JULY 2026 BROADSHEET

HIGH SEASON

July has arrived in the Northeast Kingdom with a warm brilliance, ushering us into the vibrant, beating pulse of our summer: The High Season. The quiet days of late spring have given way to a full surge of life, where the land seems to swell with energy from dawn until the golden, honeyed twilight.

If you walk across the farm right now, you can feel the rhythm operating at its absolute peak. Down in the pastures, calving season is in full, joyful swing as our Highland mums nestle their sweet calves and they nap in the shade of trees. The veggie beds are bursting into a sea of lush green goodness, while the pollinator gardens step into their colorful bloom and the sunflowers stretch up towards the sky, ready to burst with cheerfulness. At the heart of it all, our farmhouse microbakery is buzzing with non-stop energy, filling the air with the soul-warming aroma of fresh sourdough and bakes that feature the sweet, fresh strawberries, blueberries, and produce from this time of year.

Pull up a chair, a big old glass of peach iced tea, and take a breath of this sweet July air.

THE FARMSTAND

SUMMER VIBES AND NEW WEEKEND TRADITIONS

There is a building energy at the farmstand as the weekend approaches. Every single week, Shannon and I lovingly stock the shelves, overflowing them with the very best of our work: crisp, freshly harvested heirloom veggies, crusty, airy loaves of sourdough breads and scratch-made baked goods, and airy, whimsical flower arrangements designed to feel as if the pasture itself waltzed right into your living room.

Your enthusiasm for the stand has filled us with gratitude and appreciation to be a stop on your weekend adventures, especially as our shelves have been sold out nearly every single weekend. To catch the fullest selection of the week's harvest and bakery goods, we always recommend stopping by early and stopping by often as we restock each morning as needed. As August approaches, we’ll be switching up our sourdough menu with new goodies like sourdough brownie bites, mini boules with inclusion flavors (cheddar jalapeno or everything bagel anyone?), and more.

One addition that has quickly become a beloved sweet summer weekend tradition is our Saturday Sourdough Cinnamon Rolls. Each Saturday morning, we set out fresh packages of these soft, ooey-gooey sourdough rolls, slathered in a rich, velvety browned butter frosting. They’ve become the ultimate slow-morning treat, pairing perfectly with a quiet moment on the porch. In August, you’ll be greeted with Blueberry Lemon Sourdough Cinnamon Rolls featuring local blueberries. 🫐

Whether you are stopping by to build your dinner for the night, stock your pantry for the weekend, grab a vibrant bouquet for the table, or pick up your Saturday cinnamon rolls, our doors are open and ready to welcome you on Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays from 9AM-6PM *or until sold out. If the flag is out, swing on through!

PASTURE RAISED MEAT

NOURISHMENT ROOTED IN REVERENCE

We are deeply proud to announce a long-awaited milestone for our land and our community: the arrival of our very first round of pasture-raised, non-GMO chicken and pasture-raised pork.

At Root to Rise, raising meat is never just about production—it is a sacred responsibility and a core pillar of our regenerative mission. This is good food grown the slow, intentional, old-fashioned way. These animals were raised with complete freedom and space, living outdoors according to their true instincts, foraging on fresh green pastures, and receiving unwavering love, respect, and reverence every single step of the way. This intentional care does more than honor the animal; it heals the earth by building vital soil, produces meat of unmatched quality and rich flavor for our bodies, and strengthens the resilience of our entire local food web.

To make these harvests easily accessible to everyone, we have officially opened our new Protein Farmstand, located right next to our original farmstand! Inside, you’ll find our chicken and pork stocked and ready to nourish your families. Alternatively, if you’d like to make sure you have exactly what you’re looking for, packed ahead of time and waiting just for you at the stand (as well as receive a little discount on pricing😉), you can place your order through the link below 👇🏻

Our Field Share members are already enjoying their exclusive first access to this delicious food and we’ve launched an exciting local collaboration with KILOS gym in Lyndonville where Lizzie does functional strength training, bringing clean, high-quality, pasture-raised fuel directly to our community in another way.

When you choose meat raised this way, you are voting for transparency, deep respect for the land, and a healthier food system.

Stop by this week to taste the difference that honor, patience, and good stewardship make.

ROOTS

THE BIG SUMMER STRETCH

There is a glorious, full-hearted energy in the garden right now. Everywhere you look, the rows are coming into their absolute fullness, overflowing with the colors, textures, and heavy scents of peak production.

The soil is yielding an incredible tapestry of harvest and growth: sweet snap peas, tender heads of broccoli, and crisp, cool lettuces are filling our baskets daily. Alongside them, the summer heat is doing its magic—tomato, cucumber, musk melon, and winter squash vines are climbing high up their trellises, while zucchini and summer squash bushes are billowing out with broad leaves and rich golden blossoms. The eggplants, bush beans, and peppers are stepping into their vibrant flowering stages, promising even more bounty in the weeks ahead.

