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i know i missed responding to this before your trip, but if you go again a great place to go is to the Haley House Cafe (http://www.haleyhouse.org/) in Roxbury.  It's just a fantastic place to eat!

I agree with vtrockdork about being blessed here in vermont. and most of the time, although i miss things, i am pretty excited and still sort of romanticize each season's typical fare.  (by the way, let's talk making hard cider in another post, I'd love to share some ideas, i am on my second year of doing 11 gallons).

but, if pressed, I'd have to say that I miss two things most: fresh tomatoes (heirloom or not - my wife and I will not eat a fresh tomato again until next season.) and fresh salad greens, the ones from california just aren't the same....
although i miss fresh berries, we generally do a pretty good job of freezing a TON of berries for the winter. this year we got 6 gallon size freezer bags full of blueberries and a bunch of raspberries.

So, I'm all excited for Thanksgiving!
All other holidays aside, as well as this one's potentially questionable political history, Thanksgiving is my all time favorite! Other than all of the other reasons that we could go into another time, culinarily (is that a word?), I just LOVE Thanksgiving.  I love fall harvest vegetables, and I love that it is really the only time of the year that Shana is completely cook with me cooking a big ole dead animal in the house! (thanks Beth and Bruce).

Anyway, let me ask you, Thanksgiving, purely a time for traditional fare, or an evening to really try and do some crazy experimentation? (or somewhere inbetween?)

I'd love to hear what people are planning and how they go about Thanksgiving!
-Jason

i am honestly having a hard time thinking of anything...
let's see:
i don't like gummy candy or candy corn.
i am not a real big fan of licorice or anise flavored stuff

i'm curious, because i have heard of it before, but do those of you who don't like cilantro find it tastes anything vaguely soap-ish? i've herd that people either completely dislike or really like cilantro.

i don't like any colas.

i'll have to think about this one some more...

Cilantro, eggplant, and zucchini are the ones that popped into my head immediately.

The Kitchen Table farmer's dinner was fantastic!

We found the food uniformly stellar, and really enjoyed the thoughtful wine (and beer!) pairings to boot.

I must say that we were looking forward to cardoon soup*, which was replaced by very pleasant carrot one, but this was the only expectation we'd formed that wasn't solidly exceeded.  Indeed, the caramelized pumpkin bread pudding was vastly more delicious than we thought it would be.

But the amazing thing is that the good moods of all in attendance, and chance to get to see (and speak with) some of the phenomenal group of people who make Vermont farming so exciting, were just as rewarding as was the food.

We've been to a couple of farmer's dinners now, and think they are one of the most exciting, educational, and scrumptious ways to support and enjoy our close connection to the land.  We'll miss them greatly over the winter!


*cardoon seems like a nice way to grow a thistle for food as an annual... anyone given it a try here?

I despise onions, too! And so does my aunt Dena. We can detect a single scrap of onion on a pizza or in a potato salad, even when eating from the opposite side of the dish. Red onions are the worst. When I was a toddler I pulled up all the onions in my parents' garden and chucked them into the woods, hoping (I suppose) that this would prevent any of the vile vegetable from gaining entry to the home.

Also do not care for any seafood, cilantro, grapefruit, coffee, green tea, liver, most alcoholic drinks. It's funny because I'm not exactly a "picky" eater and always want to try new things. I was in England last spring and ordered everything from mushy peas to black pudding, but lots of things that are yummy to most people are just too bitter for me. It has been suggested that I might be a supertaster - have you ever heard of that?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Supertaster

I'm sure everyone has a funny horrible restaurant story to share. When I was reporting this story in July, I decided to try a diner in Chelsea. When they finally deigned to acknowledge us outsiders after about half an hour, we were seated and ignored again until I walked back to the kitchen to beg for help. When I listed them in Seven Nights, they told me that they made great from-scratch chicken fingers, so that's what I hoped to try. It wasn't on the menu. They said they would make them for me anyway. What I got was a plastic basket with four chicken fingers and three pats of butter inside. That's it. No sides. When I asked for sides, they seemed confused and they took forever. I guess their regular clientèle considers butter an acceptable accompaniment to a meal.
What's your story?

Tom the Turkey. Available at pa-ticipating stores. Thank you.

I am not a fan of onions. My mother and both my brothers can't stand them either, so I'm assuming it's a weird genetic tag we all share. My brother Volodia, who's a chef, rarely uses them in his cooking and no one seems to mind. In my job, I get stuck eating onion tarts or onion soups occasionally. I'm getting over it. Raw onions, however, just fill my mouth with horror. What's your big yuck?