For Immediate Release 1/26/07

Contact: Martin C. Langeveld                                                              
802-254-2407
langeveldvt@comcast.net          

Strolling of the Heifers Launches
Celebrating Our Roots Recipe Contest

Brattleboro - The Strolling of the Heifers has launched a recipe contest as part of its ongoing drive to promote awareness of the importance of agriculture and to raise money to fund educationally oriented agricultural programs for youth. According to the organization’s Executive Director, Orly Munzing, the recipes submitted to the Celebrating Our Roots Recipe Contest will be compiled in a cookbook that will highlight the wealth of culinary talent in southern Vermont . “Our goal is to publish a cookbook that features our area’s residents’ favorite recipes, ranging from down home comfort food to gourmet dishes. We also want to encourage the public to cook simple dishes that utilize fresh, nutritious and, preferably, local ingredients,” Munzing said.

Both young people (age 18 or under) and adults are invited to submit their favorite recipes in four categories: appetizers, entrées, desserts and baked goods. Recipes submitted by young people and adults will be judged separately. Contest entrants are encouraged to submit a brief description of the recipe’s history, particularly if it is an old family favorite or has been handed down by a previous generation.

The top three recipes submitted by adults will receive a $200 first prize, a $100 second prize and a $50 third. In the young people’s category, first prize is a $100 US Savings Bond and second prize is a $50 savings bond.  Judges from the New England Culinary Institute and the University of Vermont will select the prize-winning recipes.

Recipes must be original and will be judged based on their distinctiveness, taste, appearance, use of local ingredients and ease of preparation. No more than 400 words should be used to describe the recipe and its history.

Recipes can be submitted by logging on to: www.strollingoftheheifers.com or www.reformer.com. See ads in the Brattleboro Reformer or on the Strolling of the Heifer’s Web site, www.strollingoftheheifers.com, for contest rules and details. The deadline for entering the contest is March 15. Contest contenders may enter as often as they wish. Winners will be announced in the Brattleboro Reformer in early April.

Recipe contest winners will be invited to demonstrate the creation of their recipes at a public tasting event at the Hooker Dunham Theater on Friday, April 6, 2007 , which is  Gallery Walk Night in downtown Brattleboro . This free event is open to the public and will take place from 5:30 – 8:00 p.m.

All recipes submitted to the contest will be featured in a cookbook titled, “Celebrating Our Roots,” to be published by the Strolling of the Heifers in collaboration with the Brattleboro Reformer. Notably, the cookbook will include a section devoted to menus of favorite recipes from our area’s leading inn and restaurant chefs. To obtain further details and an entry form, chefs should call Laurie Garland at 802-257-1646.

Advance cookbook orders will be taken at the Sixth Annual Strolling of the Heifers Dairy Fest & Marketplace on Saturday, June 2. The cookbook will be available for purchase at SOTH’s Celebrating Our Roots Food Fest, a brand new event to be held in early September. The cookbook also will be sold in local bookstores and other retail locations, as well as by mail order.

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The mission of the Strolling of the Heifers is to promote awareness of the importance of agriculture in our daily lives and to raise money to fund educationally oriented agricultural programs for youth. Log on to www.strollingoftheheifers.com for details.

