Heads Up for the Week:

Save the Date – On October 31st, the Food Systems Spire will host its 3rd Annual Food Systems Symposium. It will run from 8am-2pm with a variety of speakers — including Marsh Lecturer Dr. Wouter van Hoven from the University of Pretoria and many more. Details to come. Please check our Facebook page for future updates.

It Takes a Region NESAWG Conference is coming up on Oct 28-30th. All those working for food systems change should check it out. Register and find more information here.

Thursday (Sept 20)

Homemade Yogurt

At this culinary session, attendees learn to make their own yogurt in mason jars.

6–7:30pm. Sustainability Academy, Lawrence Barnes School. Burlington. $5-10. Please preregister here.

Friday (Sept 21)

UVM Apple Sale at the UVM Horticulture Research Center 10am to 4pm. Out this week: Liberty.

King Arthur Flour Grand Opening Weekend

This weekend of baking fun lets attendees view the new facilities via cooking classes and more. Don’t worry. Samples abound.

7:30am–6pm. King Arthur Flour Bakery & Café, School and Store. Norwich. Free. Continues through Sunday. More information here.

Saturday (Sept 22)

Northern Vermont Hike for Hunger

Stretch out with some morning yoga, then set out with fellow hikers on a 1.5 or 3 mile trek to raise awareness about hunger via Hunger Free Vermont’s programs.

10am. Catamount Outdoor Family Center. Williston. $25. Please preregister here.

Northern Decadence Vermont

This foodie event — a part of the Pride Vermont Festival — let’s attendees taste delicious regional cheeses, the state’s top microbrew, and many more local treats.

12–5pm. Battery Park. Burlington. $5; free for ages 12 and under.

Burlington Food Tours

Food lovers get a guided food tour as they are led through tastings from local restaurants and food producers. Tours start at East Shore Vineyards Tasting Room.

12:30–3pm. Church Street Marketplace. Burlington. $45. Purchase tickets here.

Feast of Our Farms Harvest Celebration

This celebration has folk music and country themed foods — all made from VT ingredients.

5–9pm. Mary’s Restaurant. Inn at Baldwin Creek. Bristol. $55-60. Please preregister here.

Oktoberfest 2012 Kickoff Celebration

This harvest dinner has plenty of bratwurst, German potato salad, and plety of lagers for the lovers of German food — and the lovers of good food of course.

3–8pm. Trapp Family Lodge. Stowe. $29. More information about the Stowe Oktoberfest here.

Butter Making

Shaking butter in a jar — a timeless classic for kid-friendly fun.

11:30am. Shelburne Farms. Shelburne. Regular farm admission, $5-8; free to members, Shelburne residents and kids under 3.

Sunday (Sept 23)

Pride Recovery Brunch & Dinner

10% of Leunig’s sales go to Outright Vermont this Sunday.

10am–10pm. Leunig’s Bistro & Café. Burlington. Cost of food and drink.

Annual Harvest Dinner

It’s like a classic Thanksgiving spread, but you get it earlier! Proceeds benefit Most Holy Trinity Parish.

12pm. Municipal Building. Orleans. $5-10; $30 maximum per family; takeout available.

International Dinner

Turkish food is the theme of this dinner. Never tried it? Now’s your chance.

5–8pm. North End Studios. Burlington. $12-15.

T.N. Vail Clambake & Silent Auction

Attendees get their fill of lobster, roasted red potatoes, strawberry shortcake and more. Proceeds support student scholarships. Silent auction and cocktails, 4 p.m.; dinner, 5:30 p.m. Softball Field.

9am–5pm. Lyndon State College. Lyndonville. $60. Please preregister here.

Rootswork Harvest Festival

It’s that time of year again – Harvest Time! We will be celebrating the harvest with a potluck dinner. Make apple cider using an old-fashioned cider press before dinner. Please bring a savory dish to share along with your own plates/bowls, silverware, and jugs to take home cider. Desserts provided by the East Warren Community Market. ALL are welcome!

5pm. Rootswork Community Garden, behind the East Warren Schoolhouse. Warren. Call Jen Higgins at (802) 496-9824 for more information.

