Vermont Travel Notes

We're always very happy to share our recipes here at the Grunberg Haus. In fact, some of our recipes were handed down by the previous owners 11 years ago when we bought the inn, others we brought with us, and still others we've come across while searching for new ideas to offer our guests. So we don't jealously guard our recipes and instead freely pass them along for others to enjoy.


One person we shared a recipe with has written about it on her blog called A Mom Named Mindy (sadly no longer online). The recipe is very easy so give it a whirl and perhaps you will fall in love with applesauce pancakes as much as Mindy has!

Two quick notes: the lemon juice may not seem important but the acidity is what gives the pancakes their "body" and helps them brown properly. Another trick we use here is full flavored Grade A Dark Amber Vermont maple syrup.

Thanks Mindy! We hope to see you again some day.

Jeff Connor Grunberg Haus

The Vermont Department of Tourism is giving away $100 in a weekly drawing that you can enter online. It only takes a minute to answer about 12 survey questions and you're entered to win a $100 gas card. Nowhere else will pay you anything let alone a hundred dollars a minute!

[But wait, there's more! We'll even throw in beautiful scenery like the one above!]

Jeff Connor Grunberg Haus

There is a fun, new YouTube video about Dog Mountain's 2010 fall festival in Saint Johnsbury VT. Stephan Huneck, artist and founder of Dog Mountain and its famous Dog chapel, passed away earlier this year so all the events from now on are in part memorials to his life and work.

Coincidentally, Frog Hollow gallery in Burlington is currently staging a Stephan Huneck exhibit through the end of this month. It features Huneck's prints, sculptures and books including a posthumously printed book entitles "Even Bad Dogs Go To Heaven" and even a replica of Dog Chapel.

Frog Hollow is the Vermont State Craft Center and features works from 250 Vermont artisans. It's located at 85 Church Street in Burlington. Their summer hours are still listed on the website but it should be open most days during winter. You can call (802) 863-6458 for details.

Both Dog Mountain and Frog Hollow also have Facebook pages.

All dog lovers should plan a visit to Dog Mountain located just outside Saint Johnsbury Vermont. It's open seven days a week year around and has festivals each year. For your GPS, plug in the address: 143 Parks Road, Saint Johnsbury, VT, 05819

Jeff Connor Grunberg Haus

Shelburne Vineyard's Autumn Wine and Food Festival will be held tomorrow, Saturday, November 13 from 11:00 am to 5:00 pm.

There will be free wine tastings, live jazz performances, and local food products from VT Smoke and Cure, Cavendish Game Birds, Olivia’s Croutons, VT Creamery, Shelburne Farms, Fat Toad Farms, Red Hen Bakery, Bread & Butter Farm, Daily Chocolate and Shelburne Kitchen.

Wine tasting includes Shelburne Vineyard, Eden Ice Cider, Artesano Mead and East Shore Vineyards.

This event is a benefit for the Chittenden Emergency Food Shelf. Visitors are encouraged to bring a non-perishable food donation and enter a raffle to win food and wine prizes.

Shelburne Vineyards is located south of Burlington VT on Shelburne Road between Shelburne Museum and the VT Teddy Bear factory.

Jeff Connor Grunberg Haus

Shelburne Farms Coach Barn

28th Annual Quilt Show: Homage to Grandmother
Saturday October 30, 2010 10 to 5
Sunday October 31, 2010 10 to 4
Shelburne Farms Coach Barn

The Champlain Valley Quilters will be hosting their 2010 quilt show in the Coach Barn
at Shelburne Farms, Shelburne, Vermont, Harbor Road off Route 7. There will be quilt
displays, merchants, a silent auction, quilt raffle, handmade crafts, and special exhibits
and demonstrations.Lunch and refreshments will be available. Free parking; admission is $6.

Jeff Connor Grunberg Haus

Once the site of a thriving granite mine, Hardwick VT became a pleasant but hardscrabble looking town after the mine closed. Then it got hit by a major fire five years ago which destroyed several important old buildings in the middle of town. But it has made an admirable comeback in recent years. Most of that is due to the local food movement. Several articles have appeared with headlines along the lines of : "The Town That Food Saved."

The current issue of Yankee Magazine now describes Hardwick as "The Center for an Agricultural Economy." It was written by Bill McKibben, a Vermont resident famous for his work on global warming. Mr. McKibben writes about some of the key people involved with the local food movement including the local investor funded restaurant, Claire's, and organic seed producer, High Mowing Seeds. It's an interesting read and provides insight into many of the related types of activities going on in Vermont today.

Jeff Connor Grunberg Haus, located about half an hour from Hardwick