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Food: Take Out Thanksgiving *
FEATURED FOOD - * COVER STORY *
Take Out Thanksgiving
Feast At Home Without The Mess + Where To Dine Out
Written by Angie Sykeny (asykeny@hippopress.com)
Images: Courtesy Photo
If you’ve ever had a hand in cooking the Thanksgiving meal, you know how stressful it can be, from juggling all the side dishes to conquering the turkey. Getting everything on the table while it’s still hot is a Sisyphean task, and by the time you’re finished cleaning up, everyone else is well into their post-turkey naps. This year, why not take some of the work and the stress out of cooking with a ready-made Thanksgiving dinner? Whether it’s just the turkey giving you grief or the entire meal, there are many local restaurants, bakeries and catering services offering prepared foods, from individual items to complete meal packages. All you have to do is place your order, pick it up and reheat it. Here’s what’s available to order, plus some tips on how to keep your meal fresh and looking homemade while giving it some personal flair.
On The Side
If you’re up for tackling the turkey but don’t want to be bogged down with all of the other parts of the meal, there are places that offer just the sides, priced individually and by quantity so you can customize your meal to suit your needs.
“A lot of people get really freaked out about feeding a lot of people,” said Debbi McLain, owner and chef at Extra Touch Gourmet in Bedford. “I think they just need to take a little of that edge off, and if you have the sides [premade], it helps and makes it a lot less stressful.”
Extra Touch makes everything but the turkey with sides like cranberry apple stuffing, whipped butternut squash, mashed potatoes, roasted Brussels sprouts and more, as well as a few kinds of breads and desserts.
McLain said some of her customers get all of the sides for their meals from her and either make their own turkey or buy a cooked one elsewhere. Most, however, get one or two select dishes that they don’t know how or don’t want to make themselves, just to lighten the load. Top sellers include the butternut squash soup, carrots made with a special sweet marinade recipe, and cranberry apple chutney. Simpler dishes like mashed potatoes generally aren’t as sought after.
“With something like the chutney, it’s a lot nicer than just opening up a can of cranberry gel,” McLain said. “It looks more festive and homemade with the chunks of apple and cranberry and definitely makes it more of your own meal.”
Take The Turkey
On the flip side, if you can manage the sides on your own but find the turkey too daunting, there are places that specialize in just turkeys or offer turkeys a la carte as part of their menus.
Be aware that turkeys are offered in various forms — uncooked and natural or brined, cooked and natural or with all the fixings, or pre-sliced — so make sure you know what you’re getting before you order.
The Stocked Fridge, a meal service and catering company in Merrimack, offers turkeys uncooked but brined, which gives them more flavor and allows them to cook faster.
Detailed instructions on how to cook the turkey are included with each order. Chef and owner Christine Kachmar said it’s a good option for people who want a little help, but not the fully cooked turkey.
“We brine them, but the [customers] are cooking it themselves at home, so they’re still able to say that they did it,” she said. “They can call it their own homemade dinner, and they can say that it was freshly cooked that morning.”
If you want nothing to do with cooking the turkey, you can buy one fully cooked. The Black Forest Cafe in Amherst, for example, offers a boneless, stuffed and roasted turkey breast, ready to heat and slice, with a sausage-style focaccia bread stuffing and a quart of ready-to-pour gravy.
“Thanksgiving is pretty involved these days, so we like to think of ourselves as full service,” said Black Forest’s front of the house manager, Anthony Cormier. “Since we make all of our food from scratch and by hand, it’s going to turn out the same way that you’d cook your own, which melds well with how most people like their holiday to be.”
More Than Pie
When it comes to the dessert, you can keep things traditional with a pumpkin or apple pie, which are offered at most bakeries, or you can spice things up with quirkier sweets.
Queen City Cupcakes in Manchester, for example, offers Thanksgiving cupcakes in unique flavors like pumpkin maple, gingerbread cookie and sweet potato casserole, which is a sweet potato cupcake baked with brown sugar and pecan crisp, topped with cinnamon marshmallow buttercream and candied pecans.
Instead of pies, Extra Touch Gourmet offers fun-sized desserts like mini pumpkin whoopie pies and mini pumpkin chocolate chip cookies, which McLain said are always a hit.
“Sometimes people want some little bites in addition to the pies,” she said, “something they can just grab and munch on throughout the day before dinner.”
Some bakeries offering desserts also offer dinner rolls, loaves and sweet breads. In addition to their traditional pies, the Cake Fairy in Hooksett has a variety of flavored breads, including banana, pumpkin, orange-cranberry, lemon and date-nut, available as mini loaves or tube pan loaves (shaped like a bundt cake).
Cake Fairy owner and baker Lisa Lucciano said the best thing about bread for Thanksgiving is its versatility.
“You can have it with dinner, as part of the hors d'oeuvres, and they’re nice in the morning to serve for breakfast if you have people from out of town staying with you,” she said.
“You can also serve them with plain cream cheese, which is an amazing accent — especially to the banana and pumpkin breads, which are already so flavorful.”
Dinner Is Done
For those looking to spend as little time in the kitchen as possible, there are full Thanksgiving meals available to order that include the turkey (or an alternative main-course meat), all of the traditional sides and sometimes bread and dessert. Some places, like The Stocked Fridge and Black Forest Cafe, offer everything needed for a complete dinner, but priced per item so you still have the freedom to exclude dishes you don’t want. Others, like the Concord Food Co-op, have meal packages for a fixed price. Theirs includes a cooked turkey, gravy, mashed potatoes, stuffing, cranberry sauce and choice of greens, but there are additional sides that can be purchased separately, such as sweet potato au gratin, pumpkin-stuffed acorn squash, maple ginger carrots and more, as well as soups like autumn bisque, apple pumpkin bisque and mushroom ale. Each order also comes with a personalized instruction sheet that lays out what to do each hour leading up to the dinner to prepare the dishes efficiently and maximize their freshness.
“Sometimes things don’t come out great. Sometimes the turkey comes out dry. Those things can happen to a home cook without culinary expertise,” said Keith McCormack, executive chef at the co-op. “So we’re saying it’s OK to let us do the whole meal so all you have to do is warm it up. Let us worry about it making it perfectly, and you can just have a great time with your family.”
Keep It Fresh
If you store and prepare your ready-made meal the right way, it won’t be of any lesser quality than a meal cooked at home on Thanksgiving Day. First and foremost, if the place you’re ordering from allows pickup on the day before Thanksgiving (and most do), that’s when you should aim to do it; the closer to Thanksgiving Day, the fresher it will be.
With a pre-cooked turkey, McCormack said, the best method is to put it in the oven just long enough to warm it up and carve it. That’s usually 45 minutes to an hour at around 250 to 300 degrees. Overheating the turkey could cause it to lose moisture.
Instead of using the traditional stuffing for the turkey, try using aromatics, which won’t interfere with how the turkey roasts like stuffing can. McCormack recommends celery, carrots, onions, garlic, cloves, halved lemons and oranges. Kachmar also uses a blend of aromatics on her turkeys that includes cinnamon sticks, apple, fresh rosemary, sage and onion.
“You just put a few in the cavity and when it gets hot, they release an aroma throughout the turkey,” McCormack said. “It’s a cool and effective way of flavoring the turkey from the inside out.”
As a general rule for the sides, Cormier said it’s better to use the oven to reheat them rather than the microwave because the microwave can make them soggy. When you take a dish out of the oven, keep it covered with tinfoil until serving so it doesn’t dry out.
If you’re low on oven and burner space, McLain said there is one dish you can get away with microwaving without degrading the quality:
“I hate to even say the word ‘microwave,’ but really, mashed potatoes would be fine if you’re running out of room and want to save some time,” she said. “Just add a little bit of half-and-half to them so they’re more whipped and not as heavy.”
As for pies, the best way to store one to preserve its quality depends on the type of pie it is. Lucciano said cream-based pies like chocolate cream and pumpkin should be refrigerated. With pies that are more crust-based, Cormier said he strongly advises people to open the pie’s box and leave it open in an ambient temperature so the pie can breathe.
“The pie is more moist than the air in the house, so if you leave it in the box, whatever moisture is in the pie itself stays in the box and makes the crust softer,” he said. “If you leave the box open and let the air circulate, the crust will stay crispy and keep its flakiness.”
Make It Your Own
Finally, if you’re looking to give a dish a more homemade feel or customize it to fit your personal taste, adding some herbs and spices can do the trick.
“Fresh herbs are a great way to perk up the flavor of any meal, particularly at Thanksgiving,” said Maria Noel Groves, local author and herbalist at Wintergreen Botanicals Herbal Clinic and Education Center. “Even if you’re buying your herbs, stick with those that would still be growing this time of year [like] rosemary, parsley, chives, sage, thyme [and] oregano. These are the flavors that blend well with seasonal foods and that we associate with a good home-cooked Thanksgiving meal.”
Though sage can be overpowering, you can tone it down by frying the fresh leaves in butter or olive oil. The resulting mellow flavor, Groves said, is perfect for squash, potatoes and stuffing, and you can freely add a handful of leaves to the dish without ruining it.
McLain suggests garnishing a dish with a single sage leaf or a couple cranberries to make it more festive, or dropping a chunk of butter on top of the mashed potatoes to give them that mouthwatering appearance.
Parsley and chives can also be used primarily as a garnish to add more color and a warmer look without adding much flavor.
Whether it’s with herbs and spices, garnishes or sauces, Kachmar encourages people to have fun and not be afraid of getting creative.
“With any kind of packaged meal, adding your own herbs or sauce or homemade dip can really brighten it up,” she said. “Add your own twist to it and make it your own.”
Just The Turkey
See the Whole Meals section for additional places offering turkeys a la carte.
• A Market (125 Loring St., Manchester, 668-2650, myamarket.com) has natural turkeys for $2.79 per pound and organic turkeys for $3.99 per pound, available for pickup beginning Nov. 18. Desserts are also available. See listing in that section for details.
• The Flying Butcher (124 Route 101A, Amherst, 598-6328, theflyingbutcher.com) has farm fresh turkeys for $3.99 per pound and various side dishes. Brined turkey is an additional $9.99. Supplies are limited; orders are first come, first served.
• The Fresh Market (79 S. River Road, Unit 2, Bedford, 626-3420, thefreshmarket.com) offers fully cooked 10- to 13-pound turkeys for $3.99 per pound.
• Wicked Good Butchah (460 Route 101, Bedford, 488-1832, wickedgoodbutchah.com) offers fresh turkeys and homemade sides. Order by Nov. 18, and pick up by Nov. 23.
