A Taste of the Northeast

New York, Vermont and New Hampshire seem to be famous for two things, maple syrup and dairy products, and we did our best to experience both of these things whenever we could.   : )

After we left the Cambridge area, on our way to the Adirondacks, we stopped at Rathbun’s Maple Sugar House……

We were intrigued with the system of maple sap collection….using a tap in the tree and a plastic tubing strung between all the trees and running into a central collection line.

We sampled their maple syrup on some pancakes and waffles. Yum…..And, of course, we bought a little syrup to take home.

 

In Shelburne, Vermont, we toured Shelburne Farms – a 1,400 acre working dairy farm that was established in 1886 as the model agricultural estate of William Seward and Lila Vanderbilt Webb.  This is a picture, believe it or not, of the farm barns, built in the 1800’s. Shelburne Farms was landscaped by Frederick Olmsted, Sr., who is considered to be the father of landscape architecture. It was a beautiful mix of pasture and trees and plantings.

The farm is a working farm which maintains a herd of brown Swiss dairy cows…..

And produces their own white cheddar cheese. Our tour included a cheese sampling, and we bought some to enjoy along our trip.

After leaving Shelburne Farms, we stopped by the Ben & Jerry’s Factory just outside of Burlington, Vermont, to sample another product of the dairy industry. – ice cream.     : )

We had a nice tour of their ice cream factory and got to sample one of their new flavors (vanilla with bits of chocolate covered waffle cone and a chocolate swirl). Unfortunately, no cameras were allowed on the factory tour. Let’s just say, it looked like a great place to work….and, each employee gets 3 pints of ice cream to take home for each day they work.  : )

Ben & Jerry’s is a model of good employee relations and they pride themselves on using mostly ‘fair trade’ items. You just have to LOVE their attitude……..

And in Franconia, New Hampshire, the morning after our really challenging hike (see next post) We thoroughly enjoyed a big pancake breakfast at Polly’s Pancake Parlor…..

Covered, or course, in their locally made maple syrup.

We have enjoyed eating out from time to time and are making a real effort to sample all the local foods. Its tough….but someone has to do it!       ; )