Kingdom Farm and Food Days 2010!

Upcoming Events

KINGDOM FARM & FOOD DAYS
Saturday and Sunday
August 21-22, 2010

Two days of tours, workshops, food, music and festivities to celebrate Vermont food and agriculture!

This is a TWO-DAY EVENT that starts with self-guided tours of the regions farms, small producers and agricultural businesses and ends with a day long event of tours, music, workshops and a Local Foods Showcase at the High Mowing Organic Seeds Trial and Showcase Gardens on Marsh Road.

Find out more on our Blog!

Pile in the car or hop on a bike, but get yourself, your friends and your family to the Northeast Kingdom for a day long, self-guided tour of the region! The area's farms, gardens, small producers and agricultural businesses have opened their doors to the public, inviting us in to explore, learn and enjoy.

Look for signs that say "Kingdom Farm and Food Days: Open for Tours!" Some locations will offer workshops and/or demonstrations as well. Stay tuned as we continue to add folks to our list!

BICYCLE TOUR with the Craftsbury Outdoor Center!  Join us for a scenic, 20+ mile bike ride, with stops at some of the area farms and ending with a Potluck at Pete's Greens. The $35 registration fee will cover your entry fee, sag wagon support, food stops and potluck contribution to Pete's Greens. Appropriate for riders of most levels, with some climbing thrown in for good measure.

Get the details at Kingdom Farm & Food Bike Tour or contact bikes@craftsbury.com for more information or to register for the ride.

Pete's Greens Farm Tour and Potluck!

As you meander the rural areas of the Northeast Kingdom, don't forget to join Pete Johnson and his crew for 2 guided tours, music and a potluck.

  PETE'S GREENS SCHEDULE

10:30AM                  Farm opens

11AM & 1:30PM       Guided Farm Tour

12:30-2:30PM          Potluck under the Tent

(please bring a favorite dish to feed yourself plus a few others)

KINGDOM FARM & FOOD OPEN FARM DAY!

The Northeast Kingdom is beautiful, wild and brimming with good food, good farms and good people. Here in Hardwick, along with the surrounding towns, we consider ourselves the gateway to this pristine and remote region. Join us in celebrating the farms and the people who work them.

CLICK HERE FOR AN ONLINE MAP

The list of participating farms below will generally be open from 10am to 4pm on Saturday, August 21st for self-guided tours, unless otherwise noted.


Agape Hill Farm, Hardwick, 802-472-3711
A family run llama farm that gives trail walks with their llamas and sells fresh eggs and produce on their farm. Call for information on the trail walks ($20/llama per hour).

Applecheek Farm, Hyde Park, 802-888-4482
A 40+ year old farm that produces organic dairy, grass-fed beef, humanely raised veal, pasture-raised poultry, raw milk, emu oil and more. There will be guided tours of the property!

Bonnieview Sheep Dairy, South Albany, 802-755-6878
A sheep dairy that makes award winning cheese and raises grass-fed lamb as well as producing a variety of wool products. Join them for an evening milking session around 4pm. Call for more information as well as directions to their farm.
 
Cedar Brook Farm, East Hardwick 472-6503
A model of a small, sustainable, family operated farm, capable of producing enough food for a family of four plus surplus food to cover the costs of inputs.

Down to Earth Worm Farm and New Leaf Designs Eclectic Nursery, Greensboro Bend, 802-533-9836
A vermicomposting business: an important part of food nutrient recycling and a diverse nursery of plants. Pick up worm castings for your garden or potted plants too!

Echo Hill Farm, Craftsbury
A fourth generation sugaring business. (They have a rental house available for that weekend)

Eden Ice Cider Company, West Charleston, 802-895-2838
As part of the Vermont Open Winery Weekend, they're going to open their orchard and winery for tours both days, and on Sunday there will be music and food, beer and wine tastings.

