This last week a lot of conversations have happened at the store about Canterbury; how folks landed here, why they were drawn here and why it “feels” the way it does. Special. Magical. Even spiritual.
Some people says it is the rolling landscape, wooded privacy and dirt roads. Some people say it is the ancestry of the place and those fore-fatherly spirits shedding some good juju. Some people even say it is the field of granite running under us that makes positive magnetics that make us feel good. But no matter how you describe it, Canterbury is a great place to be.
Ted living in the cottage next door……from the store post office…where he retired from.Canterbury sun setsLois and Howards barn at our back doorAnd watching the kids walk to and from preschool next door at the church.
From the Canterbury Shakers to our modern day Quakers and the roots of our scrappiness, the Canterbury Historical Society has published some great books that shed light on why this place is special. We have them available for sale here at the store along with many publications by local authors and music CDs by world renowned Canterbury artists. Check them out next time you are in.
The arts run deep here in Canterbury. More artists reside here than we can list. A treasured few bring us their wares to sell.
New Canterbury artist Jerry EdwardsAunt Jerry’s hand painted cards……each one an original……so much like Shaker botanical drawings.You love Jim Wood’s things……new honey jars he turns for us.Eric Bakers truly authentic Shaker Band and berry boses, Ken William’s photographs of our Shaker Eldresses.
But we are a grocery store and eatery.
We just happen to love the arts.
So come eat and drink and meet the artists in the new art show this Sunday the 21st, 3-5PM. Dave wants you to try some new beers and I will be sampling platters of snacks with recipes so you can recreate them on your own Sunday gatherings.
Its Friday night pizza again….
Friday night pizza, January 19. Order ahead 12” organic sour dough pizzas to take out or sit down and eat here. $15.95. Call ahead to order and choose a pick-up time slot. 603-783-9933
Choose:
Chicken BBQ
Pepperoni on red sauce.
Vegetable choice of mushrooms, green peppers, and cherry tomatoes on red sauce
Cheese only on red sauce always by request
Click here to see this weeks menu including take-out meals that are gluten-free…
We made it through the holiday season then we had our first winter snow, then rain came to wash it all away so now we are all cleaning up…again. Are your fall leaves and unpruned gardens staring you down like ours are? Gee whiz. Putting temptation and guilt-riding aside, it’s time for indoor cleaning, though, and we’ll get to that garden in the spring.
Unloading the car at the back of the store to start the day last Sunday.The view from the “Emerson Table” during the store.
Cleaning up
You may have noticed our rack of cleaning supplies on the way to the Feed Loft. We are pretty proud of that rack cuz this company, Puracy, has allowed us to sell their products here in our little store when many big on-line people sell it. This is another example of that retail mystery I mentioned in previous posts; we can sell them for much less than the other folks. Small store, small prices; go figure.
We found this line during the Pandemic when we could get we could get and were amazed at how well it cleans. Hands down it is the best natural and organic product we have ever used. It works with a different principle than traditional cleaners. Not only does it degrease with plant-based surfactants but it also uses plant-based enzymes to help chomp away at dirt. A little chemistry lesson here: enzymes consume proteins so in a dishwasher, for example, any food left in place simply dissolves. I load my caked on and coated bakery bowls into my machine and they are literally spotless with these dishwasher pellets.
Many of you already know this product line but for those who don’t, here is our shout-out. It is economical comparing use for use and you can recycle your bottles by refilling them with concentrate or using the refill bags. Safe for your septic system and gray water. Ta da.
When I think of January clean up I also think of cleaning up my body. In last weeks post I gave you a recipe for a cleansing smoothy with micro greens, but one of my quick and easy fixes is to drink Kombucha (fermented rice drink) and vinegar based drinks. Do you remember your grandmother telling you to drink apple cider vinegar everyday for your health? These fermented pre-biotic beverages help reduce and balance out over abundant yeast or flora in our gut and are an immediate fix for me when I am feeling “off”. And besides, they taste great! We are pleased to be able to sell both the LuLuna small batch kombucha and Corina’s Switchy right here in our little store.
