Vermonster Weekend

We took a weekend trip up to Vermont to see the New England fall foliage, hike the mountains, and of course taste some of the local fare. Here's the whirlwind Vermont culinary tour in a nutshell:

• Cold Hollow Cider Mill: watch the cider press the apples into cider (see photo), and sample it fresh and cold or steaming hot on a nippy fall day. In addition to handpicked apples they have the gamut of local farm products including classic maple syrup, honey, homemade fruit jams and mustards, and of course the infamous apple cider donuts.
• Cabot Creamery: here you can sample a extensive variety of Vermont cheddar cheese, from sharp to extra sharp to seriously sharp (my favorite), to the milder Colby and Muenster cheeses, to the flavored cheddars such as chipotle, jalapeno Monterey Jack, "Tuscan" herbs and garlic, and sage.
• Lake Champlain Chocolates: from organic truffles to chocolate bars filled with nuts and berries, these Vermont chocolates are handcrafted to perfection with an all-natural gourmet seal. They have festive autumn chocolates and holiday samplers, but my favorite is the classic 5 Star chocolate bar, which Vogue calls "the ultimate chocolate bar" - and it is.
• Ben and Jerry's: A trip to Vermont wouldn't be complete without a trip to the famed ice creamery. We stopped at the factory out in rural Waterbury to glimpse where the magic happens, and then visited the original Ben and Jerry's shop in downtown Burlington where I had to sample the decadent Chocolate Therapy ice cream flavor. (Chocolate really is therapy, isn't it, ladies? Don't deny.)

The theme of Vermont cuisine: dairy, dairy, dairy! From cheese to chocolate to ice cream (and a few apples and maple syrup thrown in for more sugar) Vermont is sure to give you a real sugar rush! Who can deny the holy combination of cheese and chocolate, the perfect combination of savory and sweet? It's enough to turn anyone into a food Vermonster ...