Independent Farms in the Intervale
Fresh, organic produce for Burlington consumer
There are three categories of farms that operate in the Intervale. Incubator farms are the newest farms and receive business planning support, mentoring and reduced prices for land and equipment. Enterprise Farms have operated for at least three years. Mentor Farms are mature farms who have been operating in the Intervale for at least five years and take on the role of mentoring incubator farms. All Intervale farms use organic practices.
Intervale Farmers sell their produce through a variety of markets — wholesale, farmers’ markets, retail stores, and CSA’s (Community Supported Agriculture). Joining a CSA involves purchasing a farm share at the beginning of the season and receiving a season’s worth of produce in exchange. For more information about CSA’s, click here.
New farmers are welcome to apply. Contact Mandy Davis (802) 660-0440 ext. 108 or .
Contact individual farms for brochures and information.
Independent Farms operating in the Intervale,
on land leased from the Intervale Center
Click on a farm’s name for more information
Adam’s Berry Farm
Adam’s Berry Farm is a thriving community oriented farm that grows delicious certified organic strawberries, blueberries, and raspberries. This marks our sixth season at the Intervale cultivating berries in a unique urban agricultural environment. Our Pick Your Own is open from June to the middle of October, beginning with strawberries and ending with fall bearing raspberries. Our 20 varieties of strawberries, 9 varieties of blueberries, and 4 varieties of raspberries can also be found at local markets and restaurants throughout Burlington. As the season progresses, look for our fresh preserves in select markets and at the farm. The support of the Intervale environment allows us to flourish as the only full-scale organic berry farm within city limits. We are fully committed to providing fresh, local, and healthy fruits to the Burlington region. We invite you to the farm with your friends and family to enjoy the fresh berry harvest at our Pick Your Own and walk and bike the numerous trails at the beautful Intervale. Come watch us grow!
Arethusa Collective Farm
Arethusa Collective Farm, Inc. is a worker-owned cooperative operated by Thomas Case and Ben Dana. The farm was established in 2001. We are certified by Vermont Organic Farmers, LLC, the USDA accredited certification program of NOFA-VT. The farm produces a mix of vegetable crops: mesclun, carrots, red and gold beets, celeriac, cucumber, lettuce, eggplant, tomato, parsley, spinach, and winter squash as well as a variety of crops for the farmers market. The farm markets its products to local grocery stores (City Market, Healthy Living, Shelburne Supermarket) and restaurants (Stone Soup, NECI’s Inn at Essex, Cannon’s, Sweetwaters, and other establishments). We also sell at the Burlington Farmers Market on Saturdays May thru October. We supply produce to the NOFA-VT Senior Share Program. We also sell produce through the Deep Root Cooperative. We are no longer offering our CSA site delivery program. As an alternative we are offering a pre-paid coupon redeemable at the farmers market. We also offer a worker-barter program to a limited number of eager, hard-working individuals who commit to four hours a week of labor in exchange for food. At this point we do not offer an apprenticeship program.
Diggers’ Mirth Collective Farm
S’ra De Santis, Hilary Martin, & Hayden Boska
Diggers’ Mirth was founded in 1992 and currently has five members farming 10 acres. This is a worker-owned and operated farm. The name Diggers’ Mirth was derived from a British agrarian collective that operated in the mid-1600s. The original Diggers reclaimed abandoned land to grow food for themselves and the poor. All collective members taking part in the farm have an equal voice in its operation. Each year Diggers’ Mirth cultivates approximately 2/3 of the field and cover crops the other portion to ensure soil regeneration, growing over 25 types of vegetables and fruits. Their most popular and focus crops are mesclun and carrots. The Diggers sell to City Market, Healthy Living, American Flatbread, Mirabelles, and Trattoria Delia.
Franklin Heyburn’s Bees
Bees are very important to vegetable growers, and Franklin is helping to pollinate the Intervale’s crops along with the flowers. Bees help cross-pollinate plants and increase production. Plus, they need the pollen to make honey. It’s a win-win relationship. Franklin has hives sprinkled throughout the Intervale and distributes his honey to a variety of markets.
Full Moon Farm
We operate a 14-acre NOFA-certified organic farm committed to the premise of Community Supported Agriculture, or CSA. In 2008 we are expanding to produce 250 shares for the CSA member-households in the Burlington area. We will also be buying a 150 acre farm in Hinesburg so that our production will continue to grow in the coming years. We are considering adding our own poultry this year, with eggs, beef and fruits in coming years.
FMF is owned and managed by the husband and wife team of David Zuckerman and Rachel Nevitt. Now entering our 10th year, the farm thrives from much hard work and diversification. In addition to CSA, Full Moon Farm starts the season selling bedding plants, wholesales to healthy markets, and is a regular presence on the side strip at the Saturday Burlington’s Farmers’ Market. In 2008 we will be reducing our PYO strawberry operation hours. Please call for our specific reduced hours.
We are excited for the future with our farm. As the demand for local produce and other foods continues to grow we hope to grow and diversify further to meet our customers wishes.
