers’ Market

Seth Knopp artistic director Putney, VT On the Tavern Green in Putney Breakfast 7:00—11:00 Celebrating 42 years of Lunch 11:00—3:00 extraordinary chamber music Sunday Brunch 10:00—2:00 Closed Mondays 2011 summer season jun 17 – aug 6 Special Events • Parties Catered 387-2200 802.387.6637 | www.yellowbarn.org

Vermont’s Local Banquet WHappy 3.5” x H 2” Birthday to US! We’re celebrating our 70th Year serving the farmers and shoppers of Putney. Help us reach our anniversary goal of JD McCliment’s Pub 1,000 members-- And stay tuned for our 1-91 Exit 4 - Open 7 Days birthday bash at the 802-387-5866 Rt.5 Putney, VT 05346 Email … [email protected] end of this summer! www.putneyfood.coop www.jdmcclimentspub.com phone … 802-387-4499 Frequent

SWEET TREE FARM shopper? Your Local Source for 100% Grass Fed Beef born and raised on our chemical-free pastures Help save the world from proliferating Retail Store Hours: Tuesday & Thursday 5:00 p.m. – 7:00 p.m. grocery bags! Consider an all-natural, Saturday 10:30 – 12:30 handcrafted shopping basket from 1656 U.S. Route 5 • East Dummerston • 802-254-4634 Basketville. We offer looks for just about every fashion taste: Nantucket Supporting people and their communities shoppers, traditional ash-splint styles and PEOPLE’S UNITED BANK exotic Fair Trade African is proud to support the shoppers in stunning tribal colors. Unlike paper Putney Farmers’ Market or plastic bags, no two baskets are alike! 58 Main St., Putney 387-5505 Rte 5 oﬀ exit 4 oﬀ I-91, Putney, Vermont • Open 7 days peoples.com 802-387-5509 • www.basketville.com ©2010 People’s United Bank Member FDIC Chris Barry and subscription Kevin Hildreth Yes, Healthy, wholesome foods. please send me a Humanely raised meats and poultry. one-year subscription to Vermont’s Local Banquet. 972 Putney Road–Unit 2 Brattleboro, Vermont I’ll receive 4 issues for $22, Email:[email protected] starting with 802–246–1125 the Fall 2011 issue. A Full Service Deli & Butcher Shop northendbutchers.com

Design and Construction of quality porches and outdoor rooms. Look for us on Facebook @ Just Porches [email protected] Just Porches 802 579 2207 name

address

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ur Ch Rt. 5 Rockingham, VT “O at Exit 6 off I-91 ✁

MICRO MILK Continued from page 17 has reasonable regulation,” he says. That’s essentially how raw milk producers are allowed to sell.” Small-scale pasteurizers can also be used for products other While the conversations have yet to yield action, “I feel opti- than milk, such as juice and tea, so the equipment will have a mistic because it would make sense,” Judge says. “You should market beyond dairy processors. Judge knows that demand be able to trust a farmer to produce a good, clean product as exists for small-scale equipment, as Bob-White routinely much as you can trust a pizzeria or a deli.” stocks vat pasteurizers and 30–80 gallon bulk tanks from Slovenia. uuu So Judge soldiers on. A veteran of the dairy industry—he was “We’re selling [these] to small-scale farms that are selling raw a founding member of Vermont Family Farms in the 1990s and milk, and some are pasteurizing and making butter or cheese,” spent time managing the Woodstock Water Buffalo Farm— Judge notes. Many of these farms call for advice, and Bob- he appears to have the tenacity to stick with a good idea. And White provides consulting services to farms looking to estab- after years of milking a larger herd, he can personally con- lish a micro dairy business. firm the smaller workload of a micro dairy. His own farm, just In addition to sustaining small-scale agriculture, Judge thinks a few miles up the road from the Bob-White store, serves as there’s another reason why micro dairies are an attractive the company’s applied research site; he milks four Jerseys to idea. “Genetically, people like to work the land,” he comments. develop best practices for the equipment. “And there are people saying they want local milk and they Since its founding in 2006, the company has raised almost $1 want an alternative to raw milk. The dairy industry is collaps- million in private investment to finance the development of ing. This could reinvigorate it.” the low-impact pasteurization system. Seven engineers have Sylvia Fagin writes about Vermont food and agriculture from her been involved in its design. Even if, for some unforeseen rea- home in Montpelier. Contact her via her blog, Aar, Naam ~ Come, son, the equipment isn’t approved in the U.S., Judge is confi- Eat, at sylviafagin.wordpress.com, or follow her on dent that it can be marketed overseas. “The rest of the world Twitter: @#sylviafagin.

