Inside Erskine’s Grain & Garden, a fixture in Chester since 1952, customers will find flower seeds, chicken feed, farm tools, and everything in between. The store, started by the Erskine family, is now owned by Janessa Purney and her husband, Burleigh Sunflower. The couple, who live...
Vermont's maple sugaring season is short. But for April Lemay, running a maple business is a year-round, family affair. On 800 acres once owned by her grandparents, she operates April's Maple, a maple sugar farm and cafe in the small town of Canaan near the Canadian border....
Russell Christmas Tree Farm in Starksboro has been in business for 40 years. The family-owned farm is where visitors flock to every holiday season for Christmas trees. Dave and Janet Russell bought Russell Christmas Tree Farm from Janet’s parents in the 1970s. The farm was a...
Along a rugged dirt road in the southern Vermont town of Wardsboro is the old Gilfeather farm, where the famous Gilfeather turnip first sprouted in the early 1900s. The turnip, cultivated by farmer John Gilfeather, became the official Vermont State Vegetable in 2016. It’s celebrated every fall...
On 200-acres in the hills of Westminster, Liz Shaw and Katrina Hamilton combine their talents at Morse Brook Farm. At Vermont Open Farm Week 2021, the duo will share with the public their expertise and passion for farming. Morse Brook Farm is one of 45 farms around...
It's nearly time to stop and smell the flowers in Vermont public gardens. Five Vermont public gardens worth visiting this spring and summer showcase peonies, roses, hydrangeas, sunflowers, lavender, fruit trees, and more. Some gardens require admission, while others are open for free. Hildene in Manchester -courtesy of...
Balancing motherhood with a career in veterinary oncology motivated Kendra Knapik to choose a different path, one with more balance and flexibilty. Three years ago, she established Ellison Estate Vineyard. Knapik and her husband, Rob—a Norwich University professor and chair of the physics department—purchased an abandoned...
Amy Richardson didn't exactly know what she was getting into when she married a dairy farmer. But for more than 25 years, she’s embraced moments big and small on the farm. After meeting Scott Richardson at the University of Vermont, the couple married in 1994. They...
Alison Kosakowski Conant was in crisis communications mode when she first arrived in Vermont. While working for Maersk, a global shipping company, she rushed from New Jersey to Vermont in April 2009. The Maersk Alabama cargo ship was hijacked by four Somali pirates in the Indian Ocean. The ship’s...
Vermont summer farmers’ markets may look different this season, but one thing is for sure: local food is more appreciated than ever. About half of Vermont’s farmers’ markets are open for the summer, and almost all will be open by July (a handful have decided to...
