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The Intervale Explorer
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April 2010
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Greetings!
This year's early spring has sprung everything off to an early start in the Intervale. For an example of what's been sprouting, visit Intervale farm Half Pint Farm's blog and view Mara and Spencer's great greenhouse action shots. The Intervale Conservation Nursery was humming with activity, too: our native species cuttings budded out several weeks ahead of schedule this year. The soil warmed quickly and Nursery staff found themselves needing to harvest over 40,000 trees in two weeks! We're so grateful for the team of dedicated volunteers who worked weekdays and weekends to make it happen (as the weather shifted from 20 degrees to pushing 80). These riparian trees and shrubs will plant over 40 miles of buffer zones along lakes and rivers through conservation projects across the state. We're also excited about two Earth Day benefit dinners at very special Vermont restaurants Bistro Sauce in Shelburne and Hen of the Wood in Waterbury. Been waiting for an excuse to try either? You can now dine out and know that a portion of that night's profits will directly benefit the Intervale Center. We're also excited to announce that we have a new business partner, The Essex Culinary Resort and Spa. Its generous support helps us to continue our work sustaining land, farms, and people. This month's featured farm is the Intervale's own Open Heart Farm. Josh Mayand Rachel Daly run an incredible Community-Supported Agriculture ( CSA) that includes lots of u-pick options. There are still a very few spaces available, so visit their website to sign up today! Warm regards,
Joyce Cellars
Development Coordinator
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FRESH: the Movie
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Saturday, April 10 5:00 p.m. City Market hosts a community screening at UVM's Campus Center Theater. Q&A with director ana sophia joanes! Find out more here
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Burlington Winter Farmers' Market
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Saturday, April 17 Memorial Auditorium Burlington, VT website here
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Earth Day Benefit Dinners
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Wednesday, April 21
Hen of the Wood
92 Stowe Street
Waterbury, VT
(802) 244-7300
Dinner from 5 p.m.
Thursday, April 22
Bistro Sauce
97 Falls Road
Shelburne, VT
(802) 985-2830
Dinner
5:00-8:30 p.m.
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Green-Up Day
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Friday, April 30
Saturday, May 1
Green Up Day Vermont
Stay posted for volunteer opportunities at the Intervale!
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 Partners for a Local Food Economy
The Essex Culinary Resort & Spa becomes a Business Partner
We are excited to announce the Intervale Center's newest Business Partner for a Local Food Economy: the Essex Culinary Resort & Spa of Essex Junction, VT. Our Business Partners are committed employers who see the strength of community food systems as a critical component of local economic and community development. Their financial support helps build a robust local food economy and a healthy, vibrant community that is a great place to do business, live and thrive. As the Burlington area's destination resort, the Essex operates over 18 acres of beautiful land with views of the Green Mountains and Lake Champlain. Besides outdoor recreation activities, a renowned spa, and a popular kids' cooking camp, the Essex is well known for its partnership with the New England Culinary Institute--graduates staff the resort's restaurant--and its Vermont cooking classes. We look forward to finding innovative ways that the Intervale Center and the Essex can bring even more local, delicious, and healthy foods to Vermont visitors and residents! For more information on becoming a Business Partner, please contact Joyce Cellars at joyce@intervale.org or (802) 660-0440 x101. |
Growing New Farmers: an Earth Day Event
Eat out and support the Intervale Center's work!
This Earth Day, please join us at two very special
restaurants to celebrate the Intervale
Center's work!
For over 22 years the Intervale
Center has built a
community food system that honors local producers, local landscapes, good
food and good living.
The Farms Program, our nationally-recognized farm business incubator, has
supported the growth of dozens of farms since 1994. In 2009, the program's 11
farms grossed over $1 million in sales. Some of these farms
participated in the Intervale Gleaning Project, contributing to the 30,000+
pounds of produce donated to social service organizations.
Eat at Hen of the Wood on April 21st or Bistro Sauce on April 22nd and 10%
of the night's proceeds will be donated the Intervale Center!
