CELEBRATE THE SEASON:
The Lone Winter
by Anne Bosworth Greene

White Genesis
by Wayne Kelley

Let Them Eat Fruitcake
by Mary Lou Healy

IN THE FARMHOUSE KITCHEN:
Holiday Recipes

EVERYTHING WOOD HEAT:
Oh No! My Woodstove Has a Catalyst in It!!
by Daryle Thomas

VERMONT VERSES:
Thanksgiving
by Wendy Warfield

INTO THE OUTDOORS:
The Perils of a Long Winter's Sleeep
by Madeline Bodin

GET OUT AND ABOUT:
Vermont Country Calendar
Statewide Calendar of Events

EXPLORE OUR OTHER SEASONS:
FALL
WINTER
SPRING
SUMMER

If you didn't pass through Rural, Vermont to get to this site you may want to make a small detour.

It's worth the trip!

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Write Us:
weathervane
@ruralvermont.com
We welcome your comments, suggestions, and questions.

or call: 802-645-9631
RD 1, Box 680
West Pawlet, VT 05775

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Harvest Recipes

Pumpkin-Mushroom Soup

1/2 lb. mushrooms, sliced
1/2 cup chopped onion
2 Tbls. butter or oil
2 Tbls. flour
1 Tbl. curry powder
3 cups chicken broth
1 (1-lb.) can pumpkin
1 tablespoon honey
dash of nutmeg
salt and pepper
1 cup evaporated milk

Saute mushrooms and onion in butter or oil. Add flour and curry and stir. gradually add broth. Add everything but the milk and cook, stirring, for 10 to 15 minutes. Add milk and heat through without boiling. May top with sour cream or yogurt.

Blue Ribbon Cheddar Apple Pie -- By the Vermont Apple Marketing Board

Pastry for two-crust 9-inch pie. When making crust include a cup of extra-sharp finely grated cheddar cheese before adding water to the dough.
2/3 cup sugar
2 Tbls. flour
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 tsp. nutmeg
1 cup Vermont cheddar cheese
6 or 7 Cortland or Northern Spy apples,
peeled, cored & thinly sliced

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Line pie plate with half the pastry. Combine sugar, flour and spices and toss with apples and cheese. Spoon into pie shell, piling apples high in the center. Top with remaining crust. Slit decoratively for steam vents. Bake 10 minutes. Reduce heat to 350 degrees and bake another 40 to 45 minutes until crust lightly browns

Pumpkin Shell Dish

1 10- or 12-inch pumpkin
4 apples, cubed & unpeeled
1 cup raisins
1 cup chopped nuts
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
2 oranges, peeled and chopped; or 1 Tblsp. lemon juice
1/2 cup maple syrup or honey

Scrub the pumpkin or squash, leaving the stem on for a handle. Carve out a 5- or 6-inch circle from the top and save for a cover. Dig out seeds and soft interior and discard. Mix all ingredients together and spoon them into the shell. Put on the lid and place the filled shell in a hot oven on a pie plate. Bake until a fork can easily penetrate the shell (1-2 hours). Remove the cover and serve on the table from the shell. For dessert top with ice cream.

Spiced Apple Pudding

3 cups bread crumbs
3 cups apples, chopped
1 cup sugar
1/4 lb. raisins
2 Tbls. brandy
1 Tbls. ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp. cloves
2 or 3 eggs, beaten

Cook the bread crumbs a few minutes with a pint of milk before adding the other ingredients. Add the whites of the eggs the last thing before baking. Bake half an hour in a hot oven. Serve with any sweet sauce.

Pumpkin Flan

3/4 cup sugar
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
1 cup mashed, cooked pumpkin
5 large eggs, lightly beaten
1-1/2 cups undiluted evaporated milk
1-1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
Caramel (see below)
1 tsp. sugar
1/2 cup heavy cream, whipped
1/4 tsp. ground ginger
1/3 cup water

Combine sugar, salt and cinnamon. Add pumpkin and eggs. Mix well. Stir in next 3 ingredients. Mix well and turn into caramel-coated 8 x 8 x 2-inch pan. Place in a pan of hot water. Bake in a pre-heated moderate oven (350 degrees F) 1 hour and 20 minutes, or until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean. Remove from oven. Cool and chill. To serve, run a spatula around the sides of the pan, turn out onto a serving plate, and cut into squares. Top with whipped cream mixed with the 1 tablespoon sugar and 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger.

CARAMEL: Melt 1/2 cup sugar over medium low heat until it forms a golden syrup, stirring constantly to prevent burning. Pour immediately into an 8 x 8 x 2-inch pan, turning and rolling the pan from side to side to coat with caramel. Set aside.

Mrs. Brown's Pumpkin Pie

1 cup stewed pumpkin*
1/2 cup sugar
1 egg (small one OK)
1/3 to 1/2 tsp. salt
1 rounded tsp. flour
1 tsp. ginger (level)
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
2 cups milk

Stir sugar and egg together, add pumpkin and dry ingredients. Then add the milk. Taste to see if there is enough salt and spice. Bake until firm in the center.
*If you use canned pumpkin, boil it down until it is a rich, dark color - stir frequently. Use an iron frying pan.

Apple Dessert

3 lbs. apples
1/2 cup white sugar
3/4 cup flour
1/2 cup melted butter
1 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup broken pecan meats

Butter shallow pan, put in 1/2 apples in even rows (sliced thin), cover with white sugar, then add rest of apples. Add melted butter to brown sugar and flour and spread over top. When partly baked, sprinkle with pecans. Bake until apples are soft. Leave in refrigerator over night. Serve in squares with whipped cream.

Cheese and Apple Puffs

2 eggs 1/2 tsp. salt
1 cup milk 1 cup grated cheese
1 cup flour 1 cup chopped apples
2 tsp. baking powder

Beat eggs well, add milk. Add flour, sifted with baking powder and salt. Add cheese and apples, mix well. Drop by spoonfuls into hot deep oil at 375 degrees. Fry until golden brown. If desired, apples may be omitted and puffs served with apple sauce. Makes 24 small fritters.