Green Mountaineer Online: Farming

Farms have always been important in Vermont history. Read the journal of Porter Perrin to learn what it was like to live on a Vermont farm in 1874.

• Diary of a Vermont Farmboy

Vermonters used the land to grow food for their families.

• Lives Tied To the Land: Vermont Workers, Vermont Resources
• Take a Bite out of Vermont's Past
• A Garden from our Forefathers
• It's Sugaring Time
• Milking

Farmers also sold products from their farms to make money or to trade at the general store.

• Farmer's Gold
• Counting Sheep
• The Grist Mill
• Noggins, Firkins, Piggins, and Kegs, Salt Pork, Peppermints, Gun Shot and Eggs

Don't forget about the animals!

• A Chicken Is a Kid's Best Friend?
• History Hidden in the Paper World of Ephemera - Animal Power

Have you ever wondered how farmers built the huge barns that are still standing on Vermont farms today?

• Barn Raisings

Sometimes the weather made it difficult for farmers to grow their crops.

• The Year without a Summer

Here are some farm activities to try at home or school:

• Butter: How To Make Your Own
• An Old-Time Thirst Quencher
• Down on the Farm