2022/23

OH, THE PLACES WE’LL GO!

Steven Karidoyanes, Conductor

TIME FOR THREE: BENEFIT FOR THE PHIL April 29, 2023 | 7 PM

THE WINNING SCORE: SPORTS IN MUSIC March 5, 2023 | 3 PM

EILEEN IVERS: BENEFIT FOR THE PHIL March 11, 2023 | 7 PM

THE WAY HOME March 25, 2023 | 7:30 PM

COME TOGETHER: MUSIC OF THE BEATLES

May 20, 2023 | 7:30 PM

May 21, 2023 | 3 PM

Simple autumn recipes prepared with Hippy Pilgrim’s artisanal garlic salts and seasonings burst with homegrown flavor.

By JUDY FOSDICK

Photography by KATE

ROGAN

When Susannah Sapir was a child, she learned an important lesson from working in her mother’s backyard vegetable garden and eating the delicious meals she created: Fresh food tastes great. This early introduction to gardening and cooking inspired the Plympton resident to follow her own culinary path and eventually led her to create her own farm-to-table garlic salt company, Hippy Pilgrim.

Sapir discovered the magic of garlic as a young adult, whipping up garlicky shrimp scampi and other meals in her college dorm room using only a hot plate and a microwave. Years later, she started making cooking videos that were aired on Plymouth Area Community Access Television. This experience led Sapir to receive an invitation to audition for the pilot season of the reality cooking show, “The Next Food Network Star,” in 2005. Sapir placed fourth in the competition and the experience launched her into a 15-year television career during which she appeared on numerous food shows.

It was around this time that Sapir received a container of homemade garlic salt as a gift. She fell in love with the flavor and the convenience of the product, so she decided to try her hand at making batches of fresh garlic salt in her own kitchen. At the time, Sapir’s two sons were young, and she was always aiming to create tasty, fuss-free meals and adding a pinch of garlic salt to the vegetables on their plates was a “mommy win.”.

“Kosher salt, fresh garlic, and pepper make the perfect all-in-one pinch,” says Sapir, who began preparing larger batches of garlic salt to give as holiday gifts. Inspired by the rave reviews from her family and friends, Sapir took a leap of faith to launch her own garlic salt business in 2013. Hippy Pilgrim now offers a range of 14 garlic salt blends, including Sapir’s original recipe. Favorites include the Thanksgiving Garlic Salt, which is infused with Rosemary, Sage, Marjoram and Thyme, a Pinot Noir Garlic Salt made with wine from Artis Winery in Pembroke, and a knock-your-socks-off Hippy Pilgrim Coffee Rub made with locally sourced and roasted coffee.

Sapir has always made her products using fresh ingredients from local farms whenever possible, but during the pandemic she found herself struggling to source enough local garlic to meet demands. To save her business, she rolled up her sleeves and planted her own garlic. Sapir enlisted the help of a garden design expert who helped her design the garlic field and herb gardens on her Plympton property.

This summer, Sapir harvested her first crop of 1,400 garlic plants, as well as a variety of herbs, horseradish, jalapenos and other produce. Sapir dries the garlic in barns rented from local farmers and prepares each batch of Hippy Pilgrim garlic salts and seasonings in a professional kitchen at her home. Surplus produce is sold at her farm stand or donated to local food pantries and she offers a free pick-your-own herb garden to locals.

People come from miles away to shop at the Hippy Pilgrim products roadside farm stand. Sapir also sells her products at farmers markets across the South Shore and on the Hippy Pilgrim website. She continues to make cooking videos in her own home kitchen, too (social media savvy folks can follow her on TikTok).

In many ways, Sapir’s life has come full circle. She enjoys educating her customers about the value of cooking with fresh local ingredients and sharing simple recipes that feature her delicious seasoning blends. Sapir includes a hand-written note with each Hippy Pilgrim order, thanking the customer for their purchase.

Inside the Hippy Pilgrim farm stand, a cloth drawstring gift bag for sale on the Hippy Pilgrim website has a printed quote from French chef and writer Marcel Boulestin.

“Peace and happiness begin, geographically, where garlic is used in cooking.”

Sapir has certainly found this sentiment to be true, and she hopes her garlic salts bring a little joy to her customers, one flavorful meal at a time.