2019 Open Farm Week Events in Northern VT & the NEK
FRIDAY, AUGUST 9TH
CHITTENDEN
Philo Ridge Farm, Charlotte
Farm Tour Philo Ridge Farm
10am and 4pm | Free farm tours twice daily! Come for a free guided tour of Philo Ridge Farm and learn about our regenerative agriculture practices, including rotational grazing, high rotation vegetable growing, and the importance of compost. Meet at the old farm stand at 10 AM for the morning session or 4 PM for the afternoon session. Children and families are welcome.
Stonecutter Spirits Garden Party at Philo Ridge Farm
4-8 pm | Local distillery Stonecutter Spirits of Middlebury, Vermont, will be serving garden inspired cocktails in our Market. Enjoy Happy Hour specials like the popular Farm Popcorn as well!
Maple Wind Farm, Huntington
Fried Chicken Dinner at Maple Wind Farm
5:30pm | Winner Winner Chicken Dinner! Feast on a delicious fried chicken with organic salads, cornbread, and lemonade at the farm! Lawn games, a local dessert vendor, and musical talents to make your evening! Join the folks at Maple Wind Farm for a family-friendly evening. Rain or Shine. Take out is available. No dogs, please. Plenty of parking and handicapped accessible. While visiting, take a peek in at the chicken brooder. Preregistration is recommended. Adult and child plate pricing available.
Bread and Butter Farm, Shelburne
Mozzarella Making 101 at Bread and Butter Farm
5:30-7:30pm | Join City Market on Open Creamery Day for this special Mozzarella Making 101 class, Open Farm Week edition! This class is anything but cheesy. No, really, this class is the "whey" to go! All jokes aside, if you're looking to up your cheese game, look no further! This class will guide participants through a recipe for making traditional mozzarella cheese. Mozzarella is a "quick" cheese, meaning participants will get to enjoy tasty samples at the end of the evening! Zero previous experience or knowledge required. Please bring appropriate layers, footwear and bug spray as we will be spending a portion of the class outside exploring the farm!
If you are interested in driving others to this workshop or are looking for a ride, please call or e-mail Elena Palermo at 802-861-9757 or [email protected].
CALEDONIA
Hardwick Area Farmers Market, Hardwick
Atkins Field Day at the Hardwick Area Farmers Market
3-6pm | This event, combined with the weekly farmers market in Hardwick, offers opportunities to see a draft horse and learn training methods and watch demonstrations of traditional crafts such as blacksmithing, basket making, and wooden toy making. Children's craft activities such as dry felting will be available, as will a chance for all ages to participate in a Grow Your Own cheesemaking workshop. Music, pottery and other crafts, and local foods will be for sale at the market, as well. It will be a great family fun afternoon of activity and learning.
SATURDAY, AUGUST 10TH
CALEDONIA
Agape Hill Farm, Hardwick
Llama Trail Walks at Agape Hill Farm
10am and 2pm | Enjoy a relaxing walk leading one of Agape Hill Farm's friendly llamas on their variety of trails. Pleasurable trails wind their way over country roads and hayfields with mountain views. Walking with llamas is a calming experience that renews one's spirit and relaxes the mind. It is the perfect way to wind down after a busy week or to spend quality time with friends and family.
Llama walks will be hosted at 10:00am and 2:00pm only. Please plan to arrive approximately half an hour prior to the scheduled walk departure time. The cost is $20.00 per person with $5.00 off if you mention Vermont Open Farm Week or Kingdom Farm and Food Days.
Snug Valley Farm, East Hardwick
Evening Pasture Walk and Burger Night at Snug Valley Farm
5-8pm | Visit Snug Valley Farm for an evening pasture walk with the Nottermanns followed by a burger night at Snug Valley Farm & The Frozen Butcher as part of The 5th Annual Vermont Open Farm Week and Kingdom Farm & Food Days in Vermont's Northeast Kingdom! They'll answer questions about their grazing practices, what regenerative agriculture really means, and soil health while visiting with steers, pigs, and sheep out on pasture. Afterward, join us at the farmhouse for burgers on the grill and their meat shop will be open for purchases of grass-fed beef and pasture raised pork.
SATURDAY, AUGUST 10TH
NORTH
CALEDONIA
Agape Hill Farm, Hardwick
Llama Trail Walks at Agape Hill Farm
10am and 2pm | Enjoy a relaxing walk leading one of Agape Hill Farm's friendly llamas on their variety of trails. Pleasurable trails wind their way over country roads and hayfields with mountain views. Walking with llamas is a calming experience that renews one's spirit and relaxes the mind. It is the perfect way to wind down after a busy week or to spend quality time with friends and family.
Llama walks will be hosted at 10:00am and 2:00pm only. Please plan to arrive approximately half an hour prior to the scheduled walk departure time. The cost is $20.00 per person with $5.00 off if you mention Vermont Open Farm Week or Kingdom Farm and Food Days.
