|
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.
|
TAKE ACTION TO SUPPORT ACORN
Find us on
Send events & items of interest for the newsletter to Annie@acornvt.org
|
 | | Good People & Good Food at our Annual Meeting |
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Harvest of the Month: Parsnips
Try this recipe for roasted & honey glazed. p'nips..
scaled for home or foodservice
or consider the cilantro-lime skillet roasted parsnips and carrots from Cooks Country ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Farmers teaching farmers about vegetable production. A great series of classes for farm managers, new farmers and lead staff. Register for this informative introduction to sustainable practices covering a wide range of topics for farmers by farmers
 | | VT Heritage Grazers Berkshire Hogs |
Thank you Coop Community for
supporting ACORN with your sustainable living classes!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Stop in at the Marbleworks in Middlebury for good food, good drinks prepared by good peeps supporting Farm to Plate through local agriculture!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Helping Vermont increase local food sales through a strong network that includes ACORN
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
BRRRRR Thinking about your heating?
Check out the
|
|
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
School Food Service
Grant Workshop
Vermont School Food Service Managers & Directors, Business Managers, and other interested school staff & community members who may write equipment grants on behalf of their school food service programs should attend an upcoming workshop!
Vermont Child Nutrition Programs is offering monthly training opportunities for school food service managers and staff. These will be held in-person at the offices in Barre and simultaneously via video conferencing at locations around the state. These trainings are free, and you'll earn 2 continuing education units (CEUs) per training!
Successfully Applying for an
Equipment Grant
Date & Time: February 12, 2015
2:00 pm - 4:00 pm
via video Mount Abe High School Bristol
More info here & register here
 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Farmers Take Note:
Internship Programs under the Fair Labor Standards Act (U.S. Department of Labor/Wage and Hour Division)
A useful fact sheet providing general information to help determine whether interns must be paid the minimum wage and overtime under the Fair Labor Standards Act for the services that they provide to "for-profit" private sector employers.
|
|
|
ACORN Leans to Membership
In October 2014 the ACORN Board of Directors moved to become a membership organization. ACORN's network has grown to a point where membership is critical to solidify community support and fund our growing work in schools. This transition will include sustained programming requiring we seek ideas, feedback and support of our community.
Our ambition to focus on increasing awareness of Vermont seasonal foods is a collaboration with Green Mountain Farm to School's Harvest of the Month program. With support from our new membership campaign through our annual appeal and with a grant from the Lintilhac Foundation, we look forward to more targeted and illuminating work in 2015. We are grateful for all the amazing support you have shown us. Do you want to be more involved in our work? Sign up to volunteer at the Sustainable Living Expo coming up this spring.
It's not too late to support us through becoming a member. The price of membership is $25 per calendar year. Membership expires on the last day of December. Our Membership offers discounts on all our events including the Sustainable Living Expo, workshops, Tour de Farms and MORE! Do you want to be more involved in our work? Sign up to volunteer at the Sustainable Living Expo coming up this spring.
|
ACORN Hosts Upcoming Curriculum Workshop
 For the first time in Addison County, ACORN and VT-FEED are offering Farm to School Curriculum Connections, a professional development course. Designed for classroom teachers who are looking to deepen or expand their curriculum and project-based learning opportunities related to Farm to School, class topics will include: nutrition, food systems, classroom cooking, and garden-based education.
WHY
This course is for school educators, staff, and administrators who are interested in using food and gardening as a context for core academic learning - whether you are a brand newbie or a seasoned pro you will find what you need in this course!
