Hot Fun in the Wintertime

By Pat Tanner

OK, so we all can’t head to a tropical resort this time of year. The next best thing? Revel in the cold weather, which the folks in two adjacent Delaware River towns have been doing every January for years now. Activities at the Lambertville – New Hope Winter Festival, which runs from January 27th through the 31st, span both sides of the bridge between New Jersey and Pennsylvania. Among the impressively long list of proceedings are a jazz concert, cabaret, and many other musical performances; a parade complete with Mummers; ice sculpting demos; and children’s activities.

All fun and interesting, but let’s cut to the chase: the food and drink.

Each town is blessed with its own brewery - Lambertville has the award-winning River Horse; New Hope has one of the popular Triumph Brewing locations. Both will be featured at one of the festival’s premiere events: the Sunday chili cook-off. Eleven eateries are competing this year, and ticket holders get to cast a vote for the People’s Choice Award. If chili is too hot to handle, head over to Triumph the previous day for the Rotary’s hot roast beef sandwiches, accompanied by brews and live music. Better yet, do both!

Kids will enjoy the puppet theater, the Little Rockers concert, and their own obstacle course, while adults (and more sedate children) may prefer to take in the beauty of these two historic towns via several house, museum, and walking tours.

The full schedule of happenings – and there are many more – as well as prices and ticket information are all at winterfestival.net.

Halloween Happenings

By Brianne Harrison

The countdown to Halloween 2009 is on, and New Jersey is getting right into the—er—spirit of things, starting this weekend.

Never one to miss out when there’s a holiday to be celebrated, Victorian Cape May will host two weeks of specially themed tours and events, including Historic Haunts tours, Ghostwriter Trolley Rides, Miss Parmentier’s Psychic Teas, and Phantoms of Physick Estate. For more information, visit capemaymac.org.

Few things say “Halloween” or, at least, “fall” than pumpkins, which get their very own celebrations this weekend. The 18th Annual Pumpkin Festival at Cape May’s Cold Spring Village will feature a craft show, music, games, pumpkin painting and, in honor of the season, a haunted hayride and a Halloween parade.

Speaking of pumpkins, have you ever wondered how far a catapult can launch one? Find out at the second annual Flying Pumpkin Festival on Saturday. Representatives from NJ Hurl will use medieval war machines to send pumpkins flying about 500 feet. You can also build and race your own cars out of ears of corn, participate in a cake walk or miniature pumpkin launching challenge, and pick your own pumpkin. The event benefits America’s Grow-A-Row (americasgrowarow.org), which provides fresh produce to feed the hungry through volunteer efforts of growing, gleaning, picking, and delivering.

Also on Saturday is the Gardner’s Basin Oktoberfest and Steel Pier Reunion. The event, which runs from noon to 4 p.m., will have live music, food, fun, and appearances from some of the luminaries from Atlantic City’s famous Steel Pier. Meet Ed Hurst, host of the popular ‘Summertime at the Pier’ television show, one of the ‘high diving horse’ girls, and some of Tony’ Grant’s ‘Stars of Tomorrow’. (While you’re in the neighborhood, why not stay over to Sunday and run off some of the bratwurst in the Annual Atlantic City Marathon?)

Busy this weekend? Tuckerton Seaport’s hosting its Haunted Seaport Halloween celebration on October 23 and 24. See the seaport come alive with spirits who haunt the waterways and woods. Visitors can stroll the boardwalk and search for the Jersey Devil or long-lost pirates. For more information, visit tuckertonseaport.org.

Finally, on Halloween proper, go trick or treating at the Emlen Physick Estate in Cape May or, for the grownups, swing by CoolVines in Princeton and Westfield to taste some Candy for Adults—wines to pair and serve with dessert.

Happy Haunting!

Fall In

By Brianne Harrison

Fall is officially here, and that always puts me, at least, in the mood to celebrate. Crisp weather, beautiful scenery, harvest festivals—what’s not to like? And this weekend, there are plenty of chances to get out and enjoy some good weather and autumnal offerings.

