Archive for the ‘The Beat’ Category

• Outstanding in a Vermont Field

  Date: 08.30.2010 | Category: The Beat | Response: 0

  Great meals are not out of the ordinary in Orleans County, Vermont’s localvore Mecca. Still, August 17 stands out, even in the minds and palates of Vermont’s hippest foodsters. That was the day the Outstanding in the Field’s red-and-white bus pulled into the driveway at Pete’s Greens at Craftsbury Village Farm to begin assembling one very long table for one unforgettable meal. A touring “restaurant without walls,” Outstanding in the Field brings together local chefs and producers for a special culinary experience in a beautiful outdoor setting. Here, the very two people who made the event possible share their experiences:

  Pete Johnson, owner/farmer, entrepreneur, Pete’s Greens, Craftsbury, Vermont
  The OITF crew was great to work with. Relaxed, organized, they really made it easy for us to
  host them. Dinner was held in our farm field and for a few weeks I had pondered what might be the best location. Most of our field is taken up with ripening crops or is bare, waiting for fall plantings. There were not a lot of open options. Just by luck, we happened to have several acres of three-foot-tall buckwheat in full flower. This is grown as a cover crop, is a bee favorite, has a sweet scent and would make a perfect location for dinner. We mowed a narrow rectangle in the buckwheat for the long table.

  

  Pete Johnson, owner of Pete's Greens

  After a reception and leisurely tour, we made our way to the far end of the field and settled into the field of buckwheat. Over the next two hours, the combination of incredible food prepared by Eric Warnstedt of Hen of the Wood, beautiful late summer weather, good company and the fragrant buckwheat made for a magical evening. Dinner featured our pork at every course, including candied bacon for dessert. Eric and his crew can really cook—I’d recommend a trip to his restaurant in Waterbury.

  Eric Warnstedt, chef/owner, Hen of the Wood, Waterbury, Vermont
  Outstanding in the Field represents everything I focus on and get excited about in the restaurant world—a blend of history and tradition, a casual and relaxed vibe, a focused and motivated crew. Most importantly, OITF is all about the food, the wine and the experience.

  

  Hen of the Wood Chef Eric Warnstedt

  Weeks ahead of time, we decided on doing porchetta as a main course. That gave Pete the time he needed to get the pigs ready for the butcher. I knew I probably wouldn’t think about the event again until a few days before. Sure enough, a “few weeks away” rolled into a “few days away” and it was time to start checking out veggie availability and to begin preparations.

  Brining and curing were at the top of the list. A huge plastic bin held all of the porchettas in their brine, taking up way too much space in our little walk-in. The pork was eventually taken out of the brine and laid out, rubbed with rosemary, garlic, salt, fennel seed and mustard. The event was on a Tuesday and all the produce was being delivered on the Saturday before. We made room for five flats of heirloom tomatoes, 20 pounds of broccoli, 20 pounds of Pete’s gold potatoes, 15 heads of radicchio, 2 wheels of Jasper Hill blue cheese, 10 cases of wine and copious amounts of herbs, nuts, salt, oil, prosciutto, bacon, cornmeal etc.!

  The big day: We’re not really prepared for off-site catering at Hen of the Wood, so it was a bit of an ordeal. Sous chef Jordan had made it clear that his brand-new Subaru was not to carry the pork! Long story short, we rolled into Pete’s Greens at about 1 pm. ready to rock.

  The Outstanding crew had already arrived and was setting up the “kitchen.” We were driven down to the dining table, which was about a quarter mile away in a spot more beautiful than any of us could have imagined. A cover crop of buckwheat had been cut out to create a pathway and then a dining area. From a few feet away you would have never guessed there would soon be 80 people dining in the field.

  We got our bearings and started loading the two six-foot grills with hardwood charcoal.  The porchettas, a glass of wine each and a host of random things all laid out in their proper places. The night went off without a hitch. Every few minutes a guest would come by to say hello or take pictures. My mother attended the evening and was glowing with pride and enthusiasm for the whole affair.

  As the sun was setting, the sky turned shades of blue, orange and purple. We all seemed to be feeling the same vibration—smiling gleefully and peacefully, somewhat overwhelmed with perfect weather and the absolutely gorgeous evening just trying to take it all in before nightfall.

