Farms | Littleton Food Co-op

Eat Local Month Producer Highlights 2025

August 27, 2025 By Anastasia Maher

To celebrate Eat Local Month in August 2025, we dismantled the idea that eating local is “too difficult” or “outside the normal way” by putting together suggested everyday occasions over 20 local items. We hope one of these gives you a starting point to try eating local all year long, or serves as inspiration to create your own everyday occasion to support local growers and producers.

Local Sweet Treat

Listen: We know you’re going to pick up a sweet treat from the Co-op anyways. Why not make it a LOCAL sweet treat? We have plenty of locally produced options to fill that sweet tooth fix throughout the store. Whether you’re looking for a perfectly creamy ice cream for after dinner, a lil’ chocolate to sneak between meetings, or the socially acceptable may to drink maple syrup in public (hint: it’s maple candy!), we have a local option. And remember, this is just a sneak peak into some of the local sweet treats we have! There’s plenty more waiting for you in store.

Local Date Night

Whether it’s a night in with friends or a special romantic evening at home, everything can be improved with a charcuterie board made with local ingredients. We just got restocked with Roberta’s Crooked Mile goat cheese, so make sure a sweet or savory pick of her selection is included! If you want a decadent dinner, consider a delightful dairy-free option from Shire’s Naturals (NH’s first plant-based cheese company) or a spiced up entree with the help of Wozz! Kitchen Creations. And forget ending the night with chocolate! Local food lovers know that organic strawberries are the way to anyone’s heart. Hermit Woods wine will wash it all down. Of course, these are only some of the great local date night options we have at the Littleton Co-op.

Local Breakfast in Bed

Local breakfast in bed: the dream! You can certainly take any of these local ingredients to a normal, everyday breakfast routine, but since we’re dreaming here, we’re going all out and living in lavish local luxury — without even leaving the bed. That means fluffy pancakes from Polly’s Pancake Parlor mix smothered in Mount Cabot Maple single-source Grade A syrup. Mount Cabot Maple cream (aka maple GOLD) if it’s an extra special occasion. Don’t worry, we’re not going to get sick on sweets; it’s all going to be balanced out with a couple of crispy, thick-cut strips of North Country Smokehouse bacon. Drooling yet? And of course, it’s all getting washed down with locally-roasted coffee. This morning, we’re reaching for Jenna’s Promise Roasting Co.’s Local Blend. And now you’ve just eaten breakfast and given back at the same time! Proceeds from this VT coffee company go directly to supporting the work of Jenna’s Promise, which focuses on building healthy and safe communities by reducing the burden of substance use disorder in the region. Not to mention it’s a great cup of ‘joe Not a coffee fan? Pour yourself a tall glass of Hatchland Farm milk and support one of the few remaining independent dairy farms in the area. And you know it’s good, because the Hatch family lives by the motto: “If we wouldn’t eat it ourselves, we won’t sell it to you.”

Local Packed Lunch

Since we make such a big deal out of celebrating locally produced food, you might think it’s for special occasions only. This guide especially is meant to demonstrate how you can incorporate local food into your everyday routines — like for lunchtime! A lunchbox packed with Vermont Smoke & Cure meat sticks, Port City Pretzels, Cabot Creamery cracker cuts, and a hearty sandwich on Klinger’s sourdough is definitely better than cafeteria food and your soggy leftovers in the office fridge (no shade). And we love having a local company like Bee’s Wrap focused on sustainable plastic-free packaging to perfectly compliment any local goodie.

Local Weekend Kickback

BBQs are a common weekend celebration, and we suggest firing up some Robie Farm local beef burgers and serving with a side of grilled veggies, like peppers and eggplant from 4 Corners Farm. If family and friends can’t make it for a gathering, at least take a moment to do a cheers to a great summer — a can of Wildbloom and new Woodstock lemonade for the non-drinkers would be our suggestions. If all else fails, chillin’ on the couch with some Wrap City chips (2 bags per person should be enough?) is a completely valid option. What’s everyone’s summer weekend plans shaping up to be? Consider closing out the week with one of these great local products!