Intervale Community Farm
We are a 500-member household, not-for-profit, member-owned community-supported agriculture (CSA) farm that began in 1990. Farming 35 acres, we grow about 20 acres of organic vegetables, herbs, flowers, and berries for our member households. All produce is distributed at the Farm in the Intervale where members are given the opportunity to enjoy the bounty of the land first hand. ICF is committed to providing excellent quality organic food at a good consumer value in a sustainable and participatory manner. For information on membership or operations, please contact Intervale Community Farm.
Half Pint Farm
As small as the name suggests, Spencer and Mara cultivate one acre. Half Pint is dedicated to growing high-quality baby vegetables, micro-greens, herbs, and cut flowers. The bio-intensive methods Half Pint uses are designed to build a healthy soil, while providing high yield. They have experimented with these methods, utilizing them in a variety of climates, from the tropical South Pacific as U.S. Peace Corps volunteers to the high plains of Colorado, to graduate school in agro-ecology in Western Pennsylvania. Half Pint sells produce at several farmers markets and local restaurants and catering companies.
Lucky Ladies Organic Egg Farm
Lucky Ladies Egg Farm is a small-scale pastured poultry operation selling fresh organic eggs and is owned and operated by John and Lauren Cleary. Raised on the certified organic pastures of the Intervale, these happy hens provide Burlington with the freshest free-range eggs around. The birds are fed 100% organic feed and spend most of their days foraging for bugs, grass, and seeds. The chickens also fertilize the fields as they rotate through them – providing nutrients for the organic vegetable crops that will follow. During warm weather the hens are housed in movable coops built on hay wagon frames. The coops are surrounded by portable electric poultry netting, allowing a flexible grazing arrangement and giving them free access to the pastures 24 hours each day. For the winter months, the birds are housed in one of the Intervale Community Farm greenhouses. Pasturing the chickens provides several key advantages, including more natural living conditions (less stress on the animals), more nutritious eggs (higher Vitamin E and beta-carotene and less cholesterol) and more sanitary conditions due to the natural spreading of nutrients on the pastures. The flock is made up of brown egg laying breeds including Barred Rock, Rhode Island Reds, and Black Australorps. These older breeds are slightly larger than typically found in the commercial poultry industry and as a result; they are hardier and well adapted to outdoor conditions. Stop by and visit them on your next trip to the Intervale! Lucky Ladies fresh eggs are available from City Market, through the Intervale CSA’s, and directly from a self-serve egg stand in Burlington.
Open Heart Farm
Owned and managed by the husband-and-wife team of Rachel Daley and Josh May, Open Heart Farm is a 2-acre vegetable, flower and herb farm. Rachel and Josh are looking forward to their third season operating a CSA farm at the Intervale. In addition to providing nourishing, beautiful produce to many local families directly, they also sell at the Shelburne Farmers Market throughout the summer season. They are committed to ethical and affirmative farming practices and use only organic methods and bio-dynamic applications on their farm.
Pitchfork Farm
This 2+ acre farm, named for their spokesdog, Pitch,
grows heirloom and staple vegetables for Burlington
markets and the greater Chittenden area. They sell to
restaurants and grocery stores in the region,
including Quatre, American Flatbread, Smokejacks,
Bistro Sauce, Healthy Living and Shelburne Market.
Starting this year, they will be selling into the
Intervale Center's Food Basket multi-farm CSA, as well
as to Fletcher Allen Hospital. Due to their
relatively small size and built in flexibility,
Pitchfork Farm is available this year to provide fresh
produce to your summer parties and barbecues (quantity
minimums apply). Call or email with questions.
Eric and Molly farm with an emphasis on simplicity and
a love of good food. Look for them all over, from
north end farmers markets to locally produced hot
sauces.
StrayCat FLOWER Farm
StrayCat Flower Farm is a 1.5 acre cutting garden of Vermont-hardy perennials, specialty annuals, and succession bulbs. Our collection of perennials and shrubs has been growing since we began farming in the Intervale in 1990. Our cover crop rotation includes 3 pigs, whose manuring activities do wonders for gazillions of soil-dwelling beneficials, and whose foraging helps us manage our most persistent competitive weed – the field morning glory (a.k.a. ‘bindweed’).
Look for us under our pink-top tent at the Burlington Farmers Market; during the growing season we also deliver retail bouquets twice weekly to City Market, Healthy Living, and Fresh Market. Wholesale customers currently include Stone Soup, Burlington Furniture Co., Evolution PT, and Champlain College . Check out our website to see photos of wedding and event work; and please call ahead to schedule pre-orders for pick-up out of our cooler at the farm.
Sugarsnap
Sugarsnap is a take-out restaurant and catering company owned and operated by two chefs, Katie and Kirk Fiore, and a farmer, Abbey Duke. We specialize in wholesome food made from farm-fresh, seasonal ingredients. Our menu changes frequently and the selections change with the seasons. Whenever possible, we use products that are grown on farms in Burlington’s Intervale -- much of which will come from our own farm. We lease two acres of land in the Intervale where we grow dozens of varieties of herbs, salad greens and specialty vegetables. Sugarsnap is located at 505 Riverside Avenue, at the entrance to the Intervale. Come by for a delicious, farm-fresh lunch or to pick up a healthy, fast take-home dinner!