Harvest Lessons

UVFTS Community-curriculum (17)Teach students about healthy eating, local food, and natural history with standards-based, hands-on lessons around seasonal foods for grades K-4. Lessons can be used by teachers, or  volunteers (parents, community members, teachers, and high school students). The program has been very successful in Barnard, Pomfret, Hartland, Windsor, Fairlee and West Fairlee, receiving praise from teachers and the volunteers, and inspiring excitement and learning in students.

For more information on trainings, lessons, and programs contact our staff at uvfts@VitalCommunities.org.

Harvest Lessons Program Manual

Harvest Lessons Program Manual

Lessons To Use Again and Again

Lessons To Use Again and Again

Apples

Apples

Dry Beans

Dry Beans

Beets & Rutabagas

Beets & Rutabaga

Berries

Berries

Broccoli & Cauliflower

Broccoli & Cauliflower

Herbs

Herbs

Kale

Kale

Mixed Greens

Mixed Greens

Winter Squash

Winter Squash

Tomatoes

Tomatoes

Cabbage

Cabbage

Parsnips

Parsnips

Eggs

Exploring Eggs Lesson Plan
Egg Diagrams
MyPlate Coloring Sheet
Eggs Measurement Worksheet
Eggs Background Information
Eggs Take-Home (Recipes)

Zucchini Challenge

Zucchini Challenge Lesson Plan
Cards for Game
Zucchini Challenge Take Home
Plant Journal Materials
Plant Growth Chart
Tomato Planet Activity
Soil Recipe Activity

Whole Grains

Whole Grains Lesson Plan
Match the Grains Activity Sheet
Diagram of a Wheat Kernel
Whole Grains Take-Home (Recipes)

What Local foods Can We Eat in March?

Eating Locally in March Lesson Plan
Magic Pink Dip Recipe Full Page
Magic Pink Bean Dip Recipe Half Page
Eat Locally Coloring Sheet
Background Information on Local versus Industrial Food

Seedy Mystery Snack

Seedy Mystery Snack Lesson Plan
Little Sprout Activity
Seedy Mystery Snack Recipe
Seedy Mystery Snack Recipe Half Page
Photo Clues for Mystery Snack

Harvest of the Month

Learn More

harvest of the monthThis is month is Parsnips, here is some info for you and recipes, etc.

Find Open Local Businesses and Farms. Search the Vital Communities Guide.

What's Happening

Visit Our Food & Farm Blog

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Calendar

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Vital Communities Program News

April 8: "Investing in Home Creation"

Investing for Home Creation Thursday, April 8, 5:30 pm https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zUwM8Z2FD3Q The Upper Valley faces a shortage of housing, particularly in the lower-cost sector, that's affecting our ability to be a vibrant, equitable community. This session discussed how even ...more

April 15, 2021: “Putting Your Money to Work Locally: Investing Clubs 101”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FnLZ7akjtGw Interested in investing locally but don’t want to do it alone? Investment clubs pool money to collectively invest in local businesses and bring a social aspect to the process – they make investment fun! In this ...more

Valley Quests Open May 1—including a Guided Event to a Vernal Pool!

Mark your calendar for Saturday, May 1: It's a big one for Valley Quests! Not only is May 1 Opening Day for Quests—"treasure hunts" that share the natural and cultural history of 160+ special areas in ...more

Flavors of the Valley 2021: The Fun Goes Digital!

Flavors of the  Valley, the Upper Valley's favorite local food tasting expo, will not be stopped this year! We're moving it to May, with a month-long digital celebration of spring, our local farms, local food, ...more

Our 2021 Farm-To-School Mini-Grant Recipients!

Ten Upper Valley schools and day care facilities have been awarded $500 mini-grants to support farm-to-school projects this year!  These grants are designed to help schools, afterschool programs, or school-related wellness programs  with projects related ...more

Have an Idea That Could Use a Lift?

New Hampshire Businesses, Farmers, Entrepreneurs, Nonprofits, Community Initiatives:  Do you have an incredible project just waiting to happen? Want to grow your organization, our community, and the local economy, but don’t have access to capital? The Local Crowd ...more

Crowdfunding Available for NH Projects

New Hampshire businesses, farmers, entrepreneurs, nonprofits, community initiatives: Do you have an incredible project just waiting to happen? Want to grow your organization, our community, and the local economy, but don’t have access to capital? The ...more

Free Webinar on Writing Waterway Quests, April 8

Valley Quests are treasure hunts set in special locations around the Upper Valley. Each Quest follows a unique set of clues that teach you about a place’s ecology, wildlife, and history while leading to a ...more

NH Route 120 Improvements Near Exit 18

The New Hampshire Department of Transportation (NHDOT) has recently begun a project to study multi-modal improvements to NH Route 120 from Hanover Street to Etna Road in Lebanon, NH. This project (NHDOT reference #29612) seeks ...more

Quest to the Star!

Have you seen the star alight upon Mt. Tom in Woodstock?  Wouldn't it be fun to see it up close?  You can if you follow the clues of the Mt. Tom Quest. The star traditionally ...more

Farm-Way gift cards, fat bikes, and YOU!

