Tretap

Tretap
pristine water from vermont’s maple trees

Do you know where your bottled water comes from? as in, exactly where? which state? what town? Probably not.

Well, now you can buy water and know exactly where it comes from – the organic maple trees on Branon’s West View Maples. Yes, you read correctly – water from maple trees. Here’s where is gets even cooler.

These maple trees are tapped for their sap to make maple syrup. In the process the sap, which is what is used to make maple syrup, gets separated from the tree water. Up until now, sugar makers have been discarding this water. What a brilliant idea? Save that tree water, sell it and give the maple syrup makers another source of revenue.

And don’t worry, the water has been through a couple filters and a reverse osmosis machine before getting bottled. RIght now there are three flavors:

• Blueberry
• Cranberry
• Cucumber

At 10 calories and 5 grams of sugar a serving, this tree water is a great made in Vermont alternative to other bottled waters. Look for a new carbonated line called Vermont Tapped coming soon.

We think this is a win win win. A win for the maple sugar makers, a win for water drinkers and a win for Vermont.

Learn more about the Tretap story here  or, better get, buy a bottle at the stores listed here.

Sparkle Stories

Sparkle Stories
online audio stories for children and families

Yes, storytelling is still alive! And of course, coming to you from Vermont. Surprised? We’re not.

Every week Sparkle Stories releases a new audio story to subscribers. It’s simple – you subscribe or purchase audiobooks and get access to fun, inspiring and entertaining stories for the whole family.

In our crazy, connected world, Sparkle Stories is using technology to bring you back to a screen-free time. Partially unplug, give eyes a rest and let imaginations flourish allowing listeners to create scenes and images for themselves.

Interested? Listen to a story here.

Still not convinced? Read these testimonials. Buy for your own family or as a  great green gift for others. Have travel plans? Sparkle Stories also has accompanying printables for the Martin & Sylvia stories.

They were voted iTunes Best of 2013 by Apple for a reason!

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.

buy local. buy vermont.

This great infographic says it all.

Click to Enlarge Image

Why Buying Local is Worth Every Cent Infographic by CustomMade

vert mont perfumery

Vert Mont Perfumery
artisanal botanical perfumes

Based in the Mad River Valley, Vert Mont Perfumery makes fragrances that are designed, blended and bottled by hand. Their perfumes are made from pure organic plant essences from around the world. Each fragrance is blended to compliment a specific human experience:

• SOMA (body) – surrender to lightness of being  (pink grapefruit, fresh ginger, petitgrain bigarade, amyris & high elevation lavender)
• PSYCHE (mind) – heady intrigue & effortless travel (lemon peel, ginger lilly, clary sage, himalayan cedar & bergamot)
• EROS (desire) – An elegant notion of a love potion (mandarin, coriander, orris root, patchouli, juniper & jasmine)
• ANIMA (soul) – instinctually sensual. unleash your possibilities. (persian lime, spikenard, melissa, frankincense & ylang ylang)
• COR (heart) – tune into core emotions (sweet orange, vetiver, rosewood, cypress & moroccan rose absolute)

How can you not love the names and each tag line? So clever. These perfumes have no synthetics and Vert Mont Perfumery is committed to being environmentally friendly as well. Each perfume comes in a Miron Violet Glass bottle with a Biostone label in a hand stamped canvas bag for sleek, minimal packaging that is all recyclable or reusable.

Visit VMP’s Facebook page and website for background stories and more day to day activity. Currently available at the Warren Store in Warren Vermont, Proud Flower in Waterbury and more to come.

Vert Mont Perfumery is one to watch – with Mother’s Day around the corner, how about a bottle?

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.

starboard collection

Starboard Collection
Inspired Nautical Living

When you think of Vermont you probably think of mountains and maple syrup. Right? But there’s also a fairly large boating community across the state that enjoys our beautiful lake champlain.

The Starboard Collection is a new company based in South Burlington that makes “casual dinnerware designed with the nautical lifestyle in mind.” This new line is made from recycled materials, BPA free, non-toxic and best of all made in the USA! The full set includes a stand, tray, stackable, non-slip plates and bowls that are designed to hold the most amount of food while taking up the least amount of storage space making the set perfect for:

• your galley
• picnics
• small kitchens everywhere

Not only is this set stylish and good looking, it also comes in a bag making it easy to grab for any of your on-the-go dining needs whether on water or on land. Starboard Collection is launching March 2-5, 2013 at the International Housewares Association Show in Chicago.

We wish them bon voyage & bonne chance!

Put this “FRESH, FUN, SUSTAINABLE, STYLISH” dinnerware on your summer wish list. We’re thrilled they call Vermont home and think they’re one to watch!

mad river food hub

mad river food hub
supporting local food producers

The Mad River Food Hub in Waitsfield is a fully licensed, 40,000 sf storage, processing and distribution facility. Within Vermont, it was the first:

• for profit food hub
• shared use state-inspected meat processing facility

This is just the kind of partnering that Vermont needs to support our producers so they can continue to make and sell their made in Vermont foods for us all to enjoy. It allows small scale producers to share costs and grow their businesses. Producers can:

• rent a room by the day or weekly
• rent dry, refrigerated or frozen storage space
• become part of the weekly distribution to retail markets in vermont

Currently, the following producers are taking advantage of what the hub has to offer, you probably know of a few these and notice many are outside of the Mad River Valley:

• Kingsbury Market Garden
• Lawsons Finest
• The Vermont Meat Co.
• Knoll Farm
• Gaylord Farm
• Vermont Raw Pet Food
• Vermont Bean Crafters
• Vermont Yak
• Screamin Ridge Farm
• Starbird Fish Co
• Tannery Farm
• Rookies Root Beer
• Tonewood Maple
• Vermont Salumi
• Apple Cheek Farm
• New Village Farm
• Tangle Town Farm
• Liz Lovely Bakery
• Vermont Pub & Brewery
• Zero Gravity
• Prime Restaurant Group
• Bobcat Brewery
• Luna Bleu Farm
• North Branch Farm
• VT Whey Fed Pigs
• Winter Moon Farm
• Grow Compost

This food hub is a win win for producers, consumers and the Vermont economy.

Thank you Mad River Food Hub for doing your part in supporting local business and bringing these made in Vermont products to a store near us!

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.