Saturday, February 20, 2010

Vegan Woodstock

I spent some time in the Catskill Mountains in New York last summer. The lush, wet, green forest surrounded our quaint bed and breakfast. The road to the house was twisty and green by day and pitch black at night. One of the the best parts of our trip was when it was blocked by a humungous black bear. It barely cared at all that we were there and seemed completely unthreatened by the Jeep we were in. After casually sauntering off, it disappeared into the shadows of the trees. The field adjacent to the house was frequently visited by deer, our room was shabby chic, and the pace was relaxed. This bed and breakfast didn't cater to vegans or vegetarians, but a local restaurant did.
The Garden Cafe is located on the main drag in Woodstock, pretty much right in the center of the action (which includes a bookstore, some hippy clothing stores that I walked past, and a small flea market). Downtown Woodstock is pretty tame. Some kids hung out in the little green area in front of the Garden Cafe, and some random old hippies roamed the evergreen surrounded street.
The lentil soup was satisfying, and the quesadillas were fun. The vegan cheese was stringy and drippy in a good way, and the vegan sour cream was a nice addition to the guac and salsa.

Being the avocado lover that I am, I couldn't resist it as a topping for my southwest black bean and roasted sweet potato burger. Good, healthy food that leaves you happy.
Of course, no vegan trip to the Woodstock area would be complete without a visit to the Woodstock Farm Animal Sanctuary. The Woodstock Farm Animal Sanctuary is home to many cute and happy rescued farm animals.
My favorites were the goats. They were so cute!
The pigs were huge, sleepy, and happy.
The cows were big and serious. I guess being rescued from a veal crate can do that to a cow. My heart broke when I saw an empty veal crate on display on the farm. It's full on disgusting to think that people would force a baby cow into a tiny little crate to starve and later eat it. Elvis the Cow's story started that way, but ended happily. Overall, this was a really positive place. They offer guided tours and you can feed some of the animals. Bring shoes that can get muddy if you ever decide to visit.

8 comments:

Anonymous said...

What a peaceful, lovely place! Looks like the perfect place to take a little vacation to that's not so far from home. :)

Anonymous said...

Your pictures are so gorgeous -- makes me want to visit.

Unknown said...

I recently came across your blog and have been reading along. I thought I would leave my first comment. I don't know what to say except that I have enjoyed reading. Nice blog. I will keep visiting this blog very often.

Lucy

http://toddlergirls.net

Tofu Mom (AKA Tofu-n-Sprouts) said...

WOW! I just found your blog and read through almost all of it, getting ideas for a couple trips I'll be taking this next summer!
I have been LOOKING for a blogger who travels and can review area vegan-friendly establishments!!! Thank you!!!

Please don't think I'm spamming, cause I swear I'm not, but if you're ever in Santa Fe New Mexico, there is the most wonderful little Bed - n - Breakfast called "Casa del Toro" and the lovely breakfast cook makes EVERYTHING VEGAN!!!

Again, thank you so much, your posts will be so VERY helpful!!

Mauimandy@The Grains of Paradise said...

All the food looks so Ono!! I;m happy for Elvis the cow too :-)
Aloha from the Pacific!

Alecia @ Bang-Bang's Quest for Yay, Yum, and Yes said...

Hey, I agree w/Amanda, that food IS very ono (delicious) looking. :) That's the biggest veg burger I've ever seen! How did you eat that? Now I want to go to an animal sanctuary, thanks for the inspiration!

The Vegan Snorkeler said...

Thanks for the comments, everyone!

Alecia-My eyes are bigger than my stomach. I often order WAY more than I can eat because I want to try a little of everything. I frequently get half the meal to go and eat the rest for dinner later. I also share with Mr. Vegan Snorkeler!

Tofu Mom-So glad I could help and so happy you like my blog! I will definitely look into Casa del Toro if I'm in Santa Fe.

Anonymous said...

My family has a home really close to Woodstock and I love to visit while there. I've never been to the Woodstock Animal Sanctuary but have been meaning to make that my main event my next visit up there. Thanks for the heads up on the muddy shoes otherwise I would have ruined my only pair of sneakers, haha!