Dipping into the North East Kingdom of Vermont on February 2, 2024 to attend a wonderfully Vermont winter event entitled Curds & Curling, and then exploring a few towns nearby...
Cumulative Official Town Count | Cumulative Unofficial Town Count |
|---|---|
30 | 15 |
SCENES FROM CURDS & CURLING
This episode of Vermont 251 brings you to the north east corner of Vermont, known as the North East Kingdom (NEK), or, just 'The Kingdom' to real locals. It is exceptionally rural, remote (even by Vermont's standards), and bucolic, with memorable vistas pretty much everywhere you look. During foliage (aka leaf-peeping) season (think early October usually), it is arguably at its most spectacular and a tourist mecca with area accommodations booked up well in advance.
The Curds and Curling Festival takes place at the Highland Center for The Arts in Greensboro, VT (pictures above). We lucked out with weather (blue skies and not too cold), and there were games and food for people of all ages. We watched curling where rounds of Jasper Hill Farm (Whitney) cheeses were the curling stones (be sure to zoom in on the picture with the "cheesy" game instructions), played a game of snowquet (croquet on snow where hockey sticks and brooms are the mallets) and did some snowchery (snowballs aimed at targets of different cheeses)! Jasper Hill Farm was a sponsor of the event and offered utterly delicious raclette which was well worth the wait, as well as tastes and a delicious seasonal soft cheese for purchase (Winnimere) at a special price (which, of course we bought).
GREENSBORO, VT
The town of Greensboro, Vermont is quite small (pop. 811 in 2020) and while it has a fairly well-stocked general store (Willey's), there did not seem to be any drinking or dining establishments. Most of the roads are dirt and it is a serious farming community (typical for that area in the state, and the state in general). It is also home to one of the finest cheesemakers in the world as well as one of the finest breweries. Additionally, there's some serious revolutionary history on the dirt road which leads to Quebec, dating from Benedict Arnold's time. Feel free to read more about it here. Aside from the general store offerings one might expect, Willey's has an impressive selection of local delights, including the finest collection of Jasper Hill Farm cheeses I've seen (perhaps because it is the defacto retail store for their goods), and at the best prices. Additionally, you can purchase some of the incredible smoked treats made by Per's Smoked -- a local Vermont smoker best known for smoked fish and smoked fish spread (which I can attest is sublime) with products only available in select stores in northern Vermont and New Hampshire.
Jasper Hill Farm's cheeses have won many international awards, and they happen to make my single favorite cheese (Harbison), which is best served slightly warm/ room temperature, with the top sliced off for easy dipping of crackers, apple wedges, or (omg!) grilled toast. It is brie-ish: remarkably smooth and gooey, and because it is aged in spruce bark it somehow has a slightly smokey air about it. If you or a loved one LOVES cheese, do yourself/ them a favor and try some Jasper Hill Farm cheese -- they ship(!) and are now sold more widely (so check your local cheese purveyor). For the beer lovers/ aficionados out there, Greensboro has you covered as well. Hill Farmstead Brewery (located on a dirt road kind of in the middle of nowhere with beautiful views) has also earned its share of accolades, most notably for its American Pale Ale, IPA, Porter and Saison. (In 2011, Hill Farmstead was awarded the title of 'Best New Brewery in the World' by consumer review website RateBeer.com. In 2012, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, and 2020 the RateBeer community named Hill Farmstead the 'Best Brewery in the World' (it finished second in 2013)). Outside of visiting their facility, their beers can be found at several places in NY, VT, and MA. Click here for where, specifically.
HARDWICK, VT
Hardwick is a larger town in the NEK (pop. 2920 in 2020) with an Inn, an active Main Street (with a book/ toy store), library, and a fallen heroes memorial across from a memorial building. [They built the memorial building because they decided they didn't want a memorial, but apparently changed their mind and added one -- across the street from the building.]
WOODBURY, VT
Woodbury, the town of lakes and ponds, is quite small (pop. 928 in 2020) and has a granite quarrying history. Apparently there is still an active quarry, but the heritage is not overly evident (as it is in so many other towns, like Barre and Dorset). There are lots of bodies of water but the barest of other town offerings outside of the municipal ones. It was clear that the myriad lakes and ponds are used recreationally during summer (and likely in winter for ice fishing assuming the ice is solid enough). Vermonters call their lake/ country homes "camps" and we passed signs for several.
Please know that I am WAY behind in my 251 blog posts. I have actually now visited 146 out of the 251 towns. So stay tuned for (much, much) more!