the Friday Feeding; VOL. 82

Warm weather and cool food.  We have you covered here at the store!

New things from artists…

Food memories, memories of food.

When our senses get tugged at they can spontaneously spark memories sweet or sour.  A piece of music takes us dancing back to another time, the scent of a particular flower reminds us of long walks to grade school or a special dish of food conjures up the feelings we once felt of unconditional grandmotherly love.

A special memory came up for me the other day when I snipped some chives blossoms for a bouquet and had the sensory experience combining scent and flavor.  It was a day I spent with friends conducting a Cooking with Herbs class.  We danced through early spring gardens and lawns snipping eatables that we later turned into a feast.  A day reveling in green, embracing cooking traditions of eating what spring brings us, it was an experience of all the senses.

If your cooking prowess is feeling adventurous, you might want to try making these delicious crispy fritters we made that day.  Serve them as an appetizer or along side your main meal as an alternative to salad.  Cook them in Sunfox Sunflower oil grown and produced right here in Concord, NH, and this is about as local as you can get.

Prepare your herbs.

From your garden (or your neighbor’s garden) pick various herbs such as chives. chive blossoms, sage leaves, tarragon leaves, basil leaves and even dandelion blossoms that may still be in your lawn.  Make sure to harvest plant material that has not come in contact with any pesticides or sprays.  Wipe them off with a dry paper towel.  If you must rinse them to remove dirt, allow them to dry completely.  If water is present they will steam rather than get crispy in the cooking process.

Make little bundles of the kinds of herbs you wish to combine. Here I bundled a tarragon, sage and basil leaf, some chives and a chive blossom.

Prepare your batter.

Mix together:

• 3/4 cup cornstarch
• 1/4 cup white flour (gluten-free mixes work if no bean flour is in the mix)
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 3/4 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp pepper

Stir this together until blended. Add and whisk until smooth:

• 1 egg
• 1/2 cup cold water

Set this aside and heat your oil. In a heavy medium sized pan pour 1/2″ to 1″ sunflower oil. Heat until 350 degrees; adjust heat so it doesn’t keep climbing.

Add your bundles of herbs into the batter and with two spoons cover them with batter then lift them out with all the surrounding batter. This is a messy affair. Put into hot oil and cook only a few at a time for around 1 minute per side until they are golden brown.

Remove to drain on a paper towel. You may keep warm in a 275′ oven. Serve all alone or with any dipping sauce you love; ranch dressing, hot sauce, etc. These are very good.

Summer Concert series

Right outside our doors, we are helping sponsor concerts in the gazebo. Come down to tap your toes and Dave will be making pizzas under the tent!

Thursday June 26th, 6-8pm Old Tom and the Lookouts

Led by Alex Calabrese, Boston-based indie-folk band Old Tom & The Lookouts blend the introspective grit of Americana with the emotional rawness of indie rock. Known for their brooding lyrics and powerful storytelling, the band explores themes of mental health, love, and resilience. Drawing influences from artists like Tom Waits, Frightened Rabbit, and Phoebe Bridgers, Calabrese’s evocative vocals and poignant songwriting strike a chord with listeners searching for authenticity and emotional depth.

Old Tom & The Lookouts have performed at notable venues such as Club Passim (Cambridge, MA), Music Hall Lounge (Portsmouth, NH), City Winery (Philadelphia, PA), and Skylark Lounge (Denver, CO). Their previous release, Just For Beasts (2021), co-created with violinist and vocalist Cecilia Vacanti, was praised by critics as “hauntingly beautiful” by Lunar Sonar and “essential listening” by Music Mecca. With Northeastern (2024), the band takes a bold step forward, embracing a more rock-driven sound while staying true to their emotionally charged roots.

Indie Pulse Music called Northeastern, “upbeat, tonally deliberate, and lyrically poignant.” While Cage Riot called it, “an absolute triumph of sound, storytelling, and emotion.” Taking this all in, the band considers this their best work yet and can’t wait to play it out for all you wonderful people!Isn’t Canterbury lucky to have them!

Sponsored by the Friends of Canterbury Center and in part by the Canterbury Country Store

Have a great week-end,

Jane and Dave