Was Ben Franklin Wrong?

Local Food: Both men and melons, according to Franklin, "are hard to know." But even with its exotic tropical antecedents, cantaloupe is nonetheless a familiar companion for late Vermont summers. And the suppleness of muskmelons from Pete's Greens makes them versatile additions to our menu. Steven portions them for savory dishes like the crab cake, adding a juicy sweetness that offsets the bitter greens and complements the subtle crab meat. You can also find cantaloupe in the cucumber gazpacho, with an array of herbs from Rowan Farm, and a kick of spice from jalapenos and cayenne peppers. Just the right cool first course for our warmer end of summer days.

Around the Galaxy: Come to Galaxy on Tuesday, September 7th at 7PM when Rowan Jacobsen, a James Beard Award winning author from East Calais, introduces his new book, American Terroir: Savoring the Flavors of Our Woods, Waters and Fields. Come to Galaxy to get your copy now, and read about our neighbors who produce syrup and cheese, as well as a forest gastronomer from Quebec and avocado growers in Mexico. The book is delicious to read and Jacobsen explores the flavors of the food we are so fortunate to have in ways that extend new depths of appreciation and understanding.

Music Notes: Dan Haley is Mister Casual will join us this Thursday, September 2 at 7:30. Be sure to catch Noah Hahn and Dan Haley playing an acoustic set of folk-pop with jazz leanings.

Local Events: Kathy Stark will return to the Art House in Craftsbury for September's First Friday Artist Talk. She will show examples of her work, new and old and speak about her techniques, mediums and inspirations on Friday, September 3 from 6:30-7:30. Please RSVP here.

Reminders: We are open daily after 2:30 for coffee, bar service, and baked goods, and free WiFi, with dinner reservations available from 5-9. Please note we have extended our Summer Sunday dinner hours and will seat guests until 9:00 pm. We serve our special Blunch menu Sundays from 11-2. Claire's is closed every Wednesday.

We appreciate it when you reserve a table with us, as it helps us plan a relaxed and hospitable experience for you and all our guests. To show our appreciation, when you call, email, or stop by to make a reservation, you will be entered into our weekly drawing for a $20 gift card for your next visit.

Local Corn is Still Good Eating

Local Food: The ubiquity of GMO frankencorn has all but given a bad name to one of summer's most delicious crops. But when you pull an ear from a stalk of responsibly grown corn, all your concerns will melt away. Remember, corn is not just a food; for Mayan people of Guatemala and Mexico, it is a spiritual aspect of who they are as a community. We're grateful to John and Johanna Laggis in Hardwick for bringing us their wondrous varieties as part of our community at Claire's. Steven roasts the tricolor ears, which concentrates the sweet notes while adding a bit of smokiness. Cut from the cob, the kernels add a pop of flavor unlike any other across the menu. Tossed with grilled tomatoes, pureed to create a perfect summer soup topped with crispy sage leaves, sprinkled in the heirloom tomato salad along with green beans and savory vinaigrette. You can also find corn served with the Lightship Island Scallops beside oyster mushrooms, squash, cauliflower, tomatoes, greens, bacon and herb butter.

Around the Galaxy: Rowan Jacobsen's new book, American Terroir: Savoring the Flavors of Our Woods, Waters and Fields has arrived! Get a copy and read about our neighbors who produce syrup and cheese, as well as a forest gastronomer from Quebec and avocado growers in Mexico. The book is delicious to read and Jacobsen explores the flavors of the food we are so fortunate to have in ways that extend new depths of appreciation and understanding. Rowan Jacobsen is a James Beard Award winning author from East Calais, and will discuss his book on September 7th at 7 at Galaxy.

Music Notes: Dave Keller returns this Thursday, August 26 at 8:00. If you have not yet had the chance to see him, don't miss this opportunity to check out his deep soul singing and gritty guitar licks.

Local Events: The Second Annual Food Preservation Day is this Saturday, August 28 at Wheelock Mountain Farm in Greensboro Bend from 10-4:30. Participate in workshops focusing on preserving vegetables, fruits, herbs, dairy and meat. Bring your own preserved goods to sample and barter at the "cocktail hour." Suggested donation is $5-$30. Contact Sharon at 533-2296 for more information.