• Yankee Farmer’s Market (360 Route 103 E., Warner, 456-2833, yankeefarmersmarket.com) has fresh, whole turkeys for $4.79 per pound. Pick up Nov. 22 or Nov. 23.
Desserts & Baked Goods
• A Market (125 Loring St., Manchester, 668-2650, myamarket.com) has pies made with organic and natural ingredients including a vegan granola-topped apple pie, vegan chocolate cream pie and traditional and vegan pumpkin pie for $16.99 each (gluten-free is an additional $1).
• Angela’s Pasta and Cheese Shop (815 Chestnut St., Manchester, 625-9544, angelaspastaandcheese.com) offers dinner breads including brioche ($8.50/dozen), monkey bread, French plain and whole wheat rolls ($5.95); cranberry walnut loaf ($5.95) and rolls ($11.95/dozen); and sweet breads including cranberry-orange and pumpkin loaves ($4.99), apple streusel coffee cake ($5.99), pumpkin and lemon-glazed raspberry scones ($1.95 each), and holiday shortbread cookies ($1.25 each, minimum of six). Pies include chocolate cream, banana cream, forest berry crumb and peanut butter mousse ($19.95); traditional pumpkin ($14.50), apple ($14.95), blueberry ($17.95) and more. Other desserts include an 18-piece Greek pastry platter ($17.95), chocolate flourless torte ($21.95) and maple walnut and white chocolate cheesecake ($20.95). Order by Nov. 19, and pick up on Nov. 23.
• Apple Hill Farm (580 Mountain Road, Concord, 224-8862, applehillfarmnh.com) is taking orders for a variety of pies including apple, apple crumb, blueberry, blueberry crumb, strawberry rhubarb, mince, cherry, squash, pumpkin and maple custard, as well as white rolls and Shaker-style squash rolls. Large pies cost $13.95, and small pies cost $7.95.
• The Bakeshop on Kelley Street (171 Kelley St., Manchester, 624-3500, thebakeshoponkelleystreet.com) is offering an assortment of pies for $16 to $20, pastry trays starting at $22, cakes starting at $18 and dinner rolls priced by the dozen. Order by Nov. 20, and pick up by Nov. 23.
• Belmont Hall & Restaurant (718 Grove St., Manchester, 625-8540, belmonthall.net) is taking orders for apple and pumpkin pies.
• Black Forest Cafe (212 Route 101, Amherst, 672-0500, theblackforestcafe.com) has apple, pumpkin, cranberry-apple, pecan and chocolate cream pies for $19, pear cranberry walnut crostata ($20 to $26); coconut, carrot, pumpkin mousse, chocolate mousse and Brooklyn Blackout cakes ($24 to $36); and maple, pumpkin and brown sugar pecan shortbread cookies ($14.95/dozen). Order by Nov. 20 at 5 p.m., and pick up between Nov. 21 and Nov. 23.
• The Cake Fairy (114 Londonderry Turnpike, Hooksett, 518-8733, cakefairynh.com) is taking orders for pumpkin, apple, pecan and chocolate cream pies (small $6.99, large $14.99), apple crisp and banana, pumpkin, orange-cranberry, lemon and date nut mini loaves ($4.25) and tube pan loaves ($9).
• Carter Hill Orchard (73 Carter Hill Road, Concord, 225-2625, carterhillapples.com) is taking orders now for apple, apple crumble, blueberry, fruit of the orchard, pecan, pumpkin and strawberry rhubarb pies.
• Concord Food Co-op (24 S. Main St., Concord, 225-6840, concordfoodcoop.coop) offers traditional apple, blueberry and pumpkin pies ($16.99), pecan and sour cherry pies ($19.99), flourless chocolate cream and pumpkin pies and a 6-inch carrot cake ($21.99), and parker and pumpkin dinner rolls ($7.99 for nine). Order by Nov. 18 at noon.
• Extra Touch Gourmet (4 Hawthorne Drive, Bedford, 488-6620, extratouchgourmet.com) has pumpkin bread and banana bread for $6.95 a loaf, mini pumpkin chocolate chip cookies for $15.95 a dozen and mini pumpkin whoopie pies for $24.95 a dozen. Order by Nov. 21, and pick up on Nov. 22 or Nov. 23.
• Frederick’s Pastries (109 Route 101A, Amherst, 882-7725; Bedford Square, 25 S. River Road, Bedford, 647-2253, pastry.net) is taking orders for Thanksgiving and fall themed cakes ($39.99), cupcakes ($4.99) and cookies ($3.50); apple and pumpkin tortes ($32.99 to $36.99), caramel apples ($5.99), chocolate cannolis ($3.99), various party platters ($19.99 to $36.99), apple tarts ($4.49), cheesecake cups ($6.29), pumpkin whoopie pies ($2.69), pumpkin cheesecake ($42.99) and turkey buttercream fudge bars ($14.98/dozen).
• Granite State Candy Shoppe (832 Elm St., Manchester, 218-3885; 13 Warren St., Concord, 225-2591, granitestatecandyshoppe.com) has chocolate turkey mold pops ($1.75) and solid pieces ($2.98 to $7.98); blended milk and white chocolate turkey ($9.98) and pumpkin pieces ($7.98); and other fall candies.
• Great Harvest Bread (4 Sunapee St., Nashua, 881-4422, greatharvestnashua.com) has a turkey bread centerpiece ($15), cinnamon pumpkin rolls ($5 to $8.50), Virginia rolls ($4 to $7.50), stuffing bread and cheddar garlic loaves ($8.50 each); honey whole wheat and farmhouse white ($6.95 each); Jewish apple cake, Dakota whole wheat, pumpkin chocolate chip, high five whole wheat and cinnamon chip ($7.50 each). Order for pickup on Nov. 22 or Nov. 23.
• Hart’s Turkey Farm (233 Daniel Webster Hwy., Meredith, 279-6212, hartsturkeyfarm.com) offers pies including pecan ($24.99), apple, blueberry, chocolate cream, pumpkin and squash ($14.99); cran-apple, coconut cream and chocolate chip ($19.99); as well as chocolate and carrot cakes ($29.99), cheesecake ($34.99), apple crisp ($39.99, serves 24), rolls and cornbread ($3.99/dozen) and banana and pumpkin bread ($7.99). Pick up on Thanksgiving Day.
• Just Like Mom’s Pastries (353 Riverdale Road, Weare, 529-6667, justlikemomspastries.com) offers pies including apple, apple-pumpkin, “Appalachian Apple” (made with apples, pecans, butterscotch, bourbon and crumb topping), pumpkin, pumpkin-pecan and more ($9.50 to $14.50); apple caramel pumpkin upside-down cake, maple walnut white chocolate cheesecake and pumpkin cheese cake ($9.99 to $19); white, wheat and pumpkin rolls ($4.99) and assorted coffee cakes ($13.99). Order by Nov. 19 and pick up on Nov. 23.
• Michelle’s Gourmet Pastries & Deli (819 Union St., Manchester, 647-7150, michellespastries.com) is taking orders for 10-inch pies including apple crumb, pumpkin, chocolate cream, banana cream, coconut cream, blueberry crumb, cherry, pecan, Boston cream, key lime and lemon meringue ($12.95 to $16.95); cheesecakes ($17.95 to $31), flourless Parisian satin torte ($19) and raspberry linzer torte ($15).
• Queen City Cupcakes (790 Elm St., Manchester, 624-4999, qccupcakes.com) has a Thanksgiving cupcake menu with various flavors including sweet potato casserole, pumpkin maple, gingerbread cookie, apple pie, chocolate salted caramel, vanilla bean, chocolate squared, peanut butter, hot chocolate, confetti, samoa and Irish coffee. Order by Nov. 19, and pick up on Nov. 23.
• The Red Arrow Diner (61 Lowell St., Manchester, 626-1118; 137 Rockingham Road, Londonderry, 552-3091; 63 Union Square, Milford, 249-9222; redarrowdiner.com) is taking Thanksgiving orders for 10-inch pies including apple, blueberry, chocolate cream, pumpkin cream, pecan, custard and more ($14.99); and double-layer cakes including almond raspberry, carrot, pumpkin spice, chocolate mousse and more ($29.99). Order two days in advance.
• The Red Blazer (72 Manchester St., Concord, 224-4101, theredblazer.com) is taking orders for custom cakes, mini dessert platters ($32.50 to $130), cookie and brownie platters ($25 to $65), Parmesan and wheat rolls ($2.50/dozen), honey cinnamon whipped butter ($3), and pies including pumpkin, apple, cherry, lemon meringue, pecan and blueberry ($6.50 for 4-inch, $19.99 for 9-inch).
• The Stocked Fridge (704 Milford Road, Merrimack, 881-9635, thestockedfridge.com) offers 9-inch cherry and pumpkin pies ($12), pecan pie ($15), pumpkin cheesecake ($24), pumpkin roll cake ($18), pumpkin and zucchini breads ($9.50) and assorted dinner rolls ($7 per dozen). Order by Nov. 19 and pick up on Nov. 23.
• Triolo’s Bakery (21 Kilton Road, Bedford, 232-3256, triolosbakery.com) is taking orders for apple crisp, pumpkin, pecan, chocolate cream and coconut cream pies; and various pastries, cakes and breads.
• Tuscan Market (63 Main St., Salem, 912-5467, tuscanbrands.com) offers 10-inch pies including cortland apple and pecan ($20), pumpkin ($18) and triple chocolate roulade ($17 to $32). A full selection of fresh baked breads, cakes, Italian cookies and other pastries are also available. Order by Nov. 21 at 5 p.m., and pick up on Nov. 23.
• Twelve Pine (Depot Square, 11 School St., Peterborough, 924-6140, twelvepine.com) has apple, pumpkin, pecan, lemon meringue and chocolate cream pies ($16), pumpkin cognac cheesecake ($46) and a holiday dessert platter ($30). Order by Nov. 20 at 4 p.m., and pick up on Nov. 22 or Nov. 23.
• Van Otis Chocolates (341 Elm St., Manchester, 627-1611, vanotischocolates.com) has turkey mold chocolates including solid 4-ounce pieces ($5), 5.5-ounce pieces ($6) and pops ($3) in milk, dark and white chocolate; hollow pieces at 1.5 pounds and 10.5 inches tall ($30) in milk and dark chocolate; and foiled solid milk chocolate pieces (50 cents to $1). Chocolate pops in Pilgrim and Native American molds ($1.50) and leaf molds ($3.50) are also available in milk, dark and white chocolate.