  Heirloom Tomatoes with Grilled Prosciutto
  from Pete Johnson, Pete’s Greens, Craftsbury, Vermont

  5 tablespoons good quality extra virgin olive oil
  1 tablespoon sherry vinegar
  1 shallot, diced
  ½ tablespoon kosher salt
  ½ cup basil
  5 pints mixed heirloom tomatoes, coarsely chopped
  6 slices of prosciutto (we use domestic prosciutto from La Quercia), sautéed until crispy and chopped
  1 tablespoon pine nuts
  Pinch of sea salt

  In a large bowl, whisk together the oil, vinegar, shallots and salt. Chop the basil and immediately add to the dressing to avoid discoloration. Add the tomatoes and stir gently to mix. Transfer to a decorative platter.

  Scatter the prosciutto over the tomatoes, the sprinkle the pine nuts on top. Sprinkle a few flakes of good sea salt on top to finish.

  Serves 8

  See more great images of Outstanding in the Field on our flickr page!

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• Build a Table for a Feast

  Date: 08.26.2010 | Category: The Beat | Response: 0

  It was gray and drizzling in Woodstock, Vermont, last Sunday, but the weather didn’t diminish the festivities for the 128 people who gathered just off the Green, under the Middle Covered Bridge, to celebrate a weekend spent hand-building tables and feasting on a lunch made from locally grown foods.

  Bagpiper Tim Cummings blew up a stately march to welcome diners who took their places around the tables, which were hand-built that weekend by 17 individuals and families who participated in the Naked Table Project sponsored by ShackletonThomas.

  The Naked Table was conceived by well-known furniture maker Charlie Shackleton last year. Shackleton had a vision of people hand-building a table from sustainably harvested wood, a table that would serve as the center of festive meals for friends and family for years to come. It’s a tangible reflection of Shackleton’s passion for handmade things that connect people to each other and to the environment.

  Participants in the weekend’s workshop built tables from maple harvested from land in South Woodstock. “These trees were seedlings 80 years ago,” Shackleton pointed out. “That’s when Herbert Hoover was president and the Great Depression was well underway.” After cutting, the lumber was dried and milled in Hartland. The tables were then assembled by their owners under the tutelage of Charlie and other craftspeople from ShackletonThomas Furniture in nearby Bridgewater.

  On Sunday morning, the tables were trucked into Woodstock and set end-to-end under the village’s covered bridge. Chefs from The Woodstock Inn prepared a feast from locally sourced cheese, meat and produce. Diners started with a roasted beet salad with Jasper Hill’s Bayley Hazen Blue, baby arugula and herb vinaigrette. The main course consisted of slow-poached Misty Knoll chicken with sliced heirloom tomatoes, yogurt and lemon verbena. And for dessert—an array of pies baked by members of the Prosper Community Club.

  The tablemakers were joined by some of the people responsible for harvesting and milling the lumber, by family and friends and by local residents who were lucky enough to cop one of the few available seats. The meals were served by volunteers recruited by Sustainable Woodstock, a local environmental organization and the beneficiary of proceeds from the lunch.

  This is the seventh Naked Table weekend that ShackletonThomas has hosted and the second time the celebratory lunch was held under Woodstock’s covered bridge. For more information, visit The Naked Table website.

  Slow-Poached Chicken with Sliced Tomatoes, Yogurt & Lemon Verbena
  from Chef Jason Lawless, The Woodstock Inn, Woodstock, VT

  

  Woodstock Inn chefs Chris Babbin & Chris Lauinger serving Slow-Poached Chicken

  2 tablespoons butter
  Four 10-ounce organic Misty Knoll chicken breasts
  About 1 quart plain yogurt
  One 2-inch piece fresh ginger, peeled and thinly sliced
  2 stalks fresh lemongrass, tough outer leaves removed and cut into 1-inch pieces
  1 bunch fresh lemon verbena, finely chopped
  2 medium heirloom tomatoes, sliced 1/4-inch thick
  ¼ cup pure Vermont maple syrup (try syrup from Kedron Sugarmakers)
  Chopped fresh basil leaves for garnish

  Preheat the oven to 250°F.

  Melt the butter in a medium, heavy saucepan over medium heat. Add the chicken breasts, skin down, and sear just until the skin turns golden brown, about 1 ½ minutes. Remove from the heat.

  Pour 3 cups of the yogurt over the chicken. Stir in the ginger, lemongrass and one-quarter of the lemon verbena. Cover with foil and bake  until cooked through, about an hour.