Stillness
What we love about January is the stillness of thought and the quiet gratitude that nature seems to be showing us. It has alway been a time of regeneration and planning for us with great excitement for what can become of the calendar ahead.
It’s no different this year. We are dreaming and plotting and planning. We have met new artisans and our existing artisans are arriving with lovely things coming to fill our shelves, our latest art show is open and we are designing menus and new recipes.
And the best news that help makes all this possible is that we have added more staff members! Thank you for your support…
Mark your calendars for a Meet the Artists reception on Sunday, January 21, 3 to 5PM. Beer tastings and platter snacks.
Its Friday night pizza again….
Friday night pizza, January 12. Order ahead 12” organic sour dough pizzas to take out or sit down and eat here. $15.95. Call ahead to order and choose a pick-up time slot. 603-783-9933
Choose:
Pepperoni on red sauce.
Vegetable choice of mushrooms, green peppers, and cherry tomatoes on red sauce
Fig with gorgonzola and a honey drizzle over olive oil (no garlic)
Happy New Year! Maybe it has something to do with age or maybe it is because our little town holds all the values we hold dear, but we spent Christmas and New Years r i g h there. We made our own light show by driving down Canterbury’s roads to see your lit landscapes, we feasted from the abundance of the store and misted up with fond friendships and memories of holidays past in our own Normal Rockwell town.
There is something to this. At the store this week we welcomed home 5—count ‘em FIVE—folks returning from big life adventures to move back to Canterbury.
Staying local is so good.
At the core of the store’s mission statement is to be about and sell as much local goods as we possibly can. We are representing so many local artisans and the store is filled with hyper-local and regionally local foods. Sourcing fresh local produce in the winter, however, is a challenge. Yes, we have Brookford Farms organic storage vegetables but greens? We think we found the solution.
Micro greens.
You may remember Dean Carlson who started the crazy successful Get Fit New Hampshire fitness program out of Epsom and Concord. (Dave was there 4 mornings a week at 6AM). Dean sold that business a while back and is now growing tasty micro-greens out of his farmstead in Epsom; another healthy venture for he and his wife. We have partnered with them to have a crop grown for us each week delivered fresh on Fridays. Read more about Papa Deans Greens here…
But what are micro-greens?
Micro greens are baby vegetables grown just beyond when they sprout. And just like we human beings that are more healthy when we are little, so are vegetables. Micro-greens contain up to 40% more phytonutrients than when they are full grown plants. These nutrients help the baby plants protect themselves from bugs and disease and when we eat them helps protect our own bodies from ill health. They are loaded with anti-oxidant vitamins and minerals that can help lower blood pressure and help us age with less signs of wear and tear. AND they taste good.
Use micro greens as daily shot of vitamin goodness or as a salad mix or as an accent to add flavor and boasted nutrition to any of your cooking. We sell 4 varieties; Sunflower with a nutty crunchy taste, Pea Shoots that taste just like fresh spring peas, a Harvest Blend with red cabbage, kohlrabi and broccoli and a Spicy Blend with mustard, radish and broccoli.
Dave is using these mixes in many of his sandwiches right now. I posted a recipe for a tart using the spicy blend a couple posts back. Get it HERE
I made up a vitamin-shot shot smoothie for myself that was delicious. Here is the recipe:
Put in a blender or Bullet or Vitamix:
1 cup loosely packed Harvest Blend micro greens
1 peeled carrot cut into chunks
1 tangerine, cut up. Leave some or all of the peel on for a cleansing effect. Bitter helps clean out the body.
3 ice cubes
1 cup of water
1 T maple syrup
Blend on high until smooth.
