UpCountry Magazine, September/October 2018

Adventures in the Berkshires and Southern Vermont

SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2018

For the love of apples Preserving heirloom varieties at Scott Farm Orchard Cider-centric recipes from Carr's Ciderhouse UpCountry's finest cider doughnuts

24 hours in Northampton UpCountry goes east

Voted Magazine of the Year by the

New England Newspaper and Press Association

Plus: Hancock Shaker Village's grave tradition The Appalachian Trail | Luxury and adventure at The Equinox and more...

“I saw them ... just lined up and stacked, all cobwebby and in dim lighting. They were clearly so beautiful — hand-carved and quarried locally.

They are beautiful objects that are reminders that the Shakers’ goal was not to complete something, but to make it as perfect as possible.”

— Jennifer Trainer Thompson, director and CEO, Hancock Shaker Village. Story, page 24

Photo: Ben Garver

TABLE OF CONTENTS

17 24 37 55

A shared love of hard cider

United as one

Ciderhouse Cookbook brings everything full circle

Headstones find their way back to Hancock Shaker Village

Heirloom Apples Over 100 ‘almostlost’ varieties live on at Scott Farm

Hikers welcome!

Appalachian Trail towns open their arms to through-hikers

9

7 Contributors 34 Taste of Fall

61

Roaming the countryside with birds of prey Green Mountain Falconry School teaches an ancient sport

UpCountry visits a Pioneer Valley gem

6 From the editor

Historic luxury Relaxation and adventure in the Green Mountains

24 hours in Northampton

65

UpCo’s best cider doughnuts

47 Up Next

Words a plenty

Revolutionary spirits Spirits of Old Bennington raises a glass

71 UpCountryOnline.com | 5

FROM THE EDITOR Hancock Shaker Village in the Berkshires is a museum that keeps alive the religion, history and culture of a small and devout group of people who fled religious persecution in England in the late 18th century and moved to find peace in America.

The Shakers are said to have lived a “simple life,” but that strikes me as far too tidy a description. I’m no Shaker expert, but it seems to me that Shakers engaged in complex planning in composing the simple life.

As one peels back the layers on the Shakers, through visit after visit to Hancock Shaker Village, one discovery leads to another.

In this edition, UpCountry Editor Jennifer L. Huberdeau’s article on Shaker headstones explains why it is that the monuments occasionally turn up some distance from the cemetery, incorporated into things like rock walls and walkways.

Turn to Page 24 to learn more and find out how you can see the 43 Shaker headstones that made their ways back to the village.

And from headstones, we take a turn toward the apple orchard. It’s harvest season, and Scott Farm in Dummerston, Vermont, not only cultivates scores of heirloom varieties, it has a fellow by the name of Ezekiel Goodband, an apple expert if there ever was one. Zeke, as he’s known, will tell you all about them during the farm’s Apple Heirloom Day in October. Lucky for us, UpCountry correspondent Natalie Wise has a preview (Page 37) and explains why Zeke is a big fan of the Court Pundu Plat.

This edition is packed with great things to experience this September and October.

When we launched UpCountry Magazine less than two years ago, we had our fingers crossed and our hopes up that it’d succeed. And right away, that happened. UpCountry continues to expand and grow, thanks to all of you dear readers who tell us they adore this magazine and to our advertisers who love being part of this unique publication.

Again, we thank you. Enjoy the UpCountry!

Kevin Moran, Executive Editor kmoran@berkshireeagle.com

(P.S. Whoops! I nearly forgot to mention one of the most important parts of this UpCountry: Apple cider doughnuts. Let me repeat: Apple! Cider!

Doughnuts! See Page 34.)

On the Cover: Apples on a tree at Scott Farm Orchard in Dummerston, Vt. Photo: Kelly Fletcher Photography.

Story, page 37.

Publisher Fredric D. Rutberg

frutberg@berkshireeagle.com

Executive Editor Kevin Moran

kmoran@berkshireeagle.com

Editor Jennifer L. Huberdeau

jhuberdeau@berkshireeagle.com

Art Director Kimberly Kirchner

kkirchner@berkshireeagle.com

Chief Revenue Officer Jordan Brechenser

jbrechenser@berkshireeagle.com

Chief Consumer Sales/ Events Officer Warren Dews Jr.

wdews@berkshireeagle.com

Regional Advertising Managers Berkshire County, Mass.: Kate Teutsch kteutsch@berkshireeagle.com

Bennington County, Vt.: Susan Plaisance

splaisance@manchesterjournal.com

Windham County, Vt.: Josh Unruh jdunruh@reformer.com

UpCountry Magazine is a publication of New England Newspapers Inc.

CONTRIBUTORS

Anne Archer [“Historic luxury,” page 61] lives in Manchester, Vt. She is a regular contributor to the Manchester Journal.

Bob Audette [“In the shadow of Mount Monadnock,” page 12] has been writing for the Brattleboro Reformer for close to 15 years.

When he’s not working or hanging out with his 6-year-old son, he can often be found on one of the many trails leading to the summit of Mount Monadnock, in southern New Hampshire.

Benjamin Cassidy [“Up Next,” page 47] is the arts and entertainment reporter for The Berkshire Eagle. A graduate of Columbia Journalism School and the University of Michigan, Benjamin now lives in Dalton, Mass.

Telly Halkias [“Revolutionary spirits,” page 71] is a national awardwinning, independent journalist. He lives and writes from his homes in southern Vermont and coastal Maine.

Jennifer Huberdeau [“United as one,” page 24] is editor of UpCountry magazine. She also pens the column, “The Cottager,” for Berkshires Week and The Shires of Vermont.

Cherise Madigan [“Hikers welcome,” page 9] is a native Vermonter and frequent contributor to the Manchester Journal and Bennington Banner.

Giulia McDonnell Nieto del Rio [“24 hours in Northampton,” page 55] spent the summer working as an intern of The Berkshire Eagle’s features department.

A 2018 graduate of Williams College, Giulia is currently a graduate student at Columbia Journalism School.

Natalie Wise [“Heirloom apples grow here,” page 37] has a masters degree in poetry from Dartmouth and is the author of four books.

When she isn’t writing, she is likely baking or spending time exploring this beautiful area with her husband and their chocolate lab.

UpCountryOnline.com | 7

Hikers welcome!

Appalachian Trail towns open their hearts and homes to through-hikers

By Cherise Madigan Walking into the wilderness, many seek a sense of self, vitality, and connectedness to the natural world.

Others may simply desire time in the outdoors, stunning views, or a physical challenge.

Featuring breathtaking peaks, tranquil forests, and refreshing bodies of water, a hike along sections of the Appalachian Trail — stretching across 14 states between Georgia to Maine — makes for a particularly compelling adventure.

For those hesitant to follow in the footsteps of Bill Bryson or Cheryl Strayed, however, the cornucopia of trails through-

out the Berkshires and Southern Vermont present an alluring option for shorter excursions.

“Through the Berkshires and into Southern Vermont is so beautiful, and each town has a specific character,” explained Katie Mann of the Appalachian Trail Conservancy. “Section hiking the trail would be a fantastic trip for anyone, even if they wanted to jump around and do it weekend by weekend. Each of the communities is a great launching point, and it’s really fun to use the hikes to connect them.”

But it’s not just the region’s natural assets that make an excursion on the Appalachian Trail worthwhile. Rather, the communities along the trail, and the close connection

Sebastian Eugster (trail name “Jukebox”) and Elmar Bardill (trail name “Cooper”) are visiting the U.S. from Switzerland to hike the Appalachian Trail. Photo: Nina Cochran.

UpCountryOnline.com | 9

that they’ve forged with hikers, may prove most memorable.

Among the more than 45 designated Appalachian Trail Communities along the East Coast, are five quintessential New England towns nestled in heart the Berkshires and Southern Vermont: Great Barrington, Dalton, Cheshire and North Adams in Massachusetts, as well as Manchester in Vermont.

“We wanted this program to have a mutual benefit, and all five are just exemplary communities” Mann explained. “They represent the essence of what this whole program is about — service to hikers and visitors, supporting the trail, and encouraging people to use it in a sustainable way, so it can be here in perpetuity.”

“The AT is a part of this environment, and our connection to it is precious,” said Deborah Phillips, a representative of the AT Community in Great Barrington. “Becoming an AT Community raised our awareness of the trail and encouraged us to celebrate that connection.”

And celebrate each community does, with annual events meant to raise awareness of, and engagement with, local trail systems. While such events tend to attract a mix of locals, hikers, and other visitors, Mann notes that the long-term impacts of the designation may be even more advantageous.

“One thing we’ve heard from the AT communities is that the program really brings all of the information together,” Mann explained. “Businesses and individuals are more involved in the trail, and serving the hiking community, through bringing their resources together and identifying ways to be involved with the AT… It’s a way to build community.”

In Vermont specifically, where the state government is working to enhance outdoor recreation assets to boost tourism, becoming an AT Community was a “no-brainer” according to Manchester’s Anne Houser.

ABOVE: Mary Harrington, Beth McIntosh, Baxter Harrington and Matthew McIntosh sort through a resupply in Dalton, Mass., while hiking a section of the Appalachian Trail from their house in Ripton, Vt., to Lee, Mass.

Photo: Ben Garver.

RIGHT: A North Adams, Mass., resident, whose home is located at the right of way to the trail, leaves a hose with running water as a courtesy for AT hikers.

Photo: Gillian Jones

“The governor has even mentioned outdoor recreation as one of our biggest potential business opportunities, and if we do shape ourselves as a tourist state we need to consider the AT and the Long Trail,” Houser said.

AT Communities may also experience a degree of economic stimulation according to Mann, with more hikers encouraged to come through via guidebooks and online resources. Often, businesses will latch on to this increased foot traffic by offering special deals to hikers.

A designation requires a

10 | UPCOUNTRY MAGAZINE | September/October 2018

comprehensive list of available amenities like grocery stores, laundromats, showers, and gear stores to be provided to hikers, Mann notes that being an AT Community often proves favorable for business owners as well.

“People are more welcoming to hikers now, and it has given them the idea that they should be embracing thru-hikers,” said Joshua Moran of the North Adams AT Community, who notes many businesses and the North Adams Public Library offer hikers special discounts or services. “One thing North Adams is doing more of

now is recognizing, and appreciating, the thru-hikers that come into town.”

With the multitudes of trailheads and a close cluster of AT Communities, the Berkshires and Southern Vermont provide the ideal landscape for a hike that’s completely customizable. Stop when you want to rest, enjoy the trails to your heart’s content, and utilize the countless resources available in each community.

In Great Barrington, the southernmost AT Community in the region, Phillips insists that town’s culinary landscape provides a real treat compared

to camp meals. Though the town’s center isn’t located directly off of the trail, hikers are able to walk a ways on the road or hitchhike into town in order to experience all that Great Barrington has to offer.

“The good news is that a lot of us pick up hikers and help them on their way,” Phillips added.

Dalton, just north of Great Barrington, has long been considered a hiker-friendly town according to Andrea Lassor, a AT Community representative.

Showers have been available at the Dalton Community Recreation Center for years, she says; local trail angels often provide rides and allow hikers to camp

in their yards; and accommodations like restaurants, a laundromat, and a library are only steps from the trail “The ATC Hikers know in advance that Dalton businesses and residents look forward to their visit, and many will plan to spend time in town before continuing on the trail,” Lassor added. “There is now a more coordinated effort to respond to hikers’ needs, and businesses appreciate hikers visiting their establishments.”

Though Cheshire is the newest trail community in the region, the town is no stranger to hikers according to Karen Daigle, AT Community representativa and fellow com-

munity activist Eileen Quinn.

The doors of St. Mary of the Assumption are open to hikers during the day, they explain, the post office is a destination for many, and the local ice-cream stop Diane’s Twist allows hikers to hydrate, use the bathroom, and charge their phones.

“There are so many beautiful natural resources in Cheshire,” Quinn explained. “The AT and our local rail trail are breathtaking, as is Cheshire Lake, where you can see views of Mount Greylock in certain places.”

Joshua Moran’s “Bikes for Hikes” service, based out of his home just miles from the trail, has quickly become popular with hikers. While the AT

LEFT: The view from Prospect Mountain. in Woodford, Vt. Photo: Cherise Madigan.

BELOW: Appalachian Trail hiker Jordan Patchett of Sarasota, Fla., stops at Diane’s Twist in Cheshire, Mass., to rest and enjoy an ice cream. Patchett was joined by Emilee, a dachshund, owned by Cheshire resident Karl White. Photo: Ben Garver.

Community leader also recommends a trip to the summit of Mount Greylock, he notes that nearby cultural attractions can’t be missed.

“I would recommend hiking through the Berkshires because of the mixture of nature and the arts,” Moran said, highlighting institutions such as Mass MoCA and the Clark Art just miles from the trail.

