Town #113: Lebanon

Today we headed out to Lebanon, a town known for its farms. According to the town website there are over 100 active farms in Lebanon today. I haven't been able to track down a list of farms by towns yet, but that might be the most farms in any town in Connecticut.

The farm we chose to visit was Beltane, a goat farm that produces a variety of artisan cheese. The farm has cheese tastings on many Sundays in May, and we were lucky enough to make it to the last one. We fell in love with the farm right away. We walked around the farm a bit and saw some of the goats. Goats happily munched on hay in small pens, and we found a small path with some informational postings about goats and the farm. There is even a nice pond with a swing that couldn't be more picturesque.


We found the cheese tasting room and were invited to try about eight different cheeses. I will say upfront that I am not a fan of goat cheese. I can barely choke it down and will avoid it all costs. So, Bruce was excited while I was dubious. But with a little coaxing I tried one after another and found them to be amazing. If you don't like goat cheese, you should definitely head out to Beltane and sample some of their cheeses. In particular, the chive chevre and the feta were pretty awesome.

All the people we met were friendly and down-to-earth. I can say we had more fun here than at any farm we've visited so far on this project.

Lebanon stats:
Population: 7,358
Size: 55.2 square miles
Villages/Other Communities: Exeter, Goshen Hill, Leonard Bridge, Liberty Hill
Historic Places: Alden Tavern Site, Clark Homestead, Lebanon Green Historic District, John Trumbull Birthplace, War Office, William Williams House