Halloween a Smashing Success

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This year's Halloween might arguably have been more fun than traditional trick-or-treating. Looking for a pandemic alternative that could engage both kids and adults safely, a small group of neighbors planned a spooky hour of events. Folks showed up in costume, placed their pumpkin in the "pumpkin patch" and waited for the parade to begin. Set to the Ghostbusters theme, we then paraded ourselves around our green. Children then enjoyed the fire and sipped apple cider. Returning to the common house porch, we were in for a ukulele treat. Complete with narration, our ukulele players performed Monster Mash! Then for the pumpkin carving prizes and corny Halloween jokes . . .

Know why skeletons are so calm? Because nothing gets under their skin.

And the moment the kiddos had been waiting for . . . candy! We ended with a goofy skit in the pumpkin patch and warmth around the fire on a chilly evening (with full moon!).

Gratitude for the organizers, bringing us together in such creative ways.

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3rd Annual Garden Tour

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Our garden party looked a little different this year, but several of us still wanted to host it and celebrate our beautiful gardens. The last two years, we’ve made it an appetizer/cocktail party, with each garden offering a food or drink made with items from the garden (think grilled corn, fruit popsicles, cucumber lemonade, adult beverages, shiitake spread, pickles…).

With the pandemic, we did not want to share food & drink, but came up with other ways to enjoy time together and admire the gardens. We put together a garden scavenger hunt (find a mushroom, how many wheelbarrows do you count, best smelling plant, etc.); we gave out prizes in various categories (best garden party outfit, best in show garden, garden w/most unusual plant, etc.); there was a raffle at the end, with the money going to our local food shelf; and garden jokes along the way.

What did baby corn say to mommy corn?

Where’s popcorn?

Why did the tomato turn red?

Because he saw the salad dressing!

Why do fungi have to pay double bus fares?

Because they take up too mushroom!

Many of us garden, though it is by no means a requirement of living here! Most (all?) of us gardeners were able to give our gardens extra care this season, as we worked from home and had more flexible schedules.

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Outdoor Land Use Committee Meeting

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"This year we are trying something new in the market garden. After 20 seasons of "traditional" organic tillage, we are establishing permanent "no-dig" beds. The beds are covered with a thick mulch of compost to build fertility and suppress weeds. The paths between the beds are filled with wood chips to invite beneficial fungi into the garden environment. We hope this method will reduce labor, produce nutrient dense vegetables, build topsoil, and sequester atmospheric carbon."

-Stephen Leslie, Cedar Mountain Farm

Isolate & Create E-Cookbook

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Ever wanted to cook a meal from a local restaurant in your own kitchen? Now you can! Released May 15th, the “Isolate and Create” digital cookbook features delicious recipes from 15 Vermont restaurants. All profits go to the Vermont component of the Restaurant Strong Fund, a national effort to provide grants to restaurant workers who have lost income due to the pandemic.

Creator Jenna Rice (of Jenna Rice Marketing), who runs her own business as a freelance photographer, web designer and graphic designer, was inspired after seeing a friend in Boston start a similar project. She reached out to local restaurants she knew for recipes and was connected to more across the state by the Vermont Fresh Network. 

For help on the culinary side, she enlisted her sister, Nora Rice. Nora, who graduated last year from Ashburton Chefs Academy in the United Kingdom, had been working at the Herb Farm, a renowned restaurant in Woodinville in Washington State. Back in Hartland, Vermont to stay home and safe, the two teamed up to cook and photograph each dish.  

The digital cookbook has been an immediate success, with over $2,000 earned already. “I was surprised just by how willing everyone was to contribute a recipe and how many people have purchased it so far,” Jenna said. “I think it shows that we live in a pretty special and giving, supportive, community.” 

The Isolate and Create digital cookbook can be purchased for $20 and features delicious spring and summer recipes, desserts, and cocktails from restaurants, caterers, a distillery, a winery, and more! The e-cookbook includes Putney Mountain Spirits in Putney, Mad River Distillers in Waitsfield, Kate Wise Cocktails and Solstice at Spruce Peak in Stowe, Skunk Hollow Tavern and The Hartland Diner in Hartland, Public House Pub and Chef Brad’s Crazy Side in Quechee, Odyssey Events in Bridgewater, Michael’s On The Hill in Waterbury Center, Bistro de Margot in Burlington, Piecemeal Pies in White River Junction, Richmond Community Kitchen in Richmond, Artisan Eats Vermont in Windsor, and Let’s Pretend Catering in South Hero.

All profits go to the Vermont component of the Restaurant Strong Fund, a national effort to provide grants to restaurant workers who have lost income due to the pandemic. 

Original article by Henry Allison for Vital Communities.

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