The Farmplate Blog

Your Vermont Super Bowl Playbook
FarmPlate Feb 03, 2010 Real Food 0 comments
Whether you're a Saints fan, a Colts fan or are just watching the game for the commercials, you can score big at your Super Bowl party with an all-Vermont strategy. Outside of the avocados in the guac (Americans will consume eight million pounds of it this Sunday!), it's easy to assemble a feast produced almost entirely with Vermont-made ingredients. Some home-field favorites include: · Nachos topped with Cabot's Habanero, Chipotle or Seriously Sharp Cheddar · Grilled (or roasted) wings mopped with Greene’s Gourmet Texas Chipotle Hot Sauce · A mugful of Cheddar-Ale Soup—check out our recipe below · For the Saints fans in the crowd, sandwiches made with Karen's Muffalletta, Harrington's ham...
Major Chain Moves to Sell Only Wild Salmon
FarmPlate Feb 02, 2010 News 2 comments
Target will no longer sell farm-raised salmon in any of its stores nationwide. Instead of sourcing from salmon farms, Target will stock only Alaskan, wild-caught salmon in its fresh, frozen and smoked seafood sections. The company cited environmental reasons behind the decision, which was announced last week. Target consulted conservationists with the Monterey Bay Aquarium Seafood Watch to determine how to make their seafood offerings more environmentally conscious. Farmed salmon, Target argues, can increase pollution, chemicals and parasites and hurt native salmon in surrounding areas. Julie Packard, executive director of the Monterey Bay Aquarium, said “Target's decision to source...
Pete Johnson: Year-Round Farmer and Innovator
FarmPlate Jan 29, 2010 Farmer Beat 0 comments
Spring is only three weeks away--at least for the savvy Vermonters who've already signed up for their Spring Localvore Share from Pete's Greens' Good Eats CSA. Pete Johnson, the Pete in Pete's Greens, is a rock star among New England organic famers, and his year-round CSA concept is spreading across the country. By growing salad greens in unheated, movable greenhouses on his 230-acre farm in Craftsbury, Johnson has made fresh local produce a cold-season reality here. Johnson is one of “a critical mass of new, innovative farmers” at the heart of “a massive wave of change,” says Dave Rogers, national policy director of NOFA (the Northeast Organic Farmers Association). The Spring Localvore...
Localvore Dinner Series Comes to Penny Cluse Cafe
FarmPlate Jan 28, 2010 Event Beat 0 comments
Fundraisers at the Vermont Commons School have found a delicious way to help promote sustainable communities through their popular Localvore Dinner Series. Billed as a friend-raising event, each winter/spring dinner includes a four-course meal at a well-known Vermont restaurant with a guest speaker who's a leader in sustainability. This coming Wednesday's dinner will be at Penny Cluse Café in Burlington. Chef/owner Charles Reeves intends to put a typically Penny Cluseian flavor-powerd spin on seasonal, local ingredients. Look for parsley root fries with house-made ketchup, braised Vermont lamb with plenty of garlic, cinnamon-stout ice cream and much more. Saleem H. Ali, associate professor...
Quick and Easy Chickpea-Tofu Curry
FarmPlate Jan 27, 2010 Recipes 0 comments
from the FarmPlate Kitchen Not all curries take hours to prepare. Keep a jar of prepared curry paste on hand for quick recipes like this one. One 14-ounce package Vermont Soy firm tofu 2 tablespoons vegetable oil 1 onion, chopped 3 to 5 tablespoons prepared curry paste, such as Patak's biryani, garam masala or Vindaloo curry paste One 15-ounce can chickpeas, rinsed One 14.5-ounce can diced tomatoes, preferably Muir Glen Organic Fire Roasted, with juices Juice from half a lemon or lime Chopped cilantro or scallion greens for garnish Pat the block of tofu with paper towels to absorb excess moisture. Cut the block into ¾-inch cubes and set aside on paper towels for a few minutes to absorb...