Riva and many others wrote letters (see Riva's below) to protest the sudden announcement and upcoming vote, and for now the vote is suspended and conversations are (hopefully!) in the works to preserve these campuses and to continue investing in accessible education for rural Vermonters. We can't imagine this is a unique situation for Vermont, rural areas around the country are likely addressing similar situations. Especially in the wake of COVID-19 and so much of education happening online for now, the question for everyone becomes what do we want education to look like and how do we make it accessible to everyone?
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Hello,
I was very distressed to hear about the vote to close campuses in the VT State Colleges system. I live in the NEK. Currently I work in Montpelier, and it took me 1.5 years to find my job -- many people I know in the area have to commute long distances for work. Closing down these campuses and laying off 500 people is a disaster in the small rural economy that is the NEK. Rural character is at the core of Vermont, but we cannot maintain and sustain it without state investments in the people and the economy of rural counties.
At a personal level, one of my children has Down syndrome and it has long been my hope that my daughter could attend college courses at Johnson while still living at home with support from her parents. For alternative students like my daughter, or first-generation college students, or low-income students, a commute to the Champlain Valley to attend college is simply not an option.
While this may be a responsible decision looking at a Profit & Loss statement, it is a completely irresponsible decision in looking at the character of Vermont's rural counties, the vitality of the rural economy, and the future of the youth and students living in rural Vermont.
Please support investing in Vermont's state colleges and keeping campuses across the state, to support the population that lives all across the state. Vermont is more (or it should be more) than the Champlain Valley.
Thank you,
Riva Reynolds
Although maple syrup is made in early spring, something about fall and fall colors calls for maple. Maple hot chocolate. Maple pumpkin pie. Maple glazed roasted carrots. Maple roasted pork chops. Yum! And how best to work up an appetite for these fall foods? Stacking wood, putting gardens to rest, finishing last house projects, and of course going for walks with family and friends. Welcome fall!
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The maple syrup is heated to a thicker consistency, then ladled over fresh snow where it candies up into something taffy-like that can be scooped with a spoon or twirled with a fork into a small bite of heaven. And yes, it can be enjoyed while driving a tractor.
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At this point in the year, the days are noticeably a touch longer but the idea of spring is far away. Slow cooker meals, hot toddies in front of the wood stove, and sore arms from snow shoveling are part of every week.
We look forward to the coming sugaring season even as we continue to enjoy a northeastern Vermont winter day by day!
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The first snows have come hard and fast this year, there was a flirtation with snow in October but it came with a vengeance this week when we had two days of canceled school due to storms. Those of us without storm tires on yet are kicking ourselves and I've been eyeing the woodpile and gauging how much we will go through month by month. Travis wonders if it's too late to walk the sugarwoods and try to lift lines so they'll be well above the snowpack when they start tapping next month.
For all that October is the most gorgeous fall month, November has an elegant austerity and is a sharp reminder that nature will kick your butt if you don't pay attention. Here comes winter.....
]]>Cream 6.3 oz of softened butter
Cream in 90 g of maple sugar, with a splash of vanilla extract (Yes, this recipe is in both oz and g - it's adapted from the shortbread recipe in Bouchon Bakery)
Sift together: pinch of sea salt, 70 g of unsweetened cocoa powder, 120 g of white all-purpose flour and 80 g of whole wheat flour.
Stir sifted mixture into creamed butter mixture. This will take some work!
Place the thick dough on a piece of plastic wrap and using the heel of the your hand, press the dough into a square, cover with the plastic wrap and refrigerate dough for at least a couple of hours and no more than 48. When ready to make the shortbread, take the shortbread out of the fridge to thaw and pre-heat the oven to 350. When the shortbread is ready to roll out, roll into a thick rectangle and with a knife or pastry cutter cut out 12 shortbreads. The dough will likely crack as it is rolled out and cut - use your hand to press it back together and shape the individual shortbreads into rectangles. Place on parchment lined baking sheet and bake for 12 minutes then beginning checking every couple of minutes for done-ness. They will start to develop a bit of firmness to the touch as you gently press them -- when in doubt, take them out, underbaked is better than overbaked!
]]>The weather is perfect for maple-sweetened banana bread and apple pie, maple bbq sauce on the last fall grillables, and spicy-maple warm lemonade to ward off fall colds.
Lemon juice - 2 T
Maple syrup - 1 T
Candied ginger puree - 1 tsp
Powdered ginger & turmeric - 1/2 tsp each
Sriracha / fire cider / hot sauce of choice to spice it up to your preference
Top it off with hot water - warm your hands and slowly sip
Kick back, open your jug of maple syrup, and enjoy what fall has to offer!
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But maple candy is tricky. It is best eaten fresh. Small batches of maple candy actually use a lot of maple syrup - it gets more efficient as you start to do larger batches. And maple candy and heavy jugs of maple syrup aren't great shipping partners, it works best to ship maple candy on its own.
So.... we're going to start doing flash sales! Keep an eye out on the website, and our Facebook and Instagram pages. And if you're in the Seattle area in the fall, Riva will be doing a candy-making class. Stay tuned for details.... and who knows, maybe there will be a Seattle-area pop up or flash sale? Happy candying!
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Although the winters are hard, nothing has ever seemed as refreshing as the green spring and the warm sun. We are pulling taps, watching for the first calves, and enjoying the flowers. We had our first spring storm and watched lightening instead of snowfall. Hello spring.
]]>So even as the snow melts, the trees are thinking about budding, and we are thinking we might only have one or two more days to boil.... we are thinking about next season's firewood.
