Yak It To Me!

Yak It To Me!
Vermont Yak Wagon & Mobile BBQ

Did you know yak meat is one of “the planet’s greenest red meats”? Red meat does get a bad rap because of it’s high use of energy, pesticides, land, water pollution and overall impact on global warming. But yaks are smaller than cows, eat less grass and take up less space. And the meat itself? well it’s lean, nutritious and tastes delicious too. If you love red meat, why not switch to sustainable yak meat?

Now after a successfully funded Kickstarter campaign and meat from yaks around New England, Yak It To Me! is bringing yak meat to Vermonters around the state.

Doesn’t a yak-burger on a Vermont bun with Vermont cheese and locally grown veggies sound good? Or how about a yak-dog or a yak-sausage? How much more local can you get?

Look for the Yak It To Me! mobile cart at the Waitsfield Farmer’s Market on Saturdays as well as around Burlington and festivals around the states. Follow them on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram to find their summer schedule.

As they say, “Once you go yak, you never go back.”

On the 12th day of Vermont Christmas

On the 12th day of Christmas my true love sent to me

12 Deals a waiting

11 Darns a toughing

10 Mustard munchies

9 Wallets penning

8 Meals a training

7 Skida sporting

6 Girls a coding

5 Peanut Butters

4 Douglas Sweets

3 Red Kite’s

2 Laughing Moons

and a Fat Toad in a Maple Tree

big picture farm

big picture farm
a vermont goat dairy & farmstead confectionery

Based in Townsend, Big Picture Farm is the home to almost 30 Saanens, Alpines and floppy-eared Nubians. Yes, we’re talking goats and these lucky guys get to roam freely around the farm eating what’s in season. Imagine their diet:

Spring – wild chocolate mint, clover, honeysuckle and other wildflowers
Summer – legumes and beans
Fall – crisp oak leaves, apples and ferns
Winter – white pine and hemlock saplings

And of course some premium local hay.

This varied and flavorful diet translates into milk that is “exceptionally floral and creamy” that is used to make:

– farmstead goat milk caramels
– small batch cheeses

Louisa and Lucas, the owners of Big Picture Farm, don’t mess around – their product list may be short, but their press and  award list is long:

– 2013 Good Food Awards winner
– 2012 SOFI Award for Outstanding Confection
– 2012 USDA Value-Added Producer Grant
– 2011 Winner of the BDCC/Strolling of the Heifers/Farm Business Plan Competition

And Louisa and Lucas aren’t just farmers. They’re also artists. Learn more about them and their journey on their blog, “Farm Weather”.

With their charming logo, packaging and commitment to their mission, Big Picture Farm is a farm to celebrate and support.

They get the big picture.

Kimball Brook Farm

Kimball Brook Farm
Vermont Organic Dairy: Good for the Land, Good for You

Not all milk is created equal.

Kimball Brook Farm is an organic dairy and creamery that not only cares about it’s girls but also about our environment and you! Their milk and creams are premium products and include:

• whole milk
• 2% milk
• 1% milk
• skim milk
• cream-top whole milk
• whole chocolate milk
• 1% chocolate milk ***(favorite)
• heavy cream
• half & half

Do you know how good milk is for you? It’s rich in omega-3 fatty acids, protein and cancer fighting CLA’s. And when it’s organic – even better.

Kimball Brook Farm’s herd of 200 Jerserys and Holsteins  live on 965 acres in Ferrisburgh, Vermont near the shores of Lake Champlain. These cows actually live outside in the fields, exercising 12 months a year enjoying the land, the views and the fresh air. They graze seven of those months and eat organic hay the rest of the year. With such a high quality of life, these girls make great milk.

It’s no wonder Kimball Brook Farm won the Vermont Dairy Farm of the Year Award in 2011!

The next time you’re drinking that glass of milk or pouring one for your child, think about where the milk came from. Do you know?

We’re lucky to be in Vermont where we have fresh, organic choices right around the corner. Go organic! Go Kimball Brook Farm!

Ask for it.

vermont sail freight project

the vermont sail freight project
farm to plate, powered by sail

Created by Erik Andrus, a farmer in Ferrisburgh, Vermont, The Vermont Sail Freight Project is a carbon neutral transport initiative connecting the farms and forests of Vermont with the lower Hudson Valley. Bringing our amazing made in Vermont products all the way to the big Apple on a boat? YES! How Vermont is that?

This boat  will bring that made in Vermont, natural freshness right down the river to the lucky consumers in New York City and all carbon neutral. What a great idea. Not new, just great to be going back to our roots.

And this sailing barge won’t be coming back to Vermont empty. It’ll be filled with goods. Yes, we do make a lot of what we need in Vermont except for maybe a handful of staples such as olive oil, chocolate, sugar and coffee, to name a few. Carbon neutral up the river they’ll come.

This is a win-win and one to watch.

