With benefits reduced, donations provide safety net
This spring, we have been privileged to view the phoebe pair that has built a nest under our eaves….
Time to celebrate homegrown tomato season
It’s here. Finally! Time to safely plant heat loving veggie plants in the garden. Usually, Memorial Day in our neighborhood is the official “safe date.”
Spring garden checklist
Spring may be upon us, but winter is reluctant to let go. In the meantime, we’re all eagerly awaiting the time when we can head back to our gardens and get them into shape for the coming growing season.
‘Delays on three or even four levels’: Vermont farmers deal with conservation rigmarole
Vermont is the only state in the country where farmers cannot readily access a program meant to pay them back for restoring habitats around their farms.
Maximize enjoyment and minimize effort with no-till raised beds
Raised beds are a great way to minimize effort and maximize enjoyment of vegetable and flower gardens.
Growing herbs for tea
Herbs are attractive in the garden, easy to grow and a pleasure to use. Many common herbs can also be brewed into delicious herbal teas.
Earthkeep Farmcommon searches for visionary buyer
A visionary Charlotte farming venture that has drawn attention as a way Vermont might rehab agriculture off the bench and back into the economy’s starting lineup has come to a critical juncture.
Proposed small-farm grant cut in legislative process
A bill to help small farmers diversify their products with a new grant program crossed over from the House to the Senate, but not without a significant cut in the money behind it.
Vermont universal school meals bill looks to boost local farm food
As lawmakers aim to make universal school meals a permanent measure, they are also looking to make sure more of those meals are made with local food.
Food shelf swings into spring, still seeking new home
April finds the Food Shelf in full swing, planning ways to augment the supply of fresh food, clothing and assistance for community members in need.
Goat situation reveals cracks in animal welfare system
During the summer lots of goats died at a farm in Charlotte’s West Village. After residents intervened, the situation appeared to have been fixed about six months ago.
Weather might be right for some coffee and …
Are the midwinter blues beginning to get to you? Are you searching out your windows for the first snowdrops? Longing to see friends you’ve missed for these past months?
The craft of cutting meat
Philo Ridge Farm offers butchering workshops
Cold weather calls for old-fashioned comfort foods
When there’s a nice thick blanket of snow on the ground and you can hear the wind whistling through the walls of your home, it’s time for a rib-sticking sort of dinner to greet the family.
Little Free Pantry plugs food insecurity gap
Most people are familiar with community food shelves.
Grants announced for specialty crops
The Vermont Agency of Agriculture, Food & Markets announces $200,000 in grant funds to strengthen Vermont’s specialty crop industries and producer associations.
Making sense of seed catalogs
Looking through seed catalogs, my mind leaps ahead to the growing season.
Grange aligned with Northeast Organic Farming Association
The Northeast Organic Farming Association of Vermont (NOFA-VT) and the Charlotte Grange are like two sides of the same valuable coin.
Community sustained by many generous donations
As the days grow cold, our community is sustained by the warmth and generosity of its members and the traditions that are woven into the fabric of our shared lives.
Gilfeather turnip — the Vermont state vegetable?
When I was a child growing up in southern Vermont, my family would frequent a local restaurant that had paper placemats with a map of the state of Vermont depicted