Archive for December, 2009
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Emeril Takes It Up the Notch
While we don’t usually qualify the airing of a TV show as an “event,” watching Emeril Lagasse go gaga over Vermont-made tofu this coming Monday, January 4, is a sight not to be missed. Last summer, the Cajun BAM!-man and the crew of “Emeril Green,” the
chef’s new TV show, descended on Hardwick, Vermont, to discover how a community of young agricultural entrepreneurs has transformed a small New England town into a hotbed of sustainably delicious eating.During the hour-long program, Lagasse follows the local food chain beginning with Tom Stearns of High Mowing Organic Seeds who sells seeds to Pete Johnson of Pete’s Greens whose produce graces the plates at Claire’s—a community supported restaurant on Hardwick’s Main Street. Along the way the chef chats with Mateo and Andy Kehler, the two brothers behind the award-winning cheeses of Jasper Hill Farm, and assists Andrew Meyer of Vermont Soy in making a fresh batch of tofu.
“It’s unbelievable,” says Lagasse. “You have seeds, then soil, then the farm and you have the cheese.”
“Emeril’s Culinary Adventures: Vermont” airs at 8 pm on Planet Green, the first channel dedicated to the subject of ecologically friendly living. Comcast subscribers in Vermont will find Planet Green on channel 103.
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A Food Resolution
There are lots of ways to improve your health, realign family values and better support your local economy–but making a commitment to purchase more regional, in-season foods is one way to knock off all three objectives in one simple, sustainable New Year’s resolution. Here’s what we at FarmPlate have
come up with for our own resolutions for 2010.Emily: My resolution is to incorporate seasonal produce into my weeknight meals—even if it means I have no idea how to cook what I’m buying. I walk through Union Square Greenmarket each day, so I have no excuse not to pick up fresh, local foods for dinner each night.
Eric: To buy more food direct from farmers and producers.
Heather: I will learn to make two new recipes every week, doing my best to focus on local, seasonal products. By next year, I hope to be done “trying to learn how to cook” and have moved on to “cooking.”
Kim: I want to get my kids back in the kitchen cooking at my side. This year has been a busy one for our family. (I refer to FarmPlate as my fourth child.) But spending time in the kitchen as a family, enjoying the rituals of preparing and enjoying food together, is something not to be compromised.
Sarah: One of my few resolutions is to join a CSA that provides meat, bread and veggies. Beyond supporting my local farms and eating the freshest food, joining a CSA will mean getting creative when it’s Brussels sprout and turnip season. I just hope my one-and-a-half-year-old daughter is up for the adventure.
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Whole Foods Makes a New Year’s Resolution
Whole Foods Market is starting 2010 by giving back. Yesterday the food retailer announced the launch of a new Facebook application that encourages Whole Foods customers to post their aspirations for healthier, more socially conscious eating habits in the New Year.
By completing the phrase “This is my year to…” an individual can select a food-related mantra to publish as his or her Facebook status to show support for one of three non-profit organizations.A vote for “know where my food comes from” supports the Non-GMO Project, an organization committed to the sustained availability of non-GMO choices. Voting to “eat organic” supports Mission Organic 2010, which supports a goal for each individual to eat at least ten percent organic foods. Choosing “share my plate” logs a vote for Growing Power, an organization that works to provide equal access to healthy, affordable food by developing community-based sustainable food systems.
In addition to raising awareness for each cause through social marketing on Facebook, each organization will receive $10,000 from Whole Foods. The organization that accumulates the most votes will get an additional $10,000.
“Collectively, our shoppers will be supporting three terrific non-profit organizations,” said Whole Foods Market program coordinator Barry Hirsh. “We believe small, simple steps are the best way to enjoy healthy eating and living well on a budget, and we hope our shoppers will share their aspirations and ideas with others through the ‘This is my year to…’ Facebook application.”
The application is available to download here, and voting will be open until January 31, 2010.
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Merry Christmas!
Our Wish for the World . . .
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Giddy-Up! Giddy-Up!
