THE RADISH LIT TLE TON FOOD CO - OP | SUMME R 2018
Prospect Farm
Our conversation with Lane and Meryl Nevins on their farm and the state of local foods. Leave No Trace
Waste-Free shopping at the Littleton Food Co-op & beyond.
Three Berry-Packed Smoothie Recipes You Can Try at Home!
Summer at the Co-op Ed King, General Manager
Summer is our favorite time of year at the Littleton Food Co-op. More locally grown products start showing up in our produce department. Our outdoor plant and floral program explodes with color from local nurseries. The days are longer and the temperatures are warmer and our outdoor areas come back to life after a long North Country winter. With the warm weather we welcome back the return of Seasonal Home Owners and Summer Tourists. June through September is the peak business season at the Co-op. Customer counts grow to over 6,000 a week and the explosion of local products help spike our sales. The continued growth of our Co-op allows us to increase our purchases of local goods from local farmers and producers. The Co-op has always done most of its hiring in May and June as we prepare for the Summer season. We now employ more than 90 people at the Co-op, all making a living wage. More than half are full time with benefits. I'm proud of our Co-op Team's hard work to serve our Membership. Striving to make sure your BBQ has the freshest meats and seafood, local produce, cheeses, beverages and groceries at a fair price. From all of us at the Co-op, we hope you have a safe and enjoyable Summer.
Can I Recyle That? Things & stuff you can recycle at the Co-op
Egg Cartons Place your empty cartons in the box (labeled "egg cartons") to the left of the front door and Meadowstone Farm will collect and reuse them. Plastic Bags We have a big white bin in the entry foyer for your plastic shopping bags. A company picks them up and recycles them into new products since they are not accepted in regular home recycling pick-up. We also have various sizes of reusable bags for purchase. (We recommend our tasteful and sturdy canvas boat bag, available in the entry foyer and at the service desk @ $6.99/ea)
Wine Corks Got old wine corks? We have a black collection bin in the entry foyer (next to the plastic bag collection!) for old corks, they are picked up and reused to make other products.
The Radish | Littleton Food Co-op
THE RADISH Lead Editor, Art Direction Jessy Smith Managing Editor Kristina Zontini Copy-Editor Julie Wiles-Felch Copy-Editor Minnie Cushing
Cooperatively, Ed King eking@littletoncoop.org
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President Marcie Hornick Vice President Alyssa Sherburn Treasurer Luther Kinney Secretary Tom Southworth Director Laura Walls Director Charlie Wolcott Director Wayne Ruggles Director Angela Figallo McShane Director Deb Rossetti-Sullivan General Manager Ed King Operations Manager Chris Whiton Perishable Operations Manager Rodney Mitton
Summer 2018
On the Cover: Lane (Right) and Meryl (Left) Nevins. Prospect Farm in Lunenberg, Vermont.
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Gratefulness
Marcie Hornick, President of the Board
Trish O'Brien has been President since I've been on the Board. As you know, she shepherded us through many years of growth as well as the expansion itself; she also learned more about certain complex financial arrangements than she probably thought she would ever have to. We will miss her leadership and camaraderie and great energy. Mark Hollenbach and Marni Hoyle were also tremendous assets to the Board — Mark with his good humor and willingness to take on any task; and Marni with her insightfulness and ability to see things through both a macro, and micro, lens. Although we'll miss them at the meetings, I know for a fact that we'll see all of them around the store! We also welcomed the newest Board members: Deb Sullivan, Angela Figallo and Wayne Ruggles. These three represent a great collection of talent, experience and energy — they easily round out our already dynamic and focused Board. We voted in new Officers at the last meeting: Alyssa Sherburn, Vice President; Luther Kinney, Treasurer; and Tom Southworth, Secretary. I was lucky enough to be voted in as President of the Board — having enjoyed being Treasurer and Vice President throughout my several years on the Board, I am grateful for this opportunity. I did a little research into the word gratitude and found some interesting information including some published by Harvard University. The word gratitude is derived from the Latin word "gratia," meaning grace, graciousness or gratefulness. What spoke to me loudest from my little excercise is this: with gratitude, people acknowledge the goodness in their lives and that the source of that goodness lies (at least partially) outside Pres. Marcie and V.P. Alyssa at the April themselves. Gratitude therefore helps people connect to Board Meeting. something larger than themselves as individuals — whether it be to other people, nature or a higher power. So I find myself grateful for the farmers and growers and other craftsmen and women who supply the Co-op with their different products. Like you (or many of you) as an "owner" I am also grateful for the employees both in "front-end" of the Co-op as well as behind the scenes who keep the place operating smoothly day in and day out; I'm grateful for other owners as well as other shoppers who share in the interest and commitment to see the Co-op contintue on a successful path. And, keeping in mind the Co-op's Principles and Mission, I remain plain old grateful for the existence of the Littleton Food Co-op and for its place — our place — in this great community. Reach out to me — or any of us on the Board — at any time. We welcome ideas, thoughts or comments. I'll see you at the Co-op!
