Local Food

One of our most popular classes this summer has been our Mozzarella Making 101 class. We offered the class in July and August and are rounding out the season with two more classes this month. The class is held at Bread and Butter Farm, an organic veggie, beef, and pork farm located in Shelburne.

Last week marked the fourth annual Vermont Open Farm Week! Farms all across the state opened up their fields, barns and pastures for a number of different fun activities, as a way to connect the public with Vermont’s farmers and the beautiful agricultural landscape.

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.

Spring has sprung and it’s time for another round of Co-op Seedling Grants! Now in its fifth year, this grant program has previously been supported through the generosity of our Members in the form of uncashed Patronage Refund Checks. However, we anticipate that it will take several years for the Co-op to return to profitability after opening the South End store in November 2017.

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.

Did you know that the apple is the official state fruit of Vermont? According to the Vermont Tree Fruit Growers Association, our little state produces around 1,000,000 bushels of apples annually which equates to about 40 million pounds. While over fifty percent of apples produced are McIntosh, more than 150 varieties are grown on roughly twenty apple orchards throughout the state.

Here at the Co-op we’re all about supporting local farmers and producers. While the variety on offer fluctuates throughout the year, you’d be surprised at how easy it is to incorporate local products into your diet even during the harshest of winter months. That’s why we started our We ♥ Local Recipe Contest, now in its eighth year running!

First off, we wanted to wish our entire City Market community a Happy New Year! For many, the start of the New Year is a time to reflect, reset, and form intentions for the year ahead. It is a time to move past the extra one, two, or five cookies you regretted eating during the holidays, and look forward to healthier options.

With the Super Bowl right around the corner, here are some healthy alternatives to your favorite comfort foods, snacks, and dips so you are able to enjoy the game and still feel good about your 2018 goals.

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.