GMFTS Welcomes Three New Team Members
Green Mountain Farm-to-School (GMFTS) is pleased to welcome three new talented individuals to their staff – Sophie Westover, Jeyna Diallo, and Nick Chmura. Read More...
Serving Up Food, Fun and Education in the Summer
It’s an August day, 2017, and the children of the Northeast Kingdom(NEK) are enjoying the summer break from school. This particular day happens to be Friday, so The Lunchbox, the food truck of Green Mountain [...]
Farm to School in the Northeast Kingdom and Beyond
October is National Farm to School month and Green Mountain Farm to School (GMFTS) is gearing up! Activities and celebrations are taking place in schools across the state, as Governor Scott signed a declaration on October 2nd [...]
GMFTS Has a Fresh Plan for Making Coupons More Accessible
Vermont has a wealth of farm fresh foods, yet access to affordable, local produce is often not viable for some residents of the Northeast Kingdom (NEK). Low-income individuals and families who depend on 3squaresVT need their food [...]
Summer Block Party Kicks Off Summer in Newport
The 4th Annual Summer Block Party will be held at Gardner Park in Newport, Vt. on Thursday, June 22 from 3 PM to 6 PM. The event is free and open to the public. The afternoon will feature free food for all kids 18-years-old and younger from the Lunchbox food truck, family-friendly games and activities such as dancing and face painting, and a fun-run around the park. The Summer Block Party is hosted by Green Mountain Farm-to-School and Newport Parks and Recreation. Read More...
Fresh, Local, Free – Lunchbox Readies to Serve Summer Lunches
The Lunchbox food truck will be on the road again for its fifth summer, serving up free meals to kids and fresh, local lunches for three communities in the Northeast Kingdom of Vermont. For many kids who participate in free or reduced lunch programs during the school year, the free summer meal is one of their best sources for nutritious food while school is on break. For community members, the Lunchbox is a fresh, local, and delicious lunch option that comes with an added perk - all the proceeds from lunch sales go directly to running the free summer meal program and help to serve even more children. Read More...
Northeast Kingdom Farms Lay Roots in Local Schools, Institutions
Green Mountain Farm Direct, a food hub run by Green Mountain Farm-to-School, is working to connect local farmers with schools, restaurants, and institutions across northern Vermont to increase the farm’s sales and boost consumption of local food in institutions and the overall region. Those partnerships have created a distribution infrastructure in the region that has helped to improve the community’s access to healthy, local food while also growing the local economy. Watch the video...
Green Mountain Farm-to-School Welcomes Two New Team Members
Green Mountain Farm-to-School is pleased to welcome two new talented individuals to their staff - Edifice Jengo and Kendall Lambert. Read More...
Northeast Kingdom Celebrates Local Flavors at Jay Peak
Guests from throughout the Northeast Kingdom and Canada enjoyed a delicious evening at Jay Peak Resort this past February during Green Mountain Farm-to-School’s 9th Annual Taste of the Kingdom - an event celebrating the vibrant food scene of the Northeast Kingdom. Read More...
Northern Vermont Elementary Schools Dive into Composting
School cafeterias across Northern Vermont are closing the food cycle as they lead the way in diverting food scraps from landfills through composting. More than 10 Northeast Kingdom elementary schools that work with Green Mountain Farm-to-School. Read More...
Parsnip Party! Northern Vermont Celebrates Harvest of the Month
More than 1,400 pounds of parsnips were delivered across northern Vermont in the beginning of January as schools and businesses prepared to celebrate the Vermont Harvest of the Month - a state-wide education campaign which celebrates a different seasonal and local Vermont product each month. Read More...
Organic Co-op Deeply Rooted in New England Agriculture
Founded in 1986, Deep Root Organic Cooperative is one of the oldest co-ops of organic vegetables growers in the United States. Having evolved into a 23 member farmer-owned cooperative, they source organic produce, year-round, from member farms located throughout northern Vermont and southern Quebec. Read More...
Vermont Farm-to-School Network Launches Legislative Campaign
The Vermont Farm to School Network is launching a campaign to encourage the state Legislature to support $500,000 in funding to expand access to farm to school programs in more Vermont schools. Read More...
GMFTS Welcomes New Executive Director
Green Mountain Farm-to-School (GMFTS) welcomes James Hafferman as their next executive director. He assumed the position in January as founder and current executive director, Katherine Sims, transitioned to the role of development director. Read More...
Smitty’s Farm Dinner Brings Community Together
Green Mountain Farm-to-School teamed up with Smitty’s Farm in Newport, Vt. to hold a free, On-Farm Community Dinner that was open to the public. The evening featured a dinner that used Vermont seasonal produce and showcased Smitty’s Farm’s berries. Read More...
Green Mountain Farm-to-School Open House Slide Show
On October 1, Green Mountain Farm-to-School opened the doors of the beautifully renovated building they are now renting in the historic downtown Newport. Read More...
GMFTS Office Tour Through Photos
Green Mountain Farm-to-School has moved offices! They are renting a beautiful, historic space in downtown Newport. Check out a quick virtual tour below. Read More...