Summer 2018
Littleton Food Co-op | The Radish
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meats), mason jars (oils, soaps, vinegar, vanilla, honey etc.) and extra grocery totes.
Leave No Trace
Angela Figallo McShane, Director
A
re you at all interested by eqpd (bag manufacturer in moving more toward based and producing in waste-free shopping? Twisp, Washington). The mesh Yes, I know — waste-free bottom allows for crumbs shopping can seem tedious, and other general messiness but once you’ve become to fall through which leaves accustomed to the subtle me with less cleaning to do lifestyle change waste-free — although I do wash them shopping requires, you’ll be all every three months or so. amazed at how quickly it all My “last bag” is filled with becomes second nature. mesh produce bags (I use Whenever I leave my house by these for produce and bulk car, my bag of bags is in the products), twist-ties (these back seat. I have a beautiful are surprisingly reusable!), mesh-bottomed “last bag” tupperware (prepared foods, Summer 2018
Travelling through the store with my tupperware and bags has influenced the way I shop, too. I tend to avoid packaged products when possible, instead opting for loose options. Most produce items have loose options available at the Co-op. Apples, melons, and winter squash are great examples of waste-free options. Loads of whole grains and healthy fat options can be found in the bulk department through items like quinoa and nuts. I also love buying my tea and coffee in the bulk department (which I lovingly refer to as the waste-free department). Littleton Food Co-op | The Radish
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How can waste free shopping improve your health? This forward-thinking mentality can lead to healthy decisions at the Co-op or at home. You may be surprised by the indirect health benefits from electing to shop waste-free. I’ve been working on reducing my overall waste production for the past few years (in a desire to contribute less rubbish to landfills) and I’ve found that thinking ahead about reducing my waste has led me to healthier food choices. Waste free food at the Co-op (for me) typically consists of fruit, veggies, whole ancient grains, nuts, seeds, oils, dried beans, coffee, teas, granola and spices. Waste-free milk and yogurt are available by buying the glass options — you pay a bottle deposit on these at the time of purchase which is refunded when you return the bottle or jar. If you’re interested in prepared foods, the hot meals are served in biodegradable take-away containers (they’re compostable!). Do you compost at home yet? Composting is about as simple as it gets and once a batch is finished you can put it right to work on nourishing your garden! It’s a really cool cycle that I love seeing through. You’ll need four bins: a gallon-sized bucket for your kitchen, a larger five to ten gallon bucket for just outside, and two tumbling composters. You can find these through your local hardware or home improvement store. The one gallon bucket is the the bin to chuck all compostable materials from within the kitchen. You can compost coffee grounds, food and veggie scraps, paper towels, melon rinds, leftovers and more! Most food waste aside from meat and some liquids can be composted. The larger bucket serves as a mid-way station before you get to the tumblers in your yard. Easy!
Some of the granola selections available in our bulk department.
We also carry bulk soaps — bring your own container or purchase a new one to fill and refill in the future.
"Do you compost at home yet? Composting is about as simple as it gets and once a batch is finished you can put it right to work on nourishing your garden! It’s a really cool cycle that I love seeing through."
Two tumblers are ideal in Northern New Hampshire because it takes about a year to fill one (for a two person household). Once a tumbler is full, it needs a summer to decompose and fully turn to garden ready compost. While the full bin is tumbling and sitting in the sun, you can start adding into the second bin. If you don't have space to turn your own compost, get in touch with me to see if we can find a solution for you! Angela Figallo afigallo@gmail.com
Another option is building your own compost tumblers! There are loads of tutorials and plans available online that can help you cheaply achieve your composting goals DIY style!
Summer 2018
Littleton Food Co-op | The Radish
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What's Fonzie Like? Cool... Berry Cool! Check out this trio of cool berry-packed smoothies.
T
he smoothie — a drinkable breakfast, snack, or workout drink — is one of the easiest culinary creations to make at home.
