It’s been quite a weird maple season so far
Like the late, great Scott Weiland of Stone Temple Pilots once said, so much depends on the weather.Making maple syrup is no exception to this rule.In the world of syrup making, the weather – and the temperature, specifically – runs the whole show. Too cold and everything’s frozen solid. Too warm and the sap becomes too runny and bacteria-laden.Like any business that relies on Mother Nature for cooperation (plow drivers, ski resorts...
What’s with all the different colors of syrup?
If you’ve ever noticed a difference in color from one bottle of maple syrup to the next, you’re not losing your mind (hopefully). And no, that isn’t just food coloring (again, hopefully).Maple syrup comes in four grades: Grade A Golden, Grade A Amber, Grade A Dark and Grade A Very Dark. These grades relate to the color of the syrup and also the flavor. In general, the darker the syrup, the stronger the flavor. But how do they end up...
Concord has loads of delicious maple treats
If you’re a certified maple addict, you really lucked out this week. Since this is the Maple Issue, and since maple trees produce edible products, we thought it would be a good idea to scour the city looking for as many maple treats as we could find. Whenever the task calls for going out looking for tasty treats across the city, we’re ready and willing to answer the call.Here’s a little sampling – once again, in true Insider form,...
Go for a drive and enjoy Maple Weekend
If you’re a maple syrup fan, this weekend is kind of like your Christmas morning.Maple syrup producers all over the state will open their doors and invite you to taste their recent creations as part of the annual Maple Weekend. So realistically, you can spend both Saturday and Sunday driving all around, enjoying all that syrup season has to offer.Sounds pretty delicious if you ask us.But like the syrup they produce, each sugarhouse...
We learned some stuff about sap and syrup
There’s a big misconception out there when it comes to maple syrup production. Over the years, we’ve heard numerous stories from syrup makers of people showing up unannounced wanting to see the process firsthand. Unfortunately, that’s not exactly how it works. Sure, if you see steam billowing from a sugarhouse, syrup is being made, but it’s not one of the things that happens all day, every day. Like any other agricultural commodity,...
Go Try It: Eat a maple ice cream sundae while you work
If there’s one thing we like to do around here, it’s eat on the job.We understand that we’re among the lucky few out there who actually get to go out and treat ourselves to lunch, dinner and dessert on the company’s dime – which is why we like to use that privilege to the fullest. They tell us if we don’t use it, we lose it, and none of us want that to happen. On that note, it’s time to dig right into this week’s Go Try It, which is...
Got a few maple trees in your yard? Tap ’em!
So you have a bunch of sugar maples in your backyard and want to try making your own syrup, but you don’t have the necessary equipment or a spare few thousand dollars to invest in it. What do you do? Well, just head down to your nearest agricultural supply store and drop a couple bucks on a tap and a bucket. That’s all you really need.Dean Wilber, owner of Mapletree Farm in Concord, knows a thing or two about making maple syrup – he’s...
Food Snob: Have you ever had cinnamon bun pancakes?
With this being the Maple Issue, we had to find a way to put some maple syrup in our bellies.And what better way than drizzled on top of pancakes, French toast or waffles?A while back, we saw that Friendly’s had added a bottomless pancake option to their menu. You would start with three buttermilk pancakes, and once you were done, your plate would be replaced with another one containing two more. Each time your plate was cleared, two...
Check out this scenic shot we found on Instagram
Thanks to last week’s blizzard, Instagram user @broussardish had a nice frame to set up this scenic photo of Abbot-Downing School over the weekend. Tag us using #concordinsider so we can find your classic shots of Concord.
GSM to showcase country women
If you’re a fan of country music – in particular, classic country music by female artists – you won’t want to miss the next installment of Granite State of Mind at NEC Concord. The monthly music series at the downtown campus has been wildly popular since its inception more than a year ago, and it just keeps gaining steam. This month’s feature is called The Women of Classic Country, and it all goes down Saturday night. Several artists...
