Vermont – Greenest of the Weekend Escapes with a side of Beer

Posted on July 23, 2013 by Hudson Valley Eco Chic | 1 Comment

My boyfriend and I recently traveled to Vermont for a friends wedding. I remember traveling to Burlington as a high-schooler and loving it. Since then, I have had friends go to Vermont for skiing and snowboarding, as have I, but never really as a summer escape or weekend away. After being there last weekend, I couldn’t imagine a better time or place to go!

Our friend’s wedding was absolutely gorgeous. She held it at The Quechee Inn at Marshland Farms. The ceremony was picturesque and held in the front yard. Cocktail hour was held on the front porch, and the reception was set up in the back under a gorgeous tent. At one point during the reception, hot air balloons were flying overhead. The bride and groom picked a beautiful spot to begin the next chapter of their lives together.

One of the many cute ideas that the bride and groom had was to enclose a list of local activities for guests to do and try out while they were in town. The list of ideas was a whole page long and had suggestions ranging from shopping to hiking, eating to brew tours. That list was a big catalyst for Andrew and I extending our weekend a few extra days. The morning after the wedding we worked off our wedding calories by hiking Quechee Gorge, a small but beautiful section of Quechee State Park. The views from the top were incredible and the walk down and back up gave us the slight boost we needed to not feel guilty about the indulgences that were going to find us that afternoon!

As the slight beer snobs that we are, my boyfriend and I couldn’t come across a more fun state for taste testing and brewery tours. Our first brewery that we stopped at was Long Trail Brewing Company (this was one of the first suggestions on the Bride and Groom’s list of things to do in Vermont). Located in Bridgewater Corners, VT, it’s a very short drive from Woodstock, Vermont, which might actually be the cutest town in America. Long Trail has a fantastic outdoor seating section overlooking a small creek. They have a small pub menu with items that were both vegetarian friendly and/or traditional bar food. The nachos were probably some of the best I have had. I was also excited to see the use of local ingredients mentioned throughout the menu as well.

Outside seating at Long Trail Brewery

For those of you that are beer enthusiasts, the summer seasonal brown bag brew was a lemon pepper kolsch. It was absolutely delicious (Andrew’s favorite was the Double Bag IPA, and mine is still a little girly with the Blackberry Wheat!) Regardless, we enjoyed the brewery so much that we ended up stopping by the following day before returning home to New York.

Door to the cannery at the Alchemist Brewery

The back of this can reminds people to not be “a D-bag, recycle this can”.

We also had a mission during this weekend excursion. Andrew was on the hunt for Heady Topper, the number one rated beer in the world according to the Beer Advocate Website. We stopped at several different locations in and around Quechee, Vermont, and no one carried it. After speaking to a reliable source at Long Trail, we decided to extend our trip an extra day so that we could go to the Alchemist Cannery directly, located in Waterbury, VT, in order to purchase the freshly canned Heady Topper. Alchemist was a really interesting experience for me. I have never seen beer being canned, nor heard of a beer for which there was a line out the door an hour before opening, in order to purchase it. We were second in line, and purchased the maximum 2 case per person limit. They had a small self guided viewing station that described the canning process, and a small little shop to buy souvenirs from as well.

My beer tastes have not evolved enough yet to the appreciation of IPAs, so the Heady Topper to me was not all that amazing. To my boyfriend and all of his friends who cheered him on for successfully completing his mission, they thought it was outstanding and well worth the extension in our trip!

In addition to beer, we also went to the Vermont Spirits Distillery Co.. This was also located in Quechee, Vermont at the end of a small plaza that had great shops selling handmade jewelry, soaps, cleaning products, a blacksmith, and a TOY MUSEUM! Vermont Spirits was small, but great. We ended up purchasing the Vermont Gold Vodka, that is made with Maple syrup sap. We also purchased bourbon barrel aged maple syrup as well (which I used on pancakes this morning!). The Toy Museum, which definitely was the highlight of my boyfriend’s weekend away (in addition to the Heady Topper) was a surprise find. It’s located on top of a few of the stores in the plaza, and have thousands of toys probably dated back at least 150 years. They had collections of toys by genre, item, decade, a Star Wars collection, lunch boxes, board games, Pez dispensers…you get the idea. It was a really fun find, and an antique toy hunters dream.