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THANKS TO OUR SPONSORS. PRIMARY MEDIA SPONSORS: Brattleboro Reformer; WKVT GOLD: Hood/Booth Brothers Dairy - Official Milk of Strolling of the Heifers; Holstein Association; SoverNet, USA; Toyota; Turkey Hill; WTSA SILVER: Aubochon Hardware; Brattleboro Food Co-op; C&S Wholesale Grocers; Cabot Cooperative Creamery; Horizon Organic/The Organic Cow; Organic Valley; Price Chopper; Redex Industries/Udderly Smooth; Walgreens; WCAX-TV BRONZE: Brattleboro Area Chamber of Commerce; Brattleboro Museum & Art Center; Brattleboro Retreat Healthcare; Brattleboro Savings & Loan; Costume Ladies; Durand Ford Toyota; Green Mountain Tent Rentals; Hannaford Superstore; Key Bank; Mount Snow; New Chapter; Newman's Own; Stacy Subaru; Stuart Communications; The Rutland Herald; Trust Company of Vermont; United Natural Foods Inc.; Vermont Cheese Council; Windham Foundation CRYSTAL: 101 The Fox Radio; Building A Better Brattleboro; Chelsea Royal Diner; Chittenden Bank; Foard Panel; G.S. Precision; H&R Block; Hampton Inn; Home Depot; Keats Inc.; The Keene Sentinel; Leader Distribution; The Marina; New Holland; The Putney School; Riverview Café; U.S. Cellular/21st Century Cellular; Staples; Stoneyfield Farm; University of Vermont Extension; Vermont Country Store; Vermont Department of Agriculture; Vermont Natural Water; Windham County Dairy Promotion; World Learning; Woodstock Farms; WRSI/The River; Zinn Graphics PATRON: A Candle In The Night; American Flatbread; Antioch University New England; Arthur Whitcomb; Best Energy Saving Technologies; Brattleboro Chrysler, Jeep, & Dodge; Brunelle & Son Construction; BRW Electronics/ Radio Shack; Building Green Inc.; Capers Restaurant; Cockadoodle DOO; Cooke Family Realty; Co-operative Insurance; Farmers Diner/Vermont Smoke & Cure; Fleming Oil Company; Free Lunch Media Productions; Gallery Walk; Garelick Farms; Grafton Village Cheese Co; Holiday Inn Express; Hooker-Dunham Gallery & Theater; Howard Printing; Landmark College; Leader Distribution System, Inc; Marlboro Graduate College Center; Mary Meyer Mfg Co.; Merrick Pet Care; New England Natural Bakers; Ninety Nine Restaurant & Pub; O’Connor Law Office; Perkins Home Center; Putney Food Co-op; Red Roof Inn; Save The Corporations from Themselves; SEVCA; Silver Forest; Southern Vermont Cable; Spring Tree Maple Products/Specialty Brands of America; Suburban Propane; Taylor for Flowers; Triple T Trucking; The Valley Advocate; Verizon Wireless Zone; Vermont Agricultural Business Education Center; Vermont Agricultural Credit Corp; Vermont Bread/Rudy’s Organic Bakery; Vermont Land Trust; Wal-Mart; Windham Wines; Zinn Graphics SUPPORTING: Abbiati Monuments; Agri-Mark, Inc; Agway; Anon’s; Banknorth Vermont; Bart's Homemade; Best Inn; Blue Cross Blue Shield of Vermont; Brown & Roberts Hardware; Brown Family Farm; Burton Car Wash; Cersosimo Lumber Co and Cersosimo Industries; Clear Solutions Inc.; Colonial Motel & Spa; Creamery Bridge Candles; David Manning; Inc.; Efficiency Vermont; Fireworks Restaurant; Friends of the Sun; Gale, Corum, Mabie, Cook & Prodan Law Firm; GPI Construction, Inc.; Green Mountain Spinnery; Hertz & Lloyd Attorneys at Law; Kristensen, Cummings, Phillips & Carol PC; Latchis Hotel; Mini Melts Dots of Ice Cream; Moo Dooers/VNAP; Newfane Country Store; Newton Business Products; Northland Downey Insurance Group; The Old Fashioned Milk Paint Co. Inc; One Stop Country Pet Supply; Peebles; Perkins Home Center; Peter Havens; Pieciak & Co; Inc.; The Putney Inn; Real Green Goods; The Richards Group; River Valley Credit Union; Sam’s Outdoor Outfitters; The Sandri Companies; Solar Source; Thai Gardens; True Value & VS Variety Store; USA Solar Store; Vermont Artisan Designs; Vermont Natural Coatings; Vermont Veterinary Medical Assn.; Vermont Vinyl; Vermont Water Buffalo; VT-NH Veterinary Clinic; Windham Family Vision Care; The Windham Solid Waste Management District; Winter Panel Corp.; Women's Agricultural Network; Woodman Athletics; Yankee Farm Credit; Zephyr Designs SPONSORS: Adagio Trattoria; Adivasi; Altiplano; A.L. Tyler & Sons, Inc.; Amy’s Bakery Arts Café; At the Oasis; Bast Investment Co; Beadniks; Berkley & Veller/Greenwood Country Realtors; Black River Produce; Book Cellar; Borter’s Jewelry Studio; Brattleboro Haulage; Brattleboro Area Realty; Brattleboro Veterinary Clinic; Brooks House Realty; Campbell & Boyd Ins. Services; Inc; Carley’s Florist; Creative Woods Furniture Inc.; Crispe & Crispe Law Firm; Crofter Moving & Storage; Dalem’s Chalet; Inc.; The Dorner Agency, Inc.; Edward Jones & Company; ERA The Masiello Group/Stepping Stone Real Estate; Fenton Family Dealership; Fitts, Olson & Giddings; Fitz, Vogt & Associates at World Learning/SIT; Friends of Brooks Memorial Library; Green Mountain Bovine & Equine; India Palace Restaurant; J Coleman & Co Architects; James M. Puls & Associates Certified Public Accountants; John Rocray Law Firm; Lawton Floor Design; Linden Gardens; Masiello Employment Agency; Merrill Lynch; Merrill Gas Co; Inc.; Miller Brothers-Newton; Inc.; Nassau Broadcasting Partners, WHDQ/WZLF/WXLF/ WWOD/WCFR/WNHV/WSTV; New England Coffee; The New England House; Océ North America Document Printing Systems; Oly’s Plumbing & Heating; Outer Limits Health Club; Pinnacleview Equipment Inc.; Potter Steward Law Offices; Putney Road Market; Shin La Restaurant; Stevens & Associates; T.J. Buckley; Thomas M. French Attorney At Law; Verde for Home & Garden; Vermont Butter and Cheese Co; Walker Farm; Windham Flowers; WW Building Supply; Wyman Agency.

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