*The Great Indoors: Vermont’s Northeast Kingdom

The Northeast Kingdom of Vermont is often overlooked when it comes to indoor fun. It’s not a bad thing, people just usually head to this picturesque part of the Green Mountain state to enjoy everything outdoors. But, what about those who enjoy being inside? Well, it is time to set the record straight: if you want some of the best alcohol, food, and indoor fun in the state, head northeast! The following afternoon tour will give you a chance to taste, drink, and enjoy the best of the “NEK”.

Caledonia Spirit’s Tanks and Ryan, one of the distillers

Caledonia Spirits & Winery, Hardwick, VT

Hardwick, Vermont is the home of award winning vodka, gin, and wine all made from honey and other Vermont ingredients. Head down to their giant distillery to learn about how they make all of their products from pure honey and also take a tour of their facility. End your visit with a free tasting of all three spirits (Elderberry Cordial, Barr Hill Vodka, and Barr Hill Gin) and their four delicious wines.

Hill Farmstead, Greensboro, VT

Outside of the Hill Farmstead Brewery

Have you ever wanted to enjoy the best beer in the country in the confines of a huge, wooden barn? Then, take a trip out to Hill Farmstead to find the Kingdom’s most popular beer. Some of Hill Farmstead’s beers have even earned a 100 on ratebeer.com. Greensboro, VT is a short but beautiful drive north of Hardwick. Beer is poured into samples, glasses, or growlers, fresh from the brewery that is also housed in the same barn.

The Parker Pie Co., West Glover, VT

End your tour with dinner, drinks, and entertainment at the Parker Pie Co. in West Glover, VT. What started out as a small pizza shop in the back of one of Vermont’s many country stores has turned into one of the best foodie, beer, and entertainment destinations in Vermont. The Parker Pie Co. uses fresh, Vermont products on their pizzas and has a constantly revolving beer menu. They also have the best indoor events in town including trivia night, live bands, and weekly ping pong tournaments. You may originally come for the pizza and beer, but you will most likely return for the atmosphere and entertainment.

Inside Parker Pie

The Northeast Kingdom is located off of interstate 91, about a three hour drive north from Boston.

*As published in Tavern Players, Spring Issue.

Recent Update

As every blogger seems to say at least a couple times a year, “my blog has suffered lately”. That’s because my work-life has been so busy. Let me explain: I work as a clinical analyst at a small, rural hospital in Northeast Vermont. Because it is so small, and in a rural setting, my job responsibilities span quite a range of departments and work. I support the pharmacy, the laboratory, the radiology department, transcription, and the inpatient physicians. On any given day, I could be very busy splitting my time between these areas. Right now, however, we are in the midst of a year long, hospital wide system implementation. In other words, I am juggling the implementation of a new electronic health record system within all of these areas. I am the project manager and lead (only) analyst on all of the applications for the above areas. We are at the tail end of the implementation, with only 2 1/2 months to go. So, I have been running around trying to get my projects in a stable place before I go off on my three week vacation.

In addition, I finished up my last class of this semester last week. I am officially down to one year left until I get my master’s degree in Health Informatics. We will be leaving for our three week vacation on Friday, December 21. As I previously mentioned, we were going to be heading to Norway for a little over a week and then the Brittany area of France for about 5 days. However, we were having some difficulty finding a whole lot open in Norway during this time of year or any couch surfing hosts available. We did a quick last minute search on other areas to visit from our Dublin hub, and came up with Brussels/Netherlands for a few days and devoting more time to France. We really like our new itinerary which includes: a day in Chicago en route to Dublin, Ireland. 3 full days not including travel days in Belgium/Netherlands. 9 fulls days not including travel in France. A day/night in Dublin. We will be focusing on the Atlantic coast of France including the Bordeaux, Brittany, and Normandy areas.

As Vermonters Plea for Snow

Anthony – Opening Weekend at Smuggler’s Notch

It’s that time of year again when those in Vermont begin to wonder where all of the snow is. I can’t speak on how long this yearly plea has been occurring, but I remember it happening last year quite clearly. “I remember Thanksgivings where the first major storm would blow through, and we wouldn’t see the ground again until the end of March,” Vermonters say, scowls on their faces. Because this year has begun the same as last, we all silently wonder whether it is some coincidental cycle or permanent due to climate change.

Either way, the mountains were prepared this time. Every ski mountain within a 120 mile radius of us purchased more snow making guns this year and all were open by Thanksgiving. We made it to our snowboarding spot, Smuggler’s Notch, opening weekend. Never underestimate the fun of fall and spring snowboarding with only a couple sweatshirts to guard you from the winter sun. So, while Vermont wonders when the snow will begin to permanently cover the Green Mountains, we continue to pretend it already has at the ski resorts.

Always consider Smuggler’s Notch when deciding on a ski spot in Vermont. It is located on the opposite side of Mt. Mansfield to Stowe. It is smaller than Stowe but has more back country terrain, less lines, and more of a community atmosphere. It also has some of the toughest terrain while also being amazingly family friendly. Plus, you can’t beat the local feel of it compared to the touristy likes of Stowe and Killington.

Smuggler’s Notch – Opening Weekend, Thanksgiving Weekend 2012

Thanksgiving in Vermont #2

As I mentioned in my previous post, Anthony, Pup, and I live in an apartment (or room) that is under 500 square feet. It’s basically 1 1/2 times the size of my office at work with an attached bathroom. I usually describe it as cozy, and I have to admit I am quite in love with it. However, I knew that this year’s Thanksgiving dinner was going to be a bit of a challenge considering my kitchen has two stove burners, a toaster over, and a microwave (which I refuse to use). Yes, we don’t have an actual oven.

However, dinner went way easier than expected, and I am think this year may have even been more delicious than last year. In addition, this year’s meal was 98% made in Vermont. Now that I think of it, we didn’t go with a local wine, so that may drop it down to 95%. The only other two items that were not made in Vermont were the celery (maybe I should have used celery root!) and the crescent rolls. Everything else, down to the flour I used to make my pie crust, was “MIV”.

So what could have possibly been on my menu with no oven and both Anthony and I being vegetarians? Well I will tell you:

Blue Hubbard Pie

-Our “main dish” was locally made squash ravioli. Last year we made our own ravioli but since I was taking on a bit more than I thought I could chew this year with no oven, I opted for some of my favorite Vermont pasta makers who come out of Putney, Vermont – Putney Pasta. I tied it to the meal by putting the homemade gravy over them instead of tomato sauce.

-Squash Pie – I prepared this the night before. I have done from scratch pumpkin pies in the past with great results. There really is a taste difference in using real pumpkin vs canned pumpkin. This year, though, Anth had an extra baby blue hubbard squash (from his job at Deep Root Cooperative) that he was interested in me using. Even though this winter squash is usually used as a dinner item, I thought it would fit well as a substitute for pumpkin. And it did! I made this the night before and it took just over 50 minutes in the toaster oven to cook. I made a simple whole wheat crust to accompany it. The pie ended up tasting identical to a from scratch pumpkin pie with a thicker, creamier consistency. I will add more spice next year.

-Sage stuffing – We love stuffing. This year we noticed one of the farmers at the Montpelier Thanksgiving Farmers’ Market had fresh sage. I thought that might fit in our dinner well this year and boy did it ever. I prepared the stuffing first since I knew it would need the most time in the toaster oven. I sauteed mushrooms, shallots, celery, the fresh sage, and garlic. I added vegetable broth to this before pouring it over some of our favorite local bread – Bohemian Breads. I actually just put this in foil and threw it in the toaster oven for about 40-50 minutes.

-Sage gravy – Gravy is not a staple that I enjoyed at Thanksgiving in the past. I always ate my mashed potatoes plain. Whenever I was researching recipes with  sage, though, gravy kept popping up. The internet eventually convinced me it would be a good fit. I basically made it out of garlic, shallot, sage, vegetable broth and flour. The sage really popped and the gravy was a great addition to the meal since it was able to tie all of the components together.

-Brussel sprout and kale medley – We love brussel sprouts and kale during this time of year and needed some color to our meal. I steamed the brussels before added them to some local baby dino kale and doing a simple saute with garlic and spices.