Some of the Pez collection from the Toy Museum at Quechee Village.

Entrance to Vermont Spirits Distillery Co.

Despite our alcohol motivated stay, we did get the chance to enjoy quite a few other awesome finds in northern Vermont. In Waterbury we ate at an outrageous gastro-pub called the Prohibition Pig. The mac and cheese was pretty ridiculous. They also sold Heady Topper to their patrons there. We also did the Ben and Jerry’s Factory Tour which was a lot of fun. While in Waterbury for the night, we stayed at the Old Stage Coach Inn. It was by far one the the nicest, quaintest places I have stayed. The rooms were large and air conditioned in an old farmhouse. Breakfast was included with the cost of our night stay, and it was in walking distance to several bars and restuarants. I would give it 5 stars!

Our last stop of the weekend was at the Marsh Billings Rockefeller National Historic Park. For me, as the self proclaimed Hudson Valley Eco Chic, it could not have been a better stop! The whole park is dedicated to environmental stewardship, and how to live with the land and on the land without depleting it of it’s natural resources and beauty. There are a few different sections to the park. We did many of the different aspects, but to be clear…in the 4 hours we were there, we still didn’t see everything! The Marsh Mansion tour was incredible. We learned a great deal about the history of the property, Vermont, as well as the three families associated with the land. The most striking fact that I learned was that in the early 1800s, over 80% of Vermont was deforrested. I don’t think I would have believed it until seeing the pictures. Now, in 2013, it is almost back to 80% re-forrested. This was important information for me, and gave me hope that it is not to late for us in other areas of the world as well! The Billings Family Farm was an amazing experience as well. They have a fun museum to walk about, and then throughout the day they have different activities scheduled such as learning to milk a cow, churn butter, or make colonial play toys. I left the grounds completely inspired again to keep searching for and promoting ways to advocate for environmental causes.

Shocked at the size of Joe, the work horse, towering over me at the Billings Farm in Woodstock Vermont.

Where have all the plant nurseries gone?

Posted on July 22, 2013 by Hudson Valley Eco Chic | Leave a comment

After coming home from a few extended trips away, my boyfriend and I were inspired to do a little work on the small yard we have. As a talented cook, my boyfriend always has fresh herbs growing in the house. Additionally, he is always able to resuscitate the brown leaved plants that I seem to create with my lack of plant care skills. So in addition to the small basil, cilantro and lavender plants that were germinating and sprouting, we went out in search of additional plants to plant in our new garden to be.

This proved to be a difficult mission. One place that we had gone to previously was Plant Depot located on Route 9 in Fishkill. Though they had a decent selection, the prices compared to was I was used to growing up was outrageous. The hanging plants were priced between $35-40. I ended up leaving there completely disappointed. While I have a real appreciation for Adam’s Fairacre Wappinger Farms in Falls, their plant selection was not very big and they were out of hanging plants with flowers.

That lead us to our next stop which was Blooming Hill Farm in Blooming Grove, NY. This is one of my favorite places in the valley, and I pretty sure I have mentioned it in earlier posts. They are a small, independently owned family farm that offers monthly farm dinners, has breakfast on Saturdays, and supplies products to many top rated restaurants in New York City (They also make a few of the farmers markets in Northern Jersey!). Including an outstanding homemade and local produce breakfast, we were able to pick up another lavender plant as well as a rosemary one. We also got a few beautiful flower planters, one with Black Eyed Susans, and another of Zinnias. These we planned on using to spruce up our deck a bit, as well as our home office.

After Blooming Hill Farms, we left in search of a true plant nursery. There used to be a decent one located on Rt. 94 in Salisbury Mills. Pennings Nursery was closed with a sign that said for sale when we drove by. If you check out their website, the latest update says that they are selling wholesale to the public and to call for information. Adament to continue our mission, we looked on yelp for more nurseries, and drive to two more when were both closed.

This lead us to Adam’s Fairacre Farms in Newburgh, NY, our final stop of the day on our gardening mission.

