ELEVEN TONS – that’s a lot to be thankful for!

Bill Clark, gleaning champion and owner of Clark Farm and Maple Country Kitchen in Pawlet, VT.

By Bill Clark

At last!  After five years of trying and almost making it, this season RAFFL’s Glean Team has collected over 22,000 pounds (Eleven tons… and counting!) of fresh fruits and vegetables.  These nutritious foods from area farms have been distributed to 19 different places around the county providing food to 2,500 people in need.

This special activity all started on a damp, cool April morning in 2009.  We’ve been doing Farmers Markets for many years.  Our biggest market day is Saturday in Rutland City.  Occasionally, leftovers at day’s end were left at a food pantry.  However, not many are open on Saturdays and most don’t have much refrigeration for fresh veggies and fruit.  So when we received a letter from a local agency that cares for women and children letting us know that it would mean so much to have fresh veggies for the growing children in need we didn’t need to think too hard about it.  Their simple request was that we grow an extra row of food, just for them.  This request was so simple, we knew we would say yes!

We farmers have untold problems every day; weather extremes, high cost of fuel, equipment, taxes, pests and more.  Growing an extra row sounded like the easiest thing that we’d ever been asked to do.  We emphatically said “Yes!”  In fact, we’ve raised an acre of crops each year since 2009 specifically for donation as a result of that request.

It’s one thing to grow the extra food.  Harvest and distribution are another matter.  Fortunately, in 2004 a group of concerned farmers, consumers and organizations came together to try to turn declining agriculture around into a new direction.  They organized into a group known as the “Rutland Area Farm and Food Link” (RAFFL).  Produce had to get from the farmers to the food shelves.  RAFFL had the means, the vision, and the willpower to make it happen.

Meadow Squier was the first person to work for RAFFL’s Glean Team.  As a summer internship, she coordinated and handled the project. She picked up, weighed and catalogued all produce from the Saturday Farmers Market.  With the generosity of Thomas Dairy, the food was stored until it would be delivered on Monday.  Produce was gathered from the Poultney Market on Thursday as well.  Green Mountain College has been a strong partner providing students to help out, cold storage, and use of their kitchen to process food that was frozen for later distribution during the winter.

We started taking in produce in early June and by November had acquired 10,000 pounds during a wet, cold summer with a very poor growing season.  Challenging circumstances to begin with but amazing what was accomplished for very little money.  No farmers had to buy or rent more land or equipment. They didn’t need to pay for extra labor.  Thomas Dairy didn’t have to add more coolers.   All the components of this project were here right under our noses all the time.  It just needed a committed organization to make all of the connections.

As RAFFL celebrates its tenth anniversary of bringing Rutland County agriculture and consumers together, it is interesting to look back and see how it got its start.  For years Rutland County had been a major dairy county.  However, since the 1960’s many of its hill farms were slowly being bought up by flatlanders.  And so it was on an April morning in 2004 my wife, Sue, needed some things in Rutland.  I just happened to notice in the paper that UVM Extension had scheduled a meeting in their conference room where someone would be talking about how to best shop at a farmers market.  Being that we were large market vendors for over 25 years at that point, I was curious about what might be said, so I went to the meeting.  It didn’t turn out to be what I thought it would be.  Rather, over twenty people were there, most of whom I didn’t know.  It turned out to be a discussion about Rutland’s declining agriculture and what, if anything, could be done to change that.  Folks there represented a variety of entities in Rutland County as well as market growers and maybe a few consumers.  There was representation from the Rutland Regional Planning Commission, the Vermont Land Trust, Poultney-Mettowee Natural Resource Conservation District, Green Mountain College, UVM Extension and probably others.

After two hours of discussion, the idea was born to form a new organization, RAFFL.  Many lofty ideas were put forth about what it might accomplish.  Some might have been pie in the sky.  After all, it was starting out with no money.  No money, but plenty of determination.  (It seems that’s the one element in Rutland that gets things done.)  A board of directors was set up, Rutland Regional Planning Commission secured a grant, and RAFFL was born.  In Tara Kelly’s hands as the director, this organization has been making a difference.

There is not room here to tell RAFFL’s amazing story of how it evolved over the past ten years.  Suffice to say, that because of RAFFL, Rutland county has a new, dynamic, growing agriculture that has expanded farmers markets in their scope including the start-up of the 26 week winter farmers market in Rutland which is the largest in the state.  RAFFL has been expanding opportunities and education for farmers, especially the young ones just getting started.  All while operating innovative programs that connect this community to its farmers and vice versa.

Each year the Glean Team effort has grown with many local farmers donating their high quality produce.  This season’s eleven plus tons of fresh grown, top quality, local fruits and veggies are making a difference in so many people’s lives who otherwise could not afford it. We are proud to be a part of this effort.  In Wells, Our Neighbors Table (our local food pantry) is a good example of a food pantry set up and committed to providing this fresh produce.  They have both refrigerator and freezer storage.  They do an excellent job.

