The Weekly Dish 22/11/24

News from the local food scene

• Grab a pint: The New Hampshire Brewers Association is once again promoting breweries with the return of its annual NH Pint Days fundraiser. Now through Wednesday, Dec. 7, limited-edition 16-ounce Wili Belcher pint glasses are available for sale at more than 35 participating breweries statewide. The artwork portrayed on this year’s glasses, titled “State of Adventure,” is by local artist Sarah Fenerty of Northwoods Brewing Co., and $1 from each glass benefits the Association. Visit nhbrewers.org or find the Association on Facebook @nhbrewers to view a list of breweries that have the pint glasses, which is sorted by region of the state.

• Five courses, five breweries: Join Amphora Restaurant (55 Crystal Ave., Derry) for a special beer pairing dinner on Tuesday, Nov. 29, at 7 p.m. that will showcase options from five different local breweries with each course. Featured beers will be from Throwback Brewery of North Hampton (paired with the pumpkin bisque), Rockingham Brewing Co. of Derry (paired with the strawberry, walnut and feta salad), Daydreaming Brewing Co. of Derry (paired with the pineapple glazed wings), From the Barrel Brewing Co. (paired with your entree of choice — bangers and mash, risotto milanese with smoked brisket and fig glaze or eggplant sto fourno), and Out.Haus Ales of Northwood (paired with bananas Foster). The cost is $100 per person, with a $50 deposit required that will be billed the night of the event. Visit amphoranh.com.

• Spirits of history: Get your tickets now for a special Prohibition Repeal Day Old Forester bourbon dinner at Rambling House Food & Gathering (57 Factory St., Suite A, Nashua), scheduled for Monday, Dec. 5, the 89th anniversary of the repeal of Prohibition in the United States. The event will begin with a cocktail half-hour at 5:30 p.m., followed by a five-course bourbon taster and pairing menu at 6 p.m. that will reflect important dates through Old Forester, bourbon and American culinary history. Old Forester, according to the dinner event page at ramblingtale.com, was one of six distillers that was granted government permission to continue production for “medicinal purposes” during Prohibition, and it’s the only one of those six that’s still in the whiskey business today. Roaring Twenties attire is optional, but encouraged, during the event. See the website or call 318-3220 to purchase tickets or reserve your table.

On The Job – Ryan Aloise

Painter

Ryan Aloise is an independent professional painting contractor and the owner of Painting Perfection, based in Nashua.

Explain your job and what it entails.

First, I meet with potential clients and go over what it is that they may need for painting services. This could be repainting an existing and established home or painting brand new construction that has never been painted and is bare drywall or trim. After I give a potential client an estimate for the work that needs to be done, the customer can either accept it right away or do their research and gather other estimates from other companies. If hired, I go in and perform whatever the service may be that I was contracted to do. This could be painting the full interior or just certain aspects, such as walls, trim or ceiling. It could also be the exterior of the home, whether it be the body or siding of the home, the trim or either-or.

How long have you had this job?

I started my company in February 2021, but I’ve been painting for the last four and a half years.

What led you to this career field and your current job?

I was hired on as a painter-laborer for another local painting company before being laid off, which, in turn, led me to follow my passion for painting that I had found and pursue my own dream of running my own company. I have had a lot of different jobs, and this was the only job and career path that I actually fell in love with.

What kind of education or training did you need?

I gained all my experience from previous work with another painting company. I am also currently pursuing certifications for the safe handling of lead paint and OSHA regulations and safety training to further my knowledge to continue to be successful.

What is your typical at-work uniform or attire?

I wear branded T-shirts, sweatshirts and hats with my company logo, usually with khaki slacks and comfortable and safe shoes as I do use ladders quite frequently.

How has your job changed over the course of the pandemic?

I started this company when it was still in the height of the pandemic, and let me tell you that it did not hinder my ability to work or even gain more work throughout. I actually have stayed busy and fully booked throughout the entire period.

What do you wish you’d known at the beginning of your career?

That other painting companies are not competition. In fact, they are a valuable part of my networking circle today.

What do you wish other people knew about your job?

That painting is not for just anyone. In my experience, people think painting is easy and that anyone can do it. Wrong. Painting takes quite a bit of patience, skills and passion to be successful. There is so much more than picking up a brush or a roller. You need to have finesse, a steady hand and a system that you follow to make sure you are putting out quality work.

What was the first job you ever had?

My first job was when I was 14. I worked for a pizza shop called Ledo’s Pizza in Maryland where I grew up.

