Vermont 2012 - Intervale Center

View from my first dinner in Vermont - we watched the storm come in over the Lake Champlain

The first stop on our Food Revolution tour was the Intervale.  We had a makeshift breakfast from the local co-op followed by a few hours of lecture on mental models, balancing vs. reinforcing cycles, environmental ecology, and social/natural capital.  We explored the farm and learned about its history and future; the Intervale Center serves as an incubator for beginning farmers and has a community owned CSA.  We ended the afternoon with a exercise where we had to design our own restaurants.

Intervale Logo

Panoramic of the Intervale Center

Our lecture hall, lab, and cafeteria

Presenting our restaurant business plans & menus

Posted just inside the barn door

Next stop: Dinner - Burger Night at Bread & Butter Farm....

Our Food - Creswick Farms

Sammit and I had a share in a meat CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) in 2010.  I won't mention the name of it, but if you'd like to know you can contact me directly.  We bough a full sized year long share having not tasted their meat ahead of time.  That was a mistake.  The farm was great, the people were wonderful, but we didn't care for the taste of their products.  When it came time to renew in 2011, we didn't sign a contract and I went on a search for a new meat/egg farmer.  I came across Creswick Farms.

Creswick Farms is owned and operated by the Creswick family.  They are located in Ravenna, MI which is a little north of Grand Rapids.  Their prices are fantastic for the quality pasture raised beef, chicken, pork, lamb, and eggs they provide.  We buy once a month or every other month and pick up at their drop location in Novi, MI (about 20 minutes from where we live right now).

Here are a few things I love about Creswick Farms:

• Their commitment to healthy, happy, pasture raised animals
• Their fantastic Easter Smoked Hams!
• The fact that I can go to their farm and see their operation (and pet their dog ^_^)
• The huge line we wait in each time we pick up an order at our nearest drop - I love seeing so many people going out of their way to get good food.
• Their relationship with Door to Door Organics (where we often get our produce)
• Their specialty meats: bacon cheddar brats & honey bacon are some of the best!
• Their 10% bulk discount
• Their awesome website

Permaculture & No Such Thing as Waste Songs

Things I did this week:

• Ultimate home declutter session with Devin
• 3 day garage sale (total: 3 carloads gone, 300 dollars gained)
• Memorial Day on the water with friends
• Countless hours falling in love with the homesteading community on Tumblr.
• Countless hours categorizing the internet
• Finished raised beds
• Dealt with a cold
• Soothed a significant amount of dehydration and sunburn

I've been busy!  I'll post the final pics of the raised beds in a few days along with the details of how I filled them.  Until then, I wanted to share two music videos I came across in my weekend endeavors; both are on topics close to my heart.

No Such Thing as Waste

Permaculture Song

Chicago's Good Food Festival - 2012

I am interested in food.  Everything about food.  How it's grown, how it's transported, how it's prepared.  I'm interested in food systems, food justice, food security.  In early March I thought to myself, there has to be a large group of people who feel the same way and get together to talk about it!  So I googled a few choice phrases to try and find a conference nearby.  I came across the Good Food Festival in Chicago and the 2012 dates were only a week away.  On a whim I booked tickets and convinced my sister, Devin, to come with me.  6 days later we were on a 6 hour road trip to a Holiday Inn near UIC campus.

While at the conference I met a lot of farmers and people interested in changing food policies.  During the opening session I felt a swell of emotions rise up in my belly.  My hands were a little shaky as I listened to a woman talk about her transition to farming.  She said that she was recently giving a speech to a large group of mostly white, middle-aged, bearded, flannel-wearing farmers.  She came in sporting dreaded hair and leather pants; she told her audience, "Gentlemen, this is the new face of farming."  I texted Sammit, "these are my people."

I was able to thank, in person, the man who picks out the best oranges I've ever eaten.  (His name is Scott and he's the buyer for Door to Door Organics.)  I learned about the 2012 Farm Bill, backyard chickens, 4 food preserving methods, and how to compost everything.  Devin and I got a little tipsy at the Localicious food tasting event.  We also ate some amazingly delicious things: 1) Sour Cream Ice Cream, 2) Smoked chicken on creamy cheesy polenta with cilantro micro greens, 3) BBQ Chip Chocolate Bar, and 4) Herbed Pistachio Pesto.

I decided that weekend that I'm going to make strides toward becoming a farmer.  Half of the U.S.'s farmers right now are 55 years old or older.  There are not enough young people interested in pursuing farming as a career even with its glamour and six figure salary.  Because of this there are a lot of farmers who are interested in passing on their valuable information and the USDA is providing grants for farm start-ups.  Sammit and I had a "farm-talk" this past week and have hatched a plan.  We're starting small, buying our first house this summer with enough land to start a market garden.