While arts and culture — as well as shopping — are equally vibrant in Manchester, Houser notes that the expansive wilderness that separates her town from the Berkshires is alluring in its mystery. As one of the biggest wilderness areas on the trail, the Glastonbury Wilderness between Massachusetts and the Northshire contains extreme terrain, a towering ridgeline, and even moose and black bears.

“There’s no infringements on the wilderness up there, but once you get into Manchester everything is so accessible and walkable,”explained Houser, whose outdoor gear shop The Mountain Goat serves as a hiker’s haven. “There’s so many great restaurants, a movie theatre across from the laundromat, and great shops as well as groceries. Hikers just love it in Manchester.”

While in the depths of the wilderness, you may just stumble upon your own introspection, appreciation for nature, or bodily exhilaration. With such vibrant stops awaiting you at all junctures, however, that solitary experience is beautifully juxtaposed with a sense of community and camaraderie.

“When Benton MacKaye founded the Appalachian Trail, he viewed it as a wilderness experience that could simultaneously connect communities along the trail,” Mann concluded. “We’re still working to build upon that vision.”

To learn more about Appalachian Trail Communities, visit: appalachiantrail.org/ home/conservation/a-tcommunity-program • UpCountryOnline.com | 11

In the shadow of

Mount

By Bob Audette I don’t recall when I first summited Mount Monadnock in Jaffrey, N.H., but it has loomed over my life since my folks uprooted me and my two brothers from suburban Connecticut to the rural, rough-and-tumble village of Troy, N.H., in 1968.

In my first dozen years or so in the Granite State, I often cast my gaze in passing or in reflection upon the rocky top

of Mount Monadnock. But preoccupied with the woods, friends in the neighborhood and struggling with adolescence in the turbulent 1970s, I never felt the need to tackle the challenge. After high school, like so many newly formed adults, I fled for greener pastures, eventually ending up in the service, cranking a wrench on fighter jets.

Ten years later, I would return to the Monadnock Region, recently discharged

from the Air Force and fleeing a disastrous marriage. With college money in hand, I enrolled at Keene State College and began my intrepid foray into a career in journalism. I threw myself into my studies, and in the meanwhile, Mount Monadnock beckoned.

With the companionship of my good cousin Mark, I attacked the mountain with ferocity. Several times a week, we tackled the many trails — Marlborough, Dublin, Toll Road, Cliff Walk, etc. — in all kinds of weather and at any time of the season, day or night. We took it as a badge of honor to summit the peak in the worst weather imaginable.

We also looked forward to fullmoon nights for what often turned out to be gloriously lonesome hikes on what has been termed the second-most climbed mountain in the world.

No words can describe the transcendent beauty of squatting on the peak as moonlight

cloud shadows flit across the landscape or seeing the glint of the rising sun reflecting off skyscrapers in Boston, nearly 90 miles away.

Of course, Monadnock and transcendence go hand in hand.

After all, many of the great transcendentalists of the 19th century found inspiration on the mountain.

In 1846, Ralph Waldo Emerson wrote "Monadnoc," an epic poem that many credit for establishing the Transcendentalists' principle that nature can be a teacher for those who listen, observe, absorb and reflect. "And comest thou/To see strange forests and new snow, And tread uplifted land?" wrote Emerson. "And leavest thou thy lowland race, Here amid clouds to stand?"

Other writers and artists who scaled Grand Monadnock's slopes included Henry David Thoreau, Edward Arlington Robinson, Mark Twain, H.P. Lovecraft, Amy Lowell,

THIS SPREAD: Two Monadnock views by Bob Audette (previous page) and Kristopher Radder (above.).

LEFT: The author atop Mount Monadnock. Photo: Bob Audette.

12 | UPCOUNTRY MAGAZINE | September/October 2018

Monadnock Rockwell Kent, Galway Kinnell, Willa Cather, Rudyard Kipling, Alan Havhannes, Abbot Thayer and William Phelps.

Not that I would ever be so hubristic as to include myself in the ranks of the previously noted greats, but I understand why they were drawn to the mountain. It entices people, and not just due to its status as the sole rocky peak in southern New Hampshire.

(According to various sources, the word "monadnock" is an Abenaki-derived word used to describe a mountain.

Loosely translated, it means "mountain that stands alone," although the exact meaning of the word is uncertain.)

The physical act of climbing any mountain is a purgative, literally cleansing the body of impurities through sweat and heavy breathing, and figuratively cleansing the mind of extraneous thoughts and the soul of burdensome emotions.

While I have sought the physical exhilaration of steaming up the mountain and hopping from rock to rock on the way down, the true reward for me

has always been the way a good hike to the top makes me think and feel.

And judging by the many people I see attempting the various trails on the mountain, I am not the only one who is attracted to Monadnock. Of course, one of the main reasons it hosts so many pairs of feet is its accessibility.

The 3,165-foot peak has multiple trailheads that are easily accessed from the various roads that wind around its flanks. Trail lengths vary, from the two-mile ascent up the White Dot, which starts at park headquarters in Jaffrey, to the four-mile Pumpelly Trail, originating on the Dublin/Peterborough side of the mountain. Most trails — and these include the eponymous Dublin and Marlborough trails — average a little more than two miles to the top. For all of these except the Pumpelly Trail, you should expect to be hiking for three to five hours, depending on your pace, how many times you stop along the way to admire the view and how long you linger on the top.

The White Dot, the White

Cross and the White Arrow are the most popular, as can be witnessed by the deluge of day trippers on weekends, but the mountain is laced with other trails and linked possibilities that can get an intrepid hiker far from the madding crowds.

These often solitary forays include the almost primeval Mossy Brook Trail, the rocky Sidefoot Trail, and Lost Farm and Cliff Walk, which zigzag to the top through various riparian zones. There are many other paths to the top or around the mountain that are well-worth exploring, including a maze of trails between the White Arrow and Cliff Walk, and Fairy Spring, the Red Spot, Amphitheater, Smith Connector, Cascade Link, Monte Rosa and Bald Rock trails.

Whatever trail you choose, expect to see crowds of smiling people at the top (especially during foliage season), snapping selfies with their friends, sharing trail mix or a granola bar, or writing in battered journals. The mountain attracts all kinds of people, from nearby towns, across the country and around the world, in various

levels of physical fitness, so despite your ability level, you won't feel alone on the trails or at the top.

Getting there is simple enough. From the Berkshires and Vermont, head to Keene, N.H., and then travel east on Route 101 toward the mountain. It's best to know in advance which trail you plan to attack, because you'll eventually need to turn off of Route 101 to access the various trailheads.

There are several good websites that can help you plan your trip, including monadnocktrails.com and trailfinder. info. A trail map can be found at nhstateparks.org.

I hope you decide to hit the mountain, and if you do, look for me and say hello. I'm usually hoofing it to the top every weekend, and though I can normally be found on one of the side trails, all trails eventually lead to the top where you might find me sipping an ice-cold porter, contemplating the sublime truth that after we are all gone, Monadnock will reside, grand and patient for the next weary soul searching for redemption. • UpCountryOnline.com | 13

Fall in Love with UpCountry Harvest-season activities to put you in an autumn mood

Lakeview Orchard 94 Old Cheshire Road, Adams, Mass.

Located in the heart of the Berkshires with scenic views of the surrounding mountains, Lakeview Orchard offers a calm and relaxing atmosphere for picking apples or choosing the perfect pumpkins and mums. Enjoy the very best cider donuts and apple cider at the farm store featuring homemade cider donuts, whoopie pies, turnovers, fruit pies and more. Check out the kitchen specialties: homemade golumpki and pierogi.

Hours of operation: Wed.- Mon.: 9 a.m.- 5 p.m.

(Pick-your-own hours: 9 a.m.- 4 p.m.)

Closed Tues.

413-448-6009 Lakevieworchard.com

Scott Farm Orchard 707 Kipling Road, Dummerston, Vt. More than an Heirloom Apple Orchard—Workshops, Events, Weddings & Historic Rentals!

The 571-acre Scott Farm, established in 1791, is home to 40 acres of orchards producing 125 varieties of heirloom apples and other fine fruits—available in-season in the Farm Market.

Scott Farm also offers a Fruit CSA, heirloom cider, vegetables, and Vermont products, as well as pick-your-own. Educational baking, preserving and hard cider making workshops are offered Sept.-Nov., plus annual events to include Heirloom Apple Day (Oct. 7), Kingston Black Hard Cider Festival (Oct. 20), Apple Harvest Dinner (Oct. 27). Four historic vacation rental properties, available year round, surround the farm.

Hours of operation: Daily: 9 a.m.- 5 p.m., Sept. 1- Nov. 21, 2018 802-254-6868 • Scottfarmvermont.com

Shaker Kitchen Day Sat., Oct. 6, 10 a.m.- 5 p.m.

Hancock Shaker Village 1843 W. Housatonic St., Pittsfield, Mass.

Food is an important part of Shaker life, reflecting their beliefs in simplicity, wholesomeness, and excellence. They recognize that good food is the basis of sound health and this day offers insight into the Shaker’s distinct and vibrant culture, through its food. Expect a day of talks, tours, tastes, and demos. Compete (or eat) in the Cookie Competition - bring your best batch for judgment by our toughest tasters – kids. To compete, register in advance. All included in admission/free to members.

Stay for a Shaker-style supper from the gardens and local farms at a bountiful communal table. Tickets: $55 More information: 413-443-0188 • hancockshakervillage.org

14 | UPCOUNTRY MAGAZINE | July/August 2018

Sponsored Content

Ioka Valley Farm 3475 Hancock Road, Hancock, Mass.

Have some fall fun at Ioka Valley Farm! Enjoy free hayrides, animal petting area, pick-your-own pumpkins and Indian corn, Ioka's pure maple syrup and natural beef, family play area, cow train ride and pumpkin slingshot. Visit the Calf-A for Ioka's roast beef and maple BBQ sandwiches, homemade pies, pumpkin whoopie pies and their own cider donuts! The sugarhouse is also open for tours and tastings!

Hours of operation Fall Activities are open weekends starting September 22nd through October 28th, 10 a.m.- 5:30 p.m., rain or shine.

413-738-5915 • iokavalleyfarm.com

21st Annual Country Fair Sat.- Sun., Sept. 29-30, 10 a.m.- 5 p.m.

Hancock Shaker Village 1843 W. Housatonic St., Pittsfield, Mass.

A traditional fall celebration of New England heritage in the heart of Berkshires. The line-up features a juried quilt show of 75 antique and modern quilts, a quilt consignment shop, and a hand-made quilt raffle. Enjoy chicken races, a hot sauce contest, hayrides, a farmers’ market, craft beer, BBQ lunch, farm animals, antique tractors, and engine displays. Kids' games include everything from egg tossing to a water bucket races. Witness woodworking, blacksmithing, spinning, and weaving demonstrations. Enjoy live music and over 50 artisans in a magical setting filled with amazing makers.

More information: 413-443-0188 • Visit Hancockshakervillage.org for more events.

Artisan Restaurant & Tavern 21 West St., Newfane, Vt. Artisan Restaurant celebrates the abundance of agriculture and food craftspeople that we are so lucky to have in our neighborhood. Top chefs the world over source from the very farms and artisans that hand deliver to the Artisan Restaurant’s kitchen door. From this base of simple and authentic ingredients, Chef Frederic Kieffer creates abundant and wholesome dishes that appeal to all palettes. Menus change seasonally and garden seating is available during warmer seasons.

Hours of operation: Sun.: Brunch, 11 a.m.- 2 p.m., Dinner, 5:30- 8:30 p.m.

Mon.: Closed Tues.- Thurs.: 5:30- 8:30 p.m.

Fri.- Sat.: 5:30- 9 p.m.

802-365-7713 • fourcolumnsvt.com

The Mount, Edith Wharton’s Home 2 Plunkette St., Lenox, Mass.

Experience the beauty of Edith Wharton’s home during fall foliage. The grounds and gardens transform into hues of orange and red. While here, dine on the Terrace or start your holiday shopping with a visit to our gift shop. Seasonal events include our popular Ghost Tours-see who, or what, may still be calling The Mount home!

Close to Norman Rockwell, Hancock Shaker Village, and other Berkshire attractions. Visit EdithWharton.org for hours and directions.

Sponsored Content

UpCountryOnline.com | 15

It all comes from a shared love of apples and hard cider Cookbook brings everything full circle for couple behind Carr’s Ciderhouse in Hadley

By Jennifer Huberdeau Most of us could only think of a recipe or two to incorporate hard cider, cider syrup or cider vinegar into, nevermind fill a whole cookbook. But, if you use the products in your cooking on a daily basis, it's quite easy to do. Just ask Nicole Blum and Jonathan Carr, owners of Carr's Ciderhouse.

“People are always asking us what to do with the cider, how to cook with it,” Blum said during a recent interview at the couple's no-spray, lowmow orchard in Hadley, Mass.

“I do love to cook and it really came from cooking all the time with our cider.”

Having worked with Storey Publishing in the past, Blum began talking about putting together a cookbook of recipes that use either hard cider, cider vinegar or cider syrup.