A variation on the kinds of fruity drinks made in tropical countries for years, it was christened "smoothie" in the 1960s. As it grew to include healthy add-ins, boosting it from a snack to a meal, the smoothie began to inch into the healthy mainstream. Suddenly, smoothies were everywhere!
Recipes via NCG (National Co+op Grocers). Reprinted/modified with permission by the Marketing Team @ Littleton Food Co-op. Find Co-op recipes and information
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The Radish | Littleton Food Co-op
Serves 2 Prep time 10 Minutes
2 cups fresh or frozen raspberries, strawberries, blackberries, or a medley 3 cups spinach (packed) 1 cup yogurt, kiefer, or a non-dairy alternative like almond milk 1 large banana, fresh or frozen Put the berries and spinach in the blender first. Add yogurt and banana. Process, scraping down as needed. Blend until smooth and serve.
Check out these sensational berry smoothies as a starting point. Each one is simple, easy and completely delicious.
about your Co-op (and others) online @ StrongerTogether.coop
Royale with Spinach
You'll enjoy a salad's worth of healthy spinach in this luscious smoothie — and hardly even notice it's there!
Summer 2018
"That's a [Strawberry Pomegranate] Bingo!"
The Tofuberry Granola Oat Smoothie Experience
Serves 2 Prep time 5 Minutes
Serves 2 Prep time 5 Minutes
2 cups frozen strawberries 1 large frozen banana, cut into chunks 1 cup yogurt, kiefer, or a non-dairy alternative like almond milk 1 cup pomegranate juice 2 tablespoons pomegranate seeds
2 cups fresh or frozen raspberries, strawberries, blackberries, or a medley 4 ounces silken tofu ¼ cup rolled oats 1½ cup yogurt, kiefer, or a non-dairy alternative like almond milk ½ cup granola
In a blender, pile in the strawberries and banana. Add keifer and pomegranate juice. Process to puree and serve garnished with pomegranate seeds. If the smoothie is too thick to blend, add a splash of milk or a non-dairy alternative as needed.
In a blender, place the mixed berries and tofu. Top with oats and milk. Process until smooth. Serve in two chilled glasses. Top each with a quarter cup granola.
Pomegranate juice is an antioxidant superstar, and it's wonderfully tart flavor is balanced by banana and creamy kiefer.
Berries help disguise the secret ingredient, tofu! The granola adds a tasty crunch that helps to round out the experience. Summer 2018
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"Humanely, Holistically & With Nature"
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rospect farm is a diversified livestock farm in Lunenberg, Vermont. You may remember hearing of Prospect when they were, until recently, still operating out of Lisbon, New Hampshire on a leased property. Here's a blurb about the move from their blog: "This is a huge leap forward for the Prospect Farmily. Managing our own property will offer us the opportunity to tailor our practices and use of the land,
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The Radish | Littleton Food Co-op
grow the size of our operation, and be provided with long term sustainability. This will allow us to reach more goals within our methods and offerings. We promise we are taking you in the right direction, and we will only go up from here!" We reached out to Lane and Meryl Nevins to talk about Prospect Farm, their practices, their mission, their move and their take on the state of local foods.
Summer 2018
Littleton Food Co-op: You've both been all over, what was it that drew you to this area?
Prospect Farm: We're originally from the Concord, NH area, and both grew up hiking the White Mountains. Meryl’s parents also moved to Lancaster after she went to college, and through visiting them we were introduced to the vibrant North Country community. We fell in love with the area. When it came time for us to start our own farm, it just felt right here. Littleton Food Co-op: Did either (or both) of you grow up around agriculture? What attracted you to farming / livestock?
Prospect Farm: Neither of us grew up in agricultural
Prospect Farm Continued…
families, we are first generation farmers. Lane worked on farms in the summer during high school and in college. We both went to the College of the Atlantic in Bar Harbor, ME where appreciation for food and the environment runs deep. We picked up homesteading as a way of being more self sufficient, but by the end of our studies we shifted gears from art and literature to agriculture. We both worked on farms after college, which ultimately lead us to making the decision to choose this way of life. When we established Prospect Farm in 2011 we were more diversified, but over time we felt a connection to working with animals. Every time someone buys meat from a farm like us, who is raising animals with dignity and in partnership with nature, it reduces the abuse livestock face in industrial raised settings, and we found our calling in that.
fruit and veggie world…who wouldn’t think that’s sexy? I know I do. But I would say that there is a real shift in pasture-based farming, and that’s becoming more recognized. For example, take a look at popular social media platforms like Instagram and you will see a wide variety of farmers like us who have a big following. It’s human nature to want to see animals raised with respect. Those platforms are really great because people see " Every time someone first hand the difference in quality of buys meat from a farm life. You can start to see for yourself like us, who is raising by following us! animals with dignity LFC: I'm fairly new at the Co-op (just over a year as this issue is going to press) — how long has Prospect Farm been working with the Littleton Food Co-op? How has that experience been for Prospect Farm?