-We picked up some little butter gold potatoes at the farmers’ market that made for delicious mashed potatoes. I added Italian spices and a hint of butter.

-Cranberry sauce – This was a new addition to Thanksgiving also. Neither Anthony or I have ever enjoyed cranberry sauce on Thanksgiving, but we were interested in giving Vermont Cranberry Company cranberries a try. I dissolved brown sugar in a water, grapefruit juice, and red wine mixture before adding the cranberries until they popped. I then put them in the freezer until we were ready to eat. We actually LOVED the addition of these to our meal especially when paired with the stuffing and pie.

All of Our Fixins’

I began cooking at noon and we were eating before 2 pm. It all went incredibly smoothly even though I could only “bake” one thing in the toaster oven at a time and have two things going at a time on the stove. Anthony and I were both incredibly stuffed by the end of the night. It’s been four Thanksgivings with no meet. I cannot say that I actually miss the turkey at all!

I am incredibly thankful for being able to sit here, in this moment, and need nothing more than I already have.

Vermont Livin’ November 21, 2012

Anth, Pup, and I

I’ve noticed I haven’t put a post up yet about my everyday life. I didn’t create this blog to necessarily talk about myself, but I still want to make sure I document what’s going on every once in a while.

Just to bring you up to speed, Anthony and I moved up to Vermont in April of 2011, so about a year and seven months ago. We had been living in southern New England for a bout two years, first in the Hartford, CT area and then in Western Massachusetts. We liked those areas, but had been enthralled with Vermont for a while so when Anthony found success in pursuing a sales manager position at a farmer’s cooperative, I began my own search. We had offer letters within days of each other and before we knew it we were heading north. It was exciting to know we were heading exactly where we wanted to be along with jobs that we actually wanted to be doing.

Me Above Copenhagen, Denmark

If you fast forward to November 2012, you can find us in Elmore, a town that had 849 residents in 2000. We live in a 500 square foot space in the woods. I carpool to work every day which is about a 45 minute drive through two other towns which are slightly bigger than Elmore.

My daily routine begins at a hospital in was is considered the Northeast Kingdom of Vermont. I usually get into work at 6:30 am which means I am out the door by 5:30. The stars at that hour are absolutely breath taking and so is the cold in the winter. After work I head into Hardwick. Hardwick is three times the size of Elmore with a population of 3,100 and has just about everything you need. In other words, I can go to the gym, buy my groceries at the coop, and rent nightly DVD’s all on one little Main Street. What more could I need?

Pup and I in the White Mountains, New Hampshire

Before I lived in Vermont, I didn’t shop at a coop. My groceries came from major chains where I was lucky to find fruits and vegetables from the same coast. If I was really lucky, I lived near a Whole Foods that sold semi-local produce. All corners of Vermont have cooperatives, however, which are member owned stores that sell as much local food as possible. Which means that most of the store is local since Vermont creates a lot more than just vegetables. Just a couple of examples of local Vermont products: ice cream, peanut butter, pasta, pretzels, bread, honey, yogurt, any type of meat product you could think of, salsa, a lot of cheeses, a lot of maple, and a lot of wines, ciders, and beer. You get the jist of it!

Anyways, Anthony and I are currently gearing up for our sixth trip to Europe together. We will be heading home for the Christmas holiday at the end of December before embarking on our 2 week journey between France and Norway with pit stops in Chicago and Dublin. I say pit stops because they are more than layovers this time around as we will be spending an entire day in downtown Chicago and a day and a half in Dublin.

Until then, I have begun writing. I’m not exactly sure why I began writing other than that I enjoy doing it when it pertains to places, people, and things that I love. So, in addition to this blog, I have begun writing for a drinking magazine and a Vermont tourism magazine. I had an article published last month and will have 2-3 articles published next month. Also, I began spending my Friday nights mentoring an 8 year old boy. We spend most of our time outside playing at the park with stints of making cookies and doing crafts. We’ve had a lot of fun so far. I’ve also been spending time learning Norwegian. I’ve made a lot of progress doing self study, but I don’t know how much I will know before I go to Norway. I am confident I will know enough to be able to read signs and menus. Conversation is most likely out of the question as they speak very fast. Lastly, I am still on track for getting my Master’s degree in Health Informatics by this time next year. I am about a year into and take two courses every semester through the University of Illinois at Chicago’s online program.

