Summer is short, but glorious in Vermont. Warm, dry days fade into to crisp nights, perfect for sleeping or sitting around a bonfire. It is this beautiful weather that leads to some of the best seasonal fruits, such as apples or blueberries. Most of us, who live here, know that summer will start to become more of a whisper than a statement by the end of August. The tree’s are not the only thing that will startto take on rich color, so will the farm stands that punctuate the landscape Our harvest comes later than most, because our spring is an elusive mistress, that is preceded by the dreaded Mud Season. Spring is ephemeral at best, one moment its muddy and cold, the next the air blows warm during the day, but then descends below freezing at night. Many of us, start our plants inside and then only hesitantly transfer to the barely thawed soil outside. June 1st, seems to be the date, when fear of frost, seems an unlikely foe and no longer worthy of our concern.
It is for this reason that our farm stands achieve a local bounty, much later in the season. Blueberries, a relative of the rhododendron and azalea, thrive in our northern acidic soil, courtesy of our pine forests. Blueberries are the only naturally blue food, which make them a favorite for many children and adults alike. But the best part of blueberries, is picking them. There are quite a few pick-your-own blueberry farms in Vermont, but my favorite is Pelkey’s blueberries in Charlotte, Vermont.
The drive to Pelkeys, from either direction, whether you are coming up RT. 7 or down from Burlington, is just beautiful. RT 7 south from Burlington runs right through Shelburne, which with the Shelburne museum and Shelburne farms, is a destination unto itself. If you are coming north on RT 7, you will be treated to open vistas and glimpses of Lake Champlain. These same vista’s are what will greet you, as you pull into the Farm. You will be greeted by a small rustic shed that houses the scales and a long table piled high with cobalt blue buckets, that can be tied around your waist, allowing both hands for picking or maybe one hand for picking and one for eating. Rows upon rows of blueberry bushes will stretch far into the horizon and although you can pick anywhere, the helpful staff will direct you to the ripest fruit.
I have to admit that with all the bountiful fruit, between my kids and I, we could pick more than our freezer could hold in about fifteen minutes, but that is not the only reason we are there. I choose this particular spot, year after year, because it is beautiful. It is the kind of, take your breath away, beautiful that drew me to Vermont in the first place. In the distance, on a clear day, you can see the mountains of New York, outlined in shades of blue and green, with high wispy clouds, that give you the sense of a panoramic camera lens.
When you have finished collecting your bounty and if your belly isn’t already bursting, buy a creemee and just enjoy it. But wait, there’s more. The Pelkey family also owns the Charlotte Village Winery, which is directly adjacent to the blueberry fields. Wine tasting is available from Memorial day until January 1st. They have a beautiful deck where you can sit and sample a variety of fruit wines, sure to make any connoisseur happy.
If you feel like you still have some adventure left in you, you can take the ferry to Essex, New York, which is a small, quaint town settled in 1765. Really, its just so you can enjoy, Lake Champlain. Someone else will have to blog about New York! But before you hop on the ferry, be sure to stop at the Old Brick Store.
Freshly made deli sandwiches and cold beverages await you, as well as specialty items, that one might expect to find in an old country store. In our daily lives we often have to worry about the destination, not the journey. It’s a fact of living in this hectic day and age. But somedays, when the sun is high and warm and cell phones lay forgotten in the car, you can just enjoy the journey. I think that is what Vermont tries to teach us and sometimes I think us Flatlanders might actually get the message a little clearer, because we know that not everyplace is this stunning and untrodden. There are areas, when you slip just outside of our small cities that go on forever, untouched. So, if you plan on taking a trip to Pelky’s or anywhere really, remember that in Vermont, the journey is half the fun. Flatlanders welcome.
