It’s fall in New Hampshire, which likely means you’ve been apple picking or at least stopped by an orchard. You now have more apples than you know what to do with. After you’ve made apple pies, apple muffins and caramel apples, I have a recipe that will use those apples for a dinner side dish.
This recipe is perfect for a dinner on a busy fall night for a multitude of reasons. First, only four ingredients are required. Second, from start to finish these apples are ready in 10 minutes or less. Third, between freshly picked apples and thyme, this dish smells and tastes like fall.
I have a few notes about the apples in this recipe. As you may notice, I don’t specify the type of apple. This recipe is pretty flexible, so you can use whatever you have on hand or whichever you prefer. Also, these apples don’t need to be peeled for two reasons: It streamlines the recipe and saves time, and the apple peel adds a nice amount of texture to the dish.
You need to keep a careful eye on the apples while you cook them. You want to saute them until they are fork tender, but you don’t want them to become soggy. Be sure to stay attentive. Once they get just the least bit tender, add the thyme and brown sugar, saute quickly and transfer to a serving dish.
If you haven’t been to an orchard yet, this recipe is all the reason you need.
Michele Pesula Kuegler has been thinking about food her entire life. Since 2007, the New Hampshire native has been sharing these food thoughts and recipes at her blog, Think Tasty. Visit thinktasty.com to find more of her recipes.
Thyme and brown sugar apples Serves 4
2 apples, approximately 1 pound total 1 Tablespoon salted butter* 1 teaspoon dried thyme or 1 Tablespoon fresh thyme 1 Tablespoon brown sugar
Slice the apples into quarters, and remove the core from each section. (Do not peel the apples) Cut each apple quarter into six evenly sized slices, so that you have 24 long slices per apple. Then cut all of the slices in half. Place a large nonstick frying pan over medium heat. Melt butter, and add apple slices. Saute for 4 minutes, tossing occasionally. Sprinkle the apple slices with thyme and brown sugar, and cook for an additional minute. Serve immediately.
*If using unsalted butter, add a pinch of salt along with the thyme.
Photo: Thyme and brown sugar apples. Photo by Michele Pesula Kuegler.
The Capital Arts Fest runs today through Sunday, Sept. 26, at various locations in the Concord area. See our story on page 10.
The Canterbury Shaker Village (288 Shaker Road in Canterbury; 783-9511, shakers.org) is holding its Canterbury Artisan Festival on Saturday, Sept. 25, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. with handcrafted works for sale, demonstrations and a line-up of live music (Badger’s Drift at 10 a.m., Jordan Tirrell-Wysocki at noon, Doc and Liz at 2 p.m. and Doug Hazard at 4 p.m.). Tickets cost $12 for adults (admission is free for everyone under age 25), according to the website.
Saturday, Sept. 25, the Gratitude Music Festival, a multiperformance series of concerts honoring first responders and frontline workers, will start at 1 p.m. with Neighbor followed by Carsie Blanton at 3:30 p.m. and Anderson East at 8 p.m. See themusichall.org for tickets to individual shows or a $90 day pass.
On Saturday and Sunday, Sept. 26, the Beaver Brook Association (117 Ridge Road in Hollis; 465-7787, beaverbrook.org) will hold its 40th annual Fall Festival and Nature Art Show from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. In addition to the art, find live performances, baked goods and dried flowers for sale, a raffle, a silent auction, an angora spinning demo and events geared toward kids, according to the website.
Saturday, Sept. 25
There are also some food-centered celebrations this weekend. Today, the Winchester Pickle Festival kicks off at 10 a.m. on Main Street with local vendors, live music, a chainsaw wood carving demo, pictures with Mr. Pickle and, of course, pickles — free on the Town Hall lawn until they’re gone, according to winchesternhpicklefestival.org, where you can find a full listing of events.
Also today, Tuscan Market (9 Via Toscana in Salem; tuscanbrands.com) will hold its Passeggiata: Walk of Wine featuring more than 40 wines for tasting as well as appetizers from 1 to 4 p.m. Tickets cost $30, according to the website.
Black Bear Vineyard & Winery (289 New Road in Salisbury; blackbearvineyard.com) will hold is Harvest Weekend today and Sunday, Sept. 26, from 1 to 5 p.m., with live music outdoors, an opportunity to learn how grapes become wine, food trucks and more, according to the winery’s Facebook page (which recommends bringing your own chairs).
