Locally Produced Gin? Come to Mama

You all know how much I like to write about local entrepreneurs, and to taste their wares. Could it be that I have a kind of localvore karma built up by now, after a steady diet of Vermont grass fed beef, naturally raised poultry and local cheeses? 

I think I must.

Imagine my pleasure at finding samples of Barr Hill Gin and Vodka at the so-called Discount Liquor store in tony Manchester Center, VT. I didn't actually taste the gin then as I was on my way to the delightful Northshire Bookstore for a reading and signing. It's not a great idea to turn up at ones' own bookstore events tipsy, even if tipsy on glorious local hooch.

The distillery's website describes the gin as: "a celebration of our special connection to the land. We use pure grain spirits as a canvas to showcase juniper berry and raw northern honey. Added just before bottling, the raw honey imparts unique floral qualities that vary with season and blossom."

The grain comes from Buttermilk Farms, which also grows the oats we like to use in our homemade granola. The bottles are sealed with (what else?) bees wax.

And the gin is wonderful. "Almost a shame to add tonic," my husband insists. 

It's a shame for him, perhaps. But I find it delightful.

My Book Tour!

Dear readers,

Thank you for your support! I'm so happy to finally say that Julia's Child is for sale in bookstores. The book tour kicks off tonight, and will run throughout February. I would love to meet you at:

1/31 The Norwich Bookstore, Norwich, VT

2/6 Water Street Books, Exeter, NH

2/9 The Book Rack, Newburyport, MA

2/17 Northshire, Manchester Center, VT

I can't wait to see you there!

Can Crunchy Laugh at Itself? Yes, Yes It Can

Although my sympathies are very much in line with all that is ecologically conscious and green, I often find the discussion to be too serious. It's true that important topics require weighty discussion, but even eco-nerds like me require a little humor. To that end, Julia's Child is a funny book. But this video, if you haven't seen it already, is simply hysterical. Can Crunchy laugh at itself? Absolutely.

Vermont Peanut Butter: Take Me to Your Leader

I was one of those kids who ate peanut butter every day of my childhood. By the time I reached voting age, I couldn’t even look at the stuff. But lately my view has changed, and all because of some truly excellent peanut butter products I discovered right here in New England. Vermont Peanut Butter of Morrisville, VT has become one of those products that I can’t help but push on my friends. Like SmartWool socks, only tastier.

...

The founder of Vermont Peanut Butter is not a mompreneur but a dadpreneur. Chris Kaiser describes himself as an “athlete turned financial planner turned mountain hippie.” (And you wonder why I love Vermont.)

“I love peanut butter,” says Kaiser. “I’ve always eaten it, I’ve always made milkshakes with it. I’ve always made crazy sandwiches with it. To make a living you have to sell something. I thought wouldn’t it be nice to sell something that makes people really happy?”

Vermont Peanut Butter does that by making its product far from ordinary. My favorite flavor is called Good Karma. It has—brace yourself—dark chocolate in it. It was not the first flavor I tried. We went through a few jars of the high quality Creamy variety first. Kaiser sources all his peanuts from small growers in North Carolina and Virginia which practice organic farming. The ingredients in Creamy are: dry roasted peanuts and sea salt.

It took me awhile to try Good Karma, because I didn’t want to add sugar to my kids’ lunches. But when I finally stopped to do the math, I realized that the jam I put on their sandwiches had more sugar. Vermont Peanut Butter's tag line is “We’re Nutty About Nutrition,” which makes Kaiser a man after my own heart. For a nerd-mom in-depth analysis, see my personal nutritional comparison, below. Kaiser has taken the unusual step of adding whey protein to his flavored varieties, boosting the protein in Good Karma from the natural 7g to 10g.

But the taste! It’s amazing. Spread some on a little toasted sourdough, and you’re in heaven. And I haven’t even tried Maple Walnut yet. There are flavors with dried fruits, and one with honey.

It feels good to support a young Vermont business. Kaiser sold his first jars in July of 2009. I discovered Vermont Peanut Butter in my local food co-op in 2010. But now the company is going coast to coast, in Whole Foods, Shaws and Hannafords. They even have a distributor in… Italy. Take that, nutella!

Sarah Is Nutty About Nutrition, Too

VT Creamy Peanut Butter: 1g sugar (from the nuts) in a 2 tablespoon serving

Jam has about 13g per tablespoon!

Good Karma has only 4g sugar in a 2T serving—and one of those grams comes naturally from the nuts

Nutella, by the way, has a whopping 21 grams of sugar, and sugar is the first ingredient

The Freshest Thing Under the Sun: Petit Organics

My new novel, Julia's Child, will be released at the end of this month. It tells the story of a fictional mom and her comic efforts to launch an organic toddler food company. While doing research for the book, I met some truly amazing real-life moms who run organic food businesses. This is the first in a series of posts about the "mompreneurs" out there making it happen for real and for true.

Meet Michelle & Rehana of Petit Organics

File this under: where were they when my boys were babies?

Meet Rehana Zamfotis and Michelle Marinis, two New York City moms with five kids and one growing hyper-local business between them. Their unique company, Petit Organics, is the only one in New York to deliver homemade organic baby food right to New Yorkers’ apartment building doors. Never frozen and never canned, the fresh food they make includes recipes like Broccoli, Carrot & Quinoa and Pear, Oat & Cinnamon. For the youngest babies there is Simply Zucchini and Simply Apples, among others.

Before starting the company, Marinis was in the high-pressure commercial real estate business. She saw her child for about an hour each evening. And then, because she wanted him to have fresh baby food, “I spent four or five hours every Sunday in the kitchen steaming food for the week,” she said. By the time her second son came along, she was overwhelmed.

Marinis couldn’t believe that in New York City, there wasn’t a convenient fresh baby food option. When she mentioned her crazy idea of opening a baby food business to Zamfotis, her friend surprised her by saying “let’s do it.”

Zamfotis was willing to quit her marketing job to make the idea a reality. “I was so tired of the daily grind of pushing intangible products.” Along came something she believed in. “I wanted to be a part of it.”

Marinis and Zamfotis have made sure to allow their business to grow slowly. “We’re taking baby steps, if you will,” says Zamfotis. “We’re small right now,” she said “except for Michelle. She’s 38 weeks.”

Even as their families grow, the gentle pace of business growth keeps things under control. “We do it because we love it,” says Marinis.

And it shows. You can read more about the company here.