LFC: It seems like working in produce is somehow more *trendy* right now, do you feel that at all?
PF: Maybe. All the bright colors and varieties that our season’s offer the
and in partnership with nature, it reduces the abuse livestock face in industrial raised settings, and we found our calling in that."
PF: We have been working with the co-op since 2015. We have a great deal of respect for the organization, the co-op brings a lot of awareness and support to the local food system. Now we solely stock the frozen meat section. If you don’t know where the frozen meat section is, it’s in a freezer in an isle right by the meat counter, close to both the wine and cheese. Summer 2018
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Prospect Farm Continued…
LFC: What's something you'd like others to better understand about Prospect Farm?
PF: We’re always looking for more opportunities to tell the community about our Custom Meat CSA that includes Pork, Beef, Chicken and Turkey. I really encourage anyone who is interested to give us a call or email us with questions. We pride ourselves in being flexible, both in our pickup options and with the meat selection system. Every month or quarter (depending on the members pickup preference) we send out an email where each members is sent to an online portal to choose their custom preferences. CSA members always have full control of what is included in their share, we never deny requests or make anyone take items they don’t want. We offer multiple pickup locations throughout the area, and members can pickup self service at our farm at their own convenience. We believe their should be convenient and affordable access to pasture-based meat to anyone who wants it. We have tiny shares and we have large shares, designed for single person households up to big families. More info can be found on our website. LFC: Can you describe what a typical day on the farm looks like for the two of you?
PF: That’s a hard question! One of our favorite things about farming is that every day is different. Though no matter what is going on here, we always start and end the day with chores, feeding and watering animals. In the summer chores also includes moving our animals. Chickens get moved twice a day, and the turkeys, 10
The Radish | Littleton Food Co-op
cattle, lambs and pigs get moved every three days. Right now because we just moved farms, we are working on a lot of infrastructure projects, putting up feed bins (silos), fencing, water systems, building structures, chicken brooding spaces, etc. We attend farmers’ markets on Saturday (Lancaster & St J) and Sunday (Littleton) in the summer. Mid-week we do our wholesale deliveries to restaurants like the Beal House, Libby’s Bistro, Rabbit Hill Inn and Cold Mountain Cafe for example. It’s always something different!
LFC: I've been told you've recently moved to greener pastures. Congratulations! What's the new space like? How have things changed for you with the move?
PF: Thanks! It feels really good to be here, after seven years of farming as Prospect Farm, we finally own our own land. It’s immensely rewarding to be working towards something that will be ours in the years to come. As far as our operation, not much has changed. We are still the same pasture-based diversified livestock farm, but there have been a lot of Summer 2018
changes for us as farmers. Our property is 70 acres in the CT River Valley of the NE Kingdom, it’s about half pasture and half forest. It’s a beautiful historic property with a view of the Killkenny Mountains and the CT River, located directly on Route 2 in Lunenburg, VT. (Come visit our farm stand!) We moved here last May, and are the first to admit that it was a bigger undertaking than we expected. Last year was wild, but after a year we are feeling really settled. Since there isn’t a house here yet, we converted a pull along camper into a Tiny House, which is treating us really well while we build a house. LFC: What are some of your proudest moments as farmers?
PF: There is nothing like seeing the animals we tend living their best life on pasture, and knowing we are responsible for treating them with the respect they deserve. Sometimes at the end of the day we will grab a beer and sit by the pigs or the cattle and watch them graze. Also, over the years we have heard and seen transformations from our customers, whether it be inches from the waistline or able to lower their cholesterol. We love hearing these stories and seeing it first-hand.
LFC: Have there been any significant challanges with Prospect Farm you've had to overcome to make it to where you're at today? Do you have any sage advice for anyone just starting out in farming?
PF: There are a wide variety of challenges for any small scale farmer, but those who truly have a passion for it know that the love always outweighs the hardship. I would say our best advice is to take it slow, stay focused, protect your body, and continue to keep it fun.
Generally, that’s really good — people are caring about what they put in their body, and are learning more about ingredients. Though we still need more education about where food comes from. It’s great that traditional ingredients like pork belly are becoming more popular, but only if it’s not being purchased from farmers who raise their animals well. Only happy animals offer healthy meat.
unsustainable waste proliferation. It leads to algal blooms inhibiting the natural enjoyment of lakes and rivers, and leads to the increasingly alarming rate of antibiotics found in our food stream, while also providing deplorable quality of life for the animals forced into these growing conditions and upon the workers who tend to them. We can do better!
LFC: Where do you see the regional food system headed?
PF: We hope it’s heading in the direction where families are planning their weekly/monthly/yearly food choices around the what’s available locally each season. It can seem daunting to switch buying habits to just what’s available, but with a little preparation and education it can be very simple. We are hearing more and more from customers they are starting to preserve and store each micro-season’s offerings for the year to come. That’s a great place to start! LFC: I'm a couple years younger than the two of you but even in my lifetime I feel like there's been a major shift in the way people think about, interact with, and consume food (especially in our community) — do you guys feel that at all?
LFC: I'm assuming by the way you operate that factory farms probably give you bad vibes. Do you think a more conscientious/responsible model (like yours) could be scaled up to replace those negative practices that exist in big-ag?
PF: In today’s world there are so many food and diet fads. People come up to our booth at the farmers’ market and they are either Paleo, doing Whole 30, trying to eat local for the first time, Gluten-free, or want to cook a recipe from a food magazine or recreate a dish they saw in a food documentary, etc, etc. People are talking about food more than ever.
PF: Of course! Concentrated animal feed lots have increasingly become the way most of the meat we consume is raised. This system, which consists of overcrowding animals to optimize efficiency to provide cheap meat succeeds only at the expense of your health and the exploitation of natural resources. The system relies on antibiotics and Summer 2018
LFC: What 's cool/new/fun/exciting at Prospect Farm?
PF: We were just approved for a fully-funded Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) grant to install fencing to two of our fields, and a water system that will provide our animals with automatic water throughout those fields. Both of those systems will help us as farmers with time and workload. It will allow us to spend our time focusing on other aspect of the farm more. It’s really exciting!
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Prospect Farm Continued…
LFC: Do you feel like access to sustainable locally sourced/ produced foods is where it should be for the region?
now, we are just focusing on our the property and getting all the systems in order.
PF: It’s great to see more small farms pop up and the farmers’ markets booming. Together farmers and consumers are elevating the local food system. Let’s keep it up!
LFC: How do you think the Littleton Food Co-op can better support local farmers & producers?
LFC: Along the same vein, do you think locals are as engaged with the local/regional food system(s) as they should be? What do you think can be done to get people more engaged?
"We’re told that chicken is 99¢/lb but that it’s completely normal to spend thousands of dollars on things like electronics, digital entertainment, cars, clothes, etc, throughout the year. We need to work on shifting our priorities, and be aware that good quality food raised properly by a good community member is going to come with a price tag. By making those shifts we can elevate our region’s health, environment, and economy." 12
The Radish | Littleton Food Co-op
PF: We believe the North Country community is more engaged than most areas nation wide, and we have certainly seen growth since we started our farm. But there still seems to be a barrier over the price of quality local food that’s cooked at home. It’s a fairly recent phenomenon that we expect to pay next to nothing on food. We’re told that chicken is 99¢/lb but that it’s completely normal to spend thousands of dollars on things like electronics, digital entertainment, cars, clothes, etc, throughout the year. We need to work on shifting our priorities, and be aware that good quality food raised properly by a good community member is going to come with a price tag. By making those shifts we can elevate our region’s health, environment, and economy. LFC: What are some of your dreams/ goals/aspirations for Prospect Farm going forward?
PF: We are always keeping an open mind about what Prospect Farm could be. Maybe someday we will become more diversified, or include agritourism into our model. Right Summer 2018
PF: The Co-op appears to work really hard at supporting the regions producers. Continue working on offering great exposure opportunities like this, visibility in the store, and educating employees on local products. Thanks for all your hard work! LFC: What do the two of you like to do when you're not being totally awesome farmers?
PF: We love music. We play music, and research it. One thing that we always make a priority is going to see live shows together. Before farming, at a young age of 18 and 19 years old, music is what brought the two of us together, and we still love to make a habit of it.
If you'd like to learn more about Lane & Meryl and their farm, be sure to follow them on facebook (@ prospectfarmvt), instagram (@prospectfarm) and visit their website: www.prospectfarmvt.com You can reach out to them directly via email, prospectfarmvt@gmail.com or by phone (603) 568-2441.