DAY 15 - ORGANIC, CULTURE....ALL GOOD STUFF

I LOVE VERMONT!

ORAGANIC FARMSTANDS

There is a website listing all of the farm stands that sell organic vegetables, by county, under Northeast Organic Farming Association of Vermont.  I printed out all the farm stands in Windsor County in the Mt Ascutney area and we have quite a few to select from.  Good eating!!

PORCUPINE UPDATE

PORCUPINES don’t throw their quills! Quills are released by contact with them, or they may drop out when the porcupine shakes its body, but cannot be projected at attackers. New quills grow to replace lost ones. From ancient times, it was believed that porcupines could throw their quills at an enemy, but this has long been refuted.

 I didn’t know that!  This is a good piece of information when you’re stalking a porcupine!

They do eat tires though….especially salty ones!  I read that somewhere!!!

MARTINSVILLE COVERED BRIDGE

On our way over to find Cobb Hill we found Martinsville Covered Bridge.  It is a 135’   Town Lattice Truss across Lull’s Brook in Hartland VT. 

While on I91 heading up to Norwich I saw a covered bridge as I was looking down.  Couldn’t figure out which one it was.   It was this one!  This bridge was built in 1881 by James Tasker

COBB HILL CO-HOUSING COMMUNITY

Cobb Hill is located in Hartland, Vermont about 5 miles from Ascutney in what is known as the Upper Valley Region of the Connecticut River.  It started around 1997 with the purchase and consolidation of two adjoining former dairy farms, 260 acres; the Hunt farm, with the farmhouse, barns, silos, 15 acres of prime agricultural land, pastures and regenerating forest and the Curtis farm with a house, barn and outbuildings with 10 acres of bottom land, pastures and forests with a stream and pond.

 This community’s principles center around sustainability, social and ecological responsibility and community living where the whole is greater than the sum of its parts.   Located in the Hunt house is the Sustainability Institute combining research in global systems with practical demonstrations of sustainable living as exemplified at Cobb Hill Farm.

 The housing in the community consists of architecturally designed “green” homes with composting toilets, good insulation, solar heating, waste recovery, common heating.

 When you own a home in this community you also share in the commonly owned land, barns, woodshop and common house.  The common house includes a large kitchen, dining room, den with fireplace, playroom, root cellar, library, meeting room, guest rooms, laundry, recreation room and a cheese aging room.   There are hiking trails and groomed x-country sky trails right out the door plus garden space.  There are no homes available!

This is a community of people who want to live in ways that are materially sufficient and ecologically responsible.  They practice sustainable land management, farming, forestry, energy efficiency and with a  minimum of waste.   They believe in sustainability and self-sufficiency.

They farm with Fjord horses working all aspects of the garden.  Fjords are small draft horses from the steep mountain region of Norway.  They use some vintage and some new horse farming equipment.  The 2-way riding plow is circa 1913.

All of their farm products are sold within 12 miles of the farm.  Their basic goal is to promote an agriculture that is both ecologically and socially sustainable. 

My first impression reading the bylaws was this is a condo association of sorts or a highly organized commune sharing the work and the management.   

An explanation on the web about co-housing in general  made sense, “it’s like a condo complex though it may be single-family, townhomes, apartments, whatever … with a lot more common facilities and the intention to be involved with your neighbors.”  

It’s that INTENT that makes it different and intriguing.  Co-housing concepts vary throughout the nation.  I love that this one is so close and involves farming.    I really love the concept and hope they remain successful. 

We walked into their farm store which was an open door into a small room in the barn.  No one was around.  There were prices on the goods; meat in the freezer, cheese in the refrigerator.  

Bins were empty of vegetables as it may still be a little early for harvest or they were sold out.  There was a three-ring binder on the table where you would enter what you bought and how much you paid.  The lock box was there to put your money in.  They take cash and checks.

NO FARMS .... NO FOOD ..... WORDS TO LIVE BY!

We bought some of their raw milk cheese.  Since we were not going directly back to the MH, we didn’t want to get anything frozen.  We put the cheese in our cooler for later in the day. 

They also have sugar bush on the property so sell their maple syrup.  Dave is doing a price check on the maple syrup and Cobb Hill has the lowest prices so far.

VERMONT FRESH NETWORK

On our way out of Hartland we stopped at Stella’s for lunch.  It didn’t look like much on the outside but the food was wonderful, wholesome, organic, locally raised.  They are part of the Vermont Fresh Network; Farm and Chef Partnership and Equal Exchange Fair Trade. 

Vermont Fresh Network – An organization developing solutions for chefs and farmers to market more locally grown food.  Helps Vermont farms and restaurants team up to provide the freshest local foods at restaurants.

The Vermont Fresh Networks promote and publicize Vermont restaurants that use Vermont grown and produced foods.  The website offers a concept of cuisine tourism and preserves Vermont’s rural identity and lifestyle. 

I will now look for restaurants that display the logo.

Stella’s is open for breakfast and lunch.  I had mushroom and spinach soup and Stella’s salad of greens with walnuts and cranberries.  It was delicious.  Dave got a “heart attack” burger with bacon, lettuce and tomato and the side was fried onion rings that I polished off half of.  They were great. 

For dessert we tried Cobb Hill’s maple yogurt.  OMG …. It was fabulous.  You can taste all that wonderful real maple flavor from the maple syrup.  When we’re back over there I’m going to pick up a pint and get it back to the freezer …. Unless I eat it on the way!

CULTURE…….

Decided we needed some culture but it was so hot and humid we weren’t sure how much outdoor culture we could stand.  But, we headed over the Saint-Guadens for the New England Piano Quintet performing Frederick Converse and Johannes Brahms. 

The air was thick and it started to sprinkle so we headed up to the porch of Aspet out of the rain.  People bring food and drink and set up around the grounds.  The performance was held in the Little Studio but amplified so we could hear it across the grounds.  

NEVER TOO YOUNG FOR A LITTLE CULTURE!!!!

Had it been a nice day, everyone would have been on the lawn in chairs or blankets, eating, drinking and soaking up the culture.

The rain stopped … it was more a drip from the laden air than rain … we walked around the grounds but got so hot and sweaty returned to the porch where a soft breeze was blowing down from Ascutney.  

ASCUTNEY IN THE RAIN 

Then the breeze stopped.  It was hot and humid and the spiders and flying insects were beginning to wear on me.  We left halfway through the second half. We’re here all summer, so can come back any Sunday….when it’s more pleasant… to get our culture!   Since it's a National Historic Site and we have geezer passes, we get in free!   Will pack a wicked wine and cheese basket, too!

For our next ... culture ... we're going to Weston Playhouse on Tuesday to see ELLA, a play about Ella Fitzgerald.  To continue on the culture trail .... we're looking forward to going to the Skunk Tavern Open Mic night with Mark & Lucy!  So much to look forward to!!!!

Spent the evening eating our Cobb Hill cheese and fruit listening to the rain that was finally falling! 

IT WAS A VERY GOOD DAY!

ps…..i love vermont