According to the Vermont Tourism website, there are over 250 specialty food companies marketing a wide variety of gourmet products at independent country stores; homemade fudge, custom meats, freshly made baked goods, herbal vinegars, all set the mouth watering. Check out the tour map of village stores at the Alliance of Independent Country Stores. The 41 members of the Vermont Cheese Council have developed a Cheese Trail to be followed throughout the state in order to sample the 150 varieties of award winning artisan and farmstead cheeses. 

Vermont is the largest producer of pure maple syrup in the U.S. and their climate and soil conditions are perfect for producing this amazing product from the sap of the sugar maple, the state tree. Vermont's maple syrup is 100% natural and they take their syrup so seriously that they were the first to establish a mandatory maple law to establish purity and quality regulations.  I scream, you scream, we all scream for Ben and Jerry's Ice Cream headquartered in Waterbury.  Don't miss their Free Cone Day held every year in April.