Thyme

Our front porch gathering at our home in Warner, New Hampshire

In October, I had the absolute privilege of capturing the essence of this wonderful town of Warner here in New Hampshire as it celebrates its 70th anniversary of the Warner Fall Foliage Festival. You can read the feature article in this month’s issue of New Hampshire Magazine. I’ve copied the article  below and added many more photos collected from this very special small town gathering.

{Article begins below}

Simply Timeless

…a front porch gathering with family & friends

for a fall harvest luncheon

on the Warner Fall Foliage Festival Weekend

     A stunning October weekend in New Hampshire is the yearly backdrop for the celebrated and classic Warner Fall Foliage Festival. Thanks to the abundance of maple trees in New England, from the dappled brushes of coral and ruby to the soothing presence of russet and sage, the foliage splendor becomes the jewel of what many in this nation consider to be the crowning location of the fall season. Since the 1940s, visitors from all over the country make their yearly pilgrimage back to this tiny village in the heart of New Hampshire to enjoy the sweet panoramas of fleeting splendor. Many who journey back desire to introduce to the next generation the experience of a picture postcard celebration that captures the beautiful essence of rural life against a lovely backdrop of vibrant fall colors. The historic village of Warner, situated comfortably at the base of handsome Kearsarge Mountain and just east of the Sunapee Lakes, proudly becomes the setting for this classic small town festival.

As if spring and summer aren’t generous enough with their profusion of soft colored lilacs and plump elegant peonies, fall in New Hampshire adorns the front lawns of classic saltbox houses of Warner with tumbling clusters of hydrangeas blushing with shades of rose and periwinkle. This little village swells three times its size as families drive in from Boston, Canada, and Vermont to spend a weekend reveling in the festivities. The timeless simplicity of a seasonal village festival with all its trappings of apple crisps, steamed lobsters, and maple flavored cotton candy are eagerly presented by the hundreds of local volunteers who call this cozy village of Warner, New Hampshire their home.

These fall festivals harken back to the times when the crops were all pulled in from the summer plantings, readied to be stored for the winter months ahead, and the families of the area treated themselves to a celebration of the hard work of successful harvesting by gathering together in thanks and celebration. Today, traveling along the country roads, piles of produce are stacked neatly in tidy market stalls so passersby can stop and fill up with produce grown by our many local farmers. In the village of Warner, mounds of striped delicata squash, colorful plump pumpkins, and hefty pear shaped butternut gourds are stacked in front of Schoodacs, the local coffee house, where early in the morning brightly capped children cluster before school while their parents mingle over maple lattés and quick chats before the pattern of daily life resumes once more. A little tin paybox nestles alongside the harvest offerings and if one is so inclined, a small payment can be given in thanks to the local farmers.

This is our second year living the dreamy small village lifestyle surrounded by an abundance of natural beauty associated with New Hampshire. Weeks before the October festivities of this fall foliage festival the air is abuzz with palpable energy. The anticipation of this classic New England celebration becomes the main topic of conversation as locals understand this weekend of revelry is the final hurrah of the season before we all welcome the impending winter months ahead and snuggle in to watch the glorious snowflakes pile up to make ready for the exuberant ski season. As the calendar rolls over into October, the lingering humid air is blown clean by the big breezes that ruffle the tops of the trees the way an old man ruffles the hair of an apple-cheeked little boy. Shop fronts refashion their window boxes with gatherings from the surrounding woodlands, tuck little baby pumpkins in between forest branches that dangle with plump scarlet berries. The sidewalks of the Warner Pharmacy, The Local, our favorite burger joint, and Main Street Bookends, the sweet cozy book store, are all swept clean and tidied up and looking their Sunday best for the impending celebrations.

As we become more aware of and involved in our little village life, it seems that most conversations from The Foothills, our go-to breakfast hangout where the cinnamon rolls are as big as your hand, to my hairdresser, Terri, situated in a block away in an old historic house with lovely creaking wood floors, shift quickly to talk of the logistics of who will be volunteering where and doing what for the festival weekend. Everyone has a role. Everyone has a purpose. Everyone has such pride in their town.

Our rambling farmhouse, perched on a hill overlooking the historic red roofed Waterloo covered bridge that crosses the meandering Warner River, is just a stone’s throw from downtown Main Street in Warner. Being originally from the south and having always desired a home with a big inviting front porch, my dream came true when we purchased this old farmhouse up north here in New Hampshire instead of down south. Once we swept up the cobwebs, changed out some crumbling windows and added a fresh new coat of paint to the porch, we envisioned many gatherings with friends and family from spring to late fall on this porch. The Fall Foliage Festival weekend presented itself as the perfect time to add to these seasonal celebrations by inviting those newfound friends who’ve welcomed us so warmly to their community, to join us on our big front porch, sit for a spell with a glass of spiced whiskey or autumn inspired Sangria, and enjoy a fall harvest luncheon in between soaking in the festival activities in town.

