The Farmplate Blog

By Diane Wyatt, founder of Green Mountain Yogurt When we first got Clover, she was barely 5 days old.  She fit nicely in the back of our minivan, looking bony and frail and in my uneducated opinion, rather small for a baby cow considering her mother had to weigh close to 1000lbs. She was awfully cute though and I couldn't help but feel pride welling up inside of me as I realized I was to become the proud mother of this needy little thing who was anxiously trying to get its next meal by sucking on my fingers.   I paid the Jersey farmer $100 while taking mental notes on what he told me she required for feed, care, housing, etc. At least I had the housing part figured out since I...

By Samantha Cronin A few weeks ago, as I was reflecting and brainstorming while munching on an apple in the sustainable living library at the Upper Valley Food Co-op in White River Junction, Vermont, I came across a children’s book called The Story of Johnny Appleseed, written and illustrated by Aliki. Since my five-month-old daughter was with me, I was delighted to find such a gem and decided to read it to her. As I recited the story aloud, the memories started to flow as I remembered when my Grandmother and Mother had read the story to me. I recalled how Jonathan “Johnny Appleseed” Chapman was a peacemaker. He lived a simple life, spreading seeds of love. He cherished food and...