Canterbury Country Store

the Friday Feeding; VOL. 54

Comfort. Take it where you can get it! This has been a big week for everyone and we are happy our comfort food has filled your stomachs and soothed your anxious edges. You cleaned out our freezer and bakery case twice on Tuesday so we have spent the last couple days filling it up again. Come in this week-end for some new choices!

You store keeper Dave at the end of the long Election Day

Local apples and fresh produce for your cooking

We were talking.

Over lunch in the Feed Loft, Silvia and I were talking about the human need for Comfort. Some call this a Vice but what ever you call it (or what ever judgement you give it), it seems that humans need ways to sooth and celebrate, to feel inside themselves and to have deep moments of pleasure to balance the angst that we sometimes feel.

It just so happens that we specialize in Comfort in the food variety. From what we make and what we stock for you to make from, feeding people is like feeding the soul. We love our job. Thank you for letting us feed you.

Thinking ahead to the holidays we offer you another recipe for your table.

THANKSGIVING SALAD. Roasted Vegetable Citrus Salad with Blue Cheese Buttermilk Cider Dressing.

Rinse then peel, then rinse again 1 1/2 lbs. of red beets

Cut then into like-sized chunks. Put into a roasting pan then toss with a small drizzle of olive oil, sprinkle with salt and pepper then roast at 375º for about 30 minutes – stirring once – until a knife inserts easily. Cool and refrigerate until ready to assemble the salad.

Wash and lightly peel 1 1/2 lbs. of carrots. Cut into like-sized rounds for even cooking and put into a cooking pot with 1 cup of orange juice (1/4 cup concentrate + 3/4 cup water) and simmer with the lid off for 5 – 6 minutes until they are slightly tender.

Remove your carrots from the remaining liquid with a slotted spoon then add 1/4 cup orange juice concentrate and boil the mixture over medium heat until the liquid has reduced, is deep colored and coats the back of a spoon. Stir in the grated zest of one orange then toss the carrots into the syrup, lightly salt them and turn out onto a plate to cool.

Cut up several apples of your choice into like-sized pieces then toss them in a mixture of the juice of one lemon and 2T. of orange juice concentrate; drain and refrigerate. This keeps them from turning brown and enhances the citrus flavor of the salad. The Golden Gem apples we sell compliments the copper/russet color of the carrots.

Blue Cheese Buttermilk Cider dressing

With a fork, smash and crumble 6oz. of any blue cheese.
Stir in 1/2 cup buttermilk
Also stir in 1/4 cup apple cider, 1 tsp walnut oil, 3 or so grinds of black pepper and 1/4 tsp salt.
Use an immersion blender if desired to smooth out the mixture. Chill.

Assembling the salad; Create a bed a of rinsed and chopped kale then layer the beets, carrots and apples in any method you find pleasing. Sprinkle chopped walnuts and a few pomegranate seeds on top to add color and crunch. I scooped out the insides of two apples and used them to hold the dressing.

Click here for last weeks holiday recipe, Pumpkin Caramel Apple pie

We hope you have a great week,

Jane and Dave

Click here to see our Food Specials for next week.

ORDER AHEAD Thanksgiving side dishes…pick up Wednesday the 27th after 12 noon. 603-783-9933

Pureé of celery root, butternut squash and yukon potatoes with butter, caramelized onions and a ground walnut, parmesan and crumb topping. Bake to warm. serves 4-6 $18.50
Cider & spice braised fennel and Brussel sprouts sprinkled with Robie Farm all natural bacon. Bake to warm. Serves 4-6 $18.50
Confīt of cherries, button mushrooms and pearl onions stewed with maple and port wine. 16oz. Use as a relish. $14.50

the Friday Feeding; VOL. 53

It’s Open Doors week-end around the state where artists and crafts people welcome you to their studios and businesses. Here in town a few folks will open their doors and we are always open to showcase our local farmers, purveyors and the incredible arts and crafts from so many talented New Hampshire folks. Stop on by to see many new craft items just in this week!

Last week-end was frightfully busy…

The Pumpkin Carving Contest judges; Josh, Kiersty & Shaylee

New…

Thinking ahead, Thanksgiving is not that far off. FYI, our Meal Specials for Thanksgiving week will be an assortment of side dishes to add to your Turkey Day feast or simply take home to enjoy or freeze for later. Fully cooked, they come in a baking pan for you to simply pop in the oven to warm up.