• The Wine’ing Butcher (254 Wallace Road, Bedford, 488-5519; 16 Sheep Davis Road, Pembroke, 856-8855; 28 Weirs Road, Gilford, 293-4670; 81 Route 25, Meredith, 279-0300, thewineingbutcher.com) offers parker house rolls ($3.99 per dozen), Tuscan loaf ($4.49), and pies including apple, apple crisp, apple cranberry, apple blueberry, blueberry and pumpkin ($11.99); raspberry, raspberry rhubarb and strawberry rhubarb ($12.99); cherry, pecan and chocolate mousse cake ($15.00), and key lime ($17.99).
The Whole Meal
• Alan’s of Boscawen (133 N. Main St., Boscawen, 753-6631, alansofboscawen.com) has full meal packages. Call for details and to order and arrange a time for pickup.
• Alpine Grove (19 S. Depot Road, Hollis, 882-9051, alpinegrove.com) offers three full meal packages: a 22-pound turkey with stuffing, gravy and cranberry sauce ($149.99), a prime rib ($259.99) and a roasted Virginia ham ($149.99). All come with mashed potatoes, carrots, butternut squash, rolls and pumpkin pie.
• Black Forest Cafe (212 Route 101, Amherst, 672-0500, theblackforestcafe.com) has sides a la carte and a meal with boneless roasted turkey breast, focaccia bread sausage-style stuffing and gravy ($85, serves six). Sides (each serves four to six) include butternut squash-kale semolina bread stuffing ($18), sweet and white smashed potatoes with caramelized onions and sage ($12), maple Dijon glazed carrots and parsnips ($16), roasted Brussels sprouts with balsamic honey glaze ($16), turkey-sage gravy ($12/quart), cranberry sauce ($9/pt.), cream of curried butternut squash soup ($9.95/quart) and a butternut squash lasagna ($40, serves eight to 10). Order by Nov. 20 at 5 p.m., and pick up between Nov. 21 and Nov. 23. Desserts and baked goods are also available. See listing in that section for details.
• Boston Market (14 March Ave., Manchester, 641-9464, bostonmarket.com) offers complete meals serving 12 including a whole turkey meal with a spinach artichoke dip platter, mashed potatoes, gravy, cranberry walnut relish, vegetable stuffing, rolls and apple and pumpkin pie ($109.99); a whole turkey essential meal with mashed potatoes, stuffing, gravy and rolls ($94.99); a spiral sliced ham meal with the same items as the turkey meal except cinnamon apples and sweet potato casserole in place of stuffing and relish ($114.99); and a turkey breast and half honey-glazed ham combo meal with the same items as the turkey and ham meals, excluding the sweet potato casserole ($114.99). There’s a turkey breast meal serving four to six with the same items as the turkey meal except with one pie ($84.99); and a turkey and ham combo essential meal serving four to six with the same sides as the essential turkey meal ($69.99). All items are also available a la carte.
• Brothers Butcher (8 Spit Brook Road, Nashua, 809-4180, brothers-butcher.com) offers fresh turkey ($2.99/pound), free range turkey and turkey breast ($3.99/pound), stuffing, mashed potatoes, candied sweet potatoes, vegetables, butternut squash and gravy priced by the quart, cranberry orange sauce by the pint and 10-inch pies ($14.99). Order by Nov. 21, and pick up on Nov. 23.
• Chez Vachon (136 Kelley St., Manchester, 625-9660, chezvachon.com) offers single-serving turkey dinners with turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, green bean casserole, carrots, butternut squash, dessert and a drink for $12.99. Order by Nov. 22, and pick up on Thanksgiving Day.
• The Common Man (25 Water St., Concord, 228-3463; 304 Daniel Webster Hwy., Merrimack, 429-3463; 88 Range Road, Windham, 898-0088; Lakehouse, 281 D.W. Hwy., Meredith, 279-5221; 10 Pollard Road, Lincoln, 745-3463; 21 Water St., Claremont, 542-6171; Foster’s Boiler Room, 231 Main St., Plymouth, 536-2764, thecman.com) offers a full meal package with oven-roasted turkey breast, pan gravy, mashed potatoes, cornbread stuffing, maple-roasted butternut squash, whole-berry cranberry sauce, green beans with almonds, garlic Parmesan dinner rolls, sweet bread and a slice of pumpkin pie with cinnamon cream for $17.99 per serving. Order by Nov. 20 and pick up by Nov. 23.
• Concord Food Co-op (24 S. Main St., Concord, 225-6840, concordfoodcoop.coop) offers a full meal package (serves eight to 10) that includes a 10-pound oven-roasted turkey, apple cranberry stuffing, gravy, cranberry sauce, roasted garlic mashed potatoes and a choice of greens for $179.99 ($19 for each additional serving). Extra sides like sweet potato au gratin, pumpkin stuffed acorn squash, maple ginger carrots and more are $4.99 per serving (8-serving minimum). Autumn bisque, apple pumpkin bisque and mushroom ale soups cost $34.99 per gallon. Order by Nov. 18, and pick up on Nov. 23. Fresh turkeys are available separately for $3.69 per pound with pickup between Nov. 21 and Nov. 23. Desserts and baked goods are also available. See listing in that section for details.
• Country Tavern (452 Amherst St., Nashua, 889-5871, countrytavern.org) offers a full meal package and items a la carte (both serve six), which includes sliced roasted turkey ($48), traditional stuffing ($10), turkey gravy ($7), mashed potatoes ($12), butternut squash ($10) and cranberry pineapple relish ($9) for $88.50. A package with just the turkey, stuffing and gravy costs $58.50. Order by Nov. 20. Pick up cold on Nov. 23 or hot on Thanksgiving morning. Single-serving turkey dinners are also available for $23.95 and include a cup of turkey soup and pumpkin pie; those can be picked up hot on Thanksgiving Day.
• Hart’s Turkey Farm (233 Daniel Webster Hwy., Meredith, 279-6212, hartsturkeyfarm.com) offers a Thanksgiving menu priced per item. Cooked turkeys with stuffing and gravy range from $65 to $139. Sides including cranberry sauce, whipped potatoes, squash, green beans, pickled beets, carrot relish and cranberry chutney are priced by the pint or quart. Pickup times on Thanksgiving Day are 10:30 a.m. to noon and 3 to 4 p.m. Desserts and baked goods are also available. See listing in that section for details.
• Newell Post Restaurant (125 Fisherville Road, Concord, 228-0522, newellpostrestaurant.com) will offer family-style meals that include turkey, herb stuffing and gravy, mashed potatoes, butternut squash, green beans, cranberry sauce, dinner rolls and a choice of pumpkin pie or pumpkin swirl cake for $19.99 per serving. Order by Nov. 19, and pick up on Nov. 23.
• The Stocked Fridge (704 Milford Road, Merrimack, 881-9635, thestockedfridge.com) offers a Thanksgiving menu priced per item that includes a brined turkey ($3/pound, 10-pound minimum), gravy ($8/quart), green bean casserole ($2.95 per serving), stuffing, brown sugar sweet potatoes, mashed potatoes, broccoli au gratin and cranberry sauce ($3.10 each, per serving). Order by Nov. 19 and pick up on Nov. 23. Desserts and baked goods are also available. See listing in that section for details.
• Tuscan Market (63 Main St., Salem, 912-5467, tuscanbrands.com) offers a full dinner package (serves six to eight) and a la carte menu. The dinner includes a 10- to 12-pound carved roasted turkey, insalata mista, maple whipped sweet potato, Brussels sprouts, pancetta and apple, mascarpone whipped potatoes, porcini mushroom ciabatta stuffing, Parmigiano-reggiano and toasted pine nuts, heirloom cranberry and Marsala wine compote, gravy, focaccia and a ciabatta bread loaf for $150. A la carte items include a carved roasted turkey ($75, 12 to 14 pounds), an herb-roasted leoncini ham ($50 per 5 pounds) and other main course meats; a variety of soups ($11/quart) and sides priced per pound. Order by Nov. 21 at 5 p.m. and pick up on Nov. 23. Desserts are also available. See listing in that section for details.
• Twelve Pine (Depot Square, 11 School St., Peterborough, 924-6140, twelvepine.com) offers a full meal package ($164.99 serves five to six, $264.99 serves 10 to 12) with a roasted turkey, gravy, pumpkin soup, stuffing, mashed potatoes, roasted autumn vegetables, green beans amandine, cranberry orange relish, brown-and-bake rolls and a choice of two pies. All items except turkey are also available a la carte. Additional items include maple ginger roasted sweet potatoes, roasted Brussels sprouts and cranberries; and party platters (crudites, brie en croute and cheese). Order by Nov. 20 at 4 p.m., and pick up on Nov. 22 or Nov. 23. Desserts are also available. See listing in that section for details.
• Washington Street Catering (88 Washington St., Concord, 228-2000, washingtonstreetcatering.com) offers full meals for $19.99 per serving and items a la carte. Main course options are roasted turkey and maple-glazed ham. Side options include mashed potatoes and sweet potatoes, rosemary roasted potatoes, tradition and apple-cranberry stuffing, carrots, roasted butternut squash, gravy, cranberry sauce, balsamic-glazed Brussels sprouts with bacon and sauteed green beans with almonds. Blueberry, apple and pecan pies are also available as part of the meal or separately. Order by Nov. 17, and pick up by Nov. 23 at 2 p.m.
• The Wine’ing Butcher (254 Wallace Road, Bedford, 488-5519; 16 Sheep Davis Road, Pembroke, 856-8855; 28 Weirs Road, Gilford, 293-4670; 81 Route 25, Meredith, 279-0300, thewineingbutcher.com) offers a full Thanksgiving menu priced per item that includes natural turkeys ($2.99/pound), turkey breast ($4.99/pound), vegetarian turkey ($4.99/pound), goose ($11.99), rabbit ($14.99), duck and quail ($9.99 each). Brined turkey is an additional $1 per pound; DIY brining kits are also available for $7.99. Sides including apple-cranberry stuffing, candied pecan sweet potatoes, glazed baby carrots and more are priced per pound. Appetizers include mini crab cakes ($24.99/pound), bacon-wrapped scallops ($3.99 each) and stuffed mushrooms (spinach/garlic $6.99/pound, sausage/smoked gouda $10.99/pound). Desserts and baked goods are also available. See listing in that section for details.
