2019 ApplePalooza: 1720 pounds of apples, 43 cartons to share, and 60-some of your closest friends: a do-it-yourself buying club. Here’s how Sarah Oien Page did it.
Read more: Here’s how Sarah did it – a DIY buying club
 
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If you see fudge sauce or marshmallows on the dessert menu, you can bet they’re made from-scratch. No food dyes, corn syrup or hydrogenated oils. Fruit is used when it’s in season and bulk ingredients are organic. No, the sugar’s not local and neither is the chocolate; these are fundamental building blocks of dessert as we know it. I can’t figure a way around that one, but considering everything else we do I’m comfortable with the compromise. 
My job description now looks a lot like Western Maryland’s local food scene at a glance; I’ve pieced together full-time work by reaching out to surrounding small towns. Between the farm, the hotel, the restaurant, and the creamery, it involves a lot of driving, plenty of good people, and a whole lot of good food. 
What do you really know about the food on your plate and where it came from? Today’s exercise in the provenience of our food – who grew it, who processed it, who sold it? 
Spring on the farm turns Kate poetic! 
It’s worthwhile examining our dependence on canned goods during a season when the lack of sunshine coincides with a shortage of fresh produce at the market. The days are shorter and colder, and popping open a can of soup is just too easy when you need a quick, hot meal. But the difference between fresh and canned extends far beyond the method of preparation. 
One year ago I was working three jobs. I pulled espresso at a coffee shop and shelved armloads of romance novels at a bookstore. At my favorite job, I’d whip up elaborate breakfasts for sleepy-eyed travelers at a local B&B. We ate well and life was good. 
Why would I make noodles when I can pop into my neighborhood grocery and get them for less than $2 a pound? And that question has a logical answer: Because if I make them, they are fresh, and I know exactly what goes into them. 
I am by no means an expert on sprouting. There are whole webpages dedicated to the task, online forums full of people sharing the outcomes of their home-kitchen experiments – from novice sprouters like me to expert enthusiasts. I was thrilled to find that the sprout community is just as active as that of the bread bakers and cheese makers. More proof that people are taking an active role in their food – and with sprouts, it’s literally seed-to-plate. 
At this time of year in Vermont the animals are devoting what energy they have to staying warm. When the hens do lay eggs, they’re often frozen before we get to them. Some chickens have even developed frost-bite, so we stopped opening the doors for them in the mornings – they’re literally cooped up. |
Book of the MonthFood From the Radical Center: Healing Our Land and Communities By Gary Paul Nabhan 
America has never felt more divided. But in the midst of all the acrimony comes one of the most promising movements in our country’s history. People of all races, faiths, and political persuasions are coming together to restore America’s natural wealth: its ability to produce healthy foods. In Food from the Radical Center, Gary Nabhan tells the stories of diverse communities who are getting their hands dirty and bringing back North America’s unique fare. Read on...  The Voice of Eco-Agriculture North America’s premier publisher on production-scale organic and sustainable farming. Learn more here. A Video You Don't Want to Miss!Clara Coleman, daughter of renowned farming pioneer Eliot Coleman, has a clear plan for a new collaborative farming model called the ARC Farming Project—Agrarian Resource Collaborative Farming. 
It is in response to today's particular agricultural challenges and embraces farmer entrepreneurial diversification. Watch the video here. |
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