Summer in Vermont is more than just mountain views and farmers markets. It’s a full-on flavor experience. From maple-swirled soft serve to produce picked just hours before you eat it, Vermont knows how to celebrate the season through food.
Whether you’re visiting for a weekend or you live here year-round, these are seven Vermont foods you absolutely have to try this summer.
🍦 1. Maple Creemees
Where to find them: Creemee stands, sugarhouses, farmers markets
Let’s start with the ultimate Vermont summer staple. A maple creemee is soft serve ice cream sweetened with real Vermont maple syrup. It is smoother than traditional soft serve and not overly sweet, which makes it dangerously easy to eat on repeat.
Look for it at small roadside creemee stands, maple farms, and general stores. The best ones are served in a cone and eaten before they melt in the sun.
🧀 2. Vermont Cheddar
Where to find it: Cabot Creamery, Grafton Village Cheese, local co-ops
Vermont cheddar is sharp, creamy, and packed with flavor. Whether you’re slicing it for a picnic, melting it on a burger, or just eating it straight off the block, this cheese hits different when it’s local.
Visit a creamery for a tasting or grab a wedge from a farmers market cooler. Pair it with fresh apples or crusty bread and call it lunch.
🍅 3. Heirloom Tomatoes
Where to find them: Farmers markets, roadside stands, pick-your-own farms
Colorful, weirdly shaped, and bursting with flavor, heirloom tomatoes are one of the best parts of late summer in Vermont. You’ll see yellow, green, deep purple, and candy-striped varieties stacked high at just about every farmers market in August.
Slice them up with a drizzle of olive oil and a sprinkle of sea salt, or build the best caprese salad of your life.
🌽 4. Sweet Corn
Where to find it: Local farm stands, CSA boxes, farm stores
There is nothing like fresh-picked corn on a summer evening in Vermont. Local varieties are crisp, sweet, and perfect whether you boil, grill, or roast them.
Look for ears with bright green husks and sticky silk. Better yet, get them straight from the farmer and eat them the same day.
🫐 5. Wild Blueberries
Where to find them: U-pick farms, hiking trails, local jams
Smaller and sweeter than grocery store blueberries, Vermont’s wild blueberries are hidden treasures of the summer landscape. You’ll find them growing wild on trails or at pick-your-own farms starting in late July.
Toss them on yogurt, bake them into muffins, or just eat them by the handful until your fingers turn purple.
🍩 6. Cider Donuts
Where to find them: Orchards, farm cafés, general stores
Who says cider donuts are only for fall? Many orchards in Vermont fry them up fresh all summer long. They are warm, cinnamon-coated, and often sold right next to cold cider slushies or maple lemonade.
Pro tip: grab a half dozen and eat one before you leave the parking lot.
🍔 7. Grass-Fed Burgers
Where to find them: Farm-to-table restaurants, diners, food trucks
Vermont’s beef scene is strong thanks to the number of small farms raising grass-fed cattle. In the summer, you’ll find incredible local burgers everywhere from brewery patios to roadside diners.
Look for toppings like local cheddar, maple bacon, or even pickled vegetables grown just down the road.
Vermont in summer is a feast. Whether you’re road-tripping, hiking, or just lounging in the backyard, the food makes the season even sweeter. Grab a cone, visit a farm stand, and eat your way through the Green Mountain State.