The Community Art Gallery
A new show is being hung this coming Monday, January 8. With the theme “All Things Bright and Beautiful” it promises to be a colorful feast for the eyes. Many of your favorite local artists are returning with new work and we have some exciting new artists joining in, every one of ’em from Canterbury. Mark your calendars to meet them with a Meet the Artists reception on Sunday, January 21, 3 to 5PM. Beer tastings and platter snacks.
Its Friday night pizza again….
Friday night pizza, January 5. Order ahead 12” organic sour dough pizzas to take out or sit down and eat here. $15.95. Call ahead to order and choose a pick-up time slot. 603-783-9933
Choose:
Pepperoni on red sauce.
Vegetable choice of mushrooms, green peppers, and cherry tomatoes on red sauce
Fig with gorgonzola and a honey drizzle over olive oil (no garlic)
Cheese only on red sauce always by request
AND a special guest pizza; The Rue (you know who you are!) – white button mushrooms and cheese with olive oil.
Global warming aside, it looks pretty wintery around here. We are hoping for snow again soon but we will take what we can get and not get upset. Meanwhile, our tummies tell us it is winter and the deep caramelized flavors of long cooked stews satisfy our appetites and create the feeling of sitting in front of a wood stoked fire. Cozy.
We don’t all have the time–or the inclination–to do a long cooked meal though. But one can capture those flavors in any quicker dish by adding in concentrates. These deep flavors turn up the Umami (savory) flavor in a meal. Some of our go-to favorites to deepen taste are:
Liberally add Tamari to any dish replacing the salt in your recipe.These sea salt cured Wild Mountain capers add a mushroom-like depth. Rise them well first. Use whole or chopAdding any smoked flavor; smoke house cheeses, ground smoke house nuts or spanish paprika.
All of these things are available in the store or maybe are already in your pantry. Smoked cheeses will be back in soon…
You are creating your own cozy feeling here at the store, gathering and fueling the fires of friendship and family…thank you for coming in.
And it’s Friday night pizza again. See the menu at the bottom of this post.
A bit about pasta…
This isn’t Italy and this isn’t China (where pasta was believed to originate). Nor does Canterbury, New Hampshire population 2500ish have a Little Italy district or China Town. But we do like our pasta and cheese any ol’ way. Mac it up please.
Talking about eating wheat these days is akin to talking religion; it is a delicate topic and one is either for it or against it. But putting true celiac disease aside for a moment, folks do seem to have developed an insensitively to the protein gluten that wheat contains and that pasta is made of. Yet some of these same people have said that eating good pasta in Italy gave them no problems. Why is this? Food nutritionists have told me a couple good reasons.
Quality Italian pasta is made from hard wheat grown from pure strains of seed that is untainted unlike mass produced Italian pasta that can be made with widely grown softer strains.
The arid climate of Italy where this wheat is grown prevents mold developing during the growing cycle which, if developed, would create sensitivity in the gut.
Lastly, in Italy, pasta is meant to act as a vehicle for flavorful sauces and served in small amounts. Too much grain is hard on the gut whether it’s wheat or anything else. I personally cannot tolerate grain first thing in the morning..no oatmeal or granola or muffins for me.
A meal made with a bit of good pasta is a quick and delicious way to savor intensively flavored sauces and cheeses while enjoying the nutty flavor of good wheat. Our beloved Chris Blair told me once—as his scientist/engineer self—that for his mostly vegetarian diet he relished Beth’s baked wheat goods because they were a good source of protein.
No surprise here that the store carries a really good line of Italian artisan pasta, Rustichella d’Abruzzo. Each shape is made to hold a different type of sauce. And we are trying to keep are variety of good, deeply flavored sauces for you in our freezer. In there right now is our long cooked bolognese sauce and also pesto sauces.
