Turn up the heat

A look at the spicy world of New Hampshire’s craft hot sauces

Growing up in an ethnically diverse community in northern New Jersey, Gabe DiSaverio was introduced to spicy foods at a young age.

“A lot of my friends growing up were Asian and Indian … and I was eating hot food before I was even 10 years old. I remember always going to a fast food place in New York City that was called Curry in a Hurry,” he said. “Even as teenagers in high school, my friend group and I were doing all these eating challenges, like who could eat the hottest, spiciest, most unique foods.”

New England Hot Sauce Festival
Where: Smuttynose Brewing Co., 105 Towle Farm Road, Hampton
When: Saturday, July 30, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Cost: $10 in advance online and $15 at the door; kids ages 10 and under are free
Visit: newenglandhotsaucefest.com

DiSaverio originally started making his own hot sauces “kind of casually” before eventually, with the help of his culinary-minded sister, Adriana, deciding to jumpstart his passion into a business. Today he owns The Spicy Shark, a line of products that includes seven craft hot sauces, a wing sauce, a Sriracha, a hot honey and two hot maple syrups using all natural ingredients. A self-described “Jaws fanatic” since the age of 8, DiSaverio said the “shark” part of the business comes from combining spicy foods with his other lifelong passion, shark conservation.

Photo courtesy of Pogo’s Peppers.

Since selling its first bottle in early 2019, the Portsmouth-based company has gone on to win multiple national awards for its sauces, and DiSaverio and his team have participated in various hot sauce festivals and expos all over the country. But all the while, these experiences led him to a pivotal question: Why wasn’t there such an event anywhere in New England?

“These festivals are awesome, and I kind of said to myself that since I’ve heard nothing of someone putting one on around here anytime soon, then the heck with it. I’ll do it,” he said.

The inaugural New England Hot Sauce Festival, happening on Saturday, July 30, at Smuttynose Brewing Co. in Hampton, has already generated substantial buzz among its participating vendors. Nearly 30 New England and Northeast-area hot sauce companies will be there, and that doesn’t include the more than 20 others that had to be placed on a waiting list. Food challenges, including hot pepper and hot wing eating contests — and a world record attempt by Canadian competitive eater Mike Jack — are planned throughout the day, along with live music, food trucks and more.

DiSaverio is a regular proponent of Save the Sharks and several other nonprofits that focus on shark conservation and education. In keeping with his passion, proceeds from the festival will benefit the Blue Ocean Society in Portsmouth and the Seacoast Science Center in Rye.

For DiSaverio, the festival’s immense anticipation is a testament to a growing culture.

“I think it’s an understatement to say that New England is not exactly known as a ‘spicy’ region, and that’s fair, up until the last five years or so,” he said. “But as I’ve gotten more entrenched in the hot sauce community, the amount of new hot sauce companies that have popped up in New England is unbelievable. … I think a lot of it has to do with the ethnic diversity that continues to grow within our country … and there’s this growth of more people seeking out those cultures.”

With New England’s first hot sauce festival right around the corner, we took a deeper dive into New Hampshire’s growing hot sauce scene. Here’s a look at how some companies turn up the heat and enhance the flavor of their products, as well as what their top suggestions are for how you should use them.

Smokey Tom pineapple pulled pork
Courtesy of Dandido Sauce, dandidosauce.com

4 to 5 pounds pork butt
⅕ of a bottle of hot or medium Dandido Smokey Tom hot sauce
1 can pineapple chunks
1 sweet onion, thinly sliced
1 Tablespoon cumin

Combine ingredients in a slow cooker and set on high for 7 hours.

Coming in hot

DiSaverio, who worked for Boston Beer Co. for 17 years prior to founding The Spicy Shark, said the surging interest in craft hot sauces is not unlike that of the local craft beer scene.

“You go into any beer store now and there’s craft beer that’s falling off the shelf onto your head,” he said. “Where we were around 10 to 15 years ago with craft beer [is] where I feel like we are now with craft hot sauces. You’re starting to see this huge explosion.”

Phil Pelletier of Manchester, for instance, got into making his own sauces in 2017 when his wife, Melissa, bought him a ghost pepper plant. Her goal? She wanted to see if her husband, an avid lover of spicy foods, could handle the intense heat of the peppers.

bottle of hot sauce beside a cocktail in a mason jar, straws and lemon.
Photo courtesy of Naked Hot Sauces.