Sunday, Sept. 26
The Mt. Kearsarge Indian Museum and the Nature Discovery Center of Warner (18 Highlawn Road in Warner; museum is at indianmuseum.org and 456-2600, center is ndcnh.org and 822-2334) will hold a Harvest Moon and Nature Fest today from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. The event will include Native foods made from Three Sisters, bison and other local ingredients according to a press release. The day will also feature craft demonstrations (for basket weaving, beading, leather work and dream catchers), tomahawk throwing and a guided walk through the Medicine Woods, the release said. The New Hampshire Audubon Center will also bring live raptors for a “Raptor Rapture” presentation. Admission costs $10 for adults, $5 for children and a maximum of $30 per family.
Save the Date! Saturday, Oct. 3
Head to LaBelle Winery (345 Route 101 in Amherst; labellewinery.com) on Sunday, Oct. 3, for the fourth in their “Walks in the Vineyard” series, this one focusing on harvest. Learn about the grapes grown at LaBelle and the wine making process. Tickets cost $27.25 and the event runs from 11 a.m. to noon.
Featured photo: Raptors include this Barn Owl at a previous Harvest Moon and Naturefest. Courtesy photo.
The Big E might be in Massachusetts, but New Hampshire has its own day and its own building at the 17-day fair, which is going on now and runs through Oct. 3. According to a press release, visitors to this year’s New Hampshire Building will find businesses, products and entertainers that highlight the Granite State’s craftsmanship, food, arts and agriculture. Special exhibits and demonstrations will feature crafts like chair caning, woodcarving, basket making, Russian doll making and more, and eats include blueberry pie and ice cream and butter-dipped New Hampshire corn on the cob.
Score: +1
Comment:Local performers will be on stage during New Hampshire Day, which is Friday, Sept. 24. The lineup includes a magic show by BJ Hickman, folk music by Cormac McCarthy, barbershop music from the Keene Cheshiremen Chorus and jazz by Joan Watson Jones, the release said.
Manchester West Nile virus risk elevated
Another batch of mosquitoes collected in Manchester on Sept. 7 tested positive for West Nile virus, according to a press release from the city’s Health Department. Because this is the second positive batch of mosquitoes to test positive in Manchester this season, the city’s level of risk has been elevated to moderate. According to Manchester Public Health Director Anna Thomas, the risk of infection by mosquito-borne viruses may increase from now until there is a mosquito-killing frost.
Score: -1
Comment:“We are recommending that all residents use an effective mosquito repellent that contains 30 percent DEET, avoid being outdoors at dawn and dusk and remove standing water from around the home … to limit the risks of catching these infections,” Thomas said in the release.
Foliage festival will have to wait another year
The annual Warner Fall Foliage Festival, which was scheduled to take place in person Oct. 8 through Oct. 10, has been canceled. According to a message on the event’s website, the board decided last week to cancel the festival, “with tremendous disappointment, but complete confidence that it’s the right thing to do. … Our people and our community’s health and safety has always been our top priority; it always will be.” Last year’s festival was held virtually, but there are no plans to host any of the annual activities virtually this year. “No one is happy about this situation,” the festival committee wrote in its message. “We sincerely apologize.”
Score: -2
Comment: While there were a few negative comments on the event’s Facebook page in response to the announcement, most people have been supportive of the decision. “We’ve been coming to the Fall Foliage Festival for many years and always look forward to it,” one person posted. “As disappointed as we all are, you absolutely did the right thing!!! See you next year (fingers and toes crossed!!!).”
Saying goodbye to an old school
After 130 years of serving children, Hallsville Elementary School in Manchester will be decommissioned, according to a press release, meaning that the city school, which closed for good in June, will be officially returned to the city. The public is being invited to attend the decommissioning ceremony and open house on Saturday, Sept. 25, from 3 to 5 p.m. “A hundred and 30 years is a long time, and we’ve had many generations — entire families — come through here,” Forrest Ransdell, former Hallsville principal and current network director for the school district, said in the release. “This event will commemorate that educational tradition, and recognize the contributions of those who made this school what it is. We hope to see some of those people at this event.”
Score: -1
Comment:Students who attended Hallsville have been moved to either Jewett Street Elementary or Southside Middle School.
QOL score: 84
Net change: -3
QOL this week: 81
What’s affecting your Quality of Life here in New Hampshire? Let us know at [email protected].
Information from the New Hampshire Department of Health and Human Services
Covid-19 news
As of Sept. 20, there were 3,769 active infections of Covid-19 in New Hampshire and 139 current hospitalizations. All 10 counties still showed substantial community transmission levels.
