A Taste of Vermont

Over the years, as many of my friends and family well know, I have developed a deep-rooted affection for Vermont and all the glory it has to offer. It is the single place I have ever been able to call home and believe it. However the more I become acquainted with this notorious state, the less I feel like I truly know it. Sure I've taken the half dozen or so trips to the Ben and Jerry's factory, and visited different nooks and crannies from time to time, but I don't yet have a good picture to put with more than the towns and villages within my general vicinity. More importantly I have yet to have a taste to associate with more than a handful of eateries and food-related establishments that take advantage of this great State's culinary specialties - the bountiful agriculture, the artisan cheeses, the superior maple products, etc, etc...

Thus, with the help of a three-day weekend, and the motivation of an article by Larry Olmstead of Forbes, I decided to do a little Vermont sight-seeing and tourist-ing of my own. Although hurricane Irene threatened to be an impediment to hassle-free road travel, I was as determined as ever to set out and explore.

Trap Door Bakehouse and Cafe

I started out heading West on Route 4 despite knowing full well that I would be diverted once I reached Woodstock. I figured that I was bound to stumble upon some other West-bound route just as long as I kept my bearings. Plus choosing Route 4 allowed me to pass through Quechee and of course Woodstock, which are certainly two Vermont destinations not to be missed. I made the point of stopping en route at a little bakery called the Trap Door Bakehouse and Cafe, which benefits not only from a beautiful view of the Ottauquechee River, but also from its "fresh classic pastries and savory delights". Being in a pastry mood myself, I ventured in at about 9:30 on thise dreary Labor Day morning, and treated myself to an "Escargot" - a flaky pastry wrapped in snail shell-like fashion around a filling of raisins, chocolate, and hazelnut. Yes, I made an crumby mess of my driver's seat, but it was so worth it especially because I would find myself ceaselessly navigating the back roads of central Vermont for the next two hours.




Fortunately my persistence of maintaining a general track West paid off, and I found myself retrieving route 131 West to route 7 north shortly before noon. I made my way quickly through Rutland, which is certainly worth a stop especially right now because it being the locale of the Vermont State Fair. Knowing full well that my little detour had cost me some stopping time, I opted to bypass Rutland and instead continued North to my intended destination, the New England Maple Museum.

Museum Tour Guide

Here I was pleasantly greeted in a shop abounding with Vermont
products, and offered a $2.50 self-guided or audio-guided tour of the museum, which I graciously accepted. The tour itself was not long, it certainly encompassed all one could possibly want to know about the history of maple, and included both a slideshow of a real live maple producer as well as a tasting of a variety of maple products - a perfect finish to the light lunch I had packed. I toured the shop briefly and was happy to see a display of Fox Mustard.

One of My Favorite Condiments

Retaking the wheel I continued to head North with the intention of hitting Middlebury next. Here I took the opportunity to breath in some fresh air while the rain held a slight drizzle. I meandered my way around the quaint downtown area browsing at shop and cafe windows and taking looks at and pictures of the swelled Otter Creek. Towards the end of my stroll I stopped in at a little boutique clothing store simply intending to browse. Unfortunately I found items that I would have very much liked to have purchased, but shopping and using my credit card not being the purpose of my trip, I had to make a quick getaway and back on track.

The Threat of Otter Creek

A Fierce, Post-Irene Waterfall in Middlebury

The Foamy Remnants of the Fall

A Pedestrian Bridge Almost Near Floating

Vines in Vermont

Next up was Charlotte Village Winery, which honestly was more for the (cheap) thrill of seeing signs with my name being associated with a winery than anything else. Nevertheless when I was offered a tasting upon entering the small production facility, I could not refuse. I must admit that I was pleasantly surprised by the Pinot Grigio and Merlot varietal and blend, but I will snobbishly add that a fermented beverage made with any other fruit besides grapes should not perhaps be classified as a wine. Sure, the Semi-Dry Blueberry "Wine" had the promise of being turned into a strong liqueur, but I would suggest more aging and/or fermentation to stand up to such a title.

After the tasting and a little pause to refresh, I returned to Route 7 North up through Burlington. By now I was looking at a time of after 4:00, which gave me two hours to head towards Waterbury for a brief tour of this town's culinary hot spots before moving on to friend "C's" home where I had generously been invited to dinner - I will just make the point here that with a light packed lunch, my day eating around Vermont cost me no more than $3.77, inclusive of a fresh hand-made pastry and cider doughnut.

So Proud!

The cider doughnut came from the Cold Hollow Cider Mill in Waterbury, which was recommended to me by colleague "S". I had been especially encouraged to try the freshly prepared doughnuts on my vi sit as well as to view the cider-making process live. Unfortunately I seemed to be too late to enjoy the factory at work, so naturally I had to take advantage of the warm doughnuts sitting by the exit begging to be savored. I did so as I toured the rest of the mill's premises and made note of the King Arthur Flour cookbook sitting amongst the display of other culinary publications.

With just a quarter of an hour left I made a last minute decision to stop at the Cabot Annex and the Lake Champlain Chocolates stores where I enjoyed an aperitif of a tasting of Snow Farm Winery products and a plethora of different cheddars.

Next stop Montpelier for a quick view of the Capitol, and meal amongst friends and of course my favorite four-legged friend!