Chippa Granite Returns

In the 1950’s the New Hampshire Planning and Development Commission created a mythical character named Chippa Granite to promote the state’s resources, including its agricultural crops. Chippa Granite became a beloved part of New Hampshire culture a half century ago, showing up in media advertising, marketing brochures and posters all over the state and beyond.

Two classic Chippa Granite posters promoting agricultural commodities have been rescued from the dustbin of history, graphically restored and made into prints suitable for framing. Now available for sale, they range from $30-$75 pending various dimensions. In addition to a retro-cool print to brighten up your edible place, there’s an added bonus: all proceeds support youth agricultural activities in the state.
Chippa Granite Prints agriculture.nh.gov/documents/ChippaGraniteWebInfo.pdf
Call 271-3788 ask for Gail McWilliam Jellie.

Good Eats In Town
When she’s good, there’s nothing better than Mom’s home cooking, unless it’s two Moms’ home cooking.When one Mom has a culinary degree from Vienna, and the other, her daughter,trained at her knee.When the venue is historically charming General Store in the beautiful village of Harrisville, NH...Well, you see where this is going.

Harrisville is a stunningly preserved 19th Century textile manufacturing community, now under the stewardship of the Historic Harrisville Inc. (HHI) foundation. The village was designated as a National Historic Landmark in 1977. HHI’s mission goes beyond preservation, fostering community vitality into the present day. Harrisville Designs is one of the town’s anchors, drawing textile lovers from around the world for week long classes taught by distinguished fiber artists, with the opportunity to lodge in one of the old boarding houses.

With a number of other flourishing businesses in town and another of the mill buildings being refurbished as artists’ studios, someone better be manning the stove. Laura Carden and her mother, M’Lue Zahner leapt into the breach in December when the General Store, in operation since 1838, lost its previous tenant. Day one was the great ice storm of ‘08, and having surmounted that hurdle and kept things humming, there appears to be no stopping the pair.
Breakfasts feature M’Lue’s delicious kettle-cooked doughnuts flavored with local cider and a hint of maple syrup; the Harrisville breakfast sandwich— free range eggs, local sausage and cheddar on a perfect roll; and a Harrisville blend of fresh roasted coffee. Lunch means savory homemade soup, chicken salad atop pristine greens or an array of great sandwiches. The only departure from a flawless formula of top notch local ingredients cooked with care and love, is a carful of Iggy’s baked goods brought back from Cambridge, MA every Friday. M’Lue worked at Iggy’s in Cambridge until she was summoned by Laura, and the wonderful breads and croissants are welcome interlopers. A leisurely meal on the veranda or a store-prepared picnic enjoyed by the pond is the perfect punctuation for a visit to this quintessential NH town. —Barbara Michelson
Harrisville General Store 29 Church Street, 827-3138 www.harrisvillegeneralstore.com

Now Sprouting in the North Country
There’s more than squash blossoming in the North Country this summer. The Littleton Food Co-op is now in full bloom, ripe with offerings of locally produced goods along with other high-quality products. The seeds for the Littleton Food Co-op were planted in the spring of 2006 at an informational meeting that drew a surprisingly large attendance of more than 300 interested people. A steering committee was formed, market analyses conducted and advice garnered from the Hanover Food Co-op down the road. With a relatively short germination period, the Littleton Co-op secured over $500,000 in member loans, signedup some 1000 members and opened its doors in May as
a full-service market. The Co-op also boasts a café, nicely situated to enjoy the illumination from the building’s large skylight.

The Littleton Food Co-op is a consumer cooperative, owned by the folks who use the store regularly, although anyone is welcome to shop there. Members have voting privileges at annual meetings and are eligible for patronage funds. As part of cooperative goals, the Littleton Co-op will also help to create organizations that serve community needs and promote the use of local resources, including a focus on environmental sustainability.

Even if you don’t live in the North Country, the Littleton Co-op is a great place to stock up and grab a bite when traveling around New Hampshire’s great north woods. It’s just off I-93, Exit 41, on the corner of Route 302 and Cottage Street, close to Littleton’s lively downtown.

General manager Bob Hayes, formerly of the Lebanon Co-op, has said that the Littleton store will support as many local food producers as possible. Fortunately for the North Country, the Littleton Food Co-op is sure to have a sturdy, perennial presence enhancing the growth and sustainability of surrounding
communities. —Aileen Musselman
Littleton Food Co-op littletoncoop.org 444.2800

Making A Splash This Summer
One may be surprised to learn that New Hampshire, a state with four seasons and dramatic weather changes, has its own wine country. But Carla Snow, the state’s first female Certified Specialist ofWine (CSW), can certainly attest to it. In Wine & Dine with New Hampshire, Snow offers a keen view of New Hampshire’s award winning wines, ciders, and meads, along with the pioneers who craft them.

