Archive for the 'Eating Well in VT' Category

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 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!

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.

A few weekends ago, Middlebury held it’s 2nd annual Winter Carnival and Chili Contest. The chili contest is held on the sidewalks of Main Street and Merchants Row and the public choose winners for various categories. This is a great event to attend, (voted one of the Top Ten Winter Events by the Vermont Chamber of Commerce), but, in case you weren’t able to attend,  I’m going to share the most important results of this event – the winners of the chili contest. With over 40 professional and amateur contestants, you can be sure the winning chili recipes are outstanding.

This past Sunday, Feb. 21, I had the pleasure of participating in one of the specialty cooking classes offered by Chef-Owner Doug Mack of Mary’s Restaurant at the Inn at Baldwin Creek in Bristol, VT. Classes are offered on a monthly basis, on at least two days. February’s classes were all about PASTA! During the 3.5 hr afternoon class, the class of ten learned to make five different types of pasta, including ravioli stuffed with ricotta served with Bolognese sauce, paparadelle with duck ragout and a desert of fried pasta napoleons layered with vanilla whipped creme and zabaglione. Are you drooling yet?? The environment, teaching, company and food were all outstanding. This is a Vermont experience not to be missed!

Classes are $75 for one or $140 for a couple, but reserve your spot early! You can find the year’s schedule of classes here. Upcoming topics include “Cooking Vermont’s Heritage” (incorporating Algonquin, English and French-Canadian traditions), “Free and Good for All” (how to cook with dietary restrictions), and “Smoked and Grilled” (meets out on the patio!).  Chef Mack also offers Wine Pairing Dinners to accompany some of the weekend classes.

The Inn at Baldwin Creek is a wonderful place to stay if you are coming from a distance or if you’d like a romantic getaway. The have five beautiful rooms and a stay includes a three-course, farm-fresh breakfast as well as a discount for dinner at Mary’s. You can check their availability here.

Here are some pictures from the pasta class…Chef Mack is the one in white!

Fall is a wonderful time to visit Vermont’s wineries. Grapes are harvested in September and October, which also happens to be when Vermont’s landscape is exploding with vibrant, warm color. Many may not think of Vermont when they think of vineyards, but thanks to an active grape breeding program at the University of Minnesota, there are several varieties of grape that can withstand the long cold winters. There is no need to travel to enjoy vineyard tours and tastings when there are so many right in Vermont! The Vermont Grape & Wine Council has a very informative website dedicated to teaching people about the different types of wine grapes that grow well in Vermont.
Grape-growing and wine-making is fairly new to Vermont; to read about on of the first vineyards, check out our past blog on the Lincoln Peak Vineyard.

Here’s a list of some of the vineyards in the northern Vermont:

Boyden Valley Winery, Vermont 104 Cambridge, 644-8151, www.boydenvalley.com

Charlotte Village Winery, 3968 Greenbush Road, Charlotte, 425-4599, www.charlottevillagewinery.com

East Shore Vineyard, 69 East Shore North, Grand Isle, (877) ESV-VINO, www.eastshorevineyard.com

Galloping Hill Farm & Vineyard, 344 Moody Road, Huntington, 434-3332, www.gallopinghillfarm.com

Grand View Winery, 2113 Max Gray Road, East Calais; Tasting Room: Vermont 100, Waterbury Center, 456-7012, www.grandviewwinery.com

Honey Gardens Apiaries, Inc., 2777 VT Route 7 in Ferrisburgh, 877-6766, www.honeygardens.com

Lincoln Peak Vineyard, 142 River Road, New Haven, 388-7368, www.lincolnpeakvineyard.com

Shelburne Vineyard, 6308 Shelburne Road, Shelburne, 985-8222, www.shelburnevineyard.com

Sugar Bush Vineyard and Butler Island Vineyard, Hillis’ Sugarbush Farm & Vineyard. Colchester, 893-292

Snow Farm Vineyard, 190 West Shore Road, South Hero, 372-9463, www.snowfarm.com

Source: Vermont Grape & Wine Council, www.vermontgrapeandwinecouncil.com.

One doesn’t normally associate vineyards and grape growing with Vermont, but Chris Granstrom, owner of Lincoln Peak Vineyard in Middlebury, Vermont is changing that. Starting out as an apple and then strawberry grower, Granstrom turned to grape growing about five years ago, inspired by an Internet chat group. He learned that no one in Vermont had tried growing wine grapes yet, so with few grape plants sent by a generous Minnesotan, Granstrom started what is now 12 acres of grapes. Originally, Granstrom and his wife Michaela were only in the nursery business, selling about 21,000 vines last year to customers all over the country. When they were just breaking even selling and growing grapes, they decided to start making wine, since they had the vineyard anyway. They now produce several varities of red, white and ice wines, all of which have received praise from members of the “local pour” movement.

To read more about Lincoln Peak Vineyard and growing wine grapes in Vermont, read the full, cover story in the Spring 2009 issue of the Middlebury College Magazine.

You can also visit the Vineyard’s website to learn more about buying wine and grapes, or to get information about tours and tastings.

Springtime in Vermont, for me, means heading out into the woods to find dinner. Or at least a component of dinner. For a week or so, wild leeks, or ramps, have been filing my plate. These absolutely luscious plants grow in large clusters in the woods and can easily be picked with the help of a trowel, or with a gloved hand (I prefer to use a latex glove, which allows me to still feel for the roots and accurately procure the entire leek). The entire plant is edible; the white bottom portion can be sauteed with butter or olive oil and fresh asparagus (if you are so lucky to have some) and the garlicky leaves make an amazingly fresh tasting pesto (my recipe is to mix as many leaves as you would like in a food processor with olive oil, fresh Parmesan, a touch of salt and a tablespoon or so of cashew butter, adjust amounts to your liking and serve over warm pasta.

Another great way to enjoy the new season would be to have a fresh, locally grown meal or to take a cooking class with Chef Doug Mack at Mary’s Restaurant at the Inn at Baldwin Creek in Bristol, VT. Their fabulous spring menu can be viewed here. You may also be interested in participating in one of their monthly ‘Table Talks’ which includes a specially created dinner and lively discussions on food trends, food politics, the environment, and local history. The discussions are free and a three-course meal is $25. Click here to learn more.