Palace Theatre Tour Starring Kitchens!

On June 3, kitchens take center stage in the Palace Theater Kitchen Tour. Visit several private kitchens in Bedford and Manchester, and gather inspiration and ideas for your own home.

My favorite part about kitchen tours is the new and unique ideas you find. In a kitchen designed by Granite State Cabinetry, a fresco-style backsplash is a nod to the homeowners’ passion for wine, but the real gem is the glass-fronted wine cabinet. “The biggest feature is definitely the wine cabinet, and it is something I designed with the clients,” says Pamela Leakeas of Granite State Cabinetry.

Featuring cherry cabinets in a nutmeg stain by Cabico Custom Cabinety, the kitchen’s focal point is the grand island, which the clients wanted big enough to accommodate all of their grandchildren. Topped off by Giallo Veneziano granite, the island is large and functional.

That particular kitchen is a nice example of a kitchen renovation. “The house was a remodel. The owners bought the house and gutted it, creating their new dream home,” says Frank Morris Jr. of Granite State Cabinetry, who spearheaded the installation and coordination of the job.

Though the homeowners opted to remodel, the project was a major undertaking. “They wanted a larger range, more commercial grade appliances, so we had to incorporate that into the space. It was challenging,” says Pamela. “It is a simple kitchen, but we had to work with the existing space.” The resulting kitchen is a welcoming spot to enjoy a glass of merlot.

The tour, presented by Baron’s Major Brands and Cabico Custom Cabinetry, begins at Granite State Cabinetry at 9 a.m. for registration; homes will be open from 9:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., with an open seating luncheon from 11:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. Tickets are $45 in advance, $50 the day of the tour, with all proceeds benefiting youth programs at Palace Theatre. Call 603 668-5588 or visit www.palacetheatre.org for tickets.

Palace Theater Kitchen Tour Supporting Sponsors:
Holloway Motor Cars of Manchester LLC
Mir Sultan Oriental Rugs
Vintage Kitchens
New Hampshire Accents, Fine Crafts, LLC
Not Just Kitchens
LKM Design, LLC
Crown Point Cabinetry

Add comment May 19th, 2009

Veggies for Victory

Supporting local farming and organic agriculture while reconnecting with your family is easy: just flip your calendar back to 1945, the age of the victory garden.

Victory gardens came about during World War II as a way to lessen the hardships of wartime rationing, providing wholesome nutrition and improved morale for those left on the home front. The campaign was so successful that at the height of the war, there were over 18 million victory gardens nationwide, supplying nearly 50 percent of America’s fresh produce. New Hampshire alone had 80,000 registered victory gardens by 1945.

By contrast, less than 6 percent of fresh produce consumed in New Hampshire today is grown in the state. Strawbery Banke Museum hopes to demonstrate how easy it is to grow organic produce at home with their WWII-era victory garden. Planted in 1944 by the Pecunies family, the garden is one of the only recreated Victory gardens in the country and is original to the site.

“The plantings in the victory garden are based on oral history from the Pecunies family, photographs, publications from UNH (University of New Hampshire) and the Cooperative Extension, as well as back issues of Portsmouth Herald and other newspapers,” explains John Forti, curator of historic landscapes at Strawbery Banke. The garden includes such nostalgic vegetables as Mortgage Lifter Tomato, Kentucky Wonder Bean, Bloomsdale Spinach, and Ruby Perfection Cabbage, among many others.

But the garden is much more than a pleasant trip down memory lane. “It’s just a great model for looking into the future of sustainability,” John says. “The historical garden is blended with perspectives on the slow food movement and the local food movement, teaching people modern ideas using historical examples.”

Daily programs will engage visitors in hands-on experiences to learn about the processes of gardening, composting, and canning, as well as the historical and cultural significance of victory gardens.

“In the 1940s, people realized that there was something fundamentally wrong with being told to go spend in a time of adversity. The victory garden movement arose out of people looking for a way to pitch in,” says John. “Victory gardens gave people a sense of achievement and participation in a national movement.” That idea still appeals today, which is partly why victory gardens have regained popularity. “People are starting to re-learn the pleasure of the productive garden.”

For more information about the victory garden at Strawbery Banke, visit www.strawberybanke.org.

Tips for growing your own victory garden at home:

1. Getting Started: Consider where you have the most sunlight in your lawn. The right place for your garden will be bright, with not a lot of tree roots competing with your plants.

2. Planning the Plot: Figure out how much you can manage, whether it is a big or small garden, whether you are gardening alone or with your family, make sure it is something you can handle.

3. Grow Your Favorites: Make up a list of your favorite plants. Sit down with your family and decide what vegetables and herbs you like eating, and also what plants are meaningful to you. Consider heirloom varieties, plants that you have a personal history with. It’s good to find plants that strike a chord with you, that way you’ll take better care of them, enjoy the process of gardening, and have fun with recipes.

4. Extend the Season: Plant multiple times in the year, and plant to extend the season. There are 10 months during which you can enjoy fresh vegetables from your garden, and you can preserve some foods so that during the winter you can enjoy summer in a jar.

5. Look for New Recipes: It’s good to know how to use the produce you grow. Do research; find interesting ways to prepare your vegetables.

Add comment May 11th, 2009