Call to place your order for pick up on Wednesday Nov. 27 after 12 noon. 603-783-9933. Selection to be posted next week.

See next week’s Meal Specials by clicking here. And click here to see our November food menu. Remember that Wednesday is call ahead pizza live night!

Holiday recipe 101

We are posting a holiday recipe each week for you to prepare at home. This week? A marriage of three favorite pies! Pumpkin Caramel Apple pie

Prepare or purchase a deep dish pie crust, chill and have ready to fill.

Prepare the first layer.

Whisk together and set aside:

1 cup canned pumpkin (or your own cooked and puréed)
1 1/2 tsp all purpose flour
1/4 tsp table salt
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground ginger
1/8 tsp ground nutmeg
1/2 cup plus 1T light brown sugar (or maple sugar)
1 beaten egg
3/8 cup heavy cream

Prepare the second layer.

Cut, quarter and remove the seeds of one large firm baking apple. Slice into thin slices.

Melt 1T unsalted butter in a large pan over medium/low heat. Add apple slices and cook for about 5 minutes then turn them over and continue cooking until they are slightly soft but not mushy. They may be slightly browned which is just fine. Set aside.

Prepare layer three.

While making this caramel layer, preheat your oven to 450º.

Whisk together in a medium sauce pan:

1/2 cup heavy cream
1 cup dark brown sugar
1 cup maple syrup (Get some organic North Family Farm syrup here)
1 T molasses
1/2 tsp table salt
4T unsalted butter cut in small pieces

Heat this on low until the sugar has melted. Remove from heat, let cool slightly then whisk in:

6 egg yolks slightly beaten

Assemble the pie. Pour the pumpkin filling into the pie shell, layer the apples over this then carefully spoon the cooled caramel mixture over it all.

Pop it into the preheated oven on the lowest rack then immediately turn it down to 350º. Depending on your oven it will be done in 60 to 70 minutes. It is done when you see small bubbles in the center of the pie, when the edges of the filling puff up slightly & crack, AND when a knife inserted in the center pulls our wet but not clumped with filling. The pie should still jiggle because it will finish cooking as it cools.

Cool completely on a rack then refrigerate. NOTE: the slice pictured above has not been cooled because I couldn’t wait! The cooled pie will make tidy slices. YUM.

The interesting thing about this pie is that the caramel settles to the bottom and pumpkin rises to the top making a ooey-gooey super moist pie!

Have a great week,

Jane and Dave

the Friday Feeding; VOL. 52

It’s beginning to look a lot like Halloween ‘round here. Even if you are not a kid proper–and only one at heart–come down Saturday evening to see this transformed town center! Hot cider on our front porch, lit Jack-o-lanterns, trick-or-treat and the town Green lit to shiver and awe. We are open till 8pm. (Pzzzzt, there is still time to enter a pumpkin into the carving contest TODAY. Grab a rules form at the store or go here).

At the back door of the church, view from the Feed Loft

Click here for next week’s special menu of prepared foods.

Sweet potato or yam?

It depends on where you are from, whether you favor a “sweet potato” or a “yam”. The two seem to cross over each other though, and the grocery stores seem to think of them as one-in-the-same, as a sweet tuber vegetable. And we make it even sweeter this time of year with brown sugar or marshmallow topping.

A sweet potato tuber is part of the Morning Glory family of plants that originated in South America and there are hundreds of varieties. A true yam tuber is from a different genus of plants, originated in Africa and Asia and is differently shaped then sweet potatoes, looking more oblong like a carrot with a scaly, bark exterior. Either of these can have flesh colored from white to yellow to orange and even purple, the potato being more creamy while the yam tends to be sweeter and more fibrous.

Most varieties of “yams” in the grocery store are actually sweet potatoes. Even the canned variety of “yam” is actually a sweet potato. If you want a real yam visit the Asian African, Katmandu Bazaar, grocery store on the Heights to find these and some other delicacies. We shop there often!

Try this for a seasonal treat, fudge without the sugar rush.

maple SWEET POTATO Fudge

This is a soft fudge. If you omit 1/2 the butter it makes a great spreadable frosting.

