On-Farm Tastings & Special Menus: Open Farm Week 2019

For seven days in August (9th – 15th), farms around Vermont open up their doors to the public for a unique on-farm experience. With 40+ farms hosting over 70 events during open farm week, there’s a lot going on!

Some of the coolest (and most delicious) experiences are the on-farm tastings. At these special events, you’ll find breathtaking views, warmhearted people, and of course, farm-fresh food and drink experiences. Check out the farms below to find a unique tasting event near you during Open Farm Week!


 

Friday, August 9th

Smokey House Center, Danby

“Bulldog Bites” Food Truck & Summer Soiree

5:30pm – 7:30pm | Enjoy an evening at Smokey House Center and support Burr and Burton Academy’s new food truck, “Bulldog Bites,” which will feature menu options using veggies from Yoder Farm and beef from Dorset Peak Jerseys. Relax in a beautiful place, walk around the pond, and enjoy a tour of their education garden and produce fields. 

Philo Ridge Farm, Charlotte

Stonecutter Spirits Garden Party

4:00pm – 8:00pm | Local distillery Stonecutter Spirits, a woman-led craft distillery making thoughtful gin and whiskey on the edge of the mountains in rural Vermont, will be serving garden-inspired cocktails in the market of Philo Ridge Farm.

Green’s Sugarhouse, Poultney

Farm Tour

10:00am – 4:00pm | Visit Green’s Sugarhouse for free guided maple tours, starting at the tree and ending at the table. Samples of Green’s award-winning maple products and maple cotton candy will be provided.

Arlington Village Farmers Market, Arlington

Sugar on Snow

4:00pm – 7:00pm |Visit the Arlington Village Farmers Market on Maple Day to learn more about making maple syrup and enjoy complimentary snow cones with pure Vermont maple syrup!

Silloway Maple Sugarhouse, Randolph

Pancake Supper

5:00pm – 7:00pm |Head to Silloway Maple Sugarhouse for breakfast for dinner featuring maple syrup fresh from the farm. Tour the sugarhouse, take a hayride, pet the farm animals, and hike out to the sugar woods to see the sap lines.

Green Mountain Girls Farm, Northfield

Farm Supper, Tour, & Concert

5:30pm |Treat yourself to a farm-to-table meal at Green Mountain Girls Farm and then enjoy a great live performance from Scrag Mountain Music in their signature participatory style.

Maple Wind Farm, Richmond

Fried Chicken Dinner

5:30pm – 8:00pm |Feast on delicious fried chicken with organic salads, cornbread, and lemonade! In addition to dinner, live music, a local dessert vendor, and lawn games will make for a great evening at the farm.

Bread and Butter Farm, Shelburne

Mozzarella Making 101

5:30pm – 7:30pm |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!


 

Saturday, August 10

Philo Ridge Farm, Charlotte

Bluegrass, Beers, & Brats

5:00pm – 9:00pm | Sip on some beer from Zero Gravity and enjoy a bratwurst for dinner at Philo Ridge Farm. While you eat, listen to The Meatpackers, a local band that will be playing popular bluegrass hits!

Green’s Sugarhouse, Poultney

Farm Tour

10:00am – 4:00pm | Visit Green’s Sugarhouse for free guided maple tours, starting at the tree and ending at the table. Samples of Green’s award-winning maple products and maple cotton candy will be provided.

Brookfield Bees, Brookfield

Honey Tasting

11:00am – 3:00pm | Visit Brookfield Bees to taste honeys from their extensive collection. Meet the beekeeper, see an observation hive, and find out why honey from the supermarket just cannot compete.

Butterworks Farm, Westfield

Smoothie Stand & Farm Tour

11:00am – 4:00pm | Tour the barns and fields at Butterworks Farm and then try a superfood smoothie made with local veggies and fruits, as well as yogurt and kefir from Butterworks!

Cate Hill Orchard, Greensboro

Cheese Tasting & Farm Tour

3:00pm | Take a tour of the permaculture orchard at Cate Hill and then sample several of their sheep cheeses, both raw milk and fresh.

Snug Valley Farm, East Hardwick

Evening Pasture Walk & Burger Night

5:00pm – 8:00pm | Take a guided pasture walk with the Nottermanns at Snug Valley Farm and learn more about soil health and regenerative agriculture. Visit with the steers, pigs, and sheep and then gather at the farmhouse for burgers on the grill.

Rebop Farm, Brattleboro

Burger Night

6:00pm | Join Rebop Farm for a relaxed and fun night of grass-fed burgers and fresh sides from the garden, like pickles and new potato salad! All proceeds will benefit our NOFA Share Fund, which helps subsidize CSA shares for lower-income Vermonters.