It’s a snowy Christmas in Vermont with more of the white stuff on the way. Snow coverage is still a bit thin at the lower elevations but higher up there’s plenty for skiing, riding, sledding and
snowshoeing. A sleigh ride is the perfect way to get the whole family outside to enjoy the snow. Pull on your boots, grab Grandma and Baby Teddy and head out to:Shelburne Farms, 1611 Harbor Road, Shelburne
Sleigh rides daily (except Christmas Day) through January 3. Meet at the Welcome Center. Call 802.985.8442 for information; ask about stargazing sleigh rides too.Mountain Valley Farm, 1719 Common Road, Waitsfield
Horse-drawn sleigh rides are booked through Saturday, but there are openings from Sunday on. Call early to reserve a spot: 802.496.9255.Adams Family Farm, 15 Higley Hill Road, Wilmington
For a very special Christmas Eve, bundle up for a sleigh ride followed by hot chocolate and Christmas carols. Or, one week later, hear sleigh bells ringing in the New Year. For reservations and a schedule of daytime rides, call 802.464.3762. The farm is closed Christmas Day and Monday, December 28.Billings Farm & Museum, Route 12 & River Road, Woodstock
Sleigh rides are just one of the many seasonal activities scheduled for the days between Christmas and New Year’s weekend. Check the daily activities calendar or call 802.457.2355.Read the rest of this entry »
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Holiday Nibbles
We’ve gathered a handful of easy hors d’oeuvre ideas from FarmPlate friends and staffers. They’re not so much recipes as guides for turning what you might find in the fridge or pantry into tempting treats to serve when people stop by.
Grilled Veggie Rolls
That panini pan you got from Santa also works well for grilling sliced vegetables! Slice eggplant or zucchini about ½-inch thick, brush with olive oil and grill until cooked through. Let cool slightly, sprinkle with crumbled Vermont Creamery’s goat’s milk feta and a pinch of dried thyme. Roll up and secure with a toothpick.Ohpah! Spinach-Artichoke Dip
Heat a little olive oil in a skillet and cook 1 pound washed and trimmed spinach or arugula just until wilted then transfer to a mixing bowl. Drain and chop a 12-ounce jar of artichoke hearts and combine with the wilted greens. Add 1 cup (8 ounces) Greek-style plain yogurt (Cabot’s is excellent!) and 1 cup grated Vermont sharp Cheddar. Season with salt, pepper and a squeeze of lemon. Serve with O Bread Bakery’s seeded baguette (available at the several area markets, including the Shelburne Farms Welcome Center & Farm Store, Burlington’s City Market and Village Wine and Coffee in Shelburne).
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Winter at the White House Garden
Nineteen inches of snow and the White House Kitchen Garden is still growing. Fresh off the success of the fall harvest, Michelle Obama’s garden was prepped for the winter growing season with hoop houses just days before this weekend’s record snowfall.
A hoop house is constructed using metal bars and then stretching fabric or plastic tightly around the outside of the structure, creating a temporary energy-efficient greenhouse. The sun warms the hoop house, and the structure protects and insulates crops from snow and frost. Hoop houses also improve soil and water quality.
Volunteers and USDA staff planted spinach, lettuce, carrots, mustard greens, chard and cabbage, as well as a crop of rye, which is used by farmers to balance soil and prevent erosion of topsoil during the winter. Assistant Chef and Food Initiative Coordinator Sam Kass announced the White House Winter Garden on a video posted to the White House blog.
On hand to help with the construction of hoop houses was USDA Deputy Secretary Kathleen Merrigan, who announced a new USDA program that will help farmers finance hoop house construction to extend their growing season. Merrigan notes the value of producing year-round, explaining it’s “important because that helps build local and regional food systems–something USDA wants to help you with.”
Financial assistance will be provided to fund hoop house construction on farms of various sizes in 38 states. The three-year project is part of the
USDA’s “Know Your Farmer, Know Your Food” initiative.The timing for erecting the hoop houses at the White House Garden couldn’t have been better, considering the massive snowstorm that hit Washington last weekend. According to blogger Eddie Gehman Kohan, of the ObamaFoodOrama blog, the hoop houses were cleared of snow after the storm and the vegetables remain protected.
Kass has already been showing off the benefits of growing through the winter. D.C. elementary students toured the White House Garden with Kass as part of the Operation Frontline program, which focuses on nutrition and healthy eating habits for children. Kass captivated the students with the garden’s cold weather spinach, which tastes sweet, and taught them about preparing healthy meals.
