Category: Outdoors

Kiddie Pool 21/12/09

Family fun for the weekend

Holiday happenings

The Nov. 25 issue was our big Holiday Guide issue, packed full of Christmas/winter/general holiday-themed events happening through the end of the year. You can find the e-edition at hippopress.com. Here are some of the events that are happening this weekend.

Santa!

• Santa Claus will arrive by helicopter at the Aviation Museum of New Hampshire (27 Navigator Road in Londonderry; aviationmuseumofnh.org) on Saturday, Dec. 11, at 11 a.m., where he’ll greet families and take gift requests until 1 p.m. The outdoor event is free and open to the public. Arrive by 10:45 a.m. to park and get a spot. Hot cocoa and cider will also be provided, courtesy of the Airport Diner in Manchester. Children who talk to Santa will get goodie bags, according to a press release.

• Enjoy S’mores with Santa at the tree lighting at the gazebo in New Boston on Saturday, Dec. 11, from 4 to 6 p.m. The tree lighting will take place at 4 p.m., after which kids can bring an ornament from home to put on the town tree and visit with Santa, according to newbostonnh.gov. The Recreation Department will provide s’mores ingredients along with hot chocolate and cider.

Lights!

• After the S’mores with Santa, New Boston will hold Light Up New Boston from 6 to 8 p.m. on Dec. 11. Find a map of houses that will be decked out via newboston.gov.

• Saturday, Dec. 11, is the first night of the Southern New Hampshire Tour of Lights. Participating town parks and recreation departments include Amherst, Milford, Jaffrey, Antrim, Fitzwilliam, Keene, Merrimack, Peterborough, Rindge and Troy. See the rec department websites for lists of houses on the tour, which runs through Dec. 27.

• Manchester’s Holiday Lights Contest opens for judging on Friday, Dec. 10. See manchesternh.gov for the Manchester Holiday Lights Map and the judging form for Manchester residents to pick their favorites.

Kids night out

• The YMCA of Greater Londonderry (206 Rockingham Road, Londonderry) hosts Kids Night at the Y on Saturday, Dec. 11, from 4 to 9 p.m. The theme will be “Holiday Palooza.” YMCA staff will keep the kids healthy and active with art and STEM projects, and a pizza dinner will be served. All are welcome; no membership required. The cost is $40 per child, and $30 for each additional sibling. Go to bit.ly/3vNi98A.

The Polar Express

• Chunky’s Cinema Pub (707 Huse Road, Manchester; 151 Coliseum Ave., Nashua; 150 Bridge St., Pelham) has added more screenings for its Polar Express viewing party at each of its three locations. In Manchester, while Dec. 11 and Dec. 12 screenings were sold out, as of earlier this week, tickets were still available for Friday, Dec. 10, at 3 and 6:30 p.m. as well as Monday, Dec. 13, through Thursday, Dec. 16, in the evening. In Nashua, available screenings include Friday, Dec. 10, at 5:30 p.m. and Sunday, Dec. 12, at noon as well as evening screenings Monday, Dec. 13, through Thursday, Dec. 15. In Pelham, available screenings include Friday, Dec. 10, at 6:50 p.m.; Saturday, Dec. 11, at 6:30 p.m. and evening screenings Monday, Dec. 13, through Thursday, Dec. 16. Tickets cost $5.99.

Gift Guide – A gift guide for hikers

Gear, good reads and great ideas for kids

By Dan Szczesny

While the cold season and its wind chills, frost and snow will certainly not be slowing down the winter hiker in your family or that crazy friend who takes midnight hikes up Mt. Washington, you can make their lives easier and maybe safer by stuffing their ragg wool stockings with some hiker gear over the holiday.

From books and maps to help navigate the White Mountains, to tough and warm gear to take on a frigid overnighter, to starter gifts for the tiny hiker in your croo, what follows is a brief overview of some (mostly) locally sourced gift items the John Muir in your family will enjoy.

Books: Because the first step is not getting lost

• New Hampshire’s 52 With a View: A Hiker’s Guideby Ken MacGray ($23.95, kenmacgray.org) Longtime hiker and guidebook writer Ken MacGray recently published the quintessential guidebook to what’s becoming one of the state’s most popular hiking lists, the “52 with a view.” The list is a collection of hikes to mountains around the state under 4,000 feet that offer spectacular views somewhere along the way. Some of the hikes on the list are family-friendly, others very difficult. But all of them get thoroughly analyzed in this guidebook that includes directions, mileage and a bit of history on each mountain.

