4 Places To Pick Your Own Blueberries In Vermont

Last updated on January 16th, 2019 at 05:34 pm

Photo via Adam’s Berry Farm’s Facebook Page

While driving on Vermont country roads, it is common to see a sign stating “U-Pick,” meaning you can pick your own seasonal produce at that location.  This time of year is perfect for blueberry picking.  Here at Vermont Woods Studios, we eat, breath, and live all things Vermont 365 days a year, and we want you to experience a Vermont tradition too! We’ve done our research, and have picked out four farms through out Vermont where you can visit and pick your own blueberries.

1. The Apple Barn & Country Bake Shop (Bennington, Vermont)

This is the definition of a one-stop shop to experience Vermont agriculture.  Right now you can pick your own blueberries, strawberries, and raspberries.  Additionally, they have a Complimentary Tour of their 300 acre Apple Orchard, giving you quintessential Vermont photo opportunities. After your tour, you can stop by their bakery, to try a maple creeme (or soft serve ice cream, if you will), one of their 40 homemade treats (including cider donuts) or to grab a cup of Vermont’s Green Mountain Coffee.  This memory-making experience at The Apple Barn & Country Bake Shop will leave you yearning to come back in the fall to visit and pick your own apples.

2.  Boyd Family Farm (Wilmington, Vermont)

The Boyd family has been in the farming business for over 80 years, so you know they’re doing it right! They focus on horticulture, and have become experts in wedding flower designs. Additionally, guests are welcome to the farm to pick your own blueberries!  The Boyd Family Farm is a sponsor of the Deerfield Valley Blueberry Festival (Friday, July 30- Sunday, August 8) this year, which is also located in Wilmington, Vermont.

3. Adam’s Berry Farm (Burlington, Vermont)

When you hear Burlington, Vermont, you think probably think of Lake Champlain and Church Street Marketplace; so you’re probably thinking, “there’s a farm in the city of Burlington?” Yes! The Intervale Center is a nonprofit organization that has a mission to “strengthen community food systems.”  They have 350 acres along the Winooski River, and Adam’s Berry Farm is on that land! They have been “cultivating berries in a unique urban agricultural environment” for 10 years.  Adam’s Berry Farm invites you to pick your own berries from June to mid-October, the berries depending on the season.  Right now is the perfect time to pick your own blueberries right in the city of Burlington!  While you’re there, you can also bike and hike along a variety of trails at the Intervale.

4. Cedar Circle Farm  (Thetford, Vermont)

This is a certified organic vegetable and berry farm and education center close to Norwich, Vermont and Lebanon New Hampshire. In their education center their mission is “to raise public awareness about the importance of local organic agriculture, increase access to quality organic produce for low-income people, and establish models for farm-appropriate alternative energy strategies, and train next-generation farmers.”  In addition to the education center, they also open their farm to the public for berry picking.  You can pick your own certified organic blueberries this month, and head back in October to pick your own pumpkins!

A list of farms, including theses ones, who offer “U-Pick” can be found on the Vermont Agriculture website.  Do you have a favorite place to pick berries? Let us know on our Facebook page!

Heather Barrett is a Marketing Assistant at Vermont Woods Studios, an online furniture gallery which showcases Vermont’s finest wood furniture. Follow our blog to learn about Vermont fine furniture, Vermont happenings, our mission, and our team.

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This blog is written by your friends at Vermont Woods Studios. Check out our Vermont made furniture and home decor online and visit our showroom and art gallery at Stonehurst, the newly restored 1800s farmhouse nestled in the foothills of the Green Mountains.

Loryn Enters The Woods

Last updated on February 28th, 2019 at 04:08 pm

 

 

Loryn loves being outside, playing soft-ball, walking, hiking and staying involved with the agricultural community. Oh… and harvesting cranberries!

Please help me welcome Loryn, our new staff member to Vermont Woods Studios.  Loryn joins us as a Marketing Assistant. Along with her talent for writing and communications, she brings a passion for nature and conservation.

 

As a senior at UMass Amherst Loryn has developed her own individual curriculum in Outreach and Communications in Conservation.  She’s had a long-standing committment to sustainable agriculture, having worked with the National Association of Conservation Districts NACD, the Natural Resources Conservation Service NRCS and Future Farmers of America FFA.

Loryn’s already busy working with Manjula and Kendall on improving our website and putting her writing skills to work by editing and blogging.  She’ll be involved in many other aspects of our work down the road as we continue to discover her endless enthusiasm and creativity.

Welcome to the Woods, Loryn.  We’re glad you’re here!

 

 

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This blog is written by your friends at Vermont Woods Studios. Check out our Vermont made furniture and home decor online and visit our showroom and art gallery at Stonehurst, the newly restored 1800s farmhouse nestled in the foothills of the Green Mountains.

Welcome to Vermont Woods Studios, Heather G!

