“Teaching, demonstrating, and sustaining a working landscape”

In This Issue

Merck Forest & Farmland Center3270 Route 315PO Box 86Rupert, Vermont 05768p. 802.394.7836

www.merckforest.org

Fall 2012

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pages 5 & 6

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Boosting Sustainability at MFFC with all Things Mushroom

Note from the Director’s Desk

Plein Air Artist Paints at Merck Forest

Perspectives from 2,000 Feet

Intern Corner: Fledgling

Recipe from the Lodge: Pork Stew

Now at the Visitor Center

About Us & Memberships

Fall Calendar

a publication of the Merck Forest and Farmland Center

2012 Sheep Dog Trial & Farm Festival Sponsors

Thank You Summer Volunteers

Order Form for Merck Meat

Boosting Sustainability at MFFC with all things mushroom:By Sue Van Hook

a look at growing, restoring and building with mushrooms

Sue Van Hook, mycologist, gave the keynote speech at Merck Forest and Farmland Center’s annual meeting this year. She provided an overview of mycoforestry, mycofiltration, mycoagriculture and mycoproducts, explaining ways in which the Kingdom of Fungi naturally enhance the growth of forest trees, agricultural crops, and filter farm waste. Van Hook also suggested species of fungi to grow for the farmer’s markets and for sustainable practices at MFFC. In addition to supplementing forest and farm soils with mycorrhizal fungi to boost yields through a symbiotic plant/root association, Sue described how fungi could easily restore vegetation within one year, which could stabilize the logging roads created during on-site timber harvests.

The truly interesting part of the talk began when Van Hook spoke to the audience about mycoproducts grown to replace plastic foams. In her role as Chief Mycologist at Ecovative Design in Green Island, NY, Sue has cultured wood-decomposing strains from the wild and brought them into the lab for testing growth on numerous

agricultural crop wastes. These particular fungi are responsible for degrading cellulose and lignin. By using agricultural waste as food for the fungi, Ecovative is able to grow the mixture into any shape. The company has already replaced polystyrene foam protective packaging for companies such as Dell, Steelcase, Puma and Crate & Barrel. MFFC could ship its maple syrup in Ecovative’s 100% home-compostable EcoCradle® packaging, a more sustainable alternative than currently used recycled foam peanuts. Merck Forest looks forward to trying this material soon!

On a side note, Executive Director Tom Ward asked Sue if mycoproducts could solve porcupine damage to the cabins and outhouses on the property. Tom set out a dozen samples of Ecovative’s replacement for medium density fiberboard in April, and to date the porcupines have left them alone. It is the hope that one day, a new cabin can be built entirely from mushrooms!

2012 Sheep Dog Trial and Farm Festival SponsorsThe 2012 Sheep Dog Trial and Farm Festival are right around the corner! Merck Forest would like to thank the following companies for helping support this two day event, which will be held on September 8 and 9, 2012.

For more information on the trials and festival, please check out our website: www.merckforest.org.

Hope to see you there!

By Sarah Ullman, Director of Education

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Two members of the 2012 Trail Crew for Teens learned to use a cross-cut saw to remove downed trees that blocked sections of Lourie and Beebe Pond Trails. Group members spent five days using hand tools to do trail clean up this summer.

By Tom Ward, Executive Director

I’ve had the opportunity to work on The Lodge and Viewpoint Cabin over the last few weeks. The trim and soffits on The Lodge are now scraped, caulked, and painted, and the shingles, stairs, and latches have been repaired or replaced at the Viewpoint cabin. In the midst of the sweat and labor, I found the most striking part of the experience to be the solitude. Given time and awareness, you can feel the pulse of life around you. The breeze moves through the white spruce plantation, white throated sparrows make their plaintive calls as they forage, while monarch butterflies cruise over milkweeds in the “hundred acre meadow”.

I encourage you to visit and see for yourself the progress the staff, interns, and volunteers are making on improving the access to our 3,100 acres in the Taconic highlands. In the past

Perspectives from 2000 feet

Venture past the barns, the wind turbine and the blueberries and you’ll be at 2,000 feet, the highest point on Stonelot Road. Standing here, you find your place within the Taconic Mountains; your role within green grasses pouring into green trees and green, rolling hillsides. Here, you stand at the top of two watersheds. Rain falling slightly to the east will flow down into the Mettawee River, and if it falls slightly to the west, it’s bound for Mill Brook. Given Vermont’s dense forests it’s often hard to visualize how water flows across and through the land. Standing in this spot, you get a rare perspective and new appreciation of how earth and water work together to shape our landscapes.

