Shoulder Season in New England, Vermont

The time that spans the calendar from the end of August until the beginning of November, is referred to as ‘Shoulder’ season here in New England. This means that while we are still enjoying the bounty of the summer garden- late season tomatoes and peppers- we are beginning to see the fall farm offerings- squash, brussels sprouts and more. This overlapping of homegrown goodness is one of the reasons why farming in New England is so special.

This week, I spent time with my older son, Sawyer, as we worked to preserve some of the end of summer produce- the last of the sweet corn from our friend Mike Scott’s farm and some homemade, pickled bok choy from our garden. We will stow away the corn in the freezer and pull it out for creamy purees, soup, custards- even desserts, throughout the winter. There’s nothing quite like a burst of summer flavor when the snow is two feet deep! Vacuum sealing these summer flavors helps us through a long New England winter.

Over the next few months, I’m really looking forward to showing you how I utilize VacMaster and my VP215 vacuum sealer to make Red Barn Kitchen a special place, as well as how the tools created by VacMaster help this New England Chef celebrate my locally grown food and share it with my community.

Stay hungry and stay tuned!