Last updated on February 28th, 2019 at 04:06 pm

Heather G settles in during her 3rd day at Vermont Woods Studios

 

We are excited to welcome our new Sales Associate, Heather G to our Vermont Made Furniture store this week.  Heather just completed her third day at Vermont Woods Studios and we are all feeling very lucky to have her on our team.

 

 

Heather’s background is in banking and sales.  She is fluent in American Sign Language and certified in First Aid, CPR, and Crisis Prevention Intervention.  It’s nice to have those skills around, just in case!

 

 

 

 

 

Welcome to Vermont Woods Studios, Heather!
Heather rode her bike to work on National Ride Your Bike to Work Day

 

 

Did you know that yesterday was National Ride Your Bike to Work Day?  Yes it was and Heather celebrated by riding her bike to work at Vermont Woods Studios.  I’m hoping she inspires me to do the same (I was supposed to ride to work on Earth Day, but I think it was too cold or rainy… or warm or sunny or something).

 

Anyway if you call in and Heather answers the phone, please take a minute to see how she’s doing and welcome her into the new job.  I think you’ll find, as we have, that she’s a pleasure to work with.

 

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This blog is written by your friends at Vermont Woods Studios. Check out our Vermont made furniture and home decor online and visit our showroom and art gallery at Stonehurst, the newly restored 1800s farmhouse nestled in the foothills of the Green Mountains.

Mission, Arts & Crafts and Stickley Style Furniture

Last updated on September 27th, 2022 at 09:53 am

stickley style furniture

Vermont Craftsmen Bring the Art of Mission and Stickley Style Furniture to the Green Mountain State.

Today we say thanks to Chad, one of our favorite Vermont fine furniture makers. He was kind enough to join us on Tuesday when ABC World News came to town. Chad and his quintessential Vermont workshop (located in an historic, old red barn) were featured in a film segment for the Made in America Shopping Challenge. I can’t wait to see that part of the video because Chad speaks about his craft so beautifully and powerfully– straight from the heart.

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This blog is written by your friends at Vermont Woods Studios. Check out our Vermont made furniture and home decor online and visit our showroom and art gallery at Stonehurst, the newly restored 1800s farmhouse nestled in the foothills of the Green Mountains.

Vermont Woods Studios Supports the Middlebury College Solar Decathlon Team!

Last updated on September 29th, 2022 at 08:23 pm

By Dennis Shanoff

Making its debut in 2002 and then biannually since 2005 is the US Department of Energy’s Solar Decathlon. This competition challenges 20 collegiate teams to design, build, and operate solar powered, energy efficient homes that are cost effective, functional, and attractive. The winning team will have successfully blended affordability, consumer appeal and design excellence with optimal energy production and maximum efficiency. The fifth event will take place Sept. 23–Oct. 2, 2011 at the National Mall’s West Potomac Park in Washington, D.C. and is open to the public, free of charge.

 

Customers and fans of Vermont Woods Studios are aware of our environmental and social mission and our community of eco friendly furniture makers that are dedicated not only to beauty and quality in our craft, but also to the preservation of our natural environment. So you can imagine our excitement to be a part of the project and support the Vermont Solar Decathlon team by contributing a bed!

 

You see Vermont’s own Middlebury College is participating in the Solar Decathlon so when one of the schools team members reached out to us for a furniture donation we were thrilled to to no end to be part of such an important “Green Mission” event. This is such a great way to raise awareness about solar energy and sustainable lifestyles. Middlebury SD team member Casey Peterson had contacted us during the team’s research for interior furnishings. Part of the team’s mission is trying to source as much of the building materials and furnishings from Vermont as possible (including harvesting timber from the Middlebury College grounds).  And according to Casey what really resonated with the Middlebury design team was not only the quality of work at Vermont Woods Studios but the sustainable production processes used by our workshops. The team chose our Cherry Moon Dovetail Platform Bed to be the centerpiece of the Master Bedroom and we couldn’t agree more with their choice.

 

 

The Middlebury team is now putting the finishing touches to the home and at some point will have to disassemble it and transport it down to the National Malls West Potomac Park in Washington DC. During the event, thousands of people will be guided through the 20 homes on display, and the houses will be judged on categories like energy use and home entertainment. And while no team really loses in this competition you know who we are rooting for!

Are you wondering what happens to these Solar Decathlon houses after the competition? Since the first event in 2002, 72 houses have competed in the Solar Decathlon. These houses are now located throughout the United States and around the world and continue to serve numerous education, conservation and community-oriented functions.

There is a wealth of information about this great event and its history at the US Department of Energy website. And if you are rooting for or would like to learn more about the Middlebury team they have put together a great site that chronicles their project and gives insight to the team and their mission.  Go Team Middlebury!

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This blog is written by your friends at Vermont Woods Studios. Check out our Vermont made furniture and home decor online and visit our showroom and art gallery at Stonehurst, the newly restored 1800s farmhouse nestled in the foothills of the Green Mountains.

Eco Friendly Outdoor Furniture

Last updated on January 25th, 2020 at 08:50 am

For five years our customers have been asking us to offer eco-friendly outdoor furniture that meets the same high quality standards that our handcrafted, Vermont made indoor furniture does.  I’m sorry for the delay… we weren’t ignoring you.  We just had a lot of research and soul searching to do.

