New England October

Ah, October in Vermont. It's the month that makes the state legendary, when the Green Mountains make their amazing transformation into the orange-yellow-red-golden-brown mountains. After dreaming of a New England fall for about two decades, I finally got to experience one. And it did not disappoint! The entire month of October was an ongoing parade of color.

Apple picking on the farm

October kicked off with my 28th birthday, which I spent at Bread and Butter Farm for the first day of my final rotation. Bread and Butter is run by Corie Pierce, an amazing farmer and incredibly down-to-earth lady. Her farm specializes in grass-fed beef and vegetables grown in her hoop houses. A big part of her production is winter greens, and we learned all about how she manages to produce fresh veggies in the dead of a Vermont winter. We did a little work in the hoop houses but spent most of the day talking about organic farming, Big Ag, cattle farming, and other various technical and philosophical aspects of agriculture. Throw in the bucolic farm setting, and it made for a pretty spectacular way to spend my birthday. That night, I celebrated with my farm friends and felt so grateful to welcome my next year of life with such incredible people.

Bread and Butter Farm

October was tinged with sadness at the imminent end of the program, but also excitement for the things to come. Early in the month my class hosted the FTP alumni reunion party, and it was wonderful to hear what students from past classes are up to now. It was also great to see how so many of them have kept in touch with each other, and I hope my class will do the same! Our final field trip of the program was to Butterworks Farm, which produces diary and grain. We spent the day with Santa Claus lookalike Jack Lazor, who has run the farm for nearly 40 years. He waxed poetic about his life as a farmer, the importance of community, and the challenges of surviving as a small farmer in a globalized food system. We were all totally enamored with him, gathering around his feet like a brood of eager grandchildren to listen to his stories. After lunch, he brought out tubs of his delicious maple yogurt and bottles of kefir, which we all devoured. In the afternoon we had fun stacking a giant wood pile in the barn for the winter. Although it was a dreary day, we were blown away by the beautiful foliage of the Northeast Kingdom, where the farm is located, and the entire day felt like a perfect cap to all that we'd learned during our time in Vermont.

An amazing day at Butterworks Farm

My dad came to visit in mid-October, and, knowing that my last couple weeks would be extremely busy, I took it as a final opportunity to play tourist around Vermont. We had a great time exploring Burlington and nearby Stowe. We shopped the farmers market (on a sadly very dreary and cold day), purchased some authentic Vermont flannel, and visited the Trapp Family Lodge. We got our fill of Vermont deliciousness, sampling local brews, cider, cheese, and concluded with a tour of the Ben & Jerry's Factory. At that point in the season, there wasn't much to show at the farm, but we enjoyed driving around admiring the changing leaves. Plus, we witnessed the first snow of the season! It was a great visit, and I'm glad all my family got a chance to come to Vermont while I was there.

Building our new toolshed

Our final week on the farm focused on a building project. A local carpenter came to guide us in the building of a new toolshed, and it was a fun project to conclude our time on the farm. For my last day at my Bread and Butter rotation, Corie made us breakfast, and we discussed more in-depth her pasture-raised cattle operation. Given her heavy clay soils, it's nearly impossible for her to grow crops on her land; because of that, cows are actually the best way for her to make the land productive. The herd migrates from pasture to pasture every few days, giving them access to fresh new grass and allowing them to roam. Their manure fertilizes and adds organic matter to the land, and their hooves aerate the soil, creating a perfect system where the cows and the land both support one another. I've always thought of large-scale beef as a cruel, dirty, unsustainable industry, but after seeing these cows, I'm convinced that you can raise cattle in a way that isn't totally destructive to the environment. In fact, Corie says that cattle are the most sustainable part of her farm. The herd is small enough to be managed effectively on the available land without polluting the air, ground, and water with their waste. They don't eat grain, so no feed is imported from large, monoculture farms. And I don't think I've ever seen a happier herd of cows. A couple of times during our rotation, we got to help move the cows to lush new pasture, and you could tell that those cows were in heaven. That is beef that I can feel good about eating.

Happy cows, happy famers

While it may be the natural progression of things, it was pretty sad to see the farm so empty and desolate at the conclusion of the season. By the end, all that remained were some Brussels sprouts, kale, and salad greens, and a cooler full of storage vegetables. If I were staying Vermont, I would have made more of an effort to save food for the winter. There's something so beautiful about preserving the bounty of summer to nourish yourself for the long, cold months. One of my biggest takeaways from this program is how good it feels to feed yourself, and I would love to get to a point where I can do so through every season. After six months of eating a hyper-local diet--the vast majority of my food I either grew myself, or was produced within the state--I am fully convinced of the joy of growing your own food, knowing your farmers, and eating local.