Liberty Hill Farm & Berries

11/26/2022

Bonnie McDumplings at Bees on Broadway today from 9-2 for Saturday Small Business shopping! Wonderful holiday gifts and delicious dumplings!

11/20/2022

Bonnie McDumplings is going to be at on Broadway in Swanton next Saturday (11/26) from 9am -2pm with some of her amazing dumplings! What a great way to find delightfully different Christmas gifts and Bonnie’s delicious dumplings in one stop. Don’t forget that that’s also Small Business Saturday!

11/03/2022

For all you Bonnie McDumplings fans, Bonnie and her dumplings will be at a pop up event at Bees on Broadway (5 Canada Street in Swanton) on November 26th. Given how quickly they sold out at the blueberry barn, you may want to contact Bonnie to preorder.

10/19/2022

Two beds of greens planted and growing nicely in time for winter consumption. (Kale, spinach, arugula, winter romaine, tatsoi, and another whole bed of mature chard that we are sharing with the chickens.) Last year’s greens fed us right up until spring replanting!

10/19/2022

I love the slower pace of autumn! Had a long walk with Finn, baked a raisin challah loaf, and bottled my second batch of hard cider. A little painting in the laundry room this afternoon and then it will be cocktail hour:-)

10/09/2022

Sunday morning smells delicious! Tartine’s Morning Buns made from croissant dough, sugar, fresh orange zest, and cinnamon. They ain’t picture perfect, but my goodness - they sure are scrumptious! Crispy, flaky, and sweet on the outside and tender, warm buttery layers on the inside.

10/06/2022

Life on the farm is kinda laid back…this time of year, anyway…a great time to get some sourdough bread made.

09/15/2022

The blueberry pie with rye crust turned out beautifully! I let it sit overnight and it sliced today without the least bit of runniness. I give the recipe 5 stars!

https://www.foodandwine.com/recipes/blueberry-pie-rye-crust

09/14/2022

This blueberry farmer is baking a pie today…blueberry (of course) with a dark rye crust to balance out the sweet. Feels good to be baking again!

09/05/2022

Our second blueberry season is officially finished, and what a fantastic season it was! We were so happy to catch up with familiar faces from last year, and to meet so many new pickers this year. We want to thank everyone who came out to pick and share a little slice of summer with us this year. It gives us such pleasure to see the joy a warm sunny day and a pail full of berries brings to young and old alike! Our hearts are full of gratitude. 💕

09/01/2022

A strange sensation to be picking blueberries in long pants and a windbreaker…I think I like it! Self-serve pick your own available 9-5 today through Sunday.

08/31/2022

Well there are just too many berries left!So we are going to try something new this week with self-serve pick your own berries. There will be a table in the parking area with pails, bags, and a cash box. Price is $15 per pail of berries, $10 for 2/3 of a pail and $5 for 1/3 of a pail. Cash or check only! Thursday-Sunday, 9-5.

08/27/2022

Celebrating Ruth Cronin, the most amazing lady and awesome berry picker! Today she reached 250 pounds of blueberries picked in just this season! Youpiii! 🎉🍾🎈

08/26/2022

Found: children’s foot ware in the berry patch. Did one of your kids go home barefoot? PM me if they’re yours and we will figure out how to get them back to you.

08/26/2022

Rainy days are good for canning…

08/25/2022

Wow! Wow!! Wow!!! We had an overwhelming response to our 50/50 day. Thanks to everyone who came and picked today. As a result, all of our freezers are at max capacity and we are not able to extend 50/50 through the rest of the weekend. We can however, offer end of season pricing, $3.00 per pound for pick your own. There are still an insane amount of late season berries left, don’t ask me how that’s possible. Open Fri-Sun, 9-5.

08/25/2022

No “wheyst” here… goat milk turned into chèvre and the whey went into these sourdough loaves.Thanks to Border Hill Farm for the goat milk!

08/25/2022

Vermont Orchards is officially open for apple picking right next door. Fill your freezer with fresh blueberries and pick some apples for that first apple pie of the season!

08/24/2022

Last week of pick your own blueberry season starts tomorrow! We are kicking off the week with a no cash, 50/50 deal. Pick how ever much you like then split the weight with us, you take half, we take half. No weight limit! Of course, you can keep all your berries and pay the normal price per pound too. After a few days break, the late season Elliots are loaded with ripe berries! We are open this week Thu-Sun, 9-5.

08/21/2022

A big thank you for everyone who came out to pick and support Canning for a Cure, despite the hot sticky weather! Martha Bechard delivered some extra jam this evening as the fundraiser offer applies tomorrow as well - purchase a jar of Canning for a Cure jam and get $5 off each pail of berries that you pick. A great way to support a worthy cause and get a discount on your berries.
It’s supposed to be a bit cooler, a bit breezier, and overcast tomorrow, so a good day for picking. The late season Elliots are loaded with berries and are just approaching peak. The picking is easy:-) We are open tomorrow 9-5.

