Learn more about Local Foods
Here are some links to help you sort through the local foods options available in the Valley Food & Farm Region.

We are fortunate here in the Upper Valley to have so many local food options. Buying foods grown locally has many benefits economically, environmentally, politically and for our health. Knowing where our food comes from, and how it is grown or raised, enables us to choose food from farmers who avoid or reduce reliance on toxic fertilizers and pesticides, hormones and antibiotics, and farmers who treat their animals humanely. It also adds to our eating pleasure when we know where our food has come from and the farmer who grew it.

Click here for links to other resources.

Southern Vermont VTel phone book has a fantastic new local foods section that Valley Food & Farm created.

Click here to read Sorting Through the Local Foods Options: How do I know what kinds of Local Farm products and services are right for me and my family?

Click here for a monthly suggestions guide to local eating.

Click here for information about buying meat locally.

Click here for a list of Farmers' Markets in the area.

Click here to search for locally grown food in our online Valley Food & Farm Guide.

What is a Localvore?
Localvores are people committed to eating foods grown within their local food shed. For more information visit these localvore website in the Valley Food & Farm region.

Upper Valley Localvores

Addison County Localvores (Middlebury area)

Central Vermont Localvores

Champlain Valley Eat Local

Keene Localvores

Mad River Valley Localvores

Northeast Kingdom Localvores (St. Johnsbury area)

Post Oil Solutions (Brattleboro area)

Rutland Area Localvores

Seacoast Eat Local (NH)

Springfield (VT) Localvores

UVM-Slade Hall Localvores

West Brookfield (VT) Localvores

What is a CSA?

Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) is a big phrase to describe a great idea. These local farms offer a bounty of food every week during the growing season for an up-front purchase. In this way you and the farmer make a mutual commitment: you accept a share of the risk of this year’s farm crop, and the farmer raises the best food possible.

Some CSA farms require that you come to the farm to pick up your weekly share; this is a great way to really get to know farmers and their operations.

Other farms have common drop-off points: a food co-op or other familiar place.

At least one farm actually can deliver right to your door!

The main differences between CSA farms are the size of the share, the number of weeks expected for shares, the price of course, the pick-up/drop-off arrangement, and what kinds of items are in the share. For instance, is it just vegetables? Is there also meat, honey, maple syrup, berries, flowers? Sometimes these are included, and sometimes they are “extras”, available for an additional price.

Farmers are getting more and more creative about CSA shares. Now some farms offer items in their share that they did not grow themselves: sometimes meat or berries from a neighboring farm, milk, bread from a local baker, even locally roasted coffee. Some CSA’s are in the form of a debit card you can spend as you like at the farm stand.

Click here to see a list of farmers who offer CSA shares in the greater upper connecticut River valley region.

Click here to read a 2002 Valley Vital Signs report on Changes in farming -a Valley VitalSigns report 2002

Click here to read articles posted on our website about local agriculture.