• The 4,000-Footers of New Hampshire’s White Mountains by Steven D. Smith and Mike Dickerman ($24.95, bondcliffbooks.com) Mike Dickerman, the owner of Bondcliff Books in Littleton and a well-known mountain writer and hiker, just released a unique and beautiful photographic history of the White Mountains that any hiker would love to unwrap under their tree. The book features 200 vintage photos, historical background about the mountains and tourist sites and even an elevation list of the high mountains in our state.

• NH Rocks That Rock: An Adventure Guide to 25 Famous Boulders of the Granite State by Uma and Dan Szczesny ($12, dan-szczesny.square.site) Looking for some shorter hikes kids of all ages will enjoy? Six-year-old Uma Szczesny and her dad (full disclosure: that’s me!) have written an adventure guide to more than two dozen famous boulders scattered across New Hampshire. The book includes directions to all of these interesting glacial erratics, along with photographs, their history and GPS coordinates.

Family hikes

• Hiking field journals / mountain passports What better way to involve the kids in your family’s hikes and adventures than through journals and logbooks? From White Mountain passport books where you can stamp your adventures to simple blank field guides, your littlest hiker can draw and color about their hike like a mini Jane Goodall. Go for a blank field guide with a brightly colored cover from Elan Publishing (elanpublish.com), or, if you want some prompts for drawing and writing, the Nature Journal and Sketchbook for Kids from River Breeze (riverbreeze.com). The handy pocket-size White Mountain 4000-Footers Passport from The Mountain Wanderer (mountainwanderer.com, $20) has a peel-off stamp for each peak.

• White Mountain Cut Your Own Christmas Tree Program($5, recreation.gov/tree-permits) Want to bring part of the White Mountains into your living room for the holidays? For a $5 permit, the state will let you cut down and bring home your own Christmas tree from the Whites. They only offer one per family and as you can imagine there are rules about where you can go and how you can cut them, but there’s nothing like a family hike to bring back a tree.

• Keen Greta Waterproof Boots, plus Snowline Kids’ Traction Spikes (Approximately $80 for boots, $40 for spikes, most local retailers, prices vary) If your little hiker is going to help you find a tree, they need to protect their feet. We like the Keen Greta boots for comfort and ease to slip on. Over the top of that, pick up a pair of XXS Micro-Spikes and your mini hiker will have warm feet and sturdy footing!

Heavy-duty winter gear

• Burgeon Outdoors Flume Base Layer ($89 to $100, burgeonoutdoor.com) Hardcore hikers know warmth and safety start with a solid base layer. Lincoln, N.H., outdoor company Bergeon Outdoors is offering a Tencel and Spandex base layer top that was named best hiking shirt by Field and Stream. The company specializes in sustainable outdoor wear inspired by and designed in the White Mountains.

• The Nemo Quasar 3D Sleeping Pad ($129 to $249, nemoequipment.com) If you’re overnighting on snowpack, you’re going to need a tough and warm pad. We’re recommending Dover outfitter NEMO’s Quasar #D Sleeping Pad. Low weight, easy inflation completes the package. Rest easy!

Miscellaneous hiking gifts you didn’t know you needed

• Artwork from Kat Maus Haus Illustration and Design (katmaushaus.com) Artist Kat Maus has been illustrating amazing and unique scenes and landscapes from around New England for posters, book covers, stickers and greeting cards for years. One of her specialties is White Mountain scenes, everything from Mount Washington to the Cog Railway to mountaintop fire towers. Pick up a pack of White Mountain postcards for your favorite hiker’s stocking.

• New Hampshire State Park ornaments (newhampshirestateparks.reserveamerica.com) The state has teamed up with artist Lyn Collins of White Mountain Smile Makers to create a series of Christmas tree ornaments that commemorate several state parks, including Mt. Washington, Bear Brook and Franconia Notch. You may want to grab one now, though, so it’s on the tree when you’re opening your presents.

Featured photo: Field guide, hiking journal and the White Mountains 4000 Footer Passport. Courtesy photo.

Kiddie Pool 21/12/02

Family fun for the weekend

The most event-y time of the year

Last week’s Hippo (the Nov. 25 issue) was our big Holiday Guide issue, packed full of Christmas/winter/general holiday-themed events happening through the end of the year. You can find the e-edition at hippopress.com. Here are some of the events happening this weekend.

