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What’s On My Plate

On a perfect sunny morning, I recently visited Sisters of Anarchy, a local ice cream producer in Shelburne, VT. It was surprising, terrific, awesome, and WOW! Being there reminded me of what I love about our local producers: their brilliant, creative, and scrappy approach to making a product dream come to life. 

I met co-owner, Becky Castle, at Fisher Brothers Farm, where I discovered some amazing things that I had no idea went into their ice cream. I’ve driven by the farm’s sign for years, wondering what went on there. It turns out that the 75 acres Becky and her husband, Bob, bought in 2013 is where they actually GROW all the fruit that goes into their products. INSPIRING!  

The meticulously maintained farm includes blueberries, red and yellow raspberries, blackberries, aronia berries, elderberries, grapes, and even the mint that goes into their Anger Manage-mint flavor. It’s so great to know that the Sisters ice cream you love is made with many ingredients grown right on the farm. 

Here are some more details that I never considered while diving into a pint: 

• I totally subscribe to their motto: If you want something done right, you must do it yourself. Translation: use your creativity and scrappiness to overcome problems, grow, and carry on year after year, challenge after challenge! 
• Champlain Valley Apiaries has 79-100 hives on site that happily pollinate their fruit, and provide honey to sweeten the deal.  
• Sisters ships all over the country using dry ice to keep things frozen. What’s really cool (no pun intended) is that they actually MAKE dry ice on-site. There’s a 60,000-gallon tank looming over the farm that provides the CO2 used in production, and they are the only company in Vermont making the stuff! In addition to shipping with dry ice, Sisters also provides dry ice for patients needing cold capping as well as to local distributors and food companies.

QUOTE BOX: What we really value about Healthy Living is the partnership and the support that the team has provided us.—Becky Castle 

• They’ve planted 30,000 feet of fruit, carefully tended, growing fantastically on the most interesting trellis system! 
• An irrigation system provides water AND fertilizer—known as fertigation. I had no idea that word even existed! 
• Amy, the Production Manager, and her team, make and package all their products in a surprisingly tight space. She is the creative force behind the wonderful flavors Sisters of Anarchy is known for. 
• Their newest thing: the Sis’wich. Utterly divine, taken-up-several-notches ice cream sandwiches! 
• On site, their dog Bob Marley lounges in the grass and dandelions, a perfect expression of the joy that abounds! 
• They’re a husband-and-wife team that works well together with very different skill sets. Bob is the visionary behind the farm and provides strategic direction. Becky is the sales and production expert. They both have backgrounds that did not point them in the direction of ice cream and farming. And yet, here they are! 

Becky and I had a great connection. It’s not just the love of food or the family business aspect that we have in common. Mostly, it’s the joy we love to dole out in huge servings to our customers and community.   

With love, 

KATY

P.S. Sisters of Anarchy will be on-site at Healthy Living (South Burlington location) on Saturday, June 15 for FREE SCOOPS of magical flavors. Stop by for extra JOY!