Katherine Sims, founder and Executive Director of Vermont’s Green Mountain Farm To School Program, may not look at herself as any sort of super-woman-she, in fact doesn’t, but her efforts in bringing local food into the light here in Vermont’s Northeast Kingdom is cape and tight worthy by any measure.
As an Art History major in college, I had a language requirement and figured Italian was the best connection to that. I was bad at it and figured the best way to improve was to move to Italy and jump in headfirst.
It was more like stomach first. Obviously, the food blew me away-certainly because of the quality-but it was more the communal aspect of it. How it brought people together. I fell in love with the process of food. Growing, gathering, preparing, eating it-the entire process was so connectively important within the culture. It had an impact on me.
I don’t much care for yogurt, tapioca, cottage cheese. It’s textural and visceral. I’ll still eat them if I have to, but would rather not.
Italy turned on a light for me regarding food. Vermont lit up the whole house.
I had relatives who lived in southern VT and after working on a small farm in Connecticut during school, I started looking at opportunities in Vermont. NOFA sent me a list of farms and I started calling around-trying to find a spot that needed help. Luckily, the Lazors (Jack and Anne of Butterworks Farm in Westfield) needed someone. I did everything from milking cows and picking rocks to reading books and driving tractors.
I wrecked a lot of shit driving tractors.
I helped launch The Yale Farm Project back at school. It was an urban farm program that helped get local food into the dining halls and integrated sustainable food courses into the curriculum. It was a beta for the Green Mountain Farm To School Program (GMFTS) I created here in Vermont.
I collect heirloom seed packets and vintage Pyrex dishware. This isn’t a sentence I would have expected to say when I was younger.
If I was wrapped in a truth lasso, I’d be forced to tell you that I have a strong affection for peanut butter cups, Madame Secretary and Pillsbury Flaky layer biscuits. I’m fine if you don’t tell anyone that. Especially the biscuit part.
I’m not sure what my super-power would be but, believe me, my outfit would be no joke. I’d have several outfits actually. Bright colors. Functional boots. Possibly an odd hat. Like a character on Soul Train with strength or x-ray vision or something.
GMFTS started as just one afterschool program in northern Vermont. Now we have sustainable gardens at 25 schools and 100 different institutions buy local produce from us. Lots of superheroes made that happen.
You make three really important decisions every day. Breakfast, lunch and dinner. You decide what you eat. I think you need to make good decisions. Not heroic ones, just good ones.
Frosting. I like frosting too.
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