During a Sept. 15 press conference, state epidemiologist Dr. Benjamin Chan reported that New Hampshire has averaged more than 400 new infections of the virus per day over the previous seven-day period, while hospitalizations and deaths have also continued to creep up in recent weeks. “The vast majority of these infections … are occurring in people who are unvaccinated or not fully vaccinated,” he said. “In fact, since the end of January when we started tracking vaccine-breakthrough infections, only about 3 percent of the infections that we’ve identified have been in people who are fully vaccinated. … Low vaccination is contributing to continued spread of Covid-19 in our communities.”
State Department of Health & Human Services Commissioner Lori Shibinette also provided an update on state officials’ findings and lessons learned from their Aug. 30 trip to Kentucky, one of the hardest-hit states in the country by the pandemic. “One of the things that was really noteworthy was that … their surge was largely due to outbreaks in the rural areas that had low vaccination rates, and their small rural hospitals couldn’t manage that load so they would transfer their patients into the city centers,” she said. “So what we did … is we very, very clearly did a strategy to target all of our communities with a vaccination rate of under 50 percent. … So what you’re going to see is mobile clinics and vaccine vans that are going out working with Town Hall officials, local fire and EMS, and trying to raise the vaccination rates in those towns and cities.” Shibinette also pointed out that ongoing staffing challenges in Kentucky’s health care system have mirrored those in New Hampshire’s. To combat this, Gov. Chris Sununu announced a few solutions, including continuing to issue temporary licenses for 120 days to out-of-state health care workers with licenses in other states; issuing student nursing licenses to New Hampshire students in their last year of their RN or LPN programs; and reissuing licenses to retired or inactive health care professionals, which would be valid through Jan. 31, 2022. “We’re going to keep doing whatever we can … but right now, expanding and maintaining a healthy and vibrant health care workforce is one of the top priorities in the state, without a doubt,” he said.
Pfizer and BioNTech announced “positive, topline results” for its vaccine trials in children ages 5 to 11, according to a Sept. 20 press release, and plans to share its findings with the FDA “as soon as possible” to obtain authorization. “Since July, pediatric cases of Covid-19 have risen by about 240 percent in the U.S., underscoring the public health need for vaccination,” Pfizer chairman and chief executive officer Albert Bourla said in a statement. According to the release, trial results for children under the age of 5 are expected as soon as the fourth quarter of this year.
Fighting violent crime
Federal, state and local agencies are stepping up efforts to fight violent crime in Manchester, and they want the public to stay informed about what they’re doing. After a scheduled press conference to address these efforts was canceled last week, a press release was issued instead to provide an update to the community. According to the release, Manchester started using the CompStat 360 program earlier this year, a national initiative that focuses on reducing violent crime and addressing public safety issues. As part of the program, Manchester police have held community meetings and created a community-centered Problem Solving Team that includes law enforcement partners, the U.S. Attorney’s Office, the County Attorney’s Office, community leaders, public health officials, public works personnel and community organizations. The purpose of the team is to discuss and develop responses, including non-law enforcement responses, to these issues, according to the release. In addition, Manchester police, New Hampshire State Police and the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office have increased officer presence and community engagement in the neighborhoods that need it most, conducting more than 4,000 directed patrols. “For most residents of Manchester, these efforts should be a message of hope for the future,” Acting U.S. Attorney John J. Farley said in the release. “But for those who choose to pursue a path of violence, I have a different message. We will not tolerate violent crime in our community. We will investigate you. We will prosecute you. And you will go to federal prison.” Partners in these initiatives will continue to update the community about their ongoing efforts, the release said.
ATC options
The New Hampshire Therapeutic Cannabis Program announced last week that New Hampshire-registered patients can now make purchases at any alternative treatment center in the state. Previously, patients were restricted to purchasing from a single ATC, according to a press release, and this change results from the passage of SB 162 earlier this year. “Patients have been requesting this reform for many years, and it’s great to see that it is finally becoming a reality,” Matt Simon, Director of Public and Government Relations for Prime Alternative Treatment Centers of NH, said in the release. “Allowing more options for patients can only be a good thing as the program continues to grow and mature.”
StubHub settles
Last week New Hampshire Attorney General John M. Formella announced a settlement with StubHub, one of the biggest ticket reselling companies in the country. New Hampshire, along with nine other states and Washington, D.C., has resolved a complaint with the company regarding its refusal to pay refunds to consumers for concerts, sports events and other events that were canceled as a result of the pandemic. According to a press release under its “FanProtect Guarantee,” StubHub offered consumers full refunds of the purchase price and fees they paid for tickets if their events were canceled, but in March 2020, after the entertainment industry shut down, it stopped honoring its refund guarantee and instead told customers that they would receive account credits equal to 120 percent of their purchases to be used for future events. As part of the settlement, StubHub has reversed its decision and notified its customers that if they purchased tickets prior to March 25, 2020, and their events were canceled, they would receive full refunds unless they elected to retain their account credits. This includes 2,175 consumers residing in New Hampshire or purchasing tickets for an event in New Hampshire, according to the release.