Summer 2011 local banquet 31 townshend common Thursdays, 3:30–6:30 PM farmers’ market Market runs weekly June 2 through 13 October Located at the intersection of Farm to Family Coupons will be accepted, and we Route 30 & Route 35 will be able to process EBT card transactions. in the heart of the West River Valley

These businesses proudly support the Townshend Farmers’ Market

The Townshend Dam Diner Tents Green Mountain Tent Rentals Tables Townshend Park, Route 30, Townshend, VT 05353 Tableware “best homemade food by a dam site” Ross • Luke • John Evans Chairs Eat in or Take out www.greenmtntents.com Dance Floors [email protected] 2 miles north of the dam, Townshend, VT Lighting 802–874–4107 • [email protected] Restroom Services 802–365–7839 1–800–691–8368

The Place To Eat All Summer Elizabeth Ann Agostini, Esq. 7 Days aweek On The Common The Stuffed Bun 10:30 til 6 PO Box 336 DOGS, BURGERS, CHIX, FRIES, O'RINGS, FRESH SALADS Townshend VT 05353 (802) 365-7740 AND OUR "FAMOUS" COLE SLAW [email protected] ROUTE 30 • TOWNSHEND VT • 802-365-4581

Ron’s Husqvarna 100% Local Joining River Valley Credit Union is the most “Local” FOREST & GARDEN thing you can do with your ﬁnances. You get unbeatable FOREST & GARDEN EQUIPMENT service, and your money gets used to help other local Ron Greenwood residents achieve their dreams. Sales & Service Join now!

104 Riverdale Road ® Townshend, VT 05353 The future of banking...now. Brattleboro, Putney, Townshend, Bellows Falls and Springﬁeld, Tel. Bus: (802) 365–9778 In State (800) 635–9778 and now at the Brattleboro Food Coop. 802-254-4800 / rivercu.com Member N.C.U.A.

Lunch and Dinner Menu - Homemade Desserts A Family Feed Company Vermont Microbrews - Rick’s Famous Pizza Pet Food, Bird Seed, Equine, Pet and Stable Supplies, Soft Serve Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt Tack, Hay & Shavings www.rickstavern.net Route 30, Newfane, VT Open Monday—Friday 9:00-5:30 802–365–4310 Closed Tuesday Saturday 10:00–2:00 802–365–7800 West River Family Dental Located on Riverdale Road, Townshend behind the Jared V Rediske DDS Jeffrey W Wallace DDS 74 Grafton Rd Townshend, VT 05353 802–365–4313