Poultry Extravaganza

This day is filled with poultry from chick to chicken dinner with speakers on poultry production, business management, processing and adding value. Featuring Dr. Jeff Mattocks of Fertrell, Inc. who will focus on health and nutrition of pastured poultry, including balancing poultry rations with alternative feeds.

10am-3pm. VT Small Business Development Center. 1540 Vermont Route 66. Randolph. $10 for NOFA-VT or VGFA members; $20 nonmembers. Please preregister here or call 802-434-4122.

Monday (Sept 24)

Gastronomy Book Discussion

This week, The Mistress of Spices by Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni is the focus of this food filled book discussion.

6:30pm. Kellogg-Hubbard Library. Montpelier. Free.

Tuesday (Sept 25)

Burlington Garden Club Meeting

Carol McQuillen discusses inspiring kids through the natural world at this gathering of gardeners.

1:15–3pm. Faith United Methodist Church. South Burlington. Free.

Homemade Apple Pie

Champlain Orchards bakers show attendees the apple-icious ropes as they whip up buttery crusts and gooey fillings.

6–7:30pm. Sustainability Academy, Lawrence Barnes School. Burlington. $5-10. Please preregister here.

Protein 101

Alternative Roots Wellness Center’s Greg Giasson discusses protein in our diets and its corresponding food allergies and sensitivities.

5–6pm. City Market. Burlington. Free. Please preregister here.

Tovar Cerulli

The VT author of The Mindful Carnivore: A Vegetarian’s Hunt for Sustenance discusses his experiences with food from each of his perspectives — that of a hunter, a vegetarian and a vegan.

7pm. Phoenix Books Burlington. Burlington. Free.

Production in High Tunnels Webinar

Are you considering adding high tunnel crops to your farm? In this webinar we will look at crop rotations in high tunnels from both economic and horticultural perspectives. Long-term soil fertility, pest cycles and profitability will be analyzed using real life examples.

7-8pm. Please preregister here. Free.

Wednesday (Sept 26)

No events known. If you have food events for this newsletter, please send them to haylley.johnson@uvm.edu.

A heads up for this month: If you bring your own shopping bag to City Market this month, you help grow gardens!

City Market donates 5 cents to local non-profits each time a bag is reused. Friends of Burlington Gardens / Vermont Community Garden Network is the September recipient. Using your own bag saves resources AND supports community and school gardens.

Want to be a master composter? If your answer was yes, check out the UVM Extension Master Composter course. Register before October 5^th (afterward there is a $10 late fee). Find more info here.

Wednesday (Sept 12)

Brown Bag: How Might the Meatless Monday Movement Affect Vermont’s Livestock Farmers

Join the UVM Center for Sustainable Agriculture and the Vermont Agency of Agriculture to discuss how this movement may affect purchasing choices, beliefs, and sustainable food choices impacting Vermont livestock farmers.

12-1pm. Chittenden Bank Room. Davis Center. UVM Campus. Bring your lunch if you so choose.

Soil Testing, Management, and Cover Crop Strategies (& NOFAvore Social)

Join Mimi Arnstein of Wellspring Farm and Lynda Prim, NOFA VT’s Fruit & Vegetable Advisor, as they explain the nuances behind soil testing and management. This workshop will assess short-term management practices that directly affect this year’s crops as well as increasing long-term soil quality. The NOFAvore social will feature products from Wellspring Farm. Come and share a feast and provide input on NOFA-VT’s strategic plan.

Workshop from 4-6pm; Social at 6pm. Wellspring Farm. Marshfield. $10 for NOFA-VT members; $20 non-members. Please preregister here or call (802) 434-4122.

Killington Restaurant Week

Enjoy prix-fixe menus featuring the best from Killington area restaurants.

9am–9pm. Killington. Cost of food. Continues through 9/16. More information here.

Thursday (Sept 13)

Lacto-Fermented Salsa & Chutney

Folk Foods’ Jason Frishman shows attendees other options for fermenting foods — fermented chutney anyone?

6–7:30pm. Sustainability Academy, Lawrence Barnes School. Burlington. $5-10. Please preregister here.

40th Anniversary Celebration

Local vendors and co-op customers celebrate the Co-Op’s birthday with cake and ice cream at 11am and 6pm, face painting, and wine and beer from 3-6pm.

8am–8pm. Hunger Mountain Co-op. Montpelier. Free. More information here.

Killington Hay Festival

Giants hay animals take Killington by storm, not to mention the accompanying 5-week-long harvest celebration.

8am. Killington. Free. Continues through early October. More information here.

Tunbridge World’s Fair

This classic agricultural fair has 4H exhibits, shows, antiques and much much more.

8am–9pm. Tunbridge World’s Fairgrounds. Tunbridge. $8-13; $30 season ticket. Purchase tickets here. Continues through 9/16.

School Food Loop Forum

The Upper Valley Farm to School Network is sponsoring a forum at Thetford Elementary School on how food moves from the school’s raised bed gardens, to the school cafeteria, to their 5 bin composting system and back again in a closed food loop that enriches the entire school community.

3:30-5:30pm. Thetford Elementary School. Thetford. Free. Contact Aurora Coon at aurora.h.coon@gmail.com or (802) 436-4067 with questions.

Friday (Sept 14)

UVM Apple Sale at the UVM Horticulture Research Center 10am to 4pm. Out this week: Honeycrisp, Gala, NY 75414 (‘Speckles’), and Cortland (may be out next week though).

Grand Point Local 

The Skinny Pancake manages this local food fest, held in conjunction with the Grand Point North music festival. Vendors include Pirogi Union, ¡Duino! (Duende), Bluebird Barbecue and more.

4pm. Waterfront Park. Burlington. Grand Point North tickets: $45 on Friday; Saturday is sold out. Purchase tickets here.

Burger Night

We have no beef with this burger night. Between the delicious locally sourced food and the live music by Toben and Tim Traver, this is an evening that can’t be beat.

4:30–7:30pm. Bread & Butter Farm. Shelburne. Free; cost of food.

Saturday (Sept 15)

Burlington-Area Community Gardens’ 40th Anniversary Celebration

Attendees recognize forty years of tending and growing with garden tours, guest lectures, an anniversary video and more.

3–6pm. Community Barn. Intervale Center. Burlington. Free; bring a garden-inspired dish and your own tableware.

Enosburg Harvest Festival

Celebrate fall at this arts-and-crafts fair with live music, horse-drawn wagon rides, apple pies and more.

9am–3pm. Lincoln Park. Enosburg Falls. Free. Rain date: September 22.

Shelburne Farms Harvest Festival

Celebrate fall at Shelburne Farms with some hay rides, fall treats and a hay-bale maze.

10am–4pm. Shelburne Farms. Shelburne. $5-8; free for members and children under 3.

Burlington Food Tours

Food lovers get a guided food tour as they are led through tastings from local restaurants and food producers. Tours start at East Shore Vineyards Tasting Room.

12:30–3pm. Church Street Marketplace. Burlington. $45. Purchase tickets here.

Caledonia Spirits & Winery Open House

Visitors get a chance to see the inside of the distillery and learn about its production methods for its mead, raw honey and honey vodka.

10am–5pm. Caledonia Spirits & Winery. Hardwick. Free.

Mountain Wine & Cheese Festival

Local chefs and cheese makers serve delicious bites to the tune of light jazz music.

5:30–8pm. Vermont Institute of Natural Science. Quechee. $60. Purchase tickets here.

Overwintering and Second Year Management of Bee Hives

As the season winds down, join Ross Conrad as he addresses one of the significant challenges of beekeeping in the Northeast: overwintering hives. Topics will include swarming, honey production and harvesting.

12-3pm. Elmer Farm. 855 Case St. Middlebury. $10 for NOFA-VT members; $20 non-members. Please preregister here.

Peace of Earth Farm Hands-on Skill Share

See the farm, do some work, and eat some delicious food after the day of learning and working.

2-5pm. Peace of Earth Farm. 43 West Griggs Rd. Albany. Free. Please preregister by emailing rebeccabeidler@yahoo.com or calling (802) 755-6336.

Sunday (Sept 16)

Annual Chicken Barbecue & Salad Supper

Baked beans and plenty of pie make this annual dinner fundraiser for the Huntington Public Library complete.

11am–2pm. Brewster Pierce Memorial School. Huntington. $6-12.