“Every time we’d go out to eat … she’d always try to get me to get the spiciest thing to try,” Pelletier said. “So when I got that plant, I had to figure out what the heck I was going to do with all those peppers, because each plant will produce up to 200-plus ghost peppers, easily.”

The Pelletiers are now the husband-and-wife team behind Smokin’ Tin Roof, a specialty sauce company also offering items like a hot pepper jelly, a bacon stout mustard and a spiced pumpkin butter. All of their products, Pelletier said, are created using ghost peppers that are dehydrated and pulverized into a powder. He adds them in different amounts to control the heat level.

Smokin’ Tin Roof’s sauces include the Smoky Peppah, made with roasted red bell peppers; Grow a Pear, a sweeter pear-based sauce; and Burnin’ Raspberry, a raspberry-based sauce.

“The way I developed all of them was by creating a flavor first … and then I would add the ghost pepper powder to give it the amount of heat that I wanted to have,” Pelletier said. “We don’t want the flavor to get destroyed with the amount of heat that we add to it, which is key for us.”

Marshall Irving of the aptly named Hots Hoss, a small-batch producer of countless flavors of craft hot sauces, similarly began dabbling in his own unique flavors late last year.

“I’ve always been the spicy guy, even as a kid,” he said. “Last October, my mother came up from Florida and went to the Concord Farmers Market. I work in Concord, and so she visited me and handed me a bag of some ghost peppers she got from the farmers market. … Then literally that night, I went home and I looked up probably 10 or 20 different hot sauce recipes online.”

bottle of Spicy Shark hot sauce sitting beside plate with burger, hot sauce being drizzled on burger
Photo courtesy of The Spicy Shark.

Since then, Irving has gravitated toward all types of other peppers, experimenting with other ingredients to create his own flavor profiles. He’s done everything from a strawberry carrot habanero hot sauce to a black truffle sauce with Fresno and habanero peppers. New flavors are regularly posted to Hots Hoss’s social media channels and when they’re gone they’re gone.

“I haven’t repeated a batch yet,” Irving said. “I’ve been working on making a bunch of different new recipes and just kind of seeing what sticks and what the crowd favorites are.”

According to DiSaverio, most of the bigger mass-market hot sauce brands — think Tabasco, TexasPete or Frank’s — are considered Louisiana-style and are known for their simplicity.

“They [contain] vinegar, mostly cayenne or tabasco peppers, and salt. That’s it, three ingredients,” he said. “They’re very vinegar-y, [but] that’s what Louisiana-style is.”

Chef Adam Parker, who founded NH Hot Sauce nearly 15 years ago, said he set out to make his own products after growing disenchanted with what was available on the market at the time. For each of his four sauces, he likes to individually roast and concentrate the peppers that are used.

bottle of hot sauce beside a plate holding brownie topped with ice cream and raspberry hot sauce blend
Photo courtesy of Smokin’ Tin Roof.

“What that does … is it really starts to bring out the natural flavors that are in those peppers, as opposed to [the sauce] just being something spicy that you put on your food,” said Parker, who has most recently served as the owner of The Utopian, a cozy scratch-cooked bistro in Amherst.

Kevin Taillon, another chef by trade with his own craft hot sauce company on the side, bottled the first of what would become Naked Hot Sauces in 2015 — a green chile pepper-based sauce called Garden Variety. The sauce received such a positive reaction that it inspired Taillon, who co-owns Fire and Spice Bistro in Newfields with his wife, to make more. Eventually, he began experimenting with other types of sauces and started to sell them at local farmers markets.

Scale of spiciness

In 1912 a pharmacist named Wilbur Scoville created what he called the Scoville Organoleptic Test. Now more commonly referred to as the Scoville Scale, it’s used as a measurement method to determine the pungency of different types of peppers, with each being assigned a range of numbers, or Scoville Heat Units (SHU). The more units assigned, the hotter the pepper is.

“The Scoville Scale goes from zero to 16 million. It’s the scale of the amount of capsaicin, which is the portion of the pepper that causes the heat,” DiSaverio said. “So you’ve got this scale of 16 million, which is pure capsaicin, and even the hottest peppers are in the 1 to 2 million range. … That’s a measure of the pepper itself, and basically what it means is how many drops of water it would take to dilute that drop of capsaicin so that you wouldn’t be able to feel the heat.”

