Eating Vermont

As far as I’m concerned, Vermont is a state of farms and trees. Here the farming community appears to fare better than elsewhere in the nation. Many shops, supermarkets, restaurants and individuals pride themselves by purchasing or supplying locally produced produce, meats, cheeses and other food products. In comparison to the stuff we get in New York City, Vermont’s products are fresher, easily found within 100 miles and consistently organic. Where as in New York City, organic apples from 10 hours north will cost about $3.50, here they are trucked in from a few hours away at the most and cost $1.50 – $1.99 a pound. Surprisingly, even hand crafted, organic goat cheese still runs about $5 for about 8 oz. Here, everywhere you go there is a sign hinting at the presence of a farming orientation. There’s actually a community farm about a 20 minute walk from downtown Burlington – can’t beat that!

So I decided to jump on the wagon (pun intended)! Given easy access to wonderful food products of all sorts from farms nearby available at City Market, a fantastic co-op,  I’ve set out to

1) Teach myself how to cook (better).

2) Stick to local and seasonal products in most meals.

3) Gain a greater understanding and appreciation of the farming world.

4) Work on a farm.

5) See if the above lead to any sort of enlightenment.

First Weekend of Summer in New York City

It started with rain, which is unusual and ended with rain, which is even more unusual but all prevailed. Down the street from me Greenhorns were preparing for a farming to the people celebration. The roasting of a goat from Connecticut brought staff, volunteers and neighbors to the corner of Sackett and Henry Streets in Brooklyn despite the steady downpour. Amy and Jen from the local foods veteran,  Just Food, hit home with the message of sustainable, fair and local food for all.

With no promise of the rain letting up, I made my way down to Coney Island. Did you know I grew up on this southernmost tip of Brooklyn? Well, probably not and for me, going to Coney Island is just like driving past the neighborhood where you used to play on your next door neighbor’s lawn.

The mermaids, funksters and musicians were out in full swing. Thanks to waterproof makeup and the modern invention of plastic, all stayed dry, beautiful and open!

Sunday started off with a drizzle that couldn’t decide if it wanted to stop. In the meantime, musicians gathered to showcase their work at Dubspot, part of Make Music New York, a city wide music showcase on this first day of summer. Talented music maker and long time friend, Tom Phonic needed a little help keeping his drum machines dry but kept the crowd’s feet moving. Ignoring the thunder, Echa, a Seattle/New York hybrid native took control of the sound. The rain eventually forced all to happily relocate to Dan’s Dubspot cafe. Dan pioneered audio production education in New York City and is the founder of Funk Aid, a fundraiser to support AIDS prevention in children in Africa.  You can support Funk Aid by picking up the CD and meeting Dan and his dog, TJ at the Dubspot cafe at 348 W 14th St between 8/9 Avenues.