By Cheryl Herrick
A new publication is changing perceptions about what constitutes “local” and what the picture of a Vermont farmer might be. Global Food, Local Food: Guide to Growing, Harvesting & Preserving African & Asian Crops in the Northeast is a publication of the UVM Extension Center for Sustainable Agriculture’s New American Farmer Project and the New Farms for New Americans program of the Association of Africans Living in Vermont (AALV).
African Eggplant Saved for Seeds. Credit: Jenny Brown
The Guide documents eight important crops of world cultures that are being grown in Vermont for market, food, and/or medicine. The story of the crops is told through interviews, recipes, cultivation tips, quotes, notes on traditional uses, and lots and lots of pictures.
From the book’s introduction:
“For the past seven years the Association of Africans Living in Vermont’s New Farms for New Americans Program conducted research and worked directly with hundreds of Somali Bantu, Bhutanese, Burundian, Burmese and Vietnamese farmers and gardeners. More recently the University of Vermont Extension New American Farmer and Gardener Program [of the Center for Sustainable Agriculture] joined their team.
“While our work has centered in Vermont and specific to the populations that have been resettled in Vermont, this guide’s content is relevant to most areas of the Northeastern U.S. experiencing an influx of immigrants bringing richness and diversity into the food system. We have only scratched the surface of integrating global into local…
A Bhutanese farmer harvests beans with New Farms for New Americans at the Ethan Allen Homestead farm. Credit: Azulena Photography
“We visited the kitchens of families and documented cooking recipes passed down through cultures over generations. Many new American farmers are proud to continue their culinary traditions. We highlight dishes that can be, at least partially, “grown” in the Northeast. You too can “grow” these meals. They are packed with nutritional, cultural and historical value. We pay tribute to the new American farmers and gardeners from whom these African and Asian crops originate. The [Guide’s] pages are intended as a bridge across cultures.
“The Northeast U.S. is now host to a tremendous diversity of planting, cultivating, harvesting, processing and cooking knowledge from all over the world. Yet language barriers prevent the natural flow and exchange of this agrarian and culinary wisdom. We venture to break down those barriers, and encourage you as reader, planter, chef and anthropologist to join us.”
Janine’s African Eggplant Stew. Credit: Jenny Brown
You can download the guide for free from the Center’s website, or purchase a hard copy by emailing Alisha Laramee. 100% of all profits from sales will be used to purchase seeds for the New Farms for New Americans farmers.
If you are in the area, please join us at UVM for the Guide’s official launch event on Monday, April 13, from 3:00–4:00 PM in Lafayette L207. Two of the growers featured in the Guide will be there to talk about their farming experiences and perspectives, and to answer questions.
Cheryl Herrick is Office & Communications Manager at the UVM Center for Sustainable Agriculture.