Elmore Roots Nursery, Wolcott
While Elmore Roots will not be open on Saturday, on Sunday, Aug 22 they will be open from 9:30am-1pm for tours of their edibles and fruit sampling and from 1pm- 3pm they are having a "Turn Your Lawn Into Eden" workshop. They are only 7 minutes from the rest of Sunday's events at the High Mowing Organic Seed's trials garden.

Gebbie Maplehurst Farm, 2183 Gebbie Rd, Greensboro, 802-533-2984

Join Sandra Gebbie for a guided tour at 11am and 1pm of their beautiful dairy farm and take home a local favorite---maple syrup!

Hazen Monument Farm, East Hardwick 472-5750
A farm and dairy which provides milk to Organic Valley. Tour an organic dairy farm along a tree lined road in East Hardwick.

Hazendale Farm, Greensboro
Although not open to the public for touring, Hazendale Farm has a wonderful, newly built farmstand. A great place to stop and grab a bite!

Heartbeet Lifesharing, Hardwick, 802-472-3285
Located in a idyllic Vermont landscape, tour this therapeutic community for adults on a working farm where working the earth is linked to working with the person. A truly beautiful and special farm in Hardwick.


High Mowing Organic Seeds, Wolcott, highmowingseeds.com

9 – 12 PM – Tours of the High Mowing Organic Seeds warehouse – 76 Quarry Road in Wolcott, Vermont
 
Pete's Greens, Craftsbury, 802-586-2882, ext 1 or amy@petesgreens.com
Vermont's four season, organic vegetable farm. Join Pete and his hardworking crew on the farm for tours, music and a potluck lunch.

Sawmill Brook Farm, Greensboro
View their premium, all natural, grass fed Angus Beef

Sterling College Farm and Gardens, Craftsbury Common, 802-586-7711 or aschulze@sterlingcollege.edu

Self-guided tours of the college's farm and gardens where they raise chickens, pigs, lambs, certified organic vegetables and use animal-power to till the land and log the woods. Located on beautiful Craftsbury Common.



Square Deal Farm, Walden

     Pure, organic, Vermont maple syrup



Vermont Soy, Hardwick

      They will be open for tours between 10am and 1pm. Come see how they make their fresh, local, organic soymilk and artisan tofu!

Sunday, August 22

The celebration continues on the beautiful grounds of High Mowing Organic Seeds Trial & Showcase Garden on Marsh Road in Wolcott (see directions below). Situated on land preserved through the Vermont Land Trust -- with over 800 vegetable, herb and flower varieties-- visitors will see side-by-side comparisons of many popular and some unreleased varieties. There will also be self-guided and guided tours (see schedule below) as well as workshops on seed saving and pest and disease identification, live music and an evening bonfire.

Beginning at 3pm, the New England Culinary Institute (NECI) will present a Local Foods Showcase. This is an extraordinary chance for visitors to taste some of the finest Vermont-made food products and culinary delights, all donated by local businesses and prepared by NECI students and chef Jeffrey Ferrell.

Sunday's Schedule:

Tours & Workshops



10 – 11 AM Two Trial Garden tours

11 – 12 PM         Workshop: Seed Saving 101

11:30 – 12:30 PM Culinary-focused tour of the Trials

12 – 1 PM Trial Garden tour

1 – 2:30 PM   Workshop: Seed Production

1 – 2 PM               Culinary-focused tour of the Trials

2 – 3 PM Pest & Disease Walk

2 – 3 PM    Trial Garden tour

3 --5 PM                            MUSIC!! Dan Haley is Mr. Casual

5 – 6 PM   Trial Garden tour


Local Food Showcase                             

3 – 3:45 PM Hors d’oeuvres and Music begins

                                        (Dan Haley is Mr. Casual)

4 PM Local Food Showcase

6 PM Bonfire

All of Sunday’s festivities will be held at the High Mowing Organic Seeds Trials & Showcase Gardens on Marsh Road in Wolcott, VT.

