Seeing Green

Local Food: With spring promising rebirth, Pete just delivered the first greens of the season and the first since the fire destroyed the farm's storage facilities a few months ago. With farmers around Hardwick harvesting the first taste of the season, we have greens - in various shades and with hints of color beyond green - sprouting across the menu. Ruby streaked mustard greens add a bite of pepper to the crab cake, while the spicy curly variety of mustard greens provides a familiar heat to the wheatberry risotto. Steven introduces succulent and fluffy Claytonia, from Brian Titus at Woods Edge Farm in Greensboro, to the sprout salad to balance the textures. Also from Pete's Greens is basil- look for it in Steven's famous pesto and in cocktails at the bar.

Music Notes: Burlington based songwriter Phil Yates and his band, Phil Yates & The Affiliates, join us Thursday at 7:30. Support local music and don't miss the "clever songsmith with an indelibly off-kilter sense of humor."

Local Events: April is Alcohol Awareness Month. Consider making a donation to the Hardwick Area Community Coalition to support local prevention efforts.

School Budget voting for Hazen Union is Thursday, April 28 in Hardwick, Greensboro and Woodbury.

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, Sundays from 5-8. We serve our special Blunch menu Sundays from 11-2. Claire's is closed every Wednesday. We appreciate it when you use cash or a check- credit card companies charge us a fee that really adds up.

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Incredible Edible Egg

Local Food: The egg - with its deep colors and perfect shape - is the perfect symbol of spring's rebirth just as it serves as a starting point in cooking. With breeds that include Red Sex-Link, Barred Rock and Welsummer hens, Windhorse Farm in Hardwick provides the rich eggs that Steven prepares hard cooked to add to both our spinach salad and crab cake. Bright purple pickled eggs top the sprout salad, and a fried egg accompanies the house made herb fettuccine. Of course there is Blunch too, when the egg provides added depth to poutine, and builds on the textures of our curry vegetable and tofu hash. A new favorite is the cheddar, thyme and buttermilk biscuits with red wine sausage gravy and a fried egg.

And special for Easter, we will feature a new version of green eggs and ham. Make your reservation today - we have a special Easter "Blunch" menu for kids.

Around the Galaxy: Come to Galaxy on Tuesday to hear Baron Wormser read from his new book of poems, Impenitent Notes. Baron Wormser is the former poet laureate of Maine and is now our neighbor. Come to Galaxy at 7PM on Tuesday to celebrate National Poetry Month, Baron Wormser, and a new event season at the bookstore.

Music Notes: Burlington based bluegrass and country band Honest Thieves join us Thursday, April 21 at 7:30 for their first performance at Claire's. Come out and dance and support local music.

Local Events: Learn about vermicomposting (composting with worms) with the "wackier worm sister" Lynette Courtney on Tuesday, April 26 at 4:00 at the Center for an Agricultural Economy. With seed starts and planting, you need worm castings the most, so come and learn all about it. Cost is $5 for Community Garden members, $10 for non-members.

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, Sundays from 5-8. We serve our special Blunch menu Sundays from 11-2. Claire's is closed every Wednesday. We appreciate it when you use cash or a check- credit card companies charge us a fee that really adds up.

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Local Food: With the celebration of Passover in mind, Steven prepares a dish of chicken liver that takes off from flavors and textures inspired by the Seder plate. Starting with sautéed liver from chickens raised at Pete's Greens, Steven adds a sauce that combines horseradish, cider vinegar from Square Deal Farm, maple syrup from Sweet Stone Maple Farm, and Empire apples from Champlain Orchards in a variation on the bitter herbs and sweet charoset that recall the signficance of the holiday. The tender morsels of liver are served over polenta and then topped with our housemade pickled ramps that suggest karpas, which is celery dipped in vinegar or salt water. Matzoh bread from Patchwork Farms provides the final note.

Around the Galaxy: Baron Wormser, former Poet Laureate of Maine and now our neighbor, kicks off the 2011 event series at Galaxy on Tuesday, April 19th at 7pm. He will read from his new volume of poetry, Impenitent Notes. Celebrate National Poetry Month and Baron Wormser at Galaxy on April 19th.