Students Get Fresh for Harvest Festivals
The kids are back in school, the gardens are bursting with the season’s harvest and it is harvest festival time for students across the Northeast Kingdom. Read More...
Gala on the Lake Goes Swimmingly
Green Mountain Farm-to-School (GMFTS) hosted its 4th Annual Gala on the Lake in August, raising over $6,500 that will go towards tending school gardens, sourcing local food in the cafeteria, and working to create healthy communities centered around good food. Read More...
Berry Fun at Smitty’s Farm
Started in 2006, Sharon and Greg “Smitty” Smith, have grown Smitty’s Farm, formerly known as North Derby Organic Berry Farm, from 2,000 berry plants to over 35,000 today Read More...
Lunchbox Drives Up Free Summer Meal Participation
Good news; Vermont ranks third in the country for serving free summer meals to children. Bad news; Vermont is still only reaching 33.3 percent of the children who qualify for free or reduced lunch during the school year. Read More...
Coupon Program Helps Low-Income NEK Residents
The final report for the Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Coupon Program, compiled by Wholesome Wave based off of information collected by the University of Vermont Center for Sustainable Agriculture, has been released by Green Mountain Farm-to-School (GMFTS). Read More...
GMFTS Plants School Gardens Across the Kingdom
For the past three weeks, Green Mountain Farm-to-School (GMFTS) has been helping schools plant school gardens across the Northeast Kingdom. Between farm-to-school and after-school programs, GMFTS helped to plant over 20 school gardens this spring which the students from the school will then harvest in the fall and be able to eat in their cafeteria. Read More...
The Lunchbox Serves up Free Summer Meals in the NEK
The Lunchbox food truck, through Green Mountain Farm-to-School, will be on the road again this season serving free meals to kids 18-years-old and younger and offering food education beginning June 15. Read More...
Fun and Games at the Summer Block Party in Newport
The 3rd Annual Summer Block Party in the Kingdom, a free community-wide event, will be held June 16 from 3 PM to 6 PM at Gardner Park in Newport. Kids 18-years-old and younger will be treated to a free meal from the Lunchbox food truck. Read More...
Butterworks Farm: Happy, Organic Soil and Cows
“The way we see the world is because of organic farming,” says Jack Lazor, owner and operator of Butterworks Farm in Westfield, Vt. “Having a relationship with the earth has a huge impact on the way you make decisions; everything from what you eat to how you care for things.” Read More...
Lyndon State College Recognizes Sims for GMFTS Work
Lyndon, Vermont – Katherine Sims was awarded the Presidential Medal of Distinction by Lyndon State College President Joe Bertolino during the college’s commencement ceremony on Sunday, May 15. Sims was honored for her work as founder and executive director of Green Mountain Farm-to-School. Read More...
EatingWell Helps Vermonters Celebrate Harvest of the Month
EatingWell, an award-winning national consumer magazine based out of Shelburne, Vt., has teamed up with Green Mountain Farm-to-School and Vermont Harvest of the Month to create and fund easy-to-use recipes and recipe booklets featuring each month’s celebrated harvest that will be used throughout the state to promote healthy, seasonal eating. Read More...
St. Johnsbury Academy Weekly Dinner Celebrates Local Farmers
It’s Wednesday evening at St. Johnsbury Academy and the cafeteria is set up family-style for the 270 students who are part of the school’s boarding program. This is a special meal that has taken the better part of a week to plan and the Academy’s teachers and other school staff are encouraged to attend as well. Read More...
Derby and Newport Schools Grow Curriculum in School Gardens
Science teachers from Derby Elementary School (DES) and Newport City Elementary (NCE), along with Green Mountain Farm-to-School (GMFTS), came together for last month to begin creating science curriculum that will be taught in the school garden. Read More...
Coupon Program Provides Fresh Produce for Vermonters
In September, Green Mountain Farm-to-School (GMFTS) began the Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Coupon Program, a pilot program that allowed Orleans and Essex county residents participating in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, 3SquaresVT, to purchase an additional $75 of fresh fruits and vegetables through the end of February. Read More...
The Quiet Sugarers: Kingdom Mountain Maple
Dan and Kim Backus live nestled into the foothills of the Green Mountains in Westfield, Vt., surrounded by mostly forest. They raise beef cows and grow hay in their open pastures, they cut firewood and sawlogs, and they produce a little bit of honey. Aside from Kim’s culinary prose as kitchen manager for Craftsbury Outdoor Center, the Backus’ are known in the Northeast Kingdom for something Dan has been doing for three decades – sugaring. Read More...
Coventry Chefs Compete in Culinary Cook-off for Kids
Coventry, Vermont – A mix of delicious aromas filled the air of the Champlain Valley Exposition Center on Saturday, March 19, as over 50 teams of middle school and high school students competed in the Jr. Iron Chef competition run by Vermont Food Education Every Day (FEED). Plates of locally sourced, vegetarian dishes were being chopped, sautéed, and baked into existence by students, as young as sixth grade, that had spent weeks practicing and perfecting their culinary skills.
