Almost exactly a month after my trip to Burlington, Vermont, I finally combed through all of my pictures and narrowed them down to a select few. And now it’s recap tiiiime!
I left for Burlington, Vermont early Sunday morning on October 8 and by 10:30 a.m. the following Tuesday, I was back in Charlotte. It was a quick trip, but a gorgeous one!
Fall in Vermont and Learning About Organic Farming
Visiting Vermont in the fall and learning about organic farming was a dream. The foliage is stunning and pops of the most vibrant reds, oranges and yellows made me wish Charlotte would hurry up and realize it was fall already when I returned home. (Thankfully Charlotte got the memo last weekend.)
I was invited to Vermont by Stonyfield Organic to learn more about the importance of organics and organic farming and after a quick flight to Washington, D.C. and another to Burlington, I found myself in Vermont a little after lunchtime on Sunday. I was greeted by sunny skies and cool breezes, colorful leaves and rolling hills. Unfortunately Sunday’s sun was the only sun I’d see during my visit, but it was a beautiful welcome to the state and sneaking peeks at Lake Champlain as the sun was setting was nothing short of breathtaking.
The trip officially began about 20 minutes after I checked into my hotel room at Hotel Vermont, so I had just enough time to throw on a sweater and check in with Ryan before heading down to the lobby. We were greeted by the two-person PR team for Stonyfield (yep, only two of them – Stonyfield employs around 350 people and I definitely thought the company was much bigger) and after emailing with Kristina and Mairead for so long (years!), it was so nice to finally meet them in person. They planned a meet-and-greet event at Dedalus, a local wine and cheese shop, and the space was warmly lit and incredibly cozy.
Our group spent a solid two hours introducing ourselves to each other and learning more about our blogging pasts, ambitions, families and more. It was such a relaxed, laidback way to ease into the trip which was wonderful. So often blogging trips are go, go, go from the minute you step off the plane, so this informal kickoff was such a treat! I had plenty of time to meet the six additional bloggers on the trip and loved learning more about all of them. Blogging for a living can feel like a strange job in my day-to-day life and I cannot overstate how nice it is to connect with people who do what I do (or something very similar) in real life.
After our mini cocktail hour, we boarded the bus back to the hotel and got ready for dinner at Juniper, a farm-to-plate inspired restaurant that focuses on local ingredients. Our private room overlooked Lake Champlain and we couldn’t resist sipping our drinks out on the terrace before our meal.
(Our group from left to right: Claire of The Kitchy Kitchen / Bev of Bev Cooks / Sonja of A Couple Cooks / Me / Emily of Small Fry Blog / Erika of Essentially Erika / Gabby of Design Mom)
Over a three-course meal served family style that included the creamiest pumpkin soup, pillowy gnocchi, fork-tender chicken and perfectly sweet apple tarts, we learned more about organic farming practices, the benefits of choosing organic and the initiatives Stonyfield takes to help conventional dairy farmers switch to organic dairy farming. While I knew about the issue of pesticides, synthetic hormones and chemicals in conventional farming, I didn’t realize that organic foods are much higher in antioxidants (20-40 percent higher!) and other nutrients. Additionally, scientists have found that soil from organic farms is better at sequestering carbon (a greenhouse gas that contributes to climate change) than conventional farms because organic soil has higher concentrations of humic acids. (These are substances in the soil that give soil its brown color and binds to the soil, making it more fertile and allowing it to retain water while assisting plants in nutrient absorption.)
Since we had a very full day ahead of us on Monday, after dinner and dessert, we all said our goodbyes and headed back to our hotel rooms where I tossed and turned but eventually fell asleep a little after midnight.
Monday
Our group was up and ready for the day a little after 7 a.m., decked out in rain jackets and wellies since the forecast told us to expect nothing but rain and clouds all day long. Unfortunately the forecast proved correct and we spent all day Monday with our hoods up and our cameras protected under ponchos and layers.
A one-hour drive northwest from Burlington brought us to Green Wind Farm, one of the family farms that supplies organic milk to Stonyfield.
We met Julie who owns the organic farm with her husband and right away we could see the passion she has for farming, her cows and cultivating high-quality pasture for her animals to graze. Because her cows are organic, they’re required to graze on pasture at least 120 days per year in addition to having year-round access to the outdoors. As part of this, her cows rotate through different grazing areas (paddocks) every day, each one saturated with lush grasses and plants. This method of farming allows the cows to feed themselves and fertilize their pastures naturally, resulting in less fossil-fuel consumption, less erosion, less air and water pollution and greater soil fertility. I was absolutely fascinated to learn more about the pasture the cows eat and on Green Wind Farm, the pasture is saturated with a myriad of plants. While the cows have preferences (they love dandelion which is a great source of vitamin C and stimulates liver activity), they will often gravitate toward different plants in the pasture depending on how they are feeling.
This just reiterated in my mind the power of the foods we eat and the way they can help and heal our bodies. During our visit to Green Wind Farm, we talked a lot about the health of organic dairy cows versus conventional dairy cows and I was shocked to learn that organic cows live twice as long and rarely seem to get sick. Organic cows cannot be treated with synthetic hormones and antibiotics which are both frequently given to non-organic farm animals to change their reproductive cycles and speed up their growth. It was really interesting for me to hear from multiple dairy farmers about the dramatic shift in their cow’s health when they switched to organic farming and pasture grazing.
Once we were officially too wet to keep trudging through the mud, Julie invited us inside her home for the most incredible homemade brunch.
Julie and her husband live in a farmhouse that was built in the 1800s and served a comforting spread of hot coffee with the best creamer I’ve ever had, fresh-from-the-oven bread with a thick slab of butter, cheesy egg casserole and a pickled beet salad. I don’t think I was the only one who couldn’t resist filling my plate more than once and loved everything. With our stomachs full and caffeine kicking in, we were ready for our next adventure and headed off to Windy Hill Farm, another family-owned organic farm that supplies milk to Stonyfield. Windy Hill is a larger farm with a herd of approximately 100 beautiful Holstein cows and even though it was pouring during our visit to Windy Hill, somehow we still had a good time!
We made it back to our hotel with just enough time to shower and change before we were off to a farm-to-table dinner featuring a spread of delicious organic produce from Philo Ridge Farm. The farm is owned by husband-wife duo Peter and Diana who purchased a run-down conventional dairy farm to save it from ruin. They transformed the farm into a fully-functioning organic farm complete with a stunning farmhouse they are currently using for organic farming education and community events. Diana was once a student of Gary Hirshberg, the founder of Stonyfield and shares his passion for organic farming. Gary actually joined us for dinner which was really amazing. (For my fellow NPR podcast lovers, you may recognize his name from his recent feature on How I Built This.) Gary was really interested in our thoughts on organic farming and choosing organic products; what information surprised us about organic farming after our farm tours, what roadblocks stand in our way from purchasing organics (the resounding answer here was price) and more. I felt honored to be included in such a lively, honest and informative discussion.
We arrived back at our hotel just before midnight and I’m pretty sure all of us crashed hard, especially since a number of us at pre-5 a.m. wakeup calls the next day. It was a whirlwind trip, but a wonderful one! Thank you so much to Stonyfield for including me! I loved fall in Vermont and learning about organic farming.
Stonyfield Organic Yogurt Giveaway
And now for a giveaway!! I’m partnering with Stonyfield to give away three months of FREE yogurt! One PBF reader will receive coupons to stock up on a wide variety of Stonyfield yogurt, whether you prefer their organic whole milk Greek yogurt, 100% Grassfed yogurt, soy yogurt, YoBaby or YoKids yogurts (Chase is still 100 percent obsessed with the mango YoBaby yogurt) or want to try their double cream yogurt (it truly tastes like dessert)! To enter this giveaway, simply leave a comment on this post telling me your favorite kind of Stonyfield yogurt or one reason why you believe it is important to choose organic food when possible.
I will randomly select a winner next Friday, November 17 at 7 a.m. (EST), when the giveaway closes. (U.S. entries only, please.) Good luck!
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I eat/use Stonyfield organic, whole milk, plain Greek yogurt almost every day! Between berries topped with yogurt, mixing it with peanut butter as a dip for apples, using it as a sour cream substitute for Mexican nights, or using it to thicken dinners like Beef Stroganoff or a creamy chicken casserole, it is the BEST and I love knowing that it is nutritious and organic. I really should try more of their products though, double cream yogurt sounds amazing!
I Love their whole milk plain yogurt! I had some for breakfast this morning 🙂
Would love to know what the creamer is you mentioned in the post? I’m always looking for a good coffee creamer.
my kids love the variety pack:)
My two kiddos love YoBaby yogurt. My daughter is obsessed with their apple yogurt and my son happily eats whatever we give him! 🙂
I love the Greek yogurt. Delicious!
I would love to try that double cream yogurt! Sounds delish!!
My kids have been eating Yobaby for years!! They love the blueberry 🙂
My son has many special needs including dietary restrictions. He’s eaten Stonyfield’s strawberry yogurt everyday for years now. I love knowing that the organic yogurt he’s eating is the best that I can provide and will help me his nutritional needs.
I absolutely love their greek yogurt, so creamy! Would really enjoy stocking up on other kinds.
After losing over 100 pounds in the last year, I have felt drawn to whole, organic foods in my journey. I believe the hormones we put into our bodies from unhealthy foods is a huge contributor in our overweight society.
I have tried several Stoneyfield products, but my favorite is the YoKids yogurt that my kids absolutely love.
My kiddos love the YoBaby yogurt. My little guy loves the apple and blueberry and my daughter will eat any yogurt! She loved the zoo packaging this summer and chose her yogurt by picking an animal! And she loved learning about them and the zoo they lived at!
I’d love to win all the YoBaby for my 16 month old. She is obsessed with yogurt.
I love Stonyfield and was happy to hear more about the company. I love to just buy their large tubs of plain whole milk yogurt, it is so versatile and my kids love to eat it with fruit stirred in!
I love their Banilla flavor yogurt for muesli! Many of the reasons I like organic dairy are mentioned in your post, including the health of the cows, and the higher level of antioxidants that come from organic dairy
My kids LOVE Stonyfield Yogurt Pouches and Drinks along with their yoTot yogurt cups. We go through so much yogurt in one week, I’m pretty sure buying stock in their yogurt might be a smart idea! Such a great informative post on the company! Thanks
It is important to choose organic everything because of all the chemicals that are used in the production of our food. I believe that is one cause of our illnesses we have as a nation.
I like their Superfruits Grassfed Greek!
Wow! This post was beautiful! I choose organic because it’s one teeny tiny way I can contribute to protecting this amazing planet!
I love their Greek yogurt! So interesting to hear about their practices at the farms!
My little guy loves the yobaby blueberry yogurt! What a fun trip!
We love the yobaby yogurts for the babies!
Greek yogurt! Love it for a protein rich snack or breakfast!
I love the organic whole milk plain yogurt!
Great explanation and love how it highlights the imports of organic, yogurt is just so versatile and can be so complex in flavor
I really love the vanilla bean Greek yogurt from Stonyfield! It’s such a perfect delish base for any toppings.
I just listened to the Podcast, How I Built This, with the creator of Stoneyfield, Gary Hirshberg. I loved learning about how they started their company and how they failed many times before they became big! With how many hormones the cow industry has put into animals, it’s so important to pick organic and let our money do the talking!
All of Stonyfield’s whole milk varieties are so beyond delicious! Plain whole milk (not Greek) is my love.