The Mendham Harvest Hustle 5K and Kids’ Fun Run
Get some exercise and explore historic Mendham Borough at this premiere event. Children’s events include a 1K run and dashes. Adults can do the full 5K, which winds through Mendham. For more information, go to mendhaboro.org

The Historic Towne of Smithville & Village Green Oktoberfest
Who doesn’t love a good Oktoberfest? Browse the selections of more than 100 juried crafters and sample foods from the international food court. There’ll also be live music and family fun, including a train, carousel, and paddleboats. Smithvillenj.com
The New Jersey Zombie Walk
You can’t often tell your coworkers on Monday that you spent Saturday on a zombie walk, now can you? This year’s event welcomes the undead of all ages and sizes (and leashed dog zombies are welcome too!) Do your makeup at home, at one of the makeup tables at the walk, or have it done professionally for a $10 donation. After you shamble along on the walk, stay for the Zombie Fest, featuring a Thriller performance by Asbury Dance & Yoga, a Zombie Beauty Pageant, and a Jello Brain Eating Contest. Visit njzombiewalk.com

Carnivale of the Dogs and Dog Walk and Pet Fair
TD Bank is sponsoring a Carnivale of the Dogs, which will feature a DJ, pet caricaturist, canine masseuse, giveaways, dog trainers, and a doggie beauty salon, along with animal rescue groups and the Second Annual Delaney Dog Show. Bring a can or bag of food for the food drive for underserved pet owners. Visit companionanimaladvocates.org for more information.

Shoreside, the Monmouth County SPCA will hold their 16th Annual Dog Walk and Pet Fair. Meet celebrity dogs and theatrical animla trainer Bill Berloni, enjoy music and entertainment, food, vendors, and contests. Proceeds benefit the Monmouth County SPCA.

Harvest Treats for Food and Wine Lovers

By Brianne Harrison

It’s just about harvest time in New Jersey, and food and wine lovers will have plenty of opportunities to celebrate autumnal abundance this weekend.

Starting on Saturday, Sept. 19 and running through the 27 is the 13^th Annual Cape May Food & Wine Festival. This week-long foodie’s delight will feature a Gourmet Marketplace at the Cape May Winery, a chef’s cook-off, People’s Choice Chowder Contest, a beer-tasting dinner, cooking lessons, and, of course, meals and special offers at the area’s best restaurants. While you’re in the area, you can swing by the Carriage House Tearoom & Café at the Emlen Physick Estate for the Cape May Harvest Food & Wine Tasting on Saturday. The café will be serving a sampling dinner inspired by local products, co-sponsored by the Seaside Cheese Company and Cape May Winery. Representatives from both companies will be available to discuss their offerings and appropriate pairings. The four-course dinner will start with hors d’oeuvers and will be paired with wines from Cape May Winery.

If you like to have a little entertainment with your wine, Valenzano Winery is hosting WineFest, the state’s largest blues, jazz, and wine festival this Saturday and Sunday. Enjoy live entertainment, wine and cheese tastings, and helicopter rides over the pine barrens. Some of the top crafters from around the state will also be there, so you can get a nice head start on your holiday shopping. For more information, visit localwineevents.com or call 609.268.6731.

Love a good craft beer? Trump Marina invites beer lovers to toast the end of summer at their Craft Beer Fest on Saturday. A $25 ticket allows you to sample featured beers like Jack’s Pumpkin Spice, Victory Fest Beir, Magic Hat #9, and offerings from 25 micro-brews. Send the summer of ’09 off in style as you enjoy live music, good beer, and delicious food.

Those looking to give back as they dine out have three upcoming events to choose from. From September 20 to the 26, The Bernards Inn will participate in the Great American Dine Out. A portion of the inn’s proceeds from this period will go to Share Our Strength, an organization committed to ending childhood hunger in America.

Head to the Renaissance Plaza in Flemington on September 21 for The Culinary Affair, an evening of wine, beer, entertainment, and delicious food from restaurants in Hunterdon, Somerset, and Warren counties. This event benefits the Hunterdon Hospice and Visiting Health and Supportive services.

Finally, the Women on the Move luncheon will take place September 22 at Dogwood Hills Farm in Locust. This luncheon raises money for the New Jersey Chapter of the National MS Society. To learn more, call 732.660.1005 or visit nationalMSSociety.org/NJM.

Fall For Fall

By Molly McGrath

Summertime brings “summer loving” and in spring “love is in the air.” We even have a holiday where a little man in a diaper shoots us with arrows and makes us fall in love with one another right smack in the middle of winter.

Fall is all alone. Fall gets a bad rap sometimes, stealing summer away the way it does. In my humble opinion, though, it is the greatest time of year. I have had an ongoing love affair with fall since I was a little girl. I can smell it in the air in the last weeks of summer. I can’t help but smile the first day it’s cool enough to wear jeans and a jacket. My feet jump for joy when I retire my flip-flops and pull out my socks, sneakers, and boots. I believe that there should be a celebration of love in autumn, just as there is for every other season. That celebration will start right here—it’s time to fall in love with fall.

The first reason to love fall is a no-brainer—just open your eyes. Our state isn’t called “The Garden State” by accident. Fall in New Jersey is beautiful. The changing leaves paint a picturesque backdrop to our daily lives for an entire season! Go outside and take it all in. There are plenty of parks and forests calling your name. Find one near you at the New Jersey Department of Parks & Forestry’s website, nj.gov/dep/parksandforests.