Here we were able to fill up our cart with plenty of perennials to plant in our back yard, a lilac plant, a planter for my front porch, as well as a hanging plant. The price for all of this as well as four bags of soil was approximately $150. We are really happy with how it turned out, and I have a small table in the kitchen with even more plants germinating (small spider plants from the one bigger spider plant that I have managed to not kill on my own!).

I’m excited to see how our garden will grow. In the meantime, I am going to continue my mission to find the smaller farms/nurseries and greeneries to support as well. It was disappointing to see so many out of business in such a lush and farm friendly area. I will not resort to purchasing my plants at a Lowes or a Home Depot. While we didn’t make it to Warwick or New Paltz, both are places I would like to check out in the hopes of finding farms like the ones I had as a child.

Does anyone else know of local farms that sells plants (flowers, herbs, veggies) to the public in the Hudson Valley? I’d be curious of those especially in the mid and upper valley areas. Please share any that you know of!

“Not all those …

“Not all those who wander are lost.” J.R.R. Tolkien

Traveling in an environmentally conscious way is a challenge to do for short trips. Weekends away are costly and not all that eco-savvy when you are driving long distances. Lots of luggage can make the car heavier, burn more fuel, and in general, increase the carbon footprint you produce. Aside from some of the obvious suggestions to make your summer travels more “green” such as car pool, pack light, etc., there are also some less known tips that might improve the overall impact your travels have on the environment.

First, despite the TSA being an added nuisance when needing to take flights for travel, the requirements for carry-on liquids needing to be in containers of 3.4oz or smaller, and smushed together in a one quart clear plastic container does not need to be a tragedy when packing. For example, instead of buying travel sizes of your necessary products every time you travel, you can use BPA Free recycled plastic bottles every time you travel. There is a perk for not wasting additional plastic in purchasing the travel sizes, but also the added benefit that if you buy in bulk, or have DIY products, they can travel easily without interrupting your regular routine. Additionally, this reduces the need to check luggage (which saves you money, and saves on the fuel the plane will need to transport you!) as you will be able to carry-on your needs for vacations.

Some hotels offer more sustainable methods of housekeeping as well. The Liberty Hotel in Boston, which originally was built in the 1850s as a prison, is a luxury hotel which could serve as a model for other hotels and hotel chains. In the bathrooms, instead of providing guests with small containers of toiletries, they use large refillable dispensers mounted to the wall, and housekeeping refills those from bulk containers when they clean rooms. This eliminates the waste of endless trial size bottles, and half used products. Granted, its not a perfect solution, but it’s a start! This in addition to the already green (and relatively popular) option of not changing out the towels everyday that have only been used once. Even modern hotels now have toilets that will flush with more or less water depending on the needs of each use.

While I have much more traveling to do this summer: via flights, car, foot, and bike; I hope to encounter more and more ways to save money and environment. What sustainable travel tips do you have? How do you reduce your carbon footprint in your travels?

Personal Quest: Inspiring Blog

Although I am biased as she is a personal friend, Karyn writes an incredible blog about her quest to become more green. Inspired by reading the book, Sleeping Naked is Green by Vanessa Fanguharson, Karyn started her own mission to be more eco-responsible. She has fantastic pictures, personal stories, and personal experience to make this a fun and accessible read to any one looking for easy methods and recipes to make their lives more sustainable. She finds many of her recipes and methods through research, and saves much of what she finds to a pinterest account (and inspired me to start one too!) Karyn, with a background in science, is just the girl to write about this topic. She knows the methods and science behind sustainability, and makes it a manageable task for all who want to bring this type of change to their lives. Check out her blog and give her feedback!

Likewise, Karyn has inspired me to make some of these changes myself. I’ll share as I test out the recipes and results!

Scary News about Meat

Not that I eat a lot of meat to begin with… and less so now that I am dating a vegetarian, but this is scary news. I don’t think I will be ordering red meat at a restaurant again (even though steak may be one of my most favorite food items!).

I’m now on a mission to find local organic grass fed meat.
I know of Hemlock Hills. Anyone know of others?