Winter wonderlands

• Charmingfare Farm (774 High St., Candia) has combined its Santa’s Big Party and Lighted Winter Wonderland events into one celebration, Santa’s Christmas. Individual tickets are not being sold; only packages are available, for $249 (one package is good for up to 10 people), with various times available to visit the farm on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays, starting Dec. 3 through Dec. 5 (and running through Thursday, Dec. 23). Horse-drawn wagons are divided into two sections of 10 passengers each. Attractions include a live animal Nativity; visits with Santa, Mrs. Claus and live “reindeer,” and hot cocoa and sugar cookies provided by Mrs. Claus. See visitthefarm. com for available times.

• Santa Land returns to the Gilford Youth Center (19 Potter Hill Road in Gilford) on Friday, Dec. 3, and Saturday, Dec. 4. Kids can enjoy games, arts and crafts, cookie decorating and bounce houses. In small groups they’ll also be invited to Santa’s room for photo opportunities. Admission is free. Santa Land hours are from 5 to 7:30 p.m. on Friday and from 10 a.m. to noon on Saturday. See gilfordyouthcenter.com.

Everybody loves a parade!

In addition to Manchester’s Christmas parade (see page 9 for details) other parades on the schedule this weekend include these:

• The Town of Nottingham’s Parks & Recreation Department is hosting a holiday parade Saturday, Dec. 4, at 10 a.m. at the community center (Stage Road). See nottingham-nh.gov.

• Experience Hampton will present its annual Hampton Holiday Parade on Saturday, Dec. 4, at 1 p.m., which will kick off at the Hampton-North Hampton town line and end at Winnacunnet Road. See experiencehampton.org.

• Portsmouth’s illuminated holiday parade and tree lighting will be held on Saturday, Dec. 4, at 5 p.m. at Market Square in Portsmouth, with remarks from the mayor and music from the Portsmouth Holiday Ensemble. The parade will then kick off from the Goodwin Park area on Islington Street at 6 p.m. See cityofportsmouth.com.

• The Exeter Holiday Parade returns on Saturday, Dec. 4, beginning on Portsmouth Ave. at 5:30 p.m. and ending at Swasey Parkway. Visit exeterholidayparade.org.

• The Hampstead Christmas Parade returns for its 57th year on Sunday, Dec. 5, at 1 p.m. This year’s parade is Hawaiian-themed. See hampstead.nhlions.org.

• The Merrimack Parks & Recreation Department will present its 28th annual holiday parade and tree lighting on Sunday, Dec. 5, at Abbie Griffin Park (6 Baboosic Lake Road in Merrimack). The parade begins at the Commons Shopping Plaza (515 Daniel Webster Hwy.) at 3 p.m., with the tree lighting at 3:45 p.m. immediately following the parade’s arrival at the park. See merrimackparksandrec.org.

More chances to meet the big guy

• Goffstown’s annual Friday Night Under the Lights will take place on Friday, Dec. 3, from 5 to 8 p.m. in Goffstown Village, featuring the town tree lighting by Santa, caroling, holiday hay rides, cocoa, cookies and more. See goffstownmainstreet.org.

• The Millyard Museum (200 Bedford St. in Manchester; manchesterhistoric.org) will hold its annual holiday open house on Saturday, Dec. 4, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., featuring children’s holiday crafts, raffles, photo opportunities with Santa Claus and more. All are welcome free with museum admission. The museum is also hosting its annual American Girl Doll Tea Party from 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.; the cost for that is $10 per person (register online).

• St. Joseph Hospital (172 Kinsley St. in Nashua; stjosephhospital.com) will hold its Christmas Around the World event on Saturday, Dec. 4, featuring free photo opportunities with Santa Claus, holiday-themed activities for all ages, sweet treats, live multicultural performances and more. Attendees can sign up for one of two time slots, either from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. or from 1 to 3 p.m. Admission is free.

• Windham’s annual tree lighting is happening on Saturday, Dec. 4, at 5 p.m. on the Windham Town Common. Santa Claus will be in the gazebo for photos; there will be a bonfire and carolers from 4 to 5 p.m. See windhamnh.gov.

• Visit Santa Claus at Greeley Park (100 Concord St. in Nashua) for a socially distanced photo opportunity on Sunday, Dec. 5, from noon to 2 p.m. All kids will also receive a free gift. See nashuanh.gov.

