Posts Tagged ‘Shelburne Farms’

• 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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• Hospitals Look to Sustainable Meats

  Date: 07.20.2010 | Category: News Feed | Response: 1

  Approximately 300 hospitals across the country have pledged to improve the quality of food served in their institutions by incorporating healthy, sustainable foods into their patients’ diets, reports the Chicago Tribune.

  Fearing drug-resistant pathogens, medical professionals have started advocating for the use of antibiotic-free meats in hospitals. Antibiotics that are used to treat people, like penicillin and tetracycline, are also given to healthy animals to speed their growth and to compensate for tightly packed living conditions, which can increase the spread of disease.

  Because increased exposure to antibiotics can lessen their effectiveness against disease, some hospitals, including Northwestern Memorial Hospital in Chicago, are choosing instead to purchase antibiotic-free meat.

  The Chicago Tribune reports, “Administrators say they hope increased demand for those products will reduce the use of antibiotics to treat cattle and other animals, which scientists believe helps pathogens become more resistant to drugs. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimate that antibiotic-resistant infections kill 60,000 Americans a year.”

  More National News

  July 17: Chartwells-Thompson Hospitality, a food supplier for hundreds of elementary and high schools in Chicago has partnered with Family Farmed to increase its local food suppliers. News-Gazette

  July 16: A Price Chopper store in Warwick, New York, has been awarded the Silver-Level Certification award from the EPA’s GreenChill Partnership for reducing the use of refrigerants. Supermarket News

  July 13: The CDC reports nearly one in 25 outbreaks of foodborne illness in restaurants can be traced to fresh salsa or guacamole. CDC

  July 12: The new “Traceability for Meat and Poultry: U.S. Implementation Guide” will help businesses identify the source and cause for recalled meat more efficiently. Supermarket News

  Regional News

  July 18: The Landscape Auction for Vermont’s Working Landscape will take place on August 14 to raise funds for conservation of the state’s natural resources. Burlington Free Press

  July 16: Green Mountain Power will install 770 solar panels at Shelburne Farms, which will be designated as the “Solar Orchard.” Vermont Business Magazine

  July 15: Revelation to Action Competition winners include: Vermont Feed, Yestermorrow Design/Build School’s Semester in Sustainable Design/Build, and Jr. Iron Chef, Vermont. Market Watch

  July 13: Vermont dairy farmers voice their support of legislation announced by Vermont Senators Leahy and Sanders that will attempt to stabilize milk prices. Burlington Free Press

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• Giddy-Up! Giddy-Up!

  Date: 12.24.2009 | Category: Coming Up | Response: 0

  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.

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• Holiday Nibbles

  Date: 12.23.2009 | Category: Real Food, Recipes | Response: 0

  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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• ‘Tis the Season

  Date: 12.17.2009 | Category: Coming Up | Response: 0

  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 17^th
  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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• VT Conference to Focus on Cultural Aspects of Food

  Date: 11.12.2009 | Category: Coming Up | Response: 1

  Food writers, food producers and food policy makers will gather this Friday and Saturday (November 13-14) at the Vermont Humanities Council’s 36th annual fall conference ”Food for Thought,” which takes place at The Essex, in Essex, VT. The diverse group of food enthusiasts will examine the artistic, ceremonial, cultural and social implications of food.

  “Food shapes social organizations, from families to nations,” says Mark Fitzsimmons, conference director. “We want to look at the ways in which we use food for those purposes. Food is a joyous, sensuous experience, and we can’t lose sight of that.”

  Conference highlights include:

  • On Friday, a lively conversation about the revolution in American food in the past 50 years between Darra Goldstein, executive editor of Gastronomica: The Journal of Food and Culture, and Judith Jones, renowned editor of Julia Child’s Mastering the Art of French Cooking and vice president of Knopf publishing. Noted Vermont author Marialisa Calta will moderate.
  • On Saturday morning, Nils Daulaire, former president and CEO of the Global Health Council, delivers the plenary address, ”The Future of Food in a Hungry World,” discussing the relationship between health, food security and global politics.
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