Music Notes: Dan Haley is Mister Casual will perform the "world's most beautiful songs" on Thursday, April 14 at 7:30. Check out their 100% original chord garden of acoustic/electric art-pop with clever lyrics, innovative harmonies and tuxedo shirts.

Local Events: Registration for 2011 Hardwick Community Garden plots is now open. Plots are 20 x 30 and cost $20. A potluck meeting for new and returning gardeners is Wednesday, April 20 at 6:00 at the Center for an Agricultural Economy. Contact Elena at center@hardwickagriculture.org for more information.

Democracy Matters & the Office of Sustainability at St. Mike's College host a panel discussion on local food movements on Tuesday, April 12 at 7:00. Hardwick area panelists include Ben Hewitt, author of The Town that Food Saved, and Mike Bosia, St. Mike's political science professor and Claire's co-owner.

On Thursday, April 14th area residents can learn more about and help shape Hardwick's e-Vermont projects at a forum at the Town House at 7PM. To find out more about the meeting, contact Lisa Sammet at the Jeudevine Memorial Library at 472-5948 or by email at jeudevine@hotmail.com.

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, Sundays from 5-8. We serve our special Blunch menu Sundays from 11-2. Claire's is closed every Wednesday. We appreciate it when you use cash or a check- credit card companies charge us a fee that really adds up.

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"I am what I am"

Local Food: Even after the whiff of spring on Sunday, the best sign that Mother Nature is bringing warmer weather is the baby spinach from David Allen at Hazendale Farm in Greensboro. Buttery, tender, and herbacious, spinach is one of the earliest risers and the heartiest growers - and a muscle builder to boot, according to Popeye. We're featuring it in a classic American spinach salad - tantalizing and comforting all at the same time. Our version includes the traditional hard cooked eggs, brought to us from Windhorse Farm, and thinly sliced red onion from Blackwell Roots. Crispy bacon from Pete's Greens adds crunch and rich flavor, and Mossend Blue cheese from Bonnieview Farm lends a strong nuttiness. Maple candied cranberries from Vermont Cranberry Company with maple syrup are included for a pop of tartness and some caramelized crunch.

Around the Galaxy: These April snowstorms seem to send many to the gardening section at Galaxy. If you are looking for inspiration, try Eliot Coleman's Four-Season Harvest or Lewis Hill's classic, Cold-Climate Gardening. For more advice about gardening here, check out Henry Homeyer's Vermont Gardener's Companion and enjoy watching those seedlings grow!

Music Notes: Local favorites Fresh Greenes return this Thursday, April 7 at 7:30. Check out the original repertoire of this father-daughter duo and support local music.

Local Events: Celebrate with WGDR/WGDH, community radio from Goddard College, as they launch their new signal at the WGDH Launch Party at the Hardwick Townhouse on Saturday, April 9. The new signal, 91.7 FM will now reach the Hardwick community. The party gets started at 3:00 with music, food and much more.

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, Sundays from 5-8. We serve our special Blunch menu Sundays from 11-2. Claire's is closed every Wednesday. We appreciate it when you use cash or a check- credit card companies charge us a fee that really adds up.

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Crème de la Crème

Local Food: Is there a better way to end your meal than a chocolatey, luscious and smooth pot de crème, a French version of pudding that we prepare and serve in a little glass "pot?" This disarmingly simple dessert is made with few ingredients- Steven uses just the finest fair trade chocolate, Butterworks Farm cream, and eggs from Applecheek Farm. Because of its simplicity and the proportion of eggs, the pudding sets loosely, and so it is traditionally served in a small pot, which gives the dessert its name, "pot of cream" in English. Baked to perfection for that layer of comforting skin on top, Steven adds a dollop of whipped cream and a bit of chocolate cookie for some crunch.

Around the Galaxy: With April approaching, get ready for the Galaxy event season to begin. Mark your calendars for April 19th when we welcome Baron Wormser in celebration of his new book Impenitent Notes. We have many great events already booked, and more are in the works. Stay up to date on www.galaxybookshop.com.

Music Notes: Hometown favorites The Butterbeans are back! Come down Thursday, March 31 at 7:30 for some mud season merry making.