Even bell peppers without a trace of heat in them, Irving said, are technically on the Scoville Scale, but at zero units. As you move your way up the scale, you encounter different types of peppers assigned to different tiers based on their Scoville units — a jalapeno, for instance, sits at a range of about 2,500 to 8,000 units, while a much hotter habanero pepper is about 100,000 to 350,000 units. Ghost peppers are even higher, from 855,000 to just over 1 million units.

The hottest pepper on the Scoville Scale, ranked at about 1.4 million to 2.2 million Scoville units, is known as the Carolina Reaper. In fact, in 2017 Guinness World Records declared it the hottest pepper in the word, citing tests that were conducted by Winthrop University in South Carolina.

Ed Currie — a.k.a. “Smokin’ Ed” — of the PuckerButt Pepper Co. in Fort Mill, South Carolina, is the creator of the pepper. He also happens to be a friend of DiSaverio’s and will be supplying Carolina Reaper peppers for the New England Hot Sauce Festival’s pepper eating contest.

“There are so many more different peppers available now in the United States to buy because of the demand … and now you’re seeing people like Ed who are cross-pollinating and cross-breeding to make new peppers … and experimenting, just like with beer,” DiSaverio said.

The Carolina Reaper is used as a base pepper in several of Taillon’s sauces, like the Reaper Madness, and the Red Reaper, which blends them with red Fresno peppers. Dandido Sauce, based in Manchester, also offers its “extremely hot” Dandido Black — its newest product, according to sales consultant Jennifer Renaud. The sauce blends Carolina Reaper peppers with wasabi, hot cinnamon and ginger, among other fresh ingredients.

Can you take the heat?

Here’s a snapshot of various peppers most commonly used in New Hampshire’s craft hot sauces. Peppers are ranked using a method known as the Scoville Scale; each is assigned a range of numbers, or Scoville Heat Units (SHU), based on the amount of capsaicin, the active ingredient in the pepper. The more units assigned, the hotter the pepper is.

Nurse Shark, Thresher Shark or smoked maple Sriracha breakfast egg bake
Courtesy of The Spicy Shark, thespicyshark.com

12 eggs
½ of a bottle of Nurse Shark (jalapeno hot sauce), Thresher Shark (chipotle hot sauce) or smoked maple Sriracha
5 ounces baby kale
5 ounces baby arugula
1 small Vidalia onion, thinly sliced
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese (optional)
2 three-finger pinches each of salt and pepper
Extra virgin olive oil (enough to coat the bottom of a large skillet)

Preheat the oven to bake at 375 degrees Fahrenheit. Beat eggs in a large bowl and set aside. Heat oil in a large skillet on medium heat. Saute onions for a few minutes, or until translucent. Add salt, pepper, kale and arugula to the onions. Mix and cook for a few more minutes, or until the kale and arugula are wilted. Remove from heat. Coat a 9-by-12-inch baking pan with olive oil, nonstick spray, ghee or butter. Evenly spread the mixture from the saute pan into the baking pan. Sprinkle mozzarella over the mixture. Pour the eggs over the mozzarella. Gently move everything in the baking pan slightly with a fork, so the eggs can reach the bottom. Bake for 35 to 40 minutes, or until lightly browned. Let it cool for a few minutes before cutting.

Universal flavor

When it comes to hot sauce, local makers say their usage opportunities are consistently endless.

“The interesting thing is … you can have it [with] your breakfast, lunch or dinner and it can still be amazing in every way, shape and form,” Parker said. “I like using it on eggs. … Sometimes I’ll mix some into a sour cream or even some yogurt and use that as a dipping sauce.”

Depending on the flavor, Pelletier said, his sauces are great for everything, from ingredients in tacos and nachos to their use as salad dressings or chicken or pork marinades. A regular client even purchases his raspberry sauce by the half-gallon to use as an ice cream topping.

“We get more ideas as people talk to us and come back to buy more when they see us at a show,” he said. “They’ll go, ‘Oh, yeah, I put this sauce on this and, boy, did that make a difference!’”

Most of Dandido’s sauces are also great when incorporated into your cooking — or even as ingredients in shrimp cocktail sauces, co-owner Ed Baroody said.

“It’s not just something to put on top,” Renaud said. “You can build a chili off of it, [or] you can add it to your baked potato in your sour cream. … I’ve even scrambled it into my eggs.”

Irving’s best friend, Rylan Hill, is the head chef of New Hampshire Pizza Co. in Concord — the eatery has incorporated Hots Hoss into its specials, notably using a blackberry hot sauce Irving made for a Delmonico steak pizza special that was topped with chimichurri, pickled red cabbage, leeks, mozzarella and Gouda.