Bucatini – a long spaghetti with a hole pieced through the center to soak up the sauce. Traditional; tomato sauce & sardines. We have ’emChitarra – a square cut spaghetti. Traditional – meat or shell fish ragu/bolognese or with goat/sheep milk cheese. We have ’emLinguini – tongue shaped long pasta. Traditional – garlic and clams. We’ve got the best local garlic .Cavatelli – 5 thumb prints reminiscent of the rolling motion to make it. Great in soups or hearty veggie or meat stewsAfter hours pasta date-night at the store!Cestini – meaning “baskets” in Italian. Traditional – finely diced vegetable or meat sauces. Makes a great Mac n Cheese and we have had this in our case for you.
And if you still cannot tolerate wheat we carry some fine alternatives from Rustichella d’Abruzzo. And this pasta holds up and does not fall apart.
Corn FusilliBuckwheat toriglioni
Enough said.Moving on…
If you need some more luscious snacks for New Years Eve, try our Artichoke and Wild Mountain Caper dip, or the Port and Cheddar spread or the Mushroom Pate. Triple yum.
We hope you enjoy these last few days of another year and ring in the new one with gusto!
Cheers from your storekeepers, Jane and Dave
Friday night pizza, December 29. Order ahead 12” organic sour dough pizzas to take out or sit down and eat here. $15.95. Call ahead to order and choose a pick-up time slot. 603-783-9933
Choose:
Sweet Italian sausage on red sauce.
Vegetable choice of mushrooms, green peppers, and cherry tomatoes on red sauce
Fig with gorgonzola and a honey drizzle over olive oil (no garlic)
Please read. Wow everyone. What an incredible ride we have been on for the last few months since the store opened. Our social media presence brought people into Canterbury from a wide berth across the state, you brought your friends too and locally we just have loved hanging out here. We kept our running shoes on and did a pretty good job but we think we could have done a whole lot better.
Case in point. This was the frig after Christmas…a whole lot of empty.
We did not anticipate the volume; though we are happy for it! Our Smoke House can’t keep up with us. Suppliers are struggling in their own businesses that affects our ability to keep ourselves stocked and many distributors think a little store in Canterbury is not worth paying attention to. We’ll show ‘em in time. And we’ll know better in this new year to plan even further ahead.
We need your assistance.
The biggest challenge for us this first quarter is having enough staff. As our numbers have increased so has our need for more fun people to work behind the counter. At this point, the store is being throttled [we have so much more planned!] due to staff shortages so we are putting out the call to all of our friends to help us find a “few good men/women” to help carry forth this dream of our country store home. There is so much more food to prepare and freezers/coolers to fill and artists to create displays for. We just can’t get to it all without more help. Please tell everyone to read this call.
This time of year it’s all about food; so I want to write about it. This is a grocery store and eatery after all. But this time of year it’s really all about you. YOU are what makes this place fly so let me write about that too.
We are so grateful that you shop here and shop here and shop here. We are grateful you spend time here to create community with us. And we are grateful for the suggestions to help keep us moving forward to be better for you. This is more than a store; you have made it a destination of place and space. It’s all about you.
Thank you and Merry Christmas!
We were elfed this week!
And it’s Friday night pizza again. See the bottom of this post for the details..
Figgy pudding…
In times past “figs” was the term given to all dried fruit and “pudding” is a term still used today in Great Britain to mean what we call dessert. A Figgy Pudding was a dessert made with dried fruits & spices and steamed in a mold to produce a moist cake with a special shape. These traditional cakes were/are heavy and dense and usually served with a whisky sauce to liven it up. They resemble the fruit cake made here New England.
Although many bakers still rely on these old-timey recipes I have found that a lighter version hits my taste buds better and the result tends to make me drool with lust for it. I only make it once a year so that it remains special. My version uses fruit purees and I hold back the spices so it remains delicately fruity and spongey-moist, then, when smothered in a butter rum sauce, one can float to heaven on its cloud.
As my friend Maureen says, “There is a reason there is a song about this!”
