More Garden Pics...

A random sweet pea

First ripe tomatoes (cherry)

Swiss Chard and Lettuce

Trying to stay up to date, with the sprawling garden,
~Becky

P.S. Mikey Lax and family, welcome to the blog!

Produce...

One of a billion turnips that made it into 16 batches of Cream of Turnip soup

Bouquet of cabbage

These pictures are at least a couple of weeks old. More updates to come...

Good night,
~Becky

Happy Summer!

I keep meaning to blog, but then we get busy. I've been on weed control duty lately, and its a big pain; but, we've finally got a handle on those impostors. I can tell that Trav's already scheming about the seedlings he's going to plant for fall crop. We just finished harvesting our last broccli and cauliflower yesterday, so we've got an empty space now. Plus, the peas are starting to dry up. Anyways, here's our first sunflower, growing right in the middle of the peas. Trav thought it would help support them, but really it just looks pretty. We have some sunflowers growing behind our garage to hide our compost pile too; though a row of sunflowers growing in the alley sticks out more than it really "hides" anything.
Hope everyone is enjoying the sunny season and had a good 4th of July.

~Becky

One Last Day

It is my last day here in Burlington and not the nicest. It is warm, but a little muggy and cloudy. Extremely loud airplanes keep ripping across the sky. But, I shall expound upon the good and forget the not so hot.

Sadly I have not taken any pictures, but there are some that my comrades, the Williams, have put up on their blog. They are young, self-proclaimed "urban intellectuals" trying to get into farming. They are just 2 among many interesting folks that I have met here this time.

On Wed. we had a class solely on starter cultures. Again, as with all of these classes, I felt as if a curtain had been swept aside and I could see clearly (not that I can clearly see everything - just my vision isn't nearly so muddy on most concepts). The teacher was surprisingly good, considering he was from Cargil. Yesterday's class, thank god, was a little less sciencey - it involved eating gobs of cheese and smelling lots of random smells and categorizing such sensory evaluations. It was a lovely way to finish out the course. I can now proudly say that I am a cheese maker. As Jamie, fellow classmate and cheese maker, kept saying boisterously last night at supper, "We have cheese cred!" 

Supper last night was great. Expensive, but can you really put a price on good food and good company? I had dishes consisting of raw ground beef (it closely resembles Dad's hamburgers), hummus containing grapes, Australian wine, potato and leek soup with chunks of cheese slightly melted in it, part of a Vermont martini (a VTinin as our waitress called it), my first creme brulee (heavenly, divine, delicious, I'm making it when I get home) and chocolate mousse. I'm still full just thinking about it. To top it all off, I was dining with Jamie (very energetic, Liz's upfront attitude, life-of-the-party type) a lovely Canadian couple (sweet Tanya and her wonderful husband) and a Chilean, Ana (very nice with a father who self-medicates like Grandpa). I didn't get back home until around 11 PM (complete with a bag of Vermont cheese I got from the co-op for a Minnesota cheese-tasting).

I'll be home soon, and I look forward to getting back to cheese making and thinking about future plans. Summer of cheese, here I come!

Greetings from the Green State

Here I am, again, in Vermont, land of greenness and good people. The trip here was pretty uneventful, except the segment from Detroit to Burlington when we were flying over gobs of clouds. It was just past sunset so the clouds were just barely illuminated from underneath. The glory didn't last very long, but when looking out the window, I saw the most beautiful landscape of clouds. Then, after just minutes, it was too dark and the exquisite sea that had been just outside my window disappeared.

I walked around Burlington all day on Sunday. It was a slightly chilly day, but I enjoyed the city immensely. I went down to the lake and saw some windsurfers who were braving the choppy water (it was pretty windy at this point). I decided I should next head over to the local co-op (called Healthy Living) to get a couple of groceries for the week. I picked out a lovely, local goat cheese, an artisan loaf of bread (also local), a pizza to take back to cook and some whole milk (I believe also local). As I stepped out of the door, I noticed some angry clouds gathering, and a gust of wind nearly swept me off my feet. Flimsy pizza box in one hand and bag of groceries in the other, I practically flew home (very much wind aided) and avoided the rain. 