This weekend is all about Mead. The Buffalo Mountain Food Coop and Caledonia Spirits and Honey Gardens Winery will host a free mead tasting at the Coop on Saturday, August 28 from 12-3. Later in the day, tour the new honey wine distillery and taste mead from 4:30 to 6. From 6-10 celebrate Mead for the Masses, an open house party at the winery with live jazz music from the Perry Heller Trio. Contact Caledonia Spirits and Honey Gardens Winery with questions at 472-8000.

Reminders: We are open daily after 2:30 for coffee, bar service, and baked goods, and free WiFi, with dinner reservations available from 5-9. Please note we have extended our Summer Sunday dinner hours and will seat guests until 9:00 pm. We serve our special Blunch menu Sundays from 11-2. Claire's is closed every Wednesday.

We appreciate it when you reserve a table with us, as it helps us plan a relaxed and hospitable experience for you and all our guests. To show our appreciation, when you call, email, or stop by to make a reservation, you will be entered into our weekly drawing for a $20 gift card for your next visit.

The Cutting Edge

Local Food: There is one thing that Californians who settle in Vermont miss the most - the artichoke. Notoriously prickly and stubbornly finicky about climate, the artichoke is actually a type of thistle that has resisted cultivation outside Mediterranean zones. Steven grew the vigorously defensive but delicious buds as a boy in his mother's community garden, so you can imagine how his mind started to work when he read in the Times Argus about cutting edge Vermont farmers who, this summer at least, have had success with artichokes. Finding a nearby source at Harvest Hill Farm in Walden, Steven halves each artichoke for baking, carefully removes the choke, and fills with a blend of herbs from Rowan Farm and ricotta cheese from Maplebrook Farm, with toasted bread crumbs on top. Served with crispy croutons to dip along with the tender artichoke leaves, the plate is finished with a rustic relish of grilled pepper and eggplant from Pete's Greens.

Around the Galaxy: Leon Thompson returns to The Galaxy Bookshop for a lively discussion about where to find the Real Vermont. His book, Not Too Awful Bad: A Storyteller's Guide to Vermont, is a humorous guide to travelling the state, from the perspective of a native Vermonter. Leon Thompson is a graduate of Lyndon State and writes for the St. Albans Messenger. Come to Galaxy Tuesday at 7PM for a fun evening of exploring Vermont.

Music Notes: We are pleased to welcome back The Rustbucket Brothers this Thursday at 8:00. Support local music and dance to their rootsy American country and rock.

Local Events: Stop by Claire's between 2:30 and 4:00 on Tuesday, August 17 as the Craftsbury Chamber Players rehearse. Enjoy bar and coffee and service and baked goods as well.

Don't forget about Kingdom Farm & Food Days, a regional celebration of food and agriculture hosted by High Mowing Seeds, the New England Culinary Institute and the Center for an Agricultural Economy on August 21 and 22. New this year is a bike tour hosted by the Craftsbury Outdoor Center on Saturday, a great opportunity to work up an appetite for all the great food that the weekend features.

Reminders: We are open daily after 2:30 for coffee, bar service, and baked goods, and free WiFi, with dinner reservations available from 5-9. Please note we have extended our Summer Sunday dinner hours and will seat guests until 9:00 pm. We serve our special Blunch menu Sundays from 11-2. Claire's is closed every Wednesday.

We appreciate it when you reserve a table with us, as it helps us plan a relaxed and hospitable experience for you and all our guests. To show our appreciation, when you call, email, or stop by to make a reservation, you will be entered into our weekly drawing for a $20 gift card for your next visit.

Bienvenidos!

Local Food: Tomatillos offer a cool and tangy respite to this summer's immigration debate. A staple in Mexican and Latin American cuisine, tomatillos are actually a cousin to the gooseberry and grow just as well in our cool climate as they do in tropical zones, with their own papery husk that protects the fruit inside. Tomatillos burst out of their husks, ready to harvest, at about the same tomatoes are just blushing, so they are often combined together to make the perfect salsa. The crisp, tart tomatillos from Rowan Farm are the perfect addition to Steven's variation on salsa, garnishing hush puppies, a staple from the Southern US. Though the green variety is the most familiar, tomatillos can break open their husks to reveal bright green, yellow, orange and even purple.