Locally owned and operated, offering the West River Valley a full service meat & seafood department, fresh produce, store made salads and lunch specials from our deli, and a P O S complete selection of beer, wine & groceries. POST OIL SOLUTIONS Open 365 days a year! www.postoilsolutions.org Rte 30, Townshend 802-365-4600 - - - - CALENDAR33 local banquet banquet local Mountain Meadows, will lead a farm tour, farmlead a will tour, MountainMeadows, and cropping feed, their animal, talk about with sharing along their experi - systems certification with GAP ences and selling, wholesale mar a regional primarily into - for a sum grill be firing up the We’ll ket. a taste–test and mer cookout of steaks Moun Sponsors: - state. the around from VT Beef Producers Farm, tain Meadows Association. VT Farmers Grass Association, $30 for members, VGFA and VBPA for Free VBPA free includes (cost non–members vtmeat. Visit membership) includes lunch. info. more for blogspot.com July 30, 11 am–2 pm Horse Green Mountain Draft Field Day Shelburne Farms Shelburne1611 Harbor Road, of draft demonstrations watch Come us- and logging, haying, horses plowing, ing modern farming and antique equip with speak also be able to You’ll ment. farm with it is like to about what teamsters Mini horses will world. horses in today’s can they helpful how demonstrating be rides will Wagon the farm, too! be around Farm not of the to some areas be offered to admission with Free normallyexplored. call is required Registration the property. 802-985-8686 or visit shelburnefarms.org. 7, 5–9 pm August 15th Annual Vermont Fresh Network Forum Shelburne Farms Shelburne1611 Harbor Road, bounty and rich the agricultural Enjoy culinary Mountain of the Green talent evening an engaging Experience State! on of Lake Champlain. Feast on the shores a spectacular dinner showcasing grazing VFN farm partners by raised local foods Ver of 20 than more by prepared and celebrate year will This finest chefs. mont’s farmerof chef and years 15 of breadth the and In- Tickets Vermont. partnerships in or 434-2000. vermontfresh.net formation: 13, 10 am–1 pm August Perfect Peach Tarts with Laurel Roberts Johnson Scott Farm The USA Property Trust A Landmark 707 Kipling Dummerston Road, to how Tarts the Queen of from Learn delicious for dough out roll and prepare peach tarts and using the right recipe and bake tarts will prepare We technique. particiand peaches - Farm Scott using will bringpants home the tart make, you a take–homeand of dough, batch another Reservations bag of peaches. required; or visit scottfarmvermont. call 254–6868 info. more for com 14, 2–4 pm August 3rd Annual Tomato Tasting by the River at Cedar Circle Farm & Education Center Thetford East Road, 225 Pavillion mu- with live a casual celebration Enjoy and the sic honoring heirloom tomatoes pre of farmers who have generations Taste served seed saving. them through and farm–varieties tomato of rainbow a Special farm- appetizers. made tomato preserved tomato market featuring ers’ at 785–4737. $25, registration Call goods. CedarCircleFarm.org. ------or visit vtcheesefest.com for for vtcheesefest.com visit or wax processing, treatment of mites and and of mites treatment processing, wax and making tincture. propolis foulbrood, shall as we one, have if you Bring a veil, Registration colonies. be opening some or [email protected] email required: call 603-756-9056. July 9–10 Agricultural Windsor County Fair Field Barlow’s SpringfieldEureka Road, the in the mid–1800s, its inception Since agricultural, all things on has centered fair The will be no exception. and this year two–day will include of events schedule truck and tractor ex pulls, and pony ox can Visitors and 4–H competitions. hibits, see a variety and exhibits of educational animal hus- to related demonstrations Visit bandry. windsorcofairvt.weebly.com info. more for July 23, 9 am–12 pm Backyard Chicken Processing Workshop Winds Farm Fair Brattleboro Road, Upper Dummerston is de workshop Processing Chicken The the prin- people to introduce to signed pasture ciples of getting a chicken from on a home–processing scale, freezer to using simple scale, or a small commercial meth- It hand. will cover or by equipment, plucking, eviscer ods of killing, scalding, be able will Attendees and cooling. ating, they are level participate to whatever at ready:taking the whole through a chicken part helping with any of it, or just process, that however, asked, are People watching. of respect and join in an atmosphere you workshop. our throughout thanksgiving refused no one $20/$70 sliding scale, Fee: Preregistration/payment lack of funds. for the at 877-886-7397. Payment required: is room. $20, if there gate July 24, 11 am to 4 pm 3rd Annual Vermont Cheesemakers Festival Barn Shelburne of Farms Coach Shelburne1611 Harbor Road, plus artisan than 100 cheeses, more Enjoy part in tasting Take & beer! wine, foods, 800- Call and demonstrations. seminars, 884-6287 info. more 7 July 29–August 4th Annual Deerfield Valley Blueberry Festival and food, music, cars, Berries, vintage hap probably it’s blue, if it’s tarp displays of towns area pening in the Mount Snow in and Dover Whitingham, Wilmington, the to Visitors July and early August. late a Blue Parade, will find a Big Blue Valley activities, jam mak children’s Fair, Street blueberry ing, the in specials themed a blue events, music blue eateries, local blueberry blue bake sales, show, car auto Mount Snow at “Blues fees” special beer, blue own as pick your as well Golf Course vermontblue berryVisit opportunities. schedule. complete for berry.com July 30, 10 am–3 pm VT Beef Producers Summer Social: Capitalizing on the Vermont Brand Farm Mountain Meadows Intersection 73 30 and Route of Route Whiting Sudbury between and Beef Pro Vermont Join