Vermont: Day 2

It rained overnight so the conditions for skiing on Tuesday weren't great. We decided to go touring around the area.

Breakfast was delicious again, with apple pancakes, homefries, apple slices & pineapple. 

Dad fueled up with the "Big Sandwich," complete with grilled ciabatta bread, 2 eggs, potato, corned beef hash & swiss cheese.

Mom was on the lookout for quilt shops, & this was the first one we saw. It was closed, so we kept searching.

We stopped at the King Arthur Flour Baker's Store & Cafe. They had a huge selection of flours & other grains, plus tons of baking supplies.

I was really tempted by the spreads, but decided to try to find some recipes to make them at home.

The Bup found pizzelle mix! He & Dad have their own secret recipe, so he was comparing ingredients. 

Their bakery display was really tempting. Maybe if we hadn't just eaten our weight in breakfast we would've tried something. :-)

Our next stop was at the Hen House Fabric shop. Mom was excited...the rest of us just tagged along.

She bought these pretty fabrics to make a table runner.

After the fabric shopping, we stopped at the Simon Pearce gallery & shop.

Everything was gorgeous & super pricey.

The first floor used to host glass blowing sessions for people to watch, but it was washed out in the recent flooding. We saw a video instead. The techniques are really cool!

They have an attached restaurant with a glass enclosed patio. The dam below was full of ice blooms.

Even the covered bridge was washed out by the flood, the water came up so high!

Dad really wanted to go to the Quechee Gorge so that was our next stop. The lady inside the welcome center said we weren't to take the walk to the vista because the conditions weren't safe with all the ice.

I noticed a winery shop across the street from the gorge, so we checked that out.

The Charlotte Village Winery had a nice selection of wines. Their main attraction is a series of blueberry wine - dry, semi-sweet & dessert wines, all made from blueberries grown on their property.

My favorite was the Peach Blossom, a combination of chardonnay & peach wines.

Next up, we stopped at the Sugarbush Farm. The horses were outside, enjoying the warmer weather.

An authentic "Vermont Cowch." Haha!!

They had an impressive cheese selection. I really liked the Hickory & Maple Smoked Cheese, but each one we tasted was full of flavor.

They package their cheese by wrapping it in foil & then dipping it in wax. The process allows it to be stored & shipped without refrigeration.

I tried the Vermont Maple Seltzer & was amazed!

100% pure filtered & carbonated maple sap! It was like drinking subtly sweet maple fizzy water. Refreshing & interesting. I wish they sold it around us!

Our final stop was the Long Trail Brewing Co., home of the eco-brew.

They have a self-guided tour room where we were able to watch them packaging & bottling the Blackbeary Wheat beer. My favorite! 

We each order a sampler platter that included their 5 year-round beers & the winter beer, Hibernator.

I love that they bring them out in a cupcake tin!

In order of favorite to least favorite: 1, 5, 2, 3, 4, 6.

So serious.

Mom also ordered the Coffee Stout & a mini-sample of the Triple Bag (delicious!!) & the Centennial Red.

After all those tastings, we weren't really hungry for dinner, but Roger cooked such a good meal that we managed to finish every bite!  

First up -  Cream of Broccoli soup followed by a small salad tossed with a light vinaigrette.

 The main course was manicotti with garlic bread & warm cabbage salad. I LOVED the salad, so Roger told me how he made it. He takes shredded cabbage & ribbons of carrot, lightly sautes them in olive oil, & then tosses it with salt, pepper, garlic & Parmesan. He said that he also makes it with soy sauce, when eaten with a different combo of foods. I can't wait to make it at home!

 Dessert was baked apples with granola filling & French vanilla ice cream drizzled with maple syrup.

It was a great day, but I was stuffed!!!!