Around the Galaxy: If you need new ideas or inspiration for all the summer bounty, check out Galaxy's bookshelves for titles such as From Asparagus to Zucchini: A Guide to Cooking Farm-Fresh Seasonal Produce, Eating Well in Season, The Farmers' Market Cookbook, and a Galaxy bestseller, Dishing Up Vermont: 145 Authentic Recipes From the Green Mountain State. On Tuesday, August 17th Galaxy welcomes Leon Thompson for an entertaining read on Vermont.

Music Notes: All the way from Columbus, Ohio, Andrew Graham & Swarming Branch will join us with their acoustic folk and jazz on Thursday, August 12 at 8:00. Don't miss them at Langdon Street Cafe on Wednesday, August 11 at 8:00.

Local Events: As part of the Route 15 Festival, The Heart of Vermont Chamber will be sponsoring the 1st Annual Million Dollar Duck Race on Saturday, August 14 at 9:00am. Adopt a duck and be entered to win a variety prizes. The race will benefit the Heart of VT Chamber of Commerce and refurbish the Hardwick Welcome Center.

And coming up on August 21-22, Kingdom Farm and Food Days: two days of tours, workshops, food, music and festivities to celebrate Vermont food and agriculture! Organized by our next door neighbors at the Center for an Agricultural Economy, this year's event will be the biggest yet. New this year is a 25 mile bike tour of the area organized by the Craftsbury Outdoor Center on Saturday. Find out more here.

Reminders: We are open daily after 2:30 for coffee, bar service, and baked goods, and free WiFi, with dinner reservations available from 5-9. Please note we have extended our Summer Sunday dinner hours and will seat guests until 9:00 pm. We serve our special Blunch menu Sundays from 11-2. Claire's is closed every Wednesday.

We appreciate it when you reserve a table with us, as it helps us plan a relaxed and hospitable experience for you and all our guests. To show our appreciation, when you call, email, or stop by to make a reservation, you will be entered into our weekly drawing for a $20 gift card for your next visit.

Summer Gold (and Red and Green and Purple)

Local Food: Finding just the right varieties of tomato, which often love long, hot, dry summers, can be a challenge for Vermont farmers. But over the years our farmers have tried out different cultivars and means of cultivation to produce today's wealth of local colors, shapes, sizes, textures, aromas, and flavors. Steven takes advantage of the selection from Pete's Greens and Hazendale Farm for a tomato salad that is redolent of summer. He slices them into a rainbow of colors and mixes them with haricots verts and merlot lettuce from Mystic Morning Farm in Greensboro, along with feta cheese from Bonnieview Farm for a bit of creamy tang and salt. Dressed in a vinaigrette with summer savory and basil from Rowan Farm, the salad is an array of textures and summer flavors. For crunch, some garlic chips from Michael Waring are sprinkled on top.

Around the Galaxy: On Tuesday, August 3rd at 7P.M. Zoe FitzGerald Carter will visit Galaxy to talk about her book Imperfect Endings. Zoe and her family have summered in Greensboro for many years. Her book is a memoir of the year in which her mother - tired of living with Parkinson's Disease - decided that she wanted to end her life, and that she wanted her three daughters to help her. The Boston Globe says, "An engaging and insightful tale of familial love, understanding and forgiveness, shot through with a surprising amount of wit." Join us in welcoming Zoe on Tuesday at 7.

Music Notes: Abby Jenne and the Enablers return this Thursday, August 4 at 8:00. Support local music and the acoustic rock/Americana originals from this band featuring fiddle, bass, pedal steel, guitar and drums.

Local Events: August's First Friday Artist Talk at The Art House in Craftsbury on August 6th from 6:30-7:30 will feature Per Courtney and his hand crafted furniture, guitars and jewelry. Contact the Art House to reserve your spot for this popular event.

Reminders: We are open daily after 2:30 for coffee, bar service, and baked goods, and free WiFi, with dinner reservations available from 5-9. Please note we have extended our Summer Sunday dinner hours and will seat guests until 9:00 pm. We serve our special Blunch menu Sundays from 11-2. Claire's is closed every Wednesday.

We appreciate it when you reserve a table with us, as it helps us plan a relaxed and hospitable experience for you and all our guests. To show our appreciation, when you call, email, or stop by to make a reservation, you will be entered into our weekly drawing for a $20 gift card for your next visit.