In the Country
This weekend Mr. Ripe and I visited with some friends in Western Massachusetts. It was my first time spending time there, and yet the most salient parts of the trip (like most visits I take) related to food.
In addition to our friends allowing us to spend the weekend with their family, encouraging us to sleep in and relax, our hosts also fed us two amazing, home-cooked dinners. Mr. Ripe and I were also privileged to have an opportunity to visit Kinne Brook Farm, which is owned by friends of our hosts. Kinne Brook raises Highland Cattle beef cows that are not only stunning, beautiful animals, but are are also Animal Welfare Approved. Mr. Ripe and I bought several pounds of meat from Kinne Brook, and I'll let you know how we prepare it when we use it.
Finally, the aspect of the trip that sold us in the first place was the allure of "Sugar Season". I had never before heard of such a season... my thoughts first went to sugar, and I thought, no, that can't be right, we don't harvest sugar in the Northeast. After some quick online research I learned that Sugar Season is the period of time during which sap from Maple trees is boiled into MAPLE SYRUP in what they call Sugar Houses. Some of these Sugar Houses also have small restaurants, where they serve up breakfasts to provide customers with tasty vehicles through which they can consume their syrup. While I think our visit to Kinne Brook was my favorite part of the getaway, I will certainly admit that dining in a local Sugar House was the sweetest!
In addition to our friends allowing us to spend the weekend with their family, encouraging us to sleep in and relax, our hosts also fed us two amazing, home-cooked dinners. Mr. Ripe and I were also privileged to have an opportunity to visit Kinne Brook Farm, which is owned by friends of our hosts. Kinne Brook raises Highland Cattle beef cows that are not only stunning, beautiful animals, but are are also Animal Welfare Approved. Mr. Ripe and I bought several pounds of meat from Kinne Brook, and I'll let you know how we prepare it when we use it.
Finally, the aspect of the trip that sold us in the first place was the allure of "Sugar Season". I had never before heard of such a season... my thoughts first went to sugar, and I thought, no, that can't be right, we don't harvest sugar in the Northeast. After some quick online research I learned that Sugar Season is the period of time during which sap from Maple trees is boiled into MAPLE SYRUP in what they call Sugar Houses. Some of these Sugar Houses also have small restaurants, where they serve up breakfasts to provide customers with tasty vehicles through which they can consume their syrup. While I think our visit to Kinne Brook was my favorite part of the getaway, I will certainly admit that dining in a local Sugar House was the sweetest!
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