• Whole Foods Market (121 South River Road, Bedford, 218-1900, wholefoodsmarket.com/shop/BDF) offers fresh, brined and cooked turkeys, turkey dinner packages, glazed ham, appetizers and party platters, a wide selection of sides and desserts.
News: Record Turnout
FEATURED NEWS
Record Turnout
What We Can Learn From the Early Data On How NH Voted
By Ryan Lessard (news@hippopress.com)
Images: Courtesy Photo
More Granite Staters voted in this presidential election than ever befores, and it just surpassed the record — previously held by President Barack Obama in 2008 — for the largest percentage of voters of any election in at least 30 years.
According to the New Hampshire Secretary of State, 755,840 New Hampshire residents cast a ballot in the election, about 72.59 percent of the eligible voting population.
As a state, New Hampshire already has relatively high turnout, according to political analyst Dean Spiliotes with Southern New Hampshire University.
“We have a political culture in the state that really values and helps promote high turnout,” Spiliotes said. “I don’t think that will change.”
The biggest increases in voter turnout occurred in the most populous counties and the counties that saw the most population growth in recent years. They include Hillsborough, Rockingham and Strafford counties, essentially the southern tier of the state.
For example, turnout in Rockingham increased by 7 percent in real numbers between 2012 and 2016. Hillsborough’s turnout increased by 5 percent. Smaller counties like Belknap also saw a big jump compared to the last two years.
But some counties actually saw declines when compared to 2008. Those include Cheshire, Carroll, Sullivan and Coos.
UNH pollster Andy Smith said those counties have been becoming increasingly Democratic over the years, so a decrease in turnout there is possibly telling.
“The fact that less people voted in those counties would be an indication of less Democratic turnout,” Smith said.
He said that if that’s the case, it’s likely attributable to Clinton’s low favorability numbers.
But he cautions that’s still speculation as final numbers showing which party affiliations voters had are still being counted by state clerks.
Swing Counties
Rockingham and Hillsborough counties, which include major cities like Manchester and Nashua as well as big towns like Derry and Salem, voted for Donald Trump overall this year. These two counties have been swinging between both parties for several years, though Smith said Rockingham has grown increasingly Republican of late.
In 1996 both counties voted for Bill Clinton, in 2000 and 2004 they both voted for George Bush and in 2008 they voted for Obama. They split in 2012 when Rockingham voted for Mitt Romney.
This is noteworthy since, except for Rockingham in 2012, the counties had picked the ultimate national winner, regardless of who won the state.
One explanation for their Trump vote this year may be that those counties are naturally more Republican, according to Spiliotes. Their votes for Obama were likely buttressed by a popular movement and the 1996 election was a blowout for Bill Clinton, making those the possible exceptions to the rule.
Party and ideology, however, were not apparently as influential as socioeconomics. Smith said there were signs of this in town-by-town results.
“Trump did significantly worse than Romney in upscale Republican towns like Bedford and Amherst, but he was able to win in traditionally blue-collar Democratic towns like Rochester and Claremont,” Smith said.
National exit poll data found similar patterns and many believe it’s why Trump was able to unexpectedly win states like Pennsylvania and Wisconsin.
The race was so close in New Hampshire, with Clinton winning it by less than 1 percent, that traditional bellwether towns like Rochester were unreliable indicators this year.
“Trump did not win Rochester by that much and Clinton didn’t with the state by that much either,” Smith said.
Big cities like Manchester, Concord and Nashua all voted for Clinton, but Smith said the margins there were tighter than they were in recent elections.
“Clinton did not win Manchester by as big of a margin as Obama did,” Smith said.
Who Voted?
Spiliotes said Clinton’s strategy was to try to replicate the voting coalition of young people and minorities Obama had supporting him, but she didn’t get as many young voters as Obama did nationally (54 percent of 18- to 29-year-olds compared to his 60 percent, according to exit polls) and she did slightly worse with the black and Latino vote compared to Obama as well.
In New Hampshire, the population is predominantly white and aging. “So there was a significant dropoff for Democrats there,” Smith said.
But what gave Clinton a slight edge was education rates in the state. According to an analysis of exit polls by ABC News, Clinton won the college graduate vote by a 22-point margin in New Hampshire, which is double the margin Obama had against Romney.
College graduates make up the majority of the voters, up to 55 percent. Clinton won 63 percent of college-educated women and about half of college-educated men. Romney did better with college-educated men. Clinton also got 65 percent of the voters with graduate degrees.
Seniors in New Hampshire supported Clinton this year but by a smaller margin than they have with other Democratic candidates in past presidential elections, but more seniors came out to vote this year — nearly double the average turnout from polling data going back to 1984.
Younger people age 18 to 39 also supported Clinton, but the age group overall represented 34 percent of the exit poll respondents. In the 40-to-65 age group, more voters supported Trump and the age group in total was 49 percent of the vote. Seniors made up 16 percent of the vote and slightly more of them supported Clinton.
Overall it was tight. Among the the youngest age group (18 to 25), the vote was split 46 percent to 45 percent in favor of Clinton.
In New Hampshire, women made up 52 percent of the vote, and 54 percent of them voted for Clinton. Fifty-three percent of men voted for Trump.
Looking Forward
This year’s voting patterns represent a shift among white working-class middle-aged men, according to Spiliotes. Where before they have voted for both parties, that group appears to be moving to the right, while rich, educated whites and minorities are staying left.
“I think it’s been moving that way for a while,” Spiliotes said.
As national numbers revealed, they were instrumental in handing Trump states believed to be safely in Clinton’s column. The same is true of the white, working-class demographic in New Hampshire.
“I think the question going forward is going to be is this some kind of realignment in the state or is this some kind of one-time reset?” Spiliotes said.
New Hampshire stood apart as one of the last states where party divide narrowed rather than deepened, based on county margins.
To Smith, the tightness of the race here is a sign of the larger forces in this election.
“It shows more about the impact … of the economic environment and the overall political environment this year compared to 2012,” Smith said.
This year, New Hampshire was the only state that didn’t have any counties with margins 20 percent or higher, which bucks a national trend in that direction according to the New York Times. Grafton County came close at 19 percent in favor of Clinton, but the average for all counties in either direction was 8.3 percent. In Hillsborough, the margin was lowest, 0.2 percent, in favor of Trump.
36 Years Of NH Turnout
2016 - 755,840 voters (72.5%)
2012 - 718,700 voters (70.9%)
2008 - 719,403 voters (72.5%)
2004 - 683,672 voters (71.4%)
2000 - 578,656 voters (64.9%)
1996 - 513,698 voters (60%)
1992- 537,215 voters (65.9%)
1988 - 450,525 voters (56.2%)
1984 - 388,953 voters (54%)
1980 - 383,931 voters (58.1%)
Source: NHPR election database, NH Secretary of State website, United States Elections Project.
Arts: Pushing Boundaries
FEATURED ARTS
Pushing Boundaries
Master Chorale's "Eve, Absinthe, Alice" Celebrates Women
Written by Kelly Sennott (ksennott@hippopress.com)
Images: Courtesy Photo
It’s all about women in the New Hampshire Master Chorale’s upcoming program, “Eve, Absinthe, Alice,” with events this weekend in Concord and Plymouth.
The title comes from the concert’s centerpiece, a world premiere commissioned by the Master Chorale, with music by Boston composer and Dartmouth alum Oliver Caplan and lyrics by poet Ruth Kessler.
Caplan, who sang under Master Chorale Music Director Dan Perkins as part of Dartmouth College’s Handel Society years back, pitched “Eve, Absinthe, Alice” for the chorale last spring. He’d been tinkering with the idea of setting three of Kessler’s poems — “Eve to Posterity,” “The Absinthe Drinker” and “My name is” — to music since 2013, when he met Kessler during a residency at the Virginia Center for the Creative Arts.
At the time, she was working on a collection featuring 17 poems that give voice to women in myths and the arts. Three of these women stuck out to him: Eve from the Bible; the woman featured in French artist Edgar Degas’s painting “The Absinthe Drinker”; and Alice from Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll.
“They’re all stories about women pushing the boundaries and reaching further, which I think is this very human thing to do. There are lots of themes of curiosity and temptation,” Caplan said during a phone interview last week. “I think one of [Perkins’] strengths as a chorale director is he does a good job of getting inside characters and the voices behind the singers — it makes him a good fit for this piece.”
Perkins loved the idea. At the time, he had dates for the chorale’s winter concerts but was still narrowing in on a theme. One of his ideas, actually, was to commemorate how far women have come this election season.
“After reading the texts through, I thought it was a fantastic concept,” Perkins said. “I had thought about the theme of celebrating women, but I hadn’t chosen all the repertoire. When [Caplan] came forward, he just solidified the plans, and this piece became the centerpiece for the entire concert.”
Caplan wrote the music last summer during residencies at the Virginia Center for the Creative Arts and the Brush Creek Ranch in Wyoming. He presented the finished product to Perkins in September, in time for the chorale’s first rehearsal later that month.
The concurrent worlds in each tale also intrigued Caplan. In “Eve to Posterity,” Eve ponders the dilemma of free choice after her fateful act and enters into a new world of knowledge. For her movement, Caplan used a Phrygian scale, which has Eastern roots, to give the piece inflections of Mesopotamia and inspire images of the Garden of Eden.
“The first poem about Eve — it really is her questioning her choice to eat the apple and take on the knowledge of the world, and then be saddled for eternity with blame,” Perkins said. “But she keeps asking herself, ‘Would I do this again? Would I make that choice?’”
In the second movement, set to “The Absinthe Drinker,” the subject escapes her world of lost opportunities by tasting the infamous hallucinogenic — and to put the listener there, Caplan added hints of jazz and Asian sounds, traditional to lots of French music.
The last movement, set to “My name is,” contains romantic notes to bring concert-goers to Wonderland.
All poems are presented in their entirety, though Caplan tinkered with order and repetition for a better translation to music.
Other pieces include a lyrical setting of words by Ruth from the Bible (“Entreat me not to leave you … Where you go, I will go”) composed by Dan Forrest; “A Heart in Hiding,” with six Emily Dickinson poems, set by Vermont composer Gwyneth Walker; two poems by Sara Teasdale, “There Will Be Rest” and “To See the Sky,” set by Frank Ticheli and Jocelyn Hagen, respectively; a setting of Emma Lazarus’ words (“Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free”) set by Joshua Fishbein; and “Wonders Unfold,” by Master Chorale baritone Andrew Morrissey.
Perkins said he’s pleased with Caplan’s music and the program.
“It’s really great music, accessible to the listener,” Perkins said.
Music: Dead Memories
FEATURED MUSIC
Dead Memories
Photographer Adds Depth to DSO Show
Written by Michael Witthaus (music@hippopress.com)
Images: Courtesy Photo
Every Dark Star Orchestra concert is a trip in the wayback machine, as the band recreates a Grateful Dead show, playing a complete setlist song by song. DSO’s appearance at Concord’s Capitol Center Nov. 22 offers even more for fans of the Dead — photographer Susana Millman and Dead publicist Dennis McNally will be there to talk about Millman’s photographic memoir, Alive With The Dead: A Fly on the Wall with a Camera.
Millman and McNally were introduced by live show archivist Dick Lavata of Dick’s Picks fame; the two were nudged into romance by Jerry Garcia, who later walked Millman down the aisle at their wedding. Their short tour, which includes five dates with DSO, has been a long time coming.
“People have been joking with us for years, saying, ‘Hey, you two should take it on the road,’ so we’re finally doing that,” Millman said by phone from the couple’s Northern California home. “This is the first time I’ve done something like this; I’m a pretty reclusive person, usually hiding behind a camera.”
The 260-page photo/essay collection chronicles The Dead from the mid-80s through Garcia’s death in 1995 and beyond, to the present day of Dead & Co. It offers many intimate, behind-the-scenes views: dressing rooms, parties and weddings and stellar performance shots that illustrate Millman’s symbiotic relationship with the band.
A section titled wtf Bobby? shows Garcia’s at various times reacting to Bob Weir’s sudden guitar changes.
“Jerry had a host of body language and facial reactions to express his bemusement, amusement and amazement with Bobby,” Millman writes in one of the several essays in the book, which includes a foreword by drummer Mickey Hart and several Scrib’s Notes contributions from McNally.
The “fly on the wall” aspect is on display throughout, and Millman’s candid shots are a revelation and a reflection of her style.
“I generally believe that unless you’re asking people to pose for you, it’s best for a photographer to be unobtrusive so you can capture what’s actually going on,” she told a writer for e-zine Grateful Web. “Gestures between the subjects, candid stuff like that without your presence interrupting that flow of events.”
Millman was a late-arriving Deadhead. Well, she saw them early, but her first show was less than inspiring.
“I’m almost embarrassed to say this, but in the interest of full disclosure I was at one of those great February 1970 Fillmore East shows, and I just didn’t get it.” she said. But a trip to South America with a group of Deadheads changed her outlook.
“I liked [the] total improvisation; I became oriented toward that style of music and really wanted to see the Dead when I came back,” she said.
On Dec. 29, 1977, she saw them at Winterland in San Francisco.
“I would say that’s my first real show that counted,” she said.
She started working with the Dead during a time their popularity mushroomed, as the success of 1987’s In the Dark moved the group from hockey rinks to ballparks. For one interesting assignment, Millman photographed secret tests of a new outdoor sound and lighting system set up, with great difficulty, at a Sonoma County vineyard. At one point, an ancient live oak shuddered and split down the middle.
“Maybe the sound was too much. ... I don’t know what caused it,” she said.
Asked to name a favorite moment of her long, strange trip with the San Francisco band, Millman paused.
“There were so many, but one of them had to do with incorporating my past with the present,” she said. “Jerry and John Kahn at Lincoln Center in 1984 ... I grew up in Manhattan and Lincoln Center had such other meaning to me; here I was with my new life.”
Ultimately, taking pictures of a band that never really relished being photographed was its own reward.
“Sometimes I’d be at a show with a camera, walking to the soundboard from the pit or something,” she said. “I’m thinking, ‘Wow, is this really happening? Am I able to do this? It’s so cool.’ That happened a bunch.”
Film: Review of Arrival
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Film Review
The Girl on the Train (R)
Written by Amy Diaz (adiaz@hippopress.com)
Images: Screenshot of The Girl on the Train
Amy Adams is a linguist asked to help communicate with a group of aliens who have appeared on Earth in Arrival, a chilly but slyly fun and emotional sci-fi.
Aliens arrive on Earth in vaguely egg-shaped crafts that hover above 12 sites across the world. China, Russia, Sudan and other countries across the globe, including the U.S., are working together — you know, sort of — and sharing the information they get about the “shells,” as the crafts are called, in their territories. Here, the shell hovers over Montana and the military has recruited the scientists working on the problem of how to communicate with the beings who, every 18 hours, open up their ship to let in the humans. Col. Weber (Forest Whitaker) recruits Dr. Louise Banks (Adams), first trying to get her to identify some kind of an alien language via a recording but eventually bringing her out to the site.
She is joined by others, including Ian Donnelly (Jeremy Renner), a physicist. At first, they and the others across the world try all your standard sci-fi movie methods of talking to the aliens — prime numbers, math, etc. Eventually, Louise decides that the quickest road to communication might be a written language, so she and Ian attempt to teach the two aliens that show up in a kind of air-lock spaceship lobby a few basic words — human, Louise, Ian. Slowly, they learn to recognize the ink blotty circles that the aliens seem to squirt out of tentacles as language.
Meanwhile, however, the world acts in not-surprising ways. China and Russia start to pull their scientists out of the video collaboration of countries while in America assorted elements suggest, basically, shooting at the aliens to show that we can. Louise soon finds her operation — the ultimate aim of which is to find out why the aliens are here, a complex question she has to work up to — put on a clock. Get some answers before the world goes to war, she’s told.
There is another element of what’s happening to Louise that, as the movie begins, seems like one thing but turns out to be something a little weirder and more integral to the central plot. It’s a nice element that adds some emotional heft to the movie while keeping the central “solving the puzzle” action more in the intellectual, science realm. The movie doesn’t have to waste a bunch of time “humanizing” Lousie as she works on the all-encompassing alien communication question. This part of the movie is work-focused, muted in color. It gives the other thread that runs through the movie more of a punch in comparison.
Amy Adams does a good job of playing both of these parts with real humanity and with a kind of genuineness that works when you think A is true but still works later when you find out it’s really B. (It’s a hard performance to praise without spoiling.) I think it’s easy to remember her bigger, showier performances — Enchanted at the cheeriest end of the spectrum, Doubt toward the more dramatic — but Adams is really good at hitting the marks in between as well. Is there an Oscar for “Consistent Awesomeness”? I don’t think so but she would at least deserve a nomination.
Whatever you think Arrival is going in — and I think this is definitely one of those “less information the better” situations — it ultimately shows itself to be smarter than what you’d expect, a slower burn and a more affecting story for the way it unfolds.
Grade: B+
Pop: Creating Utopia
FEATURED POP
Creating Utopia
Of This New World Explores The "Perfect" Societies
Written by Matt Ingersoll (listings@hippopress.com)
Images: Courtesy Photo
It shouldn’t be surprising that Peterborough native Allegra Hyde’s debut book of short stories, Of This New World, contains tales linked by themes of utopia.
The 28-year-old author has seen so many different ways to live during her travels around the world. She’s taught in Singapore, the Bahamas and Greece, and backpacked for five months across New Zealand visiting its hippie communes. This summer, she returned to the states after a year-long stint in Bulgaria on a Fulbright teaching grant.
Traveling sates her curiosity and eagerness to explore, but for these stories, the trips acted as research.
“I’ve been really obsessed with utopian communities for a long time, so I really wanted to … see what it’s like for people living different from mainstream society,” Hyde said during a phone interview last week. “Whenever I can, I try to explore new places. So these settings definitely show up in my stories.”
The characters within Of This New World are pursuing different versions of ideal worlds, starting with a retelling of the Garden of Eden and ending with an imagining of what it would be like if humans tried to spread out to Mars. She wrote the book over seven years, while earning her master of fine arts degree in writing at the University of Arizona (where she also met her husband, Alex McElroy, another fiction writer) and afterward.
The short story allowed Hyde to flex her muscles as a writer; she could try different voices and experiment with different styles in a very short space. She got the book deal by winning a contest with the University of Iowa Press and received the news while in Bulgaria teaching English and literature and supervising a writing club she started there.
“A short story collection is definitely harder to publish. Literary agents are always asking if you have a novel,” she said. “It was pretty surreal hearing about it while I [was] surrounded by this foreign landscape.”
Sometimes she writes while on the road, but Hyde said the good stuff usually happens after she’s had the chance to soak a place in and reflect. She hasn’t written much about Bulgaria yet, even though she spent an entire year there, but when she does, she’ll do it the old-fashioned way.
“I write by hand, which I have discovered is actually becoming more and more uncommon. Most writers are working directly onto the computer, but I really enjoy writing things out and kind of thinking through my pen,” Hyde said.
At the time of her phone interview, Hyde was in the midst of an artist residency on a Wyoming cattle ranch, working on her first novel, which expands on the world she started on with one of the stories in her collection, “Shark Fishing.” The writing, she thinks, is going well, but sometimes it’s hard to know with a longer form.
“A novel is so huge,” Hyde said. “I try to tell myself, I’m putting hours into it, so I’m making some kind of progress. A lot of it is about trying to stay positive and enjoy the work no matter what.”
Hyde comes home this weekend to celebrate the Oct. 1 release of her book with events at a handful of her old stomping grounds, including her childhood bookstore, the Toadstool Bookshop in Peterborough. Her home state isn’t a central place in her stories, but it did have an important impact in forming her values and fascination with nature and community. As a result, both are major themes in her work.
“In Peterborough, we have so many amazing natural wonders, whether they be mountains or rivers — even our little bit of New Hampshire seacoast I think is gorgeous,” Hyde said. “I didn’t fully realize how connected I was to the natural world until I began to travel. When I was miles and miles away from New Hampshire, that’s when I realized how connected I was. … When you’re walking around Singapore in the busy traffic among skyscrapers, it’s really interesting and fascinating, but it can also make you miss the peacefulness and serenity of walking around a forest in New Hampshire.”
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Yes Deer
Yes Deer
Mating Season Means More Deer Crossing Roads
Written by Ryan Lessard (news@hippopress.com)
Photo: Courtesy Photo
With deer in the midst of their mating season — also known as a rut — Fish and Game specialists are warning drivers to keep an eye out as rutting behaviors mean more deer crossing roads.
“This time of year, this is when the breeding season starts. The majority of the breeding takes place really during a short period of time,” Fish and Game wildlife biologist Dan Bergeron said.
According to a study, Bergeron said, about 80 percent of the breeding happens in a three-week period that peaks in mid-November.
But behaviors associated with breeding begin sooner than that.
