• September 27, 2018

Spotlight on Four Pillars Farm

We’re casting our Co-op Spotlight this week on Four Pillars farm of Whiting, Vermont. This beautiful organic farm provides our Co-op with an abundant array of local produce and you will find it all at 20% off for member-owners from September 27th – October 3rd!  Read on to learn more about this gem nestled in the fertile valley of Addison County.

Four Pillars Farm is positioned on 15 acres of some of the best soil the valley has to offer: Nellis Loam deposited here by the glaciers during the last Ice age. This soil is a vegetable farmer’s dream. And it was this soil that prompted the beginning of the farm, nine years ago.

Four Pillars Farm grows over 40 different kinds of vegetables and herbs, and multiple varieties of many of the vegetables. The farm is certified organic on a yearly basis by the VOF (Vermont Organic Farmers) which involves an annual inspection of the physical site as well as an annual audit of the paperwork, purchases, and sales. Farmer Peter Cousineau strongly believes in growing organic for three main reasons:

• The assurance that the food they provide to their community is wholly nutritious and chemical-free
• Protecting the ecosystem around their farm and downstream by not using chemicals and keeping nutrients on their land through carbon fixing in the soil and cover-cropping
• To demonstrate that organic methods can yield high productivity

Four Pillars Farm also believes in food security for all. They donate any excess vegetables to local food pantries.

Click HERE to check out the Four Pillars Farm blog to keep up with goings-on at the farm. You can also visit their web page to subscribe to their mailing list and get a free downloadable A-Z Vegetable Storage Guide! And if you’re interested in getting a Four Pillars Farm CSA, click HERE!

• September 27, 2018
• The Localvore, The Spotlight, View All

• September 28, 2017

Spotlight on Four Pillars Farm

We’re casting our Co-op Spotlight this week on Four Pillars farm of Whiting, Vermont. This beautiful organic farm provides our Co-op with an abundant array of local produce and you will find it all at 20% off for member-owners from September 28th – October 4th! Read on to learn more about this gem nestled in the fertile valley of Addison County.

Four Pillars Farm is a certified organic vegetable farm set in the beautiful, fertile rolling hills of southern Addison County. Their mission is to provide healthy, top quality produce, to grow better not bigger, to protect and build the fertility and biological diversity on their land and build relationships with their community partners by encouraging them to come and see how their food is being grown.

Farmer-owner Peter Cousineau is committed to the use of growing practices that go beyond sustainable to regenerative. He incorporates permaculture principles into his farming methods to help recycle nutrients in the soil, promote water retention, and prevent soil degradation. He has also worked to increase beneficial insect populations on the farm and has remineralized the soil to bring back the 70+ trace minerals that most veggies are missing these days due to soil-degrading farming practices.

Another permaculture principle evident in Cousineau’s practices is the concept of people care. One example includes an annual event where he invites employees from our Co-op and other neighboring Co-ops that sell his produce to visit the farm, take a tour, and enjoy a farm-to-table meal that he prepared. This annual gathering is not only an opportunity to see the gorgeous farm where the produce is grown and learn more about what it takes to get the produce from seed to co-op shelf, but also provides an important opportunity to build relationships, mutual respect, and truly engage in a community partnership between producers and consumers.  Below are some photos from last year’s gathering.

• September 28, 2017
• The Localvore, The Spotlight, View All