The winter is a dim memory as I walk down the hill to the post office. Peterborough is in bloom and the store is full of local friends and happy visitors to the Monadnock region.

Monadnock Oil and Vinegar is uniquely located up the hill from the main, downtown section of Peterborough. Walking down first thing in the morning, I meet many other shop-keepers grabbing their newspapers and mail or emerging from their favorite breakfast haunts. At the foot of the hill a bridge runs over the river. The view of the falls is splendid in the early morning light. Small spaces are carved out with inviting places to sit, listen to the river and admire the gardens full of color.

Putnam Grove Park was presented to the town by a Miss Catherine Putnam on March 11, 1862 to be kept forever as a public grove. It was dedicated by the Peterborough Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution in 1915. A section of park across the street is new this year and equally  lovely.

We share our building with Ava Marie Homemade Chocolates. The bonus is excellent ice cream and the Social Grove Cafe that serves the only lobster roll in town on fresh-baked brioche rolls with homemade cole slaw, chips and a pickle. It’s a bargain I partake of several times a week at just $12.95.

As to the store itself, I’m enjoying bringing a bit of my over-crowded gardens to work every day.  Life imitating art?

We recently added a  our first southern hemisphere extra virgin olive oil of the year, an award-winning Australian Picual. Also French Tarragon white balsamic vinegar and a Greek Dill infused olive oil. The store just celebrated six months of business and we are planning our expansion for mid-August. The new space will house a herb and salt tasting bar, cheeses, a new selection of pasta, delicious stuffed olives and an array of wonderful jarred products fresh from Korey and Kim’s garden.

Business has been so brisk, I barely have time to keep up with the web site and marketing efforts. We did manage to organize the recipes into categories and I hope to add more products and an events calendar. Between farmer’s markets, up-coming country fairs and local women’s clubs requesting their time, Korey and Kim will be on the road a lot in the coming months.

Our next drop-in cooking demo is planned for August 16th with a new guest chef, Elizabeth Skipper from The Everyday Epicure. I’m excited to see what she has planned!

We are old pros at this cooking demo, it’s almost becoming routine. We prepped all week, filling tiny sampler bottles, checking stock and polishing the Fustis. Chef Joe had planned a menu befitting the holiday – Cinco de Mayo. His selections included fruit quesadillas made with Alfoos Mango white balsamic, fish tacos cooked in Cilantro & Roasted Onion olive oil and Jalapeño white balsamic, pulled pork burritos cooked in Chipotle olive oil and finished with Blueberry dark balsamic, and bowl full of Mango balsamic salsa. The recipes are available here.

The morning was sunny for a change, though not terribly warm. Peterborough was hosting “Greenerborough Day” which brought the crowds walking through town right to our doors. Suddenly the little store was buzzing; family, old friends, new faces. Joe’s food was sparking new friendships and the bottles were flying off the shelves.

Now to start planning for “Dads and Grads” in June, I’m thinking a bar-b-que if the weather cooperates!

I often wonder how weathermen and women, meteorologists as they prefer, keep their jobs when they can’t seem to predict the weather.  This weekend, reality reversed the  predictions  for Saturday and Sunday.  Saturday dawned gloriously bright, sunny and warm. THAT was supposed to happen on the only day I had off this week, Sunday.

I closed the store the night before, so I knew exactly what needed to be accomplished before the first customers arrived Saturday morning. I arrived to find Chef Joe  setting up and Korey was restocking the fustis with oils and vinegar. This time Joe had a lovely sous chef to help out. Lillie was not only enthusiastic and charming, she was a darn good sales person.

Folks feasted on braised lamb shank with blackberry-ginger sauce, shaved asparagus salad, various flavors of deviled eggs and marshmallows dipped in flavored dark balsamic vinegars.

Some literally stayed for hours, catching up with neighbors and sampling great products.

Everything went off smoothly for our second event. We are now in the planning stages for a Cinco de Mayo feast and a joint Mother’s Day event with Ava Marie Chocolates and The Social Grove Cafe, our building-mates.

