Lisa, our Executive Chef and Dande from Provisions, our distributor.

Being new to the Market, each day is a learning experience.  When I arrived at work last Friday morning, there was a buzz of excitement in the air.  The energy was contagious, so I snooped around until I discovered the source.

As I turned a corner in the kitchen, I came face to face with a magnificent, 70 lb. wheel of Gruyere cheese!  This was my first encounter with such a large and elegant piece of food.  It was a beauty!  As I looked more closely, I noticed  the Gruyere name carved into the sides of the wheel and tiny, unique designs all over the top.  I happen to be a very practical type and immediately wondered what benefits could possibly come from creating cheese that was so ridiculously huge, heavy and round?

Carving on the side of the wheel...

When it came time to cut the massive Gruyere, I got my answer from Lisa, our Executive Chef.

Gruyere Vieux is aged over 16 months and Swiss regulation requires that this cheese must stay within the AOC area of Switzerland throughout the aging process.  The control and care each cheese receives produces cheese with a deep nutty flavor and long finish.  

When the cows are brought back from the mountain pastures, small towns and villages in Switzerland have grand festivals and parade the herds down main streets. These celebrations are known as Desalpe.  Resplendent in their traditional bells, cows are decked out with flower wreaths. 

Cutting in a straight line is very important...a little tricky too.

Lisa cutting the Gruyere...not as hard as you would think.

It’s available at the Market  now.  Also, check out our selection of Vermont Artisan Cheese  online at WFM Mail Order.

Allyson, WFM’s Marketeer!

Amelia sampling the cheese - it rocks!

Chef Michelle, striking a stoic pose...

Bringing food to the people is our mission.  I hope everyone got a chance to stop by and feel the amazing energy at our 2^nd annual Meet the Producers weekend at WFM a few weeks ago. 

Our role in the food chain is critical.  And what’s clear to us is that local is really not defined in miles…it’s all about the how’s and who’s.  What we concern ourselves with is how your food is manufactured or grown, how it comes to the Market and who is doing the work.  Whether the pasta is made in Manchester, Vermont, or Manchester, England; it seems to us it’s all about the process, the people, the ingredients and production methods that make a product outstanding.  We’ve found that “made around the block” doesn’t necessarily equate to great quality. 

The artisan food producer is critical to the success of the local movement as they raise the food-standard-bar for everyone.  Our job is to keep that connection alive for our community; and trust is a huge part of that equation.  We see ourselves as the advocate for our community…we seek out the best local artisan food makers—we learn about how their food is being made and make sure it’s up to our standards…aka our community’s standards.  That type of advocacy is paramount to our success and to the achievement of the local food movement.  You can shop anywhere for many products; you know when you shop at WFM, the local food mantra sits quietly in the background…the relationships, the process and the people are ever-present. 

The retailer sometimes gets overlooked.  We hope we are changing that.  Food markets like WFM and the various and sundry co-ops around Vermont and the country are helping to start a different kind of food revolution.  That revolution is one of honestly bringing food to the people through a trusting relationship with the community and sourcing the best artisanal food, no matter where it comes from.  And P.S., it does not hurt to have a great staff who connects with the guest—where no question is too crazy and keeping easy recipes handy for the everyday chef at home, helps make our increasingly busy lifestyle just a little easier.  After all, we all still have to eat.  And while we’re at it, we might as well eat well.

Food to the People!

Patrick

Check out a few of the artisanal products we are talking about!  All of the local food makers took part in Meet the Producers and helped make it an event to remember!  Thank you! 

Fat Toad Farm – Brookfield, Vermont

Fox Hollow Farm – Hanover, New Hampshire

Judy’s Vermont – Bridgewater, Vermont: Java Lava Rub & Paste, Java Lava Grilling Sauce & Vermont Cranberry Very Berry Rum Relish

Nitty Gritty – Charlotte, Vermont

Three Acre Kitchen - Hopkinton, New Hampshire: Balsamic Marinade, Blueberry Balsamic Glaze & Balsamic Vinaigrette. 

Vermont Smoke & Cure – Barre, Vermont: Sausage, Pepperoni & Beef Sticks .

We carry several that you can get here at WFM or at any good specialty food store that knows their stuff. Villa Manodori Organic Balsamic Vinegar  is thick, rich and sweet–it reminds me of an expensive tradizionale balsamic–plus it’s affordable for a high end condiment. A little indeed goes a long way–I’ll have a bottle on our kitchen table for months as all I need is a tad on my greens every night.  We have friends that swear by this stuff and all I have to do is to bring them a bottle for a birthday or a party and you’d think I’d just bought them a new car.  I’m not joking. 

