Cornwall's Twig Farm sampling Tomme.

Given that Vermont has always been synonymous with dairy farming (sheep and cows), it makes perfect sense that Shelburne Farms would create an annual festival highlighting Vermont farms and cheeses. Despite shifting weather and threat of storms, the second annual Vermont Cheesemakers Festival, held at the beatific Coach Barn on Sunday, July 25th was a sold out event.

With 50 cheesemakers present, choosing a favorite chevre or sharp would be a daunting task. Still, Maplebrook Farm, in Bennington, was Vermont Lodging Properties’ hands-down winner for their fresh mozzarella and ricotta cheeses which Christine called, “stupendous.” Michael Leed, of Twig Farm in West Cornwall, handed out wonderful, nutty samples of his Tomme. Christine also greatly enjoyed the samples of Bourree and the Lindy Hop, made from the raw milk of grass-fed cows at Dancing Cow Farm in Bridport.

Vermont Gold

Another favorite artisan cheese? The fabulous Oma from the Von Trapp Farm, cellared at Jasper Hill in the Northeast Kingdom.

In addition to all the mouth-watering cheeses, 15 purveyors of specialty food items and 20 wineries and breweries were also on-site. Champlain Orchards, in Shoreham, featured its decadently smooth apple butter. Vermont Spirits in St. Johnsbury, showcased its elegantly bottled, Vermont Gold vodka, created from pure maple sap. Olivia’s Croutons, located in New Haven, shared their delicious, buttery croutons. Olivia’s Croutons will soon be milling their own wheat at their factory and barn on North Street. And anyone who sampled the handmade French nougat at Vadeboncoeur couldn’t have walked away disappointed.

Those of us who have a harder time getting to the market or fitting in a trip to the grocery store before company arrives, might be interested in the Vermont Cheese Club. This is how it works: sign up for a selected amount of time, from one to three months. Each month fresh, artisanal cheeses are delivered directly to your door, accompanied by stories about the farm where the cheese was produced and wine pairing suggestions.

The Vermont Cheese Club also offers “cheese shares,” similar to Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) shares, where you can pick up fresh, local cheese at a predetermined location. Cheese shares are offered seasonally, so contact the Vermont Cheese Club directly for more information.

Provisions International, Ltd. —Wholesale Purveyors of Fine Specialty Foods had an awe-inspiring array of foodstuff.  Located in White River Junction, delivers weekly to fine restaurants, grocers, food cooperatives and specialty food stores all over New England. Grains, legumes, fresh vegetables, herbs and spices are but a few of the offerings Provisions International has sold for the past 20 years.

If you missed the Vermont Cheesemakers Festival, take heart. It will come again next summer. In the meantime, you might want to attend the Plymouth Cheese & Harvest Festival, to be held in Plymouth Notch, on September 19th. More details about this festival and a detailed list of cheese making classes are offered on the Vermont Cheese Council website.

Sunrise at Almost Home Market, in Bristol Vermont.

This is your chance to own an iconic Vermont landmark: Bristol’s  Almost Home Market is for Sale!

A gourmet Vermont country store for the 21st century, Almost Home has become the hub of this busy bedroom community.

Fiddlers on the porch at Almost Home: music is the food of love...

In a state known for great country stores, Almost Home stands out as a culinary polestar.

Gourmands come to Bristol, Vermont to find manna from heaven, commuters get their espresso fixes, brides land their wedding caterers, busy moms grab healthy gourmet meals to go.

Known for its:

• Extraordinary deli
• Fine catering
• Outrageous Espresso Bar
• Select Wines, Beer and Champagne
• Fabulous Gifts and Home Goods

Almost Home brings the local food movement home to an audience of eager, hungry locals.

Almost Home has also become a popular gathering place. In season, the front porch is filled with music, families, and food. In winter, commuters warm up at the espresso bar, and shop for the holidays.

Become a part of this tight-knight, vibrant community and fulfill your dream as a chef. The sale of this well-loved property includes full inventory and equipment. Contact us for more information about this extraordinary property.

Take this opportunity to Express your culinary genius to a captive local audience.	At Almost Home, it’s all about celebrations, daily specials, seasonal favorites, gourmet local.

The One-World Library Project is a “world library within a library” with a collection of books, films, and other media about world cultures. OWLP items are available for community members to check out at the Lawrence Memorial Library in Bristol. The One-World Library Project also hosts regular programs at the library on the various fascinating cultures that fill our planet. For more information about the One-World Library Project please call 453-4147 or go to http://http://oneworldlibraryproject.org/. The next program takes place one week from today. 

Thursday, June 24, 2010
Behind the Camel of the Cook: On Foot and On Camel in The Sahara Desert
New Haven resident, yoga instructor and adventure traveler, Sansea Sparling, traveled to the Tasseli Region of the Sahara Desert in Southern Algeria, to live and trek with the Tuareg Nomads for a month. Come join us in learning more about Sansea’s adventures.
For more details click here.
7:00pm, Free, Lawrence Memorial Library. For a map to the library, click here.

The last book club meeting, on Tuesday the 8th, was held at The Brick House at Shelburne Farms. It is part of the Shelburne Museum and an incredible Colonial Revival home overlooking the lake. It was restored by Electra Havemeyer Webb and J. Watson Webb in the early 1900s. We had a tour of the home, a fabulous dinner in the formal dining room, and then a discussion of the book by Edith Wharton, “House of Mirth“. Here  is Christine with her summer hat on!