Local Events: A Benefit Concert for Heartbeet Lifesharing will be held Friday, April 1 at 7:30 at UVM Davis Center in Burlington. The UVM Hit Paws Co-Ed A Cappella group will perform along with other groups from Boston. For more information or tickets, contact Heartbeet at 802-472-3285 or ingrid@heartbeet.org.

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, Sundays from 5-8. We serve our special Blunch menu Sundays from 11-2. Claire's is closed every Wednesday. We appreciate it when you use cash or a check- credit card companies charge us a fee that really adds up.

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Got Brats?

Each of us at Claire's extends a big thank you to everyone who came for dinner and music last Thursday in support of Pete's Greens and Vermont agriculture. Appreciation especially to the musicians who contributed their considerable talent to a spirited evening as this photo from the Burlington Free Press conveys.

Local Food: With the arrival of spring and the promised end of cold weather in sight, it is almost time to dig out and gather around the grill. While we wait for more snow to melt, Steven is preparing grilled bratwurst to tide us over. A German staple that comes from Applecheek Farm in Hyde Park, bratwurst is made with beef and pork, a special spice blend, and some Long Trail Ale. We serve the bratwurst with a rich potato gratin made from Deep Root Organic Cooperative potatoes, from Johnson, and Bonnieview Farm's grassy and nutty Mossend Blanc cheese. Steven adds the traditional accompaniment for bratwurst -- mustard -- to caramelized onions for another layer of flavor. A whipped Rabbi's Roots horseradish cream tops the dish for the final kick.

Around the Galaxy: Galaxy is a great resource for finding the information you need. Financial Intelligence: A Manager's Guide to Knowing What the Numbers Really Mean and Sell Your Specialty Food: Market, Distribute, and Profit from Your Kitchen Creation are just two examples of books that Galaxy is stocking in anticipation of the opening of the Vermont Food Venture Center.

Music Notes: Boston based acoustic/folk duo Tall Heights join us this Thursday, March 24 at 7:30. Don't miss their captivating vocal harmonies and folk-inspired accompaniment of cello and acoustic guitar.

Local Events: Sterling College hosts a comprehensive, full day workshop on "Bringing your Product to Market: Specialty Food Product Development." Experts Cathy Bacon and Molly Creelman will discuss a variety of topics related to selling your products on Wednesday, March 23 from 8:30-4:30. RSVP to Heidi Krantz at 472-5840 or hkrantz@vtsbdc.org

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, Sundays from 5-8. We serve our special Blunch menu Sundays from 11-2. Claire's is closed every Wednesday. We appreciate it when you use cash or a check- credit card companies charge us a fee that really adds up.

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Erin Go Bragh

Go Green for Pete's Greens: Celebrate Ireland with us on St. Patrick's Day, when our Thursday Music Night goes "open mic night" to benefit Pete's Greens. Come by for Steven's version of corned beef, raise a pint of Rock Art Brewery's new Pete's Greens Barn Raising Brown Ale, and our proceeds go to Pete's Greens and then on to the newly formed Vermont Farm Fund. Wear your finest greens, bring some extra greens in your wallet, enjoy drink specials and show off your talent in support of Northern Vermont agriculture. We are excited to be a part of this effort and hope you will join us on Thursday. If you are interested in performing at the Open Mic, there is still space available - email us at newvermontcooking@yahoo.com.

Around the Galaxy: A world of reading awaits you at the Galaxy, as two highlights from the week demonstrate. Galaxy is well stocked with The Warmth of Other Suns, which won the National Book Critics Circle award this week after being a favorite of Galaxy readers for several months. And we just received a companion volume to the Galaxy bestseller The Backyard Homestead, Guide to Raising Farm Animals, which includes a full-color at-a-glance breed guide to the animals. Stop in to see these books and lots more!

Local Events: Vermont's 10th Annual Maple Open House Weekend is this Saturday and Sunday, March 19 and 20. This is a great opportunity to visit local sugarhouses and watch maple syrup being made. Sweet Stone Maple Farm in Hardwick will be open, and local favorites The Butterbeans will play bluegrass beginning at 2:00.

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, Sundays from 5-8. We serve our special Blunch menu Sundays from 11-2. Claire's is closed every Wednesday. We appreciate it when you use cash or a check- credit card companies charge us a fee that really adds up.

Click on the image above to get a closer look!