So, what does a local foodie do when they have an out-of-town guest (from northern NJ) on a Saturday? How do you explain that you have to forage today because you can’t do this during the week on the ride home from work? You bring them along and make a day of it! Good sport that she was, she actually got into it! As a bonus, many of the vendor’s at this market fall within her 100 miles too.

We began at the Fairfield Farmer’s Market. I scored:

• bread from Wave Hill Breads
• potatoes: Carolas, Yukons, and  All Reds (I think) from Riverbank Farm. I got many more to replenish my supply and am keeping them in the cooler in the garage this time!
• cheese from Sankow’s Beaver Brook
• yogurt from Trinity Farm in Ensfield
• spinach from Starlight Farm, Durham, CT

She scored:

• bread from Wave Hill Breads
• cheese from Sankow’s Beaver Brook
• fresh oysters and clams from Westport Aquaculture
• soap from Goatboy Soap (Thanks, Lisa!!)
• pork chops from Ox Hollow Farm
• an herb garden in a decorative pot (pictured below), from Moorefield Herb Farm in Trumbull, CT

It bears mentioning that The Green Living Centre is new to the market with lots of useful, practical products.

Then we were off to Silverman’s Farm, for my biweekly supply of apples (Cortlands and Pink Ladies), cider, and a pie. Pink Ladies are a new favorite, having been enticed (goaded?) into trying one the last time I was here.

After some lunch and caffeine replenishment, we made our way to the destination of the day. You can’t have an out-of-town guest without taking them to the town winery: McLaughlin Vineyards.

Dee Dee gives the best tastings of any winery I’ve been to the region. (Admittedly, I haven’t been to all of them or even most of them, but I’ve been to several!) She knows the history, she knows the grapes, and she cheerfully answers even the most inane questions. She has some great events and wine education classes lined up, so check their Web site often.

The 2007 Vista Reposa is a different mix than previous years and sadly, Kilie (the white dog on the label) is no longer with us. Still, it’s a great wine that goes with nearly everything and is excellent all by itself.

UPDATE: I forgot to mention that the Merlot segment of the tasting is paired with a Lindt caramel truffle with a dark chocolate coating. Could you die?! (Umm, yes.)

McLaughlin’s is more than a vineyard—it’s a community treasure and an incredibly comfortable place to hang out. From May through October, they have a Summer Music Series, where you can have a picnic on the lawn. The hiking trails on their 160 acres are open to the public. And they are a bald eagle sanctuary!

As if that weren’t enough, they’re currently sugaring. The sap is running and the steam from evaporating the sap is billowing out of their sugar shack. Like Bluestone Farm, McLaughlin’s syrup is made entirely from the sap of Maple trees and contains no additives. (Unlike say, Log Cabin, Mrs. Butterworth, and Aunt Jemima, which contain high fructose corn syrup, corn or sugar syrup, and NO maple syrup!)