CHECK OUT THE RECIPES HERE!

Someone provides you with an excellent, invitingly clean sandbox. You jump in to play and all the tools are there; the buckets and shovels, the castle forms and characters. How can you not have fun? My sandbox this past weekend was the store.

The idea came from a customer who volunteered to hold a cooking demo in honor of St. Patrick’s Day. My only demand was that we not serve corned beef and boiled cabbage. We settled on Pan Seared Salmon in Black Cherry Vinaigrette Sauce, Pan Seared Sea Scallops in Sesame Oil and Jalapeño Balsamic, Potatoes Anna made with Butternut Squash Seed Oil and Rainbow Slaw featuring Pomegranate-Quince Balsamic.  Joe also brought fresh cantaloupe and dark chocolate from Ava Marie Chocolates for dessert with a variety of vinegars.

The cooking demo/tasting was a new event, something untried so far. All the particulars such as recipe cards, tasting packets and sample bottles were prepared. The morning of the event, we gathered at the store to set up. Floors were cleaned, boot-scaper carpets were shaken and vacuumed, stainless steel Fustis were gleaming, decorations and signs were hastily drawn up.

The team consisted of the owners, Korey and Kim, their niece Caitlin, Chef Joe and I. Deb from the bookstore was thankfully popping in with suggestions, such as “Where were all those recipe cards you had printed??” Ah, she saved my butt there. We polished and chatted and waited for the flood. And the flood did come.

Suddenly the store was awash with bright coats and colors. Folks were clustering around the cooking, commenting and tasting. The aisles were crowded with people tasting and exclaiming over various oils. I worked my way to the back and saw a familiar customer who was enthusiastically showing a friend one of the new Blackberry-Ginger dark balsamic vinegar flavor. “Love it on my grapefruit half every morning!” I quipped as I headed to the stock room for more fresh bread.

Laura Mahoney, my photo blogging buddy, was on hand to catch all the action for us. It was fast-paced but well-organized. I don’t think anyone had to wait very long to be served and there was plenty to taste while you waited.

The day flowed by so quickly, I was caught by surprise as Chef Joe started to pack up. He had run out of some items on the menu and had improvised for plates and cutlery for the last hour.

How did so much energy finally start to slow? It was perfect for everyone to catch their breath and evaluate the event. We had all had fun, there was no dispute there. It was well worth our time. It was such a heroic effort to pull it off so seamlessly, no question.When all was said and done, and we were smiling idiotic grins. Guess we passed all the milestones.

Next up? Chef Joe will be back for an Easter menu extravaganza!

    We are finally catching our breath after a fantastic start! This month at MOV we are kicking off our Guest Chef monthly series with a visit from Joe Stanislaw. Joe has appeared on WMUR’s Cooks Corner and is an award winning chef. He is creating a St. Patrick’s Day menu that doesn’t include Corned Beef and Cabbage!
    Using exotic but healthy olive oils and vinegars from the store, Joe will be demonstrating and offering tastings of salmon, sea scallops, Potatoes Anna, Rainbow Slaw and desserts.
    Come by the store between 10 am and 1 pm on Saturday, March 15th. There’s plenty of parking and lots to taste and learn. Recipe cards will be available.

    We have several new products we’d love to share with you. How does this sound for a healthy day of eating?

BREAKFAST

Half a Ruby Red Grapefruit drizzled with Blackberry-Ginger balsamic vinegar

Scrambled eggs cooked in Baklouti
Chili infused olive oil

Grilled Lamb chops marinated in
Rosemary infused olive oil.

Roasted root veggies, carrots, beets, turnips and potatoes in cilantro with roasted onion infused olive oil.

Our first “KEEP MOVing!” customer award has been randomly drawn and Laura Mahoney from LandS Photography is the winner!! Come on in and pick a free 200ml bottle of your favorite oil or vinegar Laura, and thanks for taking us with you.