Snug Valley Farm, Hardwick
Evening Pasture Walk and Burger Night at Snug Valley Farm
5-8pm | Visit Snug Valley Farm for an evening pasture walk with the Nottermanns followed by a burger night at Snug Valley Farm & The Frozen Butcher as part of The 5th Annual Vermont Open Farm Week and Kingdom Farm & Food Days in Vermont's Northeast Kingdom! They'll answer questions about their grazing practices, what regenerative agriculture really means, and soil health while visiting with steers, pigs, and sheep out on pasture. Afterward, join us at the farmhouse for burgers on the grill and their meat shop will be open for purchases of grass-fed beef and pasture raised pork.
CHITTENDEN
Philo Ridge Farm, Charlotte
Farm Tour Philo Ridge Farm
10am and 4pm | Free farm tours twice daily! Come for a free guided tour of Philo Ridge Farm and learn about our regenerative agriculture practices, including rotational grazing, high rotation vegetable growing, and the importance of compost. Meet at the old farm stand at 10 AM for the morning session or 4 PM for the afternoon session. Children and families are welcome.
Bring Your Own Indigo Dying Class with artist Maggie Pate at Philo Ridge Farm
10-11am | Explore indigo, the most popular of natural dyes, with talented textile artist Maggie Pate. Bring up to three items to dye in the indigo dye vat and learn about indigo as a dye material. This is a great opportunity to get creative and repurpose old items into new pieces of functional art! Tickets can be purchased on Maggie's website.
Natural Dye Intensive Class with artist Maggie Pate at Philo Ridge Farm
2-5pm | Learn how to turn food scraps and seasonal plants into magnificent colors in this unique dye class. Textile artist Maggie Pate will guide students in dyeing a cotton bandana, fabric swatches, silk ribbon, and wool yarn from Philo Ridge Farm sheep with everything from onion skins to fresh flowers. Students will also take home Maggie's Natural Dyeing E-Course so they can continue their art at home. This is an incredible opportunity to explore how waste can be turned into beautiful and functional art! Tickets can be purchased on Maggie's website.
Bluegrass, Beer, and Brats: The Meatpackers and Zero Gravity at Philo Ridge Farm
5-9pm | Join us for an evening of bluegrass, beer, and brats! Local band The Meatpackers will be playing popular bluegrass hits in our Great Room from 5 to 8 PM. While you listen, enjoy a beer from Zero Gravity, who will be offering tastings and can pours throughout the evening. What goes better with beer than a bratwurst? Our kitchen will be serving a bratwurst special made with Zero Gravity beer - the perfect complement to a cold one.
Pitchfork Farm, Burlington
Crop Mob at Pitchfork Farm
9am - noon | Join City Market for their annual Open Farm Week Crop Mob as they help the Pitchfork crew with projects on the farm. Now’s your chance to get your hands dirty and help out around the farm with harvesting, planting, and other team projects. Light snacks will be provided. Please come prepared with appropriate layers, sturdy shoes, work gloves, and water.
Participants will meet at the farm at 9:00am, so if you’re interested in carpooling (either hitching a ride or offering one) please contact Mae via email at [email protected].
ORLEANS
Lavender Essentials of Vermont, Derby
Lavender Essentials of Vermont Lavender Baking Contest
1:00pm | Show off your culinary talents by entering your favorite lavender dessert into our baking contest! Bring your best-baked goodies to be judged by our panel of culinary experts. Prizes will be awarded to the top 3 winners! Grand Prize will be a $75 gift card to the Baker’s Catalogue on kingarthurflour.com & a gift basket from Lavender Essentials of Vermont, valued at $40! Be sure to bring extra servings of your dish for samples and sales!
Butterworks Farm, Westfield
Smoothie Stand and Farm Tours at Butterworks Farm
11am - 4pm | Visit Butterworks Farm for samples of their products and tours of the barns and fields. This is an opportunity to enjoy designer superfood smoothies made with Butterworks fine yogurt and kefir in original combinations that include local fruit and veggies. Smoothies are $5.00, tours and product samples are free.
Pete’s Greens, Craftsbury
Open Farm Tour at Pete’s Greens
11:30am | In conjunction with Kingdom Farm and Food Days and Open Farm Week, enjoy a tour of Pete’s Greens 4-season organic veggie farm in beautiful Craftsbury! Tours at 11:30am and 1:00pm. Visit the seasonal farmstand with its living roof. No registration required! For more information email: [email protected].
Sterling College, Craftsbury
Sterling College Farm Tour
2pm | A climate emergency is among us. Founded in 1958, Sterling College is the leading voice in higher education for environmental stewardship. Sterling College is among the very first colleges in the world to focus exclusively on sustainability. Join their tour to meet the draft animals that power the farm and learn about their sustainable educational model that prepares students of all ages to address the critical issues associated with climate change.
Cate Hill Orchard, Greensboro
Cheese Tasting and Farm Tour at Cate Hill Orchard
3:00 pm | Apples and cheese go great together—learn how this small diverse family farm incorporates these two enterprises. Take a tour of the permaculture orchard, then head to the farm store to try different sheep cheeses—both raw milk aged cheeses such as Vermanchego and Wild Mountain Tomme—as well as pasteurized fresh cheeses like Sheep Skyr and Kefiretta. The farm tour will begin at 2:00pm and last about an hour; cheese tasting at 3:00pm.