Bring 1 cup of maple syrup to a boil. Put a lid on the pan and boil for 2 minutes exactly. Remove lid and boil for another 5 minutes without stirring. To keep the syrup from boiling over, place a long handled metal spoon in the pot.

Remove from heat and pour over the following in a mixing bowl or standing mixer. Beat until smooth.

2 sticks of unsalted butter at room temperature
2oz unsweetened chocolate

Add and beat in until smooth:

1 cup soft-baked sweet potato or yam; removed from skin and slightly cooled. Pierce the potatoes with a fork and roast in oven for 1 1/2 hours at 375′.
1/4 cup heavy cream
1 tsp vanilla extract.

Fold in:

1/2 cup chopped walnuts if desired.

Spread into a 8” x 8” buttered pan. Chill until firm, 6-10 hours or overnight. Cut into squares. Will remain fresh up to 1 week in refrigerator. Discard after that as the sweet potato will begin spoiling.

If you want to try the orange layer, make the recipe again but substitute the unsweetened chocolate for 1/2 cup Ghirardelli white chocolate chips.

Enjoy your week-end,

Jane and Dave

If you have not yet seen the Barn art show in the Feed Loft, you have one week left before it comes down. Support our local artists and perhaps own one of their works for your home or a gift.

The Guertin barn. Photograph John Polizzi

the Friday Feeding; VOL. 51

Chilly nights, sunlit days; its soup weather! As we settle into Fall remember that the store has seating, a warm place to gather and a refrigerator & freezer full of dishes we can heat for you. We’re local and support local farms so it’s a good thing. Meet the Barn Show artists tonight over wine and cheese sampling 5-6pm.

The Leaf Peepers got a good show this week. Outside the fallen leaves pooled up at the front door but the trees still held on to some blaze. The kids outside jumping through the piles made it all quintessential.

But inside this last week-end we all were enraptured with Jordon Tirrell-Wysocki’s moving renditions of Celtic music on his fiddle and mandolin. Tears were seen and many people came out just for him including a couple from Austin, Texas. Dudley came to see his student and when he was escorted to a seat of honor, the Texas couple said, “Is this a Hallmark movie?! The town, the people, its incredible…we keep looking for the cameras”. See some of his music on our Facebook page and we sell his CDs for him.

And, again, we live here. Aren’t we lucky.

We have a couple new staff members now. Larry comes to work when his best friend Emily is here. Meet him through Halloween. And Emma, the Pro barcode scannerette, is here by special appearance, we hope many week-ends to come.

Cooking tip

My chef friend Kay told me years ago that if you roasted your vegetables first before turning them into soup it tasted so much better. It’s true! It doubles down on the flavor letting the heat of the roasting oven concentrate the vegetable flavors reducing the water content so your soup is deeply flavorful without the need for added flavor concentrates.

Last week end I tried this trick to make a vegetable mash to go with our Robie Farm pot roast. I roasted potatoes and carrots tossed with a little olive oil, kosher salt, fresh ground pepper and granulated garlic. When they were soft and browned THEN I mashed them with butter and whole milk. All I can say is that we ate in silence, each of us spooning the creamy savory-sweet comfort into our mouths. Who needs dessert?

DID YOU KNOW?….

…that the store always has onions, garlic, roasting potatoes (Yukon Gold) and carrots? We also always have some sort of greens and broccoli on hand too. We like to cook and want to help you do the same.

Click here to see our prepared food specials for next week. And don’t forget that we are doing pizza live every Wednesday night. Call ahead to pick a time for pick up or eat here, 4-7pm.

Calling all pumpkin carvers!

The store is sponsoring a pumpkin carving contest as part of the town’s Halloween festivities. Follow the rules and bring one to us on Friday October 25 any time during store hours and we will judge it the following day. Awards ceremony at 5:00pm Saturday October 26. Everyone wins something but a grand prize will be awarded too.

The back story: when our daughter was 3 years old we decided to have a family gathering around the harvest season and carve pumpkins as an excuse for another artistic outlet. What ensued was crazy fun as judges were bribed and the pumpkins became outrageous. 20 years later when we moved the Canterbury we kept the tradition going and invited all our neighbors and friends. The tradition eventually moved to town center but petered out at some point. This year we are reviving it using some of the kids who carved from years past–now adults–to do the judging! We hope you will be part of this!