Kiplinger’s focused on “out-of-the-box thinking” in their latest search for the best 10 cities for growth and growth potential in the next decade. The three factors deemed to spark innovation, jobs and a wonderful place to live and work are smart people, great ideas and collaboration. Here’s what they say about Burlington, VT:

Burlington’s local-food movement perhaps best tells the story of how environmentalism drives much of the city’s economic growth. Many shops and restaurants along Burlington’s Church Street Marketplace, the famous pedestrian mall, serve up local goodies. A couple blocks over, the City Market/Onion River Co-Op, a community-owned grocery store, offers more than 1,000 Vermont products. (And atop the supermarket, generating 3% of the Co-Op’s energy needs — enough electricity to power six Burlington homes — are 136 solar panels from groSolar, another Vermont-based company.) And the crown jewel for locavores: The Intervale Center is a nonprofit organization that has managed 350 acres of family-owned farmland in Burlington since 1988 and provides 10% of the town’s food. “We’re 30 years ahead of the country with the local-food movement. . .”

When you first lay your eyes on Deerwood Estate, you realize why so many have fallen in love with Vermont.  With 34 acres, 750 feet of lake frontage, magnificent scenic views of Lake Champlain and the Adirondack Mountains, large open meadows and well-landscaped lawns, rich history and well appointed amenities.

Deerwood Estate is centrally located in the beautiful Champlain Valley of Vermont – 20 minutes from Middlebury and the prestigious Middlebury College, 20 minutes to Vergennes, one hour to Burlington International Airport and a short drive to many of the state’s and the lake region’s great attractions and destinations.

Deerwood Estate is a newly opened Bed and Breakfast in a perfectly restored 1832 Greek Revival home. It boasts three guest rooms with wonderful public spaces; a  living room, a formal dining room, a TV room, and a gorgeous sunroom. The owners quarters have a private bath, dressing room and office. There are beautiful views of the mountains and Lake Champlain as well as 100 feet of lake front for boating and swimming. Adjoining land is available if you are interested as well as  plans and a building under construction. Some furniture will be included in the sale price and other pieces will be negotiable.

Contact Christine and John if you have any questions or would like more information about this beautiful property.

The Art of Eating is about the best foods and wines — what they are, how they are produced, where to find them (the farms, markets, shops, restaurants). Published in Peacham, VT, the Art of Eating spans the globe to bring relevant information to people who love everything about food and drink.

From editor Edward Behr, “the Art of Eating, which first appeared as a food letter in 1986, is published four times a year. There is no advertising. Along with in-depth articles, there are recipes, letters, a wine review (“Why This Bottle, Really?”), restaurant reviews, book reviews plus, according to the subject, addresses for exceptional open-air markets, individual growers and craftsmen, bakers, cheesemakers, wineries, olive-oil mills, charcutiers, chocolatiers, or restaurants (from haute cuisine to very simple).”

Published quarterly, subscriptions are $48 for one year, $80 for two, and $128 for three. You can check out the current issue’s contents here.

Vermont Restaurant Week runs from May 14-20 this year, and is a perfect opportunity to visit myriad restaurants throughout the state at an awesome price, with a portion of proceeds benefiting the Vermont Foodbank. You can’t go wrong visiting any of the 55 participants, with prix-fixe menus from $15 to $35, but I’ll recommend Vermont Fresh Network member Norma’s Restaurant at the Topnotch Resort in Stowe, VT. Their contemporary American – European menu includes two options for appetizer and entree and one dessert. Look for a complete listing of restaurants and menus in the Wed, May 5th edition of Seven Days.  Bon Appetite!

Green Up’s mission is to promote the stewardship of our state’s natural landscape and waterways and the livability of our communities by involving people in Green Up Day and raising public awareness about the benefits of a litter-free environment.

This year Vermonters will celebrate 40 years of Green Up day. A tradition across the state, Green Up day brings neighbors together to create a more beautiful state. There will be a public celebration on the state-house lawn from 3pm-530pm on Saturday, May 1st with live music and food. After a day of cleaning, grab your friends and head down to meet your fellow Vermonters.

You can participate on your own or join in with a group in your town. To find a coordinator in your area, click here.

Twice a month, Kevin Clayton hosts wine tastings at his shop, Village Wine and Coffee, in Shelburne, VT. Clayton’s shop focuses on wine education and appreciation and has access to 800 wines in-shop and 5000 wines by special order. In his own words…

Twice a month we do wine tastings in our shop.
We feature 6 wines, a mix of white and red
These tastings are free on a first come first serve basis.
Eight people at a time can try the wines,
and you must be at least 21 years old to participate.
The hours for the tasting are from 1PM to 5PM
Please come and enjoy.
Sign up on our e-mail list (on the table by the exit)
for bi-monthly e-mails about our tastings and current wine offerings.
Call for more info. 985-8922

Bronwyn Dunne visits Village Wine and Coffee. She teaches specialty cooking classes at Healthy Living Market and raises grass-fed beef at Bryn Teg in Greensboro, VT.

Now that the weather is getting nice (my favorite time of the year, though I realize winter is a favorite for others), it is a perfect time to hit the road and check out more of Vermont.
The Vermont 251 Club was created for exactly that purpose, to encourage Vermonters (and anyone else) to explore their state – all 251 towns. First suggested in a 1954 Vermont Life article, the club now boasts over 900 members.
A membership is $6 a year or $25 for 5 years, plus a $3.50 membership fee. Members are connected with a community of fellow club members and can keep track of their progress through the main website. Access to members’ contact info can also get you tips on what to see and how to get there!
Keep checking back here often to get ideas about events to attend and places to visit!