“I put my hot sauce on everything,” Irving said. “That’s the thing about hot sauce. It’s a topping, it’s a condiment, it’s a dipping sauce. … You can do anything with it.”

Scovie Awards
Dubbed the “Oscars of hot sauce” by Gabe DiSaverio of The Spicy Shark in Portsmouth, the annual Scovie Awards recognize the most acclaimed fiery foods and spicy products from around the world. The awards ceremony is held every year at the Sandia Resort & Casino in Albuquerque, New Mexico, usually the first weekend in March — a panel of judges rates all applicable submissions in various categories like appearance, aroma, texture, originality, flavor and overall impression.

To date, The Spicy Shark has taken home a total of 11 Scovie awards in either first, second or third place categories for its products. DiSaverio said he is most proud of two of those awards in particular: winning first place last year for his Hammah Gatah 7 Pot Primo pepper sauce, and winning Best in Show, the grand prize award, in 2020 for his hot maple syrup. Manchester’s Smokin’ Tin Roof has a Scovie Award of its own — its Smoky Peppah sauce, made from ground ghost pepper and some pineapple and sweet red bell peppers, was awarded second place in 2021.

New Hampshire-made craft hot sauces

Here’s a list of some of the Granite State’s spiciest hot sauce companies — visit their websites directly or follow them on social media to find out how to order them or where to pick them up.

Dandido Sauce
dandidosauce.com, @dandidosauce
Try this sauce: The Dandido Black This “extremely hot” sauce, the company’s newest product, blends Carolina Reaper peppers with wasabi, hot cinnamon and ginger, among other fresh ingredients.

Effin Sauces Co.
effinsauces.com, @effinsauces
Try this sauce: Sweet Lava This apple cider-based vinegar hot sauce is made with bell and habanero peppers, offering a unique balance of sweetness and heat.

Hots Hoss
[email protected], @hots.hoss
Try this sauce: Strawberry carrot habanero One of the more recent offerings from Marshall Irving of Hots Hoss, a one-man operation of small-batch craft hot sauces in Manchester, this sauce combines habanero peppers with strawberry and carrot flavors.

Naked Hot Sauces
nakedhotsauces.net, @nakedhotsauces
Try this sauce: Reaper Madness One of several Carolina Reaper-based offerings from chef Kevin Taillon of Naked Hot Sauces, who also owns Fire and Spice Bistro in Newfields, the Reaper Madness is best recommended for use on tacos or cheesesteaks.

NH Hot Sauce
nhhotsauce.com, @nhhotsauce
Try this sauce: Pull Fire Pull Fire, made with red Fresno peppers and fresh garlic, is one of four products from NH Hot Sauce, brought to you by longtime local chef Adam Parker.

Philbur’s Hot Sauce
philburs.com, @philburs
Try this sauce: Philbur’s No. 21 Hot The hottest offering from Philbur’s of Portsmouth, this sauce starts with sweet roasted peppers, jalapeno and habanero, along with extra ghost and scorpion peppers and a fresh herb finish.

Pogo’s Peppers
pogospeppers.com, @pogospeppers
Try this sauce: Jalapeno lime Pogo’s Peppers of Rye creates this sauce using roasted jalapenos and bright lime flavors, making it a versatile addition to just about any dish.

Rubin’s Hot Sauce
rubinshotsauce.com, @rubinshotsauce
Try this sauce: Inferno This sauce features a unique proprietary blend of twice the normal amount of home-grown Carolina Reaper peppers that’s then infused with a citrus-based blend of tropical fruits.

Smokin’ Tin Roof
smokintinroof.com, @smokintinroof
Try this sauce: Smoky Peppah A 2021 Scovie Award winner, taking home second place in the national competition, Smokin’ Tin Roof’s Smoky Peppah sauce is made from ground ghost pepper and some pineapple and sweet red bell peppers.

The Spicy Shark
thespicyshark.com, @thespicyshark
Try this sauce: Megalodon Named after the largest shark that ever lived, this craft sauce is brought to you by The Spicy Shark of Portsmouth, featuring “a sweet cherry start with the blazing finish of the Carolina Reaper pepper.”

Volcanic Ash Hot Sauce
volcanicashhotsauce.com, @volcanicashhotsauce
Try this sauce: O.G. Volcanic Ash This small-batch sauce features a blend of fresh habanero peppers with slowly caramelized onions, garlic, premium olive oil and a touch of sea salt.

