Plenty of downtime

Lots of time and not much to do in rural Vermont. Read and read more. No TV, no Internet, no radio, we didn't bring enough movies. We did walk five miles a day over a rugged hilly route, which meant we could sample the recipes I tested for "The Boston Globe Cookbook."

These are simple baking powder biscuits that we ate hot one morning with local eggs. To reheat a biscuit, sprinkle it with water and pop it in a hot oven for a few minutes. As the water evaporates, the biscuit turns crisp again.

Breakfast pie, which is made with eggs, local ham, freshly dug yellow potatoes, and cheese. It has no crust, so bakes quickly. Have a wedge for breakfast, lunch, or supper (or midday, after a grueling hilly walk).

Pumpkin pie, with a homemade crust and lots of spices mixed into the pumpkin. I'm jumping the gun on fall.

Blueberry cake, which looks spectacular. I wasn't thrilled with the texture. Great taste. I'll make it again quickly while there are still some berries in the markets.

Date-nut bars, which I'll also make again. Wonderful chewy texture, but not date-y enough. If the supermarket wasn't a 20-minute drive away (not that far, as the crow flies, but considering the twists and turns in the road, a hefty drive), I would have dashed out for more dates and nuts.

Chocolate cookies, which are messy to roll in your hands, then in confectioners' sugar, but worth every chocolate smear.

Not represented: Indian pudding. My o my. An acquired taste, but if you have it, what a wonderful confection. (For transplants, Indian pudding is a New England classic made with molasses, cornmeal, and sugar, baked in a long slow oven.)

And on the savory side, a nice quiche Lorraine, with a flaky crust and rich custard; a white bean and olive spread; a delicate and smoky eggplant puree, also called "poor man's caviar."

Did I mention the grass-fed lamb raised on a neighboring farm or the free-range chicken? We ate well!