Soup-er flavors

Epsom soup/chili/chowder cook-off returns

Dozens of local soup, chili and chowder makers will be vying for your palate during Epsom Central School’s annual cook-off, which is set to return for its 10th year on Monday, Feb. 13, from 5 to 7 p.m. inside the school’s gymnasium.

Originally conceived as a much smaller fundraiser mostly among the school’s teachers and staff, the cook-off has grown considerably over the last few years. The event did have to take a hiatus in 2021 due to the pandemic, but was able to return in full force last year to a resounding success, school business secretary and cook-off coordinator Stephanie Colvin said.

More than 45 entrants are expected at this year’s cook-off, ranging from community members and teachers at the school to even a local girl scout group that will be participating. They’ll compete across a total of three judging categories: soups, chilis and chowders.

“We’re also doing a junior competition right alongside it during the day, where we’ll have our sixth-, seventh- and eighth-graders all making something within their class,” Colvin said, noting that each class is producing two slow cookers’ worth — one will be available at 2 p.m., and the second one during the cook-off in the evening.

For tasters, tickets to the cook-off will be sold at the door and will include access to up to 10 four-ounce sampling cups per attendee for adults and five sampling cups for kids ages 10 and under, along with sides of corn bread. Part of the fun is that you never know which different flavors of soups, chilis and chowders you may encounter at the cook-off in any given year. Many entrants, Colvin added, like to give their offerings unique names.

“There’s a chili entry called Real Firehouse chili … and one called Chicka Chicka chickpea veggie chowder, which is kind of a mouthful,” she said. “Then we’ve got a creamy Parmesan Italian sausage soup, one called an Ultimate white chicken chili, and one called Lavender Haze, so there will be all kinds of different, kind of funky ones.”

A panel of judges gives entrants a score based on a 10-point scaling system and adds them all up at the end of the night. Winners from each of the three categories receive a “Souper Bowl” trophy, and the top vote getter also wins a $50 gift card. Two People’s Choice recipients from each category are awarded ribbons.

Proceeds from the cook-off, Colvin said, help fund various student activities at Epsom Central School, including field trips and clothing needs.

10th annual Epsom Central School soup/chili/chowder cook-off
When: Monday, Feb. 13, 5 to 7 p.m.
Where: Epsom Central School, 282 Black Hall Road, Epsom
Cost: $8 for adults and $6 for kids ages 10 and under (includes access to up to 10 four-ounce samples for adults and up to five samples for kids, plus cornbread). Tickets are sold at the door while supplies last.
More info: See “10th Annual ECS Soup/Chili/Chowder Cook-off” on Facebook, or email cook-off coordinator Stephanie Colvin at scolvin@sau53.org.

Featured photo: Donna Lancaster (left) won first place in last year’s cook-off for her bacon shrimp corn chowder. Courtesy photo.

Organic knowledge

NOFA-NH’s annual winter conference returns — in person!

For the first time in three years, the Northeast Organic Farming Association of New Hampshire will hold its annual winter conference in person. The one-day event is set to return on Saturday, Feb. 11, with a keynote speaking address, a panel discussion, an exhibitor fair and more than two dozen interactive workshops covering a variety of topics related to organic agricultural practices.

The theme of this year’s conference is “The Art of Food & Farming: Skill Sharing for a Brighter Future.” Anyone from farmers, gardeners and home growers to foodies or those interested in learning about organic practices is welcome to attend, conference coordinator Kyle Jacoby said.

One notable change to this year’s conference is its new venue: Southern New Hampshire University’s Manchester campus. The opening panel discussion and the exhibitor fair will take place at the university’s dining hall, while the workshops will be held inside the classrooms of the adjacent Robert Frost Hall. Workshops will run the gamut from growing edible native plants and distilling flowers to fermentation essentials, honey production in New Hampshire and more.

“We definitely try to reach a wide audience,” Jacoby said of the workshops. “I think that’s probably one of the more unique things about NOFA in general, is that deep down, one of the larger goals … is to just really build a food system that sustainable as a whole, and there’s a lot of pieces involved with that, from farmers and home growers [to] just interested community members that are advocates for sustainable agriculture and improved food systems.”

The pandemic hit just after the last in-person conference was held in February 2020. Since then, the event has transitioned into a series of virtual workshops, which took place in both 2021 and 2022. While all of this year’s workshops are in person, a select few of them, Jacoby said, will also be live streamed in real time for a virtual audience.

The day will begin with an hour-long panel discussion devoted to New England farms and climate change. From there, each workshop is broken up into three hour-long session blocks — from 10:15 to 11:15 a.m., 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. and 2:30 to 3:30 p.m.

Notable speakers will include Sarah Cox of Tuckaway Farm in Lee and Dina Wilford of the Dover-based Vida Tortilla, who will lead a joint workshop and discussion on nixtamalization, a traditional Mexican cooking method used to create masa for tortillas, chips and tamales.