Waldo Pepper’s Hot Sauce
waldopeppershotsauce.com, @waldopeppershotsauce
Try this sauce: Chipotle Ghost Featuring a blend of chipotle and ghost peppers with other ingredients like cider vinegar, carrots, onions, ground garlic, ginger and lime juice, this sauce is great for spicing up your eggs, burgers or chicken.

Featured photo: Courtesy photo.

On The Job – Kurt Strandson

Mortgage broker/lender

Kurt W. Strandson (NMLS# 22202) is a mortgage broker and lender and the owner and president of Pinnacle Mortgage Corporation (NMLS #1323739 Equal Housing Opportunity), which is based in Manchester and licensed in 12 states.

Explain your job and what it entails.

We help buyers and homeowners with residential and mixed use and commercial refinance and purchase mortgages. As a broker, we work with over 30 investors to offer a multitude of products not always offered at larger national retail lenders or small community banks or credit unions.

How long have you had this job?

I started my career in the mortgage industry in March of 2003. I opened Pinnacle in April of 2015. We’ve grown from three people to almost 50 and are continuing to grow as we move into more states and look to open more offices throughout the country.

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

I graduated from Bentley University in 2000 and thought I was destined to work as a financial planner and stockbroker. I soon realized the mortgage industry allowed me to utilize my bachelor of science degree in economics and finance … and help people achieve the ‘American dream’ of homeownership, which was rewarding and something I quickly became passionate about.

What kind of education or training did you need?

I was fortunate to obtain a bachelor of science degree from Bentley University and an MBA from UNH in 2012. I do feel both experiences provided the knowledge, education and foundation for me to succeed both as a mortgage broker and a business owner. I found that in the MBA program, I learned as much if not more from my fellow classmates sharing their knowledge and experiences from their careers. I also earned my Certified Mortgage Professional designation.

What’s your typical at-work uniform or attire?

Normal business attire is business casual.

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

Prior to the pandemic, a large percentage of our applications were taken in person. The pandemic expedited the use and development of new technology in our industry to accommodate working remotely. We’re now paperless, and a majority of the process is done online or via technology. We still offer in-person appointments for those who prefer it, but the use and development of technology … has made the process simple, straightforward and fast for our borrowers. The pandemic brought record loan volume as mortgage rates hit historic lows, creating a very high demand for homes.

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

Patience. Sometimes you have to wait for the right situations, relationships and opportunities. I’ve been very blessed with a career that doesn’t feel like a job. I’ve also been blessed with a beautiful wife and family of six children, which I’m grateful for every day.

What do you wish other people knew about your job?

Many people don’t know or understand the amount of information and data that’s required to be collected and verified throughout the mortgage application process. Technology has made it more efficient but there’s a lot done behind the scenes to get an application to a closing table.

What was the first job you ever had?

My first official job was at 15 years old, working at Giant Pizza in Danielson, Connecticut.

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

Surround yourself with good people. We care about each other and want to support each team member in every way we can. We win as a team.

Five favorites

Favorite book: Winning by Tim Grover
Favorite movie: Diggstown
Favorite music: The Lumineers
Favorite food: Bone-in rib-eye
Favorite thing about NH: I love skiing in the White Mountains with family and friends.

Featured photo: Kurt Strandson. Courtesy photo.

Treasure Hunt 22/07/28

Hello, Donna.

I have a piece of this silver. It’s marked Gorham on the bottom and sterling. It’s 8 inches tall and the bowl is 9 inches. I don’t have any use for it so I’m wondering if you could suggest a new home and selling value.

Thank you for the effort.

Cam

Dear Cam,

What you have is a piece of holloware made right here in New England, in Providence, Rhode Island. The Gorham Manufacturing Co. story is an interesting one if you cared to do more research.

For now, though, let’s help with what you have. Gorham was known for sterling flatware, holloware and many other sterling and silver-plated useful items.

Holloware feels heavy because it is weighted but the sterling is actually thin almost like a foil. This makes it more fragile than a solid sterling piece. It also makes the plain and simple ones like your compote less valuable.

Even so, Cam, the value is in the range of $60+ depending on the condition. No dents or crinkling etc. I’m just not sure these days how to refer you to a buyer. Silver is a lot of work to use or display these days.

Try going to a local antique shop to see what they might offer. Remember always, though, they won’t pay the full value because they will have to find a buyer for it.

I hope this helps and you do find a new home for this compote.