As the deer hunting season started, deer were harder to spot because of an abundance of acorns for them to feed on and more tree cover thanks to a late autumn. But mating behaviors override those factors, Bergeron said, especially in the males.
“Bucks kind of forget about anything else except finding a doe to breed. They decrease the amount of time they spend sleeping and eating and they can actually lose quite a bit of weight during this time period because all they’re doing is kind of searching for does,” Bergeron said.
Does that go into heat will roam out a little bit more than usual, but they don’t cover nearly as much ground as the bucks.
Bucks will breed with several does during this period, and a doe will often break off from her family unit, which usually consists of her mother and sisters, when she becomes pregnant.
But Bergeron said it’s not uncommon to see groups of does or bucks chasing after does over roadways. He advises motorists who stop for one deer to be sure there aren’t any more following that one before moving again. Often, it’s the second deer to cross that gets hit, because drivers are watching the first deer so closely.
The hour of the day matters too. While deer can be seen in the middle of the day, they are most active during dawn and dusk, which is when visibility is most difficult for drivers.
The breeding behaviors are directed by hormonal changes that are triggered by the shortening length of days. Bergeron said the deer have evolved to enter their rut at a time of year that ensures fawns are born around late May and most of June, a time when the snow is gone and food is more plentiful. If fawns are born too early, they won’t survive due to lack of food. If they’re born too late they won’t have enough time to fatten up before winter.
According to a study Fish and Game did on roadkill deer, about 60 percent were pregnant with twins.
Beyond Surfaces
Beyond Surfaces
Concord Players Take On Prejudice
Written by Kelly Sennott (ksennott@hippopress.com)
Photos: Courtesy Photo
Once on This Island is about how, too often, arbitrary differences divide humans unnecessarily — an important message today especially, Community Players of Concord Director Bryan Halperin said during a phone interview last week.
The Players perform the one-act sung-through musical, based on My Love, My Love by Rosa Guy, at the Concord City Auditorium this weekend, with showtimes Nov. 18 through Nov. 20.
The original Broadway production, with music by Stephen Flaherty and book and lyrics by Lynn Ahrens, went up from 1990 to 1991, and the 1994 West End production won the 1995 Olivier Award for Best New Musical. It starts during a stormy night in Antilles archipelago in the Caribbean Sea, where a group of village storytellers offer comfort to a crying girl by telling her the story of Ti Moune, a peasant girl who falls for a wealthy boy from the other side of her island.
Not many New Hampshire theaters take on the play because the traditionally all-African-American cast can be difficult to find within the state’s demographic. But Halperin, a fan of the music, had been wanting to direct Once on This Island for a while.
“I was looking for an appropriate time, place and group it might work for. When I saw Concord was looking for directors last year, I pitched it to them,” Halperin said. “I had a take on it they thought was exciting, and something new to bring to community theater.”
Halperin’s version starts in a gymnasium, with cinderblock walls, bleachers and decorations for a school-wide masquerade that lay forgotten due to an oncoming storm — the school has turned into a shelter. Instead of village storytellers, it’s a group of Red Cross volunteers who tell the story of Ti Moune to help calm down a frightened child, using materials at hand and asking the little girl to fill in the blanks with her imagination.
Umbrellas perched on ladders become trees, and a disco ball flashing lights brings in a glittery storm. A toy car careening down a hill turns into an on-stage automobile accident, and when the sun rises, two actors will lift a third holding and opening a yellow umbrella. To illustrate the story’s opposing groups, actors wear masquerade masks of two different colors.
“It’s storytelling theater. We’re not looking to make everything realistic,” Halperin said. “It gives the audience an opportunity to use their imagination, and it gives the cast the opportunity to be creative in how we bring things to life.”
Players president Kathryn Hodges said the theater board liked the proposal because of its unusual presentation and because of its commentary on superficial differences, whether they be race, religion or political affiliations.
“The underlying themes are, surface is just surface. Black, mulatto, French, white, it doesn’t matter; when these two young people fall in love, their masks fall away. They don’t see their differences. They see each other,” Hodges said.
Hodges said the musical drew a crowd of new faces; of the 29-member cast, 14 are new to the Players, as are Halperin, Music Director Troy Lucia and Choreographer Jen Sassak. They collectively hail from 15 Granite State cities and towns and have been working hard on this challenging production, which is almost entirely sung through and contains intensive dance footwork.
Even with its heavy-hitting theme, Halperin said it’s a fun show to watch and, with a 90-minute run time, accessible for viewers young and old.
“The world would be a better place if we stop letting these differences divide us and instead look at people as individuals in their own merits. … In a state like New Hampshire, where there isn’t a ton of diversity, it’s important to show our kids these stories and teach these lessons that you won’t experience in your day-to-day lives living in New Hampshire,” he said. “You can be tapping your toes, humming along with a big smile on your face while taking in important messages and having empathy for characters on stage.”
See Once On Th is Island
Where: Concord City Auditorium, 2 Prince St., Concord
When: Friday, Nov. 18, 7:30 p.m.; Saturday, Nov. 19, 7:30 p.m.; Sunday Nov. 20, 2 p.m.
Admission: $18-$20
Contact: communityplayersofconcord.org
Night Visions
Night Visions
Quarrybrook Turns Out The Lights For Next Community Event
Written by Matt Ingersoll (listings@hippopress.com)
Photos: Stock Photo
Hike through the dark nighttime woods — no flashlights allowed — and learn about the nocturnal animals that prowl New Hampshire during the Quarrybrook Outdoor Learning Center’s free Night Experience event.
The Windham center is hosting three night hikes on Friday, Nov. 18, from 6 to 8 p.m.; one is for participants only age 16 and older, one is a general night hike for all ages, and one is an astronomy-themed hike that will also be open to all age groups.
The rules are simple: dress warmly and comfortably, wear good walking shoes, and be prepared to not use any flashlights, Quarrybrook educator Lindsey Grundfast said.
“There are six of us that teach here [at Quarrybrook], and we’ll be leading people out for a walk in the woods … and relying on our natural senses to help guide us,” Grundfast said.
“That will allow our night vision to start working, and we’ll be talking about how the rods and cones in our eyes help us start seeing better in the night, as well as doing some echolocation activities [during the hikes].”
Last year’s night hike — the first one of its kind held at Quarrybrook — was a success, with a significantly higher turnout than some of the center’s other community events. Other hikes throughout the year have included a snowshoe hike and a fall foliage hike during the season’s peak.
“I think [the night hike] is different enough that people have not necessarily known much about sensory activities before and wanted to come check it out for that reason,” Grundfast said. “We do hear and see tons of animals and come across evidence of animals like coyote, deer, raccoons, owls, we’ve found evidence of a bobcat … so there’s lots of variety.”
Grundfast said each community event is set up a bit differently, depending on the theme and the weather. If the sky is not clear during the night, for example, the astronomy-themed hike will turn into another general night hike.
The hikes will only be cancelled in the event of a heavy downpour. Grundfast said the sensory activities that will be covered during the hikes can be learned indoors as well.
“If it’s raining hard, then we’re not going to do it outside, but even if it’s a light drizzle, people will still come out and enjoy,” she said. “Some of the activities are more about listening, so you can turn the lights off or close your eyes or use blindfolds and do different activities that way.”
Quarrybrook offers students from schools in and around the Merrimack Valley hands-on learning about different lessons they learn in the classroom and encourages them to think about the natural world around them, Grundfast said. But the community events, which started two years ago, are open to anyone interested in learning about nature.
“We do have students coming to us every day, but the community events are our way of inviting the community out for a day to spend some time with us,” she said.
Night Experience Community Event
When: Friday, Nov. 18, 6 to 8 p.m.
Where: Quarrybrook Outdoor Learning Center, 39 Roulston Road, Windham
Cost: Free
Visit: quarrybrook.org
And The Winner Is...
And The Winner Is...
Mr. Concord To Be Crowned At Inaugural Pageant
Written by Matt Ingersoll (listings@hippopress.com)
Photos: Stock Photo
Eight community members from New Hampshire’s Capital City have been nominated for the title of “Mr. Concord,” but only one will receive the crown at the first annual Mr. Concord Pageant on Friday, Nov. 18.
“It should be a fun, light-hearted event for such a wonderful cause,” said Mary McGahan, president of the GFWC Concord Contemporary Club, which is presenting the pageant.
All proceeds will benefit domestic violence and human trafficking prevention programs at the Crisis Center of Central New Hampshire.
“We’re hoping that this will become our No. 1 fundraiser,” McGahan said.
The eight contestants who will take the stage at the pageant are either Concord natives or prominent and active community members. They are Timothy Sink, president of the Greater Concord Chamber of Commerce; Jim Bouley, the city’s mayor; Bob Tewksbury, a Concord native and former Major League Baseball pitcher and mental skills coordinator for the Boston Red Sox; Lt. John Thomas of the Concord Police Department; Rich Spaulding, a retired New Hampshire state trooper; Tom Raffio, president and CEO of Northeast Delta Dental; Chris Brown, president and owner of the Concord-based New Hampshire Distributors; and John “Cimo” Cimikoski, owner of Cimo’s South End Deli and an ardent supporter of the Boys & Girls Club of Central New Hampshire.
Concord Monitor reporter Allie Morris, New Hampshire Republican State Committee Chairman Steve Duprey, and current Miss New Hampshire Caroline Carter will serve as the pageant’s judges.
“One of the main reasons we chose the people that we did to be the contestants is that most of them are well-known in the community and they do a lot,” McGahan said, “and I’m sure they are going to have a concern for the cause and help get the word out there [about domestic violence prevention].”
The pageant will begin with WMUR reporter Adam Sexton introducing each of the contestants and Tim Patoine of A Goodtime DJs providing background music.
“We’ll have a short information session about human trafficking prevention from the Crisis Center,” McGahan said. “There will also be a talent section in which each contestant has a funny little talent to make the audience laugh.”
McGahan said each contestant will be giving something to auction off during the pageant, followed by a short question-and-answer period with Sexton.
“We’re thinking that one of the questions we’d like to have [the judges] ask is how they feel they can help get the word out about the human trafficking issue,” she said. “We thought we’d also ask them what they might do to promote their title of ‘Mr. Concord’ and how they would proceed under that title … and then also just an individual question to make the audience laugh, something funny that relates to them.”
Items to be auctioned off include a gift certificate for a wine tasting at Black Bear Vineyards in Salisbury, a hotel stay at the Grappone Center, a gift certificate for skiing at Waterville Valley Resort, tickets to New Hampshire Motor Speedway events and more. McGahan said the crowning of Mr. Concord is expected to take place around or a little after 9 p.m.