So as the townspeople were humming with preparations for the weekend’s festivities, I joined in the happy humming by busying myself inviting, planning, and prepping for our front porch gathering. How fun it is to bring in the lovely colors of the season and use the fall harvest offerings as inspiration for the menu. Without hesitation, the offers contributing to the menu flowed in and before long we had a robust menu planned for all of us to enjoy.

I rolled out some nutty whole wheat dough so that I could make two varieties of galettes. The first would be a seasonally inspired Mushroom Leek Galette studded with rich gorgonzola cheese. Brussels sprouts and just ripened apples are everywhere this time of year so these plentiful ingredients would take center stage for the second galette, a Brussel Sprout, Bacon, and Apple galette. Roasted sprouts from the village farmer’s market and apple chunks from Gould Hill Apple Farm up the road are roasted with bacon and yellow mustard seeds then mixed with tangy asiago cheese. To intensify the mustard flavor, I spread a little dijon onto the raw dough before piling on the filling. I also added a little punch of dried sage into the crust to create layers of fall flavors.

One need only to look to the maple tree studded woods surrounding our farmhouse to find inspiration for fall table decor. Like little jewels waiting to be found on the forest floor, fall leaves up here burst with lovely hues of burnt oranges, golden yellows, and crimson reds. Gathering these brightly colored gifts in my big woven basket is like collecting little pieces of art. I arrange clusters of branches into my pewter jugs and tuck the prettiest leaves that I find into my linen napkins.

The morning of the Fall Foliage Festival begins with a 5k race that begins in town and passes right by our house. As I was just coming out of our woodland trail, wrapped in my warm plaid chocolate colored cape and carrying a large basket of clippings from right off the trail, the first group of brightly clad runners quietly padded by. Their breath left wispy trails of white steam floating into the morning air and their cheeks were flushed pink against the frosty chill. The air was so crisp and fresh; the sky was so bright and promising. It had that lovely morning hush and stillness that I didn’t want to disturb. A handful of runners glided by as they rounded the curve and headed towards the covered bridge; I offered a hopeful smile and a generous wave as clusters of runners, some with babies bundled deep into strollers, others with pets happily trotting by, tongues lolling to the rhythm of the runners footsteps and sweet doggie faces lit up, thrilled to be included in this early morning fun.

The festival had begun. The October weekend dressed up for the affair in its most splendid attire and offered itself as the most adorned runway for the townspeople to showcase their crafts, share their fall bounty, and delight all visitors with the talents of this artistically endowed community.

In between preparations for our front porch gathering, we hopped over into town to see the spectacles on offer. Jim, our very talented electrician, has a second career training his herd of oxen for the celebrated ox pulling competition. Settled in just behind the coffee shop in between the schoolhouse, the races were well underway in a big dirt clearing. We gathered with the excited crowd to join in this age old celebration stemming from the days when oxen pulled the heavy plows that made it possible to farm the land and provide crops for the villagers. We hooted and hollered our support for Jim’s handsome oxen team and he waved a big hello to us before returning serious concentration to the task at hand.

The crowd, enjoying the big country breakfast of pancakes provided by the United Church of Warner, was making its way down Main Street, so we joined in and followed them to the open air stadium built by local craftspeople and situated just behind the book store. Musicians and theatre productions provide entertainment here in the chocolate colored wooden open air museum situated at the bottom of a long sloping grassy hill. Children with colorful butterfly or super hero scenes painted on their faces relaxed on blankets and snuggled in the arms of their loved ones to watch the performances and listen to the folklore tunes crooning lovely music over the town.

It doesn’t take long living here in New Hampshire to make friends. People are just…well, friendly! Perhaps it is because the long winter season is just around the corner so people squeeze in a multitude of activities in the other three seasons of the year. Perhaps it is the frenzy of excitement about the impending change of season as the summer activities spent boating and fly fishing on the many lakes during bright sunny days wind down, gardeners overhaul their perennials and clear the way for next season’s garden planning and dry out herbs to be ready to add into winter soups and stews. Being a very outdoor oriented community, the anticipation of winter sports ahead, like downhill and cross country skiing, keeps people continually looking forward in anticipation of the impending season. People here have much to talk about, much to do, and great enthusiasm to get outdoors and make use of each season with renewed vigor.

At the festival, one can’t help but be taken in by delightfully authentic Dean, the 1900s styled peanut vendor. We couldn’t resist marveling at his antique peanut steaming contraption and sampling his roasted peanuts. He cannot be missed as his steam pipe blows piercing whistles and jets of steam shoot into the air. Presently, piping hot fresh peanuts come swirling out of his engineered antique peanut steamer, through a multitude of twisting pipes, to fill little brown paper bags. The aroma of warm peanuts intermingled with the larger plumes of steam wafting towards us from the ample lawn near the park was heady indeed. BBQ chicken and steaming lobsters entice festival goers with the most aromatic scents and had my mouth watering with confusion as to which decision was the best…sweet sticky BBQ sauce coated chicken or briny steamed lobster dipped in hot delicious butter.

