Our Guests Love Visiting Baird Farm!

Maple Tree tap that connects to a complex network of vacuum tubing…  

Our Vermont Organic Maple Syrup comes from Baird Farm… But, that’s just part of the story.

One morning this past summer, like every summer morning, we chat with our guests during breakfast and learn about their discoveries from the previous day. But this day was different, they discovered something new—Baird Farm, and met Jenna, the young owner and her husband. This winter, many of our guests visited Baird Farm, and enjoyed the spectacular drive, and the last few miles to the farm was just incredible, even with most of the leaves down.

Baird Farm sits on 560 acres and has been in the Baird family for four generations. They have over 14,000 trees tapped, with over 80 miles of tubing that connects all the trees in their sugarbush. When the weather is right, the sap flows directly from the trees into the tubing system straight to the sugarhouse where it’s boiled down into maple syrup. A maple tree will yield about 25 gallons of sap in an average season. On a good day, they collect about 2,000 gallons per hour—the volume into the sugarhouse is like rushing river! And, it takes about 50 gallons of sap to make one gallon of maple syrup. Standing on a platform overlooking two 9,000-gallon tanks watching sap from 14,000 trees stream into the tanks is unbelievable—nobody would believe sap could flow so rapidly!  

This was a fascinating visit—the best time to visit is during March and April. 

“You guys do the best stuff at Pond Mountain Inn”

Ice Fishing on Lake St. Catherine Vermont

Pond Mountain Inn Offers Ice Fishing Trips 

Have you ever wanted to go ice fishing but don’t know where to start? Or, you have no interest in ice fishing whatsoever, but love the idea of experiencing something entirely new and exciting outdoors, then let our friends Carrie & Kevin be your guide to successful ice fishing. We went ice fishing twice last week and caught 25 fish—perch, largemouth bass, northern pike, and a big brown trout.

Carrie and Kevin, do it all…  They setup and prepare everything; all you have to do is show up, catch big fish and enjoy the incredible Vermont outdoors while eagles soar above waiting to steal an unattended fish laying on the ice! That’s something to see! What’s better than spending a picturesque day on the lake fishing for trophy fish or for dinner that evening back at Pond Mountain Inn. The best tasting fish we’ve ever had!

What if it’s too cold? No problem. They provide an insulated ice shanty equipped with a portable heater that keeps the interior nice and toasty. Hungry out on the ice? They’ve got that covered too… last week they prepared venison steaks and burgers, their homemade kielbasa and ham steak from one of the pigs they raised. And, there’s all kind and snacks and drinks too.

Carrie and Kevin supply all the gear for ice fishing. All you need is to be dressed for the weather—hats, gloves, thermal socks, under layers, winter boots, and sunglasses for the reflection off the ice and snow.

We purchased a Vermont fishing license for the entire year—you can get a one-day pass, but we had so much that we’re planning to be out on the ice for the rest of the season.

There’s more good news… Saturday, January 30, 2021 is Vermont’s next free ice fishing day; a day when anyone, resident or nonresident, may go fishing in Vermont without a fishing license.

Ice Fishing Day on Lake St. Catherine Cost: $100 / person.

Join us out on the ice for the best outdoor experience you’ll have this winter!

#pondmountaininn

Elegantly Fishing Lake St Catherine Vermont

Adventure Wellness • Experience the Unfamiliar

Some of the finest trout lakes and rivers are here in Vermont – so what, right! It’s difficult to understand the joy of sitting precariously on some wooden boat plank, struggling to convince a huge nightcrawler of the benefits of the hook in my other hand, then sending both into the lake at whatever depth that assures an unsuccessful day… So far, this is my portrayal of fishing.

I really don’t know how to fish, and I don’t want to spend the time learning—but I want to going fishing with someone that takes care of it all. Problem solved! We’ve taken the drudgery out of recreational lake fishing and made it into a relaxing, meditative wellness practice capable of delivering peace and tranquility to those determined to go somewhere beautiful and experience the health benefits of spending time outside and the exhilaration of reeling in big fish!

We’re catching Brown Trout (in the photo), Rainbow Trout, Bass, Perch, Northern Pike or any of the other 90-plus species of fish that are abundant throughout the state…. And it’s exciting!

Read more about what we’ve done to create the most amazing day fishing!

