Could Vermont feed itself?

Could Vermont feed itself?
Tim Johnson, Burlington Free Press

Yet another dietary mantra is gaining traction across Vermont -- "eat local" -- as more and more people are expanding their vegetable gardens, buying directly from farmers, and trying to relearn food preservation techniques that most Vermonters have long since forgotten.

All of which raises obvious questions:

-- Could Vermont really feed itself?

-- In a state where the ground is frozen four months a year, how realistic is it to try to "eat local" once the summer growing season is over?

-- What about all those staples -- wheat and other grains, for example -- that are barely grown in Vermont at all?

The answers are nuanced and speculative, depending on who's talking, but no less surprising for that.

Via EB

I think this is an important question for those pushing for Vermont to secede. Not only would they have to convince their neighbors that the best thing to do would be to secede from the Union, but also to work for economic self-sufficiency with regards to necessities.