It's about the trees

     I had hoped to arrive in Vermont just as maple sugaring was in full swing.  But that 4-6 week annual process is dictated by the weather conditions.  For the sap to flow up the trees there must be above freezing days and below freezing nights.  It was like that for about a week prior to my arrival but when I was there it was snowing with a daytime high of only 31.  I was more fortunate last year (see VinnyPost 3/16/12 "A Sweet Story").

     But in Vermont it still all about the trees.  After all 80% of the state is forested.  And while 3 out of every 5 trees is a sugar maple, there is still an abundance of other trees: cherry, walnut, alder, ash and hickory just to name a few.  And those are the trees that J. K. Adams Company uses to fashion some very nice wooden storage and food preparation products from their factory/showroom in Dorset.  So instead of learning about maple sugaring, this year I was a student of the wooden specialty housewares industry.

 

     Josiah K. Adams began a small woodworking business in his garage back in 1944.  Some of his early products included the speedy racer toy, the Kiwi shoe polish groomer box, and various drafting and surveying tables.  It wasn't until the Cooper family took over the business that wooden kitchen products like cutting boards and rolling pins and such were added to the list.  The company developed the first slanted knife block in 1980 and also created the carousal spice rack.  Wood is naturally anti-bacterial and makes a superior surface for food preparation.  Any bacteria left on a wooden cutting board, for example, will actually lessen in time, unlike the conditions present on a plastic one which multiplies the germs.  And a wooden board will also be more gentle on the edge of a cutting knife, too.

     But aside from the quality of the products manufactured at J. K. Adams is the fact that they are the first and only manufacturer to meet the standards of the Forest Stewardship Council.  The FSC has certified the company as being ecologically responsible in the harvesting of the trees used to make their products.  In addition, the company's buildings in Dorset are heated using wood scraps from their mill work and also recycles all their sawdust to area farmers for animal bedding.

     As I walked through their showroom I wanted to purchase one of everything!  But as you might imagine, quality has its price.  But I was happy to find way back in a corner on the second floor a small pile of "seconds."  And looking through the lot I found an amazing carving board that has a special indentation to hold either a turkey or a roast in place.  And it was half price, already marked down once prior!  I'm now the proud owner of a beautiful functional wooden work of art from J. K. Adams for a mere $17.50.  Pretty good deal, don't you think?