Directions To Trial & Showcase Gardens:

From Morrisville

Drive east on highway 15 through the town Wolcott. Continue on 15 past Fischer Covered Bridge on your right and High Mowing Organic Seeds warehouse on your left. Turn left at your next opportunity, onto Marsh Rd. Follow Marsh road uphill continuing to bear left wherever the road forks. When the road stops going uphill, continue past the Steve Hill farm on your right until you see the VT Land Trust sign on the left. High Mowing Organic Seeds Trials & Showcase Garden is the next driveway on your left. Parking will be on your right.


From Hardwick

Drive west on highway 15. Turn right onto Marsh Rd. Follow Marsh Road uphill continuing to bear left wherever the road forks. When the road stops going uphill, continue past the Steve Hill farm on your right until you see the VT Land Trust sign on the left. High Mowing Organic Seeds Trials & Showcase Garden is the next driveway on your left. Parking will be on your right.


SPECIAL THANKS!!

Foley Distributing for providing compostable plates and utensils for Sunday's Meal. Stay tuned for a list of all of our contributors!!


Highfields Center for Composting for providing composting and waste separation services, making our event a truly "green" event.


The following farms and producers have donated food to our Local Foods Showcase:

Applecheek Farm

Cabot

Champlain Orchards

Pete's Greens

Jasper Hill

Laughing Moon Chocolates

Nutty Steph's Granola

Pete's Greens

Ploughgate Creamery

Rhapsody Natural Foods

VT Butter and Cheese

VT Smoke n Cure

VT Soy

Liz Lovely Cookies

Elmore Mountain Bread

Bonnieview Farm

Butterworks Farm

Greenfield Highland Beef

Sawmill Brook Farm


Stay tuned to our Facebook, Twitter and Website/Blog as we continue to update this exciting event. Direct questions to Elena Gustavson at center@hardwickagriculture.org or call 802-472-5840.

2009 Farm & Food Days: 

           

Groundbreaking Ceremony for the Vermont Food Venture Center

A temperature of 90 degrees plus humidity, was not going to keep the celebration at bay!

With approximately 70 folks, an array of delicious food samples form area producers, eloquent speakers and an energetic, very-much-alive Senator Patrick Leahy, the official groundbreaking for the new Vermont Food Venture Center went forward as planned.

Congratulations to the Northeast Vermont Development Association, Northern Enterprises and the Vermont Food Venture Center for this anticipated and wonderful event!

The CAE expands! Please welcome our newest staff members, Erica Campbell and Heidi Krantz

We are so pleased to announce that we have two new staff members joining us at the Center for an Agricultural Economy!

Each position reflects the granting of funds for two separate, but cohesive projects. Each project is giving us an opportunity to work with exciting and progressive partners (and now staff members!) in this region while we continue forward with the work of healthy food and agricultural systems.

Erica Campbell, Project Manager for the NEK Food Systems Development Program (grant through the Northeast Vermont Development Association, to research and prepare a strategic plan around opportunities for NEK local food systems to expand, for one year, starting July 19th, 2010)

Erica Campbell is an integrated planner and policy analyst with a focus on sustainable communities. Over the past decade her work has spanned many areas, including food systems, economics, education, health, transportation, and climate change.

Prior to joining CAE, Erica was an associate with Resource Systems Group, where she consulted with planning agencies throughout the country to develop long range plans, conduct research on climate change, and assist with strategic planning activities. She played an integral role in the development of the Vermont Long Range Transportation Business Plan. Erica is also a co-founder and active member of the Waterbury-Duxbury Food Council and serves on her local Planning Commission. She holds a Master of Science in Community Development and Applied Economics from the University of Vermont.

Erica grew up in Walden, St. Johnsbury, and Rutland, VT and now lives with her husband and children in North Duxbury.