Blueberries have long conjured up New England summers, and apples evoked New England early autumns—now it is time to add grapes and honey to our sense of the region, and to experience all their flavors yearround. Thanks to advances in hybridization, with cold tolerant grape varietals  developed at wineries and universities, winemaking is now possible even in New Hampshire’s relatively chilly climate. August’s tradition of mead-making, which involves the fermentation of honey, is seeing resurgence. Meanwhile, the apple orchards have evolved to explore the marvelous potential of cider apples at peak ripeness.

Candia Vineyards is known for its Noiret wine, which Snow describes as, “lots of blueberry notes, with moderate acid and a touch of oak, and is fruity but not sweet.” This wine is one of the ingredients in the featured recipe, Sirloin with Noiret Pan Sauce, created by Chef Liz Barbour of The Creative Feast. The other six wineries featured in the title are Farnum Hill Ciders, Flag HillWinery, Jewell Towne Vineyards, LaBelleWinery, Piscassic PondWinery and Zorvino Vineyards.

Illustrated with stunning color photography, and winery labels, and featuring recipes created specifically to pair with or incorporate the beverages described, Wine & Dine with New Hampshire delivers the good news that the state’s viniculture and its sister arts are making a splash at home and abroad. –Ellyn Found
Wine & Dine with New Hampshire
By Carla Snow, CSW · Photographs by Brian Smestad
©June 2009 · ISBN-13: 978-0-9802245-8-0
$19.95 hc · 88 pp · over 40 color photographs

Get Fresh, Eat Local!
It’s easy to forget the harshness of winter while enjoying mellow summer days.

That’s good because no one wants to think about the orange “plastic” tomatoes and other limited local food offerings during those cold and dark months. Imagine though next January, the fragrant aroma from opening a Mason jar of red sauce that’s been canned from sun-warmed tomatoes grown at the farm on the outskirts of town.Well then, do look at the calendar— pack up your sun hat and re-useable shopping bags and head out for a tasty tour around the many wonderful communities that comprise the Granite State. The month of August has been designated as New Hampshire Eat Local Month by the state’s Department of Agriculture, Markets & Food. Each week of the month is full of
activity themes centered around small farms, local foods and summer fun.

August bursts open with NH Farmers’ Markets week— a great way to explore at least a few of the 70+ seasonal markets all over the state (find listing later in this issue). From Colebrook to Keene and Newport to Nashua, you’ll find farm fresh food as well as essentials and
indulgences from artisan kitchens. Family to the Farm is the theme for the second week of the month offering hands-on farm activities such as Pick Your Own, farm picnics, in addition to farm tours and getting to know farm animals. The celebration continues with Share the Harvest mid-month— ideas and opportunities to Grow-a- Row or help to glean fields so that food can be shared with people in our communities struggling to put something edible on their own plates. NH Eat Local month culminates with activities for Food Preservation (canning, freezing, etc.) and ways to extend the season, including a few root cellar tours. Come February, those blueberries from the freezer will taste mighty good on your pancakes drizzled with NH maple syrup. You’ll be glad for the memories of a summer’s day on the farm and relish in the thought that they’ll be coming around again.
New Hampshire Eat LocalWeek
August 2009
271.3788 www.nheatlocal.org

For Love of Water & Chocolate
Whortleberry Island, The Broads, Little Bear Island, TheWitches— just a fraction of the hundreds of places to explore by canoe or kayak on LakeWinnipesaukee this summer. These are also a few of the namesakes given to handmade chocolate bars fromWolfeboro’s Winnipesaukee Chocolates, founded by husband and wife team JonathanWalpole and Sally Cornwell. Both natives of the lakes region with a love of place, Jonathan taught himself to make truffles one Valentine’s Day for Sally. The rest as they say is history, tasty at that.

This summer you can find chocolate sunfish, turtles and frogs in addition to fresh lavender truffles and fresh basil truffles in their Main Street shop. They also plan to launch a line of White Mountain Chocolates featuring a dark chocolate loaded with dried sour cherries, dangerous enough to be called— MountWashington! Another chocolate bar will debut this summer as Sally’s Gut, a narrow waterway between Stonedam Island and Meredith Neck.
Winnipesaukee Chocolates are handcrafted in small batches using the finest premium ingredients. The truffles are made with fresh local cream. Jonathan and Sally carefully select fruits, honey, wine and liqueurs among other ingredients from local producers to compliment and enhance their chocolate. Ten percent of their profits are donated towards preservation on the lake and surrounding areas for generations to come. Now that’s sweet! —Susan Alexander
Winnipesaukee Chocolates
Colonial Arms, 43A North Main Street
Wolfeboro 569.4831 winnipesaukeechocolates.com