Early Dave and his carved pumpkin helmet as his entry

We hope you have a great week,

Jane and Dave

the Friday Feeding; VOL. 50

It’s gonna be another great week-end at the store with chocolate, jam, cheese, salsa and wine tasting all the while Jordon TW fiddles up in the Feed Loft from 1-3, and those leaves keep swirling downward to make a carpet to step through. Ah Autumn! See all the details at the end of this post.

Last week at the store you had a blast learning about and tasting some really good cheese and we met so many nice visitors driving through our town peeping at leaves, taking in the sights at Shaker Village and revealing in our little village. And we live here….lucky us.

In the news…

We are thrilled to announce that Kevin Groleau of Woodshed Coffee fame in Laconia will be fresh roasting coffee for us each week for your daily cup and for our shelves. You may have heard by now in the town newsletter and on Facebook that Granite Ledge Coffee decided to remove their product from the store which is why we have made this change.

Starting this afternoon you will find some blends packed up just for us with a great variety in roasting levels for a truly dark cup all the way down to subtle light roasts. To keep it even fresher, we are stocking just bags of beans so when you purchase we will grind it for you if you wish, keeping that just-roasted flavor in the bag even longer.

Come by for a taste sample any time!

Let’s bake.

Chocolate Date Cake

The sweet caramely taste of dates draped in dark chocolate makes for a wonderful autumn dessert. Serve this cake with a nice Port or a fruity red wine.

1. The cake

Preheat your oven to 350º Grease and flour one 9” cake pan. See this post* for how to do that.

In a mixing bowl or in a stand mixer beat the following together until smooth:

1 stick room temperature unsalted butter
1 cup light brown sugar

Add and beat well:

2 eggs, room temperature
2 cups sweetened or unsweetened apple sauce; room temperature

Add and beat well:

1 1/2 cup all purpose flour
1/4 cup baking cocoa
3/4 tsp baking powder
3/4 tsp baking soda

When smooth, add and beat one minute:

1/4 cup milk

Spoon this into the prepared pan, smoothing the top and dropping the pan a few times to settle the batter into place and remove any air pockets. Bake for 32-35 minutes until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Let cool ten minutes in the pan then run a knife around the edge and turn over to flip out. Remove any paper* and cool completely right side up.

While cake is baking, prepare the date spread topping

2. Date Topping

In a sauce pan place the following and boil for 10 minutes:

1 1/2 cups orange juice
one 8oz package of whole dates (do not use chopped dates. They have a coating on them that does not allow them to cook down properly)

When done cooking, use an emersion blender or place in a food processor or smash with a folk until the mixture is smooth.

3. Spread the cooled date mixture on the top of the cooled cake

4. Chocolate glaze

In a small sauce pan heat until bubbly:

3/4 cup heavy cream

Remove the pan from the heat and immediately add:

3/4 cup Ghirardelli 60% bittersweet chocolate chips

Stir this with a whisk until smooth. Pour this warm glaze over your plated cake letting it drip and pool around edges.

Decorate with Mitica’s Chocolate covered dates. We are sampling these dates this week-end.

Click here to download next’s weeks Food Specials menu.

Columbus Day week-end activities –

Saturday October 12, 10-1. Sample Chocolate Covered Dates, Caramel Apple Creamed Honey and Blakehill Farms Pumpkin Maple jam.
Saturday October 12, 1-3. Listen to the Celtic Fiddling celebration by Jordon Tirrell-Wysoki in the Feed Loft
Saturday October 12, 4-6. Wine tasting, salsa tasting, cheese tasting.
Sunday/Monday October 13/14. Sample dips and coffee all day long.

Have a great week-end,

Jane and Dave

the Friday Feeding; VOL. 49

It’s another tasty week-end at the store and its all about cheese! Come on down tomorrow Saturday to taste new varieties with our cheese monger Christian, eat a lunch of bread n’ cheese soup, an autumn apple sandwich with flavored cheese or sample a cheddar scone made with r e a l l y good cheddar. And more. Burp.

