Fruits of fall nourish Localvores into winter

Author: Ahn Wei Lee

If local is the new organic, then Middlebury is well positioned to become one of the trendiest towns around. With a history steeped in agriculture and deeply influenced by the changing economic realities surrounding it, Vermonters have long understood the impacts of fluctuating market conditions. In the past, economic crises have led to marginalization of the state's many small-scale operations, as consumers have turned to large grocery chains to feed themselves cheaply and free from the constraints of seasonality.

Recently, however, amidst rising concerns over energy constraints, food security, and food justice, local agriculture has taken off as an important alternative to what many consider to be an unsustainable industrial food system. In this transition, Middlebury, with the help of an enthusiastic community base, has emerged as a hub of local involvement and innovation.

Reflecting on the area's centrality to the local foods movement, Jean Hamilton of Northeast Organic Farmers' Association (NOFA) said that, "while the local purchasing phenomenon is sweeping the world, it's been a part of life here for decades, and so certainly boundaries are being pushed [here]."

These boundaries - such as Vermont's fairly short growing season and the eternal challenge of connecting consumers to producers - are being challenged by such developments as winter farmers' markets statewide. These establishments largely resemble the warmer weather and more widely publicized farmers' markets, yet the concept is relatively new and untested in the marketplace. Overall, NOFA calculates that this year there will be at least 20 winter markets in state, with new locations being announced as the season progresses and the markets gain momentum.

In Middlebury, the central organization pushing the boundaries is the Addison County Relocalization Network (ACoRN). Created in 2005 to address a multitude of challenges that will be facing citizens in an energy-constrained future, ACoRN, as Projects Coordinator Ray Slabaugh puts it, serves as an "incubator for various actions." According to the group's mission statement, ACoRN's objective is "to revitalize our local economy, to help our communities provide sustainable sources of food, water, energy, employment and other essential resources, and to promote conservation and a healthy environment."

It is under this umbrella framework that ACoRN's subgroup, the Localvores, approaches issues relating to food. While ACoRN's message is broad and intellectual, Localvores has been specific and tactical in its support for local agriculture.

Bay Hammond is both a local farmer and the group's local foods contact. For her, joining the Localvores was a logistical no-brainer.

"I was originally involved because I was frustrated trying to get my product to consumers," said Hammond, "My operation is too small to get my food into grocery stores, but I'm also too big to keep it all in my freezer."

In response, one of the first actions the Localvores took was to create a growers guide, which allowed producers and consumers to find one another without the hassle such networking once entailed. Since then, the group has expanded in multiple directions, organizing more than 80 potlucks, starting a food-focused book club and, most recently, sponsoring Middlebury's winter market.

Like many other winter markets in the state, Middlebury's is new this year and was created in response to rapidly increasing levels of enthusiasm and support from the local community. The Town Hall Theater has provided space for the gatherings, which will take place on three Saturdays in November, two in December, and once a month after that, until the outdoor farmers' market reopens.

Though less frequent than the summer markets, the winter market has a similar lineup of vendors. As Susan Smiley of the Localvores recounted, at the market this winter you will at least find the following: three full-scale vegetable growers, one fruit vendor, two cheese vendors, dry flowers, eggs, wool, lamb, chicken and - starting in early 2009 - beef. For these farmers, the success of the winter market will answer many of the intensifying questions over whether or not the area has a consumer base large enough to justify costly infrastructure improvements, such as root cellars and greenhouses. While economically unfeasible in the past, such improvements may prove plausible after this season, and even necessary if the community is serious about eating seasonally all year round.