Goldsmiths Gallery opens in familiar location
When you walk into Goldsmiths Gallery, you might recognize the woman running the store. That’s because Paula Heath has worked in the downtown jewelry shop since 2005, when it was Mark Knipe Goldsmiths. Mark Knipe, a staple in downtown Concord since opening the shop in 1993, decided to (mostly) call it a career at the end of last year at the age of 73. Heath, a jewelry and fashion buff with decades of experience, decided to keep the...
Future In Sight is here to help with vision loss
There’s been a big change for those in New Hampshire dealing with visual impairment.After 105 years, the New Hampshire Association for the Blind has rebranded itself to, drum roll please . . . Future in Sight.While the mission of the organization hasn’t changed, the word “blind” made it hard for medical professionals to have a conversation with patients who were not in fact blind, but rather dealing with vision loss or impairment. It...
Bulletin Board
NHTI Film Society to host screening The NHTI Film Society will screen Lawrence of Arabia (Rated PG, 1962, 216 mins.), on Friday at 7 p.m. in the Sweeney Auditorium. Admission is by donation ($5 suggested); free with an NHTI student ID. For more information, contact Steve Ambra at 271-6484, ext. 4101, or sambra@ccsnh.edu. Doug Schwarz Concert at Hatbox Theatre Saturday Local folk/country singer-songwriter duo Nice & Naughty...
Kimball-Jenkins also has a youth art exhibit
There was so much out there dedicated to Youth Art Month, we had to stretch it out over two issues. This Kimball-Jenkins exhibit, featuring the work of area students, is on display through March 31.
Concord Handmade is hosting a pop-up shop
Outside of last week’s lovely snowstorm (sarcasm), it really feels like spring is around the corner.Monday was the official start of the season and soon the birds will be chirping, flowers will start blooming and we’ll finally be able to put all those extra layers of clothes away.And Concord Handmade operator Alison Murphy is hoping to push things along with a pop-up spring market for the next three Saturdays. “It will sort of look...
This Week in Concord History
March 21, 1820: An editorial in Concord’s New Hampshire Patriot says the Missouri compromise, while disappointing on the whole, “succeeded in rescuing from slavery a vast tract of country, which would otherwise have been expos’d to this dreadful curse.” March 21, 2003: As the war accelerates in Iraq, residents throughout New Hampshire react. “I have really mixed feelings about it,” says Debbie Heckman, as she gets her hair cut...
Learn about national parks at the Audubon
Are you a big fan of national parks? Do you plan your family vacations around a visit to places like Yosemite, Yellowstone, Acadia or Zion? Well, then you’re going to want to hear what David Govatski has to say. Govatski is a retired member of the U.S. Forest Service, who also just so happens to spend five or six weeks a year traveling around the country visiting national park units.“I blame it on my parents who would drag me on these...
Book of the Week: ‘As You Wish’
As You Wish: Inconceivable Tales from the Making of The Princess BrideCarey Elwes2014, 259 pagesMemoir In 1987, The Princess Bride was released in theatres. In the years since, it has established itself as an enduring cult classic, featuring a cast of unforgettable characters and effortlessly quotable lines.In this humorous memoir, star Cary Elwes (who played Westley), revisits his improbable casting in what would become his most...
What do you know about the Concord Theatre?
Paul Brogan has fond memories of the Concord Theatre.And rightfully so. He spent 27 years working at the 499-seat hot spot for film buffs on South Main Street, beginning as a high-schooler until it closed in the fall of 1994.“I had the best after-school job,” Brogan said. “I got to stay out till midnight.” He got paid $1.50 an hour when he started, which was a lot of money back then.“And all the popcorn I could eat,” he added.That’s...
Don’t forget to put your best fork forward
Every year the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics promotes National Nutrition Month. This March the theme is “Put Your Best Fork Forward” inspiring individuals to make small changes in their eating habits one forkful at a time. Tips to put your best fork forward include adding a variety of your favorite healthful foods in your eating pattern, cooking meals at home more often, being mindful of portion sizes, staying active most days...
