Food Education

It was a quintessential fall evening in Vermont. The leaves on the trees were a perfect mix of orange, yellow and red and the crispness in the air was something you only dream of. Honestly, on an evening like this, there is no place I would have rather been than Brot Bakehouse School & Kitchen- the location of our Intro to Sourdough Breads class.

Over the summer you might have noticed a change in our regular class programming as we headed out to farms and vineyards for events and programming rather than our traditional kitchen-based classes. Not to worry, the beloved A Mosaic of Flavor and Taste of Eritrea series (along with many others) will soon return with a full roster of cooking classes in September.

If you haven’t been to the Railyard Apothecary, you should definitely check it out! Living up to its name, the apothecary is nestled behind the old railroad tracks at the end of Battery Street and a stone’s throw away from the Burlington waterfront. The space sits right next to the Burlington Herb Clinic and has an herb shop. They also host educational classes, events and herb walks! Last month, Railyard hosted the “fermentation king”, Sandor Katz.

This past weekend we were busy visiting not one, but two farms to kick off the summer season! On Saturday, we visited Butterworks Farm out in Westfield followed by Green Mountain Bee Farm in Fairfax on Sunday. With beautiful weather both days, it was a great way to celebrate the start of summer in VT!  

The lake is thawing, the ground is muddy, and the sap is flowing which means only one thing, it must be springtime in Vermont! Our farmers are starting to till the ground to get ready for the growing season, and we are looking forward to local produce gracing our shelves. To provide some inspiration for your springtime culinary adventures, here is a short list of recipes that are perfect for a quick low-key dinner with friends or your first outdoor dinner party of the season!

Fermentation is everywhere! The process has been around for longer than we, most humans can probably imagine. There are a lot of different types of fermentation, and you have probably heard of some of the delicious products that result from the process. For example, there are many forms of vegetable fermentation, think pickles, sauerkraut, kimchi, the list could go on forever. How about grain fermentation which is how our beloved sourdough bread and beer are made and last but not least, dairy fermentation, this includes cheese, sour cream and yogurt!

February was flying by and before we knew it, it was the weekend of February 16^th, which marked the 37^th annual NOFA-VT Winter Conference. The conference highlights local farmers, gardeners and homesteaders and offers over 80 educational workshops, roundtable discussions, film screenings, and much more.

The U.S. Committee for Refugees and Immigrants (USCRI) Vermont formerly known as Vermont Refugee Resettlement Program (VRRP) and City Market have had a long-standing partnership for a number of years. Since 2011, we’ve partnered on a monthly cooking class series titled A Mosaic of Flavor, where different cooks from the Vermont refugee community teach a class showcasing food from their home country and tell stories about their background and journey to Vermont.

January is here and after a couple months of indulging in your favorite sweets and treats, it is time to kick back into a healthier routine. We spend a lot of energy thinking of others during the holidays, so there is no better time than the New Year to check back in, focus on yourself and practice self-care!

The final push of the holiday season is right around the corner and we are here to provide recipe inspiration for any holiday parties, family gatherings or a quiet, cozy night at home. Whether you are cooking for 2 or 20, these recipes are festive, seasonally appropriate, and tasty!