If you are going to still purchase processed meat, I did a quick search online and found a few brands that sell sodium nitrate free products. Even Boars Head and Applegate are not entirely sodium-nitrate free, so pay attention to labels!

This however is not a credible source, printed in sensational style, and is definitely missing sources. Not to mention the publication date as being April fools! The New York Times recently published an article with similar danger, an conveys the danger in many red meats, without the sensations. This is the link.

CSA or no CSA?

Posted on April 8, 2013 by Hudson Valley Eco Chic | Leave a comment

I have spent a great deal of time in the last few weeks researching local CSAs. I love the concept. For those that don’t know, CSA is short for Community Supported Agriculture. Basically, you pay a yearly membership, and in turn, are provided with a “share” of the farms harvest to which you belong. It can be for just veggies and produce, but can also include fruits, juices, wines, and sometimes community pot-lucks, and educational programs. Some even offer a ‘you-pick’ component (I imagine that may be a perk for people with children especially).

In the past, I participated in a CSA located in New Paltz that I loved. It was the Brook Farm Project CSA. I had outstanding veggies from June through October, and was able to participate in a few community pot luck’s that were really fun. They sold fresh eggs and local goat cheese on pick up days as well, and I loved supporting a local farmer and eating fresh and seasonal vegetables.

The debate that I am having now is whether or not to join a CSA that is closer to my new home, or to just shop at local farmers markets and farms as my shopping routine. I am at most, shopping for myself and my boyfriend, so in my experience, the CSA shares are often enough produce for an entire week, plus some! My boyfriend is not in favor of the CSA as he likes to cook what he would like, and not have the menu depend on what if provided. Additionally, as we have at least two, but likely three weeks we are away this summer, its possible we will miss those share weeks, and still have to spend money elsewhere on food. He also prefers to go to a place like Blooming Hill Farm in Blooming Grove, NY. They have outrageous produce that they supply to major restaurants in NYC. On the weekends, they open to the public to sell produce, as well as fresh and homemade items right on the farm (personal favorites include the ramp pizza, and breakfast pizza, as well as the homemade ice tea!) While their produce is delicious, and I love the experience of going to the farm, eating breakfast, and sitting by the stream while I wait for the food, it’s also a bit pricier than a place like Adam’s Fairacre Farms or a CSA.

I’m still doing more calculating, but these are the CSA’s I have found most recently and am still considering.

Obercreek Farm CSA – http://www.obercreekfarm.com/

Fishkill Farms CSA – http://fishkillfarms.com/csa_fishkillfarm.html

Stonegate Farm CSA – http://www.stonegatefarmny.org/

Anyone have any experience with any of these farms? Or shed some insight on how the CSA’s have worked for you?

I want to shop local, I want to eat fresh and seasonally, and I want to support safe farming practices. I need a solution to address all of those things on a budget…I really do want it all!

Trivia in the Hudson Valley

Posted on April 7, 2013 by Hudson Valley Eco Chic | 1 Comment

One of my favorite new-(ish) pastimes is bar/restaurant trivia. Since living in The Hudson Valley, I have been able to participate in a few different trivia nights in various localities. It’s a fun way to get out during the week, and if you are any good, can also win you some goodies. Here’s the run down on those that I know of, have participated in, or hope to make it to! Please share more if you know of them.

Newburgh Brewery – Wednesday Nights – This is difficult trivia! They have at least 4 different categories that they announcement on their Facebook page earlier in the day on Wednesday. If you are savvy, you can brush up on some of your facts before attending. The perks of this trivia is that you can have teams of up to 8 people. They serve $5 beers, and allow you to have food delivered directly to the brewery. The downside of the trivia is that due to the awesome size of the room (it’s huge and beautiful!) it is sometimes difficult to hear.

Captain Lawrence Brewery – bi-monthly on Thursdays – I have not ventured to this trivia yet. I can’t wait to! The reviews that I hear include excitement over the free beer tasting in the tap room prior to trivia starting. I can’t confirm that yet though, hopefully by the end of the month!

