Great Green North Chronicles: The Importance of Eating Locally
Well no post today from an American can be without a few words about the profound change that has taken place in this country of ours. Coming from someone who had all but given up on national politics, I must say that I do feel a sense of hope. For once, in a very long time, I feel proud of my country, proud that as a people we rose up and were heard. Proud that so many of us knew that change was needed and we got out there and made it happen. Like the saying goes: “Be the change that you wish to see in the world”, and it is in the spirit of that saying that I write this post.
I talk a lot about local and seasonal eating on this blog, and that is because I believe that it is so important to the health and well-being of this planet to sustain itself. I believe that we must have a deep and profound respect for nature and her bounty and follow her example to keep the balance and our bellies filled and nourished over the long haul. To that end, I believe that it is vital to support local agriculture. Having a direct connection between consumer and producer fosters trust, the understanding of what goes into food production and how the mass production of food will never work forever. It also leads to better products and accountability on a local and personal level.
I have been so inspired this past year, since I started my own quest to eat seasonally local, to see so many others taking up this cause and doing the same. I like to avoid politics as much as possible, but it seems near impossible not to be involved when we see what is happening in our world. So I always start small, where I feel I can make the most difference. Roberto and I decided the best way to make a change was to start voting with our money…even on vacation! We support farmers markets, local businesses and local economy as much as possible. This has become a new way of life for us, a life that I can feel good about. I am no where near perfect, and I am not sure that I ever will be, but I have a new consciousness and awareness about who I am, what I believe and what is important.
I discovered while we were in Vermont that there are places that are just light years ahead of our corner of the country when it comes to local produce and products. Where sustainability is a common goal and where people as a whole have made this a priority in their community. Where “Green” isn’t just a buzz word, but a way of life that has become ingrained into everyday living. It made me realize how living in a place where people share the same values can be so fulfilling and so it didn’t surprise me in the least when Vermont was the first state to go blue last night for Obama, giving him his first 3 electoral votes in his path to victory, or when looking at our local stats this morning the revelation that our county supported McCain, at least the rest of Florida made up for it. But enough about politics and onto the food!
In Vermont there is a wonderful grassroots movement happening called The Vermont Fresh Network which is an alliance and partnership between local farms and chefs. In the mid 1990’s Vermonters got together and coordinated a series of events to bring together local producers and chefs to see how they could best work together to support local agriculture. To be part of the network, farmers must partner with at least one restaurant and restaurants must have working connections with at least 3 farms.
Their work sure has paid off over the past 10 years, as VT has so many delicious products that are made in the state: cheese and dairy products, maple, produce, organic beer and ciders, meat and fruit and honey wines and even chocolates. There really is a local cuisine and flavor in Vermont, and boy is it tasty! You can find great local and seasonal restaurants cropping up all over the state from fine dining, to pub grub and everything in between. This is raising awareness in the public about how accessible and delicious supporting local growers and producers can be.
You hear the word “sustainable” a lot in New England, in the progressive areas, but in Vermont it really is becoming the lay of the land. There is a real commitment there to produce healthy crops without the use of pesticides while protecting the land and caring for it for future use. There is a wonderful cookbook I purchased at the Mayfarm B&B we stayed in (look for future posts about these places on Jenn’s Travel Closeup) that celebrates the regional cuisine of Vermont and the foods of those participants in The Vermont Fresh Network called Dishing Up Vermont by Tracey Medeiros.
I will be featuring many recipes from this book in the coming weeks, as my cravings for Vermont Cuisine linger.
On the way to our main destinations we stopped in Manchester for lunch and ate at The Harvest Grille on main street.
We were excited about eating some seasonal foods. I had Pumpkin Soup:
and “German fries” which were sauteed with onions and peppers in duck fat:
Roberto decided to be a good Italian and get a Caprese Sandwich:
Everything was great!
One of our destinations and out favorite place in Vermont was Middlebury. We kept saying that when we are rich and famous we will have a house there! Middlebury is a beautiful college town in the heart of all this local goodness philosophy. It is just full of the quaint scenes that everyone equates with Vermont and New England in the fall. It is about 30 minutes drive from Lake Champlain and it is surrounded by the majestic Green Mountains. Driving to Middlebury from south as we were, you pass through many small towns and villages that are worth exploring too! There is a lot of culture in Middlebury, drawn in by Middlebury College, as well as a huge agricultural base. It really is the best of both worlds and the people are warm and inviting. We had a wonderful time exploring the town after our hike to Abbey Pond and because of the hike, we were starving! We asked the clerk at the Made in Vermont store where a good place to eat was and she directed us to Tully and Marie’s, a restaurant that just exemplifies The Vermont Fresh Network. How about a nice maple smoked pork sandwich with caramelized onions and Vermont cheddar cheese?
Or perhaps maple and rosemary roasted pork with seasonal vegetables?
Both are delicious and made more so when washing it all down with a dark pint of Organic Oatmeal Stout from Otter Creek Brewing Co., located right in Middlebury!!! (Their Pumpkin Ale is great too). Oh yeah!