Plants to avoid if you can

Wild parsnips burn and buttercups run rampant

This is the time of year when wild parsnips are in full bloom. They stand anywhere from 2 to 6 feet tall and are topped with clusters of tiny flowers facing upward and arranged in a flat cluster called an umbel. The blossoms are similar to those on Queen Anne’s lace, but yellow.

Avoid wild parsnips because you can get terrible burns from the sap of this plant. When the sap on you is hit by bright sunshine, most people develop painful blisters. This is unfortunate, as this common plant is spread by seed, often creating large patches in fields and along roadsides. If you get sap on you, wash it off with soap and water immediately, cover the area, and stay out of direct sunshine for 48 hours.

How can you get rid of wild parsnips? Wild parsnips are biennials, meaning they die after blooming in their second year. I’ve read that mowing a patch of them right after they bloom (but before they produce seeds) will get rid of them, but only if you do this for three to five years. Presumably the repeated mowing is needed to kill plants that come back from seeds that did not germinate in Year 1.

large flowering plant with woody stalk and clumps of white flowers
Giant hogweed is an invasive that can burn you with its sap.

Giant hogweed (Heracleum mantegazzianum) is in the same family as parsnips but is bigger, harder to get rid of and even more toxic. I saw it for sale some 20 years ago and was intrigued by its size (6 to 12 feet tall) and blossoms that are up to 3 feet across. I bought it and planted it, having been told that it was not a perennial, though it is.

Even though I didn’t know its sap could cause burns, I quickly decided that giant hogweed was not a plant I wanted. It popped up 50 feet away from where I planted it, and could grow in full sun or full shade, wet soil or dry. I decided it had potential to take over.

At first I just cut off the flower heads before they produced seeds, but in Year 2 or 3 I decided to pull it by the roots. I was lucky that I was able to get out the roots, which can go down 2 feet or more. And even more fortunately, either I did not get sap on me or I am not allergic to it. It is not widely distributed in New England, though it is a real pest in parts of California and elsewhere.

I was less fortunate when it came to getting rid of the Japanese butterbur (Petasites japonicus) I purchased long ago. I was told that yes, it could run, but it was easy to contain with a lawnmower or a stream. Not so. This plant can send roots 20 feet or more, then send up new plants. It is an aggressive plant that will smother almost any other. It likes moisture, and does well in shade as well as sun.

Depending on the variety, this plant can produce clumps of huge leaves that stand up to five feet tall. It has small flowers that erupt from the soil before the leaves. The roots go down deep and break easily, making it tough to remove. In its native Japan it is considered an edible, but I have no interest in eating it.

I have lost control of our Japanese butterbur. It crossed the stream and has gone under the lawn to other beds, and generally become a pest. Even though it is interesting to look at, enough is enough! I wish I had never bought it!

yellow and purple flowering plants growing across a yard
Buttercups are pretty, but tough to control

Another pest I have will surprise you, perhaps: buttercups (Ranunculus repens). Like some of the others mentioned above, at first I welcomed this bright harbinger of spring that displays cheerful yellow blossoms. But it has become a problem because it spreads not only by root but by seed, and once established it is difficult to weed out. And it will choke out other plants. It is glorious in bloom, but very tenacious. If you have moist, rich soil in part shade, watch out. I’d advise removing it early before it starts crowding out other plants. This one is native to Europe, but there are native species that are not a problem, I am told.

Years ago a friend gave me some iris that had the roots of goutweed (Aegopodium podagraria) tangled in with the iris roots. It quickly took over the iris bed, choking out everything else. A native of Asia and parts of Europe, it can form a dense mat that outcompetes everything else. The roots are brittle, and thus hard to remove. Even a scrap of root can start a new plant.

I dug out all the goutweed, took away the soil down to 12 inches and replaced the soil after putting down a heavy weed mat. Still, five years later it crawled out from under the mat. If you have it, accept you will probably always have it, though with persistence and a good weeding tool, it is possible to control. But I wouldn’t buy a house that has it!

A variegated form of goutweed called “Snow on the Mountains” has green and white leaves and was sold as a groundcover in the past. But sometimes it reverts back to the more aggressive all-green form and tries to take over the world. So avoid both forms.

Let’s face it: Plants take advantage of us if they can. We like good-looking, interesting plants, so they put on a good show. But among the good ones, there are those aggressive thugs that deserve no mercy. All you can do is be attentive and act quickly when a new plant starts to take over your gardens.

