Um, is it really September? Where the heck did the summer go?
Well, I guess it’s time for the last post in this drawn out account of my ridiculously long road trip. So, I’ll spare you the details and summarize the drive home. We drove. A lot. (1400+ miles) We arrived safely in Tampa. The end.
Now that that’s over, I can get on to the good stuff- The FOOD! Let me tell you friends, Vermont has some dang good food! And some pretty awesome farmer’s markets too!
In case you missed it:
Friday night’s meal: Courtney and I shared these plates.
On Saturdays in the summer, Burlington has an incredible farmer’s market, right in the heart of downtown. After the race, Felipe excitedly told us that the market was open for another hour or so, and that we all HAD to check it out. You don’t have to ask me twice! I love farmer’s markets! Of course the first thing I did was find a stand selling real maple syrup.
This was from Williston, which is about ten miles away from Burlington. Talk about local!!
I was a bad blogger and didn’t take many any photos of the actual market or the other cool stuff we found (honey, wine, maple lemonade, lots of fresh fruits/veggies). I wasn’t really feeling well, so I walked around a little before taking a rest on a bench while Felipe and Courtney looked around (Jess was resting in the car). I was really bummed that I wasn’t up to walk around more. I <3 farmer’s markets, and really really miss them. (Growing season is kinda opposite here, and the closest market to me happens once a month. And, its not really that good for getting fresh produce- there’s like one produce vendor.) After we stocked up at the market (I think Felipe bought a quart of honey!) we headed back to the hotel.
After a shower and a nap, I felt much better and ready for our next excursion. It was close to dinner time, but it was also close to closing time for Ben and Jerry’s, which was a short drive away.
It didn’t take long for everyone to agree that we HAD to go to Ben and Jerry’s.
Everyone says Disney is the greatest place on earth. I think Ben and Jerry’s may be a contender for that title.
Clearly, I was excited to be there.
We opted not to take the tour because they weren’t making ice cream while we were there. Isn’t the point of the whole tour to taste test?? Sheesh. Well, at least I got a hot fudge sundae.
I should have gone with a scoop shop exclusive, but I went with the What a Cluster flavor: Peanut Butter Ice Cream with Caramel Cluster Pieces, Peanut Butter & Marshmallow Swirls. Tasty!
We couldn’t leave without taking funny photos in the cut out, over sized pint lid. Courtney’s face is great!
After our ice cream appetizer, we headed into Burlington for dinner. Apparently all the other 2000 or so triathletes in town for the weekend also had the same idea. All the restaurants were PACKED. So, we walked around some, put in our name at the American Flatbread, Burlington Hearth, and then headed over to the Vermont Pub and Brewery for some locally brewed craft beer.
Courtney and I decided to try a sampler. We told the bartender to give us six of her favorites, and we’d go from there.
If I remember correctly, here’s what we got (starting with the beer in the right column, at the top, and going clockwise)
Burly Irish Ale
Forbidden Fruit
Grand Slam Baseball Beer
Beetlejuice
Genniuss Stout
Tulach Leis
Click here for descriptions.
Courtney and I both agreed that the Tulach Leis was the best. I thought that the Forbidden Fruit came in a close second. We had just enough time to get through all of the beers before heading back to American Flatbread.
When we were finally seated, we ordered salads and a large pizza for our group. By the time the pizza came, I was so hungry I forgot to take a picture. Regardless, it was delicious!
The next morning was driving day, so we stopped for our morning fuel.
It was a beautiful, cool morning (yay hoodie and jeans!) so I grabbed a hot drink. I decided I had to get something different, so I ordered the mudslide mocha. Basically, it was a mocha with irish cream flavor and chocolate milk. It was really sweet, but tasty. The weather screamed autumn to me, so I happily ordered the pumpkin chocolate chip muffin. OMG it was GOOD! I can’t wait for fall! (Oh wait, that doesn’t really happen in FL.)
I was about to check out when I saw this: 
Homemade raspberry pie. MMmmmhmmmm. I snacked on this all day long.
Someone suggested that we find a few farmer’s markets along the way (while we were still far enough north) to break up our drive. So, somewhere in the middle of western Massachusetts, we found a neat little farmer’s market, with fresh local produce, and lots of other assorted local goodies like beer, cheese, jelly, and fresh bread. WIN!
My bounty included this gem:
I made some quesadillas with this, and they were OUTSTANDING. Smoked cheddar ftw!
I also had to grab these guys:
I haven’t cracked these babies open yet, but the time is coming!
I’m not gonna lie, I left the northeast a little sad. The abundance of farmer’s markets made me miss my favorite farmer’s market in DC. And the weather we had for the weekend couldn’t be beat! It was what I would consider perfect fall weather, but it’s definitely not Florida fall weather. I’ll have to wait at least another three months before I experience that down here. Sad face. On the bright side, at least I won’t have to deal with snow!
As you can tell, I had some good eats on my road trip. Maybe for my next road trip, I’ll take a tour of the best farmer’s markets in the country. Wouldn’t that be great??