The next day, we decided that we really wanted to celebrate all this local eating in Vermont by creating a picnic featuring all local Vermont foods. During our travels that day we stopped by many a farm stand, apple barn and sugar (maple) shack getting provisions. We even stopped by Honey Gardens , a local apiary and picked up a beautiful bottle of traditional mead, or honey wine.
Our picnic consisted of: cheeses (hickory and maple smoked, sage and extra sharp cheddars) and venison sausage from Sugarbush Farms, local apples (oh yes, I now LOVE apples!!! Imagine that!), honey wine, apple cider donuts (local to where we were staying in MA), some locally baked bread and Lake Champlain Chocolates! We also picked up a few non-local olives and condiments from the grocery store to round it all out.
We fired up the fireplace in our little cabin at Mayfarm, put on our pajamas, grabbed books and all was right in the world.
This little trip to food lover’s paradise was all I needed to rediscover apples again (and like them!), and see what it is like to be in a place surrounded by like minded folk with similar values. It was very uplifting and nice to see and I can’t wait to go back next year!
Lisa - November 5, 2008 at 3:08 pm
Very nice post! looking forward to your recipes.
NΓΒΊria - November 5, 2008 at 3:29 pm
Congratulations on your new President!!! If we could have voted here we would have voted for him :D. I’m sure he’ll do a great job!!!
Concerning the foodie matters, eating locally and seasonally (do you say that?) is also my target! This way products are also cheaper π
I love those forests colours and those dishes colours too ;D
Ivy - November 5, 2008 at 4:21 pm
We are all very happy for your new President and even if he does half of what he has promised to do I am sure that the future will be brilliant.
Shall be looking forward to your recipes.
Helen - November 5, 2008 at 5:02 pm
Well you know I agree with your local and seasonal values! It looks like you had a wonderful time and congrats on your new president, we were rooting for him too!
Judy - November 5, 2008 at 5:27 pm
I love this post and it ties right into the opening of my local farmer’s market!!! Vermont and New England have always been such strong supporters of their farmers. I wish the rest of the country would catch on. I know it’s happening but not nearly quick enough for my liking.
Can’t wait to see some of the recipes!!!
lo - November 5, 2008 at 5:43 pm
Amen, Sister! This is a great post.
We just wrapped up the October Eat Local Challenge, and it was a fantastic exercise. We learned a great deal during the challenge, and were amazed at how much we CAN procure locally, even in WI.
I love that you’ve taken your local eating on the road. It looks scrumptious π
Peter G - November 5, 2008 at 6:15 pm
First off congratulations on your new president! A true victory for all the world really. “Going Green” is certainly the new “black” for companies trying to market themselves as environmentally friendly. Your efforts in attempting to eat locally should be commended Jenn..not an easy task. At least you and Roberto know you’re doing the right thing. And lastly, I’ll have some of those German Fries and that pork sandwich please! Absolutely delicious!
Peter - November 5, 2008 at 8:37 pm
If there’s one thing that the US has benefited from is good debate. The debate for this election was definitely passionate and many people voted this time, believing they could make a difference.
Keep on posting your travels and the delish food that fueled your trip…waiting!
Abigail - November 5, 2008 at 9:07 pm
What a historic day in America! Wish I could be there to help celebrate, but I did vote via absentee ballot from Japan!
Have you ever read Animal, Vegetable, Miracle by Barbara Kingsolver? She’s one of my favorite novelists and this nonfiction book she and her family wrote of their locavore adventures (plus loads of yummy-sounding recipes) was a great one. Makes me really wish there were more ways to eat locally here in our urbanized area of Japan.
Teresa - November 5, 2008 at 9:44 pm
Jenn, an excellent post. On the poltical area, all I can say is “from your lips to God’s ears”.
The feast sounds absolutely appetizing. I especially like the German fries and the pumpkin soup.
Great to have you back. We missed your posts.
elly - November 5, 2008 at 10:45 pm
I always love reading about all the great local foods around the blogosphere. Great post, Jenn. And I will echo your sentiments of hope and inspiration. I was at the rally in Chicago last night and it was truly amazing. Today is a great day.
the happy gentleman - November 5, 2008 at 11:43 pm
last night was amazing… who could have imagined we would see such a hopeful change!
I also agree about eating locally when possible!
FoodJunkie - November 6, 2008 at 5:15 am
First of all congratulations on raising such important matters once more. And thank you for sharing your lovely food and experience with us. But, sin;t it funny, that not very long ago (in Greece about 20 years) eating locally was so normal (ok, and it still is for Greeks, especially outside of Athens)? I mean, if you tell that to someone living in a village or small town in Greece they will probably think that you are as crazy as telling them that the earth is round!