Tickets can be purchased individually or in groups of up to eight per table, McGahan said.
“We welcome all businesses to buy tables for employees and if somebody wants to bring a family member who they think will enjoy it, they definitely can do so,” she said.
Mr. Concord Pageant
When: Friday, Nov. 18, 6 p.m.
Where: Courtyard Marriott Grappone Conference Center, 70 Constitution Ave., Concord
Cost: $50 per person (tickets can be purchased at Bravo Boutique, 38 N. Main St., Concord, or by calling 731-6991)
Visit: concordcontemporaryclub.org
Weekly Review: Vesuvio Solo & More
Weekly Review: Vesuvio Solo & More
Written by Eric Saeger (news@hippopress.com)
Photos: Album Art
Vesuvio Solo, Don’t Leave Me in the Dark (Banko Gotiti Records)
Montreal indie trio rewriting the rules for ’70s/’80s sexy-soul-pop. Their vocal pallette comprises typical late-Aughts 98-pound-weakling softness without relying on too much Beach Boys falsetto, not that it isn’t there from time to time, but it’s really more in line with dream-time post-disco and throwback department-store funk-pop, a fine example of the latter being the title track, which mates MGMT with Gerry Rafferty (yep, I do like pulling out that Rafferty reference, and besides, that combination is gaining steam at an alarming rate among the hipsters, who apparently believe they missed something by not being alive during the late ’70s/early ’80s, not realizing that bands like Triumph and Corey Hart were constantly on the radio). I’ve seen the adjective “timeless” applied to this material, and the 1980s-synth-blooping “Memory Loss” has the right sort of vibe for some sort of neo-Marvin Gaye mick-up, but (A) it tries too hard, and (B), it’s short on hook-age. Interesting approach anyway
Grade: B-
Lizzy Rose, Crocodile Tears (self-released)
Funnily enough I was just reading about Melanie, the quirky, mononymed 1960s songstress whom nobody had ever heard of until she suddenly found herself on the Woodstock stage on a Saturday night, 11 p.m. prime-time, in front of 100,000 fans. Compare that to this discombobulated Seattle indie-popper, who was fronting Denver band Vitamins until she was whisked away by Flaming Lips to sing on their Dark Side of the Moon tour, where she learned to make even weirder costumes than she’d had in her early days, all of which puts us at about zero on the substance scale. But her music is actually quite good, evoking a vision of Amanda Palmer’s mousy little sister, trying different things that all sound well-suited and accessible, such as warbling weirdly over acoustic piano shuffle on the title track, tabling some Beth Orton-ish freak-folk in “In Morning Sun” and garage-grunging-out a little on the solemn but comical “Walk The Walk (You’re A W****).” You ask me, she’s Generation Text’s answer to Fiona Apple.
Grade: A
Dine-Out Thanksgiving
Dine-Out Thanksgiving
Restaurants Serving Prix Fixe Menus & Buffets
Written by Angie Sykeny (asykeny@hippopress.com)
Photos: Stock Photo
If you’re looking to skip the cooking and cleanup of a Thanksgiving meal at home this year, check out this list of local restaurants offering dine-in prix fixe menus, buffets and plated meals. Space is filling up fast, so be sure to call ahead and secure a reservation. If you know of another restaurant serving special holiday meals, let us know by emailing food@hippopress.com
• Alan’s of Boscawen (133 N. Main St., Boscawen, 753-6631, alansofboscawen.com) will serve a traditional Thanksgiving dinner and a grand Thanksgiving buffet from noon to 6 p.m. The buffet includes peel-and-eat shrimp, pumpkin soup, garden and pasta salads, mashed potatoes and gravy, yams, turkey, ham, prime rib, tortellini alfredo, baked stuffed haddock and more. Call for cost details. Prepared Thanksgiving meals to take home are also available to order.
• Alpine Grove (19 S. Depot Road, Hollis, 882-9051, alpinegrove.com) will have a Thanksgiving buffet with seatings at noon, 1 and 2 p.m. Dinner includes New England fish chowder, turkey with cornbread stuffing, gravy and cranberry sauce, oven-roasted Virginia ham, mashed potatoes, butternut squash, sweet potatoes, green beans and mac and cheese. Dessert will be pumpkin, pecan and apple pies, plus assorted pastries. The cost is $24 for adults, $10 for kids age 12 and under, and free for kids under age 4. Reservations are required. Prepared Thanksgiving meals to take home are also available to order.
• Bedford Village Inn (2 Olde Bedford Way, Bedford, 472-2001, bedfordvillageinn.com) will be serving a four-course prix fixe menu from noon to 6 p.m. in the main dining room and Corks wine bar. The cost is $69 for adults and $32 for children ages 10 and under. Reservations are required.
• Belmont Hall & Restaurant (718 Grove St., Manchester, 625-8540, belmonthall.net) will be serving an all-you-can-eat Thanksgiving buffet from 6 a.m. to 4 p.m. The cost is $14.99 per person. Apple and pumpkin pies to take home are also available to order.
• The Coach Stop Restaurant & Tavern (176 Mammoth Road, Londonderry, 437-2022, coachstopnh.com) will serve a Thanksgiving menu with seatings at noon 2:30 and 5 p.m. The menu includes entrees like roast turkey, baked Virginia ham, slow-roasted prime rib, baked stuffed shrimp and more. Entree costs range from $19.99 to $26.99.
• Colby Hill Inn (33 The Oaks, Henniker, 428-3281, colbyhillinn.com) will serve a prix fixe three-course Thanksgiving dinner with seatings at noon, 1, 2:15, 3:15, 4:30 and 5:30 p.m. The menu features starters like butternut squash soup, fried oysters and salads, entrees like roast herbed turkey, slow-roasted pork shoulder and stuffed delicata squash with a variety of sides, and desserts like pumpkin pie and sea salted chocolate caramel cake. Special holiday cocktails and after-dinner drinks will also be available. The cost is $55 for adults and $25 for kids under age 12.
• Common Man (25 Water St., Concord, 228-3463; 88 Range Road, Windham, 898-0088; 21 Water St., Claremont, 542-6171; thecman.com) will be serving a Thanksgiving buffet from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. The cost is $26.95 for adults and $12.95 for children age 12 and under. Prepared Thanksgiving meals to take home are also available to order.
• Country Tavern (452 Amherst St., Nashua, 889-5871, countrytavern.org) will serve its Thanksgiving menu starting at 11:30 a.m., with final reservations at 5 p.m. The menu includes appetizers, soups and salads, desserts and entrees like butternut squash ravioli, tavern meatloaf, a seafood sampler and filet mignon. All entrees cost $26.95 each. A traditional turkey dinner costs $23.95 and includes a cup of turkey soup, roast turkey, butternut squash, mashed potatoes, stuffing, gravy, cranberry pineapple relish and pumpkin or pecan pie. There is a kids’ turkey dinner for $15.95. Prepared Thanksgiving meals to take home are also available to order.
• The Derryfield (625 Mammoth Road, Manchester, 623-2880, thederryfield.com) will serve a family-style turkey dinner with seatings starting at 11 a.m. The meal includes a full turkey, potatoes, stuffing, gravy, butternut squash, mixed seasonal vegetables, salad and dinner rolls for $25.95 with a four-person minimum. Regular turkey dinner plates cost $22.95 for adults, $20.95 for seniors 65+ and $17.95 for children under age 12 ($2 extra for all white meat).
• Drumlins Restaurant (located at Stonebridge Country Club, 161 Gorham Pond Road, Goffstown, 497-8633, golfstonebridgecc.com) will serve an all-you-can-eat buffet from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., with traditional roasted turkey, sides, dessert and more. The cost is $24.99 for adults, $20.99 for seniors and $12.99 for children age 10 and under. Reservations are required.
• Epoch Restaurant & Bar (located in The Exeter Inn, 90 Front St., Exeter, 778-3762, epochrestaurant.com) will serve Thanksgiving dinner from 11:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. The menu includes sage-rubbed turkey with giblet gravy and cranberry sauce and slow-roasted sirloin of beef with horseradish cream and au jus sauce, along with a variety of hot and cold sides and a dessert station with pies, ice cream and more. The cost is $44.99 for adults and $14.99 for children under age 12.
• Foster’s Boiler Room (231 Main St., Plymouth, 536-2764, thecman.com) will be serving a Thanksgiving buffet from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. The cost is $24.95 for adults and $12.95 for children age 12 and under. Prepared Thanksgiving meals to take home are also available to order.
• Granite Restaurant & Bar (96 Pleasant St., Concord, 227-9005, graniterestaurant.com) will have a Thanksgiving buffet with seatings at noon and 2 p.m. The menu includes assorted hors d’oeuvres, salads, a carving station with roasted turkey breast and roasted pork loin, sides like wild mushroom and herb stuffing, maple roasted sweet potatoes and cavatappi pasta with pumpkin sage cream and assorted seasonal desserts. The cost is $29.95 for adults, $26.95 for seniors 60+, $16.95 for children under age 12, and free for children under age 4. Call 227-9000, ext. 602, for reservations.
• Hanover Street Chophouse (149 Hanover St., Manchester, 644-2467, hanoverstreetchophouse.com) will be serving its full dinner menu and Thanksgiving specials. Reservations will be accepted from noon to 3:30 p.m.
• The Homestead Restaurant (641 Daniel Webster Highway, Merrimack, 429-2022; Newfound Lake, Route 104, Bristol, 744-2022, homesteadnh.com) will serve Thanksgiving dinner at both its locations with seatings at noon, 2:30 and 5 p.m. The menu includes entree options like roast turkey, baked Virginia ham, roast prime rib or beef and more. All entrees cost $29 and come with turkey soup, apple cider, mixed nuts, fruit basket, mashed potato, cranberry sauce, butternut squash, green peas, hot rolls, sweet bread and pie. There are also children’s dinners for $15.
• Jocelyn’s Mediterranean Restaurant & Lounge (355 S. Broadway, Salem, 870-0045, jocelynsrestaurant.com) will be serving its full menu and turkey dinner special from noon to 6 p.m.
• Lakehouse (281 D.W. Hwy., Meredith, 279-5221; thecman.com) will be serving a Thanksgiving buffet from 11:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. The cost is $42.95 for adults and $18.95 for children age 12 and under. Prepared Thanksgiving meals to take home are also available to order.
