We just got back from Quebec yesterday, had a great time up there. We camped in the mountains near the town of Sutton, just north of the border, on top of a hill with a beautiful view, in a clearing where they keep a few dozen cows in rotational grazing. It was absolutely picturesque.

K and I are always seeking out good food when we travel, and we didn’t have to work hard to find it here. Quebecers love their food, and there is a major food culture here. We went to one of two big farmer’s markets in Montreal, called Jean-Talon. Much of the food is local to Quebec: tons of fruits & veggies, smoked meats and salmon, a stunning variety of raw milk cheeses, breads and spreads and syrups and on and on. It’s not just a Montreal thing: Sutton has an old “general store”, La Rumeur Affamee, that specializes in local food, so we got most of our meals there. With no camp stove fuel, our dinner was very simple: local pâté (including caribou!), smoked ham, cheese, cornichons, and tomato on an amazing kamut wheat baguette.

I think some of the Quebec food culture has boosted Vermont’s own local food loyalty. On the way up to Canada, we stopped for breakfast at the Farmer’s Diner in Qechee, VT. They make simple, traditional diner food, but 95% of their ingredients are from local farms. It was delicious: local ham, eggs, pancakes with local flour (King Arthur is in Vermont) and butter. Local maple syrup, coffee with local cream. Wow.