With the growing world food shortage and in the US the continuing drought in California, we in Vermont need to rapidly expand growing our own food.  As I look back at the Glean Team project, it shows how much can be accomplished when people work together with very little money involved.  It is a shadow of the same kind of effort that every year goes into the Gift of Life Marathon.  Some people still call Rutland the “Rut”.  Well, if Rutland is a “Rut” than it’s an awful good “Rut” to be in!  The spirit of Rutland is strong!

Bill and Sue Clark operate Clark Farm and Maple Country Kitchen in Pawlet, VT.  They have been Rutland Downtown Market vendors for the past 38 years.  Bill is also past president of the Vermont Farmers Market. He can be reached at 325-3203 or by FAX 325-2291.

Milk is now available at the Rutland and Dorset Winter Farmers Markets!

Rich Larson selling milk at the farmers market. Larson Farm/photo

By Tara Kelly

Photo Caption:  Rich Larson selling milk at the farmers market

For years people living in Rutland have had to drive as far as Castleton or Tinmouth to buy their milk.  Why? If a person wanted to follow family tradition and/or had a preference for farm fresh (raw and unpasteurized) milk – the only legal way they could get that milk was to go to a farm that sold it.

Over the past decade, the state of Vermont has undergone a major shift in how it regulates the sale of raw milk.  Previous to now, sales have been hampered in part by rules that were outdated and restricted of farm sales and deliveries.  But thanks to advocacy groups such as Rural Vermont, things have started to change.

New legislation that went into effect on July 1, 2014 now allows people to get farm fresh milk at farmers markets.  There are a few tricks / small hoops to jump through along the way.  But the convenience provided by this service will be a big improvement for those who once trekked out to a farm to pick it up directly.

Here’s how it works.  A person interested in purchasing milk for pick up at a farmers market will need to pay a visit to the farm from which they intend to purchase.  Customers then need to pre-order the milk for pick up at the market – no buying on the spot. These two requirements satisfy the state’s intent that a purchaser of raw milk be fully informed about the conditions of the farm from which they are purchasing the milk.  The reason for this “precaution” is that for every person who swears by the high nutrition content and quality of farm fresh milk, another person is convinced that unpasteurized milk is potentially harmful.  The legislation has strived to find a balance between these opposing viewpoints.

Currently, thanks to Larson Farm in Wells, customers can get their milk at Rutland’s Winter Farmers Market on Saturdays or Dorset’s Winter Farmers Market on Sundays.  Larson Farm, run by Cynthia and Rich Larson, is a family operated farm with a small herd of Jersey dairy cows.  A visitor will find a well-kept barn powered by solar panels and a clear concern for keeping the milk clean and delicious.  Aside from the stunning views on their property, customers will also find a variety of other farm fresh products such as eggs and meat available.

“The new law pushed forward by Rural Vermont, is a major move toward more consumer choice,” notes Rich Larson.  “Our raw milk is nutritious and delicious with all the good enzymes that assist in digestion.  Informed, health-conscious people are catching on to the benefits of unpasteurized milk, and now it is much more convenient to pick it up at the local farmers market.”

Rich and Cynthia, as well as their daughter Mercy, are passionate about bringing a high quality product to customers.  They will be personally attending the markets, meeting their customers, and sharing information about their farm.

Our family lives within a 15 minute drive of this farm, so we’ve been enjoying their milk for years. Our kids drink it regularly (and that of Thomas Dairy, which we also buy) and I enjoy it in my morning coffee on a daily basis.

I already buy 2 gallons a week, but I may need to start getting more.  After attending the Fermentation Festival RAFFL co-sponsored this past weekend, I now have a simple recipe for making yogurt that was shared by Leslie Silver and Michael Beattie who have been making yogurt at their home for years.  They made it seem so easy.  I can’t wait to give it a try!

Needed: milk, thermometer, yogurt culture (either from a live culture yogurt or a starter packet)

Heat milk to 180°F. Let the milk cool to 116°F (Leslie and Michael did this by putting the pan in an ice bath for a couple of minutes). Pour milk into a glass jar. Add starter (either a few tablespoons of live-cultured yogurt or a packet of starter that can be purchased). Keep covered and at 116°F for at least 6 hours (Leslie and Michael did this by putting the jar into a small cooler along with a couple of bottles of very hot water and then setting the cooler aside).

Yogurt made this way is not too thick. If thicker yogurt is desired, a thickener such as dry powdered milk, could be added as milk is heating in the first step.

Tara Kelly is the Executive Director for Rutland Area Farm and Food Link (RAFFL). 

Winter squash — a vegetable for more than one season

Winter squashes come in several varieties, providing differences in taste and texture. A Carnival Squash, shown above, is a cross between acorn and sweet dumpling squash. Steve Peters/photo

By Steve Peters

Winter squash isn’t just a holiday side dish. It’s a vegetable to love and cook throughout the entire fall and winter months – hence its name. During my weekly stroll through the farmers market this past weekend, I admired the many shapes, sizes and colors of squash and couldn’t resist picking up a few to take home. While I had no definitive plans for them, that’s alright. Unlike many of the summer crops that have come to pass, including summer squash, winter squash has a hard outer rind and is content to hang out on my counter until inspiration strikes – for weeks and months, even, if the conditions (low light and humidity) are right.