I made them with mango this year and a few are in the case accompanied by some butter rum sauce for you. If these are a hit and they are gone when you come in, there is still time for me to make more by special order. Ask at the counter. Simply microwave to reheat and serve. The combo: $24.50
And speaking of baked goods saved for special times of the year, we are delighted to be a holding place for Petals in the Pines Swedish Almond Cakes. This is a traditional Swedish Christmas dessert and is loved by all. Donna Miller, owner/baker at Petals in the Pines, remembers as a child gathering around the dessert table with her cousins on Christmas Eve, eyeing the platter of cake slices. This was the only time of year they ate this special treat. She learned this cake from her grandmother. $14.00
We have loads of ideas for gift boxes right up to the last second.
Drum roll… it’sFriday night pizza again, December 22
Order ahead 12” organic sour dough pizzas to take out or sit down and eat here. $15.95. Call ahead to order and choose a pick-up time slot. 603-783-9933
Choose:
Classic pepperoni on red sauce.
Vegetable choice of mushrooms, green peppers, onions and/or cherry tomatoes on red sauce
Fig with gorgonzola and a honey drizzle over olive oil (no garlic)
Cheese only on red sauce always by request
The view from the store one morning this week at 7AM
Dave and I wish all of you a very merry Christmas and look forward to seeing soon!
The sights, the smells, the sounds and the race towards the finish line! You’ve been in early each day grabbing your breakfast, lunch and dinner in one swoop. We’re glad to be here for you and are upping what we have in our coolers right now. More dinners, more appetizers and we’re trying to keep something out for lunch from early to late.
We’ve got your back! And its Friday night pizza again…see the bottom of this post.
Cranberry-walnut Blue Cheese tartCheddar and Port Wine spread
New items in the store…Pretzel snacks requested by Jane, turkey sausage requested by Mason and buck wheat snacks requested by a lovely woman whose name we did not get.
And our artisans have been busy restocking our shelves so that you will find some last minute gifts that are extraordinary. We can wrap them for you too. And don’t forget a Canterbury Country Store gift certificate…let them choose their own gift.
With the advent of gluten-free living the use of nuts as a flour replacement has become a focus for many. But nuts in cooking have always been widely used in many food cultures but maybe not in yours. Nuts add protein and healthy fats which often lends to cutting down on other less healthy fats in a recipe and can add a unique flavor component and incredible texture.
To be truly satisfying, Dave and I think each dish of cooked food should have some crunch to it…isn’t that why we like chips with Dave’s soft sandwiches?? Or why you have liked my soups that have a crunch topping that you can add?? Nuts can add that crunch to any dish.
Here are a few recipes using some of the nuts we carry in the store…
Toss a 1/2 cup of Tamari almonds into a stir fry of fresh vegetables cooked in olive oil. When veggies are done, serve this over rice with your favorite hot sauce or more Tamari sauce then drizzled with olive oil.
Instead of using panko bread crumbs to your breaded baked chicken recipe, use finely chopped walnuts instead.
And by the way, we are able to sell these fresh tasting organic nuts for less than many other places. Small store, small price; go figure!
This is a great one-dish meal for brunch or supper. It also makes a great appetizer!
Put in your food processor and process until the peanuts are ground fine.
1/2 cup 1949 Nut Co. Zesty Sriracha Peanuts
Add and process further until the mixture is more finely ground:
1/4 fine cornmeal
Add and blend until the mixture comes together:
2 T extra virgin olive oil
1/4 cup milk
Scatter this mixture into the bottom of a pie or tart pan and press it firmly to cover the bottom and edges. Bake this at 350º for 20 minutes.
Meanwhile, make the filling. Whisk together:
2 eggs
3/4 cup cream
1 cup cottage cheese (full fat is best)
1/4 grated parmesan cheese
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp kosher salt
1 tsp prepared country grainy mustard
Toss into the mixture:
2 cups micro greens [the store will be carrying these local greens next week] OR 2 cups finely chopped baby greens.
