Stowe Free Library

Laura helped us find ways to use some of the vegetables available now: carrots, zucchini, beets, and leafy greens. We sampled a ginger-infused vegetable juice, a quick borscht, a pasta dish made with zucchini and carrot "spaghetti," and a kale-and-goat-cheese taco. For the recipes, see http://www.stowelibrary.org/eatinglocal/laurabiron.

John discussed the farming practices of Applecheek Farm, which will be familiar to anyone who has read Michael Pollan's The Omnivore's Dilemma and recalls the section on Polyface Farm. The nutritional differences between pasture-raised and conventional meats and animal products (milk, eggs, etc) are compelling, and John showed us a thought-provoking presentation detailing the research. Along with Laura's veggie dishes, we sampled Applecheek Farm's beef and turkey.

Of course, it wouldn't be a library program without some book suggestions. Laura Biron recommended In a Vermont Kitchen: Foods Fresh from Farms, Forests, and Orchards by Amy Lyon;  101 Foods That Could Save Your Life by David Grotto; and Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone by Deborah Madison. John recommended Nourishing Traditions by Sally Fallon. All of these titles are available for you to borrow from the Stowe Free Library.

The Vermont Agency of Agriculture has said that if Vermont households dedicated 10% of their weekly food budget to local foods, it would return approximately $130 million to Vermont's agricultural economy.

What does local food have to do with the library? Plenty! Part of the mission of the Library is to meet not only the reading but also the informational needs of our patrons, and helping to educate our community about its resources and creating partnerships are two of the most fun!

We are continuing to help out patrons become more aware of the resources of the community this month, too. Have you ever canned your own tomatoes, or made your own pickles? Dried your own herbs, or made your own jam? Saved the seeds from a particularly delicious tomato crop? These late summer and early fall tasks were ones that our grandparents and great-grandparents likely performed, but for many of us, they represent skills we need to learn.

Every Wednesday in September, in addition to the Lamoille County Natural Resources Conservation District and area farmers, the Stowe Free Library has partnered with the Farmers' Artisan Market and the Lamoille/Franklin Farming Network to offer a series of four workshops on preserving the harvest. Held at the Farmers' Artisan Market at the River Arts building in Morrisville, the final two weeks will cover freezing, dehydrating, jams, herbal vinegars, fermenting, and more. There is a small supply fee for each class; call the Library at 253.6145 for more information.

We are also so pleased to partner with High Mowing Seeds in Wolcott during their annual fall Field Days to offer a Seed Saving workshop at 3pm on Wednesday, September 17. Read about the Field Days at http://www.highmowingseeds.com/current-high-mowing-organic-seeds-events.html, and don't miss the opportunity to visit the amazing grounds of High Mowing Seeds, learn more about the company, and find out about saving seeds. It is worth the trip to Wolcott to see.

Save the date, too, for our program coming up in November as part of the Eating Local series - a wine tasting in partnership with Edible Green Mountains magazine, taking place on Wednesday, November 19 at 7pm at Michael's on the Hill.