And by the way, Erik’s a rice farmer and a lot more. Check out Vermont Rice, Boundbrook Farm & Good Companion Bakery. No need to be putting any rice or bread on that sailing barge as it heads north again.

three revolutions

Three Revolutions
put your money where your mouth is

So by now everyone has heard of kickstarter, right? well, Three Revolutions is similar to kickstarter but it’s focus is food. And for those of us who love Vermont, want to buy Vermont, Three Revolutions is based in Vermont! They “fund food through community” and it is the first crowdfunding platform focused on farm and food related projects.

Not sure how it works? Take a look here where they outline the process:

• planters sow ideas
• pollinators spread the word
• cultivators fund planters so they can grow their ideas to fruition

We all have to eat. So why not go and take a look at the current projects and consider funding a food innovator that will bring something good to your table or town?

Will you be a planter, a pollinator or a cultivator?

green mountain mustard

Green Mountain Mustard
Gourmet Mustard Made in the Mountains of Vermont

These are no ordinary mustards. Not only are they rich and creamy, they’re also made in Vermont using local ingredients:

• Eggs from local family farm
• Butter from Vermont Cabot Coop farmers
• Maple syrup from local  farms
• Yellow mustard seeds from Clear Brook Farm in Shaftsbury

Every one of their flavors are distinct and delicious:

• Barn Burner
• Garlic Oregano
• Sweet Hot (original flavor)
• Wholegrain Mustard
• Horseradish

The Green Mountain Mustard story is similar to other made in Vermont products that got their start at local farmer’s markets – at their second market they sold their 24 jars in less than 30 minutes! That was in 2010. Today you can find their mustards in over 70 stores nationwide.

Dip pretzels in their mustard, smother your meats or fish with their mustard, use it in salad dressings or in any of these recipes! Good mustard can be used in so many ways!

How can you not switch over to Green Mountain Mustard? And turn on someone else while you’re at it. Can you say party gift? stocking stuffer?

vermont smoke and cure

Vermont Smoke and Cure
Made from scratch in Vermont

Based just outside Burlington in Hinesburg, Vermont Smoke and Cure makes some of the best (possibly the best) smoked meats! They’ve been at it for more than 50 years, smoking meats the old fashion way with only with pure ingredients (yes, including Vermont maple syrup). They really do make everything from scratch!

Think everything pigs. Vermont pigs:

Bacon – 5 knives, natural thick sliced
Hams – uncured half steaks
Peperoni – smoked, of course
Sausages – breakfast, maple, summer, hot & sweet italian

When you eat bacon, or any other pork product for that matter, ever think where it came from? Vermont Smoke and Cure only uses Vermont grown pork from farmers who treat them well – living in open pastures and eating grains and legumes. No hormones! No farrowing crates! These are happy pigs!

Just like they say on their cool website, their meats truly are full of flavor and “Damn fine!”

With the holidays around the corner,  Vermont Smoke and Cure has “7 sweet and delicious stocking stuffers”, according to Real Simple Magazine. Our favorite – the Vermontavore Box!

Buy local. Buy Vermont. Eat local.

vermont brownie company

vermont brownie company
the gourmet brownie that’s down to earth

think about it, when’s the last time you ate a brownie that was not made from a mix in a box? have you ever had a made-from-scratch brownie? if you had, you’d know. they are much better. and how about a made-from-scratch-with-local-vermont-ingredients? ever had a vermont brownie company brownie?

if not, it’s time. not only are their brownies made from local, wholesome, farm-fresh, all natural ingredients; they are original as well. check out this list of flavors:

• apple blondies – apples, cinnamon, homemade maple toffee
• blondies – triple chunk – white, milk, dark
• dark chocolate chèvre – cream cheese with vermont butter and cheese chèvre. yes, you read it correctly – goat cheese in a brownie!
• espresso dulce de leche – green mountain coffee roasters dark roast espresso with swirls of homemade milk caramel. omg.
• maple toffee crunch – it’s all in the name
• peanut butter
• signature – dark, dark, dark
• walnut chunk – walnuts, chocolate chunks, sea salt
• white chocolate raspberry – seasonal

try them on their own or with ice cream. and make sure to spread the vermont brownie company love with:

• baby gifts
• house gifts
• wedding favors
• event favors
• brownie of the month
• holiday gifts

the testimonials are impressive. your mouth will be watering as you read. our favorite vermont brownie company moment in the news is their throwdown with bobby flay – it was their dark chocolate chèvre that got his attention – take a look – just awesome!

so what are you waiting for? buy a box of these homemade brownies today.

you deserve it.

yolo snacks

yolo snacks
gourmet ready to eat popcorn

on their homepage they say that “yolo” is a made up word. well, technically it is – but nowadays many know yolo to be the acronym for you only live once!

it’s perfect. you do only live once. so, if you’re a popcorn fanatic like steve and peter, the yolo guys, then you should be eating yolo popcorn. it’s fresh iowa popcorn popped in vermont and tossed with
“the best and purest vermont flavors” the yolo guys could find. their flavors include:

• original
• maple
• cheese
• hot chocolate

cleverly packaged in a clear bag, you can see exactly what you’re getting with this popcorn. all their popcorn is:

• gluten free
• whole grain
• trans fat free
• 100% natural

you can order online or find yolo snacks at any of these stores (and there are plenty).

yolo – so try a bag today!