Celebrating the harvest in Shelburne
Oct. 4, 2013
By: Lynn Monty
Shelburne Farms held its 35th annual Harvest Festival Sept. 21. The day-long celebration honored Vermont’s farm and forestry traditions by gathering about 7,000 people together to dance, sing, eat, and get educated at the well-known, historical farm.
With more farmers markets, community supported agriculture, and food hubs per capita than any other state, Vermont has strong agricultural heritage and many economic initiatives focused on food and farming, Shelburne Farms Public Relations and Marketing Director Vera Chang said.
This annual event reflects and supports the state’s commitment to preserve the working landscape, serve the nutritional needs of the population, and strengthen the agricultural community, Chang said.
Folks got to partake in farm-based education, traditional craft demonstrations, and Vermont agriculture educational exhibits at the farm.
Shelburne Farms has a Certified Humane® grass-based dairy and award-winning farmstead cheese operation, a farm-to-table restaurant supported by its organic market garden and pastured meats, a sustainable forest, and seasonal inn.
“Friends, families, and neighbors gather to connect, relax, and enjoy,” said Secretary of the Vermont Agency of Agriculture, Food, and Markets Chuck Ross. “For more than 40 years, Shelburne Farms has been teaching the next generation of Vermonters about the importance of agriculture, sustainability, and conservation.”
Shelburne Farms campus for learning is a 1,400-acre working farm and National Historic Landmark on the shores of Lake Champlain in Shelburne.
Since its first Harvest Fest, Shelburne Farms has grown to host many community events that celebrate and highlight the different seasons, like their Winter Festival, Maple Sugaring, and Spring Lambing, Chang said. “All of these events are made possible by incredible groups of community volunteers,” she said.
Chang said kale bike-powered smoothies, produce from Shelburne Farms and other local producers, grilled corn, horse-drawn wagon rides, grapevine wreaths, corn-grinding, the hay bale maze, and horse-drawn rides were the big attractions this year.
Educational exhibits at the Harvest Festival featured antique farm machinery, birds of prey, and farm animals, just to name a few. Rug hookers, woodworkers, weavers, spinners, cheesemakers, and gardeners were on hand to share their traditional arts.
“Harvest Festival is a celebration not just about food and agriculture but all of Vermont’s working landscapes,” Chang said. “Harvest Fest has a growing number of exhibitions around wood products, as this is an important part of our Vermont landscape and economy.”
Local foods included Shelburne Farms’ own Brown Swiss burgers; Maple Wind Farm sausages; Skinny Pancake crepes; Island Homemade Ice Cream; roasted vegetables prepared by NOFA-VT; Shelburne Orchard apples, apple cider, caramel apples, and cider donuts; Aqua Vitea kombucha; and Theo’s World Famous Maple Lemonade.
Music and theater were performed by Burlington Morris Ale, Jim Burns and Forrest Newton, Celtic Company, Tony Bemarco and Siobhan Butler, Gary Dulabaum, Fiddleheads, Jon Gailmore, The Irregulars, Tim Jennings and Leanne Ponder, Jeunes musiciens du monde, Ed Larkin Old Time Dancers, Pete Sutherland and Rose Diamond, Bob and Andrea Teer, Sparkle Stories and The Very Merry Theatre.
This year’s Harvest Festival lead sponsor is Dealer.com. The event is also made possible with support from Edible Green Mountains, Kids Vermont, and Vermont Tent Company, as well as volunteers, including those from the Charlotte-Shelburne Rotary, Middlebury College, University of Vermont, and Saint Michael’s College.
Source: http://www.burlingtonfreepress.com/article/BT/20131005/LIVING07/310050007/Celebrating-harvest-Shelburne
Burlington Free Press
Posted: October 6, 2013 by Certified Humane
Celebrating the harvest in Shelburne
Oct. 4, 2013
By: Lynn Monty
Shelburne Farms held its 35th annual Harvest Festival Sept. 21. The day-long celebration honored Vermont’s farm and forestry traditions by gathering about 7,000 people together to dance, sing, eat, and get educated at the well-known, historical farm.
With more farmers markets, community supported agriculture, and food hubs per capita than any other state, Vermont has strong agricultural heritage and many economic initiatives focused on food and farming, Shelburne Farms Public Relations and Marketing Director Vera Chang said.
This annual event reflects and supports the state’s commitment to preserve the working landscape, serve the nutritional needs of the population, and strengthen the agricultural community, Chang said.
Folks got to partake in farm-based education, traditional craft demonstrations, and Vermont agriculture educational exhibits at the farm.
Shelburne Farms has a Certified Humane® grass-based dairy and award-winning farmstead cheese operation, a farm-to-table restaurant supported by its organic market garden and pastured meats, a sustainable forest, and seasonal inn.
“Friends, families, and neighbors gather to connect, relax, and enjoy,” said Secretary of the Vermont Agency of Agriculture, Food, and Markets Chuck Ross. “For more than 40 years, Shelburne Farms has been teaching the next generation of Vermonters about the importance of agriculture, sustainability, and conservation.”
Shelburne Farms campus for learning is a 1,400-acre working farm and National Historic Landmark on the shores of Lake Champlain in Shelburne.
Since its first Harvest Fest, Shelburne Farms has grown to host many community events that celebrate and highlight the different seasons, like their Winter Festival, Maple Sugaring, and Spring Lambing, Chang said. “All of these events are made possible by incredible groups of community volunteers,” she said.
Chang said kale bike-powered smoothies, produce from Shelburne Farms and other local producers, grilled corn, horse-drawn wagon rides, grapevine wreaths, corn-grinding, the hay bale maze, and horse-drawn rides were the big attractions this year.
Educational exhibits at the Harvest Festival featured antique farm machinery, birds of prey, and farm animals, just to name a few. Rug hookers, woodworkers, weavers, spinners, cheesemakers, and gardeners were on hand to share their traditional arts.
“Harvest Festival is a celebration not just about food and agriculture but all of Vermont’s working landscapes,” Chang said. “Harvest Fest has a growing number of exhibitions around wood products, as this is an important part of our Vermont landscape and economy.”
Local foods included Shelburne Farms’ own Brown Swiss burgers; Maple Wind Farm sausages; Skinny Pancake crepes; Island Homemade Ice Cream; roasted vegetables prepared by NOFA-VT; Shelburne Orchard apples, apple cider, caramel apples, and cider donuts; Aqua Vitea kombucha; and Theo’s World Famous Maple Lemonade.
Music and theater were performed by Burlington Morris Ale, Jim Burns and Forrest Newton, Celtic Company, Tony Bemarco and Siobhan Butler, Gary Dulabaum, Fiddleheads, Jon Gailmore, The Irregulars, Tim Jennings and Leanne Ponder, Jeunes musiciens du monde, Ed Larkin Old Time Dancers, Pete Sutherland and Rose Diamond, Bob and Andrea Teer, Sparkle Stories and The Very Merry Theatre.
This year’s Harvest Festival lead sponsor is Dealer.com. The event is also made possible with support from Edible Green Mountains, Kids Vermont, and Vermont Tent Company, as well as volunteers, including those from the Charlotte-Shelburne Rotary, Middlebury College, University of Vermont, and Saint Michael’s College.
Source: http://www.burlingtonfreepress.com/article/BT/20131005/LIVING07/310050007/Celebrating-harvest-Shelburne
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