“[Cox and Wilford] developed a connection because Tuckaway Farm produces corn that Vida Tortilla utilizes to make their local goods,” Jacoby said, “so it’s going to be a great collaborative workshop on how to make masa and utilizing a local indigenous variety.”

Scenes from NOFA-NH’s annual winter conference. Courtesy photos.

Troy Hall of Hall Apiaries in Plainfield is also on the schedule to talk about honey production, while naturalist, forager and author Russ Cohen will explore the dozens of native edible plant species. The New Hampshire Food Hub Network, a program of the New Hampshire Food Alliance, will hold an interactive forum of its own on the importance of food hubs.

Additional conference activities will include an ongoing Green Market Fair, featuring informational booths and products for sale from dozens of local vendors and exhibitors. The day will conclude with a 90-minute keynote address from 4 to 5:30 p.m. featuring Kristin and Mark Kimball of Essex Farm in upstate New York.

“They’ve been involved in NOFA-related things before and have definitely been to our conference in the past,” Jacoby said. “One of the things that we really gravitated toward with them was how much they train and have trained and supported new farmers.”

21st annual NOFA-NH Winter Conference
When: Saturday, Feb. 11; event will begin with a kickoff panel discussion from 9 to 10 a.m.; followed by three workshop sessions from 10:15 to 11:15 a.m., 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. and 2:30 to 3:30 p.m., and a keynote speaking event from 4 to 5:30 p.m.
Where: Southern New Hampshire University, 2500 N. River Road, Manchester (a few of the workshops throughout the day will also take place virtually — see website for details)
Cost: $90 for NOFA-NH members and $110 for non-members (includes access to all workshops throughout the day, in addition to the Green Market Fair). Online workshops are $60 for members and $75 for non-members. Access to the keynote event only is $30 for members and $40 non-members. Optional add-on lunches for children are $25. Donations are also welcome.
Visit: nofanh.org/nofawinterconference

Schedule of events

Kickoff panel: 9 to 10 a.m.
• Adapting New England farms to climate change

Workshop Session I: 10:15 to 11:15 a.m.
• Getting involved in New Hampshire politics (also available virtually)
• How to engage children in gardening (also available virtually)
• Biochar and how it can improve soil health
• Religious diversity on the farm
• Keeping a family dairy cow
• Weed management: white thread weeds
• Timber framing intensive session I: mortise and tenons
• Building skills to manage stress and mental health on the farm

Workshop Session II: 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.
• The real organic movement (also available virtually)
• Making no-till work in organic systems (also available virtually)
• Your farm story and how and why to tell it
• Making masa and building a local grain shed
• Small space gardening: thinking outside the box
• New Hampshire Food Hub forum
• Edible native plants you can grow or forage
• Timber framing intensive session II: mortise and tenons

Workshop Session III: 2:30 to 3:30 p.m.
• Farmer to farmer gathering with vital communities
• Increasing winter production: How to grow microgreens in a modified cold storage room (also available virtually)
• Resilience farming: Farming with permaculture ethics and ecological patterns in mind
• The essentials of fermentation
• Propagating, grafting and layering hardwood trees and shrubs
• Honey production in New Hampshire
• The art and alchemy of distilling flowers and herbs
• Livestock want browse: Doable methods for use of wild woody perennials

Keynote address: 4 to 5:30 p.m.
• Community focused practices that helped us grow (featuring Mark and Kristin Kimball of Essex Farm in New York; also available virtually)

Featured photo: Scenes from NOFA-NH’s annual winter conference. Courtesy photos.

The Weekly Dish 23/02/09

News from the local food scene

• Food is love: Still haven’t made plans yet for Valentine’s Day? There may still be time, depending on where you go. Check out our listings that ran in the Feb. 2 issue; they begin on page 22. You’ll find dozens of special menus and dinners at local eateries, as well as sweet gift-giving ideas at chocolate and candy shops and bakeries with their own special offerings. Since Feb. 14 falls on a Tuesday this year, several local eateries are electing to celebrate Valentine’s Day the Saturday or Sunday before. Others are choosing to offer special menus on other days throughout the preceding week and weekend, or are opening their doors on weekdays they’re usually closed. Go to issuu.com/hippopress and click on the Feb. 2 issue to read the e-edition for free — and be sure to contact each establishment directly for the most up-to-date availability on reservations and takeout items.

• A chocolate lover’s paradise: Join Great American Downtown for its sixth annual chocolate stroll, happening across participating area businesses in downtown Nashua on Saturday, Feb. 11. Restaurants, breweries, boutique shops and other storefronts on Main Street and some neighboring side streets will be offering a variety of complimentary chocolate-y treats to visitors between noon and 5 p.m. that day (exact business hours vary depending on the business). According to the event page on Great American Downtown’s website, the stroll is made possible by community sponsorships. Visit downtownnashua.org/chocolatestroll to view the full list of participating businesses, which has been regularly updated in the days leading up to the stroll.