The New Hampshire Veterans Home in Tilton will hold an outdoor craft fair on Saturday, Sept. 25, according to a press release. There will be more than 80 vendors, a raffle and a white elephant table. The craft fair supports the NHVH Resident Benefit Fund.
“Stuff-A-Cruiser” with non-perishable food donations at two locations in Concord as the New Hampshire Food Bank and the Concord Police Department team up for Hunger Action Month in New Hampshire. According to a press release, there will be a police cruiser at Shaw’s on Fort Eddy Road on Friday, Sept. 24, and one at Hannaford on Fort Eddy Road on Saturday, Sept. 25, with donations being accepted both days from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. There will also be a food collection box at the Concord Police Department on Green Street.
Manchester Mayor Joyce Craig hosted a groundbreaking ceremony on Sept. 20 for the city’s planned solar array at the former landfill on Dunbarton Road. According to a press release, the more than 8,000 panels will supply approximately 3.8 million kilowatt hours of clean energy to the power grid on an annual basis once it’s completed.
Clarity Community Connections in Londonderry is hosting its first annual fundraiser car show on Saturday, Sept. 25, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Matthew Thornton Elementary School (275 Mammoth Road, Londonderry). There will be cars, food trucks, local artisans, a bake sale, kids’ activities, vendors, raffles and more. The cost is $3 per person or $10 for a family bundle, and veterans get in free. All proceeds benefit Clarity Community Connections. Find the event on Facebook.
Head to a local farm or fair to get your fill of New Hampshire agriculture at its best, from corn mazes and pick-your-own apples at the farm to piglets and horse pulls at the Rochester and Deerfield fairs.
Also on the cover, follow the Great New Hampshire Autumn Tour with the Hippo’s exclusive pull-out map, p. 26 & 27. And Glendi returns to Manchester with Greek eats for all, p. 28.
As much as the end of summer means the disappearance of long days and warm weather, it also means it’s the start of the baking season. Yes, I still enjoy cookies, homemade bread and more during the summer, but it’s so much nicer to have a toasty kitchen when it’s cooler outside.
Let’s kick off fall baking with a multi-purpose recipe: sweet potato biscuits. Not only is this a fairly simple recipe to use, these biscuits work well at various times of day. Lazing around the house on a weekend morning? These biscuits make a great part of an indulgent brunch. Want to serve warm bread with soup or stew? This is the recipe you need.
These biscuits are pretty easy to make, especially if you already have cooked sweet potato ready. Please note that while you need to mash the sweet potato, a few small lumps are fine. In fact, they add a nice burst of flavor and a little texture to the final product.
Welcome back, baking season!
Michele Pesula Kuegler has been thinking about food her entire life. Since 2007, the New Hampshire native has been sharing these food thoughts and recipes at her blog, Think Tasty. Visit thinktasty.com to find more of her recipes.
Sweet potato biscuits Makes 10
1 cup cooked, mashed sweet potato 3/4 cup buttermilk 2 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting 2 Tablespoons granulated sugar 1 Tablespoon baking powder 1/2 teaspoon salt 1/2 cup cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. In a small bowl, stir together the sweet potato and 1/4 cup milk. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. Add the butter to the flour mixture, and blend with a pastry blender, two forks, or your fingers until the butter is the size of peas. Add the sweet potato mixture, folding to combine. Add the remaining milk a little at a time until the dough is combined but not moist. (You may not need to use all of the milk.) Sprinkle a work surface with flour. Place the dough on the lightly floured work surface. Using floured hands, pat it into a rectangle about 3/4″ thick. Fold the dough into thirds (like you’re folding a letter); turn the dough 90 degrees and fold it in thirds again. Sprinkle a little flour over the dough, and roll with a floured rolling pin until the dough is a 3/4″ thick rectangle again. Cut into 10 to 12 rectangles. Place the biscuits on the prepared baking sheet, and bake until light golden brown and firm to the touch, about 20 minutes. Serve warm.
*Buttermilk can be replaced with a combination of 1 Tablespoon lemon juice and enough milk to equal 3/4 cup. Allow to stand at room temperature for a couple minutes before using in the recipe.
Photo: Sweet potato biscuits. Photo by Michele Pesula Kuegler.