  For the yogurt sauce, place the remaining 1 cup of yogurt in a bowl. Stir in just enough maple syrup to balance the tangy yogurt flavor and the rest of the lemon verbena.

  Divide the tomato slices among the four plates. Slice the chicken breasts and arrange on top of the tomatoes. Spoon some of the yogurt sauce over the chicken and garnish with the basil.

  Serves 4

  See more great images of the Naked Table Lunch on our flickr page!

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• Three Chapters in an Eating Life

  Date: 08.03.2010 | Category: The Beat | Response: 0

  As a lifelong athlete and avid squash player, I have always been conscious of the fuel I put into my body. I grew up on a farm, eating grass-fed beef, free-roaming chickens and their eggs, and fruits and vegetables from the garden. That describes, roughly, the first 20 years of my eating life.

  The next 20 years saw less farm-fresh food and more processed, on-the-go foods. I ate institutional fare at college and grad school, and later, frequent restaurant meals with clients. At home with the kids, quick, processed foods like packaged snacks and instant (oversweet) oatmeal were the norm. We had Popsicles for sore throats and comfort foods like mac ‘n’ cheese. The fridge was stocked with my sports rehydration drinks. I wasn’t much of a label reader, I preferred to spend any free time doing something physically active.

  Two years ago marked the start of a new, entirely different chapter. An unpleasant surprise came in the form of a directive to immediately go gluten-free (for life!) in order to rebuild my previously undetected iron deficiency. I had never heard of celiac disease, a condition where the digestive system cannot tolerate wheat protein.

  I began reading and rereading labels as if they were love notes. Didn’t want to miss a trick. I then realized how dependent I had become on processed, packaged foods, laced with wheat (gluten) as well as the sweet, sinister and sometimes subtle ingredient sugar! I had a fast learning curve, thanks to some patient, celiac veterans and alternative practitioners. A nutritionist urged me to go local, raw and organic. She said that at the time (2008) food labels clearly indicated nut, soy and dairy ingredients but did always dependably identify gluten.

  My first homemade dishes were summer squash and winter squash — probably because I so loved the sport, not so much the vegetable itself! I needed some familiarity in this time of uncertainty! I became obsessed with trying to clean up my act in terms of what I ate and what my kids ate as well as what products we used on our bodies and in our home. I was fortunate to find resources like FarmPlate for local, raw, organic, sustainable foods, products, ideas and a community of like-minded people. It’s certainly a lot easier to enjoy a healthy diet this way.

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• Cheese, Love

  Date: 07.30.2010 | Category: The Beat | Response: 0

  Good cheese is true love.

  I’m wading in a sea of cheesemakers, winemakers, brewers and fine food producers. In my right hand I’m holding my love, Sarah; in my left hand I’m holding Sarabande, another (not-so-secret) love of mine. Leave it to the Vermont Cheesemakers Festival to complicate the romantic lives of cheese-lovers, if just for a day.

  The second annual Vermont Cheesemakers Festival on July 25^th at Shelburne Farms welcomed 50 artisan cheesemakers from Vermont and western Massachusetts to the shores of Lake Champlain. Twenty Vermont wineries and breweries and 15 artisan food producers balanced the ticket. Tasting seminars and a cooking demonstration by Sean Buchanan, renowned chef turned salesman, inspired new ways of enjoying cheese. (See Sean’s simple-to-prepare recipe below.) In other words, I spent a day overwhelming my senses with creations from Vermont’s Dionysian artisans.

  Seeing the wide array of cheesemakers at the festival led me to wonder, how did Vermont become this hub of cheese?

  Not to insult Dionysus, but I’d contend that the origins of Vermont cheese are far more terrestrial: where Vermont’s soil is too rocky or full of clay for vegetables, it’s great for growing grass, and grazing animals, and making milk, and turning that milk into cheese. With the price of fluid milk ($11.30 per hundredweight in 2009) well below the cost to produce it ($18 per hundredweight) and a seemingly endless demand for Vermont artisan cheese, many of Vermont’s dairies have been adding or transitioning to cheese production to keep the family farm viable.

  Unfortunately, good cheese can’t be made from just any milk. When a dairy transitions from fluid milk production to cheesemaking, it must shift from a volume-oriented model to a quality-oriented model so it is producing a flavorful, clean milk with a high concentration of fat and protein. Sometimes this means acquiring a different breed of animal, and it certainly requires different herd management and grazing methods. In addition, a bare-bones cheesemaking facility costs upwards of $30,000. Then it’s on to the fun part: marketing and microbiology . . .