• The Children’s Museum of New Hampshire (6 Washington St. in Dover; childrens-museum.org) will hold its Jingle Bell Extravaganza on Sunday, Dec. 5 (and Sunday, Dec. 12), with time slots available from 1 to 2:30 p.m. or from 3 to 4:30 p.m. The event includes a socially distanced meeting with Santa Claus, readings of The Polar Express, hands-on holiday craft activities, a magical science experiment and more. Pajamas are welcome. Tickets are $20 for non-members (free for ages 12 months and under).

Hoe hoe hoe

Gifts for the gardener

Ready to shop! Every time I turn on the radio or open a newspaper, there are articles about supply chain issues. Even the reliable old U.S. Postal Service is saying deliveries may well be delayed. So share some garden produce this year or shop at a local, family-owned business when you can.

Food is a great gift. You don’t need fancy fruit shipped from Oregon if you made plenty of tomato sauce or quince jelly this year. Share the harvest. A quart of dried cherry tomatoes contains a lot of love and work. You had to grow, harvest, wash and dehydrate. Only people dear to my heart will rate such a gift.

My dream gift? A friend, loved one or reader sending me a nice card, along with a homemade certificate for four hours of weeding in my garden. Or two hours. Working in the garden with a friend or relative can be a great way to strengthen a friendship. Politics don’t matter in the garden. I might suspect my brother-in-law didn’t vote the way I did in the last election. But if he will bring his chainsaw and help me take down and cut up a 12-inch-diameter box elder I want removed, send me the gift certificate!

Books are great gifts, and books printed in the United States should be readily available at your local bookstore. My first choice for a book to give? Doug Tallamy’s Nature’s Best Hope: A New Approach to Conservation That Starts in Your Yard. It explains how what we plant can affect the planet, especially our pollinators and birds. And all of us, really.

I’ve re-printed my last gardening book and will be selling it at a discount directly to you, signed. It’s a collection of my best articles organized around the calendar year. It’s titled Organic Gardening (not just) in the Northeast: A Hands-On, Month-by-Month Guide. Signed and mailed to you for just $19. Send a check to Henry Homeyer at PO Box 364, Cornish Flat, NH 03746. I will try to figure out how to reduce the price on my website, Gardening-Guy.com where it is currently for sale at $21 if you want to use PayPal.

What else at the bookstore? Essential Native Trees and Shrubs for the Eastern United States by Tony Dove and Ginger Woolridge is a great companion for Doug Tallamy’s book. Michael Dirr has written lots of great tree books. He is informative and opinionated. Allan Armitage is just as opinionated and thorough about flowers as Dirr is about trees. Or get a gift certificate and let your gardener pick her own books at the local bookstore.

If deer are a problem in the garden of your loved one, I find nothing better than Fend Off Deer and Rabbit Repellent Odor Clips, available at Gardener’s Supply and other retailers. A package of 25 sells for about $20. I use one or two per shrub to keep deer away all winter. They clip on with a clothespin-style attachment. They contain just garlic and soy oil, no chemicals.

Courtesy photo.

I recently wrote about using hardware cloth (wire screening) to keep voles from chewing off bark and killing young trees. Since then I have used plastic spiral tree guards that are easy to install and will protect against sun scald in winter, too. They are inexpensive and can be reused (I will remove them in the spring). They are sold as Rainbow Professional LTD White Spiral Tree Guards at OESCOinc.com or by calling them at 413-469-4335. They sent my order out the very day I called.

Also available from OESCO are some pruners that I like a lot. OESCO is a small company based in Conway, Massachusetts, catering to orchard professionals. The pruners are made by a German company, Löwe (not to be confused with the American retailer Lowe’s). The pruners are of the anvil type, designed and manufactured well. They sell a size nice for small hands (Löwe 5.107) and a larger size, too. OESCO sells replacement blades and parts.

Of course every gardener needs a good weeding tool. The CobraHead is my favorite and has been for years. They now have a mini-Cobrahead designed for smaller hands. Available from CobraHead.com or 866-962-6272 or at your local garden center. It has a single curved tine like a steel finger that will tease out roots from below while you tug a weed from above. I emailed the owner, Noel Valdes, who told me there are plenty in stock.

I found a wonderful shovel for digging in tough areas with lots of roots. It’s called the Root Slayer and is available from Gardener’s Supply and a few other retailers. I’ve used mine all summer and love it! Great for cutting though sod, too. It has a sharp blade and teeth along the sides for slicing roots.

Lastly, think about a gift certificate at your local nursery or garden center for plant purchases in the spring. Plants are always good.

Featured photo: Gardening books make great presents. Courtesy photo.