members of the the annual Summer at Association ducers of Brian and Kemp, Social!Cooper Amiel - - - - - Summer 2011 Summer 2011 or visit or visit rails–vt.com for more more for rails–vt.com or visit two–hour roundtrip train ride. Call 800- Call ride. two–hour train roundtrip 707-3530 info. June 15–16 Festival Vermont Brewers Waterfront Burlington Burlington 1 Main Street, capita per breweries more has Vermont Sample some of other state. than any microbrewer from the finest craft brews York, New Vermont, in ies and brewpubs this annual beer festival at and beyond Asso Brewers Vermont the by presented or shine on the shores rain held ciation, 760–8535 of Lake Champlain. Call info. more for vermontbrewers.com June 16, 1:30–9 pm Growing Local Fest green South Royalton friends neighbors for and join your Come - Through of all things local! a celebration will be workshops out the afternoon there on subjects like canning and wildcraft by books written from readings and ing, will also be activities There local authors. will be a keynote 6 pm there kids. At for live have speaker and afterward we’ll - Orga local band. a great by music played (BALE) Economy Building a Local by nized and held in conjunction with the South balevt. Visit market. farmers’ Royalton for wordpress.com/growing-local-fest/ info. more June 25, 10 am–3 pm Adding Value through Animal Welfare and Other Third Party Certifications Butcher Royal VT 12A, Braintree Route 882 through value about increasing Learn Party Cer and other third Welfare Animal his will share LaRocque Royal tifications. party with third experiences certifications and Organic. Welfare Animal including (and stu- Consulting Voogd of Voogd Erica the will present Grandin) Temple of dent Training Humane Handling Vermont new for module training bilingual a Program, Sponsors: employees. slaughter-facility - VT As Beef Producers Butcher, Royal The - Associa VT Farmers Grass and sociation, $7 for those who preregister, for tion. Free or 728–9901 Call lunch. includes walk–ins info. more for visit vtmeat.blogspot.com June 26, 10 am–4 pm 9th Annual Strawberry Festival at Cedar Circle Farm & Education Center Thetford East Road, 225 Pavillion and local strawberries Vermont Celebrate Horse–drawn agriculture. wagon organic face crafts, strawberryrides, picking, kids’ “good A music. and live theater, painting, strawberry offers short concession food” sausages, grilled cake and cheesecake, along cream, ice and local organic salads, A by NOFA–VT. pizzas with wood–fired station. recovery with a waste Event Green by Come Rainper car. $5 Parking shine! or and get in free! or on foot bicycle, train, 785-4737. Details CedarCircleFarm.org at July 9, 1–3:30 pm Beekeeping Workshop NH Alstead, Road, 18 MacLean - con to Beekeepers must take timely steps the bees! Charles save to mites Varroa trol NH/VT former Andros, apiary inspector, Look will hold a beekeeping workshop. - Wal on the south side of sign “BEE” the for discussion of topics The Road. Valley pole will be taking off and extracting honey, - - - day at 10 a.m., followed by the Live Green Green the Live by 10 a.m., followed at day demonstrations, music, Expo with food, The street and more. festival, film vendors, farm and on Sunday, night, fair is Friday Tour and the cycling will be offered tours and Information will take place. de Heifer strollingoftheheifers.com/ schedule at stroll-weekend-2011. pm June 7, 11:30 am–1:30 Animal Addison County Farm Homeopathy Study Group End Farm Taconic Leicester Road, 1395 Leicester–Whiting to Open each month. Tuesday Meets first peer support; Great learn how all levels. applying homeopathy other farmers are discus- relaxed A flocks. or their herds to includes an in–depth usually sion that some theory, one remedy, least look of at resources Bring your and a case analysis. or past them) and a current have (if you For discuss. like to would you case that contact Claghorn Annie information more 247-3979 or Bay [email protected] at [email protected] at net, 897-2121. FREE. June 8–14 American Society of Dowsers Convention College State Lyndon Hill Lyndonville Road, Vail opportunity great a is learn to This to or abilities, dowsing expand your dowse, dowsers. of fellow company the just enjoy presentations than 70 more Choose from of ways. in a myriad about using dowsing held are schools and workshops Dowsing - the conven preceding days on the two - fol workshops of days more two and tion 684–3417 or visit Call the convention. low info. more for dowsers.org June 10–21 3rd annual Village–building Convergence In Montpelier and around Village–building Conver annual 3rd The (VbC)gence in 12–day event is a free, sus- on Montpelier focusing and around tainability and building community with and music, workshops, panels, projects, Town Transition is a project of VbC dance. 276–3839 or visit Contact Montpelier. details. for vbc–vt.org June 12, 2–3:15 pm Plant Ecology in a Changing Climate in Brookfield Retreat Pond Twin the land and life to Informed relationship adapt and to are us is critical if we around co–create changes. wisely as our ecology heart, a head, Join us for and hands–on of the intertwiningexploration - relation and the landscape in a ships of plants work many of the One climate. changing Gathering Skill Village Share shops at which is the kick–off event Convergence, Village–building- Con Annual of the 3rd Transition of workinga group vergence, details: for See website Montpelier. Town vbc–vt.org June 15 Wine and Fiddle Train River JunctionWhite 102 Railroad Row, wines Vermont-made varietya Sample of home fiddling music along a and down June 3–5 Heifers of the Strolling Weekend VT Brattleboro, of the Heifers the 10th Annual Strolling It’s on Satur the parade featuring weekend, One Wild Potluck by Diane Grenkow

