Eat Local!

One of the best ways to support local farms and food businesses is to eat at restaurants who serve their products.  By making this critical connection, these restaurants can offer fresh and healthy food, and provide a reliable source of income for local farms and businesses.  Serving local food also reduces energy use and resulting greenhouse gas emissions from transporting food across the country - and around the world!

Vermont schools are catching on too! In classrooms and on farms around the state students are learning about Vermont’s agricultural history, the role of farms in their communities, and the importance of good nutrition.  Cafeterias are changing their menus and kids are trying new foods that, in some cases, they’ve grown themselves. By incorporating farm-to-table ethics the next generation will have healthier bodies, economies, and communities.

What You Can Do

  • Look for the Vermont Fresh Network (VFN) logo posted on your favorite restaurants.
  • Take the "Dining Challenge" by eating at  VFN restaurants and providing  feedback on your experience.  Provide feedback on three VFN restaurants and VFN will send you a handcrafted Danforth pewter carrot pin!
  • Ask restaurant staff or owners about their food sources and request local fare.Ask local farmers if they have offered their products to nearby restaurants.
  • Apply for a grant from the Agency of Agriculture to help develop a relationship between your school and local farmers or producers.
  • Start small by incorporating farm-to-table curriculum in your school’s nutrition classes. Then keep going from there: get the word out to community members, take class field trips to farms, and integrate local foods on the cafeteria menu.
  • Convert part of your school’s landscape into an educational garden.

Vermonters Taking Action

"There is very little that comes to mind before fresh produce when I think of quality of life." -Benjy Adler, Owner, Skinny Pancake, Burlington

Located on the Burlington Waterfront, the Skinny Pancake combines crepes and fondue to cook up a combination of socially and environmentally responsible dishes. They work under the philosophy that feeding money back into the local economy enriches and strengthens communities. By intentionally investing in Vermont products, the Skinny Pancake contributes to food security in the state.

Vermont Food Education Every Day, VT FEED is a collaboration of three nonprofit organizations (Northeast Organic Farming Association, Shelburne Farms, and Food Works) to rebuild healthy food systems through the Farm2School program which connects the 3 C’s- Classroom, Cafeteria, and Community. Featured below is a 5 minute segment of VT Feed's Farm2Table video.  You can also view the full video, including a dazzling introduction.



Resources You Can USe

  • Vermont Fresh Network: Focused on building innovative relationships between farmers, chefs, and consumers to bring awareness to local food consumption in Vermont.
  • Vermont Agency of Agriculture: Provides information for consumers on where to buy everything Vermont Agriculture has to offer- from Winter Farm Markets to Pick Your Owns.
  • Black River Produce: Supporting local agriculture by connecting producers with markets and restaurants all over Vermont and surrounding parts of New England and New York.
  • Vermont Food Education Every Day, VT FEED: A collaboration of 3 Vermont nonprofits (NOFA, Shelburne Farms, and Food Works) that work to rebuild healthy food systems through the Farm2School program which connects the 3 C’s- Classroom, Cafeteria, and Community.
  • Vermont Agriculture in the Classroom Partners, AITC: Increases the awareness and understanding of agriculture as a fundamental part of life by highlighting everything from career options to cultural heritage.
  • Northeast Organic Farming Association of Vermont, NOFA VT:  A member-driven association of farmers and consumers committed to an “economically viable and ecologically sound Vermont food system”. Programs include: Vermont FEED, Farm to School Mentors, New Farmer Education.