What’s the best piece of work-related advice you’ve ever received?

To put out work you will be proud to show off. It’s not about the money, but more about the relationships you build and the repeat customers you gain from doing quality work. Word of mouth is either your biggest enemy or your best friend.

Five favorites

Favorite book: A Child Called “It” by Dave Pelzer
Favorite movie: A Walk to Remember
Favorite music: A wide variety of ’80s, ’90s and today’s genres
Favorite food: Chicken broccoli ziti
Favorite thing about NH: Within a short drive, you can either be in the mountains, the beach or the city.

Featured photo: Ryan Aloise. Courtesy photo.

Treasure Hunt 22/11/24

Hello, Donna,

Can you help me by telling me what this is? My wife says a wax stamp for envelopes. It’s 2 1/2 inches long and has a design only on one end.

Thanks for any information.

Eric

Dear Eric,

Thanks for the photos and question.

What I believe you have is a potter’s chop, which is basically a potter’s mark or stamp. It would be imprinted into the clay to identify who made it.

The value is the tough question. It really depends on whether the artist is well-known, the age, style of work, etc. Some can be extremely high in price on the market, but you really have to know who it is.

I did talk to a couple other people about yours and got a starting value of at least $50. Remember though, Eric, it could be much higher. It really would be like a needle in a haystack to find out, possibly trying an appraisal auction place like Skinner in Bolton, Massachusetts. That too is only a possibility. The other thing is it could just be a stamp design.

I hope this was helpful, Eric, and I will keep looking into it as well. Thanks for sharing an interesting piece.

Donna

Kiddie Pool 22/11/24

Family fun for the weekend

Getting crafty

• Head to Bookery (844 Elm St. in Manchester; bookerymht.com) on Saturday, Nov. 26, (which is also Small Business Saturday, when Bookery is planning live music and more) for a wolfy storytime and craft at 11:30 a.m. The featured book is Little Good Wolf by Susan Stevens Crummel and illustrated by Janet Stevens. It follows the son of the Big Bad Wolf, and how he is too good to be evil the way all the adults in his life want him to be. After the story, kids will learn how to make a paper bag wolf puppet. The event is free, but register at the Bookery website.

• The Addiction Recovery Coalition of New Hampshire (180 Elm St., Suite E, Milford) is starting a kids’ holiday craft series startingon Sunday, Nov. 27, at 1 p.m. The four-week series will have a new craft each session for kids, as well as cookies and juice. Parents can stay with the kids, get their own craft, or drop kids off. Price is $10 for the first child, an additional $5 for each child after. Register at the Evebrite page, or visit arcnh.org.

Library fun

• The Plaistow Public Library (85 Main St.) is hosting an outdoor activity called tinkergarten’s frozen treasures on Monday, Nov. 28, at 10 a.m. The event will have kids 18 months to 8 years old, as well as their parents, exploring outside to discover frozen nature treasures. To learn more about the event or to sign up, visit plaistowlibrary.com.

• Read to a dog at the Pelham Public Library (24 Village Green) on Tuesday, Nov. 29, from 5 to 6 p.m. Blondie is a trained therapy dog who will stay with children while they read. For information about the benefits behind kids reading to a therapy dog, see the Nov. 3 issue of The Hippo, under the story called “Meet Mischka” (find the e-edition at hippopress.com). To register for this event, call the library at 635-7581 or email [email protected].

YMCA playtime

• Join the YMCA of Greater Londonderry (206 Rockingham Road) for a “Lounge Day” version of kids’ night at the Y for ages 4 to 12 on Friday, Nov. 25, from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. The Y’s trained child care staff will take care of kids while parents have time to themselves to do holiday shopping or other errands. Kids will have fun activities, like art and STEM projects or active playtime, and a pizza will be served. Spots are $45 per child, $40 for each additional sibling. Visit bit.ly/ygl-kids-nights to sign up. Register by Nov. 22.

Include homegrown (or local) vegetables in your holiday feasts

Eating from your garden is possible even in December

I personally think that the Canadians have the right idea: They have their Thanksgiving feast the second Monday in October, right after the harvest. By the time our Thanksgiving rolls around, many gardeners have eaten all their home-grown veggies. It need not be so, of course, if they are properly stored.

Not all of you have the time, the space and the desire to grow veggies. I think everyone appreciates that having local farmers is important, and many of you have signed up with a farm CSA to get a box of vegetables each week during the summer. Even now many CSAs have fall or winter programs to supply you with root crops and spinach or brassicas like Brussels sprouts or kale. If you can’t get into a CSA program, think about buying local vegetables at your local food coop.

Why are local vegetables important? I have read that the average vegetable in a big grocery store travels over 2,000 miles at some times of the year. That’s right, we in New England get veggies from California, Florida, Texas and other warmer places. I am interested in reducing my carbon footprint by reducing the use of fossil fuels. Those big 18-wheelers crossing the country use a lot of diesel fuel. And fruits from Mexico and South America? I avoid them. I can (mostly) live without fruit that travels long distances.

I am not claiming I have given up citrus fruit to save the atmosphere. But instead of getting a case of oranges, I can buy a few and get my citrus fix from orange juice, which is much more concentrated than fresh fruit, and easier to transport. Local apples are available pretty much year-round, store well and are tasty and nutritious.

So what will I have on my table for holiday feasts, both now and in December? Potatoes, for sure. They are easy to grow, very productive and store well. In a bed 50 feet long and 3 feet wide in full sun I can grow 50 pounds of potatoes.

I keep a large spare refrigerator in the basement dedicated to storing potatoes and other garden vegetables. Potatoes, carrots, celeriac and rutabagas store well at 33 to 50 degrees, and do best with high humidity. A modern fridge takes a lot of the humidity out, though the drawers are better at keeping in humidity. On the shelves of the fridge I store potatoes in heavy paper bags to reduce moisture loss — in plastic bags they might rot, as they need to breathe.

Brussels sprouts are very cold-resistant and will be fine outdoors until late December — if the deer don’t find them. That’s right: Deer love Brussels sprouts, kale and broccoli and will munch them unless protected. I had no problem with deer this summer because of our dog, Rowan, who leaves scents around the property and advertises himself as a wolf. But deer are hungry now — very few nuts this year — so they have moved in to my late fall plantings and are even eating the tops of my rutabagas.

If you want to eat directly from the garden in November and December, some fencing is probably a good idea. I recently spread an old bedspread over my kale plants to keep deer away until I had time to pick and freeze them. But if you just have a few plants and like to pick fresh veggies from the garden now and in the weeks to come, think about some chicken wire fencing.

Although fencing an entire garden requires an 8-foot fence to keep deer from getting in, a small space with six kale or Brussels sprouts plants can easily be surrounded with 3- or 4- foot wire. Tie it onto stakes with string or zip ties. They can’t get in, and I doubt they will lean over and grab food.

I freeze a lot of vegetables each year as it is easier than canning them. Tomatoes are the easiest. I freeze them whole, skins and all. In past years I have put them in zipper bags, but we are now trying to lead a plastic-free life.

Plastic can potentially leach chemicals onto food, particularly if the food is hot. Even “food-grade” plastic may not be 100 percent safe. So this year we started storing frozen foods in wide-mouth jars. Next summer I will cut large tomatoes into chunks to fit into jars for freezing. I use frozen tomatoes for stews and soups.

I remember that many years ago there was a recall of fresh cranberries at Thanksgiving time due to some chemical that had been sprayed on them. Afterward we all went back to eating cranberries and forgot about the scare. Now I try to get organic fruits and vegetables whenever possible, and grow my own organically — without the use of any chemicals.

I got some cranberry plants from a friend this summer and hope to be able to supply our needs within a few years. They do not require a swamp to grow, although they are found in wet places in the wild. They do require acidic soils, but that is easily provided with elemental sulfur or soil acidifier. They do best in full sun, though my friend who grows them has them in part sun/part shade and they do well for her. She uses pine needles to mulch them. Some plant nurseries sell potted cranberry plants, so I might try some next year.

Featured photo: An inch or more of gravel should be at the bottom of the terrarium. Photo by Henry Homeyer.

The Art Roundup 22/11/24

The latest from NH’s theater, arts and literary communities

• Shop art: Two Villages Art Society (46 Main St. in Contoocook; twovillagesart.org) will display its Holiday Art Show and Sale from Friday, Nov. 25, through Saturday, Dec. 24, featuring handmade gifts by local artists, including paintings, pottery, mixed media, photography, fabric art and more. A show reception will be held Saturday, Nov. 26, from noon to 2 p.m. Gallery hours are Thursday through Sunday, from noon to 4 p.m.

