I spent the first week of September driving around Vermont, one of the most liberal states of the country that shows its interest for conservation and preservation everywhere. It is also green, very green, though at this time it must be already turning orange. Its name, given by French colonialist Samuel de Champlain, points attention to the Green Mountain range (Vert Mont), no doubt one of the outstanding features in the State.
For quite some time, my husband Ross and I decided that travelling trying to check off a list was not how we wanted to do it. He travels very often for work, taking planes everywhere and spending sometimes less than a day in each location. But for own own discoveries we decided to avoid big capitals if possible and to delve in the regions instead, taking our time, and not rushing things. Trying to capture the essence of the place.
We drove from Boston to the southern tip of Vermont and started a 9 day trip focussed on discovering the State through its agricultural bountifulness.
Day 1-2: Bennington and Manchester
It took us 3 hours to arrive to Bennington, a town close to the border with Massachusetts that on the 31st of August celebrated Garlic Town USA. Announced as to “EAT, DRINK & GET STINKY WITH US AT VERMONT’S BIGGEST FAMILY FARMERS’ MARKET” we thought we needed to make it a stop.
Our first night was to be in a motel just outside of Manchester, 30 minutes north from Bennington. After Ross’ confirmation that Vermont’s Manchester didn’t look at all like England’s Manchester, we stopped for dinner at Mystic Restaurant & Bar and had delicious homemade pasta with seasonal produce.
Next morning we went back downtown and had breakfast at a diner that was on the disappointing side. The 40 minutes of wait to be served were bearable in comparison to the non-runny Eggs Benedict I was presented at finally. Not ok.
The day got better, though. We drove 10 minutes to Hildene, The Lincoln Family Home, where Abraham Lincoln’s son Robert and his wife Mary had their summer residency at the turn of the 20th century. “It was modest for the time” we were told, though the estate comprises 412 acres, 14 historic buildings and the mansion had pipes inside the walls so the music from the organ could be heard in any room of the house.
Our next stop was the Dorset Marble Quarry where we spent the afternoon relaxing, had a picnic and I even took a dip in the water.
Day 3: Killington and Woodstock
I had never visited a ski resort during summer before, but stying around Killington was lovely. We took the gondola to the top of the mountain, as you would if you intended to descent skying, and we hiked up 20 minutes enjoying the forest and the views of the valley below us. Ross said it smelt “like Christmas”, as we were surrounded by firs, and I got excited with the thought of the season to come.
Down in the picturesque town of Woodstock we had to suffer the embarrassing situation of asking a local if it was the “music festival Woodstock” to receive a bored looked and a negative answer. As Europeans, we often forget that here in the United States town names are not unique to a place and in fact, there are actually 22 Woodstocks all around the country… (The one of the music festival was in New York State, by the way).
It was still a lovely stroll and after lunch we headed to Billings Farm and Museum. This non-profit educational institution has moved hands from conservationist George Perkins Marsh to Frederick Billings who made it a farm with sustainable practices in 1871 to Laurence and Mary Rockefeller (Billings’ granddaughter) who donated it to the Woodstock Foundation.
It is still an operating dairy farm and it has been a model for decades on for how people could use the land and its resources responsibly.
My kind of perfect day: morning hike, afternoon stroll around a lovely town and finish off with a farm visit and cheese tasting.
Day 4-5: Burlington and Shellburne
We crossed through the Green Mountains to get to the lakeside town of Burlington, stopping on the way in Warren, a really small town that had the best bakery I had tasted in months.
After checking in our hotel, we walked around the waterfront and decided to get in a boat tour. Lake Champlain (named after the French colonialist) is shared with the State of New York (a fourth), the State of Quebec in Canada (a fourth) and the State of Vermont (half). It connects to the Hudson River and to the St. Lawrence Seaway and it was the stage for many battles during colonial times for its strategic situation.
Nowadays it’s a serene blue landscape surrounded by different mountain ranges. And the views from Burlington are exceptional.
That evening we stopped at a famous cider shop: Citizen Cider, which has its base in Burlington. After tasting some of their classics and seasonal varieties we headed to The Farmhouse Tap & Grill for dinner. It was good, not excellent is it would be our following dinner, but one thing I noticed is that they had a big sign mentioning where the produce in their menu came from. They even named their dishes after the farms that supplied the cheeses or the meats. The farm to table movement is very real in Vermont and you find such connections in most restaurants and food shops, as we soon would witness.
Our second and last day by Lake Champlain we went to discover yet another farm: Shelburne Farm. As Billings Farm, this one also has an educational program and it’s a beacon of sustainability. Their programs are for both students and educators and they believe in a hands-on approach to connect the people with the land so they can understand the true sources of our food.
“Shelburne Farms is an education nonprofit on a mission to inspire and cultivate learning for a sustainable future. We believe that transformative learning experiences sow the seeds for a thriving and more just world. Our work seeks to create the space, spark the conversations, and share the stories to inspire educators, students, and learners of all ages to build a better future for everyone.
We practice regenerative agriculture to craft farm products and meals. Everything we produce connects learners to the working landscape and helps them better understand their role in sustainable food systems.”
