Local Matters: Supporting Vendors and Our Community
One of the things that differentiates City Market Coop from other grocery store chains is that the Coop works directly and has long-standing relationships with vendors developed over many years. We work with more than 300 local vendors offering more than 4,000 local products from Vermont and across New England, New York and Canada.
City Markets’ commitment to supporting local vendors and honoring long-term relationships supports the local economy through purchasing power, which defines, strengthens and creates vibrancy in the Vermont agricultural community. City Market is often the largest account for local vendors, often making it possible for them to sustain their businesses.
As a testament to our connections and deep relationships with vendors, an example of a unique relationship is our partnership with High Mowing Organic Seeds. City Market offers a wide selection of High Mowing certified organic seeds at both store locations. One variety offered only at the South End store is Long Pie Pumpkins.
In the deeply woven web of relationships existing in our community, this seed was produced by Bone Mountain Farm in West Bolton, Vermont. Bone Mountain Farm is owned and operated by Tucker Andrews and Thomas Case. In addition to Thomas’s seedy side hustle, he is a longtime Produce Buyer for City Market Coop. Because of Thomas’ connections to City Market Coop, High Mowing Organic Seeds and Bone Mountain Farm, we can offer this regionally adapted variety even though Long Pie Pumpkins are otherwise only available through catalog sales.
More than Just Seeds
Long Pie Pumpkin seeds are not only sold as seeds at City Market and to farmers across the country, but they’re also processed for the local school district through a seed-to-school program. When the seeds are extracted from the pumpkins, pumpkin flesh is carefully saved and donated to the school to be cooked and frozen for use in the school kitchen.
Typically, in seed production the pumpkin flesh would be considered a byproduct and composted.
And naturally, one of the volunteers processing pumpkins last summer is our South End store’s Produce Manager Jason Pappas. Jason’s children are enrolled in the Jericho school district, and he has been working as a concerned PTO member to increase local supply of Farm to School products.
The Long Pie Pumpkin Project has galvanized a new farm-to-school effort in the Town of Jericho, which is another example of communities coming together to feed our children healthy locally produced food. This season of 2026 will be the third year of this project.
In July 2025, a youth art contest was hosted to design custom Long Pie Pumpkin packets in honor of the farm to school project. These are the designs you see on the packets sold exclusively in our South End store! A portion of the proceeds of these retail packets will go to Vermont farm-to-school programs.
About the Long Pie Pumpkin
Long Pie Pumpkins are virtually stringless, smooth orange flesh that is perfect for pumpkin pies. Fruit is green at harvest time with an orange spot on the bottom—like that of a large zucchini. As it ripens in storage, the outside flesh turns orange and flesh sweetens inside. Originally stewarded by Native Americans, this productive heirloom has astonishing yields and can be stored at 50 degrees all winter long. Immature fruit can be eaten as summer squash.