  Lucky for cheese, Vermonters have a strong do-it yourself spirit and the desire to try new things—not to mention an uncanny ability to excel in adverse circumstances.

  Perhaps it is this broad skill set that makes Vermont’s cheesemakers so interesting, and their cheeses so complex. It’s unusual that so many elements of production are under the same (barn) roof—managing pasture, raising animals, milking, making cheese, aging cheese and marketing the finished product—but when Vermont cheesemakers bring everything together, the results are truly fit for the gods.

  Thanks to the Vermont Cheesemakers Festival, you don’t have to travel to the heavens to rub elbows and eat cheese with the state’s most talented herdsmen-businesspeople-microbiologists (cheesemakers). A short walk is all it takes to fall in love over and over again. Until next year!

  Planning Ahead
  Vermont Farm Tours offers cheese tours and workshops the Saturday before the festival each year. Buy your tickets early (before July 2011)—this year’s Cheesemakers Festival sold out weeks before the event!

  Learn More
  The Vermont Cheese Council provides an overview of its 41 members, their cheeses and the Vermont Cheese Trail—an interactive map of Vermont’s artisan cheesemakers.

  Visit Vermont’s artisan cheesemakers on a guided tour with Vermont Farm Tours or take a hands-on cheesemaking workshop.

  Brie Crostini with Raspberry Horseradish Jam
  from Sean Buchanan

  1 French baguette, sliced ¼-inch thick (try Red Hen Baking Co.)
  3 tablespoons olive oil
  Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
  One 7-ounce wheel Blythedale Farms Brie, cut into ½-inch by 1-inch strips
  1 cup raspberry jam (try Side Hill Farm or Sunshine Valley Berry Farm)
  ¼ cup freshly grated horseradish
  1 teaspoon Kosher salt

  Preheat the oven to 350ºF.

  Set the baguette slices on a baking sheet. Drizzle the olive oil on top and sprinkle lightly with salt and pepper. Toast until golden brown, about 6 minutes.

  Top each crostini with a slice of Brie then return to the oven. Bake until the cheese starts to melt, about 3 minutes more. Remove from the oven and let cool.

  In a small bowl, mix together the jam, horseradish and salt. Top each crostini with a dollop of the jam mixture and serve.

  Serves 8 to 12

  See more great images of the Vermont Cheesemakers Festival on our flickr page!

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• Sugarsnap Expands to Tech Park

  Date: 07.23.2010 | Category: Market Beat | Response: 0

  When you pull into the parking lot at 30 Community Drive, the hub of South Burlington’s Technology Park, you might have to squint to spot the cheery little sign for the new Sugarsnap restaurant. It’s off to the left, sandwiched between TelJet’s and Test America’s no-nonsense logos. It feels far away from Sugarsnap’s friendly home at the edge of the Intervale. But once you step inside, warm aromas from simmering soups and just-baked cookies tell you you’re headed to the right place.

  After six years of serving impeccably fresh, ready-to-eat, mostly local foods from its Riverside Avenue location, Sugarsnap has just expanded into a new commissary kitchen and second retail store in South Burlington. The move brings all the food preparation, storage and catering operations for the growing business into one place—and frees up freezer space in founder, owner and co-president Abbey Duke’s garage. It’s all part of Sugarsnap’s mission to put delicious, sustainable food within reach of everyone.

  All of Sugarsnap’s sandwiches, salads, soups, baked goods and daily special entrées (like today’s terrific Beet & Sweet Potato Gnocchi with Wild Mushroom Sauce) showcase ingredients from its own three-acre farm in the Intervale as well as from more than 20 regional Food Partners. Co-0wner and co-president Rob Smart estimates that more than half of the ingredients used at Sugarsnap are locally grown. “We aim to move that to 60 or even 70 percent over the next couple of years.”

  “Our plan is to make really great, healthy food accessible to all—and to make the regional economy stronger in the process,” says Smart. “We’re building a new regional food business model here.”

  Stop by either of the two stores to have coffee and pastries at breakfast, to savor soup, sandwiches and salads at lunch or to grab ready-made entrées to take home for dinner. The Tech Park location includes restaurant seating as well. Sugarsnap Catering offers farm-fresh foods for events of many sizes, from business meetings to private parties.