The issue with outdoor furniture is that the really high quality, solid wood furniture we were considering is of questionable origin.  Teak and mahogany are about the only types of wood that would meet our standards for weather resistance and longevity but they are both rainforest woods that are often harvested illegally and unsustainably.  Our company mission is founded on forest conservation principles and we’ve made the decision not to offer outdoor furniture made of rainforest woods.

After researching all the alternatives we selected a wood-alternative material for our first outdoor furniture line.  It’s called poly wood and is made of recycled beverage containers.  Instead of clear-cutting engandered rainforests to make our furniture, we’re taking plastic out of the waste stream.  We see that as a WIN-WIN situation for the customer and the environment.

Quattro
Our Quattro 7-Piece Dining Set in Satin White/Sand

Have a look at our new outdoor patio furniture collection as it comes online.  We’re just starting the process of getting everything ready for the Spring season, but you can still get a good idea of what’s to come.  Let me know what you think of poly wood and whether you would consider it for your outdoor patio, deck or garden.  It’s not real wood, but it wears even better than wood– so well, that we’re able to give it a lifetime guarantee just like our indoor furniture.  It’s good stuff– check it out!

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This blog is written by your friends at Vermont Woods Studios. Check out our Vermont made furniture and home decor online and visit our showroom and art gallery at Stonehurst, the newly restored 1800s farmhouse nestled in the foothills of the Green Mountains.

Natural Cherry Wood Furniture Characteristics: Mineral Deposits

Last updated on January 25th, 2020 at 08:50 am

natural cherry wood
Our American Shaker Large Sideboard in natural cherry wood.

Let’s talk about natural cherry wood furniture.

Today I wanted to provide some detail about naturally occurring mineral deposits that are a characteristic of cherry.

In cherry wood small black flecks occur in the grain where tiny amounts of sap were stored in the cherry tree.

natural cherry wood
You can see on these panels the little pockets where sap once lived.

Mineral deposits (or pitch pockets) are natural and randomly occurring.  They do not diminish the strength or quality of your furniture.  As we say: they add to its uniqueness.

The frequency of mineral deposits in our furniture varies with each tree utilized but it is largely reflected in the product photos here and throughout our website.  Like any other fine furniture maker we cannot guarantee the absence of mineral deposits in our cherry wood furniture and we cannot consider the presence of mineral deposits a reason for furniture returns, per our lifetime guarantee policy.

natural cherry wood
Our Loft Bedroom Collection in natural cherry wood. Note the mineral deposits on the two bottom left drawers of the dresser.

Looking for Cherry Furniture with Virtually No Mineral Deposits?

Most of our furniture makers are reluctant to offer cherry furniture without mineral deposits for a couple reasons. First, it is against our sustainable forestry principles.  Up to five times the number of trees need to be harvested to produce furniture with virtually no mineral deposits.  Second, the presence of mineral deposits in cherry wood can be a matter of opinion.  What one customer might feel was mineral-deposit free furniture may not be the same for another customer.

If mineral deposits are an issue for you, give us a call.  We’ll work something out… although I should mention that the price of a “virtually mineral deposit-free” piece is generally about twice that of the regular piece.

natural cherry wood

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This blog is written by your friends at Vermont Woods Studios. Check out our Vermont made furniture and home decor online and visit our showroom and art gallery at Stonehurst, the newly restored 1800s farmhouse nestled in the foothills of the Green Mountains.

Rebuilding the Economy on a Green Foundation

Last updated on October 27th, 2019 at 10:24 am

As we start picking up the pieces of our broken economy and trying to sort through them, what kinds of changes will we make to avoid another meltdown?  We’ve unwittingly become such ravenous consumers, that we’ve gotten accustomed to forsaking quality in our purchases for instant gratification at the expense of frequent disposal and replacement.

We hear people say things like, “I like to freshen up my home and replace my furniture every few years to stay up with the trends.”  In the furniture business, we call those disposable purchases curbside furniture.

If you’re lucky enough to have antiques and heirlooms that have been handed down to you through the generations, I’ll bet that even after 50-100 or more years, you’ll find the quality of those items to be superior to that of today’s equivalent.

Rebuilding the economy on a green foundation is going to involve a cultural shift away from cheap, imported, transitory goods in favor of high-quality, long-lasting, timeless items that are crafted from sustainable resources and sold near the source with a minimum of transportation and fuel costs.  Green American furniture companies are leading the way toward this kind of a paradigm shift.  We have the sustainable resources, the talent, the facilities and the will to make it happen.  Visit the Sustainable Furniture Council to learn more.

Vermont Woods Studios.

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This blog is written by your friends at Vermont Woods Studios. Check out our Vermont made furniture and home decor online and visit our showroom and art gallery at Stonehurst, the newly restored 1800s farmhouse nestled in the foothills of the Green Mountains.