Whether you live in Vermont or New Hampshire, grab your bike, sneakers, or boots and join Vital Communities, Local Motion, and Go! Vermont for the 2021 Vermont Winter Bike/Walk Challenge, through February 12 (International Winter ...more

Neighbors Helping Neighbors Save Energy

This week marks the close of Vital Communities and volunteers’ 2020 Vermont Energy Savings project in seven towns in the Vermont side of the Upper Valley. Vital Communities partnered with Sustainable Woodstock (serving Woodstock, Hartland, ...more

Love your bike ride, even in cold weather

We (Bethany and Mike from the Transportation team) are still riding our bikes these cold dark days, because it keeps us healthy and relieves anxiety! Your bike can offer fresh air, motion, and safe social ...more

Weatherize Webinar, August 17

Weatherize Webinar with NHSaves Monday, August 17 at Noon Did Covid-19 stop your 2020 weatherization plans in their tracks? NOW is the right time to jump back on the weatherize band wagon. Lower energy bills and cozy ...more

Welcome 31 New Upper Valley Change-makers

Vital Communities celebrated the graduation of the Leadership Upper Valley Class of 2020 on Wednesday, June 10. This event marked the program’s 14th graduating class, as 31 local leaders completed the 10-month program with a ...more

Five Inspiring Stories

On March 18, Vital Communities held a webinar featuring five inspiring stories from energy committees across the Upper Valley. Stories included: Electric charging stations in Bethel An Upper Valley eBike lending library Energy saving window ...more

Stand in Your Circle of Strength and Lead

Ed. Note: On May 30, Vital Communities honored 12 community leaders who’ve added immeasurably to the vitality of the Upper Valley at its annual Heroes & Leaders Celebration. The following are the event’s keynote remarks ...more

Heroes & Leaders: Creating a Vital Upper Valley

Every spring, Leadership Upper Valley, a program of Vital Communities, hosts the annual Heroes & Leaders Celebration to recognize individuals who make significant contributions to the Upper Valley. In 2019, we are pleased to honor ...more

Greatest Hits

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Staff

Becka Warren

Food & Farm Coordinator

Food & Farm

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Food & Farm

— Becka Warren, Food & Farm Coordinator

Part of Vital Communities' Food & Farm team since 2012, Becka fosters relationships that keep agriculture a daily part of community life in the Upper Valley. She works with current and future farmers, businesses, schools, and partners across Vermont and New Hampshire to build connections that support farm viability and keep our landscapes working. Becka lived in Seattle for many years, where she worked for the Washington State University Small Farms Program, Cascade Harvest Coalition, Seattle Tilth, and area vegetable farms. Becka is also a writer, founding and writing Ask Umbra at gristmagazine.com until 2009. She holds a BA from Brown University and lives in Hartland, Vermont, with her family.



Beth Roy

Food & Farm Manager

Valley Quest, Food & Farm

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Valley Quest, Food & Farm

— Beth Roy, Food & Farm Manager

Beth leads Vital Communities' Food & Farm team, including its Upper Valley Farm to School programming, and also oversees Valley Quest. Before joining Vital Communities, Beth worked in the environmental and place-based education fields for 17 years in various positions around New England including at the Vermont Institute of Natural Science and as the Director of Education at the Nature Museum in Grafton, Vt. She previously served on the boards of the Vermont Science Teacher Association and the Vermont State-Wide Environmental Education Programs, a coalition of dozens of individuals and organizations promoting sustainability and environmental education in Vermont. Beth is a New Hampshire native and lives in Hartland, Vt., with her husband and two children, and serves on the Hartland School Board. When Beth is not working you will find her exploring the woods around her home with her family or cooking up a new taste test (made of local foods, of course!) for her children.



Doreen Guillette

Assistant to the Executive Director, Flavors Coordinator

Food & Farm

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Food & Farm

— Doreen Guillette, Assistant to the Executive Director, Flavors Coordinator

Doreen Guillette joined Vital Communities in January 2020 as the Flavors of the Valley Coordinator and Assistant to the Executive Director, with many years of administrative and management experience at Dartmouth-Hitchcock, self-employment, and volunteering. An Upper Valley native, Doreen spends most of her time and energy caring for her mini-farm and a large family in Norwich. She is a strong advocate for local community and is president of the Beaver Meadow Chapel, Trustee of the Beaver Meadow Schoolhouse, and Co-Chair of the West Norwich Community Resilience Organization. Doreen enjoys hiking, kayaking, writing poetry, nature photography, and cooking meals that come from her own land.



Nancy LaRowe

Food & Farm and Local First Coordinator

Local First, Food & Farm

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Local First, Food & Farm

— Nancy LaRowe, Food & Farm and Local First Coordinator

Nancy joined Vital Communities as the Food & Farm Coordinator in 2014. She works to support and grow our local food system and economy. Nancy has lived, worked, and farmed in the Upper Valley for more than 25 years and believes our community is healthier and stronger when our connections to food and the farms that produce it stay vital.

Nancy's informal job title is Farmer-in-Residence: she also runs a pasture-based cattle farm in Norwich. Nancy is on the Board of the Norwich Farmers' Market and a retired Norwich volunteer firefighter and EMT. She loves puttering in the garden, hiking with her dog, and visiting farmers' markets.