She enlisted her sister, Andrea Blum, a chef and culinary artist at the Montalvo Arts Center in California, to help craft a few recipes.

“She works as a cooking professional, so we knew she would have the time and space,” Blum said.

Continued, page 22

LEFT: Nicole Blum and Jonathan Carr. Photo courtesy of Storey Publishing.

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18 | UPCOUNTRY MAGAZINE | September/October 2018

Cider Syrup–Glazed Scallops Serves 2 The combination of cider syrup and scallops might seem like gilding the lily to seafood purists, but this is a peerless dish. We were first introduced to cider-glazed scallops at a gorgeous restaurant up the road called the Blue Heron, in Sunderland, Massachusetts.

Tucked into a bed of flavorful Puy lentils, the whole ensemble was truly sublime, and we are now evangelists for the cause.

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus more as needed 16 large scallops (approximately 1 pound) 1 small shallot, minced ¼ cup dry hard cider (page 12) 2 tablespoons cider syrup (page 22) ¼ teaspoon salt 2 tablespoons chopped scallion, for garnish 1. Coat a large skillet with the oil and heat over medium heat.

Place the scallops in the hot pan and brown on one side, about 2 minutes. Flip and brown on the other side, about 2 minutes.

Remove the scallops from the pan to a plate.

2. Add a bit more olive oil to the pan if it is dry. Add the shallots and cook over medium heat until they become translucent, about 1 minute.

3. Add the cider to the saucepan and cook it for about 1 minute.

Add the syrup and salt, whisking to combine, then put the scallops back in the pan, flipping them to coat both sides evenly.

Cook until the glaze begins to darken, about 1 minute. The glaze will caramelize quickly, so don’t walk away from the pan.

4. Plate the scallops and pour any extra glaze from the pan over the top. Garnish with the scallions.

Excerpted from “Ciderhouse Cookbook,” by Jonathan Carr, Nicole Blum and Andrea Blum, photography by Mars Vilaubi and Colin Prince, used with permission from Storey Publishing.

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Kale Salad with Butternut Squash Chips, Toasted Pecans & Feta Serves 6 Although you need to prepare a few of this salad’s components before assembly, it is not complicated and the results are everything you’d want in a kale salad: lots of kale, the sweet caramelization of the squash chips, the bright counterpoint of quick-pickled onions and cabbage, the tang and saltiness of feta cheese, and the crunch of toasted pecans. It is beautiful to look at and potluck-worthy!

SALAD ½ butternut squash, sliced lengthwise into ¼-inch-thick half-moons 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil ½ teaspoon sea salt 2 bunches kale (choose your favorite kind), stemmed and chopped 1 (8-ounce) jar Quick Cider Vinegar Pickles (“Ciderhouse Cookbook: 127 Recipes that Celebrate the Sweet, Tart and Tangy flavors of Apple Cider,” page 43), made with red onions and red cabbage ¾ cup toasted pecans ½ cup crumbled feta cheese

DRESSING ¼ cup cider syrup (page 22) ¼ cup cider vinegar (page 18) ¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil ½ – ¾ teaspoon sea salt clove garlic, crushed

20 | UPCOUNTRY MAGAZINE | September/October 2018

1. Preheat the oven to 400°F. Line a baking pan with parch­ment paper.

2. Place the butternut squash slices on the pan so they are not overlapping. Drizzle with the olive oil, then sprinkle with the salt. Roast for 20 to 30 minutes, or until the squash begins to brown. Set aside to cool.

3. Make the Dressing: While the squash roasts, combine the syrup, vinegar, olive oil, salt and garlic in a mason jar, screw on the lid, and shake well to emulsify.

4. Make the Salad: Put the kale in a large mixing bowl. Add ½ cup of the dressing and vigorously massage it into the kale for about 15 seconds, or until the kale is nicely coated.

Strain the pickled vegetables from their brine, add them to the salad, and toss well.

5. Transfer the kale salad to a serving platter or bowl and scatter the squash chips, pecans, and feta over the top. Drizzle more dressing over the salad, if desired.

Excerpted from “Ciderhouse Cookbook,” by Jonathan Carr, Nicole Blum and Andrea Blum, photography by Mars Vilaubi and Colin Prince, used with permission from Storey Publishing.

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From there, the “Ciderhouse Cookbook: 127 Recipes that Celebrate the Sweet, Tart and Tangy flavors of Apple Cider” was born.

Recipes from the kitchen The majority of recipes come from the cooking Jonathan and Nicole do daily for their family.

“When we were developing these recipes, we would make them and have to think about what we were doing,” Blum said. “I would say, 'OK this is how much salt I would throw in,' and have to put it in a spoon and measure it. You just take notes as you're making it and then make it again with the notes, to make sure it comes out right. Then we had it tested by friends and family.”

The recipe for a kale salad with butternut squash chips, toasted pecans and feta is a prime example of something you'd find on their dinner table.

“Kale salad is pretty much a staple in our house,” she said.

“It's easy to change, so it's more of a question of what do you like? Usually, for me, it's about changing textures and flavors.

In this [recipe] the squash chips add a little crunch and sweetness, the pecans will too.

There's some quick pickles, cabbage and onion. So, that's color and tang.

“This could go a few different ways, but I would compose it in the same way. I want

crunchy, I want tangy, I want sour and I want sweet to go with the kale.”

While working on the cookbook, Blum realized that many of the recipes were attached to different times of her life.

“There was a time when I would always make a galette, an opened faced tart, when I went to a potluck because they are incredibly easy to make,” she said.

“The cider syrup-glazed scallops was one of the first recipes I developed. It's inspired by the Blue Heron up in Sunderland, Mass. They make these really nice pan-seared scallops over a bed of puy lentils and they drizzle it with some sort of cidery glaze. I decided to pan fry the scallops with cider syrup.”

A love of apples and hard cider The story of Carr's Ciderhouse really begins in Ireland in the 1990s, when the couple took over the Carr family homestead there.

“Jonathan's father kept the family homestead. We moved

there and ran an organic farm.

We were young, no one was living there, so we said we would.

It was like a dream,” Blum said.

“Jonathan's grandparents had a few trees in the yard that had grown and produced these apples that weren't really the kind you could eat, so we juiced them. We thought we'd make vinegar. I don't know why we thought that because we both love hard cider. But of course, to make vinegar, you have to make hard cider. It was like this little eye-opening moment for us.”

After a few years of farming in Ireland, the couple returned to the United States and settled in the Pioneer Valley while Carr earned his master's in pomology, the science of growing fruit, at the University of Massachusetts.

“Apples have always been a passion for him. It just naturally morphed into a masters in hard cider,” she said. “He encouraged them to plant a cider block at Cold Spring Orchard and around the same time we found this [38-acre orchard in Hadley]. It was about to go up for sale through a land

trust. This is all Agricultural Preservation Restriction land.”

In the orchard They bought the orchard and began planting cider apple trees and buying in apples, to press, in the early years before their trees began producing.

“That was in the early days, before this huge explosion of hard cider,” Blum said. “When we decided we still wanted to do something agricultural, we knew we wanted to do something we could make, something value-added.

“One of the hardest things about farming, we found, was that we had a lot of these raw ingredients we were selling to people who were making these beautiful things with them and it was really hard to make ends meet. We decided that whatever we did we could make something with our produce.”

Today, they grow heirloom apples: Golden Russett, Yarlington Mill, Dabinett, Kingston Black and the more modern Gold Rush, which they press and ferment on site.

“It all came out of a shared love of hard cider,” Blum said.

“Jonathan and I met in San Francisco. Our first date was at a restaurant that served hard cider and crepes (two of their favorite things.) We didn't realize that until years later. We love apples. We love making things.

It just feels like everything has come full circle. ”

Ciderhouse Cookbook: 127 Recipes that Celebrate the Sweet, Tart and Tangy flavors of Apple Cider

Carr's Ciderhouse

By Jonathan Carr and Nicole Blum of Carr’s Ciderhouse and Andrea Blum

Purchase products, find recipes and more at CarrsCiderhouse.com

221 pages Storey Publishing $19.95 22 | UPCOUNTRY MAGAZINE | September/October 2018

Hadley, Mass.

413-336-7363

24 | UPCOUNTRY MAGAZINE | September/October 2018

United as one — in this life and the next Shakers removed headstones to reflect values of spiritual life

UpCountryOnline.com | 25

Every once in a while, a headstone belonging to a member of the Hancock Shaker Village turns up in the yard of a neighboring property.

Village burial ground on Route 20 in Pittsfield, Mass. The lone marker for 276 community members buried there is a reminder of how they lived on this earthly plane — in unity.

Its inscription reads:

The discovery is typically made during a renovation, when a granite marker is pulled up and it bears a name or initials and a date on the underside.

The stones, when identified as belonging to the village, are picked up and neatly stacked in the basement of The Trustees building at Hancock Shaker Village, where they have sat, unceremoniously, since the first among them was put there in 1943.

Hancock Shaker Village curator Lesley Herzberg said the Shakers probably gave away the headstones to a “lot of their neighbors, who were redoing walls or walkways.”

Although the Shakers were a very spiritual community,

But the single marker to represent scores of Shaker deceased wasn't always this way.

“Up until 1942, the Shakers always used individual markers. They didn't all use chiseled stone markers; some used the metal 'lollipop' markers,” said Herzberg.

“In 1942, a directive was sent out by the central ministry at Mount Lebanon (N.Y.) that any operational communities take down the individual headstones and erect a single marker,” Herzberg said. “The idea was to have their final

By Jennifer Huberdeau

they did not view headstones as having any religious value.

The Shakers believed the spirits of the deceased had moved on to heaven and did not have any attachment to a material marker in a graveyard.

“We have one here that was used as an ironing board,” Herzberg said. “The headstones, once removed, held no religious significance to the Shakers.

They were part of the material world.

“The Shakers were great at reusing and recycling. Nothing went to waste.”

Headstones removed A single white granite monument rises from the center of the Hancock Shaker

"In loving memory Of members of the Shaker Church Who dedicated their lives To God and to the good of Humanity Passed to immortality."

resting places represent how they lived — as a community, not as individuals.”

It would take a year for the small community in west Pittsfield at the Hancock town line to remove the individual markers from the burial ground. The group hired a surveyor who diligently documented the locations of the headstones, along with any initials, names and dates on them.

“We are very fortunate they documented the cemetery in 1943; it's the only way we know who is buried there,” Herzberg said. “There are 14 gravestones that remain in the cemetery, laid flat, on the outer edges.

They are not Shakers. They are people who worked for them or lived with them, who were allowed to be buried there.”

The last internment at the cemetery, she said, took place in 2007. The United Society of Shakers, Sabbathday Lake Inc., which still owns the cemetery, granted the request of a woman, in her 90s at the time of her death, who had been raised in

THIS SPREAD: A single grave marker marks the gravesite of many Shakers buried on the site of Hancock Shaker Village in 1943. Photos: Ben Garver.

26 | UPCOUNTRY MAGAZINE | September/October 2018

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28 | UPCOUNTRY MAGAZINE | September/October 2018

THIS SPREAD: The grave marker of Francina Fitts was repurposed in the Laundry and Machine Shop at Hancock Shaker Village. Photos: Ben Garver

the Shaker community there.

“She was the last girl to be raised by the Hancock Shakers and she wanted to be buried here,” Herzberg said.

Honoring the past A total of 43 headstones have made their way back to Hancock Shaker Village over the last five decades. Some bear only the initials of their owners, while others carry names that live on across the county: Aspinwall, Sprague, Pomeroy, and Clapp. The headstone of Mother Sarah Harrison, one of the founders of the village, and that of Postmaster Augustus W. Williams, one of the only Shakers to hold a position outside of the village, are among

those held in the cellar.

It was in the cellar that Jennifer Trainer Thompson, Hancock Shaker Village’s director and CEO, first became enamored with the headstones and began thinking of ways to share them with the public.

“I saw them ... just lined up and stacked, all cobwebby and in dim lighting,” she said.

“They were clearly so beautiful — hand-carved and quarried locally.

“They are beautiful objects that are reminders that the Shakers' goal was not to complete something, but to make it as perfect as possible.

Work was a form of meditative worship for the Shakers, so I'm not surprised [the headstones] are so beautiful.”

Thompson's desire to share the headstones with the public will come to fruition on Oct. 11, during Grave Matters, a special event that begins with a cemetery tour, a stop at the Laundry and Machine shop and a trip to the basement to see the markers that are not currently on public display. The night will end in the parlor of the Victorian house that now serves as the Trustees' office.

“It's similar to our silo songs and even our goat yoga,” Thompson said of the unique event. “We're trying to create new portals through which you can understand this group that lived in our community and had such a profound impact on the community around it.”

The event will end in the UpCountryOnline.com | 29

parlor — part of the village's interpretive space — which holds the distinction of being one of the places the Shakers would greet visitors from the outside world.

“It's a way to continue the conversation about this community, about religious beliefs

and the burial practices of different communities,” Thompson said. “I think anyone who travels along Route 20 and sees the cemetery with its single marker or who has been to the village and seen the ironing board has some immediate questions.” •

BELOW: The gravemarkers from the cemetery at Hancock Shaker Village are in the Trustees House basement. Photos: Ben Garver.

If you go...

GRAVE MATTERS When: Thursday, Oct. 11, 7-8 p.m.

Where: Hancock Shaker Village, 1843 West Housatonic St., Pittsfield, Mass.

What: The tour begins across Route 20, away from the cluster of Shaker buildings, where a single granite stone stands in a grassy field. Join us on a grave tour – a walk to the cemetery, the Laundry and Machine shop, and the cellar to see the beautiful individual grave markers (viewable only by private visit) and learn the fascinating stories behind the slabs. Tour ends with wine and conversation in the parlor.

Tickets: $25 for non-members, $20 for members.

Information: hancockshakervillage.org or 413-443-0188

HAUNTED HANCOCK When: Thursdays: Oct. 18 and 25, 6p.m.

Fridays: Oct. 19 and 26, 6 p.m. and 8 p.m.

Saturdays: Oct. 20 and 27, 6 p.m. and 8 p.m.

Where: Hancock Shaker Village, 1843 West Housatonic St., Pittsfield, Mass.

What: Walk through Hancock Shaker Village by lantern light; hear true tales of ghostly sighting and discover the Shakers’ role in the spiritualist movement. Tours are 90 minutes and are recommended for those aged 12 and older.

Tickets: $30 for non-members, $27 for members.

Information: hancockshakervillage.org or 413-443-0188

Similar Events Ghost Tours at The Mount When: Fridays in September at 5:45 p.m. and 7 p.m.

Where: The Mount, 2 Plunkett St., Lenox, Mass.

What: Creaking floors and slamming doors, fading footsteps down empty halls, tingling taps on the shoulders, spectral shapes crouched in corners or gathered in front of fireplaces long gone cold. Tricks of the imagination in an old house once inhabited by a skilled writer of ghost stories … or something else?

Take a ghost tour and decide for yourself.

The 2-hour ghost tour starts at the stable and ends at the Main House. Please arrive 15 minutes early. Please note that this tour is not suitable for wheelchairs and includes about a half-mile walk with some steep areas.Dress warmly and wear sensible shoes.

This spooky tour is not recommended for children under 12.

Tickets: Advance reservations for ghost tours are required. $24 for adults, $20 for ages 12 -18. If tickets are sold out for a particular evening and you’d like to be added to a waitlist, please email info@ edithwharton.org.

Information: edithwharton.org 30 | UPCOUNTRY MAGAZINE | September/October 2018

The UpCountry Antiques Guide 1

2

4 5 7

6

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Where to shop for classic p ieces an d unexpec ted treas ures

1. Puggy’s 37 Emerald St., Keene, N.H.

4. Route 102 Trading Post 1

905 Pleasant St., Lee, Mass.

Featuring wares from many vendors, Route 102 Trading Post offers antiques and collectibles for all ages.

At Puggy's, their mission is: "Reuse, Re-purpose, Recycle". They are a multi-vendor shop, with individual tastes and collections, and carry New England Made products.

There is something for all tastes and interests, with new merchandise weekly, if not daily. Come and visit Puggy's and find those one-of-a-kind special items, including quality furniture that will last your lifetime--and your children's lifetime--at a fraction of the price of commercial stores.

Hours of operation Daily: 10 a.m.- 5 p.m.

More information: 413-775-3508

5. Antiques Center And All That Jazz

Hours of operation: Sun.: 12 noon- 5 p.m.

Mon.- Fri.: 11 a.m.- 6 p.m.

Sat.: 11 a.m.- 5 p.m.

2

A shopping destination with many vendors offering all kinds of antiques and collectibles.

More information: 603-355-2355 facebook.com/Puggyshop

Hours of operation: Daily: 10 a.m.- 5 p.m.

More information: 413-775-3508

2. Clark Vintage Lighting 342 North St., Pittsfield, Mass.

Clark Vintage Lighting specializes in the restoration and sales of antique and vintage lighting as well as vintage industrial lighting. They carry lighting parts and accessories including replacement glass, cloth shades, chain and canopy kits. Clark Vintage offers repair, restoration or modification of client-owned lighting. They also use their years of lighting experience to make custom designed fixtures that fit the client’s lighting needs.

325 Stockbridge Road, Great Barrington, Mass.

6. Chelsea Antiques Marketplace 434B Stockbridge Road, Great Barrington, Mass.

3

3,000 sq. ft. of an eclectic mix of 19thand 20th-century home furnishings and accessories, including basics like dressers, chairs, dining tables, cupboards, etc., and non-basic, just fun stuff, with a friendly and helpful staff. Chelsea Antiques Marketplace also offers consignment services for people who are downsizing.

Hours of operation Tues.- Sat.: 11 a.m.- 5:30 p.m.

More information: 413-344-4491 clarkvintage.com

6

3. Berkshire Hills Coins & Estate Jewelry

Hours of operation Jun.-Dec.: Open daily, 11 a.m.- 5 p.m.

Jan,-May: Open daily 11 a.m.- 5 p.m. except Tues. and Wed., which are open by chance or appointment. Call first to confirm.

More information: 413-528-1888 chelseaantiquesandarts.com

222 Elm St., Pittsfield, Mass.

Berkshire Hills Coins & Estate Jewelry has been in business since 1985, offering fine estate jewelry

7. Emporium Antique Center

and rare coins to the Pittsfield area. They buy, sell and appraise coins, sterling, gold, antique jewelry and jewelry scraps. Their jewelry collection contains beautiful contemporary and vintage items, including gold, silver, and diamonds. They pay top prices on unwanted gold and silver, jewelry and antique pocket watches. All of their items are rare and in the best condition possible.

The Emporium features a large selection of art glass, specializing in Loetz. They also show pieces by other European and American manufacturers. The shop displays an extensive selection of estate, vintage, and designer jewelry, art work of various types, and numerous other antique and designer items. Visit them in their new quarters, with customer parking in the rear. Save the planet. Recycle. Buy Antiques!

Hours of operation Mon.- Fri.: 10 a.m.- 5:30 p.m.

Sat.: 10 a.m.- 4 p.m.

More information: 413-499-1400 berkshirehillscoins.com

Sponsored Content

162 Main St., Great Barrington, Mass.

7

Hours of operation Summer/Leaf Season: Open Daily, 11 a.m.- 5 p.m.

Off-season: Closed Tues. and Wed. More information: 413-528-1660

UpCountryOnline.com | 33

A TASTE OF FALL

Where to find apple cider doughnuts ...

Signs that fall has arrived in New England: Leaves of gold, red and orange. Crisp, cool nights. Apple harvests and overflowing pumpkin patches.

And with it comes a bounty of autumn-flavored goodness: Apple cider, apple and pumpkin pies, and the indulgence in apple cider doughnuts.

We all have our favorite apple cider doughnuts, since no two shops make them the same. In many cases, the recipes are family secrets known only by a few family members and trusted staffers.

We asked the staff members of our sister publications — The Berkshire Eagle in Pittsfield, Mass.; the Brattleboro Reformer in Brattleboro, Vt.; The Manchester Journal in Manchester, Vt.; and the Bennington Banner in Bennington, Vt. — to recommend their go-to spots for apple cider doughnuts. Of course, they came up with more than a few. By no means are these the only options, but they are the ones our staff members frequent.

This page: Freshly made and coated in sugar, cider doughnuts are ready to be sold at Bartlett’s Orchard in Richmond, Mass.

Photo: Stephanie Zollshan.

34 | UPCOUNTRY MAGAZINE | September/October 2018

If you’re in the Berkshires, we suggest: Bartlett's Orchard 575 Swamp Road, Richmond, Mass.

413-698-2559 bartlettsorchard.com

Hilltop Orchards and Furnace Brook Winery 508 Canaan Road, Richmond, Mass.

800-833-6274 Hilltoporchards.com

Home Sweet Home Doughnut Shoppe 258 Stockbridge Road, Great Barrington, Mass.

413-717-4144 homesweethomedoughnutshoppe.com

Jaeschke Orchards 23 Gould Road, Adams, Mass.

413-743-3896 Jaeschkesorchard.com

Lakeview Orchard 94 Old Cheshire Road, Lanesborough, Mass.

413-448-6009 lakevieworchard.com

Taft Farms

Equinox Valley Nursery

119 Park St., Great Barrington, Mass.

413-528-1515 taftfarms.com

1158 Main St., Route 7A, Manchester, Vt. 802-362-2610 equinoxvalleynursery.com

Whitney's Farm Market & Garden Center

Green Mountain Orchards

1775 S State Road, Cheshire, Mass.

413-442-4749 whitneysfarm.com

130 West Hill Road, Putney, Vt. 802-387-5851 greenmountainorchards.com

If you’re in Southern Vermont, we suggest: The Apple Barn 604 US Route 7S, Bennington, Vt. 802-447-7780 theapplebarn.com

The Sugar Shack Sugar Shack Lane, Route 7A, Arlington, Vt. 802-375-6747 sugarshackvt.com

Over the border in New York:

Allen Brothers Farms

Goold Orchard

6023 US Route 5, Westminster, Vt. 802-722-3395 allenbrothersfarms.com

1297 Brookview Station Road, Castleton, N.Y. 518-732-7317 goold.com

Cold Hollow Cider

Lumber Jack's Coffee And Snacks

3600 Waterbury Stowe

Road, Waterbury Center, Vt. 800-327-7537 coldhollow.com

5103 NY-7, Hoosick Falls, N.Y. 518-686-1614 lumberjackscoffee.com

ABOVE: Fresh baked apple cider doughnuts wait to be enjoyed at the Apple Barn and Country Bake Shop in Bennington, Vt. Photo: Holly Pelczynski

UpCountryOnline.com | 35

Heirloom apples grow here On Scott Farm in Dummerston, more than 100 ‘almost-lost’ varieties are grown with tender care BELOW: Freshly picked apples at Scott Farm in Dummerston, Vt. Photo: Kristopher Radder.

By Natalie Wise A crisp scent wafts in the air at Scott Farm Orchard in Dummerston, Vt., but it isn’t just your average honeycrisp. You’ll come across heirloom varieties like Duchess of Oldenburg, Sheep’s Nose and Snow Apple.

This classic Vermont orchard grows more than 100 “almost-lost” varieties of apples.

Scott Farm Orchard has been in continuous cultivation since 1791, so it is with good reason the picturesque property is on the National Registry of Historic Places. The farm is owned by Landmark Trust USA, an organization dedicated to preserving historic properties.

Here, orchardist Ezekiel “Zeke” Goodband embodies the image one associates with the kind of person who dedicates his life traveling the world to save rare apples. The spiry man with a long, gray beard is kind and soft-spoken. He’s always ready to pull out his trusty pocket knife to cut you off a slice of whatever apple is nearest at hand. Goodband has been with Scott Farm since 2001, and, in that time, has added more than 125 varieties to the orchard’s collection.

“The orchard is a mosaic of all these different colors, flavors, aromatics during the fall,” Goodband said.

His day starts with checking on every apple variety that is close to being ripe, tasting them and checking the color

UpCountryOnline.com | 37

LEFT: Migrant farm workers from the island nation of Jamaica help pick apples at Scott Farm Apple Orchard in Dummerston, Vt. RIGHT: Zeke Goodband, orchard manager of Scott Farm, checks the ripeness of various apples. Photos: Kristopher Radder.

NEXT PAGE: Shoppers browse apple bins in the Farm Market. Photo courtesy of Scott Farm.

of the seeds as another indication of ripeness. Goodband has a crew to harvest the apples, spread over 20 miles of rows of trees on 571 acres.

Some in the crew have been with Scott Farm for 30 years, Goodband said, and they spend a lot of time together.

They harvest apples from late July through the end of November, then spend the winter on snowshoes pruning each and every tree. The crew takes Thanksgiving Day off, and as Goodband has gotten older, the day after Thanksgiving. But after that, the crew works seven days a week.

People travel far and wide to meet with Goodband and seek his opinion on the best apples and their uses.

For cider? A variety: Apples that are astringent, sweet and tart, then add “accent apples” with specific tastes.

For pies? Try Greening’s Rhode Island or the Wolf River.

The most unique apple? Perhaps the oldest American variety, the Roxbury Russet, which is said to taste like pineapple and have the texture of coconut.

If you’re looking for the most textbook schoolhouse red apple, well, that’s the Baldwin, and it was the main apple grown in New England until the 1930s.

Goodband’s most exciting find?

The Court Pundu Plat.

A French variety, the Court Pundu Plat, “goes back to maybe the late 1500s,” Goodband said.

“It’s a very small apple.

Very, very flavorful. It's just started to produce apples for us, so I'm pretty excited about that,” he said.

If you’d like to pick Goodband’s brain about apples and then pick some apples yourself, visit Scott Farm on Heirloom Apple Day. Every Columbus Day Weekend, the Scott Farm

38 | UPCOUNTRY MAGAZINE | September/October 2018

hosts its Heirloom Apple Day to celebrate these rare apples and the unique lore and tastes they bring with them.

Want to try the apple that’s pink inside? Or the one that tastes like a lemon? Goodband gives talks throughout the day about some of the most unique apples — perhaps Thomas Jefferson’s favorite, the one that Henry David Thoreau waxed poetic about in his journal, or the variety known for making the most authentic apple strudel, followed by a sampling of 16 to 18 of the apples that are perfectly ripe during Goodband’s morning rounds.

“I don't spend a lot of time talking during the year, and I make up for it on Heirloom Apple Day,” he said.

Heirloom Apple Day also includes fiddle music, guided tours of the stone walls on the property, wood-fired pizza, pick-your-own apples and a hard-cider tasting from Whet-

stone Ciderworks, which uses apples from the farm. There are activities for children, too.

And you’ll probably find Goodband’s grandkids exploring and tasting their favorite apples.

“They all have their favorites, they’re much more definitive than me,” he said.

At Scott Farm, the Old Lady in Winter and the Pink Lady are among the obscure varieties.

The Old Lady in Winter, also known as the Knobbed Russet, is not pretty on the outside, but has a crisp, bright taste. The Pink Lady is believed to be the oldest variety of apple still in cultivation, dating from the 1500s, and she’s still as pretty as she was then.

It’s a worthy pursuit to keep these delicacies alive in an era where shippability and looks are the most important attributes of an apple, even before taste.

You won’t be able to pick

Ways to enjoy Scott Farm Heirloom Apples: If you’re having a party, impress guests by spreading some quince paste on thin slices of any of the heirloom apples for a nice addition to a cheese plate.

For a quick snack, spread a piece of turkey with cranberry sauce and wrap it around a thin wedge of apple.

For a teatime twist, use two medium-thick slices of apples as “bread” for a thin spread of chicken salad.

For the kids, create your own apple chips by thinly slicing apples (having an adult do this using a mandolin produces the best results), laying them in a single layer on a baking sheet, sprinkling lightly with cinnamon and sugar, and bake for 1 ½ hours at 200 degrees. Flip the slices and bake another 1 ½ hours, then turn off the oven and leave the slices in the oven until cool.

Visit Scott Farm during Heirloom Apple Day: Sunday, Oct. 7, 2018 Talks and tastings at 10 a.m., noon, and 2 p.m.

Scott Farm 707 Kipling Road Dummerston, Vt. 802-254-6868

UpCountryOnline.com | 39

“The orchard is a mosaic of all these different colors, flavors, aromatics during the fall.”

-Ezekiel “Zeke” Goodband, Scott Farm orchardist

40 | UPCOUNTRY MAGAZINE | September/October 2018

UpCountryOnline.com | 41

PREVIOUS SPREAD: An apple tree laden with fruit in Scott Farm’s orchard.

ABOVE: The 1862 Barn at Scott Farm. Photos: Kelly Fletcher Photography.

your own heirloom varieties directly from the trees, since those trees are more vulnerable.

However, the more mainstream varieties, such as JonaGold and Empire, are yours to collect using a 6-foot apple picker or your own hands. If the kids get a little over ambitious and pick too many apples, donate them to the Feed Your Neighbor campaign that supplies apples to local food pantries.

Don’t worry, though, you will be able to take these unique fruits home; the farmstand has a generous selection of the heirloom varieties. Once you’ve chosen your favorites, load up on local jams, fresh cider and heirloom apple pies.

You’ll want to share them with others, just like Goodband did after tasting his first heirloom apples as a young farmer.

“The flavors were ones I'd never dreamed of and I knew other people like me would love to try these,” he said. •

Other fall celebrations in UpCountry Mount Snow Brewers Festival

West Dover, Vt. , Sept. 1-2 The renowned celebration of beer, music and food celebrates its 24th anniversary over Labor Day weekend.

Information: mountsnow.com

Garlic and Herb Festival

Bennington, Vt., Sept. 1-2

The 23rd annual Garlic and Herb Festival has something for everyone. From garlic ice cream to garlic jelly, pickled garlic, roasted garlic, garlic braids and, of course, plain garlic bulbs of every variety will be available for sampling and purchase, along with planting and braiding and cooking demonstrations.

Information: bennington.com/garlicfest

Lee Founders Weekend Celebration

Lee, Mass., Sept. 14-16

This event is typically the kickoff for all of the area’s fall foliage events and enhances its popularity. This is a weekend of fun for everyone: food, music, and many other activities that include the annual parade, arts and crafts vendors, a duck derby, a vintage tennis tournament, a road race, sidewalk sales and more.

Information: leechamber.org/ festivals/founders-weekend/

Vermont Wine and Harvest Festival

West Dover, Vt., Sept. 22

Mount Snow hosts the grand tasting of the 10th annual Vermont Wine and Harvest Festival.

With Vermont’s Deerfield Valley as the backdrop of the state’s world-renowned fall foliage, the Vermont Wine & Harvest Festival offers up local vintners, specialty food producers, chefs, painters, publishers, cheesemakers, potters, jewelers, photographers and farmers.

Information: mountsnow.com

Lenox Apple Squeeze

Lenox, Mass., Sept. 22-23

The 39th annual Lenox Apple Squeeze is a free street festival celebrates the apple harvest with local shops, restaurants, artisans, musicians, farm stands, and a variety of arts and music performers.

Information: 413-637-3646, lenox.org

Manchester Fall Art and Craft Festival

Riley Rink at Hunter Park, Manchester, Vt., Sept. 28-30

At the 30th annual Manchester Fall Art and Craft Festival, visitors can find handcrafted creations made by expert artists and artisans, and meet the actual makers who are plying their wares.

The festival also includes a specialty foods and

42 | UPCOUNTRY MAGAZINE | September/October 2018

spirits tent, with producers of Vermont products including maple syrup, craft distilled spirits, and other gourmet items.

Information: craftproducers.com/festivals

Northern Berkshire Fall Foliage Parade and Festival

North Adams, Mass.

Since 1955, North Adams has held a week of events that highlight the spectacular fall colors.

Complete with a children’s fair, road race, craft fair and performances, the Fall Foliage Festival is described by locals as “fall family fun.” The festival’s highlight is the 63nd annual Fall Foliage Parade on Sunday, Sept. 30, stepping off at 1 p.m. Other events held various days and times.

Information: 413-664-6180, explorenorthadams.com, 1berkshire.com/calendar/fall-foliage-parade

Berkshire Botanical Garden Harvest Festival

Stockbridge, Mass., Oct. 6-7

One of the longest running regional events of its kind, the festival offers family fun, great food, local craft vendors, a farmers market, haunted house, giant tag sales and more. The Harvest Festival is held on the grounds of the Berkshire Botanical Garden.

Information: 413-298-3926, berkshirebotanical.org

A family tradition 97 years on, Wohrle’s carries on a legacy of quality and customer service.

In 1914, an 18-year-old cook’s helper from Kuernbach, Germany, named John Wohrle set foot on the shores of New York City with a head full of recipes and a hunger for work.

The plan had been one last trip across the Atlantic on a German steamer ship called the George Washington, a chance to gain job experience and have a final adventure before settling in his hometown to start his career as a wurstmacher. History had other ideas.

Midway through the George Washington’s crossing, tensions in Europe boiled over into the first World War. Upon arriving in New York, the ship was impounded by U.S. soldiers, and Wohrle hit the streets of New York to look for restaurant work. Following the end of the war, he returned to Germany and legally re-entered the United States, becoming a naturalized citizen.

Connections in the German immigrant community led him to Pittsfield, Mass., where he founded John Wohrle’s Market in 1921. The company’s first retail store offered top-quality hot dogs, sausages and luncheon meats made in RIGHT: The second, third and fourth generations of the Wohrle’s family pose in the company’s Pittsfield, Mass. warehouse. Pictured, from left to right, are Walter Pickwell, Becky Kessler, Luke Kessler, Rob Kessler, Lynn Kessler, Jon Pickwell and Barbara Pickwell. Photo: Casey Albert.

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the Black Forest tradition. By 1930, the business had outgrown its Wahconah Street location and moved to nearby Seymour Street, where it expanded operations to include wholesale distribution.

Business grew steadily for the next two and a half decades. In 1957, Wohrle purchased the company’s current location, the former U.S. Beef Company at 1619 East St., and renamed the business Wohrle’s Foods, Inc. Following John Wohrle’s passing in 1969, ownership shifted to his daughter and son-in-law, Barbara and Walter Pickwell. The Pickwells expanded sales into neighboring regions of New York, Vermont and Connecticut, and continued to build the company’s product selection.

The third generation came on board in 1981, when their son Jon Pickwell came to work for the company as a sales representative. Daughter and sonin-law Lynn and Rob Kessler followed in 1986. Today, they form the management team, as Walter and Barbara are now semiretired.

In 1990, the family constructed a new, larger warehouse and increased their offerings to become a truly full-service establishment, now selling fresh seafood, produce, paper goods and more alongside their famous meat products and custom cut steaks and chops.

The new facility included huge freezers and additional offices designed to better serve Wohrle’s wholesale clientele, including restaurants, hospitals, schools and nursing homes, which make up a large part of the company’s business.

Wohrle’s new, larger 5,000 sqare foot food warehouse outlet store opened in 2010, and is run by the Pickwells’ daughter, Lynn Kessler. The company is just as committed to providing the best possible experience to its retail customers as it is to its wholesale clients. In an interview with UpCountry, Barbara Pickwell emphasized Sponsored Content

the fact that Wohrle’s — unlike many big-box stores — is completely open to the public, with no membership or club fees required. In addition, Wohrle’s provides the personal attention not often found at larger stores.

“We always stress fast personal service,” she said.

A new generation Wohrle’s is, above all else, a family business. In 2014, Luke Kessler — great-grandson of John Wohrle — joined the team, bringing in the fourth generation of family involvement. Luke’s presence in the company is important, Barbara says, not only for the family but for its significance to the larger community. “It shows that the Berkshires have something to offer for young people coming back.” Recently, Luke’s wife Becky Kessler joined the outlet store team.

This community-centric mindset is an important part of the Wohrle’s identity. The food store and warehouse outlet frequently works with churches, schools, Little Leagues and other community groups. It also takes its role as a member of the area economy very seriously, proud to be local and support local.

With its centennial approaching, Wohrle’s continues to grow as healthily as ever, adding new products and services to continually improve the customer experience. It’s a persistence Barbara takes great pride in. “We’re happy to be a family business in the Berkshires that has been able to survive and grow through 97 years,” she said. As the newest generation steps up to continue the family tradition, Wohrle’s is ready to keep growing for years to come.

Wohrle’s Food Outlet Store is located at 1619 East St., Pittsfield, Mass., and is open Mon.- Fri., 8 a.m.- 5:30 p.m., and Sat., 8 a.m.- 4 p.m. To learn more, call 413-442-2411 or visit wohrlesfoods.com.

Wohrle’s Wholesale can be

Oh, my dog: The origins of a Pittsfield classic The Pittsfield baby frankfurt — a natural-casing dog traditionally served on a steamed bun with mustard, relish and a chili-like sauce — dates back to the early 1940s.

Chris Politis, owner of a lunch spot on Linden Street, approached John Wohrle about creating a unique menu item to stir up new business. In response, Wohrle came back with the now-famous baby frankfurter, based on recipes from his German homeland. The franks were an instant hit, spreading rapidly across the Berkshires and beyond.

The baby hot dogs are the company’s most popular product by far. “We have former Berkshire residents calling from across the country to have the product shipped out to them,” says Barbara.

THIS PAGE, FROM TOP: Inside the 5,000 sqare foot warehouse outlet store; Luke Kessler, Rob Kessler and Jon Pickwell work under the watchful gaze of founders John and Anna Wohrle; Owners Barbara and Walter Pickwell, daughter and sonin-law of Wohrle’s founder John Wohrle.

Photos: Casey Albert.

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UP NEXT

WORDS A PLENTY Playwrights, lyricists, folk singers and authors dominate fall scene

By Benjamin Cassidy I might be biased, but it looks like writers are going to rule the Berkshires and Southern Vermont arts scene this September and October. For starters, some of the best and most promising living authors will attend the Brattleboro Literary Festival in October, attracting book nerds to an area already teeming with lit lovers.

Also in October, the region’s stages will feature two of the most accomplished American playwrights, Eugene O’Neill and Tennessee Williams; Oldcastle Theatre Company in Bennington, Vt., will house a production of “Long Day’s Journey into Night” by O’Neill, the 1936 Nobel Prize in Literature recipient, while Pittsfield, Mass.’s Barrington Stage Company will host Williams’ “The Glass Menagerie.”