08/17/2022

The Blueberry Boss spent a lot of time this week clearing away weeds from the blueberries. The Elliots are ripening up beautifully and believe it or not there is still very good picking on the Blue Crop and some of the Blue Ray bushes. We reopen tomorrow for the week, Thursday-Sunday, 9-5.

08/17/2022

This is too funny not to share…my good friend Bonnie McDumplings is growing some okra in our greenhouse, there she is hiding among them. A few got too big and she found a funny shaped tomato and the next thing you know, she has created Ato Mato san, the great samurai tomato with his overgrown okra swords! A woman of many talents!

08/16/2022

We will reopen for picking at 9:00 on Thursday. We took three days off this week to attend to some urgent chores including weed-whacking the blueberry patch - we don’t want anyone getting lost in there! So this week we will be open Thursday- Sunday, 9-5. Will post a berry report tomorrow:-) 🫐

08/15/2022

I have been unable to grow broccoli or Brussel sprouts, and my squash patch is a pretty dismal mess, but I can grow the heck out of tomatoes! With today’s 10 pints of salsa, I’ve processed 60 pounds of tomatoes in the past week. Looking at my dining room table, I’m guessing there’s another 30+ pounds for tomorrow.

08/15/2022

Just delivered 8 quarts and 8 pints of sweet beautiful blueberries to Mother Hubbard's Bakery, Deli and Country Store. While I was there I decided to get some grinders for dinner. Their large grinders are HUGE! Enough for supper and lunch tomorrow. Lots of options to choose from - Delish! Did I mention that two of their amazing cookies followed me home for dessert! 😆

08/14/2022

Such easy picking! Full pail in under a half hour!

08/14/2022

The sun is shining, the birds are singing, it’s another wonderful day in the blueberry patch! Tons of beautiful clusters of berries! Open 9-5 today.

08/13/2022

Just in case you thought blueberry picking season was winding down…I picked about 20lbs in less than 2 hours!

08/13/2022

I’ve completely run out of unused vocabulary to describe the bounteous beauty of our blueberry patch! Though the Patriots are definitely in the overripe category, the Blue Crop and Blue Ray are at peak ripeness and the Elliots haven’t even come close to peak yet! We are open all weekend with a barn full of goodies including fresh bread, dumplings, and ice cream!

08/12/2022

All the goodness of our garden into this roasted tomatillo and poblano salsa...

08/11/2022

The berries continue to be plentiful and the picking easy! We are open tomorrow through Sunday, 9-5. In case you’re short of time for picking, and you live in Swanton or St Albans, you can find our fresh blueberries at Mother Hubbard's Bakery, Deli and Country Store on Bushey Road.

08/10/2022

Come pick a peck of purple…blueberries 😆 We are open today for late picking from 3-7:30.

08/10/2022

Picked another 40 pounds of tomatoes yesterday in the greenhouse. Half went into 5 more quarts of tomato passata and the other half will go into salsa today.

08/09/2022

Heavenly weather for picking! Open tomorrow from 3-7:30 for late day picking. We will have ready picked berries as well. Then Thu-Sun, 9-5.

08/08/2022

August on a plate!

08/08/2022

Grady's Golden Goodness

We wrapped up our first month of berry picking with a heat wave and a sweet surprise today for those who braved the heat to come pick. Grady's Golden Goodness gifted berries to everyone who picked today. Many thanks to this wonderful organization and to Nicole Bergeron Howrigan for allowing us once again to be a conduit for kindness! Follow the link below for more information about this organization and its mission, and to donate to an organization that brings much joy to our community.

https://www.gradysgoldengoodness.org/

Grady’s Golden Goodness Foundation is a non-profit organization dedicated to spreading happiness and joy to youth, educators, and families in memory of Grady Howrigan. Our goal is to spread “goodness” with random acts of kindness, as well as provide opportunities for members of the community t...

08/07/2022

Blueberry Breakfast Cake

So many blueberries, so little time! But tomorrow is like our Saturday morning so I think this beautiful treat will be on the breakfast menu!

https://www.kingarthurbaking.com/recipes/blueberry-breakfast-cake-recipe

This soft, almost custard-like breakfast dish is kind of a casserole, kind of a cake — and definitely tasty!

08/07/2022

Piping hot & crackling sourdough love loaves just out of the oven! There’s going to be some special fun here today, so come pick for a bit and don’t miss it!

08/07/2022

Thanks so much to all the heat-loving berry pickers today. We were surprised to have people here picking throughout the day. It’s not supposed to be too much cooler tomorrow, so we will open for picking again at 7:00 am. The bushes are STILL loaded with fruit and you can fill a pail in less than an hour - that’s enough for a pie, the freezer, and snacking on the way to your favorite swimming spot!

08/06/2022

All last season we were in search of a berry as large as a quarter. We found many bigger than a nickel, but the quarter size eluded us. Yesterday evening, Morgan Kane, whose Dirty Heifer soaps can be found in our barn, found this berry - clearly as big as a quarter!