Gleaning for the Food Bank

Our last trip was to join the VT Food Bank Gleaning team for a morning.
We stopped at the local Hazendale Farm, but there was not much left to do, so we heard a little about the gleaning operation and then went to help out in the warehouse before heading up to High Mowing's test fields to pick chard, cucumbers and squash.

It is not only impressive to see the unique partnership between the VT food bank, local farms and the end receivers such as schools, soup kitchens and mobile meal units, but really very impressive to see how they are able to move and process fresh product with very little advance notice of what will be available without losing too much of it.

I'm glad to be part of a community that supports it's needy and finds ways to connect between farmers and members of the community that need help. One of the institutions that benefits directly from the gleaning program is Four Seasons of Early Learning, a daycare center in Greensboro Bend. My son attends their program, as do the children of many of my friends; it is wonderful to see where the food comes from and inspired me to put my name down as a regular volunteer for the gleaning program to help bring this food to the school and other wonderful facilities in the area.

A Brew for Bru

On this trip we went to visit some of the small business processing products locally as part of the growing micro-brew and micro-still industry. A growing number of Americans is showing appreciation for local small batch varieties of beer, wine and spirits, and young entrepreneurs are taking advantage of this trend.
Our first stop of the day was at Caledonia Spirits. located in Hardwick, the operation started as a honey making company that evolved to making several honey derived products and mead. Now the company is growing and is working on perfecting its recipes for Gin and Vodka.

By using a unique local sustainable product like honey, the people at Kaledonia are helping bring young members back to the community offering both jobs and recreational products. They are also currently building a space for tasting and service of their products, which will hopefully turn into a local social gathering and watering hole as well.

Our second stop of the day was at Hill Farmstead Brewery in Greensboro. Shaun Hill, who is an eighth generation farmer on the land, started his way with beer when he was a student at Haverford College outside Philadelphia. The area was one of the first in the country to bring back micro-breweries and Shawn took to the art and started working at breweries and learning the art. He later continued to work in NY city and then spent 18 months in Denmark in preparation for opening his own brewery.
Shun and his operation are the perfect example of how new ventures can take place on old land bringing tradition and new trends together. The brewery is named for the farmstead and most beers bear the names of Shaun's ancestors.

Shaun is committed to keeping his operation small scale and manageable. he firmly believes that quality is lost as you expand and has no wish to expand his business beyond its small scale capacity. It is truly inspiring to see him bring glory again to his family's heritage and land and reinvent the identity of the local young farmer.

Flack Family Farm

Our visit to the Flack Family Farm was most inspiring!
Doug - the family patriarch and farm owner and manager introduced us to the concept of holistic farming, which encompasses every aspect of the farm and way of life.

Doug illustrated to us how industrialization has changed our diets and the balance of nutrients entering it, and how the spread of genetic and degenerative diseases has grown in direct correlation to this change in our diets. I have heard of holistic thinking in the past, and partially agree with its concepts, but it really was shocking to see  closely how the change in specific parts of our diets resulted directly in health problems that were not present before hand.

After the introductory talk, Doug took us for a tour of the milking barn and pastures. The Flacks raise Devin cattle, which is a dual purpose breed they use for both milking and raising for beef.

They use an intense grazing rotation system as part of the holistic method, helping both feed the cattle and maintain the pastures. The bulls are used for beef and the heifers for milking. Doug has been breeding his herd and is now also in the position of selling cattle to other farmers.

























The farm's main crop is cabbage, which is fermented and used to produce kimchi and  sauerkraut - another prime pillar of the holistic diet - fermented foods. The farm's customers are exposed to nutritious holistic products and a way of life, contributing to their local food system and local education.

Elmore Mountain Roots

When we think of our food system, we think of farmers, producers, processors and manufacturers. We think of markets and distributors, restaurants and cafes. We don't think of a nursery. Or more correctly, we don't think of our own food production abilities and therefore don't count ourselves as part of our food system. however, when you think about it, if a family can produce 50% of their fruit and nuts through designing fruit treas and bushes into their garden, these plants are certainly part of their food system, and so is the nursery that cultivated them.

 The nursery cultivates and sells an enormous variety of fruit bearing trees, shrubs, bushes and vines all of which are grown organically and bread to do well in some of the toughest weather Vermont has to offer. When the growers find a promising sapling or young tree they will act to ensure it's growth so they can graft it to create new treas of the same fine quality. Among the trees in the orchard are giants like this American Walnut which was thought to have been obliterated by blight some years ago. Elmore Roots actively conserve and cultivate lost or weak species.

One of the biggest challenges growers of year round plants face here in Vermont is the dropping winter temperature. Though the species of tree itself my not be damaged by cold, a young sapling in a bucket with little protection will. To overcome this problem the folks at Elmore Roots dug out two trenches where they can keep the plants during the winter with the protection of the ground around them and insulation of snow on top. What a great idea!

Seeds of Soy and Seeds of Joy

Our first class of the session we took a trip to three local businesses who all produce organic sustainable products while actively incorporating environmental concerns and community involvement in their business plans. These living example of successful business models that work with the community and each other are inspiring and show us all that it is not only possible to survive doing what we love and believe is right but it is possible to thrive.


Our first stop was Vermont Soy Company. I myself am not a fan of soy milk or of tofu, not for nutritional reasons but for simple flavor preferences. That is because I never tasted proper soy products before. But what really got my attention was not that the product is not pasteurized at a high temperature so the flavors are preserved or that the distribution network the company has delivers it all within 24 hours to the shelf.

 What impressed me was the connections and contacts made between the company and its neighboring businesses. Vermont Soy cooperated with Highmowing Organic Seed company, in the same town (which we later visited), with UVM and with two local farmers to find a variety of seed that would grow well in New England, produce the right flavor and texture bean for the desired finished product and be economic to grow.

 As a result, not only does Vermont Soy have an excellent product, they are also providing continuous income to the seed company and the farmers. Making the decision to purchase slightly more expensive beans from the local farmers using the specifically developed seeds from the local company was progressive and shows that businesses that take their role in their community seriously can help not only themselves but their neighbor.