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While sugaring today is very different than it was in Laura's time, the magical moments are still there. Sugar on snow is one of those. The maple syrup is heated up to just the right temperature and poured over pans of fresh snow to turn into a taffy-like candy. Served with pickles (to cut the sweet), and donuts (to cut the pickles?), this is a truly magical spring treat.
Come visit us some spring, and we'll do sugar on snow!
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In addition to recipes and flour and other goodies is this lovely: a cake mix made with Vermont maple sugar. Yum!
Once upon a time I might have said all cakes should be made from scratch. And certainly the process of baking a cake from scratch is enjoyable, especially when doing kitchen time with kiddos. But equally enjoyable is baking up an easy-peesy cake with Vermont ingredients from a Vermont company. Long live the Maple Magic Cake Mix!
]]>Electricity, internet, oil heat.... these conveniences make the past seem far away. But a cold snap on a farm brings it all right back and you remember that especially on a farm we are at the mercy of weather, and life in winter is hard. Hard!
Our best idea? Fire up the wood stove, make some pancakes with maple syrup, and enjoy some extra family time. Happy New Years all!
]]>Mix these together first, then set aside. Next, combine
Add the dry mixture to the melted butter mixture in 2-3 stages, then stir in
Chill the dough for half an hour and preheat the oven at 350. Drop rounded teaspoonfuls onto a baking sheet and bake for 8-10 then start checking for doneness. Oh, and if you like a crisper, flatter cookie, omit some of the flour. And enjoy!
(My cookie recipe is a variation of this recipe)
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Who can say what this year's season will bring? We'll be starting to tap in December so we'll be all ready by the end of January. And in the meantime, we are filling holiday orders and getting ready for the local holiday fair. Happy winter all!
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Deep into fall, the leaves are full of color and all over the ground. Tree branches are more and more bare and the view from the farm confirms what we all feel in our bones: winter is coming. Time for cousins to chase each other through the leaves, to drizzle maple syrup over roasted squash, to throw that extra blanket on the bed. On the farm, we have been mulching the apple trees heavily and getting ready to put them to sleep. We are moving firewood into the sugarhouse and thinking about tapping in early winter. As the cycles of the year progress, so do we. Happy fall everyone!
]]>Melt 2.5 tablespoons of butter with 2 cups of miniature marshmallows, 1/4 cup of tahini, and 1 cup of maple syrup. This will take a little time, keep stirring until everything is uniformly melted. Pour over 6 cups of rice krispie cereal, and add in 1/2 cup of something yummy - our favorite is a mix of bittersweet chocolate chips and dried cranberries. Pour into a pan lined with buttered parchment and refrigerate until cool and firm enough to cut. Enjoy!
]]>Mix 2 T of yogurt, 1 T of cider vinegar and 1 T of maple syrup. Stir well, then crumble in blue cheese. Start with a little and mix it in, then add more if you like. You can season the dressing, although we found the natural saltiness and intensity of the blue cheese didn't really require it. Use a good blue cheese here and it will make all the difference in the world!
Dress the salad - this is a thick dressing that could be thinned out with a bit more vinegar and maple syrup if you would like. But the thick dressing suits rough and rugged greens! Then top off with a few crumbles of blue cheese, and maybe some dried cranberries and pecans if you are getting fancy. Yum!
]]>Mix one and a half shots of a good tequila with half a shot of lime juice and half a shot of maple syrup. Shake it with ice, then pour over fresh ice and serve with a squeeze of lime. Too sweet? Try a touch more lime. Too lime-y? Try a touch more maple. Too boozy? Cut back on the tequila, then top off the drink with some sparkling water. Sip and enjoy!
Now, while you are sipping, chop (safely! Sip slowly!) half of a medium-sized pineapple, half a small red onion, two cloves of garlic, and four tomatillos. Go for a rough chop if you like a chunky salsa or a finer chop if like a finely-diced salsa, then mix them together. Start seasoning with a generous pinch of sea salt, 1 T of lime juice, a splash of cider vinegar, and 1 tsp of maple syrup, then start playing until you find the right combo for you. Mix everything well and let it sit for a few minutes while you chop fresh parsley or cilantro. We used a quarter of the bunch we bought, but it's hard to over-use fresh herbs in a salsa, so feel free to go crazy and enjoy some greenery.
Sip, dip, enjoy! Happy spring from Vermont.
]]>Grate 1 small peeled beet while you fry up two pieces of bacon. Stir up 1 egg and combine the egg and grated beet, then add in 2 T of cream cheese, 2 T of flour, 2 T of heavy cream, 1 T of maple syrup, the bacon (mince it up for bacon flavor throughout, or do a coarser dice to get chunks of bacon) and a 1/4 cup of seasoned bread crumbs and mix well.
Heat oil in a heavy-bottomed skillet, enough to cover the whole bottom of the pan with a layer (we used a mix of coconut oil and the bacon fat from the just-cooked bacon, but any oil suitable for high temperatures will work). Once the oil is hot enough to sizzle when you sprinkle in water, drop a large spoonful of the beet mixture into the pan, pressing down gently with the back of the spoon to make sure the mix cooks together well and is easy to flip - our pan held three of these at a time. Check the underside and when it's golden-brown, flip them over. When both sides are done, place them on a plate on the oven-top to stay warm. This amount should make up 10 or so fritters. Serve with yogurt on top perhaps? A poached or fried egg? And keep those leftovers for breakfast! If there are any.
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