FreshGrass may be a music festival, but many of the roots musicians roaming the grounds of the Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art this September have serious lyrical chops. (Listen to a few I’m With Her verses, and you’ll agree.) And even if Dewey Hall’s “Swing Night” with One Straw Revolution in Sheffield, Mass., and The Latchis’ 80th Birthday Celebration in Brattleboro, Vt., don’t immediately evoke pen-andpaper, we all know that scribes can use a bit of festive inspiration from time to time. They would be wise to join these celebrations.

PHOTO: Sharon McCutcheon/UnSplash

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• FreshGrass, Mass MoCA, Sept. 14-16: Some of the best bluegrass, folk and Americana musicians play at this annual festival occupying different areas of the North Adams institution.

• Angel Olsen, Hunter Center, Sept. 29, 8 p.m.: The indie singer-songwriter behind “Shut Up Kiss Me” blends folk, rock and more.

• The Decemberists, Joe’s Field, Oct. 4, 8 p.m.: A rescheduled show after Colin Meloy’s vocal strain prevented the group from sharing songs off of its latest album with North Adams fans this summer.

It won’t be slim pickings at this year’s edition of FreshGrass. Running from Sept. 14 to Sept.

16, the annual roots music festival features a star-studded lineup consisting of some of the best acts in bluegrass, folk, Americana and ... Celtic punk. That’s right, one of this year’s headliners is Flogging Molly, the seven-piece Irish rock band known for hits such as “Drunken Lullabies” and “If I Ever Leave This World Alive.”

If booking Flogging Molly feels like a smack in the face to some FreshGrass faithful, they can take comfort in acts such as Indigo Girls, Trampled By Turtles, Rhiannon Giddens, Béla Fleck, Ricky Skaggs & Kentucky Thunder, I’m With Her, Yonder Mountain String Band and Steep Canyon Rangers.

Some faces are familiar, but that doesn’t mean their music will be. Giddens, for example, has prepared some new sounds after receiving the 2018 FreshGrass Composition Commission, an award that will ensure this old-timey festival remains plenty current.

Jackie Sedlock, Sarah McNair and Karl Mullen of The Wandering Rocks of Williamstown perform at the FreshGrass Bluegrass Concert at Mass MoCA. Photo: Gillian Jones.

48 | UPCOUNTRY MAGAZINE | September/October 2018

Few venues can host a swing night and claim nostalgia. Dewey Memorial Hall is one of them. The Sheffield institution opened its doors in 1887, well before swing took off in the 1930s. On the second Saturday of every month (with two exceptions, one of them being September), Oldtone Productions hosts an homage to that era at the Main Street venue.

On Oct. 13, “Swing Night” commences at 7:30 p.m. with a lesson from Jason Fenton. Those who aren’t Lindy hop pros need not worry; beginners are welcome, and partners aren’t required. One Straw Revolution will start playing standards an hour later. The group features Bobby MacVeety on guitar and vocals, Roger Suters on bass, Jon Suters on guitar, Grisha Alexiev on percussion and Peter McEachern on trombone, providing plenty of rhythm to spark some jiving.

Two weeks later, a Moors & McCumber concert brings some American roots music inside the Hall’s hallowed walls. History can’t shake this place.

SWING NIGHT AT DEWEY HALL WITH ONE STRAW REVOLUTION Dewey Memorial Hall 91 Main St., Sheffield, Mass.

• Swing Night at Dewey Hall with One Straw Revolution, Dewey Memorial Hall, Oct. 13, 7:30 p.m.: One Straw Revolution plays standards to a swing dancing crowd.

• Moors & McCumber, Dewey Memorial Hall, Oct. 27, 7 p.m.: James Moors and Kort McCumber harmonize about love with an Americana sound.

Courtesy photo.

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Truth and illusion are dancing around people’s heads these days, taking their lead from internet algorithms and political rhetoric, but the interaction between these two forces has long been examined artistically. The stage is no exception. One of its masters, Tennessee Williams, owes much of his playwriting fame to his exploration of fact and fiction in “The Glass Menagerie,” which will have a run on Barrington Stage Company’s Boyd-Quinson Mainstage beginning on Oct. 7.

(Previews begin Oct. 3.)

The 1944 memory play focuses on the Wingfeld family, a clan beset by exasperation in various forms. Writer Tom Wingfeld narrates, warning early on that he will “give you truth in the pleasant disguise of illusion.” His sister Laura’s shyness and glass figurines, oft-analyzed in this classic work, contribute to this murky air.

Anybody who checked out “The Royal Family of Broadway” toward the beginning of Barrington Stage’s 2018 season knows that the Pittsfield-based company isn’t afraid to bring a family with a few problems to its biggest stage. The Wingfelds’ tribulations perhaps have more depth than the Cavendishes’, but then again, it’s hard to know what — and whom — to believe in this drama.

“THE GLASS MENAGERIE” Barrington Stage Company Boyd-Quinson Mainstage, 30 Union St., Pittsfield, Mass.

• “The Glass Menagerie,” BoydQuinson Mainstage, Oct. 7-21: Reality blurs in Tennessee Williams’ classic memory play.

Courtesy photo.

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While some may be reveling in the beginning of fall on Sept. 22, Latchis Arts has a different reason to celebrate on that particular Saturday. Eighty years earlier, the Latchis Memorial Building was set to open, though a hurricane forced it to wait a day. Undeterred by this technicality, the Brattleboro organization has decided to throw a day-long birthday party on the original date that features free live performances, movie specials and, yes, some cake.

The events will begin at 10 a.m. with special film screenings that will continue throughout the day. The Main Theatre will host live events at 2 p.m. and 7 p.m.

The New England Center for Circus Arts and indie rockers Moxie have already been booked for the nightcap, and you can count on performers from Brattleboro Music Center, Vermont Jazz Center, New England Youth Theatre and Brattleboro Youth Rock Festival and “Turandot” (an opera set to be staged at the Latchis) contributing to the festivities as well.

THE LATCHIS’ 80TH BIRTHDAY CELEBRATION Latchis Theatre 50 Main St., Brattleboro, Vt. • The Latchis’ 80th Birthday Celebration, Latchis Theatre, Sept. 22, 10 a.m.: A commemoration of a Brattleboro institution featuring free live performances, movie specials and cake.

• George Winston, Latchis Theatre, Oct. 21, 7 p.m.: The pianist draws from folk for his sound.

For those more visually inclined, an exhibit of photographs and archival material will be on display at Latchis’ gallery throughout September and October. But the other events will surely provide plenty of visual stimulation — if not 80 years’ worth, perhaps a season’s.

The Latchis Theatre fills up for an event in 2016 Cr. Ben Zackin/For Latchis Arts

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In Eugene O’Neill’s “Long Day’s Journey into Night,” Mary and James Tyrone aren’t what you might call a happy couple. Mary’s sanity has saddled up with morphine; James’ acting career has been in bed with greed.

But the two actors set to play these roles in an October production of O’Neill’s famous drama at Oldcastle Theatre Company must have been beyond content to be paired for this show.

That’s because Christine Decker and Nigel Gore spearheaded an acclaimed production of “The Lion in Winter” the last time they took the Oldcastle stage together (pictured here). Gore played a “bullying, forceful” King Henry II of England, while Decker took a “masterly” approach to Henry’s wife, Queen Eleanor of Aquitaine, according to The Berkshire Eagle’s theater critic, Jeffrey Borak.

Whether Gore and Decker can recreate that magic onstage this fall remains to be seen. If they do, the Tyrones will look just as miserable as ever.

“LONG DAY’S JOURNEY INTO NIGHT” Oldcastle Theatre Company 331 Main St., Bennington, Vt.

Nigel Gore and Christine Decker in “The Lion in Winter.” Courtesy photo.

52 | UPCOUNTRY MAGAZINE | September/October 2018

• “Long Day’s Journey into Night,” Oldcastle Theatre, Oct. 5-14: Eugene O’Neill’s classic drama follows a day in the life of the Tyrone family at their Connecticut summer home.

It may not be New York or London, but Brattleboro, Vt., has the literary world’s attention for at least one weekend every fall. Starting in 2002, the Brattleboro Literary Festival has invited both established and rising authors in a variety of different genres to come speak at various venues around the town. In the past, authors like Saul Bellow and Colum McCann have visited; this year’s batch includes Stephen Greenblatt, former Vermont Gov. Madeleine Kunin, Joan Silber, Kate Christensen, Wayétu Moore, Laura Shapiro, Kate Greathead, Aaron Thier, Alia Malek and Tom Sleigh, among more than a few dozen other scribes Big names might draw some people to the festival, which runs from Oct. 11-14 this year. But listening to talented newcomers might make for the best stories in time. For example, Greathead released her debut novel, “Laura & Emma,” this year; Moore’s “She Would Be King” is due out in September.

Perhaps their titles will one day line shelves at Brattleboro’s several bookstores. For now, they’ll have to settle for participating in the town’s signature literary event.

BRATTLEBORO LITERARY FESTIVAL Brattleboro Literary Festival Brattleboro, Vt.

• Brattleboro Literary Festival, various venues in Brattleboro, Vt., Oct. 11-14: Several dozen authors arrive in Brattleboro for a weekend celebrating the written word.

Roy Blount Jr. and Tom Bodett at the Latchis Theatre during the 2011 Brattleboro Literary Festival. Photo: Beowulf Sheehan.

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Time is precious, and so is Northampton.

24 hours in Northampton …

This city sparkles in the Pioneer Valley Downtown Northampton, Mass. Photos: Giulia McDonnell Nieto del Rio.

So we decided to give our travel writer Giulia McDonnell Nieto del Rio just one day for a getaway and to get away to Northampton, a vibrant hub of the Pioneer Valley of Western Massachusetts.

Northampton is a place you can rock and you can relax. It has a great vibe and a refreshing energy, thanks to the folks who live, work, play and study here.

Situated at the junction of Routes 91 and 9 (and 5 and 10 and 66), Northampton is a hub of academia (Smith, Amherst, Hampshire and Mount Holyoke colleges and the University of Massachusetts) and creativity and commerce and community.

Northampton has history (to 1654) and a youthful spirit.

Dining choices abound. The coffee house scene is serious.

Numerous shops and markets, among other attractions, make for a jam-packed visit.

All this makes this city of nearly 30,000 among the most eclectic communities in New England.

"When tourists are here, it's always fun to head people towards all the restaurants and bar rooms," Henry Walz, the owner of The Old Bookstore in Northampton, told UpCountry’s Giulia. "Downtown Northampton is turning more and more into an entertainment district, which is making for a fun and healthy part of the town."

What follows is Giulia’s 24 hours in Northampton.

Mind you, it’s impossible to capture this city in one day and in one magazine article.

But it’s a starting point meant to inspire your trip. And we’ll be back.

Welcome to UpCountry, Northampton!

— Kevin Moran, executive editor, UpCountry UpCountryOnline.com | 55

1. A 9 a.m. caffeine boost

Get started on the day at the Haymarket Cafe, on Main Street, with a latte or espresso paired with a variety of breakfast choices; eggs benedict, avocado toast and acai bowls are all popular choices. Students fill the small wooden tables, working on their laptops or engaging in lively conversation over coffee and pastries.

The pastel-colored walls are lined with vintage photographs and prints of cities, landscapes and people.

1. The Haymarket Cafe

2. A 10 a.m. shopping spree Head over to Thorne's Marketplace on Main Street to browse everything from women's fashion at Cedar's Chest to natural foods at Cornucopia. With 18 different shops, you’ll find a variety of gifts and other possible purchases for friends, family members and even for yourself.

"I really like the inventory we have," said Audris Wayton, who started working last year at Blue Marble, a shop with a focus on hand-crafted items including pottery, scarves, and jewelry.

"I enjoy working in Thorne's because it feels like a family. We're all neighbors and we spend every day together, it's really nice."

3. A noontime snack A Northampton staple since 1938, Joe's Cafe on Market Street remains somewhat of a hidden treasure. The comfy indoor space is inviting for a sit-down lunch. Old-fashioned red booths provide a relaxed dining environment and the walls feature paintings of Argentine gauchos, the cowboys of the pampas (many were immigrants from Italy) — an inspiration from when the first owner, Camella Biandi, traveled to Argentina and came back to open Joe's Cafe more than 70 years ago.

The restaurant has all the Italian classics — Margarita pizza, spaghetti and meatballs, and chicken parm — but it also offers more intricate dishes, such as chicken cacciatore and a shrimp scampi.

"It's sort of a secret place for people that don't know Northampton," said Northampton native Ernie Brill. "Hands down, best pizza in town."

4. A 1:30 p.m. literary break Open since 1958, The Old Bookstore, as its name suggests, is the senior bookstore in the Pioneer Valley. Tucked away on the ground floor of a brick building on Masonic Street, it sells all types of used books. Cookbooks, history books and fiction novels are just some of the genres you can find here. It is somewhat of an anachronism, a pleasant one, in the age of mega-chain bookstores and online orders.

56 | UPCOUNTRY MAGAZINE | September/October 2018

2. Thorne’s Market

"My favorite part about working here is dealing with the clientele," said Henry Walz, who has owned The Old Bookstore since he took over for his parents in 2000.

