Day Tripping

Lakes Seacoast Mountains

Honoring Ice Cream

By Thomas P. Caldwell

Wherever you are in Central New Hampshire, ice cream and cheeses from the Sandwich Creamery are not far away. The dairy products are easily available at EM Heath in Center Harbor, Squam Lake Marketplace in Holderness, Farm To Table in Ossipee, and Picnic Rock Farm in Meredith, with other places also soon to be offering the homemade delicacies.

For a real treat, though, make the journey to the source: The Sandwich Creamery at 130 Hannah Road in North Sandwich.

To say it is off the beaten path is not an exaggeration: From downtown Center Harbor, it is a 14-mile trip along country roads that pass through both Center Sandwich and North Sandwich before becoming really remote, along Upper Road, Maple Ridge Road, Wing Road, and Hannah Road.

The best part is still to come: the twisting dirt road leading to the farm, marked with a series of Burma Shavetype signs: Slow Down - Going Too Fast - Got To Make The - Journey Last. Going too fast on that road is not an option, making the sign warning of a speed bump somewhat humorous.

For Emily Dickson of Meredith, it is the perfect place to go on a sunny afternoon. After hearing about the Sandwich Creamery from friends who live in the town, she began riding her motorcycle to the farm and sitting out in the garden to enjoy an ice cream.

“It’s a nice drive to get here,” she said, referring to the beautiful scenery along the route.

It is a great destination for a get-away, with an expansive garden area with lawn swing, picnic tables, and plants. At times, there are farm animals to see, and those who are really lucky have a chance to watch the ice cream-making process through a window.

Of course, the best part is being able to choose from a broad selection of ice cream flavors, as well as several cheeses. There are the usual flavors of vanilla, chocolate, strawberry, black raspberry, and coffee, but also Almond Joy, blackberry sorbet, blueberry, Chocorua O’Range, cow tracks, ginger, grape nut, and cookie dough.

“Definitely peppermint stick,” said Nathaniel, a shopper from Waterville Valley who has been coming to Sandwich Creamery since he was a toddler and says that is his favorite flavor.

“They opened in 1995, and my dad started coming that same year,” he said. “There were always animals outside and we’d take out our ice cream and eat it with the cows, which is all a two-year-old could ask for.”

A quarter of a century later, Nathaniel still makes trips to fill a cooler in the back of his car with all the ice cream it can hold. “It’s the best ice cream in the state,” he said definitively.

In addition to the peaceful country setting, people appreciate the trust shown by owners Tom and Lisa Merriman. The store operates on the honor system, with a sign saying, “We accept only cash or check. Please place in slot and collect change if needed.” The slot lies behind a hinged door, with a bucket for change beneath it.

“People like the honor system,” Tom said. “People like being trusted.”

Beginnings

Tom said he went to England and took a course in cheese making, after which he worked in the Scottish Highlands. When he came back to Sandwich, he started making his own cheese, which he planned to produce and sell. He opened the Sandwich Creamery in 1995. Once he got the operation to the level where he felt the cheese was good enough to sell in stores, he began seeking out places beyond the farm where it would be convenient for people to purchase it.

He and Lisa built the business on word-of-mouth advertising, putting their cheeses out at farm stands and farmers’ markets.

Brie, Boursin, Caerphilly, and Coulommier are among the types of cheeses one finds at the Sandwich Creamery, as well as aged cheddar and cheeses flavored with horseradish or garlic.

Asked about his personal favorite, Tom recommended his Brie cheese.

Ice cream came along as part of the operation and, besides the standards, Tom said he enjoyed playing around

• Day Tripping

continued on page 23

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NH State Parks License Plate Program reaches a new milestone

In 2010, HB 1620 was passed and signed into law establishing a special registration plate to benefit visitors and the New Hampshire State Park System. The “park plate”, sporting the NH State Division of Parks and Recreation logo, reached total revenues of $1 million on April 30, 2021 with over 14,000 license plates in circulation.

The proceeds from the park plates have provided additional revenue to operate and improve the 93 parks in the NH state parks system and is a popular item with many NH State Park supporters.