Producer Spotlight: Strafford Organic Creamery

January 27, 2025 By Anastasia Maher

Producer: Strafford Organic Creamery

Founder/Owner: Earl Ransom and Amy Huyffer

Location: Strafford, VT

Found at the Littleton Co-op: Ice cream, milk, eggnog (seasonal)

Website: Facebook Page

Our modern day food systems were built on the backs of People of Color (POC), particularly the Black community, without making room to acknowledge their important contributions. During the month of February, celebrated as Black History Month, we take intentional moments to celebrate Black entrepreneurs, inventors, and businesses that have shaped the way we eat, drink, and live. Supporting a vibrant and diverse producer network is a yearlong goal of the Littleton Co-op, and we are proud to highlight BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, and People of Color) voices. Read more about Littleton Co-op’s Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) work here.

Strafford Organic Creamery– steered by Earl Ransom, Amy Huyffer, and family– at Rockbottom Farm, is a living legacy in Vermont. As the one remaining dairy farm left in Strafford, VT, down from over two dozen in the town’s previous life, there’s a lot of pressure on them. Add the fact that Earl is one of three Black dairy farmers in Vermont*, and the spotlight shines brighter. But in Earl’s experience, “Being Black in Vermont has always been interesting, because it’s existing in a place people don’t expect you to be, no matter your profession.”

No matter the pressures that may or may not be on them, Strafford Organic Creamery is not one to succumb to doing anything any way other than what’s best for their Guernsey cows, their land, or their planet. They’ve been bottling their milk in glass since 2001 and haven’t looked back. Yes, plastic would be cheaper, and doesn’t require constant bottle return solicitations, but it’s nowhere near as sustainable. This goes hand in hand with their decision to remain a standalone farm, which means they do their own bottling on site. This means the Ransom family are the ones directly overseeing the process and setting their own standards. Their cows –with names like Pomegranate, Naan, and Larkspur– roam on organic, diversified pasture for 22 hours a day. Amy sums it up best: “I’ve thought about quitting every day, but I’ve never thought about compromising our values.”

Learn more about Strafford Organic Creamery on That’s Rad Episode 45: Strafford Organic Creamery where Amy Huyffer talks with the Co-op about life on the farm, Vermont’s dwindling dairy industry, and their mouth-watering ice cream.

*according to 2017 US Department of Agriculture census data

Fire Cider Recipe from Heartsong Farm Wellness

January 13, 2025 By Anastasia Maher

We were fortunate enough to host Grace Phillips of Heartsong Farm Wellness Center at the Littleton Co-op in January 2024 to lead a class on fire cider. Participants learned about typical fire cider ingredients and the benefits of this beloved tonic. While herbalist Rosemary Gladstar has the best known recipe for fire cider, it has truly evolved to be more of a concept than an exact recipe after years of adaptation in the herbalism and wellness communities. That being said, you can truly make this your own, so don’t fret about exact measurements or the need to substitute or omit an ingredient. After all, you’re the one who is going to be consuming it, so make it to your enjoyment.

Whatever ingredients you want to include in your fire cider, make sure to grab them here at the Littleton Co-op! We have the North Country’s best selection of local organic produce (often on sale!) to make your fire cider shine. Below is the recipe Grace shared during the Co-op’s fire cider making class:

Ingredients

 ½ gallon raw apple cider vinegar
 2 Onions (yellow preferred), chopped
 1 Lemon, zested and juiced
 2-3 Cayenne Peppers, chopped
 1 Fresh Ginger Root, grated
 1 Fresh Horseradish Root, grated
 2 bulbs Garlic, crushed or chopped
 Small jar of raw Honey