• Mile Away Restaurant (52 Federal Hill Road, Milford, 673-3904, mileawayrestaurant.com) will serve a Thanksgiving prixe fixe dinner with seatings available every two hours from noon to 7 p.m. The meal includes a choice of appetizer, salad, entree like roast turkey, maple-glazed salmon, veal or chicken marsala, choice prime rib and others with a choice of sides and desserts like pumpkin and pecan pie, chocolate mousse cake and more. The cost is $27.95 for adults and $17.95 for children under age 12. Reservations are required.
• The Red Blazer (72 Manchester St., Concord, 224-4101, theredblazer.com) will serve a Thanksgiving buffet from 11 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. It includes roasted turkey and gravy, roasted pork with apple chutney, pumpkin ravioli with maple sage cream sauce, a salad bar, rolls, baked butternut squash, baked yams, green bean casserole, mashed potatoes and more, as well as a dessert buffet. The cost is $29.99 for adults, $15.99 for children ages 4 through 10 and free for children age 3 and under. Prepared desserts to take home are also available to order.
• Restaurant Tek-Nique (170 Route 101, Bedford, 488-5629, restaurantteknique.com) will serve a three-course Thanksgiving menu from noon to 5 p.m., which includes a choice of appetizer, entree, dessert and family-style traditional Thanksgiving dinner accompaniments. The cost is $52 per person.
• The Wild Rover (21 Kosciuszko St., Manchester, 669-7722, wildroverpub.com) will be serving a Thanksgiving Irish breakfast buffet from 7:30 to 11:30 a.m. The cost is $9.99 for adults and $5.99 for children.
• The Yard (1211 S. Mammoth Road, Manchester, 623-3545, theyardrestaurant.com) will serve a Thanksgiving buffet, carving station and plated dinners from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., with seatings available on the hour for parties of up to six people (seatings for parties of seven people or more are available at 11 a.m., noon, 2 and 4 p.m.). The buffet and carving station includes roast turkey, roast beef, baked ham, stuffing, mashed potatoes, rice pilaf, butternut squash, yams, gourmet breads, hot apple cider and more, plus an assortment of desserts. The cost is $23.95 for adults (prices vary for plated dinners) and $12.95 for kids under age 10. Reservations are required.
The Markets Will Go On
The Markets Will Go On
Eat Local All Year With Winter Farmers Markets
Written by Angie Sykeny (asykeny@hippopress.com)
Photos: Courtesy Photo
It may be cold outside, but there are still plenty of opportunities to get fresh, local food and other goodies all year long with these indoor winter farmers markets. You’ll find seasonal produce like winter squashes, carrots, beets and cabbage, as well as dried fruits, herbs, flowers and plants, dairy products, meats, baked goods, jams and jellies, maple and more. Some markets also have live music, kids’ activities and special events, so check their websites for updates on what’s happening.
• Amherst Open Air Market is a new market held every Sunday, year round, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. During the winter it takes place in the heated greenhouse adjacent to the farmstand at Amherst Garden Center (305 Route 101, Amherst). In addition to the vendors, the market features live music, a monthly Kids Corner with stories and crafts for kids, a Market Meal of the Week with recipe cards highlighting items at the market, and a monthly DIY series where visitors can do a craft to take home. Visit facebook.com/AmherstOpenAirMarket, call 673-3008 or email amherstopenairmarket@gmail.com.
• Canterbury Community Farmers’ Market will have a winter market at Canterbury Elementary School (15 Baptist Road, Canterbury) on Saturday, Dec. 10, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. The market has ready-to-eat food and cafe seating available, and live music is sometimes featured. Visit ccfma.net, call 783-9043 or email canterburyfarmersmarket@gmail.com.
• Cole Gardens Winter Farmers’ Market (430 Loudon Road, Concord) takes place every Saturday, now through April 22, from 10 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. (market on Dec. 31 moved to Friday, Dec. 23, for holiday). Live music is also featured. Visit concordwintermarket.com, call 229-0655 or email charlie@colegardens.com.
• Contoocook Farmers’ Market holds its winter markets at the Hopkinton Town Hall (846 Main St., Hopkinton) every Saturday, now through May, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. The market often features live music and demonstrations. Visit facebook.com/contoocookfarmersmarket, call 746-3749 or email tookymarket@live.com.
• Merrimack Winter Farmers’ Market takes place at The John O’Leary Adult Community Center (4 Church St., Merrimack) every Wednesday, now through mid-June, from 3 to 6 p.m. Visit facebook.com/merrimackfarmersmarket, call 235-6232 or email minerfamilyfarm@yahoo.com.
• Milford Farmers Market holds its winter markets at the Milford Town Hall (1 Union Square, Milford) on the first and third Saturdays in November and December and the second and fourth Saturdays in January through April, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Live music is also featured. Visit milfordnhfarmersmarket.com, call 654-2204 or email awcolsia@gmail.com.
• Newmarket Farmers’ Market holds its winter markets at Newmarket Community Church (137 Main St., Newmarket) on the first and third Saturdays of the month, now through April, from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. A kids’ table is also featured. Visit facebook.com/NewmarketFarmersMarket, call 617-584-3292 or email newmarketfarmersmarket@gmail.com.
• Nottingham Farmers’ Market will continue every Sunday, now through Dec. 18, at the Old Town Hall (139 Stage Road, Nottingham). Visit facebook.com/nottinghamfarmersmarket or email nottinghamfarmersmarket@gmail.com.
• Peterborough Farmers’ Market holds its winter markets at the Peterborough Community Center (25 Elm St., Peterborough) every Wednesday, now through Dec. 21, from 3 to 5 p.m. Visit facebook.com/PeterboroughNHFarmersMarket, call 396-9136 or email peterboroughfarmersmarketnh@gmail.com.
• Rolling Green Winter Farmers’ Market (64 Breakfast Hill Road, Greenland) takes place on the first and third Saturdays of the month, now through March 4, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Visit rollinggreennursery.com, call 436-2732 or email wfmkt.rgn@gmail.com.
• Salem Farmers’ Market holds its winter markets every Sunday, year round, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. During the winter, it takes place at Mary A. Fisk School (14 Main St., Salem). In addition to the vendors, the market features live music, children’s entertainment and activities like “Meet a Farmer” and face-painting, and seasonal special events. Visit salemnhfarmersmarket.org or email info@salemnhfarmersmarket.org.
• Seacoast Eat Local Winter Farmers’ Markets take place on scheduled Saturdays, now through April, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., at Wentworth Greenhouses (141 Rollins Road, Rollinsford) and Exeter High School (1 Blue Hawk Drive, Exeter). Dates are Nov. 19, Dec. 3, Dec. 17, Jan. 7, Jan. 28, Feb. 25 and March 25 at Wentworth Greenhouses, and Dec. 10, Jan. 14, Feb. 11, March 11 and April 8 at Exeter High School. A winter craft market is held simultaneously with the markets at Wentworth Greenhouses from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Special events include Meet the Farmers CSA information days on Feb. 11 and Feb. 25 and a Kids’ Day on March 11 with scavenger hunts, butter-making, taste testing and more. Visit seacoasteatlocal.org, call 888-600-0128 or email info@seacoasteatlocal.org.
• Weare Farmers’ Market holds its winter market at the Old Town Hall and Community Center (16 N. Stark Hwy., Weare) on Fridays, now through May 26, from 4 to 6 p.m. Visit harvesttomarket.com/farmers-market/Weare-Farmers-Market-NH, call 491-4203 or email farmersmarketweare@gmail.com.
• Wolfeboro Area Winter Farmers’ Market takes place at the First Congregational Church of Wolfeboro (115 S. Main St., Wolfeboro) on the first and third Saturdays of the month, now through April 15, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. A $25 market gift certificate will be raffled off each Saturday. Visit wolfeboroareafarmersmarket.com, call 539-8134 or email wottonfarm@gmail.com.
A Special Tea
A Special Tea
Tasting Features Organic Nepalese Teas
Written by Angie Sykeny (asykeny@hippopress.com)
Photos: Courtesy Photo
The Cozy Tea Cart in Brookline is welcoming a unique guest for its next tea tasting and food pairing: Nishchal Banskota, who has been importing organic teas from his family’s tea garden and factory in Nepal and marketing them in the U.S. through his subsidiary business, Nepal Tea in New Jersey.
Banskota first came to the U.S. five years ago to attend Colby-Sawyer College in New London. After graduating, he returned to Nepal and opened a tea bar, but after observing his family’s company more closely and working in the tea industry himself, he noticed a problem.
“All these small retail buyers who want fresh teas from tea gardens [overseas] aren’t able to get them because they have to go through big brokers and pay high costs, or they don’t want them because there’s so many steps involved that they aren’t getting fresh teas,” Banskota said.
Cutting out the middleman allows business owners like Danielle Beaudette from the Cozy Tea Cart to get unique teas that aren’t available in the U.S.
“Nepalese teas are not well-known in this country because it’s so hard to get them here, but there are no other teas from anywhere in the world that taste like these teas,” Beaudette said. “That’s why they’re so sought after. The soil and the climate in that part of the world is very different, and that all plays into the flavor once the leaf is processed.”
The Cozy Tea Cart recently started carrying two Nepal Tea brand teas: Ganesha Green, a premium, medium-bodied green tea with prominent marine flavors like kelp and seaweed; and Kumari Gold, a medium- to full-bodied black tea with caramel and baked fruit flavors and a high volume of essential oils, which results in a thin layer of oil that surfaces when the tea is brewed. Banskota will bring seven other teas to the tasting, including classic black, white, special chai blend, spiced green, spiced white, oolong and silver tip varieties, and a few of those will be featured and paired with food samples from the Cozy Tea Cart’s cafe.
“The pairings are based on the spiciness and flavor of the food, and these Nepalese teas are a little lighter in the cup, so they’ll be paired with food that isn’t too overpowering,” Beaudette said.
In addition to the tastings, there will be a documentary shown about how Banskota’s family started Kanchanjangha Tea Estate in 1984 and how it operates today. KTE is unique in that it’s Nepal’s first certified organic tea garden and factory, and it provides free housing for the hundreds of farmers it employs full time, as well as scholarship programs for their children to receive free education.
“A cup of tea from our garden is not a typical cup of tea. I’m not trying to venture into a typical money-making business,” Banskota said. “We’re trying to create a social enterprise that helps these farmers who would otherwise be deprived of these social and economic privileges.”
Nepalese Tea Tasting & Food Pairing
Where: The Cozy Tea Cart, 104 Route 13, Brookline
When: Saturday, Nov. 19, from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., with documentary showings every half-hour.
Cost: Free, but call to RSVP.