Pour the mixture into the pie crust just removed from the oven and put it back in for another 40 minutes. Let sit for 20 minutes before cutting. Serve warm or at room temperature.
TIP: Place your pie pan or tart pan on a baking sheet to assure even temperature baking and to prevent bubble over into your oven.
In our case right now, slices of my walnut cranberry blue cheese tart. This one of our holiday favorites!
Tips on nuts:
Nuts should never taste bitter. If they do, they are old. (for example: many people think they do not like walnuts but many walnuts in the stores are rancid already. Return them if they taste bitter.)
If you plan to keep them for a while, store them in the freezer. No need to thaw them to use them.
If you will use them regularly outside of the freezer, store them in a cool dark place. Heat and light will turn those healthy oils rancid so keep them away from warm places like near your oven for example.
Which nut has the longest shelf life? Peanuts because they are not actually a nut and their oils are heat and shelf-stable.
Have a great week everyone and we’ll see you soon! Your store keepers,
Friday December 15. Order ahead 12” organic sour dough pizzas to take out or sit down and eat here. $15.95 Call to order and choose a time slot 603-783-9933.
Choose:
Prosciutto, pineapple and roasted red peppers & cheese with red sauce.
Tomatoes, thick-cut fresh mozzarella with red sauce
Fig and orange zest with gorgonzola and a honey drizzle over olive oil (no garlic)
It’s a warm happy place at the store right now with good people here and delicious smells floating out from the kitchen. Just like coming home. We have loved you bringing in your friends this week and are touched by former store owners connecting with us and grateful for the continued support of our LLC landlords, all to make this place feel like home for all of us. This is why we are doing this.
It’s Friday night pizza again…see the bottom of the post.
Many things get better with age. Dave and I like to think of ourselves as better humans now then when our hair was jet black. This old circa 1800 building that the store is in gets asymmetrically better as time marches on. And many foods get better as they age…like wine and cheese and even vinegar.
A bit about cheese…
Cheese making was originally developed by our very, very early forefathers as a means to preserve milk from their animals. A simple left-out-over-night ferment allowed the watery whey to be poured off lessening the moisture from the mass so it would last longer. Short term storage was this original method but later on when stored in the cool temperatures of caves, they figured out it would last even longer and coincidently bacteria developed to create flavor.
Farmstead cheeses, many of the cheddars we know and most all of the big-chain supermarket cheeses are all very young cheeses riffing off that original idea of simply preserving milk, but now codifying it with agents that speed-separate the whey to produce uniform solid blocks. Not bad for a singular taste but missing from many of these cheeses is the age and it is the age that gives it flavor.
The artisanal cheese maker today still employs these basic techniques but with added scientific knowledge they can control the bacteria development with time, different milks and added botanicals or minerals that yield unique flavors and delectable textures. This type of cheese has a burst of flavor when it hits the tongue and then a secondary flavor develops as it sits in the warmth of your mouth. Honestly, it is a bone quivering experience to eat really good, perfectly ripe cheese.The artisanal cheese maker today still employs these basic techniques but with added scientific knowledge they can control the bacteria development with time, different milks and added botanicals or minerals that yield unique flavors and delectable textures. This type of cheese has a burst of flavor when it hits the tongue and then a secondary flavor develops as it sits in the warmth of your mouth. Honestly, it is a bone quivering experience to eat really good, perfectly ripe cheese.
The artisanal cheese maker today still employs these basic techniques but with added scientific knowledge they can control the bacteria development with time, different milks and added botanicals or minerals that yield unique flavors and delectable textures. This type of cheese has a burst of flavor when it hits the tongue and then a secondary flavor develops as it sits in the warmth of your mouth. Honestly, it is a bone quivering experience to eat really good, perfectly ripe cheese.