Hyde Park Brewery – Thursday Nights – It’s been a long time since I have been to this trivia due to my relocation around the valley. More college kids than the average trivia game, but to me, that also means more of a chance to win! This trivia is done by Stump! Trivia…a trivia business that hosts pub trivia at multiple locations. It’s a great game as it includes a level of wagering in every round, has picture bonuses, and always includes current events and pop culture topics in addition to other regular trivia categories.

Max’s on Main – Tuesday Nights – This is another location for Stump! Trivia. The menu at Max’s is awesome, and the owners are always in the restaurant chatting with customers (and sometimes trying to help with trivia questions!) There are a lot of regulars to this game, so it’s a tough one to win against the seasoned veteran teams. This is always a fun game. Perks of this place include the food and the company. The downside is definitely the size. It’s not as large as most of the breweries, so to get a good table on the bar side, you have to be there by 7-7:15pm.

Gleason’s – Wednesday Nights – Gleason’s food and beer list is amazing. Both their soups and flatbreads are some of my favorite. I have not tried their trivia yet, but if it’s anything like everything else they offer, I’m sure it will be awesome!

Skytop Steakhouse – Tuesday Nights – I love the Skytop. My favorite food to order their is the Garlic sliced sirloin steak. Trivia night has been increasing in popularity, and in my opinion, improving consistently. Sometimes hard to hear because of the acoustics, but still worth the game. Also, though Kingston is making a sincere effort at urban revitalization, Skytop still ensures a good crowd with no trouble or nasty drunken mishaps…which is more then a few other locations in the area can boast.

I know that there are a ton more games out there, I’ll add to the list as I learn about them. Share where else their is good trivia in the Valley!

Revitalization for Newburgh!

Posted on March 17, 2013 by Hudson Valley Eco Chic | Leave a comment

This afternoon I went to the Bank Square Coffee Shop to hang out, read, and do a little work for a class I am taking online. I was really excited to overhear the conversation that was taking place next to me. There were two men, both in their 20s and 30s, discussing how positive the changes were in Beacon. The older of the two men (who were both guitarists) noted that, “its [Beacon’s] transformation is profound enough to be wrote about one day.” As someone who is constantly excited to walk down Main Street and see what’s new, and go to places like The Hop, Max’s, and Bank Square, I was really happy to know it wasn’t just me that lived in this bubble of excitement about Beacon.

The gentlemens’ conversation then veered in the direction of discussing Newburgh. For those of you that are not familiar with the Hudson Valley, Newburgh is (was) the murder capital of New York. While there are a number of great up and coming places in Newburgh, the poverty level in the city, as well as the lack of industry in the area, lead to a large crime rate and other typical urban dilemmas. However, as it is located just across the river from Beacon, some of the new business, traffic flow, and investment coming into the area will hopefully makes its way to the much needed community projects and business ventures just across the river.

Some fun Newburgh businesses to check out:

* The Wherehouse – Great bar/pub

* Downing Film Center – Small private film screen with smaller and larger production films

* Caffe Macchiato – Coffee shop just across from Washington Park

Though I haven’t been to any of the restaurants on Front Street yet, many of them have great reviews. During the summer, there are some great bars located right on the water. It’s a fun atmosphere and view, if nothing else! Before I venture there though, I definitely want to try Manchu Picchu, the Peruvian restaurant right on Broadway (my boyfriend, and friends have been and love it…I just haven’t made it yet!)

In general, hearing so much about city revitalization made me feel really happy today. I get excited about growth and positive development anywhere really, so to have it happening in my own backyard is definitely something that makes me smile.

What other places do you see going through this type of change? What other places in Newburgh should I try?? Please share your suggestions!

Posted on March 8, 2013 by Hudson Valley Eco Chic | Leave a comment

I couldn’t agree more with this article. I stumbled upon this at a perfect time, I read this not even 20 minutes after getting sucked into a post about the secret evils of potatoes, and felt even worse about my lack of healthy eating this past week. While I of course strive to be healthy and happy, that comes from eating good food, at a good time, with good people. It does not come from the news reporting which diet is proven healthiest, just to have the diet change a couple months later.
Not only did this article make me happy… it made me hungry!
(and I also LOVE the Ottolenghi cookbook)

Five And Spice

Shuffle shuffle shuffle, shplop, clump, clump, clump…(that’s the sound of me hauling in and climbing up on my soap box, actually no, let’s go with it being me setting up my 2 cents booth, and special for you, today only, there’s no charge!…)

So a study came out and suddenly everyone’s all abuzz with the Mediterranean Diet all over again. Perhaps you’ve heard?