• Flavors of the islands: Grab a lei and your favorite Hawaiian shirt and head down to the North Side Grille (323 Derry Road, Hudson) for its 9th annual Luau Week, happening Tuesday, Feb. 14, through Saturday, Feb. 18. All week long the restaurant will serve tropical and Hawaiian-inspired food specials, including breakfast options, appetizers, entrees and desserts, along with all kinds of unique cocktails. For several years the event has been held over a couple of days in mid-to-late February, and it has now been extended to a full week. Visitors are encouraged to dress in island-themed garb like Hawaiian shirts, leis and hula skirts, and the restaurant is usually decked out with artificial palm trees, fake hanging birds, table skirts and other tropical aesthetics. Visit hudsonnorthsidegrille.com.

• May the best chilis win: The Wilton Winter Festival, a free family-friendly event sponsored by the Wilton Main Street Association on Saturday, Feb. 11, will feature a variety of activities throughout the day — including, from 5 to 7 p.m., a chili cook-off. Happening inside the Wilton Collaborative Space (21 Gregg St.), the chili cook-off and pot luck will feature a variety of local entrants, with first-, second- and third-place prizes to be awarded in both meat and vegetarian chili categories. Bread, beverages and desserts will also be provided. See visitwilton.com or find more details on the Main Street Association’s Facebook page @wiltonmainstreetnh about the festival, which will also include outdoor ice carving demonstrations, an arts market inside the Wilton Town Hall, drop-in crafts at the Wilton Public & Gregg Free Library and more.

On The Job – Deb SanSoucie

Halotherapy provider and wellness entrepreneur

Deb SanSoucie is the owner of The Copper Cave, a halotherapy salt cave and wellness sanctuary in Plaistow.

Explain your job and what it entails.

I’m the owner of The Copper Cave, which is a wellness sanctuary featuring an authentic, traditional style Himalayan salt cave, which is used for halotherapy, also known as dry salt therapy. Halotherapy is the process of grinding up pharmaceutical-grade salt with a machine called a halogenerator. The micronized particles of salt are then blown out into the cave in a fine dust. When breathed in, these particles of salt can be therapeutic to your respiratory system, sinuses and skin. The business also has a small shop that includes feel-good wellness products like teas, heat packs, herbal tinctures, handmade bath products and candles, along with some other handcrafted products from local crafters. I also own Rustic Lane Soap and Candle, so many of the bath and candle products in the shop are handmade by me as well.

How long have you had this job?

We opened on Nov. 19, 2022.

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

I left the legal field to open this business. I’ve always had a penchant for encouraging people to focus on their self-care and well-being. I attended craft fairs and vendor fairs with my soap business for years and loved the interaction with customers and enjoyed helping people find things that made them feel good. After years in the corporate world, I was ready to live a life filled with more purpose and enjoyed helping people feel better about themselves, whether that be related to their mind or body. I loved that the experience in the salt cave could give people both a boost in their health and also a break from the outside world where their mind could rest.

What kind of education or training did you need?

I joined the Salt Therapy Association and attended seminars to gain knowledge about the benefits of halotherapy.

What is your typical at-work uniform or attire?

My typical attire is comfortable and warm. I tell people who are visiting the cave to dress that way as well since the cave is kept at a cool temperature.

What is the most challenging thing about your work, and how do you deal with it?

The biggest challenge in owning a new business is getting the word out that we’re here. Social media has been a giant boost so far.

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

Something I’m learning is that you need patience in growing a new business. One slow day or even a slow week isn’t a failure. Business has ups and downs, and it all evens out in the end. We’re seeing steady progress in growth, but sometimes I have to step back from it to realize it.

What do you wish other people knew about your job?

I want people to know that I genuinely care about their well-being. I hope they leave their experience feeling relaxed or rejuvenated — whatever they need at the moment. I want people to feel as if they’ve stepped into a sanctuary, where they feel safe to take care of their own needs.

What was the first job you ever had?

My first job was at a Hallmark store.

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

If you’re successful doing something you don’t love, imagine what you could accomplish doing something you’re passionate about.

Five favorites

Favorite book: Anything by Joe Dispenza
Favorite movie: The Notebook
Favorite music: Alternative rock or meditation music, depending on what I’m doing.
Favorite food: A good burger and fries
Favorite thing about NH: Camping

Featured photo: Deb SanSoucie. Courtesy photo.

