(Published in 7 Nights 2009-10)

For folks who haven’t had the pleasure of exploring the Italian countryside, it’s possible to dine at Pane e Salute without sampling a single familiar dish. 

At the eight-table eatery — which blends cool, modern décor with a few rustic touches — the menu is based on “heirloom” recipes that Caleb Barber and Deirdre Heekin have gathered during their annual travels to “il bel paese.” 

At 4,800 feet, Mount Moosilauke is the tallest of the western White Mountains. The 3.8-mile Gorge Brook trail leads to its windswept granite summit. On a clear day, the view is one of the finest in New England, a sort of old-fashioned Google Earth, where you can look down on Killington, Mt. Ellen and Mansfield, and up to Mt. Washington. The Dartmouth Outing Club keeps a big log cabin open to the public at the most popular trailhead, located at the end of Ravine Road.

If you worship succulent organic strawberries, mark June 28 on your calendar. In addition to acres of pick-your-own strawberries, Cedar Circle Farm hosts an annual strawberry festival with live music, a barbeque with stone-fired pizza, and all the strawberry shortcake you can eat. Situated along the Connecticut River in East Thetford, it’s a sweet spot on a sweet summer day.

Woodstock is a classic 18th-century New England town — minus the avaricious loggers. George Perkins Marsh, a noted naturalist and statesman, was one of the first to see the error of those ways. He set aside 500 acres of conserved forestland that is now the Marsh-Billings-Rockefeller National Historical Park. More than 20 miles of carriage roads weave through the park, making it a spectacular place for a leisurely amble.

Rain or shine, VINS is a fascinating place to connect with the natural world. Check in on rehabilitating raptors, see how falcons hunt their prey or explore any of the nature trails around the perimeter of the facility. Just off Route 4 in Quechee, it’s an easy, and educational, walk on wild side.

Neighborly Farms produces ten kinds of delicious organic cheeses, all made with wholesome milk from our 48, well-cared for Holstein cows. At our family farm we make cheese the old-fashioned way, by caring for the land and surroundings. It helps us produce the finest cheeses possible.

Come watch Crowley Cheese being made by hand just as it was over 100 years ago by Winfield Crowley. Our landmark factory was built next to a small mountain brook in 1882 in the then-traditional post & beam fashion. Little has changed in over 110 years.

The Factory is open Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.
The Gift Shop is open Monday through Saturday, 10:00 a.m. - 5:30 p.m., and Sunday, 11:00 a.m. - 5:30 p.m.

We make cheese most Mondays through Thursdays, but please call ahead to be sure if you are making a special trip to see cheese being made.

Cobb Hill Cheese welcomes visitors as viewers or participants. It is essential to call ahead and arrange a time.