Fall in the Upper Valley

Seasons are short in Northern New England so it is vital to enjoy them as they whisk past, and to make the most of the beauty that each different season brings… okay, I admit, there is not much beauty to be found in “mud season”, but I’ll deal with that in March!

During October I love watching the changing foliage colors, the bright reds and oranges, and the abundance of weird and wonderful squashes that accompany the pumpkins at the local farm stands. This year it feels like the colors have been especially bright, with flaming trees to be found on every drive.

Saturday morning at Norwich Farmers’ Market

Your Farm, Fairlee VT stand

After the long, white winter in New Hampshire and Vermont we have three months of fabulous summer weather… hopefully! After a very wet summer in 2010, we are having a wonderfully warm and summery 2011, let’s I hope don’t jinx it by having noticed…

Wonderful Colours of Potatoes

Summer Sunday in the Upper Valley

from Ward's Berry Farm, Strafford, VT

Summer seems short and fleeting here in Northern New England, so it is essential to make the most of every glorious day.  This weekend has been two perfect summer days – warm, sunny, slightly breezy and long!  Today I decided was the day to head out and find pick-your-own berries… after a short poll of my friends Dawn and I decided to head to Ward’s Berry Farm.

The berry farm is located on Miller Pond Road in Strafford, VT, about twenty minutes drive from Hanover, NH, so an easy destination if you only have an hour or so and want hand-picked berries for dinner!

Easter in the Upper Valley

Easter was always my favorite childhood holiday – you started the day with a giant chocolate Easter egg for breakfast and the day just got better from there! 

Pre painted… not ready to roll!

Decorated… ready to roll!

I went to a Church of England school and between Spring and Summer terms we had a two week break for Easter.  Spring term followed Autumn term, and it never occurred to me that there was no Winter term until moving here… having lived in New England for eight years I realise that it was because we really did have NO winter!!  (I’m making up for that now!)

July Fourth and Hanover 250th Birthday Celebrations!

Today, July 4th, was the 250th birthday for many of the towns in the area. The whole weekend has been full of celebrations at each town, culminating for Hanover in the Fourth of July Parade.

We were very excited to put together a float for Row The Prouty – celebrating the first year that rowing is to be part of The Prouty!

Shopping in the Upper Valley… where??

The J List, Norwich, VT

I LOVE shopping, not internet shopping, real shopping where you get to visit stores and touch before you buy!

Before moving to the Upper Valley I lived in Southern California, where there were three giant shopping malls within a fifteen minute drive of my apartment, a shoppers paradise! 

Before that I lived in Earls Court, London, where a short walk would find me at one of many great shopping destinations depending upon my mood - Harrods, Kensington High Street, the Kings Road… it makes me nostalgic to think about relaxing afternoons spent browsing through the stores, walking for hours through the winding streets, before realising that I was completely lost and finding the nearest tube to take me home!

The J List, Norwich, VT

Upon moving to Hanover, NH, I realised that internet shopping had been developed with New Hampshire and Vermont in mind!  Over an hour drive to the nearest shopping mall or Target – help!!  Shopping here would be more of a challenge, but one I took with relish!

General Stores… essential to Upper Valley life!

Last weekend I was out showing houses to a couple preparing to swap the bright lights of city life for dark skies of the Upper Valley.  Not fixed on a location we toured between New Hampshire and Vermont, and the one question that they had that stuck with me was “where do you go if you run out of milk?”.  If you are used to leaving your front door and finding a well stocked corner shop within a few minutes walk what do you do when you move to “the middle of nowhere”??

Never fear – we might not have a corner shop at each four way stop, but there are fabulous general stores in each community that will have all that you need and more.  You might have to get into your car, but it will be worth the short drive, and you’ll find the heart of the community with your newspaper and pint of milk!  Every community has a store, these are a few of my favorites.

A Spring Saturday Sugaring in Wilder, Vermont

Mason Jars of Maple Syrup

Fun in the Upper Valley can come in any form – today it was an afternoon spent with friends watching sap boil!

Ann and Harry started making their own maple syrup three years ago by boiling maple sap in a roasting pan over a brick barbeque in their back yard in Wilder, Vermont.  Now they have a very professional set up, with a giant boiling pan that sits above a customised oil barrel – amazing! 

Maple syrup is produced in Northern USA and Canada, when you google it Vermont maple syrup comes up first every time – I wonder what makes Vermont maple syrup best and why is it better than New Hampshire maple syrup just a few feet away??

This weekend Ann invited me to come and join them sugaring – my contribution to the adventure was drinking hot sap tea and taking photos!

Flooded Cookies in Hanover, NH

Flooded Cookies

 

What could be more enticing than a plate of delicious and colorful cookies?!

My best friend mailed me the amazing new Biscuiteers cookbook from England – it includes both recipes and decorating ideas for delicious flood iced cookies.  They are super easy to make, great fun to ice and just a little bit messy!

Here are the step by step instructions… make sure to taste test along the way!

Life and Luster in the Upper Valley

Winter Fun on the Frozen Ompompanoosuc River

This past winter has been long and hard! After almost ten years in America, 2010-2011 has been the first year that I wondered WHAT I was doing!!

The winter has been amazingly snowy, with more shoveling of snow than you can imagine…

Thankfully signs of Spring are in the air with temperatures reaching a heady 40*f – if ONLY it were 40*c!