Kiddie Pool 21/11/25

Family fun for the weekend

Take the family to the museum

Or send the family to the museum — whichever works for your long holiday weekend with people of various ages at home and in need of amusement.

• The Currier Museum of Art (150 Ash St. in Manchester; currier.org, 669-6144) is open Friday through Sunday 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. (normally Thursdays as well, but not on Thanksgiving. Admission costs $15, $13 for 65+, $10 for students and $5 for ages 13 to 17 (children under 13 get in free). On Sundays, the Winter Garden Cafe offers a special brunch menu starting at 10 a.m. featuring mimosa flights, according to the website. Current exhibits include “As Precious As Gold: Carpets from the Islamic World,” “WPA in NH: Philip Guston and Musa McKim” and “Tomie dePaola at the Currier,” featuring the works of dePaola, writer and illustrator of 270 children’s books.

• SEE Science Center (200 Bedford St. in Manchester; see-sciencecenter.org, 669-0400) is open Tuesdays through Fridays (closed Thanksgiving) from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Saturdays and Sundays from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Current displays and exhibits with hands-on examinations of science include BiologYou. Purchase reservations in advance via the website; admission costs $10 per person ages 3 and up. Or …

• On Saturdays, $13 admission price will get you admission to both the SEE Science Center and the Millyard Museum (200 Bedford St. in Manchester; 622-7531, manchesterhistoric.org/millyard-museum). Admission to just the Millyard Museum costs $8 for adults, $6 for 62+ and college students, $4 for children 12 to 18 and free for children under 12. The museum is open Tuesday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. In addition to the permanent exhibits about Manchester’s history, the museum currently features the “New Hampshire Now” photography exhibit.

• The Aviation Museum of New Hampshire (27 Navigator Road in Londonderry; nhahs.org, 669-4820), featuring exhibits about the people and events of New Hampshire’s aviation history, is open Fridays and Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Sundays from 1 to 4 p.m.

• Find hands-on science and space-related exhibits at McAuliffe-Shepard Discovery Center (2 Institute Dr. in Concord; starhop.com, 271-7827), which is open Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays with sessions from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. and 1:30 to 4 p.m. The center recommends purchasing timed tickets in advance; admission costs $11.50 for adults, $10.50 for students and seniors and $8.50 for kids ages 3 to 12 (admission is free for children 2 and under). Planetarium show tickets are also available and cost $5 per person (free for children 2 and under); see the website for the schedule of planetarium shows.

• The Children’s Museum of New Hampshire (2 Washington St. in Dover; childrens-museum.org, 742-2002) requires pre-purchased admission (which costs $11 per person, $9 for 65+ and no charge for children under 1). The museum will be closed Thanksgiving and Friday, Nov. 26, but will be open Saturday (from 9 a.m. to noon and 1 to 4 p.m.) and Sunday (from 9 a.m. to noon). In addition to weekends, the museum is normally also open Tuesday through Friday with timed admission from 9 a.m. to noon and 1 to 4 p.m.

• And perhaps for the teen whose face is stuck to their phone: The New Hampshire Telephone Museum (1 Depot St. in Warner; nhtelephonemuseum.org, 456-2234) is open Fridays and Tuesdays from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Admission costs $7 for adults, $6 for 60+ and $3 for students (1st through 12th grade).

Movies for the family

Another means of getting out of the house: go to the movies.

Playing in theaters starting Tuesday, Nov. 23, is Encanto, a Disney animated movie that is rated PG and features songs by Lin-Manuel Miranda.

Encanto joins other family-friendly offerings in theaters including Clifford the Big Red Dog (PG), which is also screening on Paramount+; Ron’s Gone Wrong (PG) and The Addams Family 2 (PG), which is also available for rent via VOD.

Story, craft & shopping

For you, Saturday, Nov. 27, is Small Business Saturday. For the kids, Saturday is also storytime at Bookery Manchester (844 Elm St.; 836-6600, bookerymht.com). The event is free and starts at 11:30 a.m. The book is Hershel and the Holiday Goblins by Eric A. Kimmel and the storytime will also include a wreath-making craft.

Get roasting

Intensify the flavors of garden produce

One of the reasons I garden is that I love to cook and to create wonderful, flavorful dishes that I might not get elsewhere. I think many gardeners share that inclination. One of the techniques I have not used much is roasting vegetables, but I recently did some roasting and will do some more. I find it sweetens and intensifies flavors.

