Staff Picks
Going On Now! Adopt-an-Avocado
Look at him. Just … look.
He was destined to be a good batch of guacamole. Instead, he’s a lonely green island by a puddle in a sea of muted March greys. He’s sharp, he’s focused, he’s dark green and nutritionally sound, and he’s wondering where it all went wrong.
We can’t give you this specific avocado we found in the Lebanon store parking lot recently (the health department has “feelings” about parking lot produce), but we do have hundreds of his cousins inside our stores, longing for a good home.
You have the power to stop the loneliness. For a small, one-time adoption fee (okay, it’s just the retail price), you can take one home.
Benefits of Adoption:
- A Sense of Purpose: You’re providing a safe, dark paper bag for them to ripen in.
- Nutritional Karma: Good for your heart, better for your toast.
- Crisis Aversion: Every avocado sold is one less avocado destined for the “Tale of the Lonely Asphalt.”
Hurry in. Before they start writing emo poetry.
New Staff Pick! Gammelgården Skyr
Somewhere in the rolling green hills of Pownal, VT—just past the spot where your GPS starts questioning why you decided to live in this state—lies the wonder that is Gammelgården Creamery. It’s here that milk from a pampered herd of Jerseys is transformed into a skyr that’s thick and creamy and delicious.
What is skyr? It’s technically a soft cheese, but it tastes like the thickest, creamiest yogurt you’ve ever experienced. Hand-crafted, small-batch, and incredibly lush—it’s essentially a spa day for your granola.
In honor of Women’s History Month, we’re celebrating a woman-operated dairy that turned a single calf named Babette into a legend. Find Gammelgården Skyr in all of our stores.
Saxy Chef Pies
Let’s be real: most store-bought desserts feel like an afterthought. But Aubrey Saxton, the classically trained mastermind behind Saxy Chef, believes your last course should be as legendary as your first.
Local and handmade with love in small batches by Aubrey and her team, these fresh-baked beauties are the gold standard of local indulgence. We’re talking real butter, local eggs, and fruit sourced in New England. No mystery fillers, no shortcuts—just a flaky, golden crust and delicious filling from a woman-owned bakery.
Whether you’re grabbing the iconic Apple or the fan-favorite Scrap Pie (a genius medley of whatever fruit was freshest that morning), these are the pies you “forget” to share!
Golden Rule Mead
Fun fact: The anonymous medieval author of Beowulf famously loved mead! That’s why a mead hall plays such a prominent role in the poem. (Or maybe we made that up. We weren’t there. Whatever.)
Regardless, our friends at Golden Rule Mead in Middlebury, Vermont, are equally obsessed with this wonderful and sadly underappreciated beverage. If mead doesn’t sound appealing to you yet, let us help you see the golden, wild-fermented light:
The Specs
- Vibe: Smooth and surprisingly potent. Perfect for those who want to feel like a Scandinavian deity on a Tuesday.
- Honey Source: 100% happy, Vermont bees. (They have tiny dental plans.)
- Additives: None. Zero. Zip. Zilch. Nada.
- Fermentation Style: Wild—like a mythical monster’s mother.
- Grendel Compatibility: Highly incompatible. Keep away from intemperate swamp-dwelling creatures of all sorts, actually.
- Shield Rating: 0/10. (Actually quite fragile; do not use to block incoming axes.)
What is Mead, anyway?
Mead is an ancestral beverage made by fermenting honey and water—essentially “honey wine.” Unlike beer, which relies on the starches in malted grains, mead is built on the complex sugars and floral aromatics of honey.
While beer often hits you with the bitterness of hops, Golden Rule offers a cleaner, crisper profile that highlights the specific terroir of the Vermont wildflowers the bees visited. It’s a distinct category of craft that sits somewhere between a dry cider and a crisp white wine.
Why We Love Golden Rule
Golden Rule isn’t just a name; it’s a commitment to not ruining the planet. They call it “Brew Unto Others”—a philosophy centered on 100% local Vermont honey and a deep respect for the bees who do all the heavy lifting. In short, this isn’t just a drink—it’s an invitation to be legendary (or at least moderately more interesting at parties).