I got very emotional being there and hearing how transformative those experiences are, specially for children. How after planting the seeds that would become vegetables and harvesting those they have a new appreciation for flavours they found appalling before. How caring for the animals and being thankful for what they bring makes eating that cheddar cheese into a full circle experience.
After taking a thousand photos and drying my teary eyes, we bought some homemade sourdough, cheese and tomatoes from the farmstead and had a beautiful picnic overlooking the fields where their Brown Swiss graze.
Following a visit of the interesting Shelburne Museum, we came back to Burlington downtown and had a dinner of a lifetime.
Hen of the Wood is a farm to table restaurant. Their mission is to “provide a true Vermont dining experience and showcase the region's most vibrant foods”. But they do more than that. They invite you to delve into the word “sustainability” by showing you how.
Ross and I didn’t have a table reservation but fortunately there was a spot by the bar. And it was the best two seats of the whole restaurant, at least for people interested in seeing the gears of a restaurant. Having full view of the stone oven, the grill and even the kitchen behind we contemplated fascinated the rhythm of the place.
The chef was on our side of the bar and his job was to connect the kitchen with the dinning making sure all orders arrived correctly to their destination. He energetically voiced the orders to the team, calling each team member by their name and waiting for the “heard!”. It was truly refreshing to see such a well oiled machine that didn’t run by shouts or anger, but by respect. Even when there was a mistake or two made, the chef took responsibility and tried his best to amend the error. That’s how we got a couple of extra dishes to try.
Transparency is everywhere. You can see the maturation chamber on your way to the restrooms as the wall is opened up in a window. You have visibility at all times of the kitchen and the main preparation area; and the cuisine is the most honest I’ve tried in the United States so far. Good ingredients from not far away at all cooked with respect and always pointing out at their sources. A real honest serve of community in your plate.
They opened the restaurant in 2013 after their sister restaurant in Waterbury, VT (opened in 2005).
“Our ethics are still the same and the menus change daily, based on a wealth of premium products found only miles from the restaurant. We have established a network of growers, artisans, designers, ranchers, bakers, wild crafters, and many more who are striving for both environmental harmony and continued growth. These relationships are what drive our restaurants! We have the utmost respect for these relationships and for our team.”
Day 6-7-8: Stowe and Greensboro
Filled with joy, we continued our trip towards Waterbury the next day. We had a morning appointment that couldn’t be missed: a visit of Ben & Jerry’s first factory. Unfortunately photography was strictly prohibited in the most fun part of the tour, where you could see the chain of production. We were given some mango ice cream to try in exchange, though.
Friends Ben Cohen and Jerry Greenfield founded Ben & Jerry’s in 1978 in Burlington as an ice-cream parlour in a renovated gas station. Their big chunks of chocolate and cookie dough set them apart, which was not a marketing decision but a practical one: Cohen suffered from anosmia, a lack of sense of smell, so he relied on mouthfeel and texture to be able to enjoy his food, and his ice-cream.
They started the “free cone day” initiative to celebrate their anniversary and to give back to the community. Still to this day, with the exception of their European factories, all ice-cream is made in Vermont with local cow’s milk and it’s exported internationally as far as Australia. Which in a sense contradicts the initial idea of sustainability, but who am I to argue?
After buying some more cheese at Cabot Creamery, we checked in at our last hotel of the trip where we would spent 3 nights. A lovely cabin in the quaint village of Stowe.
The next day we drove to Greensboro and we got Jasper Hill Farm cheese in a local store as the farm was not open for visits. I was specially interested in getting their Harbison, as I had tried it in Hen of the Wood and I had loved it. We also visited Hill Farmstead Brewery, named the Best Brewery in the World in 2018, and whose mission also connects with sustainable practices we have seen all around the State.
“As we reflect back on our past decade-plus of operations, we envision a future where our decisions are strongly guided by social and planetary impact, and where our beer helps to cultivate connections, compassion, and purpose.”
On the way back to Stowe we stopped at Burtt’s Apple Orchard were I could try more cider donuts and fly my drone. You can read about the history of the Cider Donut and see all my photos here.
More cider was to come next day as we stopped at Cold Hollow Cider Mill for fresh cider and more donuts and at Stowe Cider for hard fermented flights. That day we also had a great breakfast stop at Vermont Artisan Coffee & Tea inside a red barn. Some flavours that made you think you were in a European capital rather than in the middle of a mountain road in Vermont.
Day 9: Return to Boston
On our drive back we stopped at a couple of flea markets and I got some more treasures for my photography studio. But aside of that, Ross and I were quiet. Immersed in our own thoughts and feeling grateful and connected to the place. To a region that is green inside-out and that made us have faith for the future of not only of the United States but of the world.
We saw how a different kind of agriculture was possible. How eating locally brings respect for the producers and for the land. And how elevating the produce doesn’t mean incorporating fancy techniques and ingredients from abroad, but the contrary: being honest to their heritage.
Vermont is the true symbol of sustainability. Caring for the land, the animals and the people. All at once.
Thanks for visiting. These are great photos! ❤️
Vermont is such a special place! So many great spots highlighted here.