This past weekend, we did a weekend in Vermont and got a chance to hit the Stowe Farmers Market on Sunday. As I assumed, the market had some great, eclectic items that I couldn't resist to purchase. It was very "Vermontish" to say the least. Horse rides, violins, artisanal cheeses, Subaru's in the parking lot and a beautiful green mountain backdrop.
We starting walking the market and one of the first booths we hit was Claires Country Garden. A cheerful chap pushed us into trying some of his Habanero wowser pepper jam. This jam definitely has some decent heat and was a great spread for a good sharp, cheddar cheese and crackers. We were sold and picked up a 9 ounce bottle. Next, we hit The Nutty Vermonter. This gal was all about her natural butters, spreads and promoting that her business was for sale. (At an appropriate price, of course) We tried the Maple & Ginger triple nut butter and was sold. This butter is as simple as it gets. Almonds, cashews, pecans with some Madagascar vanilla, organic cane syrup and Vermont maple syrup. It's a nice, natural and creamy alternative to all the processed spreads coating the isles of your grocery store. Finally, we visited Vermont Pepper Works and tried the Peach Ginger Habanero Pepper sauce. Again, it was a perfect combination of sweet and heat. So, of course, we picked up a bottle.
The great thing about Farmers Markets is that you meet the people behind the product. They are the R&D, marketing, Ops, QA, and legal team all combined into one person. They are the people with the vision and passion that love talking about why they love what they do. They're not in a business suit, giving you a bullshit pitch and Yankees tickets to sway you into a potential partnership. They are real people, that had an idea they are passionate about and found a venue to showcase all their hard work.
Oh, and you don't have to drive a Suburu.
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| Chopbiscuit approved! |