Just past the food crops, our flower beds are stepping into their own as well. Sunflowers are reaching gracefully toward the sky, while the zinnias, cosmos, and dahlias are branching up in full, lush leafy growth, ready to burst into a sea of midsummer color.

Underneath the soil, our garlic has reached its peak and is strung up and curing on our back porch—a milestone we’ve looked forward to since planting them last October. And even as we soak in this sweet summer abundance, the quiet rhythm of planning ahead continues behind the scenes: in the greenhouse, the very first seeds of our fall crops are already sprouting, getting ready to take their turn in the earth.

Walking through the garden during these midsummer days is a reminder of the quiet generosity of the soil when it is nurtured with patience and care. We can't wait to share this lush harvest with you in the Field Share and on the farmstand shelves!

SCOTTISH HIGHLAND CATTLE

THE PASTURE CHRONICLES

The rhythm across the road is in full, beautiful motion. Our Scottish Highland herd is currently enjoying their second grazing pass through the pastures across the street, happily munching their way through the lush regrowth on the land they reclaimed just last month. Watching them move through those fields with such ease and contentment feels like living inside a timeless Vermont picture book.

And as it turns out, that historic—and slightly chaotic—road crossing I wrote about last month left quite an impression! If there's one thing we know about the Northeast Kingdom, it’s that news travels and the farming community here is delightfully small. Just the other day, I was over at the new Caledonia Food Co-op when someone stopped her with a smile:

“Hey! I think I know you... I was in that line of traffic when you blocked off the road for your cattle crossing last month. You jogged right by my car chasing that white cow!”

It seems Enid’s little solo stroll down the asphalt officially earned us a place in the NEK local lore.

To make this reclaimed land truly function for the long haul, Madison and our day-helper, Jesse, are putting the finishing touches on a major infrastructure feat across the road: a solar powered, self-filling watering system for the herd. Having clean, automated water flowing directly through these pastures is a massive milestone for our daily rotational grazing systems, saving countless hours and ensuring the cattle always have fresh water right where they need it.

The herd itself has grown even sweeter this month with the arrival of another two precious calves. Joining little Sully (born on that quiet, rainy afternoon to Katherine last month) is our newest addition: Aidan and Thistle. With their arrival, our tally sits at four strong, fluffy little lads and one little lass born in the 2026 season, with four more expected calvings still to come in the weeks ahead.

Watching these calves find their legs on fresh pasture, framed by the green hills, is a daily reminder of why we do this work. The land is thriving, the herd is growing, and life is unfolding in the sweetest possible way—traffic-stopping moments, grain-bucket sprints, and all.

NEW NOTE-WORTHIES

FRESH PASTURE, RAINBOW DREAMS, AND A NEW FACE ON THE FARM

They say it takes a village to raise a child and between all the plants, chickens, turkeys, Highlands, and pigs… I’d say we’re raising a lot of children. We are so proud that our village is full of strong, deeply capable, and compassionate women. All of us pulling towards a singular goal together (& with the trusty support of a few extra iced coffees) of making our farm into the safe, loving, thriving regenerative farm that it is.

We’re feeling deeply grateful for our predominantly female powered crew surrounding this land as our latest poultry flocks take to the grass and new hands join the daily rhythms.

Our second round of 150 Cornish Cross broilers and our 50 turkey chicks have officially graduated from their warm barn brooders. They are now living their best lives out in the back pastures—basking in the summer sunshine, catching bugs, and scratching through fresh grass every morning. Nearby, our young flock of laying pullets is growing bigger and stronger by the day, bringing us one step closer to the glorious morning when we begin collecting their beautiful, rainbow-colored eggs.

We are also excited to officially introduce a very special new addition to our farm team: our very first intern, Bri DuPuis (who happens to be Madison's younger sister)! While Bri lends a helpful hand across all corners of the farm (especially on chicken processing day), her primary focus will be working directly with our young heifers—spending quality time brushing them, halter training, helping guide them through chute training, and making sure they grow up feeling safe, well-socialized, and loved.

As if that weren't enough, Bri is also a remarkably gifted photographer! She has a natural eye for capturing the raw beauty of daily farm life, and you’ll be seeing some of her gorgeous, candid images featured in our updates and posts.

From pasture rotating to sweet moments in the barn, we are so grateful for the extra hands, heart, and talent helping build our contribution to the local food network in a thoughtful, intentional way.

UNTIL NEXT TIME,

LIZZIE,TOM, AND OUR WEE LASSIES