Another one of my favorites is a direct import that Amelia found while traveling through Italy last fall which is Farmacia Oro Balsamic Vinegar Di Modena (red label). Another higher end condiment (but value oriented as you don’t use a lot) it comes in a great European glass bottle with a cork top for pouring–just what you’d expect from a small family operation in Italy. It’s not as thick and syrupy as Villa but it’ clean, sweet flavor rivals any other I’ve tried.  They call it their middle of the road but I’d swear it was their flagship.

You might think balsamic vinegar is related to wine vinegar, but it’s an entirely different beast. It’s origin is from grapes no doubt–but from grape must or the juice of the grape. Briefly, here’s the process: Farmers grow the grapes (like Trebbiano and Lambrusco, to name a few), leaving them on the vine until the last possible moment to ensure great sweetness; then they press them and cook them down to a thick syrup; then the whole concoction is aged (the good stuff)  for more than 12 years in real wooden barrels made of oak, cherry, juniper and the like. The fermentation and aging is done, unlike with wine, open to the air to achieve even more concentration of flavors, and combined with the blending of older and younger vinegars in the process results in a perfectly balanced marriage of mellow, fruity-sweet vinegar and deep woodsy and spicy notes from the barrels.

Might you now better appreciate a 40 dollar bottle of vinegar?  Sitting and aging for 10 years or more isn’t a cheap process…time is money.  In my mind though, it’s still the best value for my salad.  Traditional salad dressings have all sorts of bizarre ingredients and ounce for ounce are just as expensive as some great balsamic vinegars. You pour dressing, you drizzle balsamic.  Drizzling a little Villa Manodori on my greens or on my fresh local veggies this time of year wakes up my senses and balanced with a great extra virgin olive oil makes an amazing simple dressing for the summer or any other time of the year.  Eat well!

Patrick

At first, I did not understand; his broken French/Arabic/English–he’s from Tunisia–can be difficult to understand. But through his exuberance and hand gestures–plus some help from his small audience–his thesis became very clear. 

The Mahjoub family produces olive oil in small batches in methods that date back hundreds of years.  First they blend 3 maturity stages of olives–ripe, medium and green.  Second they harvest all olives by hand.  Third, they are maniacal about the time from harvest to crushing.  Same day from harvest to crush is their mantra.  Fourth, they crush the olives very slowly but quickly take the crushed olives and press them.  We’re talking minutes here–like  20 minutes of crush time.  Then finally, the cold pressing of the crushed olives on the very first press.  All of their exported oil is first pressed oil.

Mr. Mahjoub’s key point was that these five steps are more than just the foundation for  making outstanding olive oil.  Passionately, he pointed out that they are also the critical steps for the production of great tasting artisan food all over the world.  Concepts like hand harvesting, making items in small batches, shortening the time from field to market–all concepts of making great olive oil–are components of making outstanding baked goods, jarred condiments and so forth, all over the world.

And paramount too, Mr. Mahjoub pointed out, are things like the land–where the product is grown, the variety of the crop grown and it’s heirloom quality; the maker–the small farmer or artisan paying attention to details; the process–crushing olives with ancient stones for instance rather than modern money saving techniques that ruin the flavor or the nutritional value; the retailers and distributors–involving ethical, passionate, service oriented people to help bring these items to market; and finally the customer whose instance on high quality and support of small batch, artisan products is critical for the ultimate survival of this what some people call the slow food movement.

Transfer many of these concept to modern everyday life–slowing down, taking one’s time, paying attention to quality instead of quantity, concerning oneself with learning and education,  shopping local, looking for organic products…and you can see why Mr. Mahoub is so passionate about often saying olive oil and the process they use–extra virgin (no chemicals–all organic), first cold press–is more than just a process for food production.  It’s a process of life. 

Frankly, it’s a philosophy that everyone here at the Farmers’ Market embraces everyday.  FYI…Check out this great video on the Mahjoub family and how they make their extra virgin olive oil.

