Join Local Farm Relief Effort

High Mowing Seeds has launched a website to coordinate relief efforts for Kate Camilletti and Paul Betz and their High Ledge Farm in Woodbury, which suffered a devastating fire last week. They lost their home, prized belongings including family photographs, their family cat, and the seedlings they planted for this year.

Friends and neighbors have taken immediate action to make sure the family is housed over the next few weeks, to coordinate work crews, to ensure meals and support. Even to gather photographs and memories that might replace those lost in the fire. Kate and Paul are determined to plant this season as well.

You can read more about the fire in the Hardwick Gazette, or online in Seven Days. The farm relief webpage at High Mowing Seeds is available here.

Happening at Claire's and Around Hardwick

From the Kitchen: Steven has a succulent lamb shank from Winding Brook Farm on the menu this week, marinated in garlic, grilled just a few minutes and braised in red wine from Shelburne Vineyards and Champlain Valley Cider. It’s served with Pete's red onions, which are caramelized to bring out their sweetness, and corn polenta from Butterworks Farms with a dash of Bayley Hazen Blue Cheese. Finish your dinner with a nutty crisp of apples and the last of the blueberries from storage.

Thursday Music: Join us in welcoming jazz pianist Andrew Moroz at 7:30 on April 16.

Neighbors & Friends: Wendy and Harry Besett at Vermont Glass Workshop in Hardwick are the talented couple who brought us our unique stemless wine glasses. They’re preparing for Vermont Open Studios in May and craft fairs as far away as St. Paul this weekend. Keep up with them at http://www.vtglass.com/ or become a fan of Vermont Glass Workshop on Facebook.

Up and Coming: To mark Earth Day, St. Mike’s journalism students will premier their documentary Food Life: from seed to shelf next Wednesday, April 22, at 8:00 pm in the Hoehl Center on campus. The documentary, which features Claire’s, Bill McKibben, David Zuckerman, and other Vermonters, traces the evolution of the American food system, from “faceless food” to localvore. For more information, visit www.tinyurl.com/food-life.

Virtual News: Follow us at twitter.com/clairesvt

Art House Monday, April 6: Come by between 4:00 and 6:00 to view the new exhibit of art by Marie LePré Grabon and talk with the artist. Marie explores the sense of place and time through color and composition, presenting a selection of drawings and paintings that refer to the Vermont landscape. Of course, it’s also Poutine 'n' Tini at the bar, so enjoy a special cocktail, pint or glass of wine with poutine or another of Steven's enticing appetizers, and stay for dinner.

From our kitchen: Extended hours on Easter! We’ll be open all afternoon, serving Steven’s unique “Blunch” combination of brunch and lunch items as well as an early dinner in the afternoon. Start the day with a plate of downy pancakes made from whole wheat flour and corn meal, with a hint of butter and blueberry, and the amber smoke from maple syrup. Or finish the afternoon with Steven's latest creation featuring lamb. We’ll offer full bar and coffee service throughout the day, featuring Mimosas, Blueberry Bellini, Irish Coffee, and of course Bloody Marys, wine, and our draft beers. Reservations are available from 11 am until 5 pm.

Afternoons are at Claire’s: Enjoy our spring weather from the rain-free side of our windows, looking out on Main Street over a cup of coffee or a pint. You'll have just the right amount of quiet to read the paper, do some work, have a meeting, or surf the web thanks to our free wifi. And you might learn about something new from our local farmers, run into friends, or get a peak at the dinner menu. We open at 2:30 for coffee, bar service, and sweets every afternoon except Tuesdays and Wednesdays. We'll have the Times Argus, Free Press, and New York Times available at the bar.

Thursday Music: John Mallery on keyboard is back for a return engagement this Thursday, April 9, at 7:30.

Happening at Claire's and Around Hardwick

On our walls: Thursday, we open a new exhibit of recent works by Hardwick resident Marie LePré Grabon, a selection of drawings and paintings that refer to the Vermont landscape. Working in a variety of media, Marie explores the sense of place and time through color and composition. Marie has exhibited widely throughout the northeast and Canada. She received her undergraduate degree in Art Education from Massachusetts College of Art and her graduate degree in Fine Art from Goddard College.

Come over for the Open House on April 6, 4-6 pm, to enjoy the art and meet Marie – if you haven’t had the opportunity before. The exhibit of artwork will be on display through May 30th.

Chip Troiano’s rich and textured photographs of life in Bhutan and Vietnam have filled Claire’s with light and color for more than a month. If you have a chance, come by Monday, March 30, for another look.

From our kitchen: Extended hours on Easter! We’ll be open, serving Steven’s unique “Blunch” combination of brunch and lunch items all day as well as an early dinner in the afternoon. We’ll offer full bar and coffee service throughout the day. Reservations are available from 11 am until 5 pm.

Afternoons are at Claire’s: Looking for a latté in the afternoon? A place to do some work over a pint? Maybe read the paper or a good book? Do you want to linger over a mug and daydream as the sun rises high over the river? Beginning this Thursday, we open at 2:30 for coffee, bar service, and sweets every afternoon except Tuesdays and Wednesdays. If your interests are more electronic, we offer free wifi.

