A Field Trip to RFarm
On a recent field trip to RFarm in Burlington, Connecticut, three members of the Red Tomato team, Alessandra, Emily, and Michelle, traded desks for bee boxes and got a closer look at the local honey in Connecticut schools through Red Tomato’s Farm to School program.
Class was in session as Andy, RFarm’s beekeeper, welcomed the team behind the scenes. He showed them the hives, shared the care that goes into producing local honey, and offered a few unexpected lessons from life with bees.
One surprise: bears are among the biggest threats to the hives. While many people assume they are after the honey, Andy explained that bears are often drawn to the protein-rich larvae and pupae inside. It was a memorable reminder that beekeeping is about caring for an entire colony, not just producing a harvest.
For Andy, beekeeping is more than a job. When he is working with the bees, he says, “nothing else exists.” It is peaceful work, and a welcome contrast to the mechanical repairs that fill much of his day now. As retirement gets closer, he is looking forward to spending more time tending the bees and sharing the rhythms of farm life with his grandkids, who already love helping around the farm.
Hive-to-Bottle Honey in Burlington, Connecticut
Andy runs RFarm with his partner, Linda, and together they have built a honey operation rooted in care for bees, land, and community.
What began as an effort to support honeybee colonies has grown into a thoughtful hive-to-bottle operation across the Litchfield Hills. RFarm produces raw, comb, and small-batch whipped honey, with Linda bringing her expertise as an accredited honey sommelier to help ensure quality and consistency in every batch.
Their work reflects the natural variation of each season while preserving the unique character of RFarm’s local honey.
Bringing Local Honey into Connecticut Schools
That same care and attention is now making its way to students through Red Tomato’s Farm to School program. During the 2025–2026 school year, RFarm honey was supplied to Granby Memorial High School and Granby Memorial Middle School, giving students a taste of a local food with deep roots in Connecticut agriculture.
Honey is a natural fit for school meals. It is sweet, familiar, and easy for students to get excited about, but it also offers a simple way to connect the cafeteria to the classroom. Through honey, students can learn about bees, pollination, farms, and the larger food system behind what they eat.
Supporting Farm to School Connections
RFarm’s work is rooted in relationships that extend well beyond the honey itself. Andy and Linda keep hives in multiple locations across the county, including at a nearby orchard where the bees support pollination while the orchard provides a home for the hives.
They also collect swarms and support fellow beekeepers, helping strengthen the local pollinator community and the broader network of people caring for bees.
RFarm is now preparing for an exciting next chapter with the construction of a new Honey Barn, supported in part by a Farm Transition Grant through the Connecticut Department of Agriculture. The new space will include room for honey extraction, a commercial kitchen, retail, and an open-air market, helping RFarm expand how they process, share, and sell what they produce.
For Red Tomato, this field trip was a reminder of what Farm to School can make possible. It is not just about getting local food onto cafeteria trays. It is about helping students understand where food comes from, creating new opportunities for local producers, and strengthening the relationships that connect farms, schools, and communities.
We’re proud to help bring RFarm’s honey into Connecticut schools and to support farm partners like Andy and Linda as they build a more sustainable local food future.
