March 2011

Dream Dog
Susan Stuck Mar 30, 2011 Real Food 0 comments
Charleston, South Carolina is in full bloom in March. But it's not just the scent of jasmine and wisteria that's in the air. There's the aroma of creole gumbo and sassafras-glazed pork too, wafting out the doors of Husk, the new, hip, cook-it-local, keep-it-Southern restaurant. But that's not why I'm here. For a long time, it's been my dream to go to Charleston—Mount Pleasant actually—and have a hot dog with blue cheese slaw at Jack’s Cosmic Dogs. Jack is Jack Hurley, a one-time Vermonter who, with his partners, opened The Daily Planet in 1980, which quickly became Burlington’s hipster foodie haven. “I’ve been on the food train a long time,” says Hurley. He and his family eventually went...
Blue Cheese Slaw
FarmPlate Mar 30, 2011 Blue Cheese 0 comments
from the FarmPlate Kitchen Vermonters dreaming of a cosmic dog can start by making their own blue cheese slaw with this simple recipe. Pick up some “localdogs” from Vermont Smoke and Cure and slather on the slaw. 1 cup blue cheese crumbles (divided), such as Jasper Hill Farm Bayley Hazen Blue or Blythedale Farm Jersey Blue ½ cup buttermilk 3 tablespoons cider vinegar 2 tablespoons demerara sugar ½ teaspoon salt 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper 1 head green cabbage, shredded  (about 10 cups) 2 to 3 carrots, shredded In a blender or food processor, blend ½ cup of the blue cheese, the buttermilk, vinegar, sugar, salt and pepper. Pour into a large bowl, add cabbage and carrots and toss...
Family Farmed & Fresh
Kaitlin Haskins Mar 24, 2011 Conference 0 comments
For three lively, food-filled days between March 17 and 19, the sixth annual FamilyFarmed EXPO brought together sustainable food movement leaders, good food advocates and others to promote locally grown and responsibly produced food. Presented by FamilyFarmed.org, a Chicago-based organization dedicated to expanding the production, marketing and distribution of good food, the EXPO, held at the University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC), was a combined trade show, conference and food festival celebrating the local food movement. Known as the Midwest’s premier good food event, it featured renowned speakers, networking opportunities, workshops, demonstrations and delicious local food from small...
Maple Season Sweets
FarmPlate Mar 14, 2011 Sapling Vermont Maple Liqueur 0 comments
As Vermonters dug out from last week's epic snowstorm, they had their ears tuned to the weather forecast. And what they heard couldn't have made maple syrup producers happier--temperatures were expected to wobble above and below the freezing point for the rest of the week. Bad for travel, but good for rising sap. The plentiful rainfall this past fall and record-breaking snowfall this winter are two predictors for a good syrup season. Maple syrup and related products are big business in Vermont. One in every four trees in the state is a maple, and the little state is the largest producer of maple syrup in the country. Last year’s production topped a whopping 890,000 gallons, or 46% of the...
Maple-Sweet Sweet Potato Pie
FarmPlate Mar 14, 2011 Belgian waffles 0 comments
from the FarmPlate Kitchen Old-fashioned gingersnaps, the hard ones that are so good for dunking in milk, make a delicious and easy crumb crust. Mi-Del organic gingersnaps are particularly good here. 2 cups (8 ounces) gingersnap cookie crumbs 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted 2 tablespoons demerara or raw cane sugar 2 generous cups cooked and mashed sweet potato 3 large eggs ¾ cup maple syrup, preferably dark amber 1 cup half-and-half 1 tablespoon bourbon or 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract 2 teaspoons ground ginger 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon ¼ teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg A big pinch ground cloves 1 /8 teaspoon salt Preheat the oven to 350ºF. Combine the cookie crumbs, melted butter...
Dairy Prices Bring Some Relief
FarmPlate Mar 04, 2011 subsidies 0 comments
According to WCAX, participants at the annual UVM Extension Dairy Producers Conference on February 24 received some good news about the dairy industry: milk prices are rising and expected to remain high throughout 2011. Although the price increase offers Vermont's dairy farmers some relief, the volatility of dairy prices in recent years gives most farmers reason to proceed cautiously, noting that the market will likely continue fluctuating. Some suggest that the best way to counter this uncertainty is to establish a national dairy supply management system that would monitor milk production, thus preventing farmers from over-producing and driving prices down. More National News Mar. 1: Mark...