A good aged cheddar should crumble when you cut it and a good brie style cheese should ooze when you slice into it. This is how you know they are ripe. If you must buy the stiff supermarket brie cheese, it can be improved if you wrap it well and let it age in your refrigerator for 2-3 months. It will soften and more flavor will develop. And all cheese tastes best served at room temperature taken out of the refrigerator one hour before serving.
One of our good aged cheeses…the Harbison brie style cheese wrapped in spruce bark has its own unique nutty-smooth oozy flavor and the spruce wrapping helps hold the cheese in place while warming. For an appetizer, carefully cut off the top ring of the cheese (about and 1/8”) then slip the whole thing in a 300’ oven for about 10 minutes until the cheese is warm and melty. Once it comes out, plate it up and drizzle a bit of Pinecone bud syrup over it, sprinkle with pine nuts and serve with crackers. The pine compliments the notes of spruce to transport your taste buds to a Christmas of yore. This is REALLY yummy.
Pinecone bud syrup is a unique cooking and baking ingredient that adds a delicate pine flavor to your dishes. Made from the buds of Mugo pine trees, this syrup is carefully harvested and cooked over a slow fire until it turns golden in color. It is then filtered and sweetened with sugar. This syrup is perfect for drizzling over ricotta cheese, Panna Cotta, sautéed apples, gelato, and fresh peaches.
If you haven’t already, try the Cabot clothbound cheddar we have in the case. Aged one year, crumbly creamy-tangy, it has won international awards. Yay America, yay New England!
A bit about wines and vinegars…
We all know about the drinkable beauty of an aged wine–how it gets smoother and more rich with age–the same is true for vinegar. In Italy, vinegar is as prized as wine is in France. A true Balsamic vinegar, aged well, takes on all the subtle flavor notes of its harvest and is used as a syrup. The stuff in the supermarket isn’t really true balsamic. We happened across by accident some VERY fine balsamic vinegar aged 12 years and 25 years. If you need an over-the-top special gift for a culinary friend we are offering them at our cost. Read more about them HERE and more about the vintner HERE.
and more gift ideas from right here…
Eric Baker, Shaker band boxesMark Kneeland, carved wood spoons
Friday night pizza…
Order ahead 12” sour dough pizzas to take out or sit down and eat here. $15.95 Call to order 603-783-9933, choose a time between 4PM-6PM to pick up.
Choose:
Meat ball with red sauce
Cherry tomatoes, onion and bell peppers with basil pesto
Fig and gorgonzola with honey drizzle and olive oil (no garlic)
Cheese only on red sauce always by request
CLICK HERE to read our menu for the upcoming week.
December is here and we’rehere to fill your pantries, fill your stomachs and fill your senses with this final season of the year.
With the turning of the calendar, food has always been at the center of winter celebration. Common to all religions and cultures, the culinary celebration has been inspired by the shortening of daylight and the stillness while nature sleeps. Spices and ales, deeper flavors from condensed preserved foods and the use of meat as a center piece, the ancient cultures knew that these types of food helped to nourish and strengthen the body in cold, leaner times.
There is a reason why traditional flavors of December have developed. Cinnamon and ginger increase blood flow to warm the body, cloves and ginger are numbing analgesic and reduce inflammation in the body and dried fruits are concentrated vitamins. These flavors delivered through ale that dilates the blood vessels so a body can absorb them more, were an effective winter tonic for sore muscles and stiff joints at a time when everyone did manual labor.
Even the eating of meat as the center to a meal had purpose. Killing your live stock was a celebratory luxury but in ancient eastern Ayurvedic medicine [think: the Wise Men in the Christmas story] meat was prescribed as a medicine to strengthen the body. It still is today.
So what ever your celebration is, we hope you enjoy it and let us participate with some of our special foods. See our expanded menu for the week at the end of this post. And its Friday night pizza again so see that too.
Yes, we still do meals.