The first two days of classes were about Cheese Chemistry. It was a whole lot of information pretty much putting together everything we've learned in the past classes, plus some more. Many of us left feeling more confused than when we began. (I'll tell you more about my interesting classmates later . . . I almost have to leave for class again). So, to reward ourselves for trudging through such tough material, we headed out of Burlington to visit the education farm, Shelburne Farms.

They are located in a farm/summerhouse that the Vanderbilts built around the 1880's. The buildings are extravagant to say the least. We first met with Nat, the head cheese dude, and got to see the make-room and talk to a couple of college-age kids working there. We talked to them about problems the make room might have, the brown swiss herd from which they get milk, and various other cheesy things. They make only cheddar so it was interesting to see how they had diversified with only one type of cheese. In their massive cheese cave they had blocks aging from 6 months to 6 years or so. They also did a traditional cloth-bound variety and all of their slightly "off" chunks that were edible got sold as Tractor Cheese (with separate labels warning against off flavors and variability, but mentioning that it would "keep the motor running" I believe). We drove further back onto the farm to the house where they now have an inn and restaurant. We ate. It was delicious. It was also very expensive, but worth it. I had a plate of black bean gnocchi. Later, we sat in a living room area and talked. I played with Montse's son (she's the Spanish instructor and loves Shleburne Farms, coincidentally, they also love her and and her sage. cheese advice). It was a nice way to end the day.

I must get ready for the last day of classes - sensory evaluation - so I'll expound on my journey later. Love you all - - - Katie

I can't believe it's Wednesday already...

Trav thought these radishes were worthy of their own blog post (he's currently out weeding the garden in preparation for the weekend-Steve and Steve are coming to see it :)
~Becky

P.S. Does anyone notice anything wrong with this picture?

The Peppers are Growing...

If you look closely, you can see little peppers on the plants around this one, too. There are only about 50 pepper plants!

In case anyone cares, Trav did not say one thing about that bread yesterday. So I put my purchased loaf in the freezer, and tried it again today.
~Becky
P.S. KT, where are you?

Who's going to eat all those radishes???

Our computer seems to be working somewhat now; whatever Trav did to it. Anyways, I took this picture yesterday. The weather has been absolutely beautiful.
I was going to take pictures of my beautiful bread, but it did not turn out very beautiful. I won't go into it much, but lets just say that instead of 4 loaves, I only got 2. And not very pretty ones, either - I have to admit that I am really curious to see what Trav has to say about his sandwiches when he gets home from work :) hehe (In any case, I bought bread today.)
FYI: Just spoke with KT (hi KT!), and she was having fun in Vermont. I'm sure she'll be blogging soon.
~Becky

Updated Garden Pics

First Radishes of the year- they were really good (a couple of weeks ago, of course).

Is that more dishcloths??? Yes, it is.
Now, down to the garden pics, as I know some people are wanting to see updates of the garden (probably just Steve :) I haven't been blogging lately because our computer is down, but I brought my camera to Mom and Dad's today. Love, Becky
So, here they are:
The cabbage patch...

Southside...

Tomatoes (still Southside)...

Language Proficiency Exam

I am officially proficient at reading, writing, speaking and listening to the italian language!!!!

Glass Milk Containers

Hey Mom, 

Here's a link to the website I talked to you about earlier. I've tried to e-mail you 2 times, but it came back as "undeliverable" for some reason, so I figured this way it will get to you for sure. Just click HERE.

- Love, Katie -

(P.S. - Please put up some pictures of my baby goats sometime. I don't think that I'll be home for a while to see them.)

This is the End . . .

I really meant to have some more pictures up, but they just weren't working for me. I did, obviously, get this one to work - my bike basket in action (thank you again, Mum and Dad).

