Local Food Coming in from the Cold: With the cooler and shorter days of fall in the air, we'll be harvesting all the different basils, sorrel, thyme, sage, parsley, and cilantro from Steven's kitchen garden. Look for pestos, sauces, herbaceous braises and fragrant pastas on the menu, as well as some of our stunning cocktails from the bar. Steven is also drying cayenne and jalapeño peppers from Pete's Greens, strung on ristras in the cabinet above the kitchen.

Around the Galaxy: No event this week,but get ready for Archer Mayor's visit on the 29th. Each year, when Archer visits Hardwick, we usually get together for dinner before or after the book signing. This year, we would like to invite one of our customers to join us: every customer who pre-orders a copy of The Price of Malice, online or at the store, will be entered in a drawing to win dinner at Claire's with Archer. Details at http://www.galaxybookhop.com/.

Music Notes: Thursday at 7:30, Jay Ekis brings back his world-influenced music, ranging from the dark and melodic to the optimistic. If you haven't had an opportunity to see Jay perform, you can check out his music at http://www.ekismusic.com/

Local Events: Sunday and Monday, our cocktail, beer, and wine specials continue into the Fall. Come in and enjoy your favorite drink and watch the game.

After School: We open daily at 2:30, except Wednesdays, for sweets, coffee, sodas and bar service. Stop in to visit with friends, have a meeting, access our free wifi to do your homework or catch up with the world's news or sports on our flatscreen.

Happening at Claire's and around Hardwick

Local Food: Sunflowers and sunchokes signal the cool and short days of late summer, an earthly mirror reflecting the sun just as the first maple leaves begin to turn to deeper reds and golds. Imagine our surprise to find that Harvest Hill Farm has a crop of later summer artichokes ready to harvest. Different from their more familiar rooted cousins-in-flavor, these artichokes are deep green edible blooms prized for their fleshy petals and well-protected hearts. Steven serves them as an edible bowl, stuffed with Chèvre from Vermont Butter and Cheese Company, Bayley Hazen Blue and Constant Bliss, and Grafton Cheddar, baked with a crispy topping. Pluck a leaf and use it to scoop up the sharp and nutty fondue.

Thursday Music: Radio Rangers founder and frontman Mark Struhsacker is back to entertain us with traditional bluegrass and fiddle tunes.

Local Food: From sweet to hot, peppers add complex flavors and depth to almost any dish - even chocolate! They are also one of Steven's favorite end-of-summer vegetables, starting to peak in his own kitchen garden as well farms throughout northern Vermont. Look for a little more heat, a hint of spice, some earthy crispness and depth in soups and sauces over the next few weeks. Some dishes will celebrate the pepper, others might add just a hint for a crisp bite, and of course there will be items on the menu without peppers.

Back to (After) School: Bar service, coffee and sweets are available every day at Claire's except Wednesday, along with free wifi. The perfect place for an afterschool meeting, to catch up on homework or a research project, or to just talk with friends.

Thursday Music: Jeremy Raboin is back, performing at 8 pm. Check out his distinct blend of rock and folk with a bit of country, brought together by his soulful clear voice. His music is available on myspace.

Happening at Claire's and around Hardwick

Local Food: Translating the bounty and flavors of hot and dry Provence to the damp summers of Vermont, Steven emphasizes the clean, rich earthiness and fragrant herbs of a traditional ratatouille (from touiller, a food term meaning "to toss"). Northeast Kingdom garlic, basil, tomatoes and eggplant combine in a French-style vegetable stew from Nice. It's one amazing celebration of August on a plate, which Steven serves alongside herb roasted chicken.

Around the Galaxy: Cheese expert Liz Thorpe will discuss her brand new book, The Cheese Chronicles, Tuesday at 7 pm at The Galaxy Bookshop, followed by a guided cheese tasting. The Cheese Chronicles offers an insider's look at the world of American cheese from the second in command at New York's renowned Murray's Cheese, drawing from notes and converstaions around hundreds of cheese tastings over nearly a decade. For more information, visit The Galaxy Bookshop.

Music Thursday: Local farmer/singer/songwriter Alan Greenleaf teams up with his piano playing sidekick Jonathan Kaplan, also known as the Doctor. For a sample, just click over to http://www.alangreenleaf.com/.

Local Food 2: The Center for an Agricultural Economy kicks off its first Open House and film night this Thursday from 3-6:30 pm at their South Main Street office. The Center's president, Tom Stearns, hosts a showing of the film Red Wagon, about hunger in Vermont. The series will continue with films and discussion the last Thursday of the month through the fall.

Our Free Twist on the Tax Holiday

Saturday is the Vermont Tax Holiday, so stop by Claire's in the afternoon between 2 and 4 pm for a special free tasting of mead wines with Dana Matthews of Honey Gardens Apiaries and Caledonia Spirits, and you can learn more about the relocation of their distillery to Hardwick in the months ahead. The wines are made from yeast, water, and honey as the basic ingredients, and range from sweet to dry. You'll have an opportunity to try their Traditional mead, dry and crisp in the style of chablis, straw in color with citrus and apple notes. Also on hand will be the medium bodied Black Currant rosé style mead, and the complex Melody dessert wine, combining floral notes with the complexity of honey and butterscotch flavors. If you can't make it Saturday, the meads are available from our bar menu.

This event is part of the Route 15 Festival organized by the Lamoille Valley Chamber of Commerce and featuring shops and businesses from Cambridge to Hardwick. To find a list of participants, visit their website.

Cool Down at Claire's

Our Kitchen Bookshelf: Steven is putting his final touches on the menu for Monday’s dinner with Allison Hooper, co-hosted with The Galaxy Bookshop. Allison, co-founder of Vermont Butter & Cheese Company and author of In a Cheesemaker’s Kitchen, will be at Claire’s from 6-8 as our special guest for a three course cheese tasting menu, inspired by our farms and Allison’s recipes. Join Allison for dinner and enjoy a sneak peak at the book, with signed copies available for purchase at Claire’s, though it will not be officially published until November. Steven’s menu will feature some of the best Vermont cheeses in savory and sweet dishes, and you can expect a few surprise cheese courses along the way. For a reservation and to purchase a ticket, email The Galaxy Bookshop at galaxyevents@vtlink.net, stop by or call them (closed on Sunday), and bring your appetite. Ticket price includes all taxes and gratuity.

Around the Galaxy: Naturalist Bernd Heinrich talks about the activities of animals, plants, and insects during a New England Summer, and signs copies of his book, Summer World, at The Galaxy Bookshop on Tuesday at 7 pm.

Thursday Music: A new project from a well-know local, Dan Haley and the Developments bring their inspired Americana to Hardwick at 8 pm.

Escape the heat! Cool cocktails, crisp wine, cold beer on tap, chilled gazpacho and frozen nougat for dessert. Just what you need to really enjoy a hot summer sunset. Oh, and air conditioning. Bar specials every Sunday and Monday.

Diary of a Foodie - Hardwick Edition - Now Online

If you missed the segment of Gourmet's Diary of a Foodie on the Hardwick food system when it was broadcast on VPT earlier in the year, you now can watch the entire episode online.

Called "The Collective," the episode hightlights farmers and chefs whose work contributes to society. The show begins in Vietnam, where a restaurant trains young people in restaurant cooking and transforms their lives for the better. You can also visit a village in Mexico to learn how shared responsibilities demonstrate the effectiveness of cooperative communities. In Hardwick, the focus is on an emerging infrascture based on cooperation and not competition.

To watch the episode, visit Diary of a Foodie or just click on the image.