Shelburne Orchards Food Fest

photo from shelburneorchards.com/events

We accidentally stumbled upon Shelburne Orchard's 12th Annual Food Fest last Sunday, on a mission to pick up some apples for Christopher's mother to bake a pie with. I was skeptical at first with a $5 admission to an unexpected festival that would surely be very crowded, because they were using the field for parking. I was ready to opt for a peaceful experience and get fresh apples from another Orchard, but Chris convinced me to give it a try. As soon as we got in, I was so grateful that I chose to stay. Yes, it was extremely crowded, but there were discounted wine tastings (for $2 each!) from Shelburne Vineyard, Lincoln Peak Vineyard, and Huntington River Vineyard to help ease any discomfort from the crowds.

At the Food Fest, I finally got a chance to try Shelburne Vineyard's Harvest Widow's Revenge, which I've had my eye on for months. Absolutely beautiful packaging and a clever name caught my eye, and the wonderful autumnal taste absolutely sold me. It was also my first time trying both Lincoln Peak and Huntington River, and both were pretty impressive - I will be visiting those vineyards before the first snow this year. I wish Becca wasn't living halfway across the country now so she could join me. I'll have to continue my Vermont Vineyard Tour solo, unfortunately.

photos from shelburnevinyard.com and citizencider.com

I also got to taste a sample cider flight from Citizen Cider. Their blueberry cider, the bROSé, was very... interesting. I haven't quite found another word for it yet. I will also be visiting their new cider pub on Pine Street as soon as possible.

At this point, I was pretty bubbly on all the wine and cider, so I forgot to take pictures of the vendors and I can't for the life of me remember the name of the amazing sausages and cheeses I tried. The cheeses might have been from Shelburne Farms, but I'm not entirely sure. My memory is a little fuzzy to say the least. We did get to bring home an entire bag of apples for Mrs. Bresnahan. I was entirely happy for the chance to climb trees and pick the highest MacIntosh apples I could reach, and then sit in the warm sunshine to munch on a few.

Thanks for an amazing day, Shelburne Orchards!