Food Education

Here we are in July! In this month, we typically find ourselves knees deep in an abundance of vibrant, local, fresh produce. Although we are grateful for the bounty, it can be hard to keep up with the weekly greens that arrive in your CSA share, or pour into your kitchen from your very own garden. So, what to do with all these greens? Here are a few tips that will help you turnip the beet, on your average, every day, mixed green salad.

Over the summer, City Market organizes farm tours where we bring community members to different local farms across the state to learn about and gain a deeper understanding of where our food comes from. On Friday, June 15^th City Market staff and participants gathered at our Downtown store to begin a full day of farm tour fun where we visited two of our vendors, The Farm Between and Lewis Creek Farm.

Warmer weather means more time spent outside, and what better way to spend your evenings than behind a grill cooking up some smoky, sweet, mouthwatering meals for family and friends. Last Thursday, City Market class participants gathered at the Intervale Center down by the Winooski River for a Grilling Fundamentals class. The class was taught by our very own Executive Chef, Michael Clauss. From managing his own catering business to running restaurant kitchens, Michael had tons of tips and tricks to share with the group.

Blue skies, sunshine and tree buds mean the ground has thawed and springtime is upon us. We are knees deep in planting season and are looking forward to juicy berries and fresh salad greens that will be on our plates and then in our bellies soon! Here are some fresh new recipe ideas to hold you over until berry season really begins. Keep your eyes peeled when you are shopping, because you can find some of these recipes on our store floor, right now!

Here at the Co-op, you may have noticed a recent surge in products containing CBD. While we do carry an array of CBD-infused products from Nutty Steph’s chocolate hearts to Luce Farm’s CBD honey and even Kimball Brook Farms infused iced teas, this trend is not specific to City Market or even to Vermont.

Last Thursday our very own Community Teaching Kitchen was turned into Willy Wonka’s Chocolate Factory! In this class, participants learned about the different components of chocolate, how to temper chocolate, and ultimately how to make their own chocolate bars.

The weekend of February 17^th marked the 36^th Annual NOFA-VT Winter Conference! There was an abundance of inspirational, innovative, speakers, workshops and activities throughout the weekend, not to mention a delicious lunch both days with highlights from a variety of Vermont farms. During lunch on Saturday, we heard from a number of state legislators and representatives including Senator Bernie Sanders, Congressman Welch and Governor Scott.

Stop! In the name of vegetables. Before you throw out - or even compost - those kale stems from your morning smoothie, imagine the many recipes you could create with them! Okay, so that might be a stretch but have no fear because the zero waste food movement is gaining momentum and before you know it, you will be cooking with celery leaves daily.

December 4^th marked the first class in our brand new Community Teaching Kitchen at our South End store located on Flynn Avenue! 

The Community Teaching Kitchen is located on the second floor of the South End store, right next to our Community Room! If you didn’t get a chance, check out our blog post about the Community Teaching Kitchen, here.

On a warm and sunny Friday afternoon, with the landscape speckled in hues of red and orange, 14 City Market Members and staff jumped on a bus, and hit Route 7 to make our way south to Addison County. The area is known for many farms and food producers, and our group was excitedly headed to visit goats, a creamery, an orchard, and a cidery. It’s no secret that cheese and apples go together, and we got to see them both at their sources.