Featured photo: Goutweed will outcompete any other plants and is difficult to eradicate

Kiddie Pool 22/07/28

Family fun for the weekend

It’s showtime at the Palace!

• Join the Lost Boys in Neverland for the Palace Theatre’s (80 Hanover St. in Manchester; palacetheatre.org, 668-5588) next Children’s Summer Series play, Peter Pan. Watch the magical journey of Wendy, John and Michael Darling and their guide, Peter Pan, as they fight pirates, rescue Native American princess Tiger Lily, and cause mischief with the Lost Boys in Neverland. The show runs through Friday, July 29. Show times are Tuesday through Thursday at 10 a.m. and 6:30 p.m., and Friday at 10 a.m. Tickets cost $10 each.

• It’s supercalifragilisticexpialidocious! The Palace Youth Theatre Summer Camp in Manchester (palacetheatre.org, 668-5588) will present Mary Poppins Junioron Friday, July 29, at 7 p.m. and Saturday, July 30, at 11 a.m. The show follows the two young Banks children, Jane and Michael, and their practically perfect nanny, Mary Poppins. The show is performed by campers entering grades 2 to 12. Tickets cost $15 for adults, $12 for kids.

• Don’t forget your shoes for the classic fairy tale Cinderella, which is following Peter Pan in the Palace Theatre’s Children Summer Series (80 Hanover St. in Manchester; palacetheatre.org, 668-5588). The show will run Tuesday, Aug. 2, through Friday, Aug. 5. Show times are Tuesday through Thursday at 10 a.m. and 6:30 p.m., and Friday at 10 a.m. Tickets cost $10 each.

More kid-friendly theater

• The Peterborough Players continue their presentation of The Emperor’s New Clothes at their new outdoor space, the Elsewhere Stage, on the grounds of the Players (55 Hadley St. in Peterborough; peterboroughplayers.org) on Friday, July 29; Saturday, July 30; Saturday, Aug. 6; Wednesday, Aug. 10; Friday, Aug. 12, and Saturday, Aug. 13, with all shows starting at 10:30 a.m. The show is performed by the Players Second Company, which features young professionals and is geared toward a younger audience. Tickets are $15 each for adults, $10 each for children, available online or at the door.

• The North Country Center will present Return to Oz for the Art’s IMPACT Program, a touring children’s theater troupe, Tuesday, Aug. 2, at 10 a.m. at the Bank of NH Stage (16 S. Main St. in Concord; ccanh.com). Tickets are free but must be reserved online.

Movie date

• Get ready for some super-pet fun at Chunky’s three locations (707 Huse Road, Manchester; 151 Coliseum Ave., Nashua, and 150 Bridge St., Pelham) for a sensory-friendly showing of Paws of Fury: The Legend of Hank (2022, PG) on Thursday, July 28, at noon. Paws of Fury follows Hank, a down on his luck hound in a land filled with cats, who goes on an epic journey to become a fierce samurai to defeat the evil that threatens his new home. The theaters will keep the volumes low and the house lights turned up for this showing, according to the website. Tickets are $5.99 each and can be purchased at chunkys.com.

• Super pets will take over the screen at O’neil Cinema (24 Calef Hwy., Epping) for a sensory-friendly showing of DC League of Super-Pets (2022, PG) on Saturday, July 30, at 10 a.m. The movie follows Superman’s dog, Krypto, and a group of other animal heroes as they work to save the Justice League after the group has been kidnapped. O’neil Cinema will have the volume be softer and the lights on for this showing. More information can be found at oneilcinemas.com.

Playing in the park

• Princesses and knights in shining armor will turn Greeley Park (100 Concord St., Nashua) into a real-life picture book. The Nashua Summer Fun program is bringing back the annual Fairy Tale Festival on Saturday, July 30, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. The event will feature fairy tale characters, a costume parade around the park at 12:45 p.m., a bounce house, vendors and more. Visit nashuanh.gov.

• Keach Park (9 Newton Ave. in Concord) is being taken over by the Friends Program for a Friend-a-Palooza on Saturday, July 30, from 2 to 5 p.m. There will be family-friendly activities ranging from face paint and giant bubbles to Zumba classes and a read-athon. The event is free and will include special outreach to at-risk youth in the local area. Visit friendsprogram.org.

National Night Out

• Meet some of your local first responders during National Night Out on Tuesday, Aug. 2. Across New Hampshire, police and fire departments are giving families a chance to get up close and personal with the police officers and firefighters who protect local towns. Twenty towns in the Granite State participate in this event. Visit natw.org to learn which towns in New Hampshire are participating.

