Well no post today from an American can be without a few words about the profound change that has taken place in this country of ours. Coming from someone who had all but given up on national politics, I must say that I do feel a sense of hope. For once, in a very long time, I feel proud of my country, proud that as a people we rose up and were heard. Proud that so many of us knew that change was needed and we got out there and made it happen. Like the saying goes: “Be the change that you wish to see in the world”, and it is in the spirit of that saying that I write this post.

I talk a lot about local and seasonal eating on this blog, and that is because I believe that it is so important to the health and well-being of this planet to sustain itself. I believe that we must have a deep and profound respect for nature and her bounty and follow her example to keep the balance and our bellies filled and nourished over the long haul. To that end, I believe that it is vital to support local agriculture. Having a direct connection between consumer and producer fosters trust, the understanding of what goes into food production and how the mass production of food will never work forever. It also leads to better products and accountability on a local and personal level.

I have been so inspired this past year, since I started my own quest to eat seasonally local, to see so many others taking up this cause and doing the same. I like to avoid politics as much as possible, but it seems near impossible not to be involved when we see what is happening in our world. So I always start small, where I feel I can make the most difference. Roberto and I decided the best way to make a change was to start voting with our money…even on vacation! We support farmers markets, local businesses and local economy as much as possible. This has become a new way of life for us, a life that I can feel good about. I am no where near perfect, and I am not sure that I ever will be, but I have a new consciousness and awareness about who I am, what I believe and what is important.

I discovered while we were in Vermont that there are places that are just light years ahead of our corner of the country when it comes to local produce and products. Where sustainability is a common goal and where people as a whole have made this a priority in their community. Where “Green” isn’t just a buzz word, but a way of life that has become ingrained into everyday living. It made me realize how living in a place where people share the same values can be so fulfilling and so it didn’t surprise me in the least when Vermont was the first state to go blue last night for Obama, giving him his first 3 electoral votes in his path to victory, or when looking at our local stats this morning the revelation that our county supported McCain, at least the rest of Florida made up for it. But enough about politics and onto the food!

In Vermont there is a wonderful grassroots movement happening called The Vermont Fresh Network which is an alliance and partnership between local farms and chefs. In the mid 1990′s Vermonters got together and coordinated a series of events to bring together local producers and chefs to see how they could best work together to support local agriculture. To be part of the network, farmers must partner with at least one restaurant and restaurants must have working connections with at least 3 farms.
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As you may have guessed I am back from our almost month long vacation and trying to re-establish my regular blogging routine and all that entails. So here we go, the first installment to the
Great Green North Chronicles. I am calling this series of articles about our trip to New England,
Great Green North, because we decided to focus much of our trip around as many Green opportunities as we could discover while on vacation. In some places is was easy, in others a little more challenging, but we did the best we could!

Although this event happened towards the end of our travels, it is one of great interest because it is about hanging out with food bloggers , which is always a favorite

Now, the interesting twist to this story is that Roberto and I met valleywriter and mr. valleywriter, not through food blogging, but while in Jamaica on our honeymoons. We met them during a honeymooners event at the resort where we were all staying and had the wonderful experience of dining with them at breakfast one morning.

We found that we had a lot of things in common. We used to be neighbors and didn’t know it. Living in the same town, blocks from one another. We all met our spouses in the exact same way, valleywriter and I are both writers (duh!), we both have black cats…with asthma… and I used to take my cat to the same vet…it was uncanny and seemed like we were just meant to meet each other. We thought that we would see them again after that breakfast, but it never happened and we were sad when we left to go back home that we didn’t exchange info.

Fast Forward….

Two weeks before we were about to leave for this trip, I get a surprise email from valleywriter. We had talked in Jamaica a lot about blogging and it turns out that she decided to start a blog, about food, joined Foodbuzz and found my profile! So we exchanged several emails and decided to meet up for breakfast while we were there!

We met at The Lone Wolf, in Amherst, MA. I had been there several times when I used to live in the area and had some really fond memories of the food, especially the Chili Rellenos and Huevos Rancheros. There is a Southwest theme to this restaurant, but you can also get the regular egg and pancake breakfasts as well. This place serves real and local maple syrup, organic and delicious coffee and a lot of their specials are using seasonal veggies. I wouldn’t say this establishment is totally green, but the food is certainly above average in terms of variety, amount on the plate and taste.

I got the Chili Rellenos

and Roberto had the Lox and Bagel platter

Both were really good.

But the best part about the breakfast was hanging out with valleywriter and mr. valleywriter (who is a budding photographer for their blog)!

It felt like spending time with old friends and although it was a short visit it sure was sweet! We look forward to spending more time with them next year! Check out VW’s post about our breakfast together here .

As a side note, after breakfast, Roberto and I decided to check out a violin store, Luthier’s Co-Op and Easthampton Violin Co. in Easthampton, MA that was going out of business. I have wanted to learn to play the violin (in fiddle style) for as long as I can remember. The owner of the store, Dameron Midgett, has been collecting and selling violins (with a focus on violins made in America and specifically New England from the 1890′s to the 1930′s) for the past 20 years. I learned so much about the history of violin playing in New England and America and it was wonderful to chat with him. I ended up purchasing a violin from him and getting my first lesson right there in the shop! I am happy to report that my first note and all those after have actually been musical!

I have also posted an article in the Great Green North Chronicles, on Travel Closeup about a wonderful hike we took in Vermont.