• Music and melodies: Canterbury Shaker Village (288 Shaker Road in Canterbury; shakers.org, 783-9511) will host Concert & Cocktails, featuring a holiday string quartet from Symphony NH, on Saturday, Dec. 3, at 4 p.m. The event will include a festive reception with farm-grown appetizers by the Rustic Gourmet and a signature cocktail by Cold Garden Distillery, according to a press release. Tickets cost $75. The show is the first of several Merry Merry Canterbury events; see the website.

• Snaps for the Cap: Legally Blonde The Musical will come to the Capitol Center for the Arts (Chubb Theatre, 44 S. Main St. in Concord; ccanh.com) on Thursday, Dec. 1. The show starts at 7:30 p.m. Tickets start at $65 (plus fees).

• Make your own crafts: And before we get to the craft fairs, Studio 550 Community Art Center (550 Elm St. in Manchester; 232-5597, 550arts.com) offer the opportunity to make your own gifts on Small Business Saturday (Nov. 26). From 11 a.m. to 6 p.m., Studio 550 will host “a buffet of drop-in workshops,” according to a press release. The projects will range in price from $15 to $35 and all ages are welcome (with adult assistance), the release said. Stations will include a milk & cookies cup and plate set, a custom mug, large decorative paper snowflakes, winter fairy houses, treasure boxes, paint your own pottery, paint your own ornaments, succulent plant arrangements and pottery on the wheel (with pre-registration), the release said. The day will also feature a $1 pottery sale, live maker demos of stained glass and pottery, prizes for the first 10 shoppers and more, the release said.

Kids can make crafts at the Loon Preservation Committee’s open house at the Loon Center in Moultonborough (see loon.org, 476-5666) on Saturday, Nov. 26, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. This free event will include horse-drawn hay rides, balloon animals and a visit from Santa along with the crafts for kids and a sale at the Loon’s Feather Gift Shop, according to a press release.

• Music and history: Jordan Tirrell-Wysocki will present “Songs of Emigration: Storytelling through Traditional Irish Music” with stories, songs and historical context on Tuesday, Nov. 29, at 6:30 p.m. at the Goffstown Public Library (2 High St. in Goffstown; 497-2102). The program, New Hampshire Humanities’ “Humanities To Go” series, does not require registration, according to goffstownlibrary.com. See also nhhumanities.org.

• Manchester in photos: The exhibit “Manchester Through the Lens of Frank Kelly,” highlighting the works of Manchester photographer Kelly in the 1950s through 1980s, will open Wednesday, Nov. 30, with a reception from 5 to 7 p.m. at the Millyard Museum (200 Bedford St. in Manchester; manchesterhistoric.org). RSVP to [email protected] or call 662-7531. The museum is open Tuesday through Saturday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Admission costs $10 for adults, $8 for seniors and college students and $5 for ages 12 to 18; children under 12 get in free.

Craft fairs

While there are fewer fairs this holiday weekend, there are still a few on the schedule. Send information about upcoming craft fairs to [email protected].

• The Craftworkers’ Guild opens its doors for its Holiday Craft Shop at the Kendall House (behind the Bedford Library, 3A Meetinghouse Road in Bedford) Friday, Nov. 25, through Wednesday, Dec. 22. The show is open daily from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and online shopping is available at thecraftworkersguild.org.

• The VFW 5613 Auxiliary Annual Holiday Bazaar will take place Saturday, Nov. 26, from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the VFW Hall (12 Hathorn Road in Jaffrey) and will feature more than 40 tables of handcrafted items, local vendors and art as well as lunch concessions, bake sales and raffles, according to Facebook post at NH Craft Fair Connection.

• The Exeter Holiday Parade Committee will present a craft fair on Saturday, Nov. 26, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Exeter Town Hall building by the bandstand. Admission is free and the Town Hall stage will be set with holiday scenes for family photos, according to a press release. See exeternhholidayparade.com.

• The New England Premier Events Holiday Expo will run Saturday, Nov. 26, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Doubletree by Hilton Downtown Manchester (700 Elm St.) and will feature demos, giveaways, dessert samples, swag bags and more, according to myneevent.com.

• New England Vendor Events has two fairs scheduled for this weekend, according to their Facebook page. The Hudson Holiday Craft Fair will take place Saturday, Nov. 26, from noon to 5 p.m. at Hudson Memorial School (1 Memorial Drive in Hudson) and feature Santa and the Grinch and more than 40 crafters and vendors, according to the post. The Merrimack Holiday Craft Fair will run from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Sunday, Nov. 27, at VFW Post 8641 (282 Daniel Webster Hwy. in Merrimack). This fair will feature photos with Santa and more than 30 vendors and crafters, according to the post.

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