Author: vermontnews

<p>The 16th annual Strolling of the Heifers Festival will be June 2, 3 &amp; 4, 2017, with the world-famous Strolling of the Heifers Parade stepping off at 10 a.m. sharp on Saturday, June 3, 2017 The heifers are at the front of the Parade, so don’t be late! </p><p>ALSO PRESENTING: The seventh annual SLOW LIVING SUMMIT, a unique conference on sustainable living, in downtown Brattleboro, May 1st and 2nd, 2017.</p><p>Details: <a href=”http://www.strollingoftheheifers.com” target=”_blank”>www.strollingoftheheifers.com</a>, <a href=”http://www.slowlivingsummit.org”>www.slowlivingsummit.org</a></p><p>WHAT’S A HEIFER? That’s a question we’re often asked. The answer is simple: A heifer is a young cow who has not yet had a calf of her own. And who is very cute, as you will see at the Parade.</p><p>BEST VIEWING: anywhere along Brattleboro’s historic Main Street, or at the Brattleboro Common.</p><p>PARKING: There are parking lots served by shuttle buses off Route 91 Exits 1 and 2. Downtown parking is limited, and some streets are subject to towing. Check our website for parking details. </p><p>BEFORE THE PARADE: Arrive early, enjoy Brattleboro shops and eateries that open early, or have pancakes at the Organic Breakfast on the Common. </p><p>AFTER THE PARADE: Follow the crowd and join us at the Slow Living Expo for food, fun, entertainment and informative exhibits. The festival continues til 4 p.m. </p><h3><span style=”text-decoration: underline;”>Schedule of Events</span></h3><p><strong>FRIDAY, JUNE 2:</strong></p><p><em>Gallery Walk &amp; Street Festival<br/></em>5:30-8:30 p.m., Main Street and the River Garden – Brattleboro<br/>Food, music, dancing and fun at our annual downtown block party!<br/>2017 Culinary Centerpiece: The Great New England Fruit Pie Baking Competition!</p><p><strong>SATURDAY, JUNE 3:</strong></p><p><em>The Strolling of the Heifers Parade Brattleboro, VT<br/></em>10 a.m. sharp, up Main Street. The heifers lead the parade, so don’t be late! NO DOGS, PLEASE!<br/>Pre-parade entertainment!<em> </em></p><p><em>Slow Living Expo<br/></em>9 a.m. – 4 p.m., Brattleboro Common and Retreat Grounds </p><p><em>Beef &amp; Cheese</em>: Cooking with Local Chefs — Home EnergyVillage — Crafts Village — Woodlands Exhibit — Goat Olympics — Healthy Living Village — Entertainment — Human Foosball!</p><p><em>Dozens of Food Vendors</em> — Dozens of farms and exhibitors — Bouncing Castles – Amusement Rides and more!!</p><p><em>Ride the MOOver!! </em>4 stops in a one-way loop throughout the day! Common- Retreat- Retreat Farm/Grafton Cheese-A Candle in the Night…. Free and Air-conditioned!</p><p><em>Brattleboro Area Farmers Market</em> (presented by our farming friends)<br/>Western Ave. Brattleboro, 9 a.m.-2 p.m.</p><p><strong>SUNDAY, JUNE 4:</strong></p><p><em>Famous Farmers Breakfast<br/></em>9 a.m.-1 p.m., at the Marina Restaurant (off Putney Road, just north of the West River Bridge in Brattleboro)</p><p><em>Tour de Heifer<br/></em>Vermont’s most challenging dirt road cycling rides — 15, 30 or 60 miles (plus family-friendly 3-mile Round Mountain hike) Beginning and ending at Lilac Ridge Farm, W. Brattleboro. </p><p><em>Farm Tour<br/></em>Guided tours at five area farms — reservations encouraged!</p>

