Spring into Summer

Can you feel it? Warmer weather, flowers blooming, younglings growing… there is always a cause for celebration around this time of year, no matter your path in life! We created this gift guide to highlight a few products that will make your seasonal shopping experience easier and more enjoyable.

High Meadows Farm - Putney, VT


For the last couple of years, River Valley Co-op has had a plant sale highlighting local farms that specialize in plant starters. For this gift guide, we are featuring High Meadows Farm—a 65-acre farm of rolling hills and fertile soil, surrounded by oak and maple woodlands. Situated just a short drive from the center of Putney, VT, they are Vermont’s oldest certified organic farm. Since 1979, they have dedicated themselves to growing and providing the community with premium organic vegetables and potted plants. Jump start your spring garden with a plant starter and grow your own local veggies!

Sidehill Jam - Brattleboro, VT

A customer favorite! Sidehill Jam is known for having no pectin or artificial ingredients, both of which are often found in mass-produced varieties. During the fall, their peach jam is a huge hit! A pack of 4 jams from Sidehill Farm makes a great gift for its longevity and locality, as well as its sweet taste and all-natural flavors. Try their strawberry jam for a taste of spring - it's a huge hit! Sidehill Farm was one of the first specialty food companies based in Vermont. When co-owners Dot and Ben Naylor started their business in the 1970s, they resurrected old family recipes for artisanal jams and produced them for friends and family. Their children would spend many summer afternoons picking raspberries for those first batches. Folks appreciated the unique way Sidehill Farm made their jam—boiled-down fruit and sugar, handmade and hand-stirred, which produces a jam with more fruit and more flavor in every bite. 

 

Old Friends Farm - Amherst, MA

Know someone who deserves a massage? With massage oil from Old Friends Farm it is a unique way to celebrate a loved one by offering an at-home date night. Old Friends Farm grows 28 acres of Certified Organic Salads, Vegetables, and Flowers for retail and wholesale. They are widely known for pioneering Northeast-grown Ginger and Turmeric, as well as for the Specialty Products we make with these powerful roots. We love what they grow, and we love how they do it with respect for the planet just as much! They are committed to creating healthy products while dedicating themselves to community and sustainability.

Shelburne Falls Coffee Roasters - Shelburne Falls, MA

 

Any coffee lover will recognize the authentic and robust flavors of Shelburne Falls Coffee Roasters. Nestled in the foothills of New England's Berkshires, this coffee roastery hearkens back to the early days in America—a time and place where fine things were produced by village craftspeople produced fine, handcrafted products and nurtured them from start to finish. Gift the coffee lover in your life with a coffee sugar maple nut flavor… it’s unique to New England!

 

Dr. Hauschka - Hatfield, MA

 

Dr.Hauschka’s Daily Hydrating Eye Cream targets, treats and prevents the visible signs of premature aging around your eyes. This conditioning treatment hydrates your delicate skin while fortifying it for added resilience. Pineapple extract smoothes out fine lines and wrinkles, while rose distillate tones and soothes puffiness. The cream’s lightweight texture absorbs quickly into the skin, making it ideal to wear beneath makeup. This eye cream makes a perfect gift for the skin-care guru in your life!

Green Mountain Blooms - East Hartford, CT

Green Mountain Blooms specializes in local production, growing bright, colorful flowers and creating beautiful arrangements for any occasion. They are a consortium of domestic and international farms dedicated to doing business responsibly. All their products have labels which certify they are sourced only from farms that are treating their employees well and doing their part to help the environment.



Sweet Roots Gardens - South Deerfield, MA

Sweet Roots Gardens was launched by three busy moms who came together to pursue a passion for digging in the dirt. As they watched their children play in the soil and discover the joy of farming, they also realized that cultivating herbs strengthened them as individuals and as a collective. Since then, their farm and the natural goods they create there have become an ideal source of natural nourishment for our bodies, our souls, and our children.

Equal Exchange - Massachusetts

Equal Exchange's mission is to build long-term trade partnerships that are both economically just and environmentally sound. They seek to foster mutually beneficial relationships between farmers and consumers, as well as demonstrate their commitment to co-ops, Fair Trade, and overall a more equitable, democratic and sustainable world. Organic chai tea is a perfect gift for the tea lover in your life! 

 

Sunbeam Candles - Tompkins County, NY

Sunbeam Candles hand crafts, distributes and sells high-quality candles, all produced at little cost to Mother Earth. Their attention to detail is unequivocal, and they use only the most natural and wholesome ingredients available. They operate the company in a way that minimizes our carbon footprint while sustaining the health and happiness of our employees and customers. They are big supporters of humanitarian organizations that align with our values, creating new opportunities for career growth and development for our employees. 



 

Naked Cow

Naked Cow Jerky was started by Ron Myrick and Doug Labb as 2jerkys. When the two friends met in the 1990s, they experimented by making beef jerky to share with others on camping and canoeing trips. In 2011, 2jerkys launched their first original beef jerky company, Appalachian Jerky. Ever since, they have developed bold beef jerky varieties that cater to targeted taste—sure to satisfy any palate!

 

Swift River Glass - Wendell, Ma

Ina Peebles is known for making high quality handcrafted fine art glass, as well as gold and silver jewelry. She is the owner of Swift River Glass, a handmade jewelry business that she runs from her Western Massachusetts home. Ina got her start crafting jewelry about 14 years ago. She now specializes in original pendants and earrings, with studs being her best-seller.

 

Local Handmade Cards 

In addition to the locally sourced gifts mentioned above, you can also have the luxury of buying a handcrafted greeting card from the local artist of your choosing! Artists include, but are not limited to…

  • Leni Fried
  • Mona Shiber
  • Patrick Zephyr
  • Annette Rubino-Buck
  • Diane Nevinsmith
  • Linda Wallack
  • Kimberly Wachtel
  • Ellen Koteen

 

All products mentioned in this post are seasonal and available while supplies last!

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