Tour de Farms

The 5th Annual Tour de Farms Fundraiser for ACORN, Rural Vermont, and the VT Bicycle & Pedestrian Coalition draws folks from all Vermont and beyond by offering three bike routes and one walking route, each with designated stops where farms and restaurants provide samples of locally-produced foods.

9am. Shoreham Green. Shoreham. Advance registration: $28 adults, $13 kids; Onsite registration: $50 adults, $20 kids. Please preregister here or call (802) 223-7222. www.ruralvermont.org

Shoreham Apple Fest

Delicious food, live music, a silent auction and a farmers’ market will be featured at the afternoon-long event. Apple Fest is an annual fall fundraiser for the Friends of the Platt Memorial Library. There will also be the annual Apple Pie contest.

12:30-5pm. Town Common. Shoreham. Open to the public. Free; cost of activities/food. More information here.

Tuesday (Sept 18)

Enjoy the Wonders of Fungi

Learn how to grow your own fungus — the edible kind — from Eric Swanson of Vermush.

5–7pm. Hunger Mountain Co-op. Montpelier. $10-12. Please preregister here.

Planting for the Seasons and Root Cellaring (& NOFAvore Social)

Join Julie Wolcott and Steve MacCausland as they share tips on how to plan a garden to keep you and your family eating home-grown produce through the seasons, with a focus on timing, quantities, and varieties that store well. The NOFAvore social to follow features products from Green Wind Farm. Come and share a feast, a swim if you like, and provide input on NOFA-VT’s strategic plan.

Workshop from 4-6pm; NOFAvore Social at 6pm. Green Wind Farm. 1245 Northrop Road. Enosburg Falls. $10 for NOFA-VT members; $20 non-members. Please preregister here or call (802) 434-4122.

Potato Production

Tony Lehouillier, owner of certified organic Foote Brook Farm, will cover the potato production essentials: understanding your soils, cultivation techniques, and more. Feel free to bring a camera to take pictures of equipment. Bring boots for field walking. Vern Grubinger, UVM Vegetable and Berry Specialist will co-lead this workshop.

4-6pm. Foote Brooke Farm. Johnson. Free for farmers and VVBGA members; $10 NOFA-VT members; $20 non-members. Contact info@nofavt.org or  (802) 434-4122 with questions. Please preregister here.

Preserving the Harvest: Canning Tomatoes

BTV blogger Robin Berger leads this class on preserving your summer veggies for the fall and winter.

6–7:30pm. Sustainability Academy, Lawrence Barnes School. Burlington. $5-10. Please preregister here.

Developing a Food Safety Plan

The Food Safety Modernization Act, known as FSMA 2011, will result in sweeping changes to our food safety and regulatory system. Brian Norder (Vermont Food Consulting Services) and Bob Weybright (Weybright and Associates, Inc.) will guide participants through key provisions of the law, and how to write a food safety plan to comply with the law and private food safety audits.

8:30am-4pm. Vermont Grocers’ Association. 148 State Street. Montpelier. $40; $25 for Vermont Specialty Food Association members.

Contact Sandy at Sandy@vtgrocers.org or (802) 839-1930 with questions.

Farm and Garden Tour: Vermont Winemaking

This tour will include the demonstration and discussion of the grape growing process, vineyard establishment, varietals that can now be grown in Vermont, the making of wine and other products using wine grapes, as well as the testing of the grapes to determine readiness for harvest. The tour will end with a 2010 rose sampling.

Tour is free and open to everyone. Donations are always appreciated and allow the Localvores to continue to offer educational programs to the community.

6-7pm. Mad River Vineyard. 3354 East Warren Rd. Waitsfield. Free and open to the public. Please preregister here.

Wednesday (Sept 19)

Selling Safe Canned Foods

Many Vermont food processors are making and selling some type of canned foods, particularly “acidified foods.” This workshop will help clarify state and FDA regulations regarding low acid, acidified, and high acid foods; explain the process of getting a scheduled process; and provide information on filling out the necessary forms for approval.

9-11am. VT Department of Health. 108 Cherry St. Burlington. $10. Contact Londa Nwadike with questions at londa.nwadike@uvm.edu or (802) 223-2389. Please preregister here.