This past July, Dr. Tim Schroeder of Bennington College and I co-taught a week-long course called “Methods in Place-Based Environmental Science Education” for teachers. On the first day, we armed these teachers with topographic maps of Merck and set out on Stonelot Road to explore this watershed perspective. The conversations and insights that followed provided a powerful context for investigations we conducted later in the week. As we tested water quality, gauged stream flow, cracked open rocks and dug soil, we connected back to a greater understanding of Merck’s physical resources and how they have influenced humans’ relationship with the land over time.

This course was offered as part of a Math and Science Partnership grant through the Southwest Vermont Curriculum Coordinators’ Collaborative, and participants earned 3 graduate credits from Castleton State College. Teachers joined us from Rutland, Dorset, Poultney, Arlington, Castleton, Fair Haven, South Hero and Swanton.

As a follow-up to this course, teachers are tasked with developing their own place-based investigation to use with students in their school or out in the community. In early November, we’ll come back together and teachers will have the chance to share, and reflect on, these lessons. My hope is that the time they spent studying Merck’s landscape, as a student, will continue to encourage them as teachers to explore new perspectives on the environment and humans’ place within it, now and into the future.

Teachers get their feet wet as they test water quality at Birch Pond during a weeklong course in place-based environmental science education.

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three months we have benefitted from having over 80 volunteers donate more than 500 hours clearing roads, making new trail treads and working in the Visitor Center. Conservatively, this gift is worth more than $5,000. The positive energy and substantial progress are self-evident to me, but there is no substitute for experiencing the benefits of this labor of love. If you become inspired you can even opt-in as a volunteer yourself.

I acknowledge that I have a rare privilege in working here, but you also have an opportunity to partner with us and share the journey. However you choose to partake of what we have to offer, I look forward to seeing you here.

Peace, Tom

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Thank You to our Summer Volunteers

Tyler Dallas

Ed Griffith

Merck Forest would like to applaud the hard work and dedication of our volunteers from this past summer. Names listed below are both long-time and new volunteers, school groups and individuals. Each person is indispensible in helping Merck staff with trail work, farm work, improvements to our facilities, and maintenance. Thank you all!

Ria Firth

When the spring leaves were just beginning to give a hint of their brilliant green to the hillsides at Merck Forest, nationally-renowned painter George Van Hook was capturing their color on canvas.

For a week in early April of this year, MFFC was proud to host the famous American Impressionist painter. By day, George set up his easel and canvas at various locations around the farm, including the trees, pastures, Harwood Barn, and the Sap House as the objects of his work. In the evenings, he enjoyed being on the property, and his nights were spent at the Barn cabin.

Visitors and staff alike were interested in Van Hook’s work; at times it was all activity—the flurry of his paint brushes reproducing the landscape before his easel; other times he would stand and chat for a while before returning to work.

Plein Air Artist Paints at Merck ForestBy Melissa Carll, Education Apprentice

Top: George Van Hook steps back from his

easel for a moment, as he paints a view across

Old Town Road pasture. Bottom: One of Van

Hook’s finished paintings, representing the south view

of the Frank Hatch Sap House. This painting will

be displayed during the exhibit in October.

George returned this past August for several days to finish painting landscapes around the farm, excited to be able to take advantage of cooler weather and clear vistas off toward the Adirondack mountains. He will return once more in September to paint several woodland landscapes as well.

During the first visit, Van Hook painted seven landscapes, which, together with the August and September works, will be shown at an art exhibit at the Frank Hatch Sap House on Saturday, October 6th, 2012. Reception will open at 5pm and last until 7pm. All are welcome to attend. Light refreshments will be served. Proceeds from event go towards MFFC school programs, which are free through 2012.

Castleton State CollegeBurr & Burton Academy

Bedford High School

Bennington SchoolBennington College

Bruce and Marion Carll

Top left: Bruce Carll (pictured) and Marion Carll helped the staff pick raspberries for the Dorset Farmers Market in late June. Top Right: Devin S. spent over forty hours rehabilitating trails

with Trail Maintenance Coordinator, Chris Wall. He earned his own hard hat for all his work. Bottom: Larry Newcombe drove his horse team this spring to plow ground for our potatoes, and

this summer to spread manure over the hayfields.