Source: Dig in VT Trails

<p>Maple Cask Rum is a collaboration between <a href=”http://www.madriverdistillers.com/” target=”_blank”>Mad River Distillers</a> in Warren and <strong>Wood’s Vermont Syrup Company</strong> in Randolph. After aging the <a href=”http://www.madriverdistillers.com/liquor-type/first-run-rum/” target=”_blank”>First Run Rum</a> in charred and toasted new oak barrels, Mad River sends the empty rum barrels to Al Wood. He fills them with his homemade maple syrup and then ages the product at his sugarhouse. Once the syrup is bottled, the seasoned barrels are returned to Mad River Distillers, where aged rum is finished inside of them in their rickhouse. The resulting <a href=”http://www.madriverdistillers.com/liquor-type/maple-rum/” target=”_blank”>Maple Cask Rum</a> is a <strong>sugar cane based spirit that drinks like a whiskey</strong>. It has <strong>notes of maple sweetness and oak, vanilla and toffee flavors.</strong></p><p>Mad River Distillery still is tucked away inside Vermont’s beautiful Mad River Valley, where they produce their locally inspired liquors. Just last year, they opened a cocktail bar and tasting room in downtown Burlington, Vermont where they can share their love of craft cocktails with a rapt audience. </p><p><strong>What We’re Drinking:</strong> Maple Cask Rum Maple Mojito, paired with mint and SAP! Maple seltzer</p><p><strong>Where: </strong><a href=”https://www.diginvt.com/places/detail/mad-river-distillers-burlington-tasting-room” target=”_blank”>Mad River Distiller’s cocktail shop in Burlington</a>. 137 St. Paul St. Burlington, VT 05401.</p><h4><span style=”text-decoration: underline;”><em><img class=”left” src=”https://www.diginvt.com/assets/_resampled/resizedimage300370-Maple-Mojito-1.jpg” width=”300″ height=”370″ alt=”” title=””/>Maple Mojito</em></span></h4><p style=”padding-left: 90px;”><em><br/>2 oz Maple Cask Rum<br/>.5 oz Fresh Lime Juice<br/>.75 oz Simple Syrup<br/>6 mint leaves</em></p><p><em>Shake the ingredients over ice until frosty and strain into an ice-filled highball glass. Top with SAP Maple Seltzer and garnish with fresh mint.</em></p><p> </p><p> </p>