This weekend follows an incredibly action-packed anniversary week here at the store. Thank you for coming in!! We also had a tour bus of 50 here for lunch, the political event on the lawn that enjoyed Dave’s pizzas, special orders and…it’s Leaf Peeper season. To put the week into numbers:

In my bake kitchen I went through 75 lbs of flour (one year ago it was 10 lbs per week)
Dave made 174 sandwiches (one year ago it was around 50 per week)

WE HAVE GROWN. Thank you for supporting your local store!!

What’s new…

And the winner is…

CARAMEL APPLE Whoopie Pie!! You voted last week-end. 2nd place Pumpkin Whoopsie, 3rd place Classic Whoopie and lastly Midnight Whoopie. More in the case over the week-end.

About cheese.

I’ve written about cheese before but it bears thinking about it again. Wholesome, protein rich and versatile, it can become any meal, enhance any culinary dish and no other food has so many nuanced flavor notes.

Good cheese is like good wine. As it ages, flavor develops to coax out the unique taste molecules in the milk it was made from and stepping back even further into the pasture the animal grazed in. And, just like slow cooking helps to caramelize and weep out the internal syrupiness of your food, aging cheese brings out nutty flavors and butterscotchy flavors and veggie flavors and more. Just like wine.

This week-end will be fun to try so many different types of cheeses made from different types of milk. The flavors can be surprising but always delicious. Firm, oozing or soft, we think you will enjoy the experience. Christian will be sampling from 1 – 3 and grab some recipes while you are in.

Read more about the cheese making process in a previous blog by clicking here.

A seasonal variation on Jasper Hill Cellars Moses Sleeper cheese for your Halloween!

Click here to see next weeks menu of food specials.

See you round the center and enjoy this beautiful season!

Jane and Dave

the Friday Feeding; VOL. 48

It’s our anniversary! And this week-end we are celebrating. Come on down tomorrow Saturday to enjoy some food sampling, vote for the best Woopie Pie and get a chance at a gift certificate by playing our scavenger hunt game. All of this with the background harmony of fiddling & story telling on the front porch by The Geezers; Dudley, Frank and Stephanie assisted by Rivkah.

A great day with great friends. We hope you’ll be one too.

A few new things…

We are excited to announce some new pottery in the store by the talented, newish neighbors here in town, Steve and Sue Russell. They have a ginormous, high temperature kiln on their property on Old Tilton Road and fire up some of the most beautiful porcelain pieces for you. Because of the high temps, these functional bowls are dishwasher safe and the handles stay cool even after microwaving. You could bake in them too!

Josh and Emily modeling Halloween wax lips and wax mustaches from our Penny candy selection. Remember these?

Since the weather has cooled and you are more in need of quick meals, we are returning to posting a Plan-Ahead menu for the upcoming week. See next weeks menu by clicking here.

Thank you for taking the time to read about what is happening. And if you are stopping by, check out the Morning Glory on the front porch. It FINALLY bloomed!

Jane and Dave

the Friday Feeding; VOL. 47

It’s been a busy week at the store. Grocery store we are, sandwich shop we are, bakery we are BUT we are also a place for community to unite. And unite we did. Be sure to stop by next week-end to unite with us for our anniversary celebration! Read more at the end of this post.

We hung “The Beauty of Barns” show this week. You just HAVE to see it!

Steve and Suzie building the barn interior for the show

Suzie, Betty and Steve placing the antique barn cupola on the front lawn.

But this is a food blog.

As my sweaty self is writing this post on another summery day that I spent in a hot kitchen, I am struck once again about how food & weather go hand in hand. Traditional spicy food in hot climates induces sweating to cool one down and in cold climates fatty foods are traditional to build insulation. Think Jamaican Jerk chili spices and Icelandic meats and dairy.

As this post arrives to you we have landed in a stretch of slightly cooler weather. It might be time for a pot roast. In last week’s post I showed you the food we celebrated with at our staff party and I promised more recipes from the event. Here are a couple ways to flavor a good pot roast.

We now have a few Robie Farms chuck roasts in our freezer for you. I’ve never met a more gorgeous piece of meat. Pricey yes but all natural, no hormones, local NH, well marbled and extremely delicious.

Using paper towels, dry off your thawed meat. Liberally sprinkle both sides with kosher salt and black ground pepper. Or make it easy & more flavorful by using our salt and pepper combination grinder; black, white, pink and green pepper corns blended pink Himalayan sea salt.