GMFTS Founder Nationally Recognized for ‘Shaping Rural America’
Newport, Vermont – Katherine Sims, founder and executive director of Green Mountain Farm-to-School (GMFTS), is being recognized nationally through Farm Credit 100 Fresh Perspectives, a search to identify and honor 100 leaders who are changing rural communities and agriculture for the better.
AmeriCrops Growing Knowledge of Nutrition and Local Agriculture
Press contact: Shane Rogers Communications, Outreach, and Development Associate Green Mountain Farm-to-School srogers@gmfts.org | 802-334-2044 For Immediate Release Students Growing Knowledge of Nutrition and Local Agriculture Be on the lookout, AmeriCorps members serving with Green Mountain Farm-to-School [...]
Northeast Kingdom Celebrates Great Food and Drink
Press contact: Shane Rogers Communications, Outreach, and Development Associate Green Mountain Farm-to-School srogers@gmfts.org | 802-334-2044 For Immediate Release Northeast Kingdom Celebrates Great Food and Drink The 8th Annual Taste of the Kingdom, a Green Mountain Farm-to-School (GMFTS) [...]
Vermont Harvest of the Month Welcomes Newly Elected Produce
Press contact: Shane Rogers Communications, Outreach, and Development Associate Green Mountain Farm-to-School srogers@gmfts.org | 802-334-2044 For Immediate Release Simmering Tensions Cook Up Dirty HOM Election Season The votes have been tallied and despite some unsubstantiated cries of [...]
Year in Photos | Green Mountain Farm-to-School
Press contact: Shane Rogers Communications, Outreach, and Development Associate Green Mountain Farm-to-School srogers@gmfts.org | 802-334-2044 Year in Photos| Green Mountain Farm-to-School At Green Mountain Farm-to-School we are very thankful to have enjoyed a great year! We worked [...]
Berry Creek Farm: An Organic Family Affair
Press contact: Shane Rogers Communications, Outreach, and Development Associate Green Mountain Farm-to-School srogers@gmfts.org | 802-334-2044 For Immediate Release Berry Creek Farm: An Organic Family Affair A lot has changed since Rosemary and Gerard Croizet first took over Berry [...]
Join GMFTS in Celebrating #GivingTuesday!
Today is #GivingTuesday!If we receive 50 gifts today, a generous Green Mountain Farm-to-School supporter has pledged $5,000 towards the organization. Will you help us realize our goal? Together we can connect more Vermonters to healthy, affordable, and local [...]
Farm-to-School Conference Sows Ideas in Northeast Kingdom
Press contact: Shane Rogers Communications, Outreach, and Development Associate Green Mountain Farm-to-School srogers@gmfts.org | 802-334-2044 For Immediate Release Farm-to-School Conference Sows Ideas in Northeast Kingdom Green Mountain Farm-to-School (GMFTS), in collaboration with Sterling College, hosted over 100 [...]
Farming for more than just a Profit – Harvest Hill Farm
Press contact: Shane Rogers Communications, Outreach, and Development Associate Green Mountain Farm-to-School srogers@gmfts.org | 802-334-2044 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Farming for more than just a Profit – Harvest Hill Farm “The mission of the farm is to grow [...]
Farm-to-School Grows All Year in Vermont
Press contact: Shane Rogers Communications, Outreach, and Development Associate Green Mountain Farm-to-School srogers@gmfts.org | 802-334-2044 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Farm-to-School Grows All Year in Vermont Vermont- 10/19/2015 – October is National Farm-to-School Month, a nationwide celebration of farm-to-school established [...]
Northern Vermont Food Hub Refocused and Redesigned
Press contact: Shane Rogers Communications, Outreach, and Development Associate Green Mountain Farm-to-School srogers@gmfts.org | 802-334-2044 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Northern Vermont Food Hub Refocused and Redesigned Green Mountain Farm Direct (Farm Direct), the regional food hub operated by [...]
Coupons Encourage Fresh Eating in Northeast Kingdom
Press contact: Shane Rogers Communications, Outreach, and Development Associate Green Mountain Farm-to-School srogers@gmfts.org | 802-334-2044 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Coupons Encourage Fresh Eating in Northeast Kingdom Green Mountain Farm-to-School (GMFTS) is piloting a new program that allows Orleans [...]
New Faces of Green Mountain Farm-to-School
Press contact: Shane Rogers Communications, Outreach, and Development Associate Green Mountain Farm-to-School srogers@gmfts.org | 802-334-2044 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE New Faces of Green Mountain Farm-to-School Green Mountain Farm-to-School (GMFTS) welcomed five new AmeriCorps members, one returning AmeriCorps member, [...]
GMFTS pilots fresh produce coupon program at local stores
Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Coupon program, a new program piloted by Green Mountain Farm-to-School (GMFTS), will allow families receiving federal SNAP benefits, known in Vermont as 3SquaresVT, to purchase $75 worth of fresh fruits and vegetables at [...]