  Sugarsnap Zucchini “Linguini” With Basil Pesto
  from Sugarsnap, Burlington, Vermont

  2 large zucchini
  One 8 ounce container of pesto (homemade or purchased)
  ½ cup pine nuts or nuts of your choice
  3+ tablespoons Parmigiano Reggiano or other hard Italian cheese
  Juice and zest of 1 lemon
  Salt and pepper

  Wash and dry the zucchini and using a julienne peeler, make the “linguini“ using the white flesh and skin of the squash, stopping when you get to the seeds. In a bowl large enough to toss the mix, add pesto (to taste), nuts, half of the cheese and the lemon zest. Use lemon juice to thin the pesto as you would use hot pasta water in a hot pesto/pasta dish.

  Add salt and pepper and more or less of anything as you wish. Top each serving with some of the remaining cheese. Serve with a green salad and crusty bread.

  Serves 4

  Sugarsnap on Riverside • 505 Riverside Avenue, Burlington, VT 05401 • 802.652.5922
  Sugarsnap at Technology Park • 30 Community Drive, Suite 9, South Burlington, VT 05403 • 802.861.2718 • contact@sugarsnapvt.com

  See more great images of Sugarsnap on our flickr page!

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• A Day At NYC’s Tribeca Greenmarket

  Date: 07.08.2010 | Category: Market Beat | Response: 0

  The 90-plus degree New York City weather didn’t stop shoppers from picking up fresh food in the city’s Tribeca neighborhood this Wednesday. Shoppers who could have easily slipped into the air-conditioned sanctuary of Whole Foods (a mere block away) were opting instead to support local farmers and bakers and stock their baskets at the Tribeca Greenmarket.

  The quiet, family-friendly market is located on Greenwich Street, between Chambers and Duane Streets, adjacent to a usually busy playground. It’s open year-round on Saturdays; it’s also open on Wednesdays from April 7 to December 22.

  

  Red and Yellow Swiss Chard from Alex Farm, Milford, NJ.

  This week’s Wednesday market boasted fresh fruits, berries and juices from Toigo Orchards and Red Jacket Orchards. Homemade baked goods made with local flour and organic ingredients could be found at Bread Alone or Not Just Rugelach.

  Alex Farm, located in Milford, New Jersey, sells vegetables like radishes, garlic and kale  directly to consumers at farmers’ markets throughout New York. In addition to the Tribeca Greenmarket, Alex Farm has a booth at Bowling Green on Tuesdays and Thursdays and at City Hall on Fridays.

  

  Squash, Beans & Shell Peas From Lani's Farm, Bordentown, NJ.

  Shoppers at the Tribeca market can also pick up produce good enough for famed restaurateur Danny Meyer if they stop by the Lani’s Farm booth. Located in Bordentown, New Jersey, Lani’s Farm sells both at the Tribeca Market and to some of New York’s most buzzed about restaurants, including: Union Square Café, Gramercy Tavern, Momofuku, Northern Spy Food Co. and Blue Hill Farm (The Obamas’ choice when they came to New York).

  In addition to wonderfully fresh local foods, shoppers can pick up free recipes and produce storage and preparation tips from the GrowNYC Greenmarket information booth.

  For locations, hours and vendor listings for all of New York City’s Greenmarkets, see the GrowNYC website.

  Tribeca Greenmarket• Greenwich & Chambers Streets,  New York, NY 10007

  See more great images of the Tribeca Greenmarket on our flickr page!

  

  Tribeca Greenmarket

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• Life, Liberty & the Pursuit of Healthiness

  Date: 07.02.2010 | Category: Market Beat | Response: 0

  Philly has the Let Freedom Ring bell-ringing ceremony and Boston goes all out with Harborfest, but New England’s true patriots and parade fanatics head to Warren, Vermont, for the best July 4th spectacular around.

  Warren takes patriotism and parades pretty seriously. Named after the first American to fall at Bunker Hill, the little town on the Mad River swells from about 1,700 year-round residents to three times that number on the morning of Independence Day. Since the 4th falls on a Sunday this year, Sunday morning church service has been moved to Saturday.

  The parade is an eclectic mix of marching bands, honking fire trucks, waving politicians and homegrown floats—all blessed by an Air National Guard fly-by. This year’s parade theme “Life, Liberty & the Pursuit of Healthiness” is sure to be interpreted in infinitely creative, occasionally off-the-wall ways.

  As always, the parade starts with Clive’s cannon shooting off sometime near 10 am. The parade proceeds down Main Street, then takes the right on Brook Road where floats pull off the road or continue up to Brooks Field parking lot, where after the parade, fun and festivities abound on the field until mid-afternoon.