Patrick

One of coolest parts of the show is the showcasing of the silver SOFI finalists and the choosing of the SOFI  gold winners. SOFI stands for Specialty Outstanding Food Innovation.  When you win, you get a big statue that rivals an Oscar; in fact we always call them food Oscars.  We got one last year ’cause we were chosen by the NASFT as one of the top 5 Retailers of the Year!   The NASFT puts on a red carpet ceremony to showcase the gold winners.  This year’s keynote speaker was Dan Barber, noted Chef and food writer from upstate New York.  

Don’t know much about the show or the awards? Check out this great video done after last year’s Fancy Food Show.

We had a slightly new twist this year: the Woodstock Farmers’ Market was chosen to be a product judge by the folks at the NASFT.  So for 3 days in April and 2 days in June, we were locked up from 9 AM till 5 PM tasting away like banshees—gobbling down thousands of items from dessert sauces, hot sauces, food service items and frozen entrees– 33 different categories in all.

For us, it was quite an honor to be on the inside of this great annual judging. We tasted over 2,200 products from a record number of entries. The judges—there were nine of us from all over the country—buyers, chefs, food magazine writers—were charged with narrowing the field from 2,200 to about 150.  A pretty big task.   Those silver finalists then got the chance to win gold at the Fancy Food Show where 300 members, buyers and retailers choose from the group of silver winners.  What’s most amazing about the SOFI’s is the weight it carries:  winning a SOFI can rocket a relatively unknown regional product to the heights of the national stage.  It truly is the highest honor that the industry can bestow upon a product.  And retailers love trying to carry as many SOFI winners as possible.

For instance, we always place signage on the the shelves for the silver or gold winner.  It’s a huge honor when we carry something that the rest of the food world thinks is really good too. Like Effy’s Oatcakes. These guys finally won a Silver and a Gold for Outstanding Cookie. And Vermont Smoke Cure—they just came out with a cool line of little “jerky” style snack sticks and won a silver for Outstanding Snack.  La Salamandra Chocolate Dulce De Leche won a silver for Outstanding Dessert. It’s one of those incredible treats that’s well worth the price.

A few other award winners we offer online… Edmond Fallot Walnut Dijon Mustard & Lark Cha-Chas.

Once again, there are some fantastic Gold SOFI winners this year too…and we carry several at the Market. 

–The Ginger People won Outstanding Product Line…these guys rock and we sell a ton of the marinades and their great candy. 

–Mom’s Spaghetti Sauce won for Outstanding Classic.  I remember when this first came out 15 years ago…remember the huge chunks of garlic and tons of full leaf basil?  Still there and still just as good as it was years ago.

–Way to go Vermont Butter and Cheese!  They won a gold for outstanding Perishable Food Product for their Bijou–a triple cream, very buttery and spreadable cheese that’s absolutely wonderful.

–Nutorious Cranberry Orange Tango–an amazing concoction of candied nuts and dried fruit–won gold for best Snack Food.   

–And finally, Nueskes Applewood Smoked Bacon, perhaps the world’s finest bacon, won a gold for Best Meat, Pate or Seafood.

Patrick

As a farewell to National Dairy Month, I thought I’d share some info from Lisa on the infamous “Grilling Cheese.”  Allyson

“With grilling season here, it’s time to re-introduce Halloumi cheese, a traditional cheese from Cyprus. Halloumi is produced by first heating the cheese curds prior to pressing which practically speaking, produces a cheese with a high melting point.

Halloumi is semi-firm cheese similar in texture to Mozzarella, with a taste reminiscent of Feta.  It is often lightly flavored with mint to add to the taste. Traditionally, Halloumi was wrapped in mint leaves to keep it fresh and ended up with some of the mint flavor.  Hence, if you look closely, many packaged Halloumi will have bits of mint leaf on the surface of the cheese.

Easily cut into neat rectangles or cubes, Halloumi may be placed in a lightly oiled frying pan and fried until golden or grilled on a gas or charcoal BBQ grill. Crispy golden on the outside with a soft center, Halloumi is a cheese which compliments a variety of flavors. Try it with grilled vegetables or cubed and grilled on skewers with tomatoes.”  Lisa

Check out our amazing selection of artisan cheese online…

I was as guilty as the next gal.  I remember having a bottle of Sutter Home White Zinfandel in my fridge in college, and appreciating its friendly, fruity flavor.  It was years before I tried my first French rosé, so it was good enough for me.