Thursday Music: Guitarist Art Edelstein brings us his warm and intimate sound this week on April 2. An East Calais resident, Art has two CDs available. Vermont Roads is a collection that recalls real people and real experiences, and his second celebrates that Celtic music through which his talent shines.

Don’t forget – Poutine and ‘Tinis Every Monday at the Bar. Crispy potatoes layered with tangy cheese curds and peppery gravy, best with a martini, draft, or wine special.

Happening at Claire's and Around Hardwick

Poutine and ‘Tini Mondays: With plenty of chill left in spring, and only a few more weeks until tax day, what better way to spend a Monday evening than with a cool homegrown Martini and a bowl of hearty Poutine? Starting Monday, March 30, come by the bar at Claire’s for specials on Martini cocktails, as well as draft beer and wine, crafted and selected as the perfect accompaniment for a small or large serving of the most famous of Quebecois delicacies.

From the Kitchen: Steven’s Poutine is a variation on the classic. He starts by roasting chicken bones to provide a touch of caramel to the base for the gravy, adding trimmings of grass fed beef from Snug Valley Farm for more richness. A bit of butter provides creaminess and a hit of black pepper adds some heat. Steven fries the crisp potatoes and layers them with generous portions of cheddar cheese curds from Vermont Milk Company, which melt only slightly from the hot gravy. Share in a bowl or enjoy a small plate, with a Martini made from Vermont vodka infused at Claire’s with cranberries or blueberries.

Thursday Music: Singer songwriter Jeremy Raboin is back! Jeremy stopped by and just started playing one afternoon last year, and this week marks his return to Claire’s. Come by and see what all the fuss is about.

And don’t forget to reserve your table for Easter!

Happening at Claire's and Around Hardwick

Greens! Early greens are now available, including arugula, tatsoi, red Russian kale, as well as radish, pea, and sunflower shoots, all grown in the new movable cold frame greenhouses at Pete’s Greens in Craftsbury. Read more from Pete about the season’s first greens at Pete’s Blog and something from Steven about community centered cooking in an interview at the Seasonal Chef.

From the Kitchen: Enjoy Pete’s early greens in a salad with black radishes and apples, dressed with a lively vinaigrette combining mustard and cider, or tossed in the creamy tang of a buttermilk blue cheese dressing. Pair the salad with a glass of crisp Alsatian-style wine from Pirie, and you’ll really enjoy our pre-Summer warmth and sunshine. As the sun sets and the temperature cools, Steven’s Chicken Molé provides just the right amount of deep rich flavor and a dash of heat.

Thursday Music: This week, Great Brook Blues Band brings their central Vermont version of Chicago blues – as well as jazz and funk with maybe a taste of country. Read more about their “free range, organic” blues… Great Brook Blues Band

Entrepreneurial Food, the Canadian version: Listen in to a Sunday morning report on Hardwick agriculture featured on the national radio network of the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. Despite some broad brush strokes, it’s a thought provoking story, textured with the sounds of Hardwick, and you’ll hear a variety of perspectives from your neighbors. Hardwick on CBC Radio. A transcript of the story is also available.

Blarney: We are closed every Tuesday until May, so we wish you a "green" St. Patrick's Day.

Happening at Claire's and Around Hardwick

Spring Awakening! The Northern Vermont version - we’ve passed from the shortest, darkest, and coldest days. Daylight savings brings longer afternoons, rain washes away the accumulation of snow, and temperatures rise above freezing, even as we anticipate another few inches of snow.

From the Kitchen: What better way to celebrate the return of spring than with the season’s first bounty, the sap that comes from Maple trees as daytime temperatures rise above freezing. Boiled down into one of nature’s best elixirs, maple syrup from Caledonia Farms accompanies Steven’s light and creamy pancakes made with whole wheat flour and flavorful corn meal. Maybe he’ll add a hint of last season’s blueberries, put up for just this time of year when the start of the new whets our appetites for more. Reserve your table for Blunch from 11 to 3 every Sunday.

Thursday Music: A special night of music this Thursday, March 12, with Dave Keller, who’s most recent CD is entitled Play for Love. Enjoy Dave’s lyrical songwriting that is both personal and political, his much praised mastery of the guitar, and what the Montpelier Bridge called “The jewel: his voice.” Learn more about Dave at http://davekeller.com/

Entrepreneurial Food: The Center for an Agricultural Economy and the Vermont Food Venture Center welcome those interested in the value-added or specialty food businesses to a two-part workshop at Greensboro’s Lakeview Inn on April 7 and 8. "Recipe to Market and Selling Skills for Food Entrepreneurs" features presentations on everything from product development to marketing and distribution strategies. Contact Monty Fischer or Hillary Hoffman at the Center to register or for further information: 802-472-5840 or center@hardwickagriculture.org

Special Note: Thank you to all our friends who came by for Kristina’s last night managing at Claire’s. We all wish her well and look forward to hearing her perform once again.