As we prepare to celebrate our 10th anniversary as a farm, we have been reflecting on the many partnerships that have made it all possible. We are so thrilled for our past, ongoing and new partnerships with an amazing crew of farmers, producers, chefs, cooks, neighbors, musicians, butchers, shoppers, contractors, service providers and more who share our commitment to healthy, local food that nourish all of us and our environment.
I don’t know if it is a particular attribute of Vermont, or perhaps just the nature of a community with a lot of small, independent businesses, but the collaborative spirit is strong and we feel blessed to be part of this larger local food community.
On a daily and weekly basis, our partnership with Field Stone Farm brings so much joy to us farmers and the farmstand. As we noted in, Bridging our Farms, Hannah at Field Stone is providing even more variety of great summer vegetables for our farmstand this year, which is becoming so evident and of course there are Chandra’s pizzas, which save us all!
And our Northfield Farmers Market partnership, might not fully keep us sane (it is the growing season after all), but wow does it help. And you may not know that Darienne, our chief grower, also spends a day a week at Field Stone Farm, helping round out our collaboration, expanding her horizons and enabling even more learning between the two farms.
Members, If you haven’t picked up a Bridge Card so you can shop on account from Hannah at the Montpelier Market, do so! And everyone else, remember you can see her Saturdays in Montpelier, both of us Tuesdays on the Northfield common and both of our great offerings daily at our farmstand.
As we hit this milestone of 10 years in business, our farmstand is host to two new partnerships: Artesano Vinegar and Honeywilya Fish.
We have long meant to offer Artesano vinegar as their mead vinegar has been our favorite for years. It makes such a stunning vinaigrette for any kind of veggie salad, and now with the new Maple Balsamic, which is made from their cyser apple & honey vinegar, what a set of options now available in the farmstand.
You may know our friends at Artesano for their Mead, which is also really lovely. Their tasting room in Groton is a great outing! Do a mead & vinegar tasting and get some ice cream!
Most of their vinegars start with their mead or cyser (apple honey wine) and the vinegar is a second fermentation (Check out more details), but they also have a fabulous apple cider vinegar. We are planning some special pickle batches this year using their cider vinegar….stay tuned!
Joining our freezer is salmon from Honeywilya Fish, a Certified Responsible fishery run by 2 Vermonters. Indeed it is imported from Alaska, but line caught sustainably by Vermont fisherman Lynn Steyaart and his one deckhand, then flash frozen and shippped back to Vermont.
They are line catching individual wild, Alaskan Salmon focusing on quality and ecological health. Check out their website for info on their work and the difference! (Makes our work look a bit easy in many ways!)
And our dear friends at Greenfield Highland Beef and Brookfield Bees deserve special mention as they have become such staples in our farmstand. It is so great to have a range of Greenfield Highland’s 100% grass fed beef and Brookfield Bees ensures that we have some wholesome sweetness to round out the plate with maple syrup, honey & cider syrup.
We are sad that one partner, Liberty Chocolates is closing. We love their honey sweetened chocolate and wish Katie well in her next venture.
To all who help make the small, organic, regeneratively focused farms survive, Thank You!
Together, we can make a positive difference for us all.