T-Day Treats

Farmers’ market season used to end right when Vermonters needed it most — as local produce offerings began to dwindle in stores and co-ops. No longer. This year, 11 off-season markets will offer root veggies, fresh loaves, animal products and crafts to help chase away the winter blues.
That’s good news for cooks still in need of potatoes, butternut squash and artisan cheeses for Thanksgiving. They can find holiday goodies at upcoming markets in Rutland, Norwich, Montpelier, Morrisville, Dorset, South Hero and Brattleboro, and at Burlington’s inaugural winter market this Saturday at Memorial Auditorium.

Folks in Williston, Middlebury and Chelsea will have to wait until December for a chance to purchase pork, maple syrup and eggs at their area markets.

Click here [1] for date and time details.

On Saturday, Village Wine and Coffee [2] in Shelburne hosts a special wine tasting from 1 to 5 p.m. to help folks pair the proper wine with their poultry. Lisa Strausser from G. Housen Distributing will serve up everything from a Sparkling Brut Vouvray to a Willamette Valley Pinot Noir.

Just in time for the holidays, a ’zine called La Vie Claire: The Art of Living a Creative Life [3] gave a shout-out to Waterbury’s Vermont Mystic Pie Company [4]. With a beautifully photographed spread and sumptuous prose, the magazine profiles the company. It tells the tale of founder and apple-pie aficionado David Barash and his quest for the perfect recipe, noting his local suppliers — Champlain Orchards [5], King Arthur Flour [6] and Cabot [7].

The Agency of Agriculture [8] is encouraging Vermonters to snap up one of 51,000 local turkeys while they’re still available. What makes a Green Mountain bird better? An Ag Agency press release cites the “tradition factor,” the “buy local” effort and the “freshness and taste!” It waxes eloquent on our gobblers: “Due to the Vermont climate, turkeys grown here are plumper than most, giving them a much better taste. They also require very little, if any, basting.”