Although Thanksgiving and December holidays are on the horizon, we do want to note that our dedicated volunteers added Halloween festivity to the late October distribution —with a clown, a cowgirl and a boat captain working curbside and a backdrop of orange and black decorations, cobwebs, a pumpkin, and spooky eyes lighting up the entrance.
After a dry summer/fall, recent rains and warm spells have brought on a widespread mushroom fruiting here in the Champlain Valley. For those interested in gathering and eating wild shrooms it’s a great time of year. For beginners there are two tasty ones currently fruiting that are particularly easy to identify, quite distinctive in appearance, and safe/good to eat, as well as many others.
We are watching the virus increase in states all around us and across the entire country, and I know we are all hoping that we, as independent Vermonters, stay the course and remain safe.
Home gardens are flourishing, and Food Shelf volunteer prima Karen Doris reports that the abundance of fresh vegetables made a recent Wednesday evening Food Shelf distribution look like a farmers market.
Two Charlotte kids placed in the University of Vermont Extension 4-H Edible Art Contest this summer.
The Charlotte Food Shelf is an all volunteer organization supported by the Charlotte Congregational Church, Our Lady of Mount Carmel Catholic Church and the Charlotte Community. A big thank you to the helpers who make it happen. Their titles do not indicate the multitude of things these people do:
Wednesday Food Trucks at Rise ‘N Shine Farm 4-7pm
Dale Carreiro, Rise ‘n Shine Farm • Ethan Allen Hwy, Charlotte
Join us Wednesday, June 17, for dinner to-go by the Sausage Shack and beer, cocktails, and gelato to-go by La Villa Bistro! Pick-up begins at 4:30 pm and goes until 7:00 pm. Pre-orders are encouraged but not required.
The Department for Children and Families announced today that many 3SquaresVT households will get a higher benefit in June to help them through the current health crisis. This extra help is part of the federal Coronavirus Relief Bill.
I am a consultant in the food, beverage, and hospitality industry. As a lifelong chef, restaurateur, and food professional, I’ve been fielding many questions about how to support my beloved restaurant industry during the unprecedented times in a COVID-19 world.
Now, more than ever, we can come together as a community and support local businesses, simply by our food buying choices. We are blessed with many wonderful farms, bakeries, restaurants and stores here in Charlotte and surrounding towns. Most require pre-orders, and offerings change frequently, so check with their web sites or call for more information.
ShakeyGround Farm on Converse Bay Road near the Charlotte Ferry is not shaky in any way. Started by David Beckwith, it is now run Megan Bookless and Becca Burke. Becca says the place spoke to her.
In this time of great stress, great need, great sacrifice, we are happy to offer one more report of great community, echoing Kimmerer, Merton and an old Sioux proverb that reminds us that “With all things and in all things, we are relatives.”
Please know that the Food Shelf is taking precautions to help everyone keep safe. Anyone who has a fever or cough—symptoms that might seem like a cold–should not come to the Wednesday or Thursday distributions. Also, don’t come if you’ve been in contact with anyone who has these symptoms. Instead, call and leave your name and number. You will receive a call back to arrange for food to be delivered. This procedure will help keep families and volunteers safe. Call:425-3252
Thank you to the Flying Pig for their Snowflake books that they generously donate one book for each of the kids in our food shelf families and to WowToyz in Vergennes who generously donate toys for every child.
KidsCookVT had fun cooking calzones and cookies together last week. Calzones and salads were brought to a grateful staff at The Janet S. Must Family Room and to the New American Mothers and their children during a family playgroup. The cookies will be delivered later this week to the Charlotte Food Shelf.
S’mores are a delicious snack that almost everyone loves. They’re so creamy and chocolatey, and everyone wants to have them. S’mores are a gooey sensation that are made out of chocolate, graham crackers, and roasted marshmallow.
Mushrooms? It seems that I’ve cooked with the little button mushrooms found in most grocery stores forever and enjoyed them raw in tossed salads. About 12 years ago, I was introduced to the Portobello mushroom by my son-in-law, David, who cooked them on his charcoal grill. They were delicious!
As the holidays approach, we offer a special thanks to baking coordinator Holly Rochefort and members of her wonderful baking crew who contribute every month to the Hunger is Hard, Baking is Easy program. With snow on the ground, think about how some baking will warm up your kitchen—and your heart.
A big thank you to all those who donated gently used children’s winter outerwear to the Charlotte Grange rummage sale. Cindi Robinson reported on the great quality of this clothing, including several pairs of boots that were brand new. As a great example of community units working together, the Grange, instead of selling any of this clothing to fund their own needs, donated it to the Food Shelf. On behalf of the children, we extend a big thank you to the Grange and to the people who donated the clothing.