Our family includes a 3 yo and a 10 mo, both LOVE YoBaby. We buy the whole fat, vanilla in the quart containers and the YoBaby 6-packs. I enjoy the greek yogurt.
Back in 1997 when I first became more aware and proactive in protecting our environment, a more organic diet became a priority. My first organic food purchase was Stonyfield’s yogurt and I’ve been loving on it since! Thanks for sharing your visit highlights with us!
My daughter adores Stonyfield yogurt and I would stock up on the yogurt pouches that are easy for her to eat.
OH I love organic yoghurt…..Greek and the good ol’ regular style. I generally just stick to 0% fat Plain in all the sizes…large for home, single serving for taking with me…
But wow, I would love to try ALL the flavours and types if I can get it for free (:
I’m a Plain Greek. Boring, right? Looks like quite the experience, and those colors!
I love using their organic plain yogurt in my smoothies!
Love the yobaby for my 1yr old!!
I love Stonyfield yogurts! I had been eating them for years, and my son started around a year ago. He had a dairy sensitivity when I was nursing so I was hesitant to start him on yogurt but I had been told by other Mom friends that the yo baby yogurt did not cause any reaction in their babies who had the same issue. My son now eats the whole milk pouches and downs them! He sees them at the grocery store and begs for them that we usually end up opening in the store! So the pouch woth the mango and spinach is my favorite because he is getting more than dairy! Luckily, he outgrew the sensivity. I try and shop organic when I know I am eating the skin or outside. I try and get organic for my meats/poultry too after the learning that non organic may be filled with antibiotics/ steroids to bulk up the animal to have a higher yield. The trip looks so beautiful, fun, and yummy!
I buy a big ole tub of Greek vanilla bean almost weekly. So cool that you got to meet Gary Hirshberg! I’m a huge fan of How I Built This and definitely recommend the podcast! Tons of good episodes!
I like their Greek yogurt the best now, but I remember loving their regular (now grassfed, I think) yogurts as a kid. I love Stonyfield.
I love the creaminess and flavor of the grass-fed Greek super fruits yogurt and so does my 8 month old son! We go through a lot of yogurt in our household.
We love plain Greek and my twins love the whole milk plain yogurt!
I always get the plain and mix in fresh organic blueberries or strawberries. My son LOVES it!! I need to try to the different flavors!
I LOVE the stonyfield vanilla yogurt! It’s the best. Also my fiance eats yogurts two at a time so a three month supply would be awesome haha 🙂
We love Stonyfield yogurts in this house! My kids eat one everyday & my husband has one in the morning before the gym. So we would love a supply!! 🙂
I love Stonyfield plain kinds — no sugar added! Organic is especially important with dairy and always something I choose. Would love a three month supply!
My daughter loves when I freeze their yogurt “tubes” and it makes creamy-cicles!
I actually went to the University of Vermont, and I LOVE how the whole state is so dedicated to helping the environment and organic farming. My college food was very different from my peers from back home, and I feel like it has made me more aware of all of the benefits of organic food. The rain struggle is DEFINITELY real in Vermont, and not seeing the sun had an impact on me for sure, but it’s so beautiful! So glad that you enjoyed your time there!
Vanilla bean Greek is my favorite Stonyfield yogurt!
I love Greek yogurt and would stock up on all sorts of flavors! I also am pregnant with my first baby and could even stock up on some kid yogurt for him!
I’d love to buy the whole milk yogurt pouches for my son! He loves regular Greek yogurt. It would be a very special birthday surprise to win this!!
I love stoneyfield plain greek yogurt. I add honey and nuts, sometimes fresh fruit. Tastes delicious.
When I was growing up, my mom always bought “healthy” food that I thought was weird. I remember she always bought Stoneyfield yogurt and I thought we were so weird for not having what other kids had. Now, I’m finding she was just ahead of the trend:) I’m really trying to switch our food over to organic because I’m really skeptical of all the crap this is added to our food these days. Stoneyfield is often a brand I buy now when buying yogurt!