Saving heirloom seeds

Read the packets, don’t buy hybrid

As a boy in the 1950s I knew there were two kinds of tomatoes: deep red, plump and tasty ones my grandfather grew, and the kind that came four in a package wrapped in cellophane. The Cello-Wraps, as I think of them, had no flavor whatsoever. They were decorative. Sliced and added to our iceberg lettuce salads in winter, they added color.

My grandfather saved seeds from his tomatoes and started plants indoors in the early spring. He was not growing hybrid tomatoes like those sold in the supermarket. Hybrid tomatoes are carefully bred by crossing specific varieties of tomatoes so that they will have special characteristics such as surviving long trips in trucks, having a shelf life almost as long as a tennis ball, or resisting certain diseases.

My grandfather grew what we now call heirloom tomatoes: time-tested varieties that breed true from seed, generation after generation. Tomatoes that had been grown for many decades, seed shared with family and friends. Tomatoes so tasty that they were often eaten right in the garden, warm from the sun.

Examples of well-known heirloom tomatoes include Brandywine (often touted as the best-flavored tomato in existence), Cherokee Purple, Mortgage Lifter, Amish Paste and Black Krim. But there are hundreds of varieties of heirloom tomatoes, each unique and loved by someone.

All heirloom vegetables are what are called “open pollinated,” meaning that they will produce the same variety every year. Of course, in a packet of seeds some will produce better fruits than others. There is variety, but all Brandywines will take about the same length of time to reach maturity and taste about the same.

If you would like to start saving seeds, read the seed packet or catalog and make sure what you buy is labeled open-pollinated or heirloom, not hybrid. At the end of the season, save some seeds and store them in a cool, dry, dark place, perhaps in a sealed jar in a refrigerator.

I called Sylvia Davatz, the now-retired founder of Solstice Seeds in Hartland, Vermont, to talk about saving seeds. Solstice Seeds only grows and sells seeds from heirloom varieties, including some varieties from Europe.

She gave me lots of good advice, starting with the names of two good books on seed saving: The Seed Garden by Lee Buttala and Shanyn Seigel, and The Manual of Seed Saving by Andrea Heistinger. She recommends getting both books if you are going to be serious about saving seeds, as even among experts there are differences of opinion.

One of the reasons for having good books about seed saving is that they will advise you about such things as isolation distances to prevent mixing genetic material by pollinators or wind.

I asked Sylvia what vegetable species are the easiest to save. She said tomatoes, lettuce, beans and peas are all easy. They are self-pollinated and annuals. No insects are needed, and seeds are ready by the end of their season.

Vine crops like squash, pumpkins and cucumbers are insect pollinated and more difficult. If you’ve ever let a “pumpkin” grow in your compost pile from last year’s crop, you know that sometimes you get weird things due to cross-pollination — a pumpkin crossed with a summer squash by a bee, for example, may not be something you want to eat.

Most difficult in our climate are the biennials, things like carrots, beets, parsnips and parsley. These plants have to be kept alive all winter so they can flower and set seeds in their second year. You can dig up carrots and store them in soil in a bucket in a cold basement and replant them in the spring. But carrots, Sylvia explained to me, bloom about the same time as Queen Anne’s lace, a biennial wild flower/weed that can be pollinated by them — which would not produce the carrots you want.

Sylvia pointed out that in the not too distant past seed saving was the norm. Farmers and gardeners saved seeds from their best plants, knew how to do so, and knew how to store them. She explained that the seeds you save will usually be of better quality than seeds from a packet. They will have more vigor and a longer life span.

A good source for heirloom seeds is The Seed Savers Exchange. It has, since 1975, collected and stored seeds from gardeners and farmers. You can join their nonprofit or just buy some seeds or books from them. According to their website, they now store some 20,000 varieties in their collection, although at any given time only a fraction of them are actually for sale.

So think about saving seeds this year, even if only a few from your favorite heirloom tomatoes. And go to solsticeseeds.org to see a wonderful eight-minute video of Sylvia Davatz explaining all the importance and benefits of seed saving.

Featured photo: Heirloom tomatoes are often irregular in size and shape, but they are tasty and you can save seeds for next year. Photo by Henry Homeyer.

Treasure Hunt 23/02/09

Hi, Donna.

I recently purchased this cute dresser/desk from a furniture re-seller. The second ‘draw’ down opens to a desk. I’m interested in whether you’ve seen this sort of piece before and if you might be able to tell me anything about it.

Thank you.

Renee in New Boston

Dear Renee,

What a nice clean and useful find. Even though it is a later version (later mid-century to 1960s) it’s a gentleman’s dresser. They have been around for a long time; some are fancier than others. I have had a couple Victorian ones before.

Yours appears to have been taken care of and refinished nicely. How useful to have your dresser and drop-down desk in one piece. Today it could be used in other rooms in a home as well.

Renee, the value would be in the range of $200 in today’s market. I hope you found a treasure and something useful.

Thanks for sharing.

Donna

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