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 ACORN September 2014 
Cultivating Connections 
ACORN's mission is to help revitalize the health of our land, our local economy and our local communities so they can provide sustainable sources of  food, water, energy, employment, capital and other essential resources. 
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ahh the ....
Bounty of the County! 
Windfall Orchards Iced Cider
Pie season continues!
Apple, Peach, and 
Bluberry Cobbler Season! 
Photo Credit, Eliza Margoiln,  2014 ACORN Intern
 
Roadside Delectable s
in Addison County
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Donate your surplus garden produce to HOPE, church meal programs and area food shelves

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FOR ACORN'S BIGGEST FUNDRAISER!
SHOREHAM, VERMONT
TdF Cows
  Tune up your bike before the Tour at The Bike Center, Earl's Cyclery, Old Spokes Home, or at Solar Sweet Farm at the Bristol Farmers' Market
   
Please Support  ACORN's 
Local Food Guide Advertisers!

Enjoy good food with friends at the Antidote in Vergennes

Promoting Authentic, Sustainable & Quality Local Food with excellent educational gatherings

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Do you want to improve your farm soil? Connect to 
info, workshops and support!




  06 - Farm to Plate 
Helping Vermont increase local food sales through a strong network that includes ACORN
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Is your farm or food business listed on the  VT Food Atlas?
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Thinking about winter heating? 
Check out the ACORN Renewable Energy Coop  





Do you want to learn about regional food policy? 
 Outreach Webinars from American Farmland Trust might be just what you are looking for!

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Chilly Weather will be in the air soon enough!

Woodpile Pants from Filson!
Flannel Season is coming on! Shop VT Flannel Route 7 

Warm woolies are available at farmers' markets and at Doolittle Farm. Pick some up at while at the Tour de Farms

Speaking of keeping warm: Do you need kindling or dry firewood? Try Johnson's Lumber Mill in Bristol for kiln dried hard wood


Press your own or stop by an orchard to enjoy the nuances of  apple cider season

ACORN Farm to School
 
ACORN has been cultivating the Farm to School community in Addison County for a couple of years.  We have been strengthening the school and supervisory union network through relationships with farmers. 

Our Stone Soup Summit in March was a huge success with statewide leaders teaching us new skills and ways to engage schools. ACORN participated in several gatherings of others dedicated to creating and expanding school and farm links.  Our 2014 intern, Eliza tended many school gardens working with summer school programs. There are so many successes to share including the student led Mt Abe compost projected which reached (and exceeded!) its financial goal to build a new compost system at the regional high school in Bristol.

New food service staff are working hard fulfilling their ambitions to increase local food provided by area farmers and do so in a long-term sustainable manner. Local beef, dairy and produce are incorporated into school meals. At ANESU, under the leadership of Kathy Alexander, childhood nutrition and food awareness is so important. She has shared her successes through the School Nutrition Association and meeting with ACORN addressing how to increase local food at other school supervisory unions. ACORN helped bring together executive chefs from the Basin Harbor Club to meet with students in several schools in each of the three SU's in the county. It was a thrill to see and taste the great foods of student leaders and the pride in the faces of their mentors. 

For 2014-15 we will continue to target school nutrition and the positive impact to our local economy. Donate now to our farm to school work.

We are thrilled to promote GMFTS Harvest of the Month program for schools, retailers and farm stands! With so many schools taking students to orchards, families enjoying PYO and it being cider and apple season now is good time to join the Harvest of the Month for recipes and educational materials for your business, classroom or your home!
Apple Season is Here & NOW! 
Sunrise Orchards

Addison County is the renown apple producing region in the state. We have the soils, the climate and the expertise! It still feels like summer, but apples in Vermont are available beginning in late August at retail locations and fresh at the orchards. Apples have even been known to be the inspiration of many artists, including this apple poem from Robert Frost

 

Apples bring together people in so many ways. Think school tours during blossom time and family picnicking at the height of the season when dozens of varieties are available for zillions of uses. Grab your calendar and think about a date to pick at an orchard, see how cider is made , eat fabulous donuts and enjoy the crystal blue sky, apple scents and the bounty of the county! The Tour de Farm includes the Shoreham Apple Fest so...why not come on down ride and enjoy all things apple. Find local pick your own (PYO) locations in the ACORN Local Food Guide
 

Salvation Farms: Resource Management of Food 

Salvation Farms is a non profit whose mission is to build increased resilience in Vermont's food system through agricultural surplus management. They work to increase the amount of fresh local foods to families in need. 

As stated by SF, 'Gleaning is the act of reaping after the harvest and in modern times this has come to mean the capture of food at many points in the food chain before it goes to waste.  For Salvation Farms gleaning is mobilizing citizens who understand the responsible stewardship of these valuable local food resources.'

They are featured nationally as a model organization .  Over the last several years, Theresa Snow has created a collective of organizations working in distinct areas of the state to glean foods from farm fields in cooperation with farmers and food shelves. Says Snow, "We really want the collective members to retain their own identities and styles so that they can provide the best service to their own communities based on the profiles of the farms in their areas and their resources.". ACORN in partnership with HOPE has hired local food organizer. Gretchen is responsible for the gleaning program and contributing to the 2 million pounds of produce recovered contributing to the resource management capacity in Vermont. SF has created an excellent resource for developing farm and community gleaning practice guide
Garuka Bars: At Last in Addison County!
Fresh Garuka Bars
Celebrate National Honey Month! Go to Middlebury College's causal Grille and pick up a few Garuka Bars! If you have not yet caught the Garuka buzz, these high protein pre-exercise energy bars are made with honey from Champlain Valley Apiary of Middlebury. These  amazing bars are made in small batches. Pre-Buy through a monthly subscription option sending your order directly to your door a mere hours after being made. Another great reason to pre-order is the 30% discount and the joy of receiving a package of Garuka bars monthly! Stop by the Grille to pick one up or pre-order. Keep up to date with other Garkuka fans on Facebook
06 - Farm to Plate
ACORN is part of Vermont's Farm to Plate NetworkWe are a volunteer board with a hired communications director working on specific projects to broaden Addison County's impact in the arena of food, agriculture, capitalization of small businesses and renewable energy resources.  The links are meant to show the array of Vermont-based resources. Kindly share ideas that can support our effort. Thank you for supporting our work. 
JOIN ACORN    

 Susan Smiley, a friend of relocalization issues is running for the Vermont House seat in the November election, for  the  Addison-5, comprised of the towns of New Haven, Weybridge and Bridport. Candidate Smiley, a long -time resident of New Haven, stands with the ideas of relocalization, farm and food issues. 

Photo Credit: Trent Campbell at the Addison Independent
Farm Profile: Bella Farm in Monkton

 

Bella Farm started as an incubator farm in Burlington's Intervale in 2009 specializing in the growing of basil for a pesto business. Owner Rachel Shattman relocated to a portion of the Rotax Farm, in Monkton, land farmed by the family since the 1700's. It was here that Rachel expanded her farm and its reach into the community with her offerings of a full line of organic produce.

 

She believes that soil is the cornerstone to a sustainable food system.Through cover cropping and rotational planting the soil is carefully managed for ultimate soil health. In addition to land stewardship, she also believes in contributing to our community.

Rachel works with NOFA's Farmer Correspondence Program,   connecting farmers and classrooms. 

 

Doing her part to make sure that local food is available and accessible to all, she is actively involved in selling direct to multiple types of markets including hospitals and senior care facilities such as Wake Robin and FAHC. Her stellar produce can be found in Addison County restaurants such as Basin Harbor Club, 3 Squares and Vergennes Laundry and many in the greater Burlington area.  