But all of this attention to and diversion of food reminded me that I had my own menu crafted at home and guests would be ambling up the road soon in anticipation of our own hearty spread. Fresh seafood is one of the perks of living close to the Atlantic Ocean up here in New England. I had a bag of fresh clams as well as a good supply of shrimp waiting for me at home to be made into what has become my favorite recipe for New England Clam Chowder. Since moving to New England, I’ve tasted many clam chowders. As I listen to others and read the multitude chowder recipes, I am beginning to form some opinions about what I think make for a delicious bowl of this seafood goodness. Not overcooking the potatoes, not making a broth that is overly thick, and adding a bonus of fresh clams right before serving, are my initial criteria for success. I also emulsify the milky broth before finishing off the chowder with a bit of cream to give a nice smooth texture to the broth. Where I might get in trouble with the locals is I can’t help adding some big briny shrimp into the bowl just before serving…because it looks so pretty!

As our friends gathered together at our old wooden table on the porch to toast glasses of spiced whiskey and tuck into pumpkin spiced cake, I sat back and surveyed our world from this vantage point with a smile full of reflection. Perhaps we are adding yet another tradition to the Warner Fall Foliage Festival. Perhaps this porch has seen dozens of gatherings like this one over its span of a century and a half since being built. This porch is a big beautiful one intended for entertaining and perhaps next year in between festivities, more tables can be lined up to our first one, more friends can walk up the lane, hands bearing delicious autumn inspired dishes, and more merry making can be recorded for the history books. Over the centuries, antique chairs have been left in the barn and with a little dusting off more locals and out-of-towners alike can stop by, sit for a spell, and visit for awhile. I’ll ladle out steaming bowls of clam chowder flavored with crispy morsels of salt pork, slice generous triangles of seasonal savory galettes studded with mushrooms and apples and melting with cheese, and offer up plates of my Pumpkin Orange Poppyseed cake drizzled with rich cream cheese topping. October in Warner is nothing short of a picture postcard scene come to life. One cannot help spending this festival weekend imagining these very scenes from bygone eras and reflecting that we are but one generation linking past generations to future ones. Back in the day, the style of dress and mode of transportation were different, to be sure, but I’ll wager the mission to gather together, celebrate the lives within a small community and marvel together at the change of seasons and all the beauty it promises can be described as the pleasures most people seek… simple pleasures as timeless and classic as good food, good times, and good people.

New England Clam Chowder

Ingredients:

• 1/2 pound salt pork or bacon, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1 medium onion, finely chopped (about 1 cup)
• 2 stalks celery, finely chopped (about 1 cup)
• 1 cup clam juice
• 2 1/2 pounds live cherrystone or littleneck clams. (scrub to remove all sandiness)
• 1 quart whole milk
• 1 1/2 pounds russet or yukon gold potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch cubes
• 2 bay leaves
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1 cup heavy cream
• Oyster crackers, for serving

1. Combine salt pork and 1/4 cup water in a heavy-bottomed stock pot or Dutch oven. Heat over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until water has evaporated and pork has begun to brown and crisp in spots, about 8 minutes. Add butter, onion, and celery. Continue to cook, stirring occasionally, until onions are softened but not browned, about 4 minutes longer. Add clam juice or water and stir to combine.

   Add clams and increase heat to high. Cover and cook, opening lid to stir occasionally, until clams begin to open, about 3 minutes. As clams open, remove them with tongs and transfer to a large bowl, keeping as many juices in the pot as possible and keeping the lid shut as much as possible. After 8 minutes, discard any clams that have not yet begun to open.

2. Add milk, potatoes, bay leaves, and a pinch of salt and pepper to the pot. Bring to a boil, reduce to a bare simmer, and cook, stirring occasionally, until potatoes are tender and starting to break down, about 15 minutes.
3. Meanwhile, remove meat from inside the clams and roughly chop it. Discard empty shells. Transfer chopped clams and as much juice as possible to a fine mesh strainer set over a large bowl. Let clams drain, then transfer chopped clams to a separate bowl. Set both bowls aside.
4. Once the potatoes are tender, pour the entire mixture through the fine mesh strainer into the bowl with the clam juice.Transfer strained solids to the bowl with the chopped clams. You should end up with a white, semi-broken broth in the bowl underneath, and the chopped clams, potatoes, salt pork, and aromatics in the separate bowl.
5. Transfer liquid to a blender and blend on high speed until smooth and emulsified, about 2 minutes Return liquid and solids back to Dutch oven. Add heavy cream and stir to combine. Reheat until simmering. Season well with salt and pepper. Serve immediately with oyster crackers.

Pumpkin Orange Poppy Seed Cake

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 pkg. (18.25 oz.) yellow cake mix
• 1 can (15 oz.) 100% pure pumpkin
• 3 large eggs
• 2/3 cup orange juice
• 1/4 cup poppy seeds