“We have been overwhelmed by the success of the Parks License Plate program,” said Philip Bryce, director NH State Division of Parks and Recreation. “We are the only parks system in the nation that is operationally self-funded. Programs like the parks plate offer our visitors a great way to explore our parks and support the park system.”

The State Park License Plate Program has seen continued growth since inception in 2010, topping 10,000 plates in May 2019 and has continued to grow in popularity during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The holder of a NH State Parks license plate receives free admission for the registered vehicle and its passengers to 26 day-use parks. The list of NH State Park’s day-use parks that accept the park plates can be found at www. nhstateparks.org/planning/scheduleand-fees/license-plate.

The annual fee for the NH State Parks license plate is $85 in addition to normal registration fees. Of the $85, $5 is retained by the Department of Safety to produce the plate and $80 goes to the NH Department of Natural and Cultural Resources to support NH State Parks. The NH State Parks license plate is available at the Division of Motor Vehicles and its sub-stations. Town Clerk offices also have the plate available for purchase by state residents.

The Park License Plates does not include parking meters along state park seacoast beaches, camping, Historic Sites, Cannon Mountain Aerial Tramway and Flume Gorge. NH state parks also offers a variety of season passes at www. nhstateparks.org/planning/scheduleand-fees/passes-promotions.

About the Division of Parks and Recreation

The Division of Parks and Recreation is comprised of the Bureau of Park Operations, Bureau of Historic Sites, Bureau of Trails, and Cannon Mountain. The Division manages 93 properties, including state parks, beaches, campgrounds, historic sites, trails, waysides, and natural areas.

The Division of Parks and Recreation is one of five divisions of the Department of Natural and Cultural Resources. To learn more, visit www.nhstateparks. org, follow NH State Parks on Facebook and Twitter, or call 603-2713556.

• Day Tripping

continued from page 22 with flavors. While vanilla remains the best-seller, because it can be used so many ways, he said Tipsy Turtle is another good seller. A chocolate ice cream with caramel cups and pecans, it offers a different take on the standard chocolate formula.

The Sandwich Creamery has always been a small business, and Tom likes it that way, especially as he and Lisa are getting older. Although their son and daughter have been working with them for quite a while, he said they are “trying to slow down a bit.” Today, he makes cheese only once a week. They no longer keep their own cows, having purchased milk from the Walker Farm in Bristol and now buying it from a Conway farm.

They make their ice cream and cheese in the same building as the store, having a small cheese room, an aging room, and an ice cream room, along with a walk-in freezer.

Despite the farm’s remote location, they still get plenty of visitors, at least when the weather is good. “The weather’s the big thing,” Tom said. “We get a lot of people here when the sun is shining, but when it’s cold and rainy, not so much.”

He added, “We try to get people to the other locations [where Sandwich Creamery products are sold], because it’s tricky getting here, particularly in the winter. People should just check in their area to see who’s carrying our ice cream and cheese. It’s good to buy in your community.”

That may be so, but those who make the trip to Hannah Road and the Sandwich Creamery seem to love visiting there, stocking up on the products or simply enjoying an ice cream in the garden.

For information visit Sandwich Creamery on Facebook.

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NH Outside with Emma

How Do I Repair My Lawn and Bring It Back to Life?

By Emma Erler

Healthy lawns are able to withstand quite a bit of abuse. They can outcompete the majority of weeds and tolerate a fair amount of insect feeding, disease and drought without signifi cant injury. Maintaining a healthy lawn is far from easy though. The drought in the summer of 2020 was particularly hard on lawns without irrigation, leading to decline and dieback on many properties. Here is what you need to know if your lawn is not meeting your aesthetic standards.

Which grass should you grow?

While there are hundreds of grass species, only those that are classifi ed as cool season grasses are appropriate for New Hampshire lawns. Cool season grasses grow best in the spring and fall and grow slowly or go dormant during the heat of the summer. The top choices for lawns are Kentucky bluegrass, perennial ryegrass, tall fescue and fi ne fescue. Each of these grasses has its strong points and shortcomings, and the scales will tip in their favor depending on the growing conditions of your lawn. Grasses are often combined in mixes to make the turf more tolerant of a variety of environmental situations.