In a small bowl combine one of the following combinations and smear on both sides of the meat…

Mustard version

1/4 cup Blackwater Mustard company’s award winning Chocolate Stout Mustard (NOTE: this does not taste like chocolate. The addition of this ingredient simply adds a background flavor depth similar to smoke)
1 tsp Spanish smoked paprika
1 tsp granulated onion powder

Red wine version

3T red wine
3T Worcestershire sauce
2T Backyard dehydrated Garlic (NOTE: this is amazing stuff. Big chunks of dehydrated garlic that tastes fresh. Use a teaspoonful like a couple cloves of garlic or grind it on anything just like salt for extra flavor).

Place your smeared pot roast into a slow cooker, cover and turn on to high. After 4 hours turn it down to low and cook another 2 hours. Serve with the juice in the pan to hydrate and fully flavor the meat. Cut into slices or chunks and serve with your desired side dishes.

Our one year anniversary celebration week-end! Saturday September 28.

11-2 The Geezers are playing especially for us. A wonderful celebration of age and tradition. Fiddling, blow-keyboard, stomping and stories. We love our friends.

All week-end play the 60 Products game. See if you can identify 60 OR MORE products in the store that are made in New Hampshire. Then you will be entered into a drawing for a $60 gift certificate to the store. Start your hunt now and download the form by clicking here.

All week-end. The grand Whoopie Pie taste off! We haven’t carried them, we haven’t baked them but decided it was time to do so. Help us choose the best flavors that Jane has been thinking about that we can then regularly keep in the cooler.
Saturday afternoon Dave will be doing pizza live right outside our front door.

PIZZA FLASH: we are nearing the end of Farmers Market and our pizza there. We decided to keep the tradition going and move indoors for Wednesday night pizza in the store. Dave will be doing artisanal pizzas each Wednesday night from 4-7pm starting October 9. Eat in or take out.

That’s it for now. Have a great week-end!

Jane and Dave

the Friday Feeding; VOL. 46

One year ago this week we were just finishing up the final details getting ready to open this reimagined country store. Reengineered, revitalized, rebooted, it was a bold move to add a kitchen for fresh food preparation and expand into speciality groceries inside this historic small-town center with a legacy of brave storekeepers before us.

And it seems you like it!

So one year later we are celebrating you and Canterbury’s new store with many, many wonderful events. Read about them by clicking here. But first we wanted to celebrate with our staff and appreciate them over a meal at the end of this long first season.

Snacking on Robie Farms all natural ribs with Apple Bar-B-Que sauce

If you are like us, entertaining is the excuse is to work out new ways with food, to make new recipes and experiment with flavors. The store is like one giant pantry beckoning us to play and get creative! This celebration was no different so we are offering you all these recipes over the next couple weeks so you too can celebrate and try your hand at cooking something new. Happy cooking!

Lavender Vanilla Celebration Cake

Lavender is synonymous with Canterbury. The Shakers grew it and sold “fancy goods” made from it. In the 19th century, lavender was used as a baking flavor instead of the precious and expensive vanilla. Here I am using them both coupled with blueberry.

Cut out rounds of parchment or waxed paper by tracing around two 8″ cakes pans. Cut out the rounds then, with unsalted softened butter, generously grease the bottom of the pans. Press the cut-out rounds to stick on to it then butter the whole pan OVER the paper too and dust them with flour. Set aside. Preheat oven to 350º.

In a medium sized bowl place the following then whisk them together to blend, then set aside:

2 2/3 cups all purpose white flour
2 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt

In a measuring cup combine then set aside:

1 cup milk
2 tsp vanilla
one drop of lavender essential oil

Place the following into bowl for mixing or into a stand up mixer. Beat on high until light and fluffy:

2 sticks of softened room temperature unsalted butter

Add bit by bit still beating:

1 1/2 cups white sugar
then adding 4 large room temperature eggs one at a time

Continue beating until the entire mixture is fluffy. Then add the two set-aside mixtures alternating with each other – flour mixture then milk mixture – until it is all very light and fluffy. Spread the mixture into the two prepared pans and bake for 25-35 minutes until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.

Let cool for 10 minutes then run a knife around the edges, turn the pan over to release the cakes. Peel off paper. Cool right side up on a rack.

With cakes cooled, slice each in half and spread each half with 1/3 of a jar of Blake Hill’s Wild Blueberry with Lavender Botanical jam, stacking them up.

Make frosting.

Add to a very clean mixing bowl and beat until frothy:

3 room temperature egg whites
1/8 tsp table salt

Leave this be and go to the stove. In a clean small sauce pan add:

one bottle of Canterbury Country Store Lavender Vanilla Syrup for coffee, baking and pancake drizzles

Bring this to a boil; do not stir, Place a lid on the boiling syrup and boil for 3 minutes. Remove the lid and boil for another 6 minutes. DO NOT STIR.

Turn the mixer on to high and slowly drizzle the hot mixture into the egg whites. The heat will cook the eggs and the mixture will get voluminous and silky white producing a light fat-free frosting. Spread generously over layered cake and decorate with lavender blossoms if desired. YUM.

Don’t forget Farmers Market this week, Wednesday from 4-6:30, Dave’s pizza live. As part of our actual celebration week-end September 28, Dave will be doing additional live pizzas from 3-6pm just outside the store. See the calendar by clicking here to see what else is happening that day!

Don’t miss the last couple days of the one-week-only quilt show in the Feed Loft. And tomorrow come to town center to see the gazebo filled with large quilts! The new show The Beauty of Barns is going up on Monday the 16th.

Steve Fifield measuring for the installation of barn parts in the next show.

We hope you have a great week-end. Enjoy this beautiful weather!

Jane and Dave

the Friday Feeding; VOL. 45

While not officially Autumn, the cooler nights and moderate days take us that way; cozy. Our menu here at the store has switched to accommodate our different appetites and cravings for seasonal flavors. It’s Fall. And the changing leaves on the trees and soccer schedules tell us that too!

Expect more convenience foods in the freezer for busy families, Pumpkin Spice syrup for your coffee and Carter Hill Orchards cider donuts on Sunday. Soup’s in the cooler and Dave’s turkey and cranberry sandwiches are back.

Individual Mac n’ cheese in delectable flavors

Click here to see our newest menu…

And those grocery condiments on our shelves that we may not have touched in a while are looking good right now. See a recipe below…

Apple Cider Donut Muffins, makes 6

The are quite good, reminiscent of a donut. Plenty cidery yet not heavy.

In a medium sized bowl beat together:

1/4 cup canola oil
2T light brown sugar
1/4 cup granulated white sugar
1/2 tsp table salt
1 tsp cinnamon
1/8 tsp nutmeg
1/8 tsp allspice
3T boiled cider (see above)
1/2 tsp vanilla

Add and beat in:

1 egg

In another bowl whisk together:

1 1/4 cup all purpose flour (gluten-free mixes work)
1 tsp baking powder
1/8 tsp baking soda

Bit by bit beat the flour mixture into the wet mixture alternating with:

1/2 cup milk NOTE: any milk will work but a full fat milk will yield a more tender muffin.

Beat only until blended – do not over beat or the muffins will be tough. Work quickly at this point because the cider is reacting with the baking soda and powder to give the muffins lift. Scoop batter into greased or paper-lined muffins pan until 2/3 full. Bake 350º for 13-16 minutes until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.

Let cool in pans for 3-5 minutes then dump out. Immediately brush the tops with:

2T melted butter

Generously sprinkle over the butter:

a mixture of 1 1/2 T white granulated sugar & 1/2T cinnamon

We are still at the Farmers Market through October 2, 4-6:30.

Its’ quilts week next week! Don’t miss it, ONE WEEK ONLY, the quilts that your neighbors and friends made, on show here at the store. Show starts next Monday the 9th and comes down Monday the 16th. Patchwork sandwiches? Baked brownie block-bars?

The next show to open in the Feed Loft is The Beauty of Barns opening September 16th. This is another community effort. Steve Fifield, barn restoration expert, along with our Sue (formerly form this store) are installing barn parts in the Feed Loft to enhance the show. They are also loaning us an antique barn cupola that will sit on the lawn to the left of the store. This is in conjunction with the Elkins Library speaker series; in October Mark Stevens is doing a talk about the barns of Canterbury, “If Barns Could Talk”.

Have a great week-end and see you ’round the store,

Jane and Dave

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