Local Sourcing
Although we are unable to source our honey from Vermont at present (more about that here), we are proud to support our local farming community through our Mead Hall as well as our Viking Catering Division.
Supporting local agriculture is important to a lot of people for a whole host of reasons.[1] The rationale ranges from economic to preserving traditions in rural areas to reducing green house gas emissions and everything in between.
At Vermont Craft Mead, we're no different. We like to support local agriculture because it feels good to know your farmer. It's also very important for us to support Vermont's economy directly. Food production has an out-sized environmental, social, and economic impact. Frankly, if you're interested in Drinking Your Values, you almost certainly apply the same intentionality to your food.
The data on the environmental impact of local agriculture is actually mixed. Attempting to raise livestock and grow vegetables outside of their preferred growing regions can be an extremely energy-intensive process. Furthermore, economies of scale allow for larger, more efficient processing which can, in turn, offset the green house gas emissions from transportation.
A lot of the problem simply arises from growing the wrong thing in the wrong place or at the wrong time. This is where we luck out.
Supporting local agriculture is important to a lot of people for a whole host of reasons.[1] The rationale ranges from economic to preserving traditions in rural areas to reducing green house gas emissions and everything in between.
At Vermont Craft Mead, we're no different. We like to support local agriculture because it feels good to know your farmer. It's also very important for us to support Vermont's economy directly. Food production has an out-sized environmental, social, and economic impact. Frankly, if you're interested in Drinking Your Values, you almost certainly apply the same intentionality to your food.
The data on the environmental impact of local agriculture is actually mixed. Attempting to raise livestock and grow vegetables outside of their preferred growing regions can be an extremely energy-intensive process. Furthermore, economies of scale allow for larger, more efficient processing which can, in turn, offset the green house gas emissions from transportation.
A lot of the problem simply arises from growing the wrong thing in the wrong place or at the wrong time. This is where we luck out.
What this means in practice
Vermont has a robust, environmentally-conscious agricultural community producing everything from broccoli to hogs to tilapia.
We only use Viking-era ingredients at our Mead Hall, and it just so happens that the climate of Scandinavia in the first millennium isn't too far off from modern Vermont.
Currently, the vast majority of our vegetables for the restaurant come from Lewis Creek Farm in Starksboro, Vermont. Their vegetables are amazing, and their offerings are robust. Their pricing is also reasonable enough that we can easily justify working with them on a day-to-day basis. We are also very lucky to have two local farmers' markets right here in Saint Albans, Vermont. During the summer, many of the ingredients for our company lunch come from here.
But the biggest thing that buying local does for us is...
We only use Viking-era ingredients at our Mead Hall, and it just so happens that the climate of Scandinavia in the first millennium isn't too far off from modern Vermont.
Currently, the vast majority of our vegetables for the restaurant come from Lewis Creek Farm in Starksboro, Vermont. Their vegetables are amazing, and their offerings are robust. Their pricing is also reasonable enough that we can easily justify working with them on a day-to-day basis. We are also very lucky to have two local farmers' markets right here in Saint Albans, Vermont. During the summer, many of the ingredients for our company lunch come from here.
But the biggest thing that buying local does for us is...
Seasonality
We are lucky that we can rotate our offerings at our restaurant in-sync with the season. Not only does this help us support our environmental mission by supporting farmers growing the right food in the right place at the right time, but it also supports our mission to bring back Feasting.
It is a powerful gift to have special foods and traditions that only occur once per year.
To learn much, much more about our mission, visit Join the Feast.
It is a powerful gift to have special foods and traditions that only occur once per year.
To learn much, much more about our mission, visit Join the Feast.
[1] For an in-depth qualitative study on people's views on local ag, Click Here.
