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UVM Extension
NOFA VT & VT FEED
Food Education Every Day
More Resource links from ACORN
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Chefs and Buyers...have you called your local farmers recently to plan for the season? Do it now and be the first to get spring greens!
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Fresh bread from the good folks at Bridport Elementary School! Farmer2Farmer:
Farmers (or anyone!) do you need 50 gallon drums? Visit our friends at Vermont Soapworks for barrels at $5.00 each! Remember....they have wonderful soap and cleansers for you, your pets and your home Neat Repeats Resale Shop will sell your used, but clean great condition clothes, donating the proceeds to ACORN! Bring a bag down with a note inside that says "ACORN #149!" and help us fund our small projects.  signs of spring!
 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Shoreham Elementary students enjoy the first day in the spring garden! 26.8 pounds of weeds successfully pulled!
Like that orange tub? We do!
You too can support ACORN's
 After school programs teach cooking, team work and life-long healthy habits! Thanks to the awesome Middlebury College mentors Carly & Sage & their students!
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 for women. Made in Vermont, made for the outdoors!
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Greetings!
Busy Biz! Farmers are cultivating and planting after what seemed like a slow start, but has quickly turned stellar. Restaurants are gearing up menu changes to reflect seasonal items like spring spinach and sweet asparagus. Consumers are visting the Middlebury Farmers' Market and awaiting the Bristol Farmers' Market starting May 8th at Mount Abe. Gardeners are weeding, planting, enjoying the spring colors, insects and sounds.
Speaking of busy...ACORN is planning a June 29th gathering in Starksboro to celebrate the Bounty of the County with food, barn dancing and summer fun. Save the date Saturday June 29th...details to follow!
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ACORN is a Vermont non-profit currently working on specific projects to broaden Addison County's impact in the arena of food, agriculture, capitalization of small businesses and renewable energy resources. We build connections; the links are meant to show the array of Vermont-based resources. Kindly share ideas that can support our effort. JOIN ACORN the bounty of the county is alive and well at local farms!  |
F2S Student Heroes!
Liz Scott & Ethan Gevry
Liz Scott (MUHS '14) won the student aceivement award for her Sustainability Greenhouse Project, where she built accessible garden beds for students with disabilities. She works with two students in wheelchairs three times a week to grow lettuce, spinach and other seasonal greens allowing. The vision she exhibits made us proud to honor her at the 2013 Stone Soup Summit in April!
Ethan Gevry (VUHS '14) won our award for the work on his family farm, Champlain  Valley Farm. He is raising pigs, cattle and turkeys on a former conventional dairy. He has a contract with Black River Produce in place that assures a market for his pork. He's listed in the 2013 Guide to Addison County Food and Farms. Producing, packing and selling successfully each require excellent attention to detail. We are proud of Ethan's work ethic and his attention to filling the niche in the market. Congratulations to both winners!
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Chamber of Commerce & Yourfarmstand.com
 The Chamber has become the newest site for pick-ups of fresh local foods purchased through the online market. With cause to celebrate, there is an event this week, May 7th 12:00-2:00 at Mahaney Center on the Middlebury campus; Taste of Addison County
Farmers and producers from the Middlebury Farm Stand will offer samples of their foods and goods, and items available for sale. The Middlebury Farm Stand has served Middlebury College faculty and staff for nearly a year, and is now open to members of the surrounding community. Buyers can purchase fresh local food directly from local independent farmers, with a convenient online payment system and weekly pickup. Come learn more about the program and taste it for yourself! yourfarmstand.com Sponsoring Organizations: Middlebury College Wellness Committee-Mahaney Center for the Arts, Addison County Chamber of Commerce.
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Congratulations to FAHC (and our local producers who sell to hospitals!)
Fletcher Allen Health Care's food service program has won two awards from Health Care Without Harm, an international coalition of more than 520 organizations working to increase "green" practices in the health care industry. Fletcher Allen won first place in the sustainable food procurement category, and its executive chef Richard Jarmusz was honored with the Exemplary Food Service Professional award and upholding sustainable practices in healthcare procurement.
The "Sustainable Food Procurement Award" recognizes accomplishments in promoting health through food purchasing decisions. Fletcher Allen rated highly in buying and serving large quantities of a wide range of healthy, locally produced products. ACORN celebrates the exceptional work and as Vermonters we are proud of the national recognition that include these highlights:- More than $1.5 million (37%) of the of the total annual budget is spent on food produced in Vermont. This includes many Addison County producers!
- A variety of products, including cheese yogurt, vegetables, apples, cider and turkey, are purchased directly from local producers
- Nearly 50% of meat and poultry comes from animals that have been raised without the use of non-therapeutic antibiotics
- To reach their goals, FAHC purchases from a number of farms in Addison County
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Opportunities & Good Things!
May 6-10 National School Nutrition Employee Week! Celebrate your school food service workers with praise for jobs well done. It is hard to feed breakfast, lunch and snacks everyday AND do it within federal rules and regulations!
May 7th 12:00-2:00
Yourfarmstand.com's
Taste of Addison County
Mahaney Center for the Arts at Middlebury College; Lower Lobby. Taste the bounty of the county, meet new producers and become introduced to online buying and selling!
May 7, 5:30-8 p.m.
Middlebury Volunteer Ambulance Association
55 Collins Dr., Middlebury, VT
Join ACORN at the MVAA for a screening of Weight of the Nation, a brief discussion and a small resource fair provided by local organizations dedicated to making Addison County a healthy community. Light refreshments provided. Please RSVP to Megan Lausted, Vermont Department of Health, at (802) 388-5742 or megan.lausted@state.vt.us
May 8, 3:00-6:00 p.m.
Bristol Farmers' Market NEW SPRING LOCATION
Wednesdays at the MT ABE Rec Fields
May to school closing in June
May 17, 6 p.m.
Addison County Seed Savers
Ilsley Library in community meeting room. Learn first-hand techniques for saving arugula seed. Summer meetings will be held in gardens from June through September. More on that next month.
NEW! Opportunity for fully funded hydropower installation on Addison
County farms or farm businesses
Grant applications due May 30, so act fast! Look HERE for details
Little Green Hydro is seeking farms and/or agricultural businesses in VT and NH for installation of the EcoHydro System to produce renewable electricity.
802-265-1004 for more info or to get started
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Thanks to all of you for sharing links and information. Because of your input, we keep growing and catalyzing our network. Please share our website to build the network widely!
Annie Harlow
ACORN Network
annieharlowahh@gmail.com
802-922-7060
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