On October 24th, Wake Robin celebrated Food Day. Food Day is a nationwide initiative that focuses on local, affordable and sustainable food. Some of the festivities included visits from local farms; Shelburne Farms came and spoke about cheese making, as well as the importance of their educational programs. Bella Farms discussed organic farming and their Wake Robin CSA. Staff also contributed dishes in a food competition in which 50% of the ingredients had to be locally sourced.
This year, there were with more than 7,500 Food Day events happening around the country. In New England 57 hospitals committed to serving meat free of antibiotics. Sustainable and organic farming practices contribute to reduced water and air pollution, richer organic material in soil and healthier farm animals and communities.
Thank you to all the local vendors who participated and made this event such a success!
Go Team Wake Robin!
Last Sunday, we observed a swarm of bees – probably 10,000 or more – beside the path leading to our apiary. We don’t yet know from which hive it came. The swarmed bees were sending out scouts to look for a permanent home. They were all gone later that day, so apparently they found a hollowed out tree somewhere nearby. The scouts came back to report possible home sites and, by consensus, the colony decided which one was right – just like in a Vermont town meeting (or by a Wake Robin resident survey).
Even though the temperature was a chilly 57 degrees, it was a flaming hot day at Fletcher Allen Health Care in Burlington on Wednesday, October 24. Chefs from Fletcher Allen, Central Vermont Medical Center and Wake Robin, competed in the first annual “Seafood Throwdown” sponsored by the Northwest Atlantic Marine Alliance. The chefs came prepared to clean and prepare a mystery fish, and serve it to the judges, who would then declare the winner. There was fierce competition but in the end Wake Robin chefs Pasquale Amedore and John Gallaher presented a gorgeous plate to the judges. Poached Cod with spinach, tarragon, grape tomatoes and roasted potatoes.
se awareness about a new venture called Healthy Food in Health Care. HFHC is part of a larger initiative that is being adopted by health care organizations worldwide, called Health Care Without Harm. The focus of HCWH is on providing environmentally sustainable health care, including healthier, local foods, best practices for safe cleaning, and medical waste disposal, and using cleaner technologies. 