Today's menu

Finally home now after our community dinner (biggest ever turn out of 55 people), and thought you might like a peak at what we made. Pulled pork, baked beans and coleslaw were the order of the day.


This was my plate after slaving away all day today (and yesterday), washed down with a High Life and aided by a warm biscuit. Delicious!

Slice of Vermont Life

Huge apologies for the lack of posts this week. I have been submerged in 40 pounds of potatoes, 20 pounds of minced beef, a bushel of apples....in other words I have been catering for the masses!

A while back I volunteered to head up the organising of our local town's Community Dinners programme. This is a lunch that is put on every month, from May to November, in our local town center in order that the elderly in and around our community get the chance to have a nutritious meal for the small cost of $3.50. Although called Dinners, it is actually a lunch. Three courses of the best traditional classic dishes you can imagine and yesterday was our first event.

In my last profession, I spent an hour a day writing various blackboards with the day's specials on them, so I took full advantage of the opportunity to get chalked up for the dinner. My writing is still pretty but illegible. Oh well.

The Dining room, ready for the onslaught! Red and white table clothes were a must.

Our inaugural menu had to be printed in the local newspapers two weeks before to ensure that these folks could decide if they wanted to make the trip out. The general message to me when planning the menu was that if they didn't like the sound of it, they weren't coming no matter how cheap it was. No pressure then! So we pulled out the stops. Corn Chowder, Shepherd's Pie with minted peas and Apple Crisp with Vanilla Ice Cream was a menu sure to have them flocking in.

The Blessing given by local legend, Kermit Reilly. He quoted Julia Child, and I knew it was all going to be all right.

Let the feast begin! Our fabulous, gracious and lively lunch crowd.

Our team of 5 women worked tirelessly to cater for the 40-50 seniors we were expecting and in the end we pulled it off with happy campers and clean plates. 46 attended, and we served three courses all within 1 hour. I felt like I was back in the restaurant biz and loved it.

Huge thanks to Virginia, Carol, Dorothy and Reenie for their wisdom, energy and passion. It wouldn't have happened without you.

The Doctor

The apothecary idea comes from the old style apothecary, general store, country store, pharmacy....that used to sell everything, not just the necessary medicines, but the tinctures and remedies (often herbal) that served to better the lives of the community that they served. Growing up in Vermont, we were surrounded by stores like these that served as the heart of the community (a place for folks to gather and swap stories, connect and re-connect with their neighbours). For me, I can connect with this concept as the center of the community, people converging to look for remedies to many things, often to gain social interaction that can ease their burden and lighten their day. For the Fox Family the J.J. Hapgood Store was one such place. Hanging out by the pickle barrel, warming our hands by the stove, stepping over the town's dog Blueberry to get to the candy counter.

Image courtesy of redjar.org

On a more serious note, these institutions would be dying off but for the efforts of those involved in organisations such as the Vermont Alliance of Independent Country Stores.
When I was a child we used to go to the Mother of all country stores, still a vibrant and booming business for the Orton Family, The Vermont Country Store, stuffed full of hard to find products for the home, kitchen, beautification and clothing (flannel of course). My father, the country Doctor, was even quoted in the little hand written tags that were used to describe products, as recommending the goat's milk soap for anyone with sensitive skin. "Dr. Fox highly recommends...". Used to give us kids a kick..!
My brother was recently asked to write about my Dad (Pops) for another blogger at AllPlaidOut
on the subject of fathers for Father's Day. The archetypal Country Doctor, you will get every sense of the man if you read this article.

The Doctor Fox