  Plan on getting to Warren by 8 am, if not before. Hop on the MadBus to get to the town center. Delicious aromas will lead you to the Warren Store where you can grab a hot breakfast muffin with egg and cheese or a boxful of fresh-baked pastries. Deli chef and Vermont native Jessica Zidovsky tells us that they offer a limited menu on parade morning to be able to feed the crush of visitors, security people and paraders. A coffee table will be set up outside the store.

  We caught up with Warren Store manager/wine connoisseur Jack Garvin yesterday afternoon as he was busily making sure the store would be ready for the Sunday’s flood of people. He was stocking a display of delicious, reasonably priced American wines that he assured us would be ideal for any pre-fireworks cookouts. In the spirit of the day and the season, he suggested a red and a white from Longball Cellars wines with their nod to the boys of summer. ZinfandEllsbury (with a picture of Red Sox outfielder Jacoby Ellsbury on the label) and Chardon-K (Sox right-hander Josh Becket adorns this one). Proceeds from both wines benefit children’s charities. (Due to restrictions on the sale of alcohol, the store will only be selling wine before 10 am on the 4th, and then again after the band finished their set.)

  Fourth of July regulars Jimmy Yozell & Friends will be performing on the porch of the Warren Store for the Street Dance following the parade. As the dancing in the streets winds down, order up a Farmstand sandwich from the Warren Store deli to restore your energy. Don’t forget to grab a bottle or two of Sean Lawson’s “Maple Nipple Ale” for later on. Warren Store is the only retail vendor of Lawson’s Finest Liquids prize-winning brews. Then drive south on Route 100 about three miles for a picnic and a refreshing dip in Warren Falls.

  Warren Store • Historic Main Street, Warren Village, VT 05674 • 802.496.3864

  See more great images of the Warren Store on our flickr page!

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• Farm, Bike!

  Date: 06.25.2010 | Category: The Beat | Response: 0

  It’s 7:15 am, mid-June, and a steady stream of bikers is rolling down Riverside Avenue into Burlington’s Intervale: farmers heading to work. While this image may not be a new one, the number of non-farmers hopping on a bike to pick up produce or simply pay a visit to nearby farms is on the rise. Bike-centric farm events (and even a farm-centric bike business) are sprouting up all over Vermont.

  You might wonder just how many people are both into cycling and a fan of small farms? Lots, it turns out. Last year, more than 500 people attended the annual Tour de Farms, a fall ride with stops (and samples) at a variety of Addison County farms. In July, I’m teaming up with Local Motion and the Open Farm and Studio Weekend to organize the first annual Heart of the Islands Bike Tour, a ride exploring Champlain Island farms, art studios and vineyards. One Revolution, a bicycle delivery service, recently launched its services with an impressive contract to deliver CSA shares for the Intervale Food Hub.

  Vermont has a reputation for healthy food and healthy people: according to the USDA’s most recent Census of Agriculture, Vermont leads the nation in per-capita direct sales of produce from farmers to consumers. In addition, America’s Health Rankings put Vermont at the top of the charts in its 2009 review (almost a third of Vermonters are regular bike riders!). In a state where we’re increasingly eager to meet our farmers and move toward healthier forms of transportation, farm-biking is on a roll.

  Here are a few opportunities to “veg out” while you ride this season:

  Saturday, July 10
  Heart of the Islands Bike Tour
  Explore Champlain Island farms, art studios, food venues and vineyards during a leisurely (and spectacular) 10, 24 or 35-mile ride to support Local Motion. Lots of free samples from farms, vineyards and eateries along the way! 10 am to 4 pm from Snow Farm Vineyard, South Hero. Register here.

  Saturday, July 17
  Valley Farm Ride
  Riders visit farms in the Mad River Valley to sample locally grown produce in an event to benefit and raise awareness for the Vermont Food Bank. 9 am to 1 pm, begin at the Waitsfield Farmers’ Market. For more info, call Peter Oliver 802.496.5538.

  Sunday, September 19
  3rd Annual Tour de Farms
  Cyclists choose from one of three routes that wind through the beautiful Champlain Valley and offer stops and sampling at farms along the way. Expect lots of hot food options, farm and craft vendors, along with entertainment and merriment! Tour de Farms registration forms will be available July 1 at www.ruralvermont.org.