Dharm - November 6, 2008 at 8:49 am
Great post! Congrats on your new President. Its amazing how much power one man has and how it can affect the whole world. We too hope for change and we also hope that the change inspired in USA will spread across the world in more ways than one…
Laurie - November 6, 2008 at 11:04 am
Jenn, I’m loving your vacation! It seems just about perfect to me and reminds me of my family’s special times in Vermont. The Local Food Movement in Vermont is so inspiring. We’ve followed the cheese trail in southern Vermont, eaten at the Farmer’s Diner in Quechee and manged on American Flatbread Pizza in Waitsfield. Thanks for the memories and such a fun post!
Obama!
grace - November 6, 2008 at 4:09 pm
i wouldn’t mind eating locally if the sort of deliciousness i see here was a regular offering! maple and rosemary roasted pork? yes please! π
Adam - November 6, 2008 at 4:13 pm
Yes, I agree that I am looking forward to what changes America has in it’s future. I believe that this election may help politics and relations grow by leaps and bounds.
Love the pics and continuing news on your trip. I love mead too, it’s still popular in the wineries around here, and it’s very cool π
So you’ve got the apple love bug now, huh? Now that’s a beautiful thing.
Michele - November 6, 2008 at 5:15 pm
what beautiful food!
I haven’t been able to get away at all this year…at least I have your adventures to look forward to. π
Aggie - November 6, 2008 at 10:23 pm
Hi Jenn! I love your post, very well written and it got me thinking. I like what you said about starting small…if we all did that so much could happen.
All this food looks fantastic! Please take me on your next trip! π
Laurie - November 6, 2008 at 11:39 pm
What a full and wonderful post Jenn! You always give us so much more than food to chew on! .. and the photo’s of all that gorgeous food look awesome!
maria - November 7, 2008 at 7:19 am
i’m thrilled about your new president – i even dedicated a post to him
eating locally is sometimes so much better than trying to eat organically, as those two things are not the same at all. i live on an island which produces most of our food needs. the organic shops in town (there are a few of them) alwasy seem to stock food imported hundreds of miles away – this is definitely not sustainable. imagine rejecting the wholesome food grown within a few kilometres from where you live in favour of imported over-packaged expensive food…
nina - November 7, 2008 at 7:20 am
I agree with you on eating seasonally, but what makes me so mad is that we as the consumers are paying to much and if you complain the answer is always ….but you get more for your money. I’m sorry, but a punnet of berries is a punnet of berries and it will only feed so many people. I do buy what is in season, but it is not always easy or affordable!
T.W. Barritt at Culinary Types - November 7, 2008 at 8:06 am
I couldn’t agree with you more – what an amazing week in our country! Thanks for the information on the Vermont Fresh Network. It is really encouraging to see a state that focuses on this important issue. This year I had my first experience with a CSA, and I’m a little sad that the season has just ended. There were some very fundamental changes to how I eat, and it’s inspired me to continue on this journey. Your photos are beautiful – makes me want to jump in the car right now!
Bellini Valli - November 7, 2008 at 9:32 am
Here in the Okananan there are many factions who try and eat locally and support our local producers. I think the movement is more pronounced on Vancouver Island and the Gulf Islands like Saltspring where the hrass roots culture reigns supreme. I do what I can to support local when I can.I have always wanted to travel to Vermont so will live vicariously through you and Roberto.(bad grammar :D)
The Leftover Queen - November 7, 2008 at 1:17 pm
Hi Everyone! Thanks so much for your comments. I am so glad to hear that so many here and abroad are so supportive of such a wonderful change in America! It feels good to have the support of so many. π
As for eating locally – I do agree with FoodJunkie, that people used to always eat locally and that it does seem funny and strange that this is now a phenomenon! We should have never let it get this out of hand in the first place.
I have not read Animal, Vegetable, Miracle by Barbara Kingsolver, but it sounds very interesting and in a similar vein to all of Michael Pollan’s works. Which I am a big fan of.
As to local food costing so much, I have been lucky to find that it really doesn’t cost more, it is actually LESS.
However if you want to talk about organics that is a whole other can of worms that Maria mentioned. I will not buy organic produce just because it is organic. I will by local first – to me, buying organic lettuce from California does nothing to support my community and local economy – it supports big agri-businesses just like buying conventional produce.
Sam Sotiropoulos - November 10, 2008 at 3:18 am
Hi Jenn! Great travelogue-style post with a message. Sophia and I have been voting locally with our eating dollars for the last couple years, so much so that we even grow an extensive array of our own produce through the summer and autumn months! I also agree with your statement about preferring local produce to big agri-business organic concerns. Good stuff!
LutheranChil - November 15, 2008 at 7:48 pm
My partner and I buy local whenever possible. As I tell my friends — once you taste the difference you’ll never go back. And we enjoy meeting farmers in our area who sell directly to consumers; we’ve made a lot of friends this way.
Sarah - December 3, 2008 at 12:16 pm
This is terrible! I can’t believe I looked at the wonderful post an hour before lunch! While the sentiment is lovely, I’m left wanting German fries or a delicious sandwich!