Introducing the Taste of Mansfield Champion Awards!
Taste of Mansfield, in partnership with the Town of Mansfield, Mansfield Agriculture Committee, and the Mansfield Economic Development Commission are proud to announce our first annual Taste of Mansfield Champion awards. The award will be presented to a producer, seller, and communicator/educator meeting the following criteria:
Sells or serves local food or an agricultural product with a focus on Mansfield farms and farm stands
Educates customers/clients about where local food comes from through signage, social media, advertising, or other media
Acts as a leader and advocate for promoting local food
Get to know your community A farm is an amazing hub of connections to other local businesses, customers, and town services. Farmers can help network their customers to each other.Members of CSA farms see each other weekly on pick-up day and build new friendships as they exchange recipes. Residents at the Storrs Farmers Market smile in recognition of each other each Saturday afternoon.
Taste the flavors of local, fresh, seasonal food You can really taste the difference! Foods grown locally and sold seasonally are picked at their peak - no need to harvest early to account for shipping - meaning your Mansfield grown food will taste better and last longer.
Support our farm businesses and farmland stewards We depend on local farmers to steward our agricultural lands in Mansfield. A farm provides many ecosystem services, including watershed protection, wildlife corridors, forest habitats, and carbon sequestration in the soils. Yet farming as an enterprise is challenging, with high input costs and unpredictable weather events. Help ensure the viability of working lands in Mansfield by purchasing products from local farmers at the Storrs Farmers Market, through one of our local CSAs, or at a nearby farm stand.