  One Revolution
  Get your CSA delivered by bike! One Revolution is a new bicycle-based pick-up and delivery service serving the greater Burlington area. Jericho Settlers Farm, Intervale Food Hub and Pete’s Greens shares are all available for delivery. Visit www.onevt.com or 877-4BIKEVT (877.424.5388) for more info.

  See more great images of Bike & Food events on our flickr page!

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• It’s a Bus Age Wonder

  Date: 06.18.2010 | Category: The Beat | Response: 0

  Against the verdant green backdrop of the Woodstock Green, a green tour bus might go unnoticed. It’s summertime, a lot of buses roll through town. But a 45-foot-long refurbished 1989 MCI motor coach equipped with solar panels on the roof and the words “The Big Green Bus” painted in sunny yellow along the side? That’s a bus to be noticed.

  The BGB and its crew of 12 circuit riders for the environment pulled into Woodstock, Vermont, yesterday afternoon for their kickoff event hosted by Sustainable Woodstock. The six men and six women on this “vehicle for change” are all Dartmouth students. They’ve spent the last four months getting the bus ready for a three-month coast-to-coast tour to promote environmental awareness and sustainable living. I couldn’t wait to climb aboard. The bus’s interior has been fitted with interactive displays that showcase energy-saving, environmentally friendly, affordable improvements people can implement at home. The entire display is powered by the solar panels. Even the floor is made of sustainably harvested bamboo.

  It’s fortunate that Americans love fried food: the BGB’s engine is fueled by waste vegetable oil. The crew has stops planned all along their route to collect the old oil from restaurant Fryolators. The bus has it own oil-filtering system. The quality of vegetable oil doesn’t matter too much, as long as it hasn’t been chemically treated (no McDonalds).

  This is the sixth season for the BGB tour. This year’s mission focuses much more on the individual. “People are discouraged because they think environmental issues are over their heads and the individual can’t do anything about it,” says Ben Paly, class of 2011. “But environmental awareness is easy and can save you money. Start by going vegetarian for at least one meal a week.” (The beef industry contributes to 18% of global carbon emissions.)  “Think about your commute to work, try to freshen it up with an alternative that burns less fossil fuel.”

  Follow the BGB tour here—and look for them in your town!

  See more great images of the Big Green Bus on our flickr page!

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• From Chef to Sales Dude

  Date: 06.11.2010 | Category: The Beat | Response: 0

  The other day a chef asked me, “What’s it like on the other side?” I guess I can take his question in a variety of ways: First, I don’t cook in a restaurant anymore and now my brothers with pots and pans in tow see me differently. Second, he’s not only my friend now but also a customer. Now I need to think about his business–not just selling to sell but providing him with products that will help him succeed and keep his margins where they need to be so his business remains viable. And third, now we share a mutual envy: At the end of the day, I head home to be with my family while he fires up the range and puts beautiful handcrafted food on plates, and smiles on people’s faces. Even though we’re both happy to go our different ways, we also for a moment secretly want to be in the other’s shoes, just for one night.

  I left cooking a couple of months ago to go into sales with Black River Produce, an independent distributor in Springfield, Vermont, that prides itself on the long-standing relationships it has developed with local growers. It took a lot of soul searching to find that this was the right decision for me. I love to cook, I dream about food, I love celebrating the season’s harvest, and I love the intensity. I’ve always embraced the complete commitment to a dinner service where, at the end of the night, you sit there completely drained, eating leftovers out of a mixing bowl and retelling the evening’s  stories. Being proud of the food you serve is the goal of any chef; knowing who raised your lamb or planted those carrots is something most chefs celebrate. What I loved most was celebrating the story of our food, and I loved working on how to get it from a farm to my customer.

  Fortunately, in my new position, much of my time is spent finding ways for each of my customers to incorporate something from our community into the food they serve. My favorite unnamed lettuce man once asked me what I wanted to do. My response: “Get one more person to think about where their food comes from.” I’m not saying that I’m an absolute purist—I believe in balance and I believe that every dollar you put into a local farm or producer is one more dollar that keeps our landscape, economy and heritage in existence. I’m fortunate to live in the place I’ve spent my whole life searching for . . . a real community of people with a strong connection through the food we all share.

  I’m delighted that my two girls will call themselves Vermonters, know when strawberry season starts and value artisan cheese before they go to grade school. And I’m very fortunate to be a sales dude where they pay me every day to go out and celebrate the food system we are all proud of.

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