Equipment

 ½ gallon glass mason jar
 1 correct size lid (ideally the plastic ‘no spill’, but regular metal lid is fine)
 Cheese grater
 Paring Knife
 2 Cutting Boards
 4 small bowls
 Small and large spoons
 Parchment or wax paper
 Cheesecloth or strainer
 Paring Knife
 2 Cutting Boards
 4 small bowls
 Small and large spoons

Place your desired amounts (or all of each) of the onion, lemon zest, lemon juice, cayenne peppers, ginger, and horseradish into the canning jar. Cover with apple cider vinegar by two to four inches. If using a metal canning jar lid, place a piece of parchment or wax paper under the lid to prevent the vinegar from touching the metal. Shake well. Store in a dark, cool place for one month and shake daily during that time.

After one month, use a cheesecloth or strainer to separate the solid ingredients and any pulp from the liquid, pouring the vinegar liquid into a clean jar. Add honey to taste and balance out the fiery ingredients. 1/4 cup honey is a good place to start. Stir honey into vinegar until incorporated. Taste and continue adding honey until reaching desired sweetness level. The mixture should taste spicy, hot, and sweet (if desired).

Fire cider can keep for several months unrefrigerated and in a cool pantry, but it is best kept in the fridge. Use as a daily wellness tonic, or as a sauce for salads, vegetables, and grains. And if you don’t want to discard your strained out ingredients, check out this waste-reducing recipe for Fire Cider Chutney from our friends at Shelburne Farms. Enjoy!

Where’s the Milk?

February 4, 2024 By Anastasia Maher

Many folks have been asking this winter: “Where’s all the Robie Farm milk?” “Why do you not have any Huckins Farm products on the shelves?” Although we’re tempted to stockpile all that local dairy goodness for ourselves, that’s not what’s happening here. We wanted to set the record straight about local dairy this winter.

First, there’s the cows themselves.

Simply put, cows do not produce as much milk in the winter. Unlike childhood storybooks have led us to believe, cows are not constant suppliers of milk that are ready with a fresh squeeze whenever we feel. Many factors affect milk production, and a huge one is weather. When temperatures drop for our infamous New England winters, it changes the life of a cow completely. First, their feed changes. Gone are the rolling acres of fresh green pasture; farmers become more reliant on hay and alternative feeds. Did you know that cows can drink an average of 3 to 5 gallons of water a minute? Cows are pretty fussy about their water temperature. Water that’s too cold or even frozen is not going to fly. No hydration or nutrition = no milk. In addition, cows have to send their bodily energy away from making milk for the winter. It goes either to maintaining their internal body temperature or producing new life to continue the milking cycle.

Secondly, there’s the farmers.

It’s not uncommon to hear a dairy farm being referred to as a seventh, eighth, twelfth generation or beyond operated farm. This means the farm is run by a family, like many of our local farms are. Staffing a dairy farm is a hard task year round, but especially difficult in the winter. Children that would be helping around the farm return back to school, work slows enough to not justify part-time farmhands, and conditions can become brutal for even the most experienced farmers. Suffice to say, if there even is milk to prepare, there might not be enough people around to do it.

So when is the milk coming back?

Short answer is we don’t know, but we’re working hard to make sure it’s as soon as possible. A high priority of ours is cultivating meaningful relationships with our local dairy farmers, and we know they will prioritize getting milk back on our shelves as soon as possible. However, we can’t sell you milk when there is none coming from the farm. The dairy farmers cannot predict what factors will impact milk production in the coming weeks, so, unfortunately, they can’t tell our Dairy Department when they will deliver. We also don’t want to name a random date only to get your hopes up and generate disappointment when unforeseen circumstances kick in.

Then how will I know when it’s back?

The best recommendation we have is to call the store to inquire about a product you are interested in. We cannot call customers when a product comes in or set aside product; we see hundreds of customers everyday and our staff are too busy to carry out special requests like these. This is also a great opportunity to try something new! We have thousands of products in store and new items added weekly. Who knows, you might just discover a new favorite.

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