WHEN/WHERE
The class will meet on Thursdays from 4:30-7:30pm at the Bingham Memorial School in Cornwall, VT (5 minutes from Middlebury)
- February 26
- March 12
- April 2
- April 23
- May 7
- May 14
- May 21 (Snow Date)
HOW to Register
Special Early Bird Rate: $300 (for the first 20 registrations, or by January 31,2015!) Register through this ACORN link
General Registration: $350; Pre-registration is required
(Graduate Credit Available from Castleton State College, add $115) Need more info or have a question, email Emily
|
|
Farm to School & Harvest of the Month
 Calling all teachers, food service professionals, school nurses, farmers, after school coordinators and community members. Join ACORN in supporting the Harvest of the Month campaign providing ready-to-go materials for the classroom, cafeteria and community to promote the use of local seasonal Vermont products. Contact Annie to help kick-start in your school or town. This effort from Green Mountain Farm to School helps promote Farm to Plate goals and we are happy to have membership support for our push to get HoM into every school in the county. B eating parsnips this month you too will be participating in the effort enjoy seasonal foods.
We are thrilled to promote GMFTS Harvest of the Month program for schools, retailers and farm stands. Now is good time to join Harvest of the Month for recipes and educational materials for your business, classroom or your home. Community support is vital to helping move this along. Has your local school pledged? Ask your local retailer if they too have made the pledge. Help us get each school to sign the pledge!
|
|
Winter Foods: Roast Meats, Legumes and Vegies!
With the days lengthening it won't be long before the second crop of lush winter greens will be full tilt boogie available at our favorite local food outlets. Spinach, kale and other rugged greens are being seeded for late winter harvest. In the meantime, there are dry beans to make hearty winter fare.
 Looking for some local meat? Try Green Pasture Meats on Route 7 in New Haven and Shelburne. Of course you can find a nice selection at the Middlebury Coop including the perfect winter ingredient... amazing pork sausage from VT Heritage Grazers. The picture to the left is young piglets enjoying a summer romp in Bridport fields. The Tamworth and Berkshire breeds produce excellent flavor...and being happy pigs just enhances the genetics. Pick up some sausage and serve with roasted parsnips for a perfect winter supper. VHG is renown with Boston area chefs for the unsurpassed quality of their pork. They are among many small producers of meat raised slowly, with care for the well being of the animal with a high quality outcome. Another notable farm is Meeting Place Pastures of Cornwall , VT producing small herd happy animals with impeccable results for the conscious carnivore. Don't pass up the opportunity to enjoy last summers' sunshine flavoring the fresh pork from these twoproducers. 
Find a rich array of local products at the Middlebury Farmers' Winter Market Saturdays at Mary Hogan School just off Route 7/Court Street
|
|
VT Companies Receive 2015 Annual Good Food Awards!
From Good Food Awards:
For a long time, certifications for responsible food production and awards for superior taste have remained distinct-one honors social and environmental responsibility, while the other celebrates flavor. The Good Food Awards recognize that truly good food-the kind that brings people together and builds strong, healthy communities-contains all of these ingredients. We take a comprehensive view, honoring people who make food that is delicious, respectful of the environment, and connected to communities and cultural traditions. 
In its fifth year, the Good Food Awards Ceremony was held at the Palace of Fine Arts Theater. This year's 130 winners were honored by special guests and leaders of the food movement. The Gala reception featured winning products in their unaltered forms on regional tasting plates, as well as in original dishes conceived of by some of San Francisco's most celebrated chefs. See all the winners!
 We are so proud of our Addison County and Vermont winners and of course to all who were so well recognized for their craft. Special cheers from ACORN to our own David & Chris from Shacksbury Cider. Other Vermont producers were Eden Iced Cider, von Trapp Farmstead Cheese, Big Picture Farm Carmels, and Blake Hill Preserves.
If you want to plan ahead to enter your product, sign up for the Good Food Awards newsletter. From where I sit, I think we have a good chance of Vermont besting in every category!
|
ACORN is part of Vermont's Farm to Plate Network. We work on specific projects to broaden Addison County's impact in arena of food, agriculture, capitalization of small businesses and renewable energy resources. The links are meant to show the array of Vermont-based resources.Thank you for supporting our work.
|
|
Events, Opportunities & Jobs
Annual registration for the VT Vegetable & Berry Grower's Association rates rise after January 31st! Sign Up Here
|
|
|
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
annie@acornvt.org
|
|
|