Source: Dig in VT Trails

<p><em>It’s about to be April. . . which is not the height of harvest season in Vermont. Nevertheless we still have <span style=”text-decoration: underline;”>plenty</span> of Vermont farm products available. It’s also a time where our specialty food producers shine, preserving Vermont products each summer to enjoy through the year. Here’s a profile of one food maker: Butterfly Bakery of Vermont. Thank you to the Vermont Fresh Network for sharing this from the <a href=”http://vermontfresh.net/news-events-and-blog/”>Fresh Feed</a>. </em></p><p><span id=”docs-internal-guid-d8702c21-1f18-eb31-d947-60bf8fa91252″> </span></p><p style=”line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 15pt;” dir=”ltr”><span style=”font-size: 10.5pt; font-family: Verdana; color: #725e3e; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;”>Butterfly Bakery began almost 15 years ago with owner Claire Fitts Georges baking long nights in rented oven space in Montpelier, VT. The cookies, granolas, and other baked goods she made soon attracted a loyal customer base because 1. they were (are) delicious and 2. they use alternative sweeteners (lots of Vermont maple syrup!) and grains (spelt goes really well with Vermont maple syrup!). </span></p><p style=”line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 15pt;” dir=”ltr”><span style=”font-size: 10.5pt; font-family: Verdana; color: #725e3e; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;”>Today the nighttime baking is long gone; Claire opened her own space in 2007 where she bakes for wholesale clients and the Montpelier Farmer’s Market. And her products have expanded well beyond baked goods – in fact, her fastest growing line is hot sauces. Claire’s hot sauces aren’t just made here in Vermont, they also feature Vermont produce – from the hot peppers that are their primary ingredient to the specialty ingredients going into batches like Hot Squash, Vermont Peach, Smoky Seyval, and Maple Sugar Shack. Here’s some more from Claire on the hot sauce trade:</span></p><p style=”line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 15pt;” dir=”ltr”><span style=”font-size: 10.5pt; font-family: Verdana; color: #725e3e; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;”><strong>How did you get started with the hot sauce line? It’s a bit of a leap from cookies?</strong></span></p><p style=”line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 15pt;” dir=”ltr”><span style=”font-size: 10.5pt; font-family: Verdana; color: #725e3e; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;”>Farmers Market sales were faltering in 2011 and I decided that, rather than give up on Farmers Markets, I would utilize my recipe development skills to create something that customers would want to buy from me. I did a lot of “experimental” products that kept customers coming back to sample, but my favorites were the ones that utilized the farmer “extras” left over at the end of the market. Farmers often had chili peppers left at the end of the market, because, in Vermont, they’re easier to grow than to sell. My hot sauces became quickly popular and their shelf stability meant that I could do large batches that would sell over several weeks. So the numbers of experimental batches just kept growing until it became a regular thing. </span></p><p style=”line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 15pt;” dir=”ltr”><span style=”font-size: 10.5pt; font-family: Verdana; color: #725e3e; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;”><strong>How has this hot sauce enterprise changed since you began?</strong></span></p><p style=”line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 15pt;” dir=”ltr”><span style=”font-size: 10.5pt; font-family: Verdana; color: #725e3e; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;”>Well it’s grown a lot. My initial batches were 10 or so bottles. Then maybe 50. Now the micro batches are usually around 150 and the big batches are around 1500 bottles. Also my skill has grown tremendously. I was flying pretty blind when I first started making hot sauce, with only random blogs as reference points. Now I have a much better understanding of how to adjust my recipes to get the results that I want. That’s been part of the beauty of my micro batches of hot sauce. Like comedians hone their skills performing every night, I’ve learned a lot of the ins and outs of different ingredients by doing so many different kinds of hot sauce.</span></p><p style=”line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 15pt;” dir=”ltr”><a style=”text-decoration: none;” href=”https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pxowurqD2Rs”><span style=”font-size: 10.5pt; font-family: Verdana; color: #cf9200; font-style: italic; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;”>You can see a video of Claire making one of her big batches at the Food Venture Center with Alchemist owner John Kimmich.</span></a></p><p style=”line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 15pt;” dir=”ltr”><span style=”font-size: 10.5pt; font-family: Verdana; color: #725e3e; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;”><strong>Vermont isn’t necessarily known for its hot peppers (yet) – can you tell us a little more about the peppers you’re sourcing?  </strong> </span></p><p style=”line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 15pt;” dir=”ltr”><span style=”font-size: 10.5pt; font-family: Verdana; color: #725e3e; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;”>My first farmer producer grew a wide variety of peppers and I played with them.</span></p><blockquote><p><span style=”font-size: 10.5pt; font-family: Verdana; color: #725e3e; font-style: italic; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;”>About that first producer. . .</span><span style=”font-size: 10.5pt; font-family: Verdana; color: #725e3e; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;”>Jim just blisses out in his garden. Every year he tells me that he’s not going to grow peppers again, then deep in the winter he gets the itch and ends up starting 1000+ plants in his living room because he’s just that kind of guy. His peppers are the ones that gave us a name in the hot sauce world. Without his peppers we’d never have made it this far. Let’s just say that he has a lifetime hot sauce subscription with us – </span><span style=”font-size: 10.5pt; font-family: Verdana; color: #725e3e; font-style: italic; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;”>From ButterflyBakeryVT.com</span></p></blockquote><p style=”line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 15pt;” dir=”ltr”><span style=”font-size: 10.5pt; font-family: Verdana; color: #725e3e; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;”>As my scale has grown, jalapenos and habaneros have proven to be the easiest to source, so I’ve been relying mostly on those . . . although now I’m finding more farmers who can diversify their pepper crops and will start having a wider variety of peppers again in 2017. Vermont’s lush, wet soil produces full flavored, heavy peppers, which are entirely what has made my hot sauce so yummy. I can’t imagine how my flavors would change if I started sourcing peppers from areas with a different growing climate.</span></p><p style=”line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 15pt;” dir=”ltr”><span style=”font-size: 10.5pt; font-family: Verdana; color: #725e3e; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;”><strong>How do you acquire all the hot peppers you need, especially as your business is expanding?