More National News
Dec. 18: A new study shows local food businesses play a critical role in economic development. Business Week
Dec. 20: In Wisconsin, a man argues for his right to sell raw milk. Chicago Tribune
Read the rest of this entry »
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Ringing Mirabelles’ Praises
Mirabelles — the melodic word means ‘plums’, the small, round golden yellow kind that make delicious tarts, preserves and a killer French plum brandy.
In Burlington-ese, Mirabelles translates into the best pastry/breakfast/lunch spot in town.Two NECI grads, Alison Lane and Andrew Silva, opened Mirabelles nearly 20 years ago, establishing the shop as the place to order a wedding cake, the place to stop for a slice of gateau ‘Opera’ and a cup of coffee and the place to run into somebody interesting. Ten years later, Lane and Silva doubled the size of the restaurant to make way for a bigger kitchen, more seating and, best of all, a full breakfast service.
The Mirabelles menu has been expanding and evolving as well. Its roots are still American and French (le croque monsieur est toujours excellent!), but now there are more Southwest dishes showing up as daily specials, like last week’s quesadilla with adobo-spiced Vermont steak, chiles and jack cheese. One of the biggest changes is that customers are seeing the word “local” more and more on the menu board.
“Thank goodness people are over the health thing–we don’t get requests for egg-white-only omelets like we used to,” says Lane. “Now all our customers want local. Local meat, local salad greens, local cheeses.”
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‘Tis the Season
With just eight more days until Christmas, Vermont is abuzz with events and celebrations. From galas and auctions to performances and sleigh rides, there is much to see, taste and toast this holiday season. And rest assured, if you decide to venture beyond the comfort of your own home,
Vermont’s culinary wizards are preparing special feasts for Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve at restaurants around the state.FEASTS & TASTINGS
“After a good dinner one can forgive anybody, even one’s own relations.”
– Oscar Wilde, A Woman of No Importance
TONIGHT! Thursday, December 17th
Meet the innkeeper and taste a variety of Malbec wines at one of the oldest inns in the country. The Old Tavern at Grafton continues its monthly wine chat and tasting tonight in the tavern’s elegant dining room. Reservations are required and are limited to 8 people, so call 802.843.2231.Christmas Eve
Chef Doug Mack at Mary’s Restaurant is at it again! Every year Doug presents his guests with a truly bountiful Christmas Eve buffet. Reserve soon as this dinner traditionally sells out. There are three seating options: 4 pm, 6 pm and 8 pm. $42 for adults, $22 for children.The Kitchen Table Bistro in Richmond will present a special à la carte Christmas Eve menu featuring seasonal specialties. Hot off the press (we happened to call just as they were wrapping up both their Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve menus)—among the many options are Vermont Beef Tenderloin Tartare with Crispy Potatoes and Tiny Greens and Sautéed Crab and Salmon Cake served over a Pomegranate–Arugula Salad for starters. Entrées include Laplatte Farms Short Rib Shepherd’s Pie and Seared Scallops with Celery Root Puree and Cider-Sherry Jus. Book soon to be assured a place at the bistro.
Join the likes of Elizabeth Taylor and Walt Disney as you taste the recipes from the 1950s that drew them and many more celebrities time and time again to The Four Chimneys Inn in Bennington. This Christmas Eve the chefs will dig through their recipe vaults to share the standout gems from the era. Call 802.447.3500 now to reserve a spot.
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Here’s to the Holiday Pour!
Localvores and beverage enthusiasts alike have much to celebrate this holiday season. Brewing, vinifying, distilling and bottling are thriving businesses in Vermont today. We’ve started a list of just a few Vermont-produced beverages you might enjoy serving this season. We’d love to hear from you as well—tell us about your favorite pours and drink concoctions.
After Skating Warm-Ups
Serve warm mugfuls of Boyden Valley Winery’s Glogg.Sweeten hot apple cider from Vermont’s many fine cider mills (Champlain Orchards, Cold Hollow Cider Mill and Flag Hill Farm to name just a few) with a touch of maple syrup.
Make hot chocolate from any of Lake Champlain Chocolates‘ five to-die-for cocoa mixes, topped with whipped Vermont cream, of course.
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