Winter Snow Update and Common Crackers

Well, we haven't seen much of the sun recently - at least, not here at Joe's Pond. I think the Champlain Valley has had some pretty pleasant periods over the past few days, but for us it has been snow squalls and overcast skies without letup. This has produced a nice cover of fluffy natural snow without overburdening road crews and independent snow removal folks. I've measured an inch or two several mornings, but so far nothing exceptional. We have another storm coming through later today and overnight. We may end the season with a fairly normal snowfall recording after a very slow, skimpy start.

I was interested in an email I received this morning from Responsible Wakes for Vermont Lakes. It was a reminder of the hybrid meeting in February, but also gave a partial listing of other states that are concerned about the use of wake boats. Those states have either set up strict regulations regarding how far they need to be from shore, generally from 700 ft. to 1000ft., or else they are banning the use of wake boats altogether. Wisconsin has limited their use or banned them from many bodies of water; Idaho has set limits at 1000ft. or banned them; Oregon, North Carolina, and Minnesota have all either already enacted strict regulations or are in the process of doing so. If you are interested in joining the February meeting, either in person or virtually, there are details HERE.

The other night, about the time I was thinking about checking my email one last time before going to bed, I felt a little hungry and decided to have a snack. My go-to comfort food on occasions like that is crackers and milk. As I was crumbling saltines into a cereal bowl, I was remembering that my grandfather Bolton used to have either bread and milk or crackers and milk before bed almost every night. Not saltines, like I have, but what we used to call, "St. Johnsbury crackers" - the round, fat, puffy ones that Hastings Store used to have in a big wooden barrel. They were made in St. Johnsbury almost 200 years ago, in 1828, but then the business was sold and for a while they were made in Montpelier, becoming "Montpelier Crackers," and then known as "Cross Crackers."  After the company failed in 1970, Lyman Orton bought the machinery at auction and his family (The Vermont Country Store) still makes them, rebranding them as "Vermont Common Crackers." They are smaller and way more expensive, but they are the same recipe and are  made with that original equipment, now retrofitted from being driven by horse power (a horse on a treadmill) to using electricity. 

For any of you who aren't familiar with Vermont Common Crackers, they like an English muffin in that you split them open (and slather them with butter or jam or top with a slice of Vermont cheddar and pop them in the oven for a few minutes until brown - so good!); but they are dry, like saltines. They are basically flour, water, salt and shortening, so they keep well. I don't believe my grandparents were ever without a supply of them on hand.

These crackers are lackluster for lots of people. Candace Page, a journalist in Burlington, wrote in an article in 2016, "In short, as a snack the Common Cracker could only appeal to a person who had milked 30 cows by hand before cutting a cord of wood in the driving snow." 

The thing is, you have to know how to eat them. Think of them as a base upon which you can assemble any taste-bud sensation you personally desire. It's like having an edible plate, and in combination with your favorite, whether it's peanut butter and jelly, Cabot cheese, or Alaska smoked salmon, the Vermont Common Crackers hold up beautifully and compliment your choice.

I'm content with my occasional bowl of saltines crumbled in milk before bed, sometimes with a slice of Cabot cheese on the side. All good stuff, and thanks to Grandpa Bolton, I also inherited the genes that make me like smoked herring and sardines. He used to buy smoked herring by the box, and I remember being excited when he brought those home. That was a better treat than candy - with the possible exception of those old-fashioned pyramids of chocolate with sugary white creme filling, in combination with salted peanuts, if I was lucky. I haven't seen any of those chocolates for years. Oh, well.