The Peterson Field Guide Edible Wild Plants has a recipe for clovers that says clovers are not very digestible but can be soaked for hours in salty water to make them so. Christopher Nyerges book Guide to Wild Foods and Useful Plants tells you that the seeds of the plantain, a common weed around these parts, can be soaked in water until soft and then cooked up like rice. It goes on to say that the result is slightly “mucilagi- nous and bland.” If you’ve ever read wild edible recipes in a field guide, you know that they don’t generally make your mouth water. Surely the recipes in these guides couldn’t be the pinnacle of wild food cooking, could they? Is it possible to make a deli- MORSEL cious meal from what can be found taking a walk through the woods or the fields right by your house? The answer is: absolutely. Our wild edible potluck in Hardwick was born when Rachel Kane of Perennial Pleasures Nursery

LAST in East Hardwick suggested in the Buffalo Mountain Bullsheet (the Buffalo Mountain Co-op’s newsletter) that people interested in wild edibles get together. When the group started up Rhus typhina L. (staghorn sumac) Britton, N.L., and A. Brown. 1913. in the early summer of 2009, everyone talked about how they An Illustrated Flora of the Northern United States, Canada and the wanted to learn more about the wild food around them not British Possessions. 3 vols. Charles Scribner’s Sons, New York. Vol. 2: just by identifying it, but by actually eating it. 481. Courtesy of Kentucky Native Plant Society. And so, in the spring, summer, and fall our potlucks are everyone is back together at the host kitchen, something will usually preceded by a walk for foraging purposes. When be made out of what was just found. People bring dishes that they’ve made ahead of time, as well. We’ve eaten noodles tossed with a pesto made of lamb’s quarters, sunflower seeds, and garlic scapes; purslane that was dipped in egg and corn- One thing I love as much as a potluck supper is a tall glass of meal, baked, and then dipped in a cider vinegar and maple pink lemonade on the porch in the summertime. Here’s the syrup sauce upon eating; a wild green salad including purs- wild version: lane, amaranth, lamb’s quarters, and sorrel; scrambled eggs STAGHORN SUMAC LEMONADE with leeks and daylily buds; a selection of iced teas including mint, sweet gale, and sumac; black raspberry crisp, wild Fill a gallon glass jar with bright red staghorn sumac “ber- blueberry fritters, and a mint and chocolate cheesecake with ries.”* They look more like tiny flowers than berries to me, cacao that was wild picked in Trinidad by one of our mem- but are actually seeds covered in hairs. The berries grow bers. (Alright, that cacao wasn’t local but it was awfully good!) in large clusters that are shaped like flames, and when The potlucks happen in the winter, too, and they are just you find sumac you usually find a good deal of it in the as delicious. There are foraged root foods that can be kept same place. The more sumac clusters you can stuff in in cold storage, such as burdock and Jerusalem artichokes. your glass jar, the tastier the brew will be. Add cold water There are canned jams and jellies made from wild blueberries to cover. Mash it all around with a spoon and then let it sit and rosehips. There are still tea fixings from last summer that somewhere to cool. The longer you let it sit the stronger use dried mint and comfrey. Nettles and stewed Japanese it will be, but a couple of hours will do. Strain the tea into knotweed frozen months ago are used in lasagna or a crisp, another container. If you want to sweeten it, add maple respectively. There is the venison and duck that were taken in syrup or honey. Delicious. the fall. * If you’re unsure what staghorn sumac is, consult a wild The purpose is not to leave cultivated foods out of the mix, edible field guide. Always consult more than one source but to figure out what else we can eat that’s right there if before picking a new-to-you wild edible, as some wild edi- we know where to look for it and how to see it. It’s a happy bles are poisonous. Better yet, find someone who knows medium to be able to use the best of our gardens as well as what sumac looks like and ask him or her to show it to you. the bounty that just happens. Diane Grenkow lives with her family and 25 chickens in Hardwick.

