Burlington--Seven Vermont 4-H teens with an interest in food production and related career opportunities had the opportunity to visit several businesses in Addison and Chittenden Counties on a food tasting tour, July 14.

Yankee Farm Credit and University of Vermont (UVM) Extension 4-H sponsored the tour, which was open to 4-H'ers, ages 14-18, from throughout the state. The group visited five farms and agribusinesses with lunch at Rosie's Restaurant, a popular family-style restaurant in Middlebury for more than 40 years.

Participating in the full-day tour were Hailey and Mackenzie Chase, Bristol; Samantha Flint, Brookfield; Alexis, Erin and Katherine Whipple, Bridport; and Isabella Wilbur, Orwell. They were accompanied by Liz Kenton, UVM Extension Youth Agriculture Project coordinator, and Wendy Sorrell, UVM Extension 4-H livestock educator.

The first stop on the tour was Shelburne Farms where the teens visited the farm barn and cheese-making facility to observe how farmstead cheddar cheese is made from milk from the farm's herd of purebred Brown Swiss cows. They sampled smoked cheese and six-month, one-year, two-year aged cheeses to explore the different tastes.

Their tour of Sweet Roots Farm and Market in Charlotte provided an opportunity to see how a pick-your-own operation is sustainably managed and learn about retail sales with a visit to the farm store. A fun highlight was picking blueberries to snack on throughout the day.

At Dakin Farm in Ferrisburgh, Sam Cutting Jr. shared the history of his family-owned business and described how their products from maple to smoked meats are produced. The teens tasted their spiral ham, cheddar cheese and crackers after a private tour of their packing and shipping barn.

The group also visited Champlain Valley Apiaries in Middlebury, established in 1931, to learn about beekeeping and different types of honey. They each received an eight ounce jar of honey to take home.

Their final stop was at Monument Farms Dairy in Weybridge, a fourth-generation family dairy farm that processes its own milk from its herd of Holstein cows. Sharon Palmer took the teens on a tour of the facility and talked about how cows make the milk that they process and package for delivery. The teens also sampled the dairy's famous chocolate milk.

Each year Yankee Farm Credit and UVM Extension 4-H team up to offer a tour in Vermont, New Hampshire or New York to educate teens about different aspects of agriculture and related career choices. To learn more about these Tri-State Agricultural Tours, contact Liz Kenton at liz.kenton@uvm.edu or Wendy Sorrell at wendy.sorrell@uvm.edu.