Then I learned about European wines, winemaking history, grapes, the way all foods come from a place, and how that place tastes relative to other places.  I learned that the wine of a region will always go with the foods of that region, because they share the same soil and the same management and influences.  I learned that red wines from the Rhone often taste like the herbs and fruits that grow there; that Australian Shiraz is brilliant with lamb; that the gorgeously floral whites of Germany and Alsace compliment the rich sausage dishes from the same region.

What about Rosé? 

First of all, it’s vital to understand that the term “rosé” refers to a color of wine, not a grape, or style of winemaking, or particular group of common flavors.  Rosé can be made from pretty much any red wine or wines by removing the grape skins shortly after pressing.   The color will vary based on the variety of grapes used and how long the juice remains in contact with the skins.  As the tannin in wine resides mostly in the skin and seeds of grapes, often rosés are less tannic than their red counterparts, therefore softer in the mouth and shorter-lived.

Rosés are usually found in warmer climate zones, making the red wines grown there into refreshing hot weather drinks (they are usually drunk chilled).  The south of France, Italy, Spain and Portugal are all great places to try rosés as they have been made there for centuries.  However, you can find rosés pretty much anywhere red grapes are grown.

The color of these wines may be anywhere from the palest salmon or petal pink to deepest magenta.  They may be vinified sweet or dry, sparkling or still, delicate or bold.  Often they will taste like a red wine that’s been chilled (close your eyes, take a sip, and see!).  In general they are wonderful summer wines as they make a great aperitif and go well with all kinds of warm weather dishes (again, their place of origin will guide you to the ideal pairing).  Rosés from Provence, Portugal and Spain often match with seafood; those made in Austria pair with fresh water fish, veal and rich pasta dishes.

I think of rosés as a joy to drink.  I love everything about them—their lovely color, their ripe fruit flavors, their bright acidity, their refreshing coolness.  Personally I enjoy them year-round, maybe because they remind me of warm summer evenings, even in the middle of winter when Provencal sunsets seem as far away as the moon.

Amelia

In celebration of all the cheese lovers out there, I thought it fitting to share this story… 

A few weeks ago in the office, I overheard Abby, our Mail Order guru, take a call from a customer who wanted information on storing cheese. She had placed an online order  for one of our local cheese boxes, but was unsure of how to preserve it.  I was dumbstruck…the notion had never crossed my mind before.  Why do we purchase unique cheese with limited availability (that’s certainly not cheap) and toss it into the fridge without a second thought?  Are we all guilty of cheese neglect?  While still mulling this over, Lisa, WFM’s Executive Chef & Retail Representative of the Vermont Cheese Council Executive Board, jumped into action.  She whipped up simple storing instructions, that broke it down by cheese type.   I thought it was interesting reading and much too valuable not to share…Thanks Lisa!

Lisa’s Tips on Storing Cheese

The vegetable drawer of your refrigerator is the best place to store cheese. The humidity level tends to be higher.

Fresh cheeses – Keep these cheeses in the plastic tubs they come in. If they come vacuum-sealed, as some fresh goat cheese does, just take it out of the plastic and put it in an airtight plastic container.

Semi-hard and hard cheeses – Since these cheeses have already lost quite a bit of moisture, to keep them from drying out further, wrap them with wax or parchment paper and then either foil or plastic wrap. Once again, store the cheese in the refrigerator drawer.

Blue cheeses – Blue cheeses are often sold in foil wrap. This is okay, but be sure to change the foil. The type used by cheese producers has a tendency to get a bit slimy if the cheese is a creamy style. If it is a harder style, follow the same procedure as you would for semi-hard and hard cheeses.

Washed rind cheeses – These are often sold in a wooden box. Keep these in that box and cover the box with plastic wrap without allowing the plastic to touch the surface of the cheese. If the cheese is not in a box, put it in an airtight container, such as an old cottage cheese carton, poke a couple of holes in it, and put it in the drawer.

P.S.  For our local WFM foodies….Vermont Cheese is 10% OFF all month long (in-store special only)!  Check out our other promotions, demos and events in our new monthly WFM News Flyer at the Market or sign up for our Online Newsletters!  www.woodstockfarmersmarket.com.

Want to buy Vermont Cheese online?  Check out our amazing selection of artisan cheese at WFM Mail Order!

Happy June!

Allyson

WFM Marketeer

When we first started the WFM back in ’92, we made a pact never to use the “G” word—Gourmet—in reference to our business or our products. It was our belief then, and is still our belief now, that Gourmet implies exclusivity, foods for an elite few. As far as we’re concerned, everyone should have access to great food, whether it has a funny foreign name or a fancy label or is hand-made in small batches by virgin goat herders from Spain. A person can enjoy and appreciate these delicacies whether they identify themselves as a Gourmet or not (and it is a lovely irony that many so-called Gourmet foods actually come from peasant cuisines around the world).