 

Sunday, August 11th

Chandler Pond Farm, South Wheelock

Farm-A-Que

10:00am – 3:00pm |Head up to the Northeast Kingdom to explore Chandler Pond Farm. Hop on a hay wagon tour of the farm and then work up an appetite blueberry picking. Your family will love the farm-a-que lunch featuring grass-fed burgers and farm fresh sides!

Brookfield Bees, Brookfield

Honey Tasting

11:00am – 3:00pm | Visit Brookfield Bees to taste honeys from their extensive collection. Meet the beekeeper, see an observation hive, and find out why honey from the supermarket just cannot compete.

Earthwise Farm & Forest, Bethel

Tour & Snack

1:00pm – 3:00pm | Take an in depth tour and see the many enterprises at Earthwise Farm & Forest from pastured livestock operations and vegetable and flower gardens to their off-grid home, and more. The tour will conclude with a farm-fresh snack.


 

Monday, August 12th

Lavender Essentials of Vermont, Derby

Tea Blending Class

5:30pm |Explore the farm while collecting lavender and other herbs to make your own tea blend, then finish the class with a cup of your creation!


 

Tuesday, August 13th

Cate Hill Orchard, Greensboro

Georgian Farm Feast

5:00pm – 9:00pm| Celebrate the bounty and beauty of summer with a spectacular Georgian feast at Cate Hill Orchard. The meal will include their own farm grown veggies, organic fruits and berries, sheep cheese, and grass-fed lamb. Dine beneath the trees in the old farmstead apple orchard.


 

Wednesday, August 14th

Headwaters Produce Farm, Hinesburg

Dinner & Movie

6:00pm| Join Hinesburg’s veteran-owned and operated Headwaters Farm for Dinner and a Movie Night, featuring food from Pie Empire, beer from 14th Star Brewery, and a special screening of the award-winning film Biggest Little Farm.

Boston Post Dairy, Enosburg

Summer Family Fun Day

11:00am – 2:00pm |Take your family to Boston Post Dairy for some kid-friendly fun. Hang out with their chickens and goats and taste their award-winning goat cheese. There will also be face painting for the kids! 

Rebop Farm, Brattleboro

Cheesemaking in the Farm Kitchen

4:00pm – 6:00pm | This hands-on cheese making class using Rebop Farm’s raw cow’s milk is designed to be useful for adventurous home cooks and folks that want to buy directly from farmers! You’ll make butter, ricotta, and mozzarella, and crème fraîche or yogurt if time permits.

Free Verse Farm, Chelsea

Tour & Arepas

4:00pm – 6:00pm | Enjoy views of Chelsea and a tour of the herb fields at Free Verse Farm. Learn about the farm’s history, growing practices, and more. Afterwards, have some refreshing iced tea and homemade arepas from the Moon & Stars food cart.

Meeting Place Pastures, Cornwall

Celebrate Your Farmer Social

5:30pm – 7:30pm | Join NOFA-VT for a Celebrate Your Farmer Social. Enjoy wood-fired pizza made with place-based ingredients from the farm, take a tour, and learn more about the farmers at Meeting Place Pastures!


 

Thursday, August 15th

Homestead Hops, Starksboro

Tour & Taste

4:00pm – 8:00pm| Take a walk though the trellised two-acre hop yard at Homestead Hops and sip beer made by breweries that use hops grown in that very yard– Hogback Mountain Brewing, Hired Hand Brewing Co., Foam Brewers, and Lawson’s Finest Liquids. Be sure to also taste honey infused with hops from Ariel’s Honey Infusions.

Trillium Hill Farm, Hinesburg

Trail Run & Burger Night

6:00pm – 9:30pm | Take a guided running tour of Trillium Hill Farm, though meadows and forests, past the historic sugarhouse, through a hoop house, and into the market garden. After, enjoy a farm-produced meal of burgers and salad and music from The Insiders Band.

North Meadow Farm, Manchester Center

Tour & Cheese Samples

4:00pm – 7:00pm | Explore North Meadow Farm, interact with the animals in the dedicated petting area, and enjoy samples of the cheeses they have made and aged on sight in their cheese cave paired with locally sourced wines.

Last Resort Farm, Monkton

Pizza Dinner & Garlic Braiding Workshop

5:00pm – 7:00pm | Adults and children are invited to learn how to make their own garlic braids at Last Resort Farm. After the workshop, enjoy a delicious flatbread dinner made with veggies fresh from the farm!

West Farm, Cambridge

Celebrate Your Farmer Social

5:30pm – 7:30pm | Join NOFA-VT for a Celebrate Your Farmer Social. Enjoy wood-fired pizza made with place-based ingredients from the farm, take a tour, and learn more about the farmers at West Farm! Get there early for a wash-pack efficiency tour starting at 4:30pm.

Source: Dig in VT Trails