Concord’s night out will be at Rollins Park (33 Bow St.) from 5 to 8 p.m. and will have touch a truck, arts and crafts, music, a rock climbing wall, and more.

Goffstown’s night out will be more of a block party with food and entertainment. It will run from 5 to 8 p.m. at 27 Wallace Road.

Manchester’s night out will be at the JFK Coliseum parking lot (303 Beech St.), will begin at 5 p.m., and will have a K-9 display, as well as many of the first responder vehicles.

The night out in Nashua will be at the Boys & Girls Club of Greater Nashua (1 Positive Place) from 5 to 7:30 p.m. and will have food, games and demonstrations.

New look at nature

• The Children’s Museum of New Hampshire (6 Washington St. in Dover; childrens-museum.org, 742-2002) will reopen its Cochecosystem Nature exhibit, which has been reimagined and celebrates the wildlife along the Cocheco River, on Wednesday, Aug. 3, according to a press release. “Visitors will be immersed in the sights, sounds and activities of the animals and people who make their lives along New Hampshire’s rivers,” the release said. Floor-to-ceiling windows in the exhibit space overlook the actual river, the release said. On Aug. 3, kids will also be able to make their own beaver paw track at 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. Reserve a time spot for admission online in advance; admission costs $12.50 for everyone over 12 months old, $10.50 for 65+. The museum is open Tuesdays through Saturdays with times from 9 a.m. to noon and 1 to 4 p.m. and Sundays from 9 a.m. to noon.

— Katelyn Sahagian

Small-town fun

The Canterbury Fair celebrates close communities for the 61st year

By Katelyn Sahagian

[email protected]

The Canterbury Fair is back after its pandemic pause and will once again highlight local artisans, feature a popular barbecue chicken dinner and offer shopping with its used book sale and the What Not sale, a type of white elephant and antique market.

Rick Crockford, a co-chair of the fair, said that this fair is meant to celebrate small towns and communities.

“It started out in the ’50s as a way to get people excited mid-summer about small-town life,” Crockford said. “It’s remained largely, crafty and agricultural. It’s much more low-key than [fairs at] other places.”

The reason the fair started was to help pay for a new parish house at Canterbury United Community Church after a fire had destroyed the original one in 1943. In 1959, a chicken barbecue was added to the fair’s normal activities and, according to the Canterbury Fair’s website, the fair raised close to $2,000.

In addition to the barbecue, there will be regular grilled foods, like hot dogs, burgers, sausage grinders and veggie burgers, Crockford said. He said his personal favorite part of the event is the frappe bar from Jordan’s Ice Creamery.

After the food comes the entertainment and local artisans. Children’s entertainers and musicians will perform throughout the day, and Crockford said that the Morris Dancers, a group that performs a traditional British style of dancing, is a longtime fair favorite.

“They have cymbals on their feet and sticks and they do old English dancing,” he said. “There’s a caller who runs the dance; it’s very cool. They’ve been at probably every fair for the past 15 years.”

kids in tie-dye shirts fishing in troughs at town fair
Photos courtesy of Donna Miller.

For new entertainment, Crockford said that he was especially excited to welcome drummers from the Native American Abenaki tribe.

As for local artisans, Crockford said there will be everything from jewelry to leather goods. Even a local guitar maker will be showing off his instruments.

“We have an unwritten rule that the vendors we rent space to have to produce something themselves,” Crockford said, adding that they didn’t want people to be reselling items they had purchased.

Crockford said that the used book sale, which will be at the Old Town Hall, and the What Not sale, at the elementary school, are among the biggest draws for most visitors. The proceeds from both sales will be used to raise money for the Canterbury Fund, which gets donated back to the town’s schools.

While the vendors are exciting for adults, kids will get the chance to have their face painted and play different games. Kids of all ages can enjoy spending time with the animals at the petting zoo.

Crockford said that the fair isn’t a big fancy shindig, but it is still special and can attract people from as far away as Maine and Vermont.

“We don’t have any rides, and there’s no fried dough,” Crockford said. “[The fair’s] mostly people who want to appreciate local craftspeople and support them financially. See a little bit of the old-timey fair before everything got all rushed.”

61st annual Canterbury Fair
Where: Baptist Road, Canterbury
When: Saturday, July 30, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Cost: Free admission
Visit: canterburyfair.com

Featured photo: Photos courtesy of Donna Miller.

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