pete's greens

Thanks to author and speaker Ben Hewitt, the small, rural town of Hardwick, Vermont, is now affectionately known far and wide as "the town that food saved," or to some, as the "Silicon Valley of local food." Ben's book, The Town That Food Saved: How One Community Found Vitality in Local Food, published by Rodale Books in 2010, tells the story of Hardwick's revitalization. Not long ago, the town struggled financially, but it has since reinvented itself through a dynamic local food economy. Be sure to read more about the book on Ben's website and pick up a copy of it at a locally owned bookstore near you.  As a member of the Upper Valley Food Co-op board of directors, I had...

The Cooperative Food Empowerment Directive (CoFed) announced the launch of its nationwide campaign to empower university students to create campus food co-ops as a source of sustainable, ethical and local food. CoFed evolved out of a campaign at UC Berkeley against a proposed fast-food restaurant on campus. The movement against the restaurant turned into a successful effort to create a campus food co-op, which opened its doors in November of 2010. In January, CoFed held its first national training and leadership retreat for student leaders. According to launch committee member and Slow Food USA President Josh Viertel, the campaign will help students across the country start similar efforts...

from the FarmPlate Kitchen 3 medium eggplants, cut into ¾-inch cubesSea salt¼ cup olive oil1 small red onion, sliced into thin strips1 or 2 cloves garlic, minced or grated1 tablespoon pomegranate molasses or honey1 tablespoon red wine vinegar¼ cup your favorite marinara sauce, such as Bove'sAleppo pepper or to tasteSeeds of ½ pomegranate2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley or mintWhole-wheat pita, Joseph's Bakery is a favorite Spread the eggplant out on a double thickness of paper towels. Sprinkle liberally with salt and top with paper towels. Set aside for 30 minutes. Put a baking sheet with sides in the oven and preheat the oven to 400ºF. Blot as much liquid as you can from the eggplant...

from Pete Johnson, Pete's Greens, Craftsbury, Vermont 5 tablespoons good quality extra virgin olive oil 1 tablespoon sherry vinegar 1 shallot, diced ½ tablespoon kosher salt ½ cup basil 5 pints mixed heirloom tomatoes, coarsely chopped 6 slices of prosciutto (we use domestic prosciutto from La Quercia), sautéed until crispy and chopped 1 tablespoon pine nuts Pinch of sea salt In a large bowl, whisk together the oil, vinegar, shallots and salt. Chop the basil and immediately add to the dressing to avoid discoloration. Add the tomatoes and stir gently to mix. Transfer to a decorative platter. Scatter the prosciutto over the tomatoes, the sprinkle the pine nuts on top. Sprinkle a few...

It's 7:15 am, mid-June, and a steady stream of bikers is rolling down Riverside Avenue into Burlington's Intervale: farmers heading to work. While this image may not be a new one, the number of non-farmers hopping on a bike to pick up produce or simply pay a visit to nearby farms is on the rise. Bike-centric farm events (and even a farm-centric bike business) are sprouting up all over Vermont. You might wonder just how many people are both into cycling and a fan of small farms? Lots, it turns out. Last year, more than 500 people attended the annual Tour de Farms, a fall ride with stops (and samples) at a variety of Addison County farms. In July, I’m teaming up with Local Motion and the Open...

It's May and it's Vermont. The dribs and drabs of snow left over from Mother's Day have finally disappeared from everywhere but the highest elevations. It's time to get something, anything in the ground. It's still too early for beans and tomato starts will have to wait until Memorial Day. But there's one plant whose seeds almost blast off even in cold soil, and that plant is arugula. The English call it rocket, a perfect name for this cool-season salad green that grows at a rate approaching lightspeed. The plants are often ready to harvest as early as four weeks after seeding. If left to set flowers and seedpods, arugula will easily self-seed. It's unstoppable. Arugula may look like baby...

The culinary battle of the spring is almost here. Tomorrow morning, the Sizzling Falcons, Chefhawks, Nutritious Hippos and 54 more teams of middle school and high school junior chefs--all with knives honed and whisks at the ready--will head to the Champlain Valley Expo to compete in the 3rd Annual Jr. Iron Chef VT cook-off. [caption id="attachment_2937" align="alignleft" width="240" caption="Harwood Union High School's team"][/caption] Hosted by the Burlington School Food Project and Vermont FEED, the competition challenges teams of middle and high school students to prepare a delicious main dish using at least five local, farm-fresh ingredients. And that's not all—recipes must also be...