"I obviously really like books, but you never know who will come running through the store on any given day or what their particular interests or story may be, and that's really a great aspect of it."

Ernie Brill, a retired Northampton school teacher, calls it "the best bookstore with the most reasonable prices."

It is a place to browse, to spend some contemplative time, to find a literary treasure — and to buy a book or two.

4. The Old Bookstore

5. A 2:30 p.m. art stroll To be transported to a different space and time, head down to the Smith College Museum of Art, on Elm Street, where light glistens through the enormous glass windows surrounding an outdoor courtyard.

There are no van Goghs or Vermeers, but you can get a glimpse of lesser known works such as Englishman Christopher Richard Wynne Nevinson's drypoint prints on paper or Frenchman Pierre Allais' oil on canvas paintings.

With four floors of galleries, exhibitions rotate every couple of months, with some staying for longer than others. It is generally uncrowded, a break from the hubbub of bigcity art museums, and has its own treasures.

The museum is open Tuesdays and Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., on Thursdays from from 10 to 8, and Sundays from noon to 4. It’s also open every second Friday from 10 to 8.

5. Smith College Museum of Art

6. Northampton Farmers Market

6. A 4:30 p.m. produce tour If you visit Northampton on a Tuesday, stop by the Farmers Market downtown. Open every Tuesday from 1:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m., vendors sell a variety of organic fruits and vegetables, local cheeses, popsicles and even wood-fired pizza if you’re looking for a late lunch.

"I really like setting up the stand and the creative part of putting things in certain places, and all the colors and patterns," said Noel Poindexter, who works at Old Friends Farm based in Amherst.

Poindexter comes to sell produce here each Tuesday, something that the owner of Old Friends Farm has been doing for almost 15 years.

"We get to talk to a lot of the community members, and we have really built relationships with the people here," she said.

A refreshing break from supermarket shopping, heirloom tomatoes, freshly picked berries, home-grown spinach and other produce are in abundance.

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7. A 5:30 p.m. date with nature

Looking to rest and rejuvenate after a day filled with activities? Stroll down to the Smith College Botanical Gardens on College Lane.

You can walk along the river and find a nice patch of grass to bask in the evening sun and alongside peonies and roses.

The conservatory hours are 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. daily with a suggested donation of $2.

But the outdoor gardens are open daily and year round.

8. A 6 p.m. pre-dinner drink A little distance beyond downtown, Building 8 Brewing is a small brewery in Baystate Village on Riverside Drive, and it’s a perfect spot to grab a local craft beer in a congenial setting. Opened in 2015, the brewpub began with just one holding tank and two fermenters, but has since expanded to three tanks and six fermenters.

On Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m., and Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., you can sit at the bar and order any beer on the menu. With greater production has come a push toward a broader array of beers.

"We're a small brewery, but we have about 40 customers who come in here regularly who are right from this neighborhood," said Kevin Formhals, who works at Building 8 Brewing.

"We distribute within a 30-mile radius, and are focusing on expanding right now beyond just IPAs.” But don’t be discouraged, pale ales are the traditional fare here.

7. Smith College Botanical Gardens

9. A 7 p.m. taste of the Atlantic At Eastside Grill, on Strong Avenue, the dinner choices are extensive, offering a seafood-centered menu. Appetizers range from fried calamari to pan-seared tuna, and entrées feature dishes like salmon, swordfish and shrimp. If you’re looking for a vegetarian option, the butternut squash ravioli or the risotto are often-ordered choices. For drinks, the watermelon mojito is a special treat, and the wine and beer list is lengthy.

8. Building 8 Brewing

10. A 9:30 p.m. postdinner cocktail At Tunnel Bar, on Pleasant Street, you can enjoy a historical experience while sipping your favorite cocktail.

With the original red brick foundation still intact from the 1896 train station that once occupied this space, the tunnel used to be the pathway passengers shuffled back and forth to board Northampton trains.

Now transformed into a luxurious and cozy bar, the somewhat mysterious-feeling space 58 | UPCOUNTRY MAGAZINE | September/October 2018

9. Eastside Grill

11. Hotel Northampton

attracts locals and tourists alike. It has even made Buzzfeed's list of "19 Bars You Should Drink at Before You Die." It has a feeling of stepping back in time, but with modern-day, upscale bar service. The drinks are creative. Choices such as the Bourbon or Cognac Tunnel Side Car and the Sweet Vermouth Tunnel Manhattan play off the bar’s historic pedigree.

Not part of the bar scene? Take in a show at one of the many performing arts venues in town, such as the Iron Horse Music Hall, The Academy of Music Theatre or the Calvin Theatre.

11. A midnight snooze Hotel Northampton offers a quiet and quaint respite following a drawn-out day ambling about the town. Its lobby is completely comfortable in the Colonial Revival style, and its restaurants — The Wiggins Tavern and Coolidge Park Cafe — serve up breakfast, lunch, dinner, and late-night drinks and fare.

Situated on King Street, just off Main Street, in downtown, the hotel is convenient to all of downtown’s features, like theaters, shopping, dining, etc.

12. An 8 a.m. bagel and smoothie After a long day out in Northampton, it may be time to recharge and make the most out of the morning.

At The Roost, on Market Street, you can order smoothies, bagels, sandwiches and all sorts of coffees in a rustic, quiet atmosphere.

Twinkling Christmas lights are strung across the walls and light-bulbs in old glass bottles dangle from the ceiling. It is open until 11 p.m. on weekends, when you can order beer and wine if you fancy a drink with casual conversation and a light meal.

13. A 9 a.m. visit with silver and gold

12. The Roost

Before leaving Northampton, Silverscape Designs is a must-go shop if you’re a jewelry fan.

Located right downtown on Main and King streets, the shop, in a former bank building, is a jewel itself: The ceiling features a Tiffany glass atrium, and the restored lights are the same ones that once provided illumination for bank clients in a structure that dates from the early 1900s.

"We have really tried to keep the building in its historical aspect,” said Jane A. Merrill, general manager of Silverscape Designs. "People from all over the world come here, and it's really fun — there's a big influx of people once school starts in August and September." • UpCountryOnline.com | 59

Historic luxury Combining contemporary-chic and early 20th century design at The Equinox The Golf Club at The Equinox. Courtesy photo.

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By Anne Archer “Excellent fishing, quiet peaceful repose, delightful scenery, healthful food, bracing, stimulating air and restful landscape.” This was the sentiment expressed in an early 20th-century advertisement as a way to describe a typical stay at the Equinox House, known today as The Equinox, a Luxury Collection Golf Resort & Spa, located in Manchester Village, Vt. While the resort has maintained the elegant feel, quality cuisine and recreational opportunities of the past, it has been keeping up with the times. In fact, its most recent update was completed this past July.

The makeover, according to Alex Zullo, director of sales and marketing at The Equinox, reflects early 20th century design, with an emphasis on nature-based colors inspired by the surrounding landscape that visually link the interior to its natural setting — calming shades of blue, elegant patterns, clean lines and rich hardwood floors.

Updated superior and deluxe rooms, as well as suites in the Main Hotel and The Charles Orvis Inn, are more “modern, restful and neutral,” says Zullo. In addition, the contemporary-chic bathrooms are always stocked with highend toiletries and soft towels as the beds are covered in soft sheets and plush comforters.

W hile the roughly 200-year-old resort has always been aesthetically pleasing, guests appreciate that there is more to do than bask in the comforts of well-appointed surroundings. This has been true since the late 1800s when The Equinox offered many outdoor activities like lawn tennis, fishing and croquet. Then, in 1925, recognizing the growing popularity in golf, hotel operator Louise Orvis commissioned the construction of an 18-hole golf course.

Today, the par-71 course offers 6,423-yards of fairway

with stress-relieving views of the Green Mountains and Mount Equinox. The Dormy Grill, located behind the ninth hole, serves lunch and drinks under an extensive, awning covered patio.

In the same fashion as visionary Louise Orvis, The Equinox partners with contemporary outdoor businesses like Green Mountain Falconry School and Land Rover Experience Center to ensure their guests have a chance to try something new.

At Green Mountain Falconry School, Rob Waite, master falconer, introduces people to the art of hunting with a trained bird of prey.

“Guests can be incredibly emotional when they first call a hawk to their gloved fist,” Waite said.

“For centuries, the promise of rest and relaxation has lured people to The Equinox and this promise lives on at its recently renovated spa.”

During his hands-on class, Waite demonstrates the speed and agility of a trained Harris’s hawk while revealing the teamwork needed between falconer and bird of prey to accomplish their common goal.

At the Land Rover Experience Center, drivers have an opportunity to challenge themselves behind the wheel of a Land Rover as they maneuver the vehicle through an 80-acre driving course with rocky terrain that includes steep ascents, steep descents and side tilts.

For centuries, the promise of rest and relaxation has lured people to The Equinox and this promise lives on at its recently renovated spa. Guests can enjoy an afternoon lounging at the pool house drenched in its tropical climate or have tight, sore muscles loosened by a masseuse skilled in hot-stone, deep-tissue or Swedish massage.

62 | UPCOUNTRY MAGAZINE | September/October 2018

TOP: The spa.

BOTTOM: The Lincoln Gardens.

NEXT PAGE: Guests practice shooting on the grounds.

Courtesy photos.

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The Equinox, a Luxury Collection Golf Resort & Spa 3567 Main St. Manchester Village, Vt. 802-362-4700, equinoxresort.com The Spa at The Equinox Daily, 6 a.m. to 8 p.m.

802-362-7881

The Marsh Tavern Daily, 11:30 a.m. to 10 p.m.

The Chop House Daily, 5 to 10 p.m.

Hours may vary seasonally.

The Falcon Bar Daily, 4 p.m. to midnight.

Hours may vary seasonally.

THIS PAGE: The Great Room. Courtesy photo.

64 | UPCOUNTRY MAGAZINE | September/October 2018

The Dormy Grill Daily, 11:30 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Open daily Memorial Day weekend to Columbus Day weekend.

The Golf Club at The Equinox Daily, April to October (weather permitting), 7:30 a.m. to 6 p.m.

802-362-7870

Exercise classes and a fitness room are available, but a scale from the 1900s, found in the spa relaxation room, may be more intriguing for some. The scale was used by guests upon leaving The Equinox to show that they gained weight during their relaxing stay — proof it was a healthy vacation.

Nowadays, putting on weight during a vacation is undesirable but often unavoidable, especially when executive chef Daniel Black, a graduate of Le Cordon Bleu College of Culinary Arts in Chicago, is in the kitchen.

Black takes pride in the local organic ingredients, some straight out of the chef ’s garden located on The Equinox property, he uses to prepare his dishes. Due to the close proximity to farms and gardens, Black acknowledges the time it takes to produce fresh seasonal meats, cheeses, fruits, and vegetables. The respect for the process, Black says, causes him to pay more attention to what he is making.

“You can learn a technique, but it’s easy to create with great products,” Black says.

Whether it’s breakfast in the Colonnade, lunch in the Marsh Tavern or dinner at the Chop House — with breads and pastries made on-sight, homemade ice cream and a chicken pot pie Black creates from scratch using the entire

bird — guests are thankful the scale is a relic from the past.

And, as if the food isn’t enough, there are plenty of libations available. Between the Falcon Bar and Marsh Tavern, guests can choose from a variety of signature cocktails, an assortment of wines and several single-malt scotches.

As the day winds down, or

perhaps is just starting, guests can enjoy a drink in a relaxing rocker on the front porch or sitting in front of the fashionable fire pit on the back patio.

Either way, visitors are reminded of how well The Equinox seamlessly meshes the past with the present.

ABOVE: The main entrance. Courtesy photo.

Roaming the countryside with birds of prey Green Mountain Falconry School makes ancient sport accessible to the masses

By Anne Archer Adler is vocal. Bailey is laid back. Monty is high energy.

Mycroft is extremely intelligent.

These charismatic Harris’s hawks each have their own unique personality and Rob Waite, master falconer at Green Mountain Falconry School in Manchester, Vt., knows exactly how to use their traits to build a working relationship between him and his trained birds.

The ancient field sport of

falconry, which dates back to first century B.C., is defined as hunting by means of a trained bird of prey. However, for some of Waite’s guests, the experience of a beautiful bird resting comfortably on their brown leather clad forearm evokes an emotional connection that words cannot always describe.

During his many years as a master falconer, Waite has had guests come to his falconry class to witness more than the agility and speed of these majestic birds of prey. Some

ABOVE: Courtesy photo.

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are in search of an inner peace that will help them deal with the loss of a loved one while others seek the ability to come to terms with an illness.

“I am still amazed almost every day how much it means to people. Seeing guests respond so positively to the experience and leaving with a greater understanding and appreciation for raptors is a great reminder of why I started nearly 40 years ago,” Waite said.