Kentucky bluegrass is considered by many to be the best of the turf grasses for its deep green, fi ne-textured blades and dense, spreading growth habit. Kentucky bluegrass is the species lawn owners most prize when they want to be the envy of the neighborhood. Kentucky bluegrass is best suited to lawns with loamy soils, full sun exposure, and caretakers who are willing to commit to a large amount of maintenance in the form of fertilizing and watering. It does not hold up to drought as well as other species and requires irrigation during hot, dry spells to keep it from going completely dormant.

Perennial ryegrass is another favorite for New Hampshire lawns, with medium-textured blades and a spreading growth habit. It is usually mixed with other species because it has high wear tolerance and germinates rapidly. It will typically cover the soil and become established rapidly, while Kentucky bluegrass or fi ne fescues take a while longer to get going.

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Tall fescue is a cool season grass that started off as a weed, and is still considered such by some. Tall fescue leaf bl ades are coarser than other species, and they have more of a bunching growth habit. However, the species is extremely tough and easily the most heat and drought tolerant of the cool season turf grasses. It also grows remarkably well in compacted soils, can stand up to a lot of foot traffi c, and requires less nitrogen. Those in the southern part of the state looking to grow a more resilient and ecologically friendly lawn should keep tall fescue on their list.

Fine fescues have the fi nest textured leaf blades of any of the cool season grasses. They are the most shade tolerant too, and will hold up well to heat, cold and drought. Fine fescues do not need a lot of feeding and will grow just fi ne in well-drained, infertile, relatively acidic soils. They can be grown on their own or as part of a mix. Fine fescues germinate much faster than Kentucky bluegrass and can be used to cover the soil while the latter is becoming established.

Buying Seed

“You get what you pay for” applies when purchasing grass seed. Fortunately, grass seed packaging is required by law to list exactly what is contained within. There may be one or more species with several varieties of each. For example, ‘Mystic’ and ‘Adelphi’ are two varieties of Kentucky bluegrass. You will also see purity listed, which is the percent by weight of each seed component, as well as the germination percentage and the date it was tested. Germination declines signifi cantly as seed ages, so it is very important to purchase the freshest seed of the highest purity and germination rate possible. You’ll also want the lowest possible values of crop seed content, weed seed, noxious weeds, and inert matter.

When shopping for seed, you should also remember what the growing conditions are like in your yard (shade, drought, wet soils, etc.) and which grass species are most likely to thrive in those conditions. For example, a typical mix for an average sunny lawn might contain Kentucky bluegrass with lesser amounts of perennial ryegrass and fi ne fescue. For a shady spot, a good mix may include a majority of fi ne fescue or shade tolerant Kentucky bluegrass with a remainder of perennial ryegrass. For a sunny, drought-prone low-maintenance lawn, look for a fi ne fescue-heavy blend with smaller portions of perennial ryegrass and Kentucky blue grass. Those in the warmer southern parts of the state may also try a 100% tall fescue lawn.

When to Sow

Successfully sowing cool season grasses is all about soil temperature and climatic conditions. Cool season grasses tend to germinate best when the soil temperature is between 60 and 80°F and there is abundant rainfall. These conditions occur in the spring and fall in New Hampshire. However, fall seeding tends to produce better results. Grasses that are sown in the spring (late April through May) will have to face summer heat and drought before they are fully established. Young, short roots often aren’t up to the task without consistent and frequent irrigation. Additionally, competition with weeds in the spring and summer can be intense. Annual weed seeds tend to be most viable in the spring and are programmed to germinate towards

• Outside

continued on page 25

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the beginning of the growing season. Many annual weeds, such as crabgrass, thrive in hot weather.

Renovating and overseeding a lawn tends to work much better after the heat breaks in August and September. Weed seeds do not germinate as readily then, and grass seeds do well in cool fall weather. A young lawn should be able to survive the winter without issue as long as the plants are at least six to eight weeks old before the fi rst hard frost.

