Edible Green Mountains's Summer 2019 Issue Editor's Letter
The esteemed farmer and essayist Wendell Berry shared these observations in his 2009 collection Bringing It to the Table: On Farming and Food. I read that book the summer it came out, the summer I started to work on farms. I had stepped into a brand new world; my mind and heart were wide open. I worked hard, ate well, learned daily and gained confidence with each week. My farming mentor was a former student of mine, and we both laughed at the role reversal.
A year later, I took a sabbatical from teaching and spent six months traversing Vermont, interviewing 100 farmers. I volunteered for their dirty jobs in appreciation for the time and knowledge they shared with me. Th ose intriguing, innovative and inspiring farmers changed my life. In 2013, I stepped away from teaching to farm and write.
Wendell Berry captures the allure of farming, and this summer harvest issue celebrates those who work the land and live off the earth’s bounty. Rebecca and Joe Pimentel, in their third year growing hemp, craft the highest-quality hemp and botanical-based products at Luce Farm Wellness in Stockbridge. Philo Ridge Farm in Charlotte buzzes with energy as the talented kitchen team takes everything the farm crew grows and creates magical meals for café patrons. Allie Dercoli, wizard of FinAllie Ferments, proselytizes that we can heal bacterial communities in our guts by eating krauts and kimchi. If food is our medicine, grab a jar of her crunchy, zippy fermented veggies made in Windham for your good health.
Gabriel Firman opened Hatchet in 2015. This Richmond restaurant partners with local purveyors, generating seasonal dishes that honor the dedicated effort of the farmers and producers. And of course, that includes an impressive array of Vermont’s top beers. Speaking of which, the Vermont Young Farmers Coalition has become a vital social network for new-ish farmers. Farming can be isolating, with long days dedicated to tending land and livestock. Sharing stories over a beer at a bonfi re provides balance.
For Edible Voices, Rusty DeWees, aka The Logger, shares how he carved his path from pumping gas to performing on stage and screen. His secret? Raw food. Lastly, we offer fresh takes that celebrate the tomato in all her glory. And if your kitchen counter and fridge overflow at midsummer, do not fear: The Farm Girl’s Guide to Preserving the Harvest will encourage even the hesitant to can, freeze, dehydrate or ferment that bounty for the months to come, when summer’s sweetness seems like a distant dream.
But for now, let’s enjoy every waking moment of these glory days, thanking our farmers and producers who persevered through a slow, cold, wet spring and coaxed miracles from the earth. Yes, farmers farm for the love of farming, but they’re growing for all of us—and earning half of what they deserve.
Here’s to our farmers!
Maria Buteux Reade | Managing Editor
