Local Black Market Food Potluck with Calais Native Ben Hewitt
If you have wondered what happened to my Belted Galloway cows, come to this potluck.
Rural Vermont presents "Black Market Bounty": Storytelling and Harvest Potluck on the Sunday before Thanksgiving, November 24th from 6-8:30pm, at the Unitarian Church, located at 130 Main Street in Montpelier. The evening begins with a shared potluck meal highlighting Vermont’s abundant harvest, and continues with true stories about making, raising, accessing, selling, and sourcing the best food you can’t buy. All are welcome to this free event. Donations appreciated and all proceeds benefit Rural Vermont.
Following supper, folks will be entertained and intrigued by true stories about Vermont’s veritable underground railroad of farm foods. The storyteller line-up includes a great diversity of personalities and styles, and the stories themselves will shed light on different aspects of Vermont’s thriving fresh food black market. Some stories will be light-hearted and fun. Others will be serious and powerful. All will make us think and question why some of the highest quality foods being produced in Vermont are illegal to sell, and therefore banished to dark alley transactions and late night covert deliveries, as described by one featured storyteller.
Rural Vermont board member, farmer, and author Ben Hewitt will be our emcee for the night and will get the storytelling started with a glimpse into the logic behind the timing of his family’s decision to purchase their first dairy cow – while he was nursing a broken rib and his wife was 8 ½ months pregnant! The ensuing adventure is sure to be told in Ben’s signature style, with both humor and insight.
Other featured storytellers will include the eccentric and lovable Jaquelyn Rieke of Nutty Steph’s; the outspoken and principled farmer Peter Burmeister; the eternal optimist farmer Katie Spring; raw milk customer, enthusiast, and activist Heather Pipino; the animated and dynamic farmer Jonathan Falby; and the ever-philosophical owner of American Flatbread George Schenk.
In light of the evening’s “Black Market Bounty” theme, one lucky winner will take home a “black market” door prize to complement their Thanksgiving feast. And just in time for the holiday season, Rural Vermont will be introducing a gift membership program whereby folks can purchase Rural Vermont memberships for their friends, family, and favorite farmers.
Please bring a dish to share and place setting! For more info, visit www.ruralvermont.org and RSVP on Facebook.
Rural Vermont is a statewide nonprofit group founded in 1985. For over 25 years, Rural Vermont has been advancing its mission of economic justice for Vermont farmers through advocacy, grassroots organizing, and education. For more info or to be added to the mailing list, call (802) 223-7222, visit www.ruralvermont.org, or find us on Facebook.
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