The Bridges » Around the Valley

Digging in the Dirt — the Local Farming Scene

Peter — Fri, 18 Jun 2010 13:04:01 +0000

Every Saturday morning, from May into October, the center of Waitsfield is transformed into a farmers market, where local farmers — as well as artisans producing non-foodstuff items — gather to sell their goods. Valley residents and visitors alike (along with many dogs) make a weekly ritual of attending, almost as if it were a secular religious gathering. The market, however, is more than just an event for social mingling and stocking up on locally grown food products for the week. It is a key showcase of the current health of the Mad River Valley farming community. Read more...

Spring Ahead

Peter — Fri, 12 Feb 2010 17:22:26 +0000

Springtime in many parts of the world is about the budding of trees and the greening of the earth and wafts of warming air. But spring in Vermont is instead about a release from winter. Snow is released as trickles of melt that feed rivers and streams; frost is released from the ground to turn roads into a muddy mess. Daylight lengthens, with the sun released from its low winter arc. Maple sap is released from its frozen winter bonds, to be boiled and turned into syrup. Read more...

Adventure, Mad River Style

Peter — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 13:39:06 +0000

On a warm, spring afternoon not long ago, Chris Davenport was lounging in the sun outside the Gate House at Sugarbush. Davenport, a former world extreme-skiing champion, is one of the most accomplished ski mountaineers in the world, having appeared in ski movies in exotic locations from Alaska to South America. But the day of skiing he had just experienced at Sugarbush had been a particularly memorable one even for such a world traveler. Read more...