Adventure Wellness at Pond Mountain Inn

Pond Mountain Inn

 

 

 

 

 

21 Hour No-Knead Bread

21 Hour No-Knead Bread

You Will Need:

3 cups all-purpose or bread flour and just enough for dusting

1/2 teaspoon instant yeast

1 3/4 teaspoons salt

1 1/2 cups water at room temperature

Directions:

1. In a large bowl combine flour, yeast and salt. Add 1 ½ cups of water, and stir until blended, dough will be shaggy and sticky. Cover bowl with plastic wrap. Let dough rest 12 to 18 hours, (preferably 18 hours) at room temperature.
2. Generously flour your work surface. The dough will have risen and will be covered in bubbles. Transfer the dough to the work surface and dust it with flour. Fold the dough in half, and then form the dough into a ball by stretching and tucking the edges of the dough underneath the ball. Liberally flour a cotton kitchen towel (do not use terrycloth). Place the dough ball on the floured towel. Cover with another floured towel. Let the dough rise foranother 2 hours.
3. Preheat an oven to 450 degrees. Place a lidded Dutch oven or Cast Iron Pot in the oven as its heating.
4. When dough is ready, carefully remove the pot from the oven (use your oven mitts). Slide your hand under towel and turn dough over into pot, seam side up. Shake pan once or twice if dough is unevenly distributed; it will straighten out as it bakes. Cover with lid and bake 30 minutes, then remove lid and bake for another 15 to 30 minutes, until loaf is perfectly browned. Cool on a rack before slicing.

 Recipe given to us by our Pond Mountain Inn guests, Carol & Stan Ferraro.

 

 

 

The Incredible Natural Benefits of Hiking and Walking

Pond Mountain Overlooking St. Lake Catherine • Wells, Vermont.

Exercise – not meaningfully for over six years, so I’m beginning slowly. I’m 62, a former athlete, three knee operations under my belt along with two hernias and a third not far away, so I need to be even more careful than most. And, now with social distancing and gym closures, any formal exercise is out of the question. But, there’s good news… Vermont!

Of course, we all know a thirty-minute brisk walk every day is incredibly beneficial – helps maintain a healthy weight; prevents or helps manage heart disease, high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes and strengthens your bones and muscles. So, tell me something I don’t already know…

Hiking, especially in nature is so powerful especially for our health and well-being that leading-edge doctors are prescribing hiking in addition to traditional treatments for disease. Research this for yourselves, but evidence suggests that hiking in dense forests may provide far more benefits due to certain organic compounds that trees emit that boost mood and improve our overall mental and emotional health.

We’ve been actively hiking for the last two weeks and we found ourselves happier, more creative and calmer despite the many hardships that this coronavirus pandemic is causing. Maybe it’s that we’re getting far more oxygen to our brain, eliminating massive sensory-overload, and the mental fatigue that comes from the persistent daily demands of life. Join us in Vermont amongst the thousands of square miles of forested mountain terrain that many would call the epicenter of happiness… at Pond Mountain Inn.

Photo: the midpoint of our two-mile hike at the top of Pond Mountain overlooking St. Lake Catherine, Wells, Vermont. 

 

 

 

 

Pond Mountain Inn COVID-19 Update (04.05.23)

Updated: May 21, 2023

Welcome to Vermont & Our COVID-19 Update 

Vermont continues to be one of America’s Safest and Most Vaccinated States. The Vermont Department of Health has stopped publishing data on daily Covid-19 case counts and hospitalizations. However, the Vermont Department of Health releases data every Wednesday on the number of patients admitted to Vermont hospitals with Covid-19 in the past week, and the numbers continue to be very low. We recognize that we now must learn to coexist with covid, while respecting the challenges of this lingering virus. Furthermore, we continue to remain vigilant, guardedly optimistic, with the understanding that Covid-19 is still a threat—a far more diminished threat—thankfully, the virus is under much better control across the United States.

Our Continued Commitment

Safety continues to be our highest priority. Relaxation, wellness, tranquility, happiness, adventure and enhanced outdoor activities have always been our specialties, and despite the unique challenges presented by Covid-19, we continue to be fully prepared to offer our guests the complete Vermont experience that they have come to love.

We’re incredibly vigilant with cleanliness, and with our protocols firmly in place for the better part of three years, we are well positioned again for the upcoming 2023 season. And, let’s not forget the forgotten weapon in the fight against the coronavirus—fresh air and sunlight. Even in the winter months, between guest visits, we open all the windows and replace warm stale air with fresh cold outside air that massively reduces the chances transmitting the virus.

We’re doing whatever it takes earn your trust, and we are doing everything possible to keep you and your family safe. Furthermore, we built our cleaning protocols on guidance and recommendations from the Cleveland Clinic and the Mayo Clinic.  

Cleveland Clinic Covid-19 Cleaning Guideline & Mayo Clinic COVID-19 Resources for Businesses

Most sincerely,

Kay & Glenn

Photo Courtesy of Geralt at Pixabay.com