Winter Workshops Promote Local Food & Fun
For the past 5 years the Worthen Library, Healthy Roots Collaborative and South Hero Land Trust have worked together to bringing land and food-based fun to the community through the Winter Wednesdays series.
As Guy Maguire, our Director of Programs, says, “Conserving land is a great tool for protecting farm viability and food access. However, land conservation alone won’t solve the challenges we are facing, which is why education is so important. Having a community of people who understand the value of local food and support the farmers and land stewards who care of that land is a critical piece of the puzzle.” Christine Porcaro, Farm & Food Business Coordinator for the Healthy Roots Collaborative, adds “giving people the opportunity to connect with each other, local food, nature, art, and community has created a vibrant network that contributes to the health and vitality of our community year-round.”
Local chef and owner of Grand Isle Pasta Gloria Ruvalcaba teaching community members how to make fresh pasta
Making hot sauce with local peppers at a recent Winter Wednesday event
Local butcher Mary Lake leading a hands-on meat processing workshop at the Worthen Library
Over the course of three months, some amazing local folks shared their passions and we learned how to paint chickadees, identify and learn about plants and animals through phone apps, butcher a lamb, make hot sauce, create cocktails and mocktails with local ingredients, make fresh handmade pasta, and use ingredients from the garden to create beautiful natural dyes.
Winter Wednesdays help South Hero residents and visitors connect with each other and the land around us. Library Director, Keagan Calkins, says this series is “something wonderful and powerful.” A huge thank you to our local and local-ish teachers: Aprille Soons Palmer, Chuck Hulse, Mary Lake of Can-Do Shearing, chef Jackie Major, bartender Matt Farkas, Gloria Ruvalcaba of Grand Isle Pasta and Christel Nase of Meadow Lane Macrame.
Stay tuned for the 2025 Winter series, starting in January! Join the SHLT e-newsletter or follow us on socials to keep up on upcoming events:
