About Muddy Boots CSA
12 Years Feeding the Mad River Valley Community!
We feed well over 200 Mad River Valley families each year and most come back year after year.
We have been at this long enough to know how to keep our members happy with the perfect balance between weekly staple veggies and periodic surprises that introduce them to new and different veggies.
Get to Know Our Amazing Family Farmers
Our Pick-Up Location!
Cloud Water Farm
Warren, VT
Owned/Managed by Joe Bossen
Main crops: Perennial fruits and vegetables, dried beans, willow for basket-making
Joe Bossen, founder and owner of Vermont Bean Crafters and co-owner of All Souls Tortilleria, purchased this property in 2021 becoming the third steward of this conserved historic Valley farm. Joe is deeply committed to food justice, plant-based diets, and local food systems. He has a strong sense of community and sees Muddy Boots CSA as an important cornerstone of his long term vision for the farm.
Thanks to Joe and his businesses, several times throughout the season we will have available for sale regionally grown dried beans and as well as frozen veggie burgers. This is a great way to round out dinner for CSA pick-up day! Joe has exciting plans for the farm including perennial crops of apples, hazelnuts and berries in addition to vegetables that will be used in his products and included in our CSA Shares.
Follow Vermont Bean Crafters on Facebook
Follow All Souls Tortilleria on Facebook
Visit the Cloud Water Farm Website
Burnt Rock Farm
Huntington, VT
Owned/Managed by Justin Rich
Main crops: Spinach, onions, potatoes, sweet potatoes, winter squash, corn, tomatoes, scallions
Justin is one of the original Muddy Boots Farmers and the heart and soul of our CSA. Burnt Rock’s home farm is about 4 miles north of the junction of Gore Road and Route 17, just on the other side of the App Gap. They have a large, modern barn where they store, clean and pack their produce. There are also several greenhouses for growing a variety of tomatoes and other tender summer veggies. But, there is a lot more to Burnt Rock Farm than meets the eye. Drive through Huntington and just about every veggie field you go past is part of the farm. If you see someone driving a tractor down the road, wave; chances are it is someone from the Burnt Rock Farm crew!
Justin is well-respected in the Vermont organic farming community as a smart and practical farmer. He loves baseball and plays in an adult league and also coaches his son Elias’ little league team. Last fall had fun setting up a batting cage in one of the greenhouses after it was put to bed for the winter.
Follow Burnt Rock Farm on Facebook
Visit Burnt Rock Farm’s Website
Tamarack Hollow Farm
Plainfield, VT
Owned/Managed by Amanda Andrews
Main crops: Cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower, cooking greens, peas, snap peas, beets, carrots, summer squash, zucchini, cucumber
Tamarack Hollow Farm joined us in 2021 and grows a variety of produce for our CSA. For 15 years Tamarack Hollow sold their organic produce on Wednesdays and Saturdays direct to consumers and restaurant chefs at the Union Square Farmers’ Market in New York City. Then Covid hit and the market they had built their business on became too challenging to participate in. We needed another farmer to round out our offerings and assure variety and Tamarack Hollow needed a new customer base to make up for their New York City sales. We are lucky to be working with Amanda and her awesome crew and are looking forward to seeing their produce in our weekly shares.
Follow Tamarack Hollow Farm on Facebook
Trillium Hill Farm
Hinesburg, VT
Owned/Managed by James and Sarah Donegan
Main crops: Salad greens, peppers, chard, head lettuce
In 2020 Trillium Hill Farm joined our CSA and grew all of our salad greens. This small family farm did a fabulous job making sure that we had a nice variety of baby mesclun every week of the season. They now are one of our anchor farms and provide a variety of salad greens, kale, chard, salad turnips and peppers throughout the season.
2023 was a BIG year for James, Sarah and Ruby. In August they bought the land they had been farming for 18 seasons and that has been in James’ family since the 1800s. The property is beautiful and situated right in the center of Hinesburg. They have a sweet farmstand that is open in the summer and fall; it is a great stop if you are passing through Hinesburg during the growing season.
Follow Trillium Hill Farm on Facebook
“Front of the House”
Robin McDermott
CSA Manager
My husband and I develop online training for manufacturing companies around the world, teaching people how to make their businesses more productive and customer-focused. We have lived in Waitsfield since 2004.
I have been actively involved in supporting local agriculture since 2005 when I co-founded the Mad River Valley Localvore Project. I helped conserve the Kingsbury Farm (now Cloud Water Farm) with a team of Valley residents and the Vermont Land Trust, served on the board of Vermont Fresh Network and also helped start-up the Vermont Farm Fund.
My current passions are hiking and watercolor painting. This picture is of me in Madeira, Portugal in February 2023. This year I am hiking the 97 mile West Highland Way in Scotland in April!
We have a good-sized vegetable garden and still love getting our weekly large share from Muddy Boots CSA. I love cooking and it is a joy for me to write the weekly newsletter to help our members discover new vegetables and try new preparations for some of the more common veggies.
I am here to answer any questions you have, help you get the most from your CSA shares and resolve any issues you may run into. I am always available by phone (496-3567) or by email.
Racheal Ouellette
CSA Pick-Up Day Coordinator
Racheal is Joe Bossen’s partner and mom to their son, June. This is her second year as our pick-up day coordinator and we are thrilled that she is back! Racheal greets members with a warm smile and is happy to answer questions about how to prepare vegetables. As a mom, she knows how important it is to feed young, developing children healthy food free of chemicals and pesticides and loves giving parents suggestions for quick and easy meals that their kids will love.
Racheal is an early childhood educator and currently serves as the curriculum coordinator for OZ Full Circle Preschool in Burlington. She is dedicated to providing children opportunities that celebrate individuality and promote self-expression through process, play, and reflection. She is also a passionate basket weaver; so much so that Joe has dedicated some of the land at the farm to growing willow that Racheal will use for basketmaking.
Feel free to ask Racheal questions about the share or let her know if something isn’t right. Racheal and Robin work closely together to make sure our members have a great experience with Muddy Boots CSA every week!
All of our farms are Certified Organic
Good for your family.
Organic produce is grown without chemicals or pesticides and the produce is not genetically modified.
Good for the earth.
Organic farming practices protect the land and build the soil to make sure it is useful for the future and not just this year’s crops.
The Muddy Boots Advantage
We bring together several farmers, each with different growing environments and farming capabilities to provide a well-rounded weekly share that works for both our members and our growers.
This allows each of our farmers to focus on what their soils & environment are best suited to grow. And, it safeguards our customer’s investment in a CSA. If one farmer loses a crop, another can step in to fill the larder.