The serenity found during a Green Mountain Falconry class fosters contemplation. While guests stand with Monty, Bailey or Adler perched calmly upon their forearm, they are surrounded by the tranquility of Boorn Brook Farm with its roughly three miles of wooded trails, a rambling brook and a lush pasture. In this environment, the birds are ready to fly — with some coaxing from Waite — and guests are ready to learn.

As Mycroft waits patiently — his attentive eyes taking in activity deep in the tall grass 50 yards away — guests are

given a rare opportunity to closely observe the beauty of a Harris’s hawk that is little more than a foot away. Casually shifting his warm talons onto bare skin, Mycroft’s apparent comfort with someone he just met creates a palpable feeling of acceptance.

According to Waite, “Guests can be incredibly emotional when they first call a hawk to their gloved fist and some become regular visitors in order to get their hawk fix.”

The highly sociable Harris’s hawks, coupled with their easy temperament, make it is possible for Waite to take out two birds during his Hawk Walk class. It is in this class guests have an opportunity to watch the birds fly from tree limb to tree limb all while avoiding clusters of foliage and bare, scraggly branches.

As if their grace isn’t impressive enough, Monty and Bailey demonstrate their capacity to absorb the action occurring on the wooded trail, monitor the happenings in the distance and follow the move-

Green Mountain Falconry School Boorn Brook Farm Manchester Center, Vt. greenmountainfalconryschool.com Open from May 1 to Oct. 31.

Reservations required.

All lessons are hands-on with private or small group bookings.

Guests of all ages are welcome; however, participants must be at least 12 years old to handle birds.

Introductory Lesson, 45 minutes Brief introduction with tour and experience handling a trained Harris’s hawk. $130-$180 per participant (seasonally priced).

Hawk Walk, 45 minutes An opportunity to free fly a team of two Harris’s hawks on the trails of Boorn Brook Farm. $180-$240 per participant (seasonally priced).

Prior experience in introductory lesson required.

Introductory Lesson with Hawk Walk, 90 minutes A combination of the two programs listed above. $290-$400 per participant (seasonally priced).

RIGHT: Courtesy photo.

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ments of the people below.

When Waite instructs his guest to raise a forearm and make a fist, Monty and Bailey quickly focus in on their intended target.

Waite places a half-dollar sized piece of London broil in the middle of the fist and within a millisecond a bird is cleanly soaring through the forest toward the meal.

Then, there is a smooth glide with outstretched wings followed by a gentle landing.

Although the return to a human for a piece of meat may seem like second nature to Monty and Bailey, the truth is that Waite has spent numerous hours working with each of his Harris’s hawks. During his work he attempts to “see things through their eyes,” as a way to gain insight and to improve his training with his birds.

In addition, Waite notes that weight control is vital to training raptors.

“They only come back for food,” Waite said. “They are not motivated if they’re not hungry. If they are too hungry,

they don’t have enough energy.”

For this reason, the birds are weighed every day — at first to learn their optimal weight, and then in order to maintain that optimal weight.

Waite’s years of experience in falconry, coupled with his innate understanding of raptors have given him an abundance of knowledge that he likes to share. Added with his passion for the sport and his natural ability to communicate information through story, fact and demonstration, Waite has created an experience that people do not forget.

While some guests come to feel a special connection with the Harris’s hawk resting on their forearm, others prefer listening to Waite share his knowledge of falconry and raptors.

Regardless of their reasons for participating in a Green Mountain Falconry class, all those who do leave knowing they have had the privilege to interact with a Harris’s hawk and the opportunity to learn more about the ancient field sport from a master falconer. •

Discover Pownal harnesses the power of a caring community to bring positive change to Pownal Pownal, Vt., sits in the far southwest corner of the state, bordered by New York state to the west and Massachusetts to the south. The town’s 47 square miles are rich in history stretching back to well before the Revolutionary War, but a new community organization has residents focused firmly on the future.

Discover Pownal formed in 2017 as a continuation of the work begun by the Empower Pownal initiative, a community improvement project guided by the Vermont Council on Rural Development.

During VCRD-facilitated meetings, community members identified four key areas for development: local agriculture, recreation, small business development and environmental conservation. Discover Pownal promotes the continuing work of these community task forces.

Human Resources

Group founders Shannon Barsotti and Jenny Dewar are both former city dwellers who have fallen for Pownal’s rural charms.

Dewar, originally from New York City, moved to the area with her husband in 2006 to care for her elderly parents, and has since turned their home into Karin’s Place, a beautiful retreat.

Barsotti moved to the area from Chicago, landing first in North Adams, Mass., before settling with her husband in Pownal 12 years ago. As owners of Longview Farm, they now sell their own lamb, eggs, vegetables and honey, as well as hosting events and farm tours. “Pownal is a wonderful small town,” she writes, “and a great place

to raise our kids.”

Much of Discover Pownal’s success is due to the tight-knit nature of the community, a strength Barsotti believes other communities can use to fuel their own revitalization efforts. “One of my favorite things about Pownal is getting to know my neighbors and sharing our ideas. That’s a great place to start for anyone who wants to build community,” she writes. “Find the local gathering places and join groups that are doing what you want to do. In Pownal we have meetings at our public library and organize events at the American Legion— Look at the assets of your community — what natural and man-made resources do you have and how can you use these assets to make your community more connected and thriving.”

More to Discover

Supported by a Vermont Community Foundation Small and Inspiring Grant, Discover Pownal’s Farm and Food Series kicked off this summer with a series of successful farm tours and a Fourth of July community picnic. The series will wrap up with a Harvest Festival on Sept. 22 at Harwood Homestead, featuring a pig roast, children’s activities and a local craft and food market.

Fall and winter will focus on recreational opportunities in Pownal. The group’s recreational task force is currently at work creating new trails along the Hoosic river, and will lead hikes and bike rides around the area in the coming months. Pownal Proud Clean and Green, the group’s environmental arm, will lead cleanup efforts along the trails.

The small business and agriculture task forces are teaming up on a social media

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marketing workshop for local businesses.

They’re also working with a business owner who is converting the former Cherry Court service station on Route 346 into a farm store and cafe. “We hope to have an outdoor market on his land by next summer,” Barsotti says. “With so many farmers, food producers and artisans in Pownal, it makes sense to have our own market.” • The view from Pownal Above: Longview Farm is a small family farm offering grass-fed lamb to customers in the Vt., N.Y. and Mass. tri-state region.

Next page, clockwise from top right: Hoppy Valley Farm produces hops for local breweries and their own line of Hoppy Valley condiments.

Circle of Life Midwifery & Holistic Family Wellness Center is a full service holistic wellness center serving people of all ages in all stages of life.

Hilltop Farm is an organic dairy farm selling maple syrup and organic beef.

Karin’s Place is an 8,000 square foot retreat on 26 acres in rural Vermont that sleeps 30.

Harwood Homestead uses grassroots principles, regenerative practices and a deep passion to provide healthy, humanely raised meat, eggs and vegetables.

Gammelgården Creamery produces multiple varieties of Skyr as well as market cheese, cultured butter, buttermilk, and pasteurized whole Jersey milk.

Contact information for all businesses available at discoverpownal.com under Pownal Business Network.

Sponsored Content

About Discover Pownal Mission: Discover Pownal promotes the growth and development of Pownal’s local businesses and farms, social organizations, land stewardship, and outdoor recreation through outreach, education, and community events.

Guiding principles: We see Pownal’s social, cultural, and natural resources as assets worth promoting and sharing. We believe in economic development that builds community and protects our natural environment.

- Discover Pownal official website Learn more: Pownal Business Network directory and official Discover Pownal website: pownalbusinessnetwork.com River, Recreation and Trails Task Force website: pownal.info Pownal Proud Clean and Green Facebook page: facebook.com/pownalcleanandgreen

Pownal Business Network PHOTO CREDITS: Top: Christopher Wright; Bottom: Circle of Life; Left: Casey Albert

Sponsored Content

Revolutionary spirits Distillery raises a glass, or two, to the Spirits of Old Bennington

By Telly Halkias Vermont may not have been one of the original 13 colonies, but the legendary Green Mountain Boys militia played its part in the march to independence. Along the way, their taverns overflowed with the revolutionary spirit, and their private stills stayed busy.

Today, a similar revolutionary spirit is blossoming in

Bennington, just a few miles away from the site of the eponymous 1777 battle, in the area’s lone distillery, Spirits of Old Bennington.

The fledgling but steadily evolving business, operating out of leased space in the old Vermont Tissue Company plant, is nestled appropriately next to the Paper Mill Village Covered Bridge on Route 67A, hugging the banks of

the Walloomsac River. It’s the brainchild of former General Electric engineer and project manager Ken Lorenz, from nearby Hoosick, N.Y. Always wanting to run his own business, a trip to Scotland sparked the distilling flame in Lorenz. Having previously weighed the options of opening a bar, Lorenz was looking for ways to mix his longtime desires to run his own business

with his affinity for spirits.

Lorenz found a few others who were toying with small stills and learned from them.

He started out visiting small distilleries during his travels, talking to other owners.

“All of them were doing OK, and some better than others, but all liked the industry,” Lorenz recalled. “So the positive comments pushed me forward.”

Having previously pitched the idea of a distillery to friends and relatives, Lorenz and his wife, Alexis, took a leap of faith and sought to do something different with their family’s life.

Turning passion and inspiration into reality, they founded Spirits of Old Bennington, formally incorporating the business in 2014, while moving into their current facility in 2015 after first working out of a nearby business incubator space.

“Except for the crazy idea of starting from scratch,” Lorenz said. “I did start with a small 8-gallon still, and that first fall we made apple brandy from friends’ apple trees and a few runs of corn whiskey. I had brewed beer in the past, but really took to the art of distilling.”

Surprises and partners

ABOVE: David Van Pelt cleans a mash tank on Thursday at the Spirits of Old Bennington Craft Distillery. Photo: Holly Peczynski

As the business progressed with long days and early milestones met, Spirits of Old Bennington got its early products into the local and regional markets in both Vermont and New York.

“The biggest surprise so far is that starting a production business is really hard,” Lorenz UpCountryOnline.com | 71

said. “On top of just the effort to put in the equipment and make product at scale, building a brand is a major challenge.

I’ve been sponsoring events and attending festivals. It’s a major time investment. The big brands have the power to reach more people and craft liquor is still relatively new.

I’m hoping that we can, as an industry, change the minds of more people.”

As the distillery began to show early signs of success, Lorenz was burning midnight oil as a one-man operation, but realized that he had reached a tipping point. To grow the business, he needed help.

In the summer of 2017, Lorenz reached out to Southern Vermont College for more intern support. (The college had supplied support previously in the form of a small business plan in 2013.)

That’s when business professors Jeb Gorham and Stacey Hills, who teach as well as work as industry practitioners, began exploring opportunities for involvement with Spirits of Old Bennington, offering years of experience and expertise in business growth, branding and marketing.

In late 2017, they forged a formal partnership with Lorenz, moving forward as co-founders. Gorham took on the role of business growth, and Hills assumed responsibility for brand marketing.

“Distilling is one thing, but bringing in Jeb and Stacey was the best business decision I made, and I wish I had done it earlier,” Lorenz said.

Products, plans and initiatives Today, the trio moves forward in the original production facility, complete with tasting room open to the public, and plans for growth in production and distribution. Gorham is charged with building on the distillery’s current 400-gallon annual output, in various and

creative ways.

“We would love to expand and create a social club with pool hall, darts, games, indoor bocce and shuffleboard,” Gorham said. “Of course, core product growth remains vital. We’re looking to adding canned cocktails to our line … high-quality mixed drinks such as the mojito, the Tom Collins, and even some of our own fun variations and creations.”

Indeed, the current product line at Spirits of Old Bennington has come a long way from the early days of Lorenz experimenting with his neighbors’ apples to an attractive (and growing) lineup of distilled spirits, which include various twists, flavors and subtypes.

The liquors, which Hills now markets, have catchy new labeling, as well as names harkening back to the nation’s birth, the company’s Vermont roots and the history of distilling itself: Sedition Gin, Covered Bridge Rum and Kilted Wheat Whiskey.

“One of our biggest initiatives was smoothing out the brand story and developing a singular vision of how to convey it,” Hills said. “We redesigned our signature Covered Bridge Rum and Sedition Gin labels, giving each an identifiable color scheme and imagery.

It has worked especially well for our rum. Customers recognize the Paper Mill Village Covered Bridge and know that when there is a bridge on the label, our rum is inside.”

This bodes well for the future in an industry where craft-level emergence has not yet made the same inroads as microbrewing has over the past generation. Nevertheless, the partners at Spirits of Old Bennington are taking a page out of the fighting spirit of the Green Mountain Boys, perhaps even blazing a trail where other small craft distilleries can follow.

“The most important things is for the public to give us a try,” Hills said. •

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If you go ...

1514 North Bennington Road (Route 67A), North Bennington, Vt. spiritsofoldbennington.com 802-468-7662 info@spiritsofoldbennington.com Tasting room open Fridays and Saturdays, noon to 4 p.m.

Courtesy photo.