Trail Crew for Teens 2012Devin Straley

Larry and Pam Newcombe

Allie Wildman

Long Trail School

Margaret MertzMaple Street School

Paul Smith’s College

Logan

www.merckforest.org

Axel Blomberg

Jean Ceglowski

Phil Chapman, Treasurer

Austin Chinn, Vice President

Jeromy Gardner

Gerrit Kouwenhoven, President

Kathleen Achor

Judy Buechner

Donald Campbell

Sue Ceglowski

Ann Cosgrove

Ed Cotter

Bob Ferguson

Melissa Carll, Education Apprentice

Vance Griffith, Resource Technician

Tim Hughes-Muse, Farm Programs Manager

Kathryn Lawrence, Assistant to the Director

Annette Nielsen, Communications Director

Dan Sullivan, Assistant Farm Manager

Sarah Ullman, Director of Education

Advisory Council

Board of Trustees

Merck Forest and Farmland Center is an educational non-profit organization whose mission is to teach and demonstrate the benefits of innovative, sustainable management of forest and farmland. We also offer recreational opportunities for individuals and families, encouraging people to become good stewards of the land. Donations are appreciated and members are encouraged.

About Us

Bob Gasperetti

Bambi Hatch

Richard Hittle

Anne Houser

Emily Hunter

Ann Jackson

Deirdre Kinney-Brennan

Visit us online:

Staff

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Follow us on:

Please, help us continue to serve our mission of teaching and demonstrating the benefits of innovative, sustainable management of forest and farmland.

As a member, you support our educational programs and maintain over 3,100 acres of land and 36 miles of trails. Thank you for your help!

Membership at Merck: Join or Renew Today!

20% discount on cabin rentals and camping10% discount on Merck’s Certified Organic Maple Syrup10% discount on select Visitor Center merchandise10% discount on workshopsCopies of our seasonal newsletter, the Ridge Line

Member benefits include:

Date:

Name(s):

Address:

Phone:

Email:

Title:

Payment: Cash/Check/Visa or MasterCard

Additional Contribution:

Total Amount Enclosed:

Signature:

Exp:

Please fill out and mail:Merck Forest & Farmland CenterPO Box 86, Rupert, VT 05768

Electronic Copy: yes/no

Answer: Folded swan hangs in window at Ridge Cabin. Photograph taken through glass with fall foliage reflected in the background.

Victoria McInerney

Margaret Mertz

Bruce Putnam

Madeline Rockwell, Secretary

Phil Warren

Corinna Wildman

Jon Mathewson

Axel Neubohn

John Pless

Liz Putnam

Bob Taggart

Patty Winpenny

Chris Wall, Trail Maintenance Coordinator

Tom Ward, Executive Director

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nnie

Nic

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RidgeLine layout, illustrations, and graphic design by Melissa Carll

Membership: $50.00

Card #:

Hint: This origami swan flies over a “ridge”.

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Summer InternsJeff Anderson

Julietta Cole

Christine Gall

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Now at the Visitor Center

New ornaments are a perfect stocking stuffer for Christmas this year. The wooden decorations include maple leaves, cows, tracks (pictured), as well as moose, dragonflies, snowflakes, painted designs and more. They are handmade in Middlebury, Vermont from tiger maple ($3.00 - $8.50).

Don’t forget to order some of our Certified Organic Maple Syrup for you or friends and family. Great on pancakes, as a substitute for sugar in recipes or in your coffee. Liter size available in glass containers! The Official Vermont Maple Cookbook is also available in the Visitor Center ($2.50).

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Having finished a thorough mucking of the box stall in the barn this morning, I was about to design a new paddock for the horses when Jeff, my fellow intern, mysteriously motioned me into the pig barn. Intrigued, I crossed the threshold into the dim coolness and was about to ask what was up when Jeff

to share Jeff’s discovery! Since he had gone back to work, I greeted them myself, pigeon in hands, and crouched down to the little girl’s height. Her sweet face brightened with wonder and happiness at the sight of the fledgling. I let her touch its soft back and taught her not to ruffle its feathers by stroking it from head to tail. She was so enthused about the bird that she insisted her grandmother, who was bringing up the rear, come and see. I am always overjoyed to see children excited by wild things just like I was when I was their age. I only hope that nature will continue to play such a role in the education of children despite the trends towards technology and sedentary activities indoors.

