Yankee Magazine’s Edie Clark Presents “Baked Beans and Fried Clams – How Food Defines a Region”

By Candi Enman
Staff Columnist
ROCHESTER –
Johnny Cakes, Baked Beans, Yankee Pot Roast and Lobster Pie – all classic New England recipes. For many these traditional foods always remind us of “home.”
New Hampshire writer and long time Yankee Magazine columnist, Edie Clark, was the guest speaker at a recent June 28th Day Out program hosted by The Homemakers Health Services. The event, held at the Elks Lodge and free to the public, was made possible by a Humanities To Go! grant from the New Hampshire Humanities Council.
Clark spoke about the food and recipes that are unique to New England. “We have an emotional bond with food and we place ourselves on the planet with our taste buds,” said Clark. She went on to talk about the individuals who pioneered and inspired New England cooking.
Fannie Farmer was born in 1857 in Medford, Mass., the oldest of four daughters. She suffered a stroke at the age of 16, leaving her unable to walk or continue her education. While in her parent’s care at home, she eventually took up cooking.
Years later, walking but with a limp, Fannie enrolled in the Boston Cooking School where she trained until 1889 during the height of the domestic science movement. She became a scholar in the field of cooking and published her most well-known work, “The Boston-Cooking School Cook Book” in 1896.
In the cookbook Farmer explained the scientific chemical processes that occur in food during cooking and helped to standardize the system of measurements used in cooking in our country today. The terms a “pinch,” a “glub,” and “a piece of butter the size of an egg” were replaced with measured levels such as a tablespoonful, a teaspoonful or a cupful. Now simply known as “The Fannie Farmer Cookbook,” it is still popular and available in print over 100 years later.
Originally from Pasadena, Cal., Julia Child came to New England to attend Smith College in Northhampton, Mass. where she graduated in 1934 with a B.A. in History. She was fired from her first job for insubordination.
She married her husband, Paul Child, in 1946 at the end of World War II. Paul was employed by the US State Department and his work brought the couple to Paris in 1948.
In an effort to satisfy Paul’s gourmet palate, Julia enrolled in Le Cordon Bleu Cooking School to learn fine French cooking. And learn she did, eventually publishing her book, “Mastering the Art of French Cooking” in 1961.
Julia’s culinary talent, cheery enthusiasm and distinct voice caught the attention of WGBH-TV in Boston and the popular educational program, “The French Chef” was launched in 1963. Child went on to become a national cooking celebrity. The set of “The French Chef” is now on display at The Smithsonian Museum.
Between Farmer and Child was a nature writer by the name of Haydn S. Pearson. Referred to as “the authentic New England countryman,” Pearson was passionate about food and home, which led him to write 13 books about food and nature.
Pearson’s personal collection of recipes was featured in his book, “The Country Flavor Cookbook” that was published in 1956. Consisting of 222 old-time recipes that evoke the warmth of New England kitchens and cooking, Pearson’s message was about using what you had on hand and making it appealing. One of his favorite recipes, for Fried Corn Meal Mush, is today enjoyed as Polenta or Grits. Pearson continued to write, penning four more books about food, nature and home.
“Foods can take us home faster than any jetliner,” said Clark at the close of her presentation. “No matter where we go, the smells and tastes of certain foods can bring us right back to our New England roots.”
Edie Clark has written extensively about New England over the last 30 years and has won awards for her feature stories in ”Yankee Magazine.” Her column, ”Mary’s Farm,” has been a popular feature in ”Yankee” since 1990. A collection of her essays, ”Saturday Beans and Sunday Suppers, Kitchen Stories from Mary’s Farm,” was published last year. A new edition of her memoir, ”The Place He Made,” has just been published. This and her other books are available on www.edieclark.com.
The New Hampshire Humanities Council’s Humanities To Go! programs are offered to connect community members with New Hampshire culture. For more information about the 250 programs and exhibits available to organizations statewide, call the Concord offices at (603) 224-4071 or visit www.nhhc.org.
Photo caption: Edie Clark (Courtesy photo)

