Our strategy of going to busy places early in the day has been paying off, with the crowds much smaller when we arrive than when we depart.
Sugarbush Farm
Today, we head to a place that produces cheddar cheese (as well as maple syrup). Mike got to enjoy some made-onsite goat cheese when we were in Stowe; my turn to try some local cheddar cheese.
It turns out that Sugarbush Farm is quite a ways from the main road, but they do an excellent job at posting signs at every crossroad so that visitors do not get lost.
All the signage to make it an easy route rather than a confusing route reminds us of our visits to our local winery, Stolpman Vineyards. Their public tasting room is located in heart of Los Olivos, but their vineyards are located off a country road, Ballard Canyon Road. They often hold member events under the oak tree in their vineyard, but getting to the oak tree requires making several turn choices to get from the road to the oak tree (or not, if you choose incorrectly).
The first time they held and event there, people were getting lost througout the hilly property covered in rows and rows of grape vines. Peter Stolpman drove around in his open vehicle to round people up and help them get to the oak tree.
The next time we went to the oak tree for an event, we managed to get there okay. But when we left, we made a wrong turn, and got our Prius stuck in deep mud. Peter kindly tried to get us out, but instead, his large truck also got stuck in the mud.
The following year and ever since, the mysterious route from the road to the oak tree (and back to the road) is clearly labeled. No more lost or stuck vehicles to contend with.
Back to Sugarbush Farm - their signage is so thorough, it makes us wonder if, when they started off, they also faced similar challenges with people making the wrong turns - but without cell signal to call for help.
Sugarbush Farm runs like a smooth machine, directing flow through their cheese tasting and into their retail shop which was so full of people it was hard to move around. But I brave the line, because I want to bring back some extra sharp cheddar and Mike wants the smoked cheddar. I think I manage to shorten my line-waiting time from 15 minutes to 10 minutes by choosing to paying cash.
They use an old barn to help inform visitors on maple syrup (self-guided tour). Key takeaways:
Life's too short for fake maple syrup
It can take 40-50 gallons of sap to produce 1 gallon of maple syrup
Mother nature determines how much sap is emitted and therefore how much maple syrup is produced in a given year
The other thing I'm learning about maple syrup is that there are 4 color grades of maple syrup and no one is superior to the other; it's a matter of preference or suitability to its application.
Golden color with delicate taste
Amber color with rich taste
Dark color with robust taste
Very dark color with strong taste
Sugarbush Farm also attracts a lot of visitors by offering viewing and petting of live farm animals, showing how the traditional tapping of sap on trees works, and having a tiny chapel that people can visit. According to their website, the only days they are closed are Thanksgiving and Christmas. They're open 9-5 all other days. That's quite a busy operation.
Showing how trees are tapped for sap:
Sap flows from individual trees into central lines, ultimately to a gathering tank.
The small chapel:
The farm is in a beautiful setting.
All in all, I'd say that Sugarbush Farm achieves size and scale, but personally I strongly prefer the very small operation at Silver Lake Syrups (just more my style).
Sleepy Hollow Farm
Apparently social media has turned Sleepy Hollow Farm into such an attraction that the neighborhood has decided to close the road each year during peak leaf peeping time. Police are stationed at the end of the road and allow in residents only.
Turns out, my friends are actually residents in the neighborhood! And I take my obligatory photo of the famous Sleepy Hollow Farm as we drive by. Thank you for the experience!
Cloudland Farm
If you've been reading along, you might have picked up on the fact that I tend to enjoy smaller, intimate experiences over large-scale crowd experiences.
Dinner at Cloudland Farm is just that. They only offer on-farm dinners a few times a week, and the menu changes daily but is set earlier in the week. The only choices to make are what beverage to drink. Oh, and if you want beer or wine with your dinner, bring your own. (Or forget to bring it, like we did; then opt for their apple cider which pretty much tasted like I was eating an apple - this is a good thing.)
Reservations are a necessity, and they often book out 4-6 weeks in advance. So Mike and I lucked out that a spot opened up, and we were able to book a reservation about a week prior.
An example of true farm-to-table dining, the ingredients for the dinner are either from Cloudland Farm itself or from a neighboring farm.
Here is the menu from our dinner:
The setting is lovely. I'd guess the whole place can seat about 45 max, and that includes a mysterious upstairs room that we can't directly see but observe that it absorbs about 12 people while we are there. The tables are nicely spread out, so we don't feel crowded and we are able to hear each other speak without effort.
And as the evening closes out, I actually know how to get home.
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