Same-sex marriage is legal in Vermont as of today and to celebrate, Ben & Jerry's has renamed its Chubby Hubby ice cream flavor "Hubby Hubby" for the month.
"From the very beginning of our 30 year history, we have supported equal rights for all people," Walt Freese, Ben & Jerry's CEO, said in a statement. "The legalization of marriage for gay and lesbian couples in Vermont is certainly a step in the right direction and something worth celebrating with peace, love and plenty of ice cream."
At the Vermont Cheesemakers Festival last weekend, it was when a girl wearing a cheese hat walked by -- we were nowhere near Wisconsin, and there were zero Packers in sight -- that we realized the extent of cheesemania 'round these parts.
The sold-out festival took place on the grounds of a farm, appropriately -- Shelburne Farms -- and its primary sponsor was Vermont Butter & Cheese. And the 50 cheesemakers present, who had lured chefs, locals and fromage freaks from far afield, delivered quite a variety of fare. From chocolate-covered cheeses to cheese-and-chili-stuffed breads, the gamut was on offer.
Tickets were cheap, too: $20 for all-you-can-cheese, with $10 for wine and beer tastes. The old and young ran amok over the verdant grounds (this one got completely lost while trying to walk from one part of the sprawling farm to another). Children sampled cheddar voraciously, farmers shook hands, and we observed more than one woman sipping beer cautiously while a baby slept nestled against her chest. It seemed like a family affair. Though panels were available on how to pair and make cheeses, it was the stuff itself that got our attention.
Our top 10 favorite cheeses and photo editor Rachel Been's attached photo gallery after the jump.
Vermont Spirits Gold is 40% abv. / 80 proof and is made from Vermont Maple Syrup. Vermont Spirits makes three types of vodka. The Gold is from ample syrup the Vintage Gold from maple sap, and the White is made from milk sugar. They are small batch vodkas made in wood fired, steam heated distillers and the Gold is limited to 1,000 cases a year.
The aroma is graceful and delicate, full of maple and hints of butter; with a nice warm alcohol base. The taste starts slightly sharp and peppery and then quickly has maple and buttery notes come through. These last a long time with a slight sweetness joining in. The body is full with an enjoyable oily-silkiness that slides along your tongue. It finishes with a cool-warm tongue and lip tingling.
Created by Duncan Holiday, an anthropologist, it is his answer to using local resources and products in a new way. This is definitely a vodka that you want to sip straight, cold, or on the rocks. Mixing this with much of anything will overwhelm the delicate flavor.
Farmers that were about to see their business go under have found a little salvation, thanks to organic milk.
Several farmers, like the ones profiled in this Boston Globe story about Vermont farmers, have switched to organic, and many are able to pay their bills or make a profit for the first time in decades. One man, Peter Decker, actually sold his auto body shop in Florida and, with half a mil, started his own organic dairy farm in Barton, Vermont.
I've never tried organic milk. I don't drink whole milk anymore, and any milk that I have is either 1% or skim. How does it taste?
Homesickness often shows itself in cravings for certain foods. For many soldiers from Vermont currently serving in
Iraq and Afghanistan, the craving was for jerky. Not just any jerky, but venison jerky. So, doing their best
to oblige their hometown troops, law enforcement officers and game wardens in Bennington County, Vermont, started
collecting venison. They looked for illegal hunting kills and fresh roadkills to use for their dried treats. In
the end, they came up with 170 pounds of venison that was turned into jerky by a Bennington grocery owner. Ironically,
the local Elks Club footed the bill for curing and shipping the meat.