90th Anniversary Celebration of John Paul Jones House Opening

PORTSMOUTH —
On July 15, 1920 the public opening of the John Paul Jones House was announced as a museum belonging to the Portsmouth Historical Society. While not the first historic house museum to open in Portsmouth, it was the first (and still the only) of Portsmouth sites to include the entire history of the city and the first to be run by local people. From the beginning, the focus was on collecting local objects and telling local stories. Ninety years later we have expanded into the Discover Portsmouth Center, and our focus on the history of Portsmouth and its many stories remains as strong as ever.
On Thursday, July 15, 2010 you can tour the John Paul Jones House, located at 43 Middle Street, Portsmouth, for the same amount charge in 1920—25 cents. Hours are 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. and tours are self-guided. We will be giving gallery talks continuously on that day for those who would like a more detailed tour. Special exhibits this season include “Brooches, Caps and Collars: Adornment in Portsmouth Portraits 1800-1860,” “90 Years of telling Portsmouth Stories” and “An Uncommon Commitment to Peace: the Portsmouth Peace Treaty of 1905.” You can also view are wonderful sampler collection now housed in new “visible storage.” Our extensive ceramics collection has been reorganized and more attractively displayed. Even if you have visited recently, you will find many changes this season; and if you have not been here since you were in the fourth grade, you will find a very different museum. However, you will find some of your favorite objects still on display. The 18th century wooden bathtub, loaned in 1920 by Woodbury Langdon, has returned. The opening day article in the Herald described this as “in the house in Revolutionary times.” You can also view the “oldest piano in America,” a piano said to have come from the Longfellow House in Portland and an 1820’s Babcock piano—all three arrived in our first week of collecting objects of interest for Portsmouth history! And, of course, the famous collection of canes is still here.
Following our regular hours we will feature an old-fashioned Garden Party from 5 to 7 PM in our garden with refreshments, house tours and a guest appearance by the Leftist Marching Band. Tickets for the Garden Party are $10 (children free). Proceeds support the garden and our ongoing painting projects. Tickets for the Garden Party may be purchased in advance at the John Paul Jones House or the Discover Portsmouth Center or at the gate on the evening of July 15.
The Discover Portsmouth Center is open daily from 10-5 and the John Paul Jones House daily from 11-5 through October 31. For more information call 603 436-8420 or email info@portsmouthhistory.org.
Photo caption: John Paul Jones House with balloons for the anniversary (Courtesy photos)

“Portals to the Past” Vintage Photographs on Exhibit

ROLLINSFORD —
On Sunday, July 11 from 1-4 PM, the Colonel Paul Wentworth House will host a special exhibition of vintage nineteenth-century photographs from the collection of local historian and Association for Rollinsford Culture and History member, Christopher Benedetto. The historic Wentworth House located at 47 Water Street in Rollinsford, will also be open for its regular Sunday afternoon tours during these hours.
Visitors will have the opportunity to view and learn about these unique and precious “portals to the past” which were discovered in antique stores and on the internet over the past decade. Included in the display will be examples of three kinds of early photographs: Daguerreotypes which originated in Europe about 1839, ambrotypes which developed during the 1850s, and carte de visites (CDVs) which burst on the scene in 1860 and arguably became the “Facebook” of their time. CDV’s were often printed with the photographer’s name and address on the reverse, thus serving as an early form of advertising and providing collectors with invaluable information today. Some images were also inscribed with the identity of the person in the image, making them even more valuable and historically significant. .
Benedetto’s collection includes dozens of images from New England, with a focus on New Hampshire, Maine, and Massachusetts. Of special interest is the very rare image of a local Union Army officer taken in Salmon Falls village sometime during the Civil War, which was recently purchased from a dealer in Connecticut. While the man in the photo has not yet been identified, it’s hoped that someone in the local area may be able shed some light on this mystery! Admission is free and all are welcome. For directions or more information about the house, please visit our website at www.paulwentworthhouse.com.
Photo caption: A special exhibition of vintage nineteenth-century photographs from the collection of local historian and Association for Rollinsford Culture and History member, Christopher Benedetto will be on diplay at the Colonel Paul Wentworth House. (Courtesy photo)