After the family had moved on to another source of wonderment, I took the fledgling back into the pig barn and released it onto a ledge on the far wall, away from the pig pen. The pigs are notorious for munching on baby birds - particularly barn swallows - who do not yet have a means for escape, for they are voracious omnivores. I watched the nervous pigeon for a few minutes as it adjusted to the footing on the wood. Hopefully it would figure it all out: how its wings worked, how to forage for food, how to find shelter and eventually a mate. Leaving the barn, I bid it well then went off to eat my lunch.

By Julietta Cole, Summer 2012 Intern

Fledgling

pointed to a dark corner. Huddled there was a small mass of grey emitting soft, poignant peeps. Slowly and gently, Jeff curled his fingers around the bird and held it aloft for me to see. It was a young pigeon barely old enough to fly, its slate-colored head still bearing several tufts of yellow down. I was delighted when Jeff passed it to me - to hold such a delicate creature! Cradling it gingerly in my cupped hands, I could feel it shivering, its small, racing heart beating persistently against my fingers. I examined its smooth feathers, its scaly, reptilian legs, and its sharp, protruding beak. These are just the features that endear me to the chickens: such parts that seem so juxtaposed on a creature so awkward to behold. Yet when this pigeon learns to fly, I thought, it will stun the earthbound with its aerial grace.

At that moment, I noticed a toddler and her mother walking towards me on Stonelot road. What a perfect opportunity

Recipecontributed by MFFC member Katharine Wall

Ingredients:

1 lb. pork loin, cut into 1 inch cubes1 TBS oil1 large sweet onion, thinly sliced1 clove garlic, minced1 TBS maple syrup

Pork Stew with Apple Cider and Maple Syrup

1. Brown pork in hot oil in Dutch oven.

2. Remove pork from pan and set aside.

3. Add onions and garlic, sauté till soft but not quite browned.

4. Add 1 tablespoon maple syrup to deglaze pan.

5. Return pork to pot; add 1 cup cider, water, and seasonings.

6. Simmer 1 -1 ½ hours till meat is tender.

7. Combine flour and remaining cider to a smooth paste. Add to liquid for gravy. Stir till thick and bubbling.

8. Serve with noodles or potato pancakes.

Directions:

1 cup apple cider½ cup waterSalt & Pepper to taste1 tsp. crushed marjoram2 TBS flour¼ cup water

ham

bacon

spareribs

loin

Boston butt

picnic

jowl

New this season: customers can pre-order lamb meat from our farm!

The farm will send the lambs to market at the end of September. Customers can expect a hot hanging weight between 35 - 50 lbs for the lambs. One lamb should yield about 20 lbs of meat, depending on your butchering preferences.

Order FormWhole or Half Lamb

Lamb is sold at $8.50 per pound hot hanging weight, plus a $60.00 processing and handling fee. Merck Forest asks for the handling fee as a deposit (please send in with this paperwork). After processing, we will inform you of the total charge, which can be delivered upon pick-up.

Forms are also available in the Visitor Center, or at www.merckforest.org. You can order online or through the mail.

Please fill out information:

Date:

Name:

Address:

Phone:Email:

Deposit enclosed: y/n Cash/ Check/Visa/Mastercard CC number:

Where does that meat cut come from?Different meat styles are cut from various parts of a pig or lamb’s body, and a customer’s butchering preferences determine which

Diagrams illustrate which areas on the animals the different meat cuts are taken.

SHANKS (check to include in order)

foreshanks hindshanks

SHOULDER (choose 1 option)

thickness: 1” 1 1/2” other:

chops roast ground meat

option one option two option three

LOIN (choose 1 option)

rack of lamb (bone-in roast)

boneless roast loin chops

LEG (choose 1 option)

half roast whole roastbone-in

semi-boneless

bone-in

semi-boneless

option one option two

option one option two option three

thickness: 1” 1 1/2” other:

ribloin

sirlo

in

flankbreast

fore-shank

shoulder

neck

leg

hind-shank

cuts are available, especially for orders of a whole or half pig.

New this season: customers can order a whole or a half pig from our farm!

The farm will send the pigs to market in mid-September. Pigs typically dress out at 180 lbs hot hanging weight. Customers can expect 140 lbs of pork depending on butchering preferences.

Pork is sold at $5.50 per pound for whole or half pig (hot hanging weight), and there is an additional $85 processing and handling

BELLY

Order FormWhole or Half Pig

FRONT SHOULDERS

boston butt

half pig (choose 1 option from this column) whole pig (2 options, 1 from each column)

picnic ham boston buttor orandandand

1 large roast 1 large roast 1 large roast

2 smaller roasts 2 smaller roasts 2 smaller roasts 2 smaller roastsoror or

ground meat ground meat ground meat ground meatoror or

picnic hamand1 large roast

or

or

fee. Merck Forest asks for the handling fee as a deposit (please send in with this paperwork). After processing, we will inform you of the total charge, which can be delivered upon pick-up.