I think we used the incorrect wording a few posts back to describe that we could no longer offer a set menu of entrees; there was too much waste by committing to a certain dish on a certain day. But we have been making take-out meals to serve alone or over rice etc. This last week we had Steak Tip Chili, African Sweet Potato Stew…we make it as the case empties so it stays fresh. The freezer always has something too. Please give us a call or stop in to see what is there.
Is there a doctor in the house? There is for only one more day. Our Martha is an Osteopath physician and helped us out as a store clerk while waiting for her job in primary care to open up in Wolfeboro. She has been a handy reference point while we are all working so hard. Besides that, she is lovely and we will miss her greatly. Thank you Martha!
Lovely MarthaDave and great customer John yucking it upOur own all natural essential oil room freshenerLori Rollason Sgraffito mug made just for us
Fig and cheese canapé
Slice a 10oz package of Turkish Figs lengthwise into flat rounds. Remove any stems that may be present.
Place a small scoop of the following onto each round:
1 cup crumbled Hazen Blue cheese. Crumbled with fingertips and let come to room temperature.
1/3 cup sour cream mixed and smashed into the cheese
1/8 tsp ground ginger
1/8 tsp group coriander
OR replace both spices with 1/4 tsp Yule Spice Blend for a deeper flavor.
Refrigerate until firm.
Sprinkle candied sunflower seeds over the top of each canapé .
To candy the seeds, place 1/2 T unsalted butter with 2T white sugar in a pan over med/low heat. Add 1/2 raw sunflower seeds and cook until they get toasted and the sugar is melted. Pour the hot mixture onto parchment paper and let cool. Break apart into pieces to scatter.
Friday night pizza
12″ pizzas, $15.95. We use Sunnyfield naturally fermented pizza dough. Call ahead to order and pick your time slot for pick up. 603-783-9933
Choose:
Pepperoni and cheese w/red sauce
Veggie; mushroom, red & green bell peppers and cheese w/red sauce
It takes a village, as they say. This little store is at the center of our village but dancing around it are all the little elves that make it magical this time of year. Jan and her crew that will make our grandstand tree light up on Saturday 12/2 6:30 with cookies, cocoas and carols in the Town Hall afterwards, Donna, Jim and their crew that will stage the historic buildings, Beth and Lisa that will make the bandstand glitter with lights and Jane & Dave that will be hanging wreaths on all the town buildings.
The charming village in our photo above is a collection of Cheryl Z. Miller’s work. Each house or barn is hand stitched with such incredible detail. Come see them up close. They are highly collectible – we have our own collection started.
There are lots of fun things happening these next two week-ends. Come check out the bulletin board out front. The P.T.O.will be selling trees again on the town green; pay for them in the store. Cue Christmas!!
Laura Schulte hand stitched ornaments
Meet the artists reception Thursday Nov 30; 5-7pm.
Come meet the artists that created the beautiful work hanging in the Feed Loft. In celebration of them, we will be sampling some creative appetizers constructed from our specialty items and serving festive beverages from our own shelves.
Bread club
We all love Sunnyfield bread but we have been simply guessing what you like best. We hate waste of any kind so we are now forming a club to order just what you want and we will save it for you. Please call us to sign up. 603-783-9933
Santa’s busy bake shop
I am now baking twice a day, staggering what folks like in the morning and then making special goodies for the season to fill in the afternoon. Let me know if you are coming in to sit down as a group so I can prepare the cases to accommodate you.
PIZZA NIGHT
Abbreviated this week, 4:00-5:30 pick up times
Order ahead 12” pizzas to take out or sit down and eat here – $15.95 Call to order and choose a time slot 603-783-9933.
Build your own this week – choose:
Sauce choices: Red sauce or olive oil
Cheese choices: Mozzarella or gorgonzola cheese (Gorgonzola is great with fig!)
Meat choices: pepperoni, sausage
Non-meat: fig salami
Veggie choices: bell peppers, onions, mushrooms. Fresh garlic on request. Honey drizzle recommended with fig & gorgonzola combination.
Canterbury Country Store 