34 local banquet Summer 2011 Springfield Food

Natural Food Store

Produce Supplements

Bulk Spices Fresh Baked Bread

Grocery Body Care

Earthy Friendly Locally Grown Household Products Chicken and Beef

Monday– Friday 8-7 Saturday 9-7 Sunday -Closed 802-885-3363 335 River Rd, Springfield, VT www.springfieldfoodcoop.com Where members are owners, and everyone is welcome.

Growers of Tasty Organic Vegetables and Fruits Available at our Farmstand Tomatoes, Strawberries, AMERICAN Beans, Peas, Lettuce, Arugula, Spinach, Carrots, Supporting sustainable agriculture Raspberries, Broccoli, Beets and MUCH More! in Vermont by serving Plus a wide selection of other LOCAL farm and artisan seasonal produce from local farms. food products including: Fruits, Baked Goods, Cheese, Yogurt, and VT Organic Milk. 802–442–4273 Thurs - Sun 5:00-9:30 clearbrookfarm.com Rte 100, Waitsfield ph: 496-8856 Our farm stand is open daily May-Oct. Rt. 7A Shaftsbury Also at Manchester and Londonderry Farmer’s Markets

Summer 2011 local banquet 35 Bellows Falls Farmers Market May 15 - October 16 Fridays, 4 to 7 pm

Waypoint Visitors Center bellows falls XX Depot Street Bellows Falls, VT wwThesew.bellowsfal lsbusnessesfarmersmarket.xxx proudly support the farmers market The tentative cease fire we have had at 7 Hadley Street is in dan- ger of collapsing; the proposed "two state" solution is in serious trouble. Improvised Roadside Devices (aka 'partially-digested kittie friday afternoons may to october, 4 to 7 pm krLIVEunchies') hMUSIC,ave been wreak inFAMILY-FRIENDLYg havoc. A strategically placed IRD - cleverly deposited exactly where the Human swings his feet out of visitors center downtown thGREATe bed onto the flREADY-TO-EAToor this morning - resulted in sev eFOODre and immedi- ate retaliation, as the cat population suddenly found itself awakened inLOCALmid-air, having bPRODUCE,een flung off the bed by MEATS,an enraged and dCRAFTSis- gusted Human and - according to some witnesses, but denied by www.bffarmersmarket.com the Human - coming into violent contact with the wall.

$50 Design and Construction of quality porches and outdoor rooms. $75 Look for us on Facebook @ Just Porches [email protected] Just Porches 802 579 2207 $100 $200 32 The Square, Bellows Falls, Vermont (802) 463-9404 Store Open DailyI . E or. th visitis p a24/7:ge wo u www.villagesquarebooks.comld bring in $750 in revenue from places like the hardwares store, etc. who Full Service Independent Bookstore - Free WiFi would not normallMentiony adv. i nyouth esawpu usbl iinca Localtion Banquet Books, Gifts & Children’s Toys Want an e-Book?: order it at www.villagesquarebooks.com 20% off your first purchase

The Rock and Hammer Crafters of Fine Jewelry

Precious Metals and Gemstones One of a Kind and Custom Designs Watch and Jewelry Repair Unique Hand Crafted Gifts Since 1989 Now Open 26 Square ~ Bellows Falls Tuesday - Sunday 7 - 2 802–463–2289 [email protected] Breakfast Served All day • Lunch til 2 “Shop the Rock” 37 Main St • Saxtons River, VT • 802-869-1224

SINCE 1902 Full menu Contributing available with daily Local Farms COMMUNITY Harlow’s Farm R food and drink FEED STORE Old Athens Farm specials. UINE IRY TRY E T S LMC Ranch EQ DA POUL & P More than 35 beers Misty Knolls Farm to choose from. Hope Roots Farm Pete’s Stand Junction of Rte. 5 and 123 Extensive wine list. Westminster Station, VT 05159 THURSDAY OPEN MIC 8 PM 802–722–9852 MON –FRI • 4 PM till 11PM SAT • 2PM till 11PM 10% discount [email protected] if you mention this ad BLUE SUN • 12PM till 11PM 802– 869 – 4602 SEAL FULL MENU EVERYDAY AT 5 PM 16 MAIN STREET A Family Feed Company SEVEN DAYS A WEEK SAXTONS RIVER