What I really wanted to do was tie up some loose ends regarding my adventure in Vermont before the next one begins. I figured I'd best since several of you (especially the curly-haired boy who never stops mocking all around him) have been bothering me to finish my "novel", as Brad would have it. So . . . 

Wednesday night I returned to my room with much on my mind - finally I'd seen living proof that my hopes, that many people, upon hearing, question the viability of, are no tin vain. Despite my brains buzzing, I fell asleep quickly after another exhausting and long day.

After walking to class during a crisp but sun-drenched mor

ning, I arrived at class, greeted by numerous new faces. We were also learning about a new topic - hygiene and safety - with a new instructor. Although this very same topic had bored me to sleep in one of my Food Science classes last semester, it seemed as fresh as a breath of Vermont air (or a bite of Vermont Ayr) in this new setting. It was also interesting to talk to the new group of pupils/peers. One man, from Massachusetts, told me of his adventures in France where he learned from some French cheese-makers themselves how to make cheese (with a delightful New England accent). Another young woman was already making cheese at a local plant, but wanted to learn more and improve the consistency and quality of her products.

The day ended with an old activity that I never tire of: cheese shopping. The New York men dropped Sam and I off at the local Co-op so we could peruse the 

shelves of soft, white lumps to find just the right one(s) to bring home with us.

I guess this is a good enough time as any to tell you a bit more about Sam as I did not do him justice previously. I don't think that at first I would have described him as anything close to kind - abrasive perhaps comes closer. If you are lucky(?) enough to spend some more time with him, as I did, he does grow on you, a little. I must admit that it was sometimes difficult to find amusement in his animated tales, harder yet to see delight and life in his sparkling brown eyes, but I tried my best. I had to, for we ended up walking around Burlington for hours until night had fallen. (For those of you that can't detect my sarcasm, I merely jest and mean only the best bits about Sam) I returned to my hotel, tired a

gain - I think I walked more during that week than during a normal month.

To use an old cliché, the next day was bittersweet; it was my last day in Burlington, but another wonderful day. Marc and Montse returned to teach us about milk chemistry. I learned more about the magic of "COAGULATION" and that I have a magic finger (the milk I tested with it always coagulated first). We all lingered at the end of class, some of us longer than others. Since Sam and I were the last to leave, only shortly after Stephen, it looked as if I was stuck wandering around a beautiful city in the company of an entertaining, cheese-loving soul once more.

I kept hoping the night would never end.

But, as with all good things, it did eventually end - after a bowl of split pea soup, ice cream, and a taxi ride back to South Burlington (it was freezing by that time). I packed up my things in anticipation for my early morning and long day o

f travel that I knew was ahead of me. I paid for my room and drifted into sleep, feeling that if only I could stay awake forever, this dream would never end.

Morning came and at 5AM I made my way to the airport, taking in one more time the smells of the city (as it was too dark yet for the sites). My plane took off somewhere around 7AM, leaving the mountains and pines of Vermont behind. As I watched these mountains, and those of New York, fade away behind me, I finally realized 

that this trip was over. I promptly began planning the next.

Stay tuned in June (June 1 -5) for more adventures in Vermont.

-Katie-

Slow Food

I'm researching the Slow Food Movement (which originated in Italy in opposition to the first McDonald's opening in Rome) for a presentation I am doing in Italian class tomorrow (yes, I procrastinated a bit). I found this very amusing video featuring the founder of Slow Food: Carlo Petrini. Melissa actually went to his agroturismo (farm where city-dwelling Italians and tourists go to get a taste of the country life) when she was in Italy. Enjoy the video (click HERE)and check out the movement at: www.slowfood.com. 

Green Fever...

Trav is one busy guy...

Eggplant

Red Cabbage

Peppers

Tomatoes and Basil

Tomatoes and Basil- Peppers on the sides

Brassicaes

We've got all kinds of goodies goin' on.

~Becky

new mom

Our new mom and her first kids were born monday. More kids will be on the way this week, so stay tuned for updates.
Sharon