Which I suppose must be nice for the Mediterranean Diet and all, given it was probably feeling a little dusty and lonely and ignored from several years of being quite out of the spotlight. And maybe, if things go well, it’ll get some people to eat a little extra olive oil and seafood.

But, here’s what I worry. I worry that this is just going to add back one more way we measure ourselves and judge ourselves when it comes to what we eat. It provides one…

View original post 1,457 more words

No More Tupperware

Posted on February 24, 2013 by Hudson Valley Eco Chic | 4 Comments

In the effort to be more healthy, eco-concious, and sustainable, I often find myself struggling against consumerism and added cost that is associated with those decisions (Beacon Natural’s is far more expensive than many other local grocery stores nearby). Since college, I remember hearing to never put plastic in the microwave. I knew that this was because of chemicals they contained and how they could slowly leach out of the plastic and into food being contained in them. So I tried, half-heartedly to stop microwaving plastic.

My eco-conscience education continued and I learned that plastic bags at grocery stores added to landfills at an immeasurable rate, and that I should switch to paper which was more easily recyclable and bio-degradeable. After that, I learned of sustainable options such as canvas bags, which I could bring to the store myself, and not waste any paper or plastic. I wasn’t adding to landfills, I wasn’t ruining the rainforest, and I was being a conscientious consumer!

While grocery shopping though, I would often be disappointed in the decisions I was forced to make in buying spinach in a plastic box, while carrying around my canvas grocery bag. If it wasn’t spinach, it was meat (packed on styroform and wrapped in plastic) or fruit in slotted plastic containers such as strawberries or blueberries. I felt like grocery shopping in general took away from the decision I had made to be eco-friendly. I felt helpless because if it came down to spinach in a plastic box, or no spinach at all… the plastic box was coming home with me.

In the past few years, my boyfriend has rekindled my desire to continue to make better and more healthy choices for myself and the planet. When eating breakfast with him, I would brag that my milk was from Ronnybrook, and came in a glass bottle (with a plastic cap), so I was being super green by not only buying local, but in sustainable glassware. My green ego wouldn’t last too long though. He would remind me that I was being eco-conscious, but poisoning myself with chemicals in the microwave at the same time. With gentle and continuous reminders, some subtle – passing me a glass container as I reach for the microwave… and some more overt – “you are poisoning any future children that we may have” as I take my plastic container out of the microwave, he weaned me off of my plastic tupperware addiction, and pushed me into Pyrex (glass food storage option that is widely available and affordable).

On January 13th, 2013, I read an article in The New York Times, Eat Like a Mennonite, which gave me even more reason and cause to veer away from most plastics, not even just ones heated in the microwave! Bisphenol – A, more commonly referred to as BPA, is a chemical used as a plastic hardener that has been linked with obesity. Additionally, BPA has been preliminarily linked with breast and prostate cancers. This chemical is present in many wrappings, food containers, and liners of food products, even if they are organic and natural products themselves. The article discusses the challenge of eliminating BPA from the authors life for a few days. Though she notes it would be nearly impossible to completely eliminate the chemical from your life if you live in any populated area and consume any type of commercial products, there are small changes that can be made to significantly lower your exposure to BPA. I for one, stopped purchasing bottled water, and instead invested in a water filter and a Life Factory Water Bottle to carry filtered water with me in a BPA free container.

Granted, these changes for me were expensive in the short term (Brita filters 5/$24.99 Life Factory Bottle $19.99/ Brita Water Pitcher $15.99), I can only hope that the expense of being ecological, sustainable, and HEALTHY will pay of later on long term. Hopefully I can continue to make changes like this, that are relatively easy to do, and are sustainable options. What recommendations do you have??

Hudson Valley Eco Chic

Finding Green in the Hudson Valley of New York

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