Rural Banter

Author: Erica Goodman

Vermont is bursting with "alfalfa sprouts." You can see them in the produce section of Hannaford. But more likely, they will be calmly waiting in line behind you at the Co-op. A salad bar item out shopping? Not quite. Weary of life in the big city, sick of the skyscrapers and billboards, many an entrepreneur has resettled to the quiet life in rural Vermont. These "alfalfa sprouts" are part hippy flatlander, part eager business-person with an added dash of cultured outdoorsman. Ready to tackle the earth, these men and women add both character and complexity to Vermont rural life, and bring along some tasty treats.

From a little scoop shop opened in Burlington in 1978 to chain stores throughout the United States and in 18 countries, Ben and Jerry's is perhaps the prime example of the successful sprout. The native Long Islanders took the rolling landscape as an opportunity to put their ideals into action and "inspire people with ice cream," promoting environmental and social initiatives with each mouth-watering pint. In a town just southeast of the capital - Montpelier -- another alfalfa seedling is, well, sprouting.

One city folk who has immigrated to the Green Mountains is Tod Murphy, owner and operator of the Farmers Diner in Barre, Vermont. With a sleek brown ponytail leading down his back and sporting a pair of dusty jeans, Murphy spoke at an Environmental Studies department lecture last spring. When not digressing to stories about his animals - a characteristic of any farmer you meet - he outlined his thriving food business. His mission? Serve food made of almost entirely local products. Vegetables, dairy, meats, fruits, you name it. About 70 percent of the Diner's fare comes from small-time farmers from the Barre area. Additionally, Murphy is also working to create "scale-appropriate infrastructure" to process the food. The concept paddles against the current of our current global food systems. In Murphy's ideal, foods are processed locally; instead of shipping long distances to convert milk to cheese and then shipping it back home again, the fare is prepared within 50 miles of the farm from where it came. Pushing the middleman aside helps farmers earn decent money for their work while also decreasing the costs of pollution and environmental degradation by lessening shipping and travel needs. At a time when gasoline prices teeter on the brink of insanity, Murphy seems to have gotten it right.

New York and Boston may have the competitive corporations and Starbuck's on every corner. However, Vermont has the peace and serenity to house the Ben and Jerry's and Tod Murphy's of America. It is a haven for the weary-eyed dreamers and spirited believers. No matter the season, the soil is always fertile and ready for the next "alfalfa sprout" to emerge, ready to change the world.