On Saturday, July 8, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., cookbook author Tracey Medeiros will lead a demonstration of how to prepare a kale salad from the newly-released 10th anniversary edition of “The Vermont Farm to Table Cookbook.” The salad includes peaches, feta, and an Asian peanut dressing. Medeiros, Essex Junction, sourced recipes from farmers, chefs, cheesemakers, and other food producers throughout the state for the updated version of the book. Both the new revised edition and the original were published by Countryman Press, an imprint of W.W. Norton and Company. The photos were taken by Oliver Parini.
“The current editorial director at Countryman Press contacted me asking if I we'd like to revise the cookbook. And I said, ‘Sure,’ any way that I can help promote these farmers, chefs and food producers, I was happy to do it,” Medeiros said.
The 2013 cookbook included recipes from 65 contributors; the 10th anniversary edition has recipes from 85 contributors. Contributors include the Pitcher Inn in Warren, Knoll Farm, and The Warren Store, among many others from throughout the state. Recipes include Maplebrook Farm’s burrata salad with spinach, strawberries, basil pesto, pistachios and aged balsamic; American Flatbread’s harvest flatbread; and honey ice cream with fresh strawberries from Darby Farm.
Some contributors have made changes since the 2013 release of “The Vermont Farm to Table Cookbook.” For instance, Jasper Hill Farm was included in the original book and is again featured in the new edition with a caramelized onion and Bayley Hazen Blue galette. “What was cool about this was, when I had first featured them in the first edition, they had begun ripening cheeses in their storage area known as the Cellars at Jasper Hill. Now they have built an addition to their creamery and are now making a range of raw milk Alpine cheeses,” Medeiros said. “It was interesting to hear how these folks have either expanded or refashioned their business, but some stayed the same. That was nice to see as well.”
Honey Road in Burlington is a newer restaurant that did not exist when the 2013 edition was released. The restaurant’s summer Fattoush salad (Lebanese summer salad), which includes strawberries and blueberries, is included in the 10th anniversary edition of the book.
Medeiros said she traveled across Vermont to visit restaurants, farms, and other food producers in the state. This is her sixth cookbook. “When I moved to Vermont 19 years ago, I was just so impressed. I fell in love with this foodie state. I came across this wonderful organization, the Vermont Fresh Network, which pairs chefs with farmers, and I started introducing myself to those folks. They started sending me recipes.
“I'm just so grateful that these folks trust me with their recipes, trust me with their stories. Even though my name is on the cover, this is a community cookbook. I hope when people open the book, they will feel their dedication and love to community wellness. Support your local farmers and thank them for doing what they do.”
A portion of the proceeds from the sale of “The Vermont Farm to Table Cookbook: Tenth Anniversary Edition” will be donated to the Vermont Foodbank.