Lawn Renovation Steps

1. Regardless of whether you are starting a new lawn from scratch or renovating and repairing an old one, you will need to analyze the site and prepare the soil. If your lawn is thin and patchy with weed issues, there is probably a limiting soil factor that needs to be corrected. Examples may include: poor or excessive drainage, soil compaction, acidic soil pH, or nutrient defi ciencies. A good place to start is with asoil test, which will tell you the soil pH, availability of selected nutrients, organic matter content and lead level, and give you recommendations on how much lime and fertilizer to add. 2. Controlling weeds in the lawn is essential. Most broadleaf weeds and crabgrass can be selectively controlled using a commonly available herbicide. However, it is not safe to reseed immediately after an herbicide has been used unless otherwise indicated by the product label. Pre-emergent herbicides and “weed and feed” products should not be used prior to seeding because they can suppress or kill grass seedlings too. Always read and follow label instructions when using herbicides, making sure the product is labeled for the weeds you need to control and observing how long you need to wait before seeding. 3. The next step is to correct the limiting factors that are inhibiting grass growth. This could mean grading the lawn area to reduce the slope or fi ll in low areas, aerating the soil, adjusting the pH, or reducing the amount of shade on the lawn. Many lawns in New Hampshire have excessively well-drained soils and would benefi t from the incorporation of a two-inch layer of compost or a three-inch layer of rich topsoil. If you are renovating an old lawn, you may need to remove the existing turf or till it under in order to incorporate compost, lime and other amendments. After tilling, rake the area to be seeded until it is smooth, and remove rocks or vegetative matter. It can be helpful to fi nish by rolling the soil with a lawn roller to provide a fi rmer base on which to work and sow seeds. 4. If you don’t need to start from scratch, mow the lawn as low as possible and rake away debris. If an excessive thatch layer has developed (greater than a third of an inch), remove it with a dethatcher or dethatching rake. Grass seed needs to have direct contact with the soil in order to germinate and grow properly. Using a rake or dethatcher will loosen the upper quarter inch of soil and prepare it for planting. 5. Fertilize and lime as indicated by the results of a soil test. If you do not have soil test results, put down approximately one pound per 1000 square feet of nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium each. Be aware that the majority of soils in New Hampshire are already high in phosphorus, so adding this nutrient may be unnecessary and polluting. 6. Seed the area uniformly by applying seed in two directions perpendicular to each other. Depending on the size of the lawn area, you can spread the seed with a seeder or by hand. The ideal seeding rate will vary based on the species or mix you are sowing, though the majority will fall in the range of three to six pounds per 1000 square feet. Enough seed should be applied that there are 15 to 25 seeds per square inch of soil. 7. Rake the area lightly to cover the seed with soil. Pressing the seed into the soil is also helpful by going over it with a lawn roller or lightly tamping it down with the back of a rake. Finish by mulching the area lightly with a layer of weed-free straw to conserve soil moisture and prevent rain or irrigation from washing away the seed.

Post-planting care

A newly seeded lawn area needs to be watered lightly and frequently. Ideally, the seedbed should be kept consistently moist from germination to establishment, which may require running a sprinkler over the area two to three times a day. How long it takes for grasses to become established depends on the species, but you should assume that it will likely take at least three to four weeks. After this time, you can cut the watering frequency signifi cantly, but water deeper, to a depth of four to six inches. By the time the lawn is established, you should

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18HoleIndoorMini-Golf 20LaneBowlingCenter FreePartyRoom Group&CorporateOutings Restaurant Tavern CashBingo KiddieRides BirthdayParties IceCreamStand only be watering a couple times a week. Perennial ryegrass is the fastest to establish, and Kentucky bluegrass is the slowest. If you only partially renovated an old lawn or overseeded the entire area, continue to mow the existing grass while the new grass is becoming established. A new lawn area is ready for mowing once it is about three inches tall. Cut with a sharp mower blade to avoid stressing grass, and remove no more than one-third of the blades at one time. (Courtesy of UNH Extension, Ask UNH Extension. The UNH Extension staff is knowledgeable about a number of topics, from gardening to food preservation and more. Information is reprinted with permission of UNH Extension. Got questions? The Ask UNH Extension Infoline offers practical help fi nding answers for your home, yard, and garden question. Call toll free at 1-877-398-4769, Monday to Friday, 9 am to 2 pm or e-mail answers@unh.edu.)

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