Instead we have always identified ourselves as a store that sells Great food, or Specialty food, with the intention of being as inclusive as possible. So far, our strategy seems to have worked—today our clientele is made up of many local trades people, as well as the well-traveled, well-heeled residents and part-time residents of our community. Young families, high school kids, farmers, carpenters, realtors, lawyers and school teachers, venture capitalists and a rock star make up our group of “regulars”, and all seem equally at home here.

Recently, however, we received a rude shock when our website developer informed us that the single most-used key word in searches for businesses like ours is—you guessed it—GOURMET. Horror of horrors! What were we to do? Our head of Marketing suggested we pepper our site with phrases like “we hate the word gourmet”, thereby getting it out there with a caveat. But then would we be alienating the very people who typed in that word in a search? We would be guilty of reverse snobbery, which is no better than the straightforward kind.

We still haven’t resolved this issue, and there may not even be a solution. For now we’ll maintain the status quo and hope for the best. But if you see the “G” word appear in our marketing anywhere, please know that we did it to provide a service for the Gourmet searchers out there, and not because we’ve changed our stance on anti-gourmet-ism. Food to the People!

Amelia

Want to buy gourmet brownies?  Check out Donna’s mouthwatering selection of Baked Goods online at WFM Mail Order!

To be asked to judge was quite an honor for us here at WFM.  This is not something we do every year. And what a thrill–this was like being in a room with tons of great actors and getting to pick the ones you thought were the best.  And while this was a gastronomic blast, it was serious stuff. Here were entries from big companies to mom and pops and our shoulders were heavy.  Winning a SOFI award is a big deal in the food business. Selecting a product for a Silver SOFI can thrust a relative unknown product to overnight-sensation status in weeks. Our taste buds and business heads needed full attention to detail.

Here’s a sneak peak at how it worked.  I’ll use chocolate judging as a for-instance. First of all, this was CHOCOLATE in caps…150 chocolates from all over the world.  Imagine walking into a large room with 3 very long tables of just chocolate!  Being a choco-holic, I was in heaven.  Of course taste was paramount but packaging, price and whether we might actually be able to sell the chocolate were all part of the equation.  

Besides the generous chocolate samples on the table, we had the product sheet in which the manufacturer described the chocolate and had the wholesale price, suggested retail and sundry other info.  And this was no saunter through chocolate land.  We had 25 minutes.  Thank god none of us were diabetic.  You had to be focused and clear.  The best approach?  Taste small tidbits, rinse with water, take a deep breath, repeat.   Taste bud over load was common.  Not to mention heart racing.  I had enough caffeine in 25 minutes to last a week.

You may ask, how in the world could we actually taste all the products and make good judgements…especially with the time constraints?

Good question.  Let me say first, it was not easy.  You had to stay focused.  You had to be aware that your vote was going to greatly affect someone’s well being.  This was serious stuff.  Like I said, SOFI awards are big deals.

But the judges in the room–every single one of us–had years and years of culinary experience and we knew when something was better than something else.  You just did.  Whether it was the pairing of ingredients or  texture, some items just plain stood out.   Plus, it wasn’t all just about the taste.  We factored in the price and packaging–and honestly, sometimes even though something was really good, if it was priced too high for us to sell, it was deemed–at least for me–a negative.  And what was even more impressive, in almost every food category the voting was pretty clear across the board.  And when it was not, we had clear, healthy debate and a winner emerged. 

Overall, it was an amazing experience.  Not to mention the great performance by the NASFT staff and chefs.  They sliced, diced, baked, and prepared a ton of food–all in seemingly a matter of minutes, plowing through 3 days and 25 food categories like a Saturday night at a well tuned fine dining restaurant.   

And we’re not finished.  We go back down to NYC to judge best product line and a few other special categories in early June.  I’ll report on that later.  But clear trends with the Silver finalists emerged.  2010 is the year of the truffle and the fig,  plus Indian and Asian flavors made a clear statement too.  Check out the winners and more information about the NASFT at www.specialtyfood.com/sofi/2010-silver-finalists.  You’ll already see some of the winners in our Woodstock store and at WFM Mail Order! 

Patrick