The beet

In Hartford School District, VT, Briana Fino blends her passion for producing products featuring local Vermont flavors with her profession as a General Manager leading a school district nutrition team that consistently offers the students they serve menu items with the best local products.  

Her personal business, “Thyme to Cook”, produces crafted canned items like jams, jellies, salsas, sauces, and chutneys – all home-grown or locally sourced. Products like Grape Jelly, Apple Butter, Apple Sauce, Pickles, and Relish reach the community at local farm stands and stores, various fall festivals, and local farmers markets, where Briana sometimes sees the students she serves in the cafeteria out in the community.  

“West Hartford Public Library recently had a Farmers Market and a teacher from Ottauquechee School ran it,” said Briana. “Many kids from the school came and saw me with my ‘Thyme to Cook’ items and said, “Wait a minute, you’re the lunch lady!”  

The same passion for local Vermont products is also evident in the many local options offered every day to the students in Hartford School District.  

“It’s important to me,” says Briana. “And it is so supportive to the local farmers economically as well.”  

Some of the partnerships that help both support the local economy and provide local products featured on the school menu include: 

Choice Maple Syrup from Nott Family Farm in Hartford, VT 
It doesn’t get more local than a few miles down the road, which is why this family farm delivers directly to the school right out of the car.  Their local maple syrup is featured regularly for breakfast items such as for French Toast Sticks, Waffles, and Pancakes, as well as for special Brunch for Lunch promotions. Choice Maple Syrup is also featured for Maple Month promotions like Maple Glazed Carrots and Sweet Potatoes. 

Apples from Burtt’s Apple Orchard in Cabot, VT 
All schools are served local apples thanks to a consistent and seamless biweekly apple supply. Their apples are also featured through Harvest of the Month specialty menu items like Apple Spice Cake with Crumble Topping, Butternut Squash with Apples, and Apple Crisp.  

Harvest of the Month Menus from Pete’s Stand in Walpole, NH 
The Vermont Harvest of the Month for October (Apples) and November (Winter Squash) were at the heart of the district’s Apple Fest celebration.  The team featured local Apples and Butternut Squash on the menu, which included Shepherd’s Pie/Lentil Shepherd’s Pie, Peas, Dinner Rolls, Apple Crisp, and Butternut Squash made with Apples. The Butternut Squash was sourced locally from Pete’s Stand, located just over the Vermont – New Hampshire border, while all apples were once again sourced from Burrt’s Apple Orchard. The celebration also included taste tests of Butternut Squash, creatively encouraging the students to try by integrating into recipes they haven’t tried before – like Butternut Squash Bread (similar to Pumpkin Bread), Butternut Squash Fries, and Butternut Squash Oatmeal Cookies. The goal was for students to try the Harvest of the Month in a way they have never experienced before to possibly change their perspective on how they feel about that fruit or vegetable.  

Yogurt from Kingdom Creamery in East Hardwick, VT 
They supply a wide range of Yogurt flavors, including  Raspberry, Lemon, Vanilla, and Strawberry, which are used for grab-and-go parfaits and smoothies. The partnership is further enhanced by Vermont Blue Sky Packing, a locally owned custom packing and logistics expert in Sheldon, VT that helps ensure delivery of the yogurt is always fresh.  
 
Milk from McNamara Dairy in Plainfield, NH 
Currently offered at Dothan Brook Elementary with plans to expand to all district schools, students enjoy the fresh, local milk that comes in eight-ounce containers compliant for schools.  

Beef Burgers from Boyden Farm in Cambridge, VT 
Grass-fed Beef Burgers are premium and regionally sourced from a five-generation family farm committed to producing naturally flavorful, nutrient-rich beef that is ethically raised. 
 
Veggie Burgers from Vermont Bean Crafters in Warren, VT 
This plant-based option is made from locally-grown black beans, carrots, kale, onions, and buckwheat. Offered as a vegetarian option on menu days and as an express item, they are full of flavor, topping off the fresh veggies with curry, cumin, rosemary, and chili flakes.  

Flour from King Arthur Baking Company in Norwich, VT 
Sourcing flour made from ingredients sourced non-GMO and made in the Norwich flagship location is another way to help ensure all baked products that reach the students include a taste of Vermont.  

Cabot Creamery Products from Vermont 
A national brand built on a cooperative of local farm families, Cabot dairy items like Cheese, Sour Cream, Cottage Cheese, and Butter all come from Vermont farms.  Students love the many ways their products reach the menu, like the Sour Cream topping on Nacho, Taco, Fajita, and Quesadilla days.   

Food Connects in Brattleboro, VT 
Partnership with this non-profit organization helped strengthen the community-based food system by serving as a food hub to several local vendors.  Through a state-run Farm to School grant last school year, local items like Cheese Curds, Kimchi, Cheese Sticks (both Hot Pepper and Chive) reached the students and helped ensure many Harvest of the Month items were local.