</strong>  </span></p><p style=”line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 15pt;” dir=”ltr”><span style=”font-size: 10.5pt; font-family: Verdana; color: #725e3e; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;”>There is no way that I could source enough peppers from farmers if I just relied on the peppers that they were already growing. I contract with farmers in February for the peppers that I will buy in the fall. I’m almost positive that I’m now the number 1 purchaser of Vermont chili peppers. I was getting 500 lbs in 2014, 2500 lbs in 2015, 6500 lbs in 2016 and now I have 17,000 lbs on order for 2017. It’s important to me to purchase from a wide spread of farmers so that if any one of them has crop problems, I still have plenty of peppers to last me through the year. As the peppers come in, I hire folks to destem them, bag/box them up and freeze them. Right now I’m freezing my peppers at the Vermont Food Venture Center, but I will be moving into a new facility in the next month that will house my own 300 sq ft freezer (plus a shiny new kitchen).</span></p><p style=”line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 15pt;” dir=”ltr”><span style=”font-size: 10.5pt; font-family: Verdana; color: #725e3e; font-style: italic; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;”>Butterfly Bakery currently purchases from Stillmeadow Garden, </span><a style=”text-decoration: none;” href=”http://vermontfresh.net/search-members/member-list/member/maple-wind-farm”><span style=”font-size: 10.5pt; font-family: Verdana; color: #cf9200; font-style: italic; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;”>Maple Wind Farm</span></a><span style=”font-size: 10.5pt; font-family: Verdana; color: #725e3e; font-style: italic; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;”>, True Love Farm, Kingsbury Market Garden, Dutchess Farm, Littlewood Farm, Shadow Creek Farm – each </span><a style=”text-decoration: none;” href=”https://butterflybakeryvt.com/pages/our-hot-sauce-story-our-growers”><span style=”font-size: 10.5pt; font-family: Verdana; color: #cf9200; font-style: italic; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;”>described in more detail on her website</span></a><span style=”font-size: 10.5pt; font-family: Verdana; color: #725e3e; font-style: italic; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;”> </span></p><p style=”line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 15pt;” dir=”ltr”><span style=”font-size: 10.5pt; font-family: Verdana; color: #725e3e; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;”><strong>You’ve been working recently with some of the state’s craft brewers on hot sauce lines, how is that going?</strong></span></p><p style=”line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 15pt;” dir=”ltr”><span style=”font-size: 10.5pt; font-family: Verdana; color: #725e3e; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;”>I’m so excited about this project. The only thing holding me back is a lack of peppers (it turns out that 6500 lbs isn’t enough for a year). With the 2017 crop of peppers I am going to be debuting a line of Craft Beer &amp; Brews Hot Sauce that will feature different Vermont beers and ciders. The flagship will be my existing Heady Pepper hot sauce made with Heady Topper IPA, but I have many new flavors waiting in the wings.</span></p><p style=”line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 15pt;” dir=”ltr”><span style=”font-size: 10.5pt; font-family: Verdana; color: #725e3e; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;”><strong>Any other popular Vermont foods you think deserve to be turned into a hot sauce line?</strong></span></p><p style=”line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 15pt;” dir=”ltr”><span style=”font-size: 10.5pt; font-family: Verdana; color: #725e3e; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;”>I just hired a new saucier who has a background as an herbalist and we were talking about making herbal inspired hot sauces. I also just came across a maple vinegar made from sap and it was so delicious. I’d love to figure out how to incorporate that into some batches. I don’t even know what else. I’m constantly coming up with ideas. There isn’t enough time for all the flavor ideas that I have listed out on my phone.</span></p><p style=”line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 15pt;” dir=”ltr”><span style=”font-size: 10.5pt; font-family: Verdana; color: #725e3e; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;”><strong>What’s on your mind for the future? </strong> </span></p><p style=”line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 15pt;” dir=”ltr”><span style=”font-size: 10.5pt; font-family: Verdana; color: #725e3e; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;”>It amazes me that after plunking along at a good small business, I finally have a product on my hands that has some serious potential for growth. Now I’m just trying to figure out how to grow it in the right way that aligns with my attitudes about business and with my life. I want to do more philanthropy with my hot sauce (our Genersaucity program donates 100% of profits from a given batch to a chosen charity). And I want to create a Vermont pepper market – both creating enough volume to make Vermont hot sauces and creating cache for a Vermont Pepper.  </span></p><p style=”line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 15pt;” dir=”ltr”><span style=”font-size: 10.5pt; font-family: Verdana; color: #725e3e; font-style: italic; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;”>Claire has recently started selling to restaurants, and is “learning the ropes” of this type of market. She sells to independent food stores across Vermont and online at </span><a style=”text-decoration: none;” href=”http://www.butterflybakeryvt.com/”><span style=”font-size: 10.5pt; font-family: Verdana; color: #cf9200; font-style: italic; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;”>www.ButterflyBakeryVT.com</span></a><span style=”font-size: 10.5pt; font-family: Verdana; color: #725e3e; font-style: italic; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;”>. She also makes exclusive batches for the Alchemist in Stowe.</span></p>

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Source: Dig in VT Trails

<p>Maple Open House Weekend is a statewide event celebrating sugaring season. Sugar makers throughout Vermont will open the doors of their sugarhouses, inviting visitors in to experience and enjoy this remarkable time of year when pure Vermont maple syrup is made. Whether it’s the sight of steam rising from the sugarhouse, the inviting aroma of boiling sap, or the sweetly divine flavor of syrup as enjoyed in traditional sugar-on-snow, visitors are treated to an experience for the senses!</p><p>Some Examples of Activities Offered:</p><ul><li>Tours of sugarhouse and woods</li><li>Pancake breakfasts</li><li>Maple candy-making demonstrations</li><li>Live music</li><li>Horse-drawn sleigh rides</li><li>Sugar-on-snow</li><li>Sampling of maple syrup</li><li>Maple donuts, maple cotton candy, maple creemees and other maple goodies to try</li><li>Maple syrup and maple specialty products to purchase</li></ul><p>Each participating sugar maker has their own unique take on the weekend, and are hosting events at different times.</p><h4 style=”text-align: center;”><a href=”http://www.diginvt.com/search-results/category/maple-open-house” target=”_blank”>Check out the map and list of participants here! </a></h4>

Source: Dig in VT Trails