artisan beat

Jeff Weinstein, co-founder of Two Guys in Vermont, a soup company based in Montpelier, thinks of himself as a soup lover trying to make a difference. Not only are Weinstein and his partner, Doug Barg, working to source ingredients locally, but they’re also devoted to helping soup eaters live healthier.   When Weinstein read an article about metal canned soups being the second most contaminated food category in supermarkets (they contain BPA which leaches into food contents due the intense heat canning process and, in some cases, the acid in soups corrodes the metal can), he became devoted to the idea of cooking and putting soups in glass jars. “The idea [to start a soup business using...

If you’ve been following my adventures on this blog, I’m happy to report that the taste of local grains didn’t disappoint. Grains caught my attention on a recent trip back home to Amherst, Massachusetts. I wanted to know more about the new generation of grain growers thriving in the Valley, and whether we’d be seeing more local wheat breads in the future. So I set out with a friend on a self-planned wheat tour in the Pioneer Valley. So far, we’ve met farmers successfully growing wheat, barley, rye and spelt (read about them here), buffed up on the history of wheat in the region and had our first tastes of dark round loaves made from local whole grains at the Hungry Ghost (read more ...

Have you heard? There's a new cheese on the block. If you haven't yet met Cremont, you're going to want to get to know this American original. But you'll have to wait a few days--the cheese is sold out until next week. Cremont is the latest release from Vermont Butter & Cheese Creamery in Websterville. A mix of fresh cow's and goat's milk with a hint of fresh cream, the newcomer has been described by one fan as tasting as if Vermont Creamery's Bonne Bouche and ricotta had had a baby. This is a perfect cheese for cheese novices—the goat flavor is elegant, not aggressive, and the texture is creamy and light, almost like a mousse. Don Hooper, husband of VT Creamery cheesemaker and co-...

  What do Vermont localvores give their chocolate-loving sweethearts for Valentine's Day since the nearest cacao plantation is on the island of Jamaica, not in the southern Vermont town of Jamaica? Truffles. Chocolate truffles. From Lake Champlain Chocolates, of course. Most people don't think of chocolate as a local product, but Burlington's Lake Champlain Chocolates is working hard to change that. The company uses as many local products as possible, from butter and cream to honey to maple syrup. Because it's not just chocolate that makes their chocolate truffles so rich, so creamy, so irresistible. The secret is in the prize-winning butter, Vermont Butter & Cheese Creamery's...

Equal attention is paid to Vermont Artisan teas, which are selected from small harvests of lush, full (not broken) leaves from India, Sri Lanka, China and Japan. Tea is either sold loose or packed in compostable sachets. The fair-trade, premium coffees and teas may hale from all corners of the globe, but the company's focus is decidedly local. Vermont Artisan purchases all other business needs as close to home as possible, and it embraces local community by working with local high schools for employment outreach, gifting all compostable materials to local farmers and supporting local fund drives with product and services. Vermont Artisan's award-winning products are sold at many Vermont co-...