The Photo Booth

First Snow. Ripton

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 The Ripton Country Store.  

The heartbeat of a small town.

        I think the heart beat of most Vermont towns are their country stores, almost every town has one. They are local gathering places and the source of the town news.  They are the life saver when you forgot an onion or canned clams for a recipe.  They are a comforting glow on a stormy winter evening when you could barely make it home up the windy, snowy roads. They are always a novelty to "The Out of Stater" visitor and a source of local pride.

                  Notice the Bus Stop Sign, a newer addition to the importance of the town store.

                                                                                                      

Do you see anything?   It's always been this way....

  

There's quite a variety of things you can find for sale here.   When my Husband was a little boy he loved to come in and check out the knives,  I still see the little boys doing it.   It's so cute.

This is our post office and the town pride.  A few years ago it was closed.   Many of the town's folk got together wrote letters and protested.   It worked and it was reopened!  ( We'll see for how long)

We love our little store, be sure to pop in for a visit!

The Photo Booth   

Salisbury.  by A.C.

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 Mushroom Hunting

The Last Call 

 Mushroom hunting season is drawing to a close.. Here a few late edible bloomers we spotted while walking around the woods. Remember always do your own research before deciding to feast on wild fungus delights. Don't use this site for making your final decision,  I'm a beginner too.
 

Lion's Mane

Look for on dead or dying hardwoods, especially the Beech Tree.

Shaggy Mane

Look for them in short grass.  If you see them collect them quick, they go by very quickly!                                                                  



Puff balls are spotted!

Puff Ball

Make sure when you cut them they are all white inside.


What have you found during your walks in the woods?

                                 October                                                               

O Husband October morning mild,
Thy leaves have ripened to the fall;
Tomorrow's wind, if it be wild,
Should waste them all.

The crows above the forest call;
Tomorrow they may form and go.
O Husband October morning mild,
begin the hours of this day slow.
Make the day seem to us less brief.

Hearts not averse to being beguiled,
Beguile us in the way you know.
Release one leaf at break of day;
At noon release another leaf;
One from our trees, one far away.

Retard the sun with gentle mist;
Enchant the land with amethyst.
Slow, slow!
For the grapes' sake, if they were all,
Whose leaves already are burnt with frost,
Whose clustered fruit must else be lost-
 For the grapes' sake along the wall.
-Robert Frost.

Here's to the Fall!

The Photo Booth

Whiting

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August First

Bakery and Cafe 

149 South Champlain St.

Burlington 05401

  One summer day, I turned the corner and there it was!   I felt like I was definitely the last to know.  My first clue? -The long line.   

August First bakery was such a nice surprise for me.  When I go to Burlington I'm not often walking around this part of town.  I popped in and had a delicious snack and a iced chai.  As an after-thought I purchased a loaf of jalapeno pepper and cheese bread and headed home.

Wow!  That bread was awesome!   I've since been back for more and I would definitely recommend this as a stop on your next B-Town trip!

The fun thing I learned is that every afternoon the bread bikes drives around the Burlington streets, shouting...."Breaaad foooor sale!"   I love it!  That's something I've only seen in others countries!  I wish I had that service in my Vermont neighborhood!

The Photo Booth

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Lake Dunmore.  by A.C.

Chicken of the Woods!

The Elusive Mushroom

      My husband and I went mushroom hunting one beautiful summer evening a couple of weeks ago.  Mostly we were after oyster mushrooms because we are not seasoned mushroom hunters at all and they are easy to spot.  We did find some but then we spotted beautiful orange-yellow mushrooms growing on a dead cherry tree!  We stopped to get a better look. The mushrooms had a very nice mushroomy smell and a firm but spongy feel.  We picked some and stopped at his brother's house to investigate further in his mushroom book.

      Sure enough these are a hard to find, edible, choice mushroom!  What a find!  We harvested them for about a week but then a big storm came along and smashed tree, ruining what was left of the mushrooms.  It was nice while it lasted...

 

If you would like to hunt for the Chicken Mushroom make sure to do your research.  There is a lot of information online, YouTube I think is the most helpful.  One thing we learned that it's just as important to know your trees as it is to know your mushrooms. (Chicken Mushrooms love cherry trees,  do not eat if found on coniferous trees.)

             To prepare these mushrooms we cut them into slices, sauteed in butter and then simmered in chicken broth.  They have a dense, buttery texture- absolutely amazing!  Also, another great thing is that they freeze well.  When we want to use some of the frozen mushrooms we just put them frozen into a little chicken broth and simmer until they are warmed through.

Shrimp Alfredo with Chicken Mushrooms

Drop-In Brewing

 *

A New Brew in Town!

610 Route 7 South

Middlebury 05753

      We heard about a new brewery opening in Middlebury called, The Drop- In Brewery... so we did just that, and boy are we glad we did!   We would highly recommend stopping in for a free beer tasting.

      We decided on the Sunshine and Hoppiness Ale as our personal favorite and promptly bought a log.  The price was really reasonable and Steve included some tube for our kegerator that needed to be replaced! Thanks!

A very happy customer!  We'll be back.

A perfect match for homemade tomato pizza.

The Photo Booth

Lake Dunmore.  by C.A.

The Photo Booth

Goshen.

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                                     Include the name of the area you took it.

Oyster Mushrooms!
Vermont white gold.

 Finding: Our Vermont woods are perfect in the summer for finding oyster mushrooms!  Keep your eye out especially on fallen or decaying hardwood.

 Washing: "They" say not to use too much water, if any, when washing mushrooms.  I like to soak them for just a couple of minutes in salt water,  then spin dry in a salad spinner and let dry flat for 30 minutes.  When you find oysters mushrooms in the wild, often time they have bugs in them that will float to the top when submerged in the saltwater.   I still check each one out after the quick wash and pat dry.

 Cooking: We like to cook our mushrooms with just butter, salt, pepper and garlic powder.  Some like to add white wine too.

Freezing:  I just spread the cooked leftover mushrooms out on a tray a freeze.  Then, I transfer to a freezer bag.

 Eating:

 Wild Oyster Mushroom Bruschetta

      This should only be made on fresh bread sliced and baked with olive oil, garlic, salt and pepper.   Once the bread is baked a little while with just oil and garlic, I layer sliced tomatoes, a mushroom and Oaxaca cheese (quesillo) and bake untill the cheese started to bubble.

Don't forget a glass of wine!