So, my weekdays are spent working, enjoying the above past times as I please, hitting the gym when I can, and cooking up dinner for Anth. We usually end our days with a movie and food on the couch now that the days are ending so early in terms of sunlight. On the weekends, we still get up and travel all over New England. So, that’s where the rest of this blog comes into play!

Pup and I During a 5k in front of Vermont’s Capitol, Montpelier

New England Photo of the Day: Provincetown, MA

Dubbed the “oldest gay bar in America”, the Atlantic House is located in Provincetown, Massachusetts, right at the very tip top of the Cape Cod National Sea Shore.

New England Photo of the Day: Lake Champlain Sunset

Sunset at Lake Champlain from the Burlington Waterfront

Vermont is the only landlocked state in New England. Oh boo hoo! Right? I mean, it is kind of hard to complain about this when we have the Green Mountains and Lake Champlain. Lake Champlain still offers ferry rides, lighthouses, and islands to explore.

Vermont Night Sky

We are a mile from our driveway when I stop the car. As the cloud of dirt settles around my car, I turn the headlights off followed by a swift turn of the keys. In an instant, we are enveloped by complete darkness.

I lean against the car, neck straining as I stare straight up. I must not get too enthralled with what is going on above, just in case someone pulls up behind us on their way home. I always pick out the Big Dipper first. Each of the stars seem magnified out here in this blanket of black, and at this time of year, the Big Dipper is spread out, looking larger than usual. Next, I find the white glow of the Milky Way. It slices the night sky into two. If I state into it long enough, I am guaranteed to spy a shooting star. Then, I can leave at the first sign of truck lights pulling up behind me a happy girl.

Fort Crown Point, New York

View from Crown Point Fort

A couple of weekends ago we decided to stay local. We wanted to save up a little cash flow by staying in for the weekend and maybe grabbing a movie or something. We ended up driving through Western Vermont until we crossed the new Lake Champlain bridge and explored Fort Crown Point on the New York side of Lake Champlain. I guess we just can’t sit still. We may not have stayed local, but exploring the ruins of one of America’s oldest forts was actually completely free. For just a moment, as I looked out over Lake Champlain and the rolling green hills from crumbling, 18th century fort ruins, I was reminded of ruins along the craggly, deep green coast of Ireland.

This fort was originally built by the French in the 1730’s out of limestone. Although frequently targeted by the British during the French and Indian War, the French held on to it until 1759 when they destroyed it. Then, in 1759, the British began construction of Crown Point for as a staging area. In 1775, though, the Green Mountain Boys took over at the beginning of the American Revolution. This actually played an important part in helping drive the British out of Boston Harbor. Later, the Fort was abandoned to the British and then for good it 1780.

The ruins are basically an open air museum. You can walk along the coast of Lake Champlain, weaving in and out of the old limestone walls as you wish. After we were finished, we walked down to the Champlain Memorial Lighthouse which memorializes Samuel Champlain’s 1609 voyage on Lake Champlain. You can see the lighthouse from the bridge, but it is much more commanding up close.

New England Photo of the Day: Franconia Notch State Park, NH

Franconia Notch State Park is located in the North West part of New Hampshire in the vast, yet pure white mountains. The park is made up of countless mountain hikes that run along the clearest of creeks, rivers, springs, and waterfalls. What is most unique about the area, though, are the boulders, rocks, and riverbanks that were formed by melting glaciers, over 25,000 years ago at the end of the Ice Age. The solid granite bedrock was smoothed down by years of erosion.

The Basin (shown above) is a popular stop within Franconia and is an example of the glacial erosion along the great Pemigewasset River. Standing in front of the gigantic pothole, I get overwhelmed by thoughts of jumping in and splashing around. Interestingly enough, Henry David Thoreau, the American Naturalist, stood in the same spot in 1839. He described the pothole as, “perhaps the most remarkable curiosity of its kind in New England.”

Franconia Notch is large and spread out with multiple places to park all along exits that jut off interstate 93. You could spend a 15 minute stop at the basin to days of camping because of the easy accessibility the park offers.