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Dairy LAND For the past 200 years, dairy has shaped Vermont’s agricultural landscape. While the number of dairy farms has been steadily declining since the 1950s, dairy is still Vermont’s largest agricultural product by volume, and dairy farms still utilize about 80% of the farmland in the state. LABOR As of 2016, there are anContinue reading “June Harvest of the Month: Dairy”

Humans and other predatory animals have been eating eggs for millions of years. Then, about 5,000 years ago, people in Asia domesticated the first wildfowl. It was so successful that the idea spread worldwide. Later, the Egyptians developed a method to incubate eggs in heated caves, freeing up hens to lay more. In the 1940s,Continue reading “May Harvest of the Month: Eggs”

​A grain is the edible seed inside a cereal crop. These grains are comprised of four parts: the husk, the bran, the endosperm and the germ. The husk is inedible and has to be removed before it can be consumed. The bran is a thick inner covering that is made up of several layers. TheContinue reading “April 2024 Harvest of the Month: Whole Grains”

Maple syrup comes from sugar maple trees, known as senômozi to the Abenaki. Sugar maple is native across New England, parts of the upper Midwest, and Quebec– a unique bioregion known as Maple Nation. Many thousands of years ago, the Indigenous people of this region devised a way of tapping into that flow of sap,Continue reading “March 2024: Harvest of the Month Maple Syrup”

Carrots Carrots are derived from a Middle Eastern crop called Queen Anne’s Lace. This wild ancestor is also a taproot crop but has a white root. For thousands of years, the carrot was not a popular vegetable because it had a woody texture and was difficult to eat. A subspecies of this plant has beenContinue reading “February Harvest of the Month: Carrots”

Beets are native to the shores of North Africa, Europe, and the Middle East; they were first cultivated by the ancient Romans. In the 19th century, when it was found that beets could be converted into sugar, the crop’s commercial value significantly grew. Beets are a member of the Amaranthaceae family, along with chard, quinoa,Continue reading “Harvest of the Month: Beets”

Sweet Potatoes: ​Native to Central America, the sweet potato is not related to potatoes but instead is in the same family as morning glory. ​Sweet potatoes are very popular in the southern United States, and have been grown in that region since the 16th century. Although often mistaken for the yam, sweet potatoes are more flavorfulContinue reading “Harvest of the Month: December 2023”

Winter squash are a member of the Cucurbitaceae family, also known as the gourd family, along with cucumbers, summer squash (pattypan, zucchini), and watermelon. Originally, winter squash were cultivated for the consumption of their seeds only, as they had minimal, bitter-tasting flesh; over time, fleshier, fruitier varieties were developed.  For information and recipes, check out the VermontContinue reading “November Harvest of the Month”

Apples thrive in temperate climates because they need a period of cold and dormancy in order to prosper; therefore, they are not cultivated in tropical climates. Apples are in the Rosaceae (rose) family, along with almonds, cherries, peaches, pears, plums, raspberries, and strawberries. For information and ideas: http://www.vermontharvestofthemonth.org/october-2023–apples.html

Peppers are native to Central and South America. They are among the first plants to be cultivated there. Pepper seeds dating back to 5000 B.C. havebeen discovered in Mexico. Because the pepper plant is very adaptable, many different areas of the world are able to cultivate them. More info and recipes at the Harvest ofContinue reading “September Harvest of the Month: Peppers”