NOFA-VT Farmer Correspondence Program (featuring Bella Farm)
NOFA-VT Farmer Correspondence Program (featuring Bella Farm)
Animal Welfare Grants
Animal Welfare Approved is accepting applications for their 2014-2015 Good Husbandry Grants. These grants are awarded for projects that improve animal welfare. AWA farms, farms that have completed an application to join the program, or slaughter plants that are working with an AWA farm and/or have consented to be reviewed by AWA are eligible to apply. Find details on the Good Husbandry Grants page, along with guidelines, FAQs and an application. The deadline is October 1, 2014

Funding priorities for this cycle include: improved genetics, increased outdoor access, welfare improvements in the slaughter process and non-lethal predator control. Previous on-farm projects include: new mobile housing and incorporation of new genetics to better facilitate pasture-based management. Previous slaughter plant projects include: new knock boxes and handling facility improvements, stunners for on-farm poultry slaughter, mobile processing units, and visual barriers to reduce handling stress. Feel free to browse AWA's grant profiles to learn more about previously funded projects. 

Contact Market Outreach Coordinator Katie Yanchuk (717) 412-1701 with questions.
Greenhouse Energy Workshop
There is still an opening to attend the Energy Extravaganza! Don't Delay, SIGN UP TODAYGreenhouse energy conservation maximizes profits and reduces your energy footprint.

When: Thursday, September 4
Where: Claussen's Greenhouses in Colchester, VT

What: Regional experts, including John Bartok, Univ. of Connecticut; Chris Callahan, UVM and specialists in energy curtain assembly will share their knowledge! Attendees will learn how to reduce energy use at minimal cost. The "cool" VT Soap Bubble Greenhouse prototype will also be showcased. This system uses soap bubbles to improve insulation in double-poly greenhouses. USDA will be on hand to describe what supports for energy conservation they can offer you. Who should come: Growers with greenhouses and ones that hope to erect one soon, energy conservation specialists, Extension agents.

To register: click on Energy Extravaganza. If you have any questions, call Margaret Skinner 802-656-5440; email her 

Read Chris Callahan's Blog to stay up to date on energy and ag tech issues. Chris is our states' go-to resource for all things ag & technology! 
Skilled Butcher Academy

A course designed for those in USDA production or considering starting a meat/poultry processing business. This course will cover not only HACCP (Hazard Analysis for Critical Control Points) as it applies to USDA producers, but, the pre-requisite programs such as sanitation, personnel hygiene and supply chain management. By emphasizing integrating the HACCP plan into the facility to create a culture of food safety,this course will help you write food safety plans that drive your business forward.  More details on this Hannaford Career Center meat class can be found here. 

Events, Opportunities & Jobs 
 
Norton's Gallery
Enjoy a day in the country while supporting ACORN & the VT Pedestrian & Bike Coalition
Ride of local farms...ride,eat, ride, eat, ride, eat, in the beautiful apple country of the southern Champlain Valley! Support ACORN in this annual fundraising event, rain or shine. 

Shoreham Apple Fest coincides with the Tour de Farms on September 21st.  

Native plants for Your Garden
Marijke Niles of Perennial Gardens Plus of Starksboro
September 13, 9:00-Noon
UVM Hort Farm 
Contact Anne Marie Resnik for details

Master Composting Course

Courses are throughout the Vermont

Middlebury September 12,

space is very limited! Sign up NOW

Get ready for ACT 148! "AKA The Compost Law"


September 16  5:30-7:30
Montpelier

Eliza Margolin 2014 ACORN School Garden Intern
GROW IT! Fall Garden Workshop
September 23; 4:00-7:00
light meal offered 
Burlington, Ethan Allen Homestead, Winooski Valley Park District: 
Register HERE, contact Libby with any questions 
Perfect for farm to school leaders and student interns

October 4th and 5th
Tunbridge Fairgrounds, Vermont. 
Saturday from 10am - 5pm and on Sunday from 10am - 4pm.

Champlain Orchards is hiring for the 2014 apple season and beyond. Find the complete list of positions HERE 

Champlain Valley Cheese is hiring! Find detail here 

Olivia's Croutons has job openings! 
888 425 3080

Contact them for details on part-time jobs 

 

Farm Jobs open at Norris, Lincoln Peak, Full Moon Farm and many others. Excellent time to enjoy the fall harvest 

 

Local Farmers Markets: 
Bristol          Vergennes       Hinesburg 

Thanks to all of you for sharing links and information. Keep me posted of things of interest to relocalization and Addison County!  

 

Annie Harlow

ACORN Network

802-922-7060  

[email protected]