Availability is limited. Please send in order prior to September 11, 2012. Orders will be available for pick-up at the Visitor Center the last week of September.

Forms are also available in the Visitor Center, or at www.merckforest.org. You can order online or through the mail.

Please fill out information:

Date:

Name:

Address:

Phone:Email:

half pig (1 option from this column)

whole pig (2 options, 1 from each column)

option one

option two

option three

whole rack spare ribs and fresh pork belly

whole rack meaty spare ribs

smoked bacon

whole rack spare ribs and fresh pork belly

whole rack meaty spare ribs

smoked bacon

LOINhalf pig (this column) whole pig

option two

option onewhole rack baby back ribs

whole loin cut into bone-in chops

andwhole tenderloinorboneless loin - wholeor2 loin roastsorboneless cutlets: cutlets per package4 8 12orboneless chops: thickness of chops

chops per package1/2” 3/4” 1”

2 4 6 8

thickness of chops1/2” 3/4” 1”chops per package2 4 6 8

option onewhole rack baby back ribs

(2 options, 1 from each column)

andwhole tenderloinorboneless loin - wholeor2 loin roasts

option twowhole loin cut into bone-in chops

orboneless cutlets: cutlets per package4 8 12orboneless chops: thickness of chops

chops per package1/2” 3/4” 1”

thickness of chops1/2” 3/4” 1”chops per package2 4 6 8

2 4 6 8

SAUSAGE/GROUND PORKGround pork amounts vary depending on other cut choices, and pig size. Half pig averages 7.5 lbs of ground meat, and one package of the below choices. Whole pig averages 15 lbs. with combination of below choices. Specify amounts.

fresh ground pork

mild breakfast sausage

hot italian sausage

sweet italian sausage

chorizo

ground lbs. ground lbs. ground lbs. ground lbs. ground lbs.

BACK LEGhalf pig (1 option from this column)

whole pig (2 options, 1 from each column)

option one option two option three option four

option one option two option three option four

option one

option two

option three

1 very large leg roast (12+ lbs.)

freshsmoked

freshsmoked

2 leg roasts & 1 hock

freshsmoked

1 very large leg roast (12+ lbs.)

2 leg roasts & 1 hock

freshsmoked

leg steaks & 1 hockfresh smoked

thickness:steak quantity:

leg steaks & 1 hockfresh smoked

thickness: 1/2” 3/4” 1”steak quantity: 2 4 6 8

2 4 6 81/2” 3/4” 1”

all ground

all ground

Deposit enclosed: y/n Cash/ Check/Visa/Mastercard CC number:

PO Box 86, Rupert, Vermont 05768

Printed on 100% recycled paper

Sheep Dog Trials, Sept. 8 & 9

Daily

Act

ivitie

s

Saturday & Sunday, 8am-4pm

Sheep Dog Competition

Farm Demonstrations

Fiber Arts Demonstrations

Farm Games & Activities

8am-4pm Sheep Dog Trial Open Competition

4pm-5pm Nursery Class Competition (Sat. only)

Noon & 2pm Young Dog Demonstration

11:30am & 1:30pm Blacksmithing(times to be determined) Sheep Sheering

All Day: Spinning, Weaving, Carding, Skirting & Knitting

All Day: Potato Printing and Wagon Wheel Weaving

10:30am Penny Hunt (10 and under)

3pm Egg Toss (10 and under)

Grow Your Own Mushroom GardenSeptember 15th, 1pm-4pm

Join former Skidmore professor and local mycologist, Sue Van Hook, for a hands-on workshop to make your own oyster, shiitake and wine cap spawn, bags and logs. Please register.

$35/person and $50/couples

Fall Events & Workshops

George Van Hook Open HouseOctober 6th, 5pm-7pm

Plein air artist, George Van Hook, will show his American Impressionist style landscape paintings of Merck Forest. Reception will be held in Frank Hatch Sap House. Open to all. Light refreshments will be served. Proceeds benefit MFFC’s school programs.

Here are a sample of Merck Forest’s fall events and workshops. For a more detialed list about daily and weekend activities, please check our website, facebook, or twitter.

12:30pm Sack Races (10 and under)