Heidi Krantz, Agricultural Business Advisor (funded through RBEG and administratively housed at Vt Small Business Development Center at Vermont Tech, to provide regional support, counseling, training, and resource networking services to small agri-business owners and prospective owners within the NEK region and in part as associated with the Vermont Food Venture Center, for two years starting July 12th, 2010)

Heidi Krantz who resides in Craftsbury, has been an independent business owner and consultant for over 30 years with extensive experience in personnel and organizational development and training, strategic planning and implementation and marketing.

Her strengths include leadership, coalition building, facilitation and problem-solving skills to enable development of strong rapport with clients, staff, students and other partners while ensuring attainment of goals and objectives. Her education and career have led her on a “scenic” path including work with state and federal agencies, non-profits and private businesses. Heidi also formed Team Resources Group, a collaborative group of diverse individuals who plan and implement organizational development challenges; she was a founding owner of Umiak Outfitters in Stowe, VT; and she has coordinated volunteer committees and government agencies to work successfully towards common goals as the Community Development Coordinator for the Town of Morristown, Vermont; over the past 30 years has taught, trained and led thousands of people in situations as diverse as business development and whitewater paddling.

Heidi and her husband are renovating an 1830’s hillside farm in Craftsbury and developing a business plan for the property.

Farm to Plate Update

The staff of the Farm to Plate Initiative is busy finalizing the first draft of the Farm to Plate 10 year strategic plan.

"We're working to complete in-depth research which explores past trends, present conditions and potential future of Vermont's production, distribution, storage and processing capacity, food security, livestock production and meat processing, on-farm energy, and other major aspects of our food system. We're also working with Dan Erickson of Advanced Geospatial Systems, LLC to produce dozens of maps to enable us to assess and analyze Vermont's food system from a geographic perspective. Maps will be integrated with the text throughout the plan. And we're slowly but surely collecting dozens of vignettes, quotes and photos to illustrate existing conditions, trends, and innovative solutions -- telling the stories throughout the Plan."

Here's their current timeline:

June -August 14, 2010: Finalize 1st draft of the strategic plan; collect input on cost of implementation of strategies; complete economic impact analysis
August 15 -September 30, 2010: Public Comment Period
October 1 -December 31, 2010: Finalize the plan
January 2011: Release the plan and present to the legislature
January -December 2011: Take the plan on the road and begin implementation

Hello from Erin, the CAE's Summer Intern

Hello hello. This is Erin writing from the CAE's office on this June afternoon (I love how that rhymes). I come in to help out here about three times a week, but last Friday I had the opportunity to join Elena outside of the office for the Taste Test for a local lunch at the schools in Craftsbury.

First I'd like to say how pleased I was when I first heard about this project. I was a kid who brought lunch from home when I was in school because the generic options of pizza and chicken nuggets were nothing to the fresh fruit salad my mom would pack. Having a not only fresh and healthy, but local lunch at these schools is a wonderful idea and now I'm happy to say that I have had a (small) part in implementing it.

So, on Friday afternoon I arrived to the Craftsbury Elementary School and helped hand out the surveys I had copied and cut on Thursday afternoon for the kids to rate how they liked the food. (I'm the redhead in yellow on the right :) )



Then I got to help down the hall prepare bowls of salad as the kids lined up to receive samples of macaroni and cheese, pizza and a veggie wrap. I was surprised at how willing the kids were to chose their bowls of salad and take the pickles I was putting on their plates has they went back to their classrooms to eat and rate the food.



The process was similar at the middle/high school up the hill. I handed out the surveys and the students were surprisingly open to trying out these locally made food choices. After I had collected the surveys I got to have a sample! Everything was delicious, believe me. I almost wish I could go back to high school so I can have that veggie wrap for lunch.

This week I tallied up the student's opinions on the food. The Mac & Cheese was the winner with the most "love it" rating. The salad bar, surprisingly enough, was next in popularity. While there were plenty of "didn't like it" responses, that is expected, especially among k-12 graders. But overall I'd say this taste test was a success, and I hope this once a week local lunch program proves to be successful as well. I'll have to pay a visit during lunch time next year to make sure the food is meeting the same high standards. :p