When my just turning 20 (today! and, really?) son Leo came home for a month this summer, he reprised his role as traveling photo assistant. We had great adventures shooting for the book Shear Spirit four years ago (Texas, fr'instance, here). Since I can barely stand to pass up a field trip enroute to a job, and we were heading up to Montpelier VT for a corporate shoot, I found the.perfect. sidetrip. Goats! Goat cheese ! Open to visitors any time, and they are one of the only places in the northeast that make cajeta- goat caramel- which really piqued our curiousity.
Leo's in culinary college and cooks passionately for work, so, you combine my appreciation of goat farms with love of artisanal foods and we are so there.
First stop : the tasting room/shop with a refrigerated tray and do-it-yourself instructions.
Some of this came home with us. I doubt I can make it last til Ice Cream for Breakfast Day. It goes very well with ice cream. Just saying.
We were at Fat Toad Farm. There is an official VT CheeseTrail, so you can find other Vt cheese farms, too. Seriously! Get the map from Vt Cheesemakers
Looks like a fantastic and yummy field trip! Good photos, of course. Oooooo...Leo is so handsome!!! Yeah, the goats are cute too.
ReplyDeleteHow EXACTLY is he 20?! He was just this cute teenaged kid. WTF, Gale?!
ReplyDeleteFabulous goat farm, btw.
xo
That looks like a magnificent side trip. How great that they can be so trusting and let people explore and taste on their own.
ReplyDeleteIf he weren't at a goat farm, I'd say very Miami. I've had some of that mexican goat milk caramel. yummy.
ReplyDeleteYou were in the neighborhood where I grew up. Did you get to see the floating bridge in Brookfield? We used to go swimming there in the evening after helping with the haying. Fat Toad Farm wasn't around when I was a kid. Of course, that was a while back. Let's just say Leo wasn't a gleam in anybody's eye then.
ReplyDeleteFirst of all, my mind boggles at the phrase "Cheese Trail." I want to be there.
ReplyDeleteSecond of all, the blue on their sign is one of the prettiest colors that I have seen in a LONG time!!!
i know where this is! SO lucky you were there to visit/play!
ReplyDeleteYou were in my neighborhood and didn't stop by, which is too bad, you could have gotten your angora goat fix :)
ReplyDeleteFat Toad Farm is wonderful, the folks who run it are great, and I'm completely addicted to the caramel, don't even get me started :)
Hope you do some brewery stops while you're in VT as well. Goes great with the cheese trail.
I scored a jar of that caramel at the holidays last year. You are so correct - excellent on ice cream. And if the ice cream is sitting on a really good brownie, almost intoxicating.
ReplyDeleteWhat a delightful field trip. caramel sauce...I want to try that.
ReplyDeleteYou always seem to find the best side-trips!
ReplyDeleteAnd now I'm dying to know how cajeta tastes...
Oh my, I *need* a sign like that for my goaties. Lovely photos :)
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