Here’s a provisioning tip:

Stock up when the stocking is good.

There’s a great story behind this advice, which has a corollary of “when you see it buy it”. It involves Venezuela, cruiser-van runs to the local market, and supermarket guzzling of wine. Here is not where to tell that story.

Really, this provisioning tip is to remind you that there are local goodies everywhere. It’s worth grabbing things you like to take with you, even if you can find a version where you’re going next. It might be better from one place.

This is why I am driving from Vermont to Virginia with some really crazy amount of beer (Vermont beer, natch), maple products, and cheddar cheese. It’s not that I can’t get that stuff in Virginia; I can. But I can’t get exactly this.

Vermont beer isn’t much available out of state. The smaller breweries don’t even ship much farther than 50 miles out. Sure, Virginia beer is yummy; but when in Vermont, buy Vermont beer. There are 6 (er, maybe even 8) different brands of beer in the van, including two 4-packs of the incredibly hyped Heady Topper, plus 2 different brews from Jeremy’s current favorite brewery, Frost Beer Works. Neither beer is available outside of the state, and Heady Topper I have never seen in any store anywhere. Bonus with my parents moving to Middlebury? There are a LOT of Vermont craft breweries in a 50 mile radius!

Maple products? I think there are some misguided Virginia producers of maple syrup. The items I buy in Averill, at April’s Maple, are from sap gathered from trees 3 miles away. I know the story. Plus, the maple crunch and maple mustard is seriously addictive, and the maple syrup wins awards.

Cheddar cheese? Yes, I can even get Cabot cheese anywhere. Heck, I think I saw it at a Sheetz off of 29 one time. These blocks, three whole pounds, I have only ever seen in Vermont. Running out would be a tragedy.

When we head off cruising, I will indeed stock the boat with food. Making sure there’s room for geographic-specific specialties is part of the joy.

And yes, when I visit Vermont? I’ll make sure to figure out bringing back a ton of beer, a ton of maple, and a ton of cheese.

Mmmmm.

What do you stock up on when you visit places?