A Taste Of Community

A little book to educate your mind, open your heart, and fill your belly.

You’ll find stories from a diverse range of people who have found the joy of being a part of a COMMUNITY garden — in many different ways. Then, you can TASTE a few of their favorite recipes, and use the extra pages to record your own!

The book is $15, with all proceeds benefiting VCGN’s education programs.

Click here to order your copy!

CLICK HERE to watch the “Why Community Gardens?” video series, hear gardeners’ stories in their own voices, and learn how they are #RootedinVermont and #RootedinGardens.

How this book was created:

My name is Beka Bruner, and I’m the Garden Education Intern for Vermont Community Garden Network and the Shepherd Higher Education Consortium on Poverty Intern. I created this book with a few goals in mind:

To share how community gardens impact individuals’ lives.

To inspire you and others to find a connection with someone in this recipe book, therefore encouraging you to participate in a community garden.

To raise money for community and school gardens, gardeners, and garden leaders all over Vermont.

Creating this book has been an incredible journey! I’ve engaged with many people about their experiences within and love for community gardens, while simultaneously discovering a common thread throughout all of their stories: it’s not just about food. Of course for almost everyone, harvesting your own produce is a magnificent feat and can even be life saving. But it’s also a means of cultural expression, community support, and healthy living (mental and physical).

I hope you can find as much inspiration, warmth, and joy in these gardeners’ stories as I have, and that you too can find the incredible benefits of community gardens.

Enjoy “A TASTE OF COMMUNITY” and start gardening!

In community,

Beka Bruner

Thank You to Our Sponsors!

Kiss the Cook is a locally owned kitchen shop located in the Church Street Marketplace in Burlington and Middlebury. It is a perfect destination for those who love food, enjoy great service, and hope to find the right tools to enhance their cooking experience. The Kiss the Cook team is committed to bringing the best products, knowledge, and service to their customers. To learn more, visit: kissthecook.net
Lucky Next Door was a restaurant/cafe that provided a cozy space to eat, drink and feel welcome in downtown Burlington. The menu had plenty of options, ranging from burritos, tacos and nachos, to homemade spelt-flour tortillas, fiery peppers, beans and avocados. In addition, amazing chocolate cake, gingersnaps, and macaroons made everyone happy. Lucky Next Door closed in 2022.
SAP! is a maple beverage company that produces carbonated beverages made from 100% pure maple sap straight from Vermont maple trees. The company embodies a passion for the maple industry and dedication to Vermont. SAP!’s products make the time-honored tradition of the maple harvest accessible to everyone, while supporting Vermont’s working landscape and rural economy. These beverages are great alternatives to sugar-sweetened beverages and possess some great benefits for human consumption — not to mention the sustainable practice of harvesting maple! To learn more, visit: sapmaplewater.com
HANDS (Helping And Nurturing Diverse Seniors) is a small non-profit originally founded by Megan J. Humphrey to fill some gaps in providing food to older adults in Vermont. HANDS offers meals and giftbags for about 350 folks on Christmas Day throughout Chittenden County; develops gardening programs at senior housing, long-term care nursing centers, and community garden sites so that older participants can get their hands in the dirt again and grow some of their own food; and provides funding so that two senior meal sites can offer an additional meal each week. To learn more, visit: handsvt.org
Paw Print and Mail is a community-based printing, mailing, and direct marketing and fundraising appeal fulfillment company that has built trusted connections with the clients since 1990 with both offset and digital printing, wide-format printing, and bulk mail services. The Catamount Marketing division, offers graphic design, copywriting, website development, email marketing, and multi-channel direct marketing campaigns that combine direct mail, email, and the Internet to maximize response rates and generate qualified leads. To learn more, visit: paw-prints.com