This road trip turned out to be a two for one. Our planned destination was Bush Meadow Farm http://www.bushmeadowfarm.com/home . Bush Meadow is home to a herd of Nubian dairy goats, a flock of chickens, and a tavern style restaurant featuring locally produced meats, dairy, and vegetables. Although we arrived via the scenic route through Woodstock, the farm in Union, CT is just off I84, exit 73. We sampled farm made goat milk gelato (Gloria liked it), homemade beef jerky (my favorite) and goat cheese—some traditional feta style, and something called goat cheddar.
I didn’t enjoy fresh goat cheese in any flavor. To me it had a slightly bitter taste, possibly from the vegetable rennet used to produce it. However, Gloria used the cheddar to reproduce some of the excellent Greek dishes we enjoyed when on Crete, and the goat cheese imparted just the right flavor. We took a few minutes to wander around the farm visiting with the goats and chickens. This was a nice trip, and judging from the happy faces of the diners, the meals are good.
Acting on a tip from my brother, we made a second stop, this time at a Woodstock winery. Taylor Brooke, http://www.taylorbrookewinery.com/ is nestled in rural Woodstock. We enjoyed a wine tasting that was perhaps the best value we have encountered in a while. For a nominal fee we tasted a half-dozen very good locally produced wines. Although we arrived close to closing time on a Sunday, the staff was welcoming, friendly and informative. A few wines were flavored with what the staff call “essences”, which is something I don’t encounter much. The Green Apple Riesling was pleasant, but my opinion is that it’s a better idea to let the grapes speak for themselves without flavor additives. Woodstock Valley Red (St, Croix grapes) was my personal favorite.
While at Taylor Brooke we found some cheese in their cooler produced by a Meadow Stone Farm in Brooklyn, CT http://www.meadowstonefarm.com/ . The Gruyere style cheese was so good that we plan a personal visit to in the near future to see what else they produce and to see what else we can find along the way.