About Hen of the WoodHen of the Wood is a nationally-renowned restaurant located in a historic 19th-century grist mill in Waterbury, VT. Chef Eric Warnstedt is committed to using the finest produce and ingredients from Vermont and the Northeast. Find out why New York Times critic Mark Bittman writes,
"It's difficult to think of a restaurant here in the city that can
generate such feelings of satisfaction, fulfillment, culinary pleasure and
near-joy as Hen of the Wood." For reservations, please call (802) 244-7300. Dinner service begins at 5:00 p.m.
About Bistro Sauce Bistro Sauce, a Shelburne favorite, is famous for its simple, vibrant menus, great
wine, and live music. In the words of owner Emily Metz, "Sauce is
committed to being a restaurant for the community using resources from
the community." Sauce uses great local produce. And there will be live music on Thursday!
For reservations, please call (802) 985-2830. Dinner service runs from 5:00-8:30 p.m. |
Conservation Nursery greenhouse  | Thank You, Volunteers!
Intervale Conservation Nursery Harvest 2010 a success!
We are grateful to all the dedicated volunteers who came out to brave the elements and help the Intervale Conservation Nursery harvest over 40,000 trees in just two weeks! We couldn't have done it without you.
For more information about the Nursery's riparian conservation projects, please click here.
Many thanks,
Mike Ingalls, ICN Manager
Lynn Wolfe, ICN Field Tech
Dana Bishop, ICN Field Tech
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Entrance to Open Heart Farm  | Open Heart Farm
Josh May and Rachel Daly of Open Heart Farm answered our questions by e-mail.
1. What is Open Heart Farm?
Open Heart Farm is a four-acre CSA and market farm [located in Burlington's Intervale]. For a small farm we pack a big punch, farming the land using bio-intensive and biodynamic principles. 2. What did you do before you decided to become a farmer? Rachel and I were in the Peace Corps in Cote D'Ivoire. 3. Why did you decide to farm, and where did you work to gain farm experience?
We decided to farm for a variety of reasons. We thought organic food was too expensive, and wanted to eat it ourselves and to provide it for others at a reasonable price. We also weren't that excited by working in offices for the rest of our days. We gained our experience at Quail Hill Farm in Long Island. It's about a 400-person CSA, and we basically learned everything we know there, and have been re-tooling it for Vermont weather ever since. 4. Why did you decide to join the Intervale Farms Program?The Intervale was the only place we knew of where we could just up and start a working farm in one year. Our choices were here and Asheville, NC, both of which are liberal college towns (which was a prerequisite as well). We thought Vermont was prettier, and we wouldn't be spending 4-5 years looking for a farm and trying to get money to buy it. Rachel and Josh weeding  | 5. What do you grow/produce?We like to try lots of different varieties. For example, we have yellow, purple, and orange carrots and over 20 varieties of heirloom tomatoes each year. 6. What kinds of work (farm-related or not) do you do during the winter?Rachel teaches at CCV and Josh substitute teaches at Burlington Elementary Schools. 7. What are your goals for this year and beyond?We are adding perennial crops such as rhubarb and asparagus, and adding a few more members to our CSA this year, bringing the total to 80. We are also looking to add a hoop-house to our field so we can offer a winter share.
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Intervale Food Hub Summer CSA Shares Still Available!
It's not too late to become a member of the Intervale Food Hub's summer 2010 CSA program! Click here to find out how to order your share.
We'd also like to introduce our newest staff member, Brianna Farver, who will take on the position of Food Hub Coordinator as Jen Miller leaves to farm full-time (but she'll stay here at the Intervale at Sugarsnap Farm).
Brianna Farver  | In 2009 Brianna served as an AmeriCorps member at the Intervale, working as the program coordinator for the Healthy City youth farming program. Beginning in the spring of 2010 Brianna took on a new role coordinating the Food Hub's multi-farm CSA. Brianna has a variety of past work experience, including carpentry, assistant teaching, crew leading with Vermont Youth Conservation Corps, and working on several organic farms. Brianna has a Bachelors of Science in Environmental Studies from the University
of Vermont. She is excited to be working once more with Intervale staff to strengthen the local food system.
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About Us
The Intervale Center is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that strengthens community food systems. It is dedicated to preserving a great agricultural resource for the Burlington community, working with farmers to increase market access and viability, support short food chains that lower our carbon footprint and promote land use that protects Vermont's water quality. Together, our programs and services build a community food system for the people of Vermont: a food system that honors producers and values good food and good living.
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