It all started when I was baking some potatoes. I had the oven at 425 and decided to make some kale chips at the same time. I ran down to the garden and picked some leaves. I took four of them, sliced the leafy part off the stems, and chopped coarsely to one- to two-inch squares. Then I sprinkled them with olive oil, tossed them well and dusted them with salt. I put them on a cookie sheet and roasted until crisp — 10 minutes seemed just right.

I’ve made kale chips before but was never enamored of them. This kale had been hit by frost several times, which made the leaves sweeter. And I cooked them at a higher temperature than I’ve done before. I also made a small batch: Cindy and I ate them all before dinner. In the past I have stored kale chips in a well-sealed glass jar, but they got soggy anyway. Still got kale in the garden? Give it a try.

Baked potatoes are a classic dish and easy to make. A few tips: Grow some russets next year — they are best for baking — and brush them with a little melted butter or olive oil to help crisp up the skins. But plan ahead, because it takes 45 to 65 minutes at 400 degrees to bake a potato. The bigger the spud, the longer it takes. You should be able to poke a fork or knife in easily when cooked. Oh, and don’t forget to poke some holes in the skin when you start — I’m told they can explode if you don’t.

I usually freeze fresh bell peppers in the fall. I find they are great for cooking and can be tossed in a salad, too. No blanching: I just wash and wipe dry, then seed and slice them and freeze in a zipper bag. I decided to try roasting frozen peppers now to see how they would do.

Frozen peppers thawing before roasting. Courtesy photo.

I spread out a couple of cups of frozen sliced peppers on a clean cloth towel on the counter, while preheating the oven to 450 degrees. They thawed quickly, and I patted them dry. I put them in a bowl and tossed them with some olive oil. Then I removed one half and put on the cookie sheet for cooking; the other half I sprinkled with dried oregano flakes and a little salt before spreading on the pan. Put down parchment paper or aluminum foil to simplify cleanup.

The peppers needed 25 to 30 minutes until they were soft and slightly charred. I did not remove the skins, though people who roast them whole tend to do that. If you are roasting peppers as a side dish, be aware that roasting them reduces the size considerably — a cup of sliced peppers doesn’t make much of a dish.

A few days later I got a nice pork roast and cooked it at 350 degrees for over an hour. This gave me a medium-hot oven just begging to roast veggies. I roasted beets, carrots, onions and tomatoes, and all were delicious!

The beets were medium-sized, 2 inches in diameter or so, and took an hour or a little more to feel well-cooked. I wrapped them loosely in aluminum foil after cutting off the leaves. I left the tails (roots) on the beets, and an inch or so of the stem and leaves. Cut beets tend to bleed, and I didn’t want that.

The carrots I just tossed into the roasting pan after I cleaned them well and cut off the stems and tips. If you have small carrots they don’t take as long as beets, so you can put them in later in the cooking process. Onions I peeled and roasted whole. While roasting they caramelized, turning sweeter. Good used cold in sandwiches!

I tried roasting my tomatoes by cutting tomatoes into half-inch slices and also just cutting them in half. I found the halves were easier to serve — the sliced tomatoes tended to fall apart. Later, when roasting peppers, I also roasted three more fresh tomatoes at 450 degrees after sprinkling them with dry basil. Even at 450 it takes an hour or so to get them to collapse and brown up.

Roasting tomatoes does give them a very nice, intense tomato flavor. Years ago I roasted quite a few with the idea of storing the results in the freezer. It worked well. I roasted them longer than I did just now: I roasted them until almost all the moisture was out, probably at a lower temperature. Then I put them in zipper bags and froze them for use in winter sandwiches. I took the frozen tomato pieces and thawed them in a toaster oven.

Each year I grow some winter squash. My favorite is the Waltham butternut. It is a light-brown squash with a bulbous, seed-filled distal end, and a narrower section with no seeds that extends to the attachment point on the vine. Mostly I peel them, remove the seeds and chop into cubes to include in stews and stir-fries.

Recently I roasted a butternut squash and was delighted not only by the flavor but also by the fact that I did not have to peel the skin. When serving (after an hour at 350 degrees) I scooped the cooked meat out of the skin. But later I tried a bite of the skin, and it was soft and delicious. Vegetable skins generally are full of vitamins and minerals, so I shall plan on eating squash skins from now on (with the exception of Blue Hubbard skins, which are so thick and leathery).

So as you plan your garden for next year, think about growing veggies you can roast. They are perfect comfort food for long winter nights.

Featured photo: Roasted tomatoes with basil. Courtesy photo.

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