Reason #2 to fall in love with fall: Harvest activities. Apple picking, pumpkin picking-carving-or-painting, corn mazes, festivals. Who could ask for anything more? What could be better than spending the day with your family sipping apple cider and munching on donuts in a sweater and jeans? Who doesn’t love crisp, cool, sunny days? Or grab your friends and make your way through a corn maze—you may become hopelessly lost, but at least you’ll be together. Check out the Tewksbury Harvest Festival on September 26 at Christie Hoffman Farm in Califon, visit one of the many “pick your own” farms in our state, or head out to Stony Hill Farm in Chester for “Maize Quest” the biggest corn maze in the state!

Foliage and fall festivals are the obvious reasons to love autumn, but for me, there is a less recognized one too.

Fall is a great time to help others. September is Ovarian Cancer Awareness Month. Women, join the fight for yourselves and for each other. Men, join the fight for the women in your life. The Kaleidoscope of Hope Foundation will hold three walk-a-thons across the state this September. Visit kohnj.org to find out how you can get involved. Then, in October, take up the fight during Breast Cancer Awareness month. Visit cancer.org and find out how you can participate in a Making Strides Against Breast Cancer 5k.

With Labor Day behind us it’s time to face the facts: summer’s days are numbered. But the doldrums of winter are still months away! So before you let your summer lovin’ go into hibernation, try having a fling with fall.

Canal Day: Not Just About the Waterways

By Brianne Harrison

For many of us, New Jersey’s canals are now pleasant places to stroll, hike, or ride a bike along a waterside towpath. It’s easy to forget that these waterways were once vital to the state’s economy, providing quick, easy transport of goods from one end of New Jersey to the other in the days before railroads came onto the scene.

To celebrate the importance of New Jersey’s canals, Wharton Borough hosts an annual Canal Day (now in its 34^th year) at the Morris Canal, an extensive waterway that spans the width of the state, from the Delaware River to the Hudson. This day-long, family oriented celebration not only acknowledges the canal’s historic importance to the state; it also highlights the more recent contributions of local artists, artisans, and musicians.

If you’re an art lover or on the prowl for a one-of-a-kind gift, check out the beautiful items for sale at the juried craft fair. Take a break to gorge on Italian specialties, Cornish pasties, and homemade pastries, and check out the “Rock the Canal” Music Festival, featuring New Jersey musicians playing rock, blues, country, and traditional and contemporary Irish folk music. If you’re the adventuresome type, you can take a kayak for a paddle on the canal (for free!) and history buffs can take guided walking tours of the canal or kick back with a free mule-drawn barge ride. There will also be blacksmithing demonstrations, an appearance by the Wallaby Tales Traveling Zoo, pony and hay rides, and presentations of poems written about the canal era, from 1820 to 1900. The day will cap off with fireworks at 7 p.m.

Canal Day will take place this Saturday, August 22, from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. (raindate Augist 23) at Hugh Force Canal Park, 270 West Central Ave., Wharton. The event is free. For more information, visit canalday.org/canalday.html

Fancy Food Show 2009

By Pat Tanner

You might think that in this struggling economy the Fancy Food Show would be not as well attended as in years past. Yet the 25,000 food professionals who showed up at the Javits Center at the end of June represented an increase. The reason? Treats like cheeses, chocolates, confections, and savory snacks are small indulgences that help us get through tough times. In that light, I pass along a few of my favorite finds.

Edward’s Surryano Ham. You’ve read about it in the New York Times, and if you’re a customer of Heritage Foods USA you’ve been tempted to buy it. Sure, it has all the sustainable bona fides, but the number one reason to buy it is the sumptuous, not-too-salty taste and silky, melt-in-your-mouth texture.

Effie’s Homemade Oatcakes. The company pushes these crackers/biscuits/cookies as ideal accompaniments to farmstead cheeses, but I can’t stop eating them unadorned. Available at Whole Foods.

Tastybaby Frozen Organic Baby Food. I wish I still had little mouths to feed because if the banana-and-mango is any indication, I’d load up on these portable, re-sealable, single serving goodies. Available at Whole Foods.
LeGrand Pestos and Tapenades. Maison LeGrand’s cold-processed sauces are delicious and fresh tasting, but beyond that they come conveniently packaged in stand-up plastic (but recyclable) pouches that sport re-sealable caps. They’re available at Whole Foods, Zabar’s, and online.

Savannah Bee Honey Grilling Sauce. Honeys – single-flower, infused with other flavors, or still in the comb – continue to grow in popularity, but I noticed a new twist: honey grilling sauces, such as this one by my favorite honey source.

Muirhