Scott’s Movable Feast

Thursday’s trial run of Lisa Cadow’s crepe cart at the stand was a terrific success. Her menu ranges from a savory buckwheat batter crepe (pictured) with ham from the Farmer’s Diner, Vermont Cheddar, and a sunny side up fresh local egg. She calls this crepe “The Norwich Happening”. Also on the savory side is the “Rochester Ratatouille”, a delicious buckwheat crepe filled with ratatouille made from fresh Killdeer Farm vegetables, topped with Vermont Cheddar and fresh Killdeer Farm basil. On the sweet side are dessert crepes accompanied with fresh berries (the “Middle-berry”), Nutella, maple syrup, and more.

The crepe cart is a family affair with Husband Ken in training at the griddles, and children helping with dishes and cashier duties (don’t forget the tip!).

The crepe cart will appear again tomorrow (Saturday August 9th), and will hopefully remain a fun Saturday treat for the rest of the season.

I remember the day that John Melquist came to the farm excited to speak with Jake, Liz and me about selling his new bread at the farm stand. That was five years ago, and since then we have been blessed with the products of John’s hard work. His breads were made from carefully selected local grains that he stone ground himself before kneading them into his formulas and baking them in a wood-fired oven, fired with the wood he had split.I became nearly addicted to his sunflower spelt toasted with Tarentaise cheese and his raisin pumpernickel with Boucher bleu cheese.

Unexpectedly, this past Thursday John announced that it was his last delivery. After five years, John has been forced to recognize that artisanal production at such an intensive level takes its toll on the body and mind. He has decided to step away from production and into research and development surrounding ancient middle eastern wheat that may be sustainable in Vermont’s climate.

We wish him all the best, and hope that he will soon return to baking.

Stop by the stand between 10:00 am and 1:00 pm Tuesday August 5th and try one of the newest local artisanal food producer’s treats. Lisa Cadow is launching her traditional French crepe cart using fresh ingredients from the farm stand. You may have sampled her delicious crepes at Flavors of the Valley food event this Spring. This promises to be another Summer treat!

 

As many of you know, my uncle was horribly injured in a bicycle accident this winter. Spending more time with my family and helping to deal with this crisis meant that I chose to stay in the South longer this year. Subsequently pulling together sugaring equipment and time is just out of the question.Nonetheless, I am hearing that the past few days have been setting records for sap flow here in the Upper Valley! 

If you have never been to a sugarhouse, you should really get out and experience it. The whole proccess is fascinating and the fact that the delicious syrup we enjoy starts its life as very watery sap is incredible. Find a small sugaring operation near you and go spend an hour. Our good friends Wayne and Cathy Fifield (802-333-4467) in Thetford Center keep our farm stand in good supply all season long. Their sugarhouse is open to visitors, just give a call.

I was sitting at the computer today reviewing seeding schedules when I looked out the window at the sunshine and was suddenly aware of how thirsty I was and how much I needed to stretch my legs. I left the spreadsheets behind and ambled out into the bright warmth of the day.

My feet sank slightly into the soft earth of “mud season” as I walked over to the sugar maple in front of the house. Listening thoughtfully I could hear the birds singing, greenhouse fans blowing, and the slight drip of liquid falling into liquid. I tapped the galvonized bucket that was attached a few feet up the tree: it felt heavy. I slid back the lid and, sure enough, it was already half full of crystal clear sap. Carefully, I lifted the bucket off of the spout imbedded in the tree’s trunk, brought the lip of the bucket to my own lips and slowly tilted it back. The cold sap filled my mouth and I savored its slight maple sweetness before swallowing. I took another sip and realized that my eyes were now closed as the sap flowed into my mouth, as though I were kissing a beautiful woman. The sun was beaming on my face and the air was full of the smell of warm damp earth. I thought I heard a killdeer in the field.

Maple sap flows when the days are warm and the nights cold in the spring. I have seen it flow in a drip so constant that it almost appeared to stream out of the tree. It is as clear and rarefied as water, cold as the ground, and just barely sweet and maple flavored. Jake told me a few years back that he and his friends used to put some of the sap from their sugaring operation into Ball jars and freeze it for summer consumption. I haven’t had any luck with that (it tends to sour), but I do love to drink the sap as a seasonal libation. There is just nothing like walking up to a tree and drinking it.

Maple is “slow food” in so many ways. Anyone who has ever boiled or attended a small scale boil (sugaring-off) knows that, aside from the company and the beauty of the process, it is like watching water boil - for hours. Forty gallons of sap takes me 9 hours on my small (3×3 foot) evaporator outside over a wood fire to produce a single gallon of syrup. A few years back I actually froze several gallons of sap and used it to brine my Thanksgiving turkey: an interesting idea, but not worth the large scale effort (since then I just make the brine from well water and add some of my own syrup).

As I have said, I can’t sugar this year. I miss it. But I am certainly enjoying my favorite spring drink.