While many winter squashes are interchangeable in use, I enjoy trying new varieties and observing the subtle differences in taste and texture. And just when I thought I knew all the squashes out there, I discover something new that farmers are growing.

Here are just a few of the many kinds of squash I’ve found and enjoyed.

Delicata Squash – Everyone I know loves this cream colored, green striped squash. Perhaps it’s because it is easier to slice and quicker to cook than many of the others. Delicata is comparable to sweet potatoes, as it is relatively sweet, with a slightly nutty taste. Try slicing it in half, scooping out the seeds and slicing each half into ¼ inch pieces. You’ll find yourself with attractive, scalloped pieces that can simply be sautéed in a pan with oil and garlic.

Carnival Squash – If you like acorn squash you should give this one a try, as it is a cross breed between acorn and sweet dumpling squash. Carnival’s shape is similar to the acorn, but is usually yellow, with orange and green stripes. The presence of some green stripes is an indication that the squash is at peak maturity. Try stuffing and roasting.

Blue Hubbard Squash – Blue Hubbard is one of my favorites, particularly because of the unique blue color, bumpy skin and the sometimes absurd size and shape in which they can grow. However, a 15 pound squash – its size at the most extreme – can be a bit unwieldy. You could roast it whole like a turkey, or do like I do and smash it on the ground to break into more manageable pieces. But if that sounds less than enjoyable to you, just look for a smaller size. Inside you’ll find deep golden flesh, an indication of a high level of beta-carotene.

Red Kabocha Squash – Kabocha is a generic term for Japanese winter squash. You’ll find both green and red Kabocha, but I prefer the sweetness of the red. Try peeling, cubing and roasting this squash after tossing with your favorite Asian spices.

Almost any winter squash is great roasted and pureed, which then opens up a whole other world of uses. This week in my Rutland Reader column, Rutland Bites, I share some more of these practical tips and uses for winter squash, regardless of the variety, and get into further detail on roasting and pureeing. For now, I leave you with a recipe for winter squash stuffed ravioli.

Winter Squash Ravioli in Sage Butter

Ingredients

• 24 Wonton wrappers
• 1 cup winter squash puree
• 1/3 cup Parmesan cheese
• ½ tsp nutmeg
• ½ tsp salt
• Freshly ground pepper, to taste
• 2 tbsp maple syrup
• leaves from several sprigs of thyme
• ¼ cup Greek yogurt
• 4 tbsp butter
• 2 tsp chopped sage leaves
• Chopped and toasted walnuts, optional

Bring a medium pot of salted water to a boil. Meanwhile, in a bowl combine the squash, cheese, nutmeg, salt, maple syrup, yogurt and pepper. Stir to blend well.

Remove the wontons from the package and cover with a damp towel to keep moist. Place one teaspoon of squash filling in the center of each wrapper. Fold the wrapper corner to corner. Dip a fork in water and use the wet tines to seal the edges of the wrapper. Continue with the remaining filling and place the constructed ravioli under another damp paper towel as you go.

In batches, add the ravioli to the boiling water. Remove with a slotted spoon to a large platter or baking sheet when they float to the top of the water, about 3 minutes.

Melt the butter in a medium sized sauté pan over medium heat. Add the sage, cook for one minute, then add in the ravioli and gently toss. Serve topped with additional Parmesan cheese and walnuts.

Steve Peters is RAFFL’s communications and food education manager. You can reach him at steve@rutlandfarmandfood.org. To find more of recipes, visit everydaychef.org and check out his weekly Rutland Bites food column in the Rutland Reader.

Preparing for Winter with Easy Food Preservation

By Lindsay Courcelle

It feels like almost a sin to type “winter” on the first day of autumn, but alas, that is what is on my mind. The cool morning breezes ask all of us to sleep in just a bit longer, despite lengthy fall to-do lists. Vegetable farmers are busy bringing in the harvest and watching for frosts, either protecting their crops under fabric row covers or plastic, or saying farewell to their summer vegetables.

This is also the time of year to make sure that our pantry is stocked full for the winter months, the equivalent of a squirrel gathering enough acorns. Many folks have finished their canning for the year, but we are often lagging behind with preservation. With that in mind, here are some tips from an expert procrastinator on how to ready your kitchen and pantry for the winter months.

Freeze Veggies

There are countless books and articles about canning vegetables, and many reasons to do so. Still, freezing tends to be a simpler method for us. Buying a chest freezer takes an initial investment, but if stretched over 10 years, the purchase and electrical usage equates to a cost of $3-10 per month. Don’t have space inside? We’ve successfully had our chest freezers outdoors. Some models need to be unplugged in temperatures below freezing.

We tend to take the easy route when it comes to freezing, avoiding any blanching or unnecessary steps. Some vegetables that you could freeze now without blanching are whole, cored tomatoes, great for soups, stews, or cooking down into a sauce; sweet peppers, simply cored or sliced into rings to go into stir-fries or fajitas; and hot peppers like jalapenos, to add spice to any meal. Simply place the clean, prepared veggies in a plastic freezer bag, squeeze out as much air as possible, seal, and place in the freezer. To go the extra mile, tomatoes and peppers can be roasted in the oven before freezing which will highlight their flavors in a different way. Other vegetables to freeze without blanching include shredded zucchini, to use for fritters or baking; tender broccoli; and herbs like parsley and dill.

Freeze Berries

If you are like me and missed your chance to pick berries this summer, snag some of the last fall berries and freeze them. There are still raspberries available at the Rutland Co-op and from farmers market vendors including Yoder Farm and Boardman Hill Farm. We simply put the berries into a plastic freezer bag, lay flat, and freeze.

Pick Apples

There are so many delicious apples to be had on trees in Rutland County, including right in town. Many apple trees have been abandoned and the fruit is never even picked. The apples might have small spots on them, or be misshapen, but they likely could be delicious, if not for fresh eating then for baking. The simplest way to preserve apples is to store in a cold place or to freeze them. Apples can be cored and frozen whole, sliced, or with pie spices added to the slices. Lemon juice can be added to prevent browning. Apples preserved this way are not good for fresh eating, but are great for cooking, baking, or making applesauce.

Dry Herbs

Before the heavy frosts come, pick any of the less hardy herbs that you’d like to have for winter cooking or tea. Many culinary herbs like thyme, oregano, sage and rosemary can be hung in bunches near a wood stove or in a warm, dry place and will be quickly dried. The same is true for tea herbs like peppermint and lemon balm. After the herbs are dried, place them in an airtight container and keep in a kitchen cabinet.

Store Root Cellar Crops

Home gardeners likely know that many vegetable crops can be stored through the winter if you have a root cellar or cold bedroom. Some crops, like sweet potatoes, winter squash and pumpkins prefer warm, dry conditions around 55 degrees. Garlic and onions prefer cooler, dry conditions, while root vegetables like carrots and beets need cold, moist conditions. A thermometer and humidity gauge, along with a chart of ideal storage temperatures, would come in handy for anyone who wants to store a large quantity of vegetables through the winter.

Luckily for many people, the Winter Farmers Market at the Vermont Farmers Food Center is a one-stop shopping experience for local food from November to April. But for those of us who have a bounty of vegetables that we don’t want to go to waste, these simple storage techniques may help.

Lindsay Courcelle and her husband Scott own Alchemy Gardens. Learn more at http://www.AlchemyGardensVT.com.

 

 

Are There Farms in Shrewsbury?

Beaver Meadow Farm in Shrewsbury, VT. Ludy Biddle/photo

By Tara Kelly

I once asked this question back when I moved here in the early 2000s and the response was, “There is only one left. The old Smith place.” Folks were referring to what is now Pine Valley Farm, and despite being an agricultural based community, that was frequently the only farm that came to mind.

Wrapped up in peoples’ response was a collective social understanding of what constitutes a farm.  As best I could make out, at that time the majority of people living in our county believed that a farm could only mean an active dairy farm with 30 or more milkers. The cows had to be black and white Holsteins, though some variations, such as Jersey cows, were grudgingly considered.

Over the past decade we’ve undergone an agricultural resurgence and the very understanding of what constitutes a farm has shifted.  As new agricultural businesses are continually cropping up to meet the rising consumer demand for locally produced food, the definition of what constitutes a farm has evolved.

According to Vermont’s Agency of Agriculture, our official state authority on the issue, farming is defined as activities falling into one of the following practices:

1. The cultivation or other use of land for growing food, fiber, Christmas trees, maple sap, or horticultural and orchard crops.
2. The raising, feeding or management of livestock, poultry, fish or bees.
3. The operation of greenhouses.
4. The production of maple syrup.
5. The on-site storage, preparation and sale of agricultural products principally produced on the farm.
6. The on-site production of fuel or power from agricultural products or wastes produced on the farm.
7. The raising, feeding, or management of four or more equines owned or boarded by the farmer, including training, showing, and providing instruction and lessons in riding, training, and the management of equines.

With those guidelines in mind, today’s response to my original question, “Are there farms in Shrewsbury?,” is a resounding yes. The breadth of agricultural enterprises in Shrewsbury, over a dozen, in fact, mirrors the technical definition of farming perfectly. Perhaps one of the clearest examples of this evolving definition is “the other Smith farm”, Smith MapleCrest.  This farm has seen many changes over the years as its been tended to by 8 generations of Smiths.  Its current focus is on grassfed beef to supplement their thriving maple business as well as a country bed and breakfast.  This family has found a way to perfectly suit the evolving customer interest in these products.  And, their products are among those found on the shelves of Pierce’s General Store.  This general store was closed from 1993 until 2009, when interest in having an outlet for local foods and other staples generated enough community momentum to get this special place back into operation.

Shrewsbury is not alone. There are communities throughout the region and state that have thriving farming businesses and other food outlets carrying local products. RAFFL is proud to work with many of those farms and other local businesses that focus on local food.

Next month, along with the Shrewsbury Institute for Agriculture Education (SAGE), we are excited to host a farm open house throughout the town of Shrewsbury.  On Sunday September 7^th, perhaps after showing support for the Vermonters for Vermonters benefit concert at the State Fairgrounds, you are invited to come see the wide variety of farms that Shrewsbury has to offer.  You’ll find beef, maple syrup, chicken, vegetables, milk, horses and more all along the beautiful country roads of Shrewsbury.  The open house runs from 3-5pm and is free and open to the public.

Later that same day, September 7^th, we’re holding our annual fundraiser celebration, Twilight in the Meadow, at Beaver Meadow Farm – one of the many farms of Shrewsbury.  This farm’s agricultural roots date back to 1761!

The funds raised at Twilight help RAFFL continue supporting the success of small farms. We assist farms through mentoring, providing technical assistance and creating connections with new customers. At the same time, we work hard to ensure that as many people as possible have equal access to local foods through produce donations, food and cooking education and farm to school efforts.

Twilight in the Meadow is a celebration of local farms and foods.  It’s an opportunity to enjoy a variety of creative dishes prepared with local ingredients, chat with your favorite farmers, and learn more about the exciting work we’re accomplishing at RAFFL. Through live and silent auctions you can make a contribution to RAFFL while simultaneously winning a gift certificate or unique experience at a local business or venue. You can find more information and purchase tickets on our website at rutlandfarmandfood.org. or give us a call at 417-7331.

The agricultural resurgence is only possible because of each and every individual who is personally taking action.  Thank you for any and every way you support the local farm economy!

Tara Kelly is the Executive Director of RAFFL, the Rutland Area Farm and Food Link. You can reach her at tara@rutlandfarmandfood.org.

Locally Made Tools for Local Farms

Rick and Pete Gile of Two Bad Cats display some of the tools they’ve created to help local farms. Alchemy Gardens/photo

By Lindsay Courcelle

Have you thought much lately about the process your food goes through from seed to plate? Let’s take lettuce, for example. Many farmers start their head lettuce in a greenhouse, placing individual seeds into plastic trays filled with soil. The trays that we use have ninety-eight “plugs” or cells and we put one lettuce seed in each one, making it possible for the roots to spread out only as far as those small cell walls. This makes for strong, healthy lettuce seedlings with contained roots.

After the seeds germinate, the lettuce spends another few weeks in the greenhouse, growing to be a couple inches tall. At that point, each cell of soil, roots, and baby lettuce is pulled out of the tray and transplanted into a prepared garden bed, where it grows to full size in another four weeks. All steps in this process must be done every week or two in order to have lettuce to sell each week at the market, barring problems with pests, disease, and weather.

Farming requires constant evaluation of efficiency in order to be profitable. Sometimes, it is easier for an outsider to see the inefficiencies, as was the case for us when our friend Pete Gile decided to volunteer with us in our second year of farming. As he witnessed the tasks we struggled with, Pete would question whether there was an easier, smarter way for the work to be done.

Pete and his engineer father, Rick Gile, started their business, Two Bad Cats, in 2009, launching a line of ski boot warmers and subsequently storage racks for Keurig coffee K-cups. As Pete became interested in farming, Rick’s own interest grew, and the two decided to take on projects to help small farmers in the region.

Pete and Rick work side-by-side with farmers to develop creative tools and small equipment. We use two of their most popular tools in our lettuce production. One tool is a plug tray plant popper, which helps us to quickly pull lettuce seedlings out of the trays when we are ready to transplant. This tool saves us time and just as importantly, reduces frustration in a task that can feel tedious.

Another tool, the plant spacing dibble wheels, ensures that we have proper spacing between plants. We quickly push the wheel down the garden bed, and it creates a small indentation where each lettuce seedling should be planted. This takes the guesswork out of the task. It also means we fit the exact number of heads of lettuce per bed as projected, so that our yields are as projected as well.

Two Bad Cats has more projects in the works, including a harvest hand truck that fits between beds, helping to reduce the burden of lifting heavy boxes of squash or peppers; a tine weeding hand tool; and a Jacuzzi spa vegetable washer. They often start with a need or problem that a farmer has shared and then throw around ideas until they come up with a prototype. Farmers test the prototype and give feedback. More models are made until the product is in a marketable state. Then comes the hard work of turning it into a product that can be sold on the open market with inventory, shipping boxes, sales literature, and firm prices.

When asked their favorite part, both answered that the farmers make their job fun. Rick describes farmers as “hard working, smart in their needs, open with their suggestions, flexible to try different things, and happy people in their lives.” Two Bad Cats has worked closely with Dutchess Farm and Alchemy Gardens on tool development, and have sold their products to over a dozen other farms, including a few around the country and as far away as New Zealand.

Pete says, “I now have an incredible amount of respect for how much work goes into even the simplest leaf of lettuce. If we can help make farmers’ work a tiny bit easier or more efficient then that makes my job even better.” Thanks to Two Bad Cats, Rutland County’s farms are becoming more efficient and profitable, one new tool at a time.

Lindsay Courcelle and her husband Scott own Alchemy Gardens. Learn more at www.AlchemyGardensVT.com. For more on Two Bad Cats visit: http://www.twobadcatsllc.com.

Farm or Pharmacy? Food Alternatives to Beat the Pills

Clogged arteries? There’s a pill to thin your blood. Funky cholesterol? There are pills to address LDL and HDL. Abnormal blood sugar levels? There’s a pill for that too.

I recently heard a retired doctor friend say that, by-and-large, once a patient is 40, his/her doctor expects to prescribe one medication per decade, including the four already survived. By that logic, anyone over 60 reading this article might be swallowing down six pills between the headline and the byline.

Maybe, instead of “ask your doctor if (insert newest marketed medication) is right for you”, we should be asking our farmers more questions at market, asking our waitresses to hold the refined grains, and asking ourselves if the food we are putting into our bodies is making us feel good or is it contributing to the degeneration of our health.

Though many of us think of inflammation as something that happens when an injury occurs – a twisted ankle swells or a cut gets puffy – this is acute inflammation and it is the body’s way of protecting damaged cells during new cell production. Chronic inflammation, however, occurs throughout the body, within a system of cells rather than being site-specific. It is the underlying disorder to many of our common human maladies.  Some examples include auto-immune diseases from Rheumatoid arthritis to Hashimoto’s, skin irritations such as acne and eczema, difficulty losing weight, food sensitivities, “leaky gut”/IBS, and metabolic syndrome – which, itself, is comprised of many conditions including abdominal obesity, high blood pressure, and abnormal cholesterol. By my count, if you are 50 and being treated for one of each of these symptoms, you’re already choking down seven pills, you’ll be to ten pills by the time you are 80.

So, how do we get away from the pills and still treat, or better yet, prevent  these curses on our bodies? Diet.  And. Exercise. Eat the right foods produced and processed in a healthy way and move your body.  Since this is a food column, I’ll focus on the diet half of that equation. Christina Cunningham, a local health coach and fermentation maven, is launching an eight-week program called “Living the Anti-Inflammatory Life” on September 8. She was gracious enough to sit down with me to talk about common foods that cause inflammation, common anti-inflammatory foods, and how to source the good stuff.

First, let’s take a look at the culprits. Sugars – especially refined/bleached, hydrogenated oils/trans fats, dairy products, corn-fed/feedlot-raised meat, alcohol, refined grains, artificial food additives/processed foods, personal food allergens (gluten, tree nuts, soy, eggs, nightshade vegetables). All of these foods contribute to inflammation in the body.

Diary is a tricky one. It is a great source of protein and cultured dairy provides fantastic beneficial bacteria. However, ultra pasteurized, processed dairy provides minimal nutrients at the cost of unhealthy additives.

And gluten sensitivities are out of this world right now and new research suggests that it’s not the gluten protein, but rather FODMAP (Fermentable, Olido-Di-Mono-Saccahairdes and Polyols) carbohydrates causing such intestinal upheaval.

So, now that we have established 10 common inflammatory foods, let’s get into some healthy, happy, dietary counterparts.

Fresh fruits and vegetables act as the foundation to an anti-inflammatory diet: apples, blueberries, blackberries, raspberries, cherries, broccoli, cabbage, bell peppers, arugula, carrots, and the onion family. Of course, our climate limits locally sourcing some of these year-round, but right now is the time to be stocking up and freezing the summer bounty. The farmer’s market is overflowing with amazing selections of these fantastic staples.

Herbs like basil, chives, cilantro, garlic, parsley, turmeric, cardamom, and cloves all aid in ridding the body of inflammation. Fresh is always better, so try to buy only as much as you will use within a week or two. Purchasing the more exotic herbs like cardamom or cloves as whole pods, then grinding them when you are ready to use them helps keep them fresh. You might also try buying small amounts in the bulk section of your co-op.

Fish like flounder, wild salmon, and sole are all great sources of omega fatty acids. Other meats should be sourced from producers who practice grazing and pasture-raising their animals. These are often available year-round at the farmer’s market. (Christina’s quick survey this past Saturday resulted in five different farms offering beef, chicken, and pork – all grassfed/pasture-raised.)

Sugary drinks are a major contributor to added refined sugar in the diet. If you are looking for a sweet, midday refresher, try blueberry, cherry juice, or pomegranate juice. Green tea or fresh vegetable juices also offer anti-inflammatory nutrients.

Looking for a crunchy snack? Unsalted, raw (not roasted) nuts and seeds, like almonds and walnuts, are not only filling, they provide healthy omega fats that aid in the reduction of inflammation.

While I understand that saying “no” to those 10 culprits of chaos is difficult, look at all you get to say “yes” to. Source it locally, and you are likely establishing a relationship with the producer, strengthening your foundation of good-choice support. Non-coincidentally, cutting the bad foods and adding the good will likely decrease your pill count as well.

Kimberly Griffin is currently working with the College of Saint Joseph to develop an on-campus farm for educational and edible use. She can be reached at kimberly.griffin@csj.edu.

Summer Sweet Corn, Chess Pie…. and Bacon

By Karen Ranz

While it seems every food writer is still going great guns for bacon and yet more bacon, I’ve grown weary of the hulaballoo.  Shouldn’t we about call it quits?  For example, I found a recipe in my in-box recently for bacon-wrapped peaches done on the grill.  While I’m not saying it doesn’t sound good, it seems to promise a minor conflagration before the bacon wrapping the sides could cook.  Besides, peaches don’t sweeten as they ripen off the tree, and this isn’t South Carolina.

I also have recipes now that include caprese salad with bacon proving that some things should just be left alone, cut-the-fat bacon-wrapped shrimp, and a wonderful-sounding packed-in-by-sherpa campfire bacon — cast iron skillet and sherry vinegar the least of which…  Although it hasn’t arrived yet, I expect to see one for bacon s’mores turn up any day now.

And yet, as much as I’m tired to death of seeing bacon hogging the act, there is one recipe I can vouch for where a bit of bacon does very nicely – fried sweet corn.  At Cherry Bend Pheasant Preserve, Mary had the men plant a super-sweet bi-color hybrid.   It was picked fresh, minutes into the pan from being pulled off the stalk.  Successive plantings with the old Allis Chalmers tractor ensured we’d have it as long as possible.  This recipe was a nice change from shucking fresh ears into water boiling in the turkey fryer in the side yard.  Man, was that living!  Every extra bit that I could manage to cut off the cob went into one of the locked chest freezers downstairs with the smoked pheasant and it never lasted long enough!

Fried Sweet Corn

In a cast iron skillet, fry several strips of bacon and drain on paper towels.  Cut the kernels from 6 or more ears of corn.  Add these to the hot bacon fat and cook uncovered over medium heat with one chopped onion and salt to taste, stirring occasionally until enough of the liquid steams away to concentrate the flavor and natural sugars.  While this is cooking, crumble the bacon.  The kernels will begin to brown and become a bit leathery.  Then add the bacon back to the pan and serve at the picnic table with grilled steak sandwiches, a summer salad, watermelon and something cold to drink.

Here’s a nifty idea that landed in my in-box recently:  To cut corn off the cob without a mess, stand the ears one at a time on end in the center hole of a bundt pan, letting the little kernels drop right into the pan.  Now isn’t that a nifty idea?  It’s practically guaranteed to work out well in your kitchen.  My own, however, seems to be equipped with laws of physics that don’t apply elsewhere.

Old Fashioned Vinegar Pie makes a nice dessert for a supper like this one.  Don’t be shocked:  this is resurrected from a Farmer’s Almanac cookbook, a riff on Lemon Chess Pie that farm wives made when lemons were only available seasonally.  The origins are also a bit in dispute.  Southern ladies want to claim it; Midwest cooks call it theirs; I’ve even run into people here who remember their grandmothers making it.  As simple as it is, it caused enough stir in a live auction between a group of nice church ladies, lacrosse teams from both Howard and Georgetown, and a professional chef to win by a mile first place in a DC benefit for Martha’s Table last year.  It’s now on the menu of Eatonville Restaurant in the U Street Corridor.  I used to make three or more of these each morning for the hunters.  (This is meant to be tooth-achingly sweet!)

Old Fashioned Vinegar Pie

1 stick of butter, melted

3 large eggs

1½ C sugar

1 Tbsp cider vinegar

1 tsp vanilla

Pinch of salt

Stir all the ingredients together and fill a 9” fluted pie shell.  Bake at 350⁰ for about 50 minutes.  The center should look set but should still jiggle a bit when it comes out of the oven.  The filling will continue to cook as it rests.

Mary and I used to joke that when she finally retired – no one knew her exact age – we’d sell the mineral rights to all the lead bird shot on the property after 53 years and sit out on the flagstone patio sipping lemonade and telling lies.  Mine was to be that my name is Allis Chalmers.

 

Love Letter to a Vegetable Farm

 

By Lindsay Courcelle

Dearest farm, with your well-worked fields full of food, I love you. I love you like the bumblebees love their flowers, like the rabbits love their spinach. That is, I need you. It’s as natural as life itself. When my footsteps scatter each morning across the fields and I learn your secrets, like the ripening eggplant hiding under dense foliage, I can’t help but be filled with gratitude for the bounty of Mother Nature and her therapeutic ways.

Farm, you heal me with your beautiful sights and sounds. The panoramic view to the north, the colorful tree line each fall. The melodic bird songs early in the morning. The freshly cultivated beds lovely in their order and neatness, the tall weeds lovely in their chaos and unimpeded growth. Seeing the sun’s energy transformed into fruits will never grow old. Sure, the ripe tomatoes are beautiful, but no more awe-inspiring than the tiniest green beans, barely birthed from delicate purple flowers. The vegetable babes are adorable in that cheek-pinching kind of way, when no other sign of affection will do to communicate your love.

Farm, the people who flock here to tend your rows are great thinkers, artists, philosophers. They are hard working, fair, and kind. I thank you for inspiring helpers, young and old, to gather on our land and work together towards finding joy in every day life, finding health through our labor and feasts, and finding nourishment through the invisible minerals that fit into all the right receptors in our bodies. Many great conversations and alchemical exchanges of energy happen right here, in the field, between humans, plants, birds, and bees. No matter your beliefs, the farm is without a doubt divine. Witness the scent of the swallowtail caterpillar, the sight of an iridescent dragonfly, or the brilliant lavender stems of Red Russian Kale against the blue sky and you will understand.

Farm, you bring people joy. When the tables are stacked high on market mornings, the customers can’t help but be drawn in. The bits of your soil that linger on carrots and beets, the grains of wisdom that you teach, all are handed off to new souls whose bellies, minds, and bodies will be nourished with your fruits. Some will recognize the majestic way that the power of the sun was harnessed. Others will rejoice in the flavors of their dinner. All will absorb the good energy of earth, water, air, just as naturally as our own bodies are made up of these elements. It can be no other way!

Farm, the lessons you teach resonate to my core. It takes dedication to tend the field, and patience in knowing that growth and change are inevitable but not quick or easy. There are days when we are soaked to the bone, on the brink of exhaustion, or watching hail rip through our crops. But without those days, would the first tomato taste as sweet? Would the red peppers shine so brilliantly? Life is full of both rain and shine, and that is what makes it so beautiful. We learn to be gentle with the plants so that we can learn to be gentle with ourselves and our loved ones, nurturing until at last, nature takes its course and we bloom and thrive. As Anaïs Nin so wisely wrote, “the day came when the risk to remain tight in a bud was more painful than the risk it took to blossom.”

Lindsay Courcelle and her husband Scott own Alchemy Gardens. Learn more at http://www.AlchemyGardensVT.com.

Gleaning: An Important Aspect of Local Agriculture

RAFFL volunteer and local farmer, John Pollard, loads up his truck with vegetables for delivery to food shelves and meals programs around the county.  In the background, boxes sit on the loading dock of Thomas Dairy. Thomas Dairy allows RAFFL to use their cooler space to store vegetables between harvest and delivery. RAFFL/photo

A version of this story originally appeared in the July 1 edition of the Rutland Herald

By Anna Flinchbaugh

This past week, my fellow Foodworks interns and I stopped by High Mowing Organic Seeds, an organic seed company based out of Wolcott. As a part of our visit, we toured one of High Mowing’s gardens. The crops, grown for seed rather than fruit, had taken on strange and unfamiliar shapes. Squat broccoli plants now stretched long and lithe, dotted with yellow blossoms. Leafy beet greens had given way to towering antennas clustered with tiny buds. Spinach leaves had elongated, grown angular. As odd as all of the crops looked, the spinach at least was familiar. I had seen the leafy greens in a similar state just the week before while helping out at a glean – a time for volunteers to harvest vegetables for donation to people in need of food assistance.

Given the staggering quantities of food donated by farmers and collected by gleaning volunteers, it’s easy imagine that there must be something broken in the food production system. The idea that so much food could fail to find a home in markets is puzzling, on the surface.  How can it be that perfectly, good, nutritious, delicious foods are going unsold? It boils down to the inherent risk involved with farming vegetables and the need for farmers to mitigate that risk.  Think water, pests and sunshine.  Too much or too little of any of these things results in wide variability in the fields.  Out of necessity, farmers plant more than they expect to sell in hopes of having enough yield to meet with sales goals.  In this system of risk management, there ends up being food left in the fields to be tilled under, composted or… gleaned!

Gleaning has been recognized as an important part of agriculture from time immemorial.  Sharing excess crops with neighbors is an important part of the fabric of life.  But, in order to get the available food to people who need it  — time is the ultimate factor.

My earlier experience with spinach illustrates this.  Plants do not last forever, and they last even less time in an easily harvestable state. The spinach that we collected had begun to go to seed, tightly clustered buds beginning to crown the tops of stems gone lanky; finding the leaves that remained at their prime required a bit of hunting and a bunch of patience. Our crew of wonderful volunteers was able to provide those things; time was one resource that we could provide in abundance. The same cannot be said for the farmers, who – in racing against things like the rain, market schedules, and the ripeness of their other crops – are required to paint with somewhat broader brushes.

If farmers fight against too little time on one end of the harvest-to-market chain, they are often dogged by an excess of it on the other. Managing the variety of markets farmers sell into on the schedule required by each, all while contending with nature’s whims, is a puzzle.  Farmers often have a very small window in which to sell their fresh, imminently perishable products; Red Russian kale that looks healthy and hearty one Saturday will be sadly wilted by the next. Because RAFFL’s Glean Team operates throughout the week, it is able to capture produce that would otherwise fall into a gap when product simply wasn’t being moved to a buyer.

Finally, gleaning accounts for the variation in appearance that occurs naturally in produce. Industrial agriculture perpetuates the idea that food can be grown to rigid uniformity, every apple six ounces and evenly red. These expectations belie the fact that cosmetic differences are as inevitable in peas as they are in people. And while consumers may accept lumpy heirloom tomatoes as charming, too much deviation from the red, round model can still be discouraging. By partnering with organizations that serve prepared meals, such as the Open Door Mission, the Glean Team is able to find homes for produce that falls outside of cosmetic expectations while remaining healthy, edible, and delicious.

Glean Team is coordinated by RAFFL staff but relies heavily on willing volunteers to help make it happen!  Volunteers come as individuals or in groups to learn something new about farms, spend a few hours in the sunshine (or rain, depending on the day), and know they are contributing to the health and well-being of the community.  Join the Glean Team by calling 558-5789 or emailing us at gleaning@rutlandfarmandfood.org.

Having worked with RAFFL last spring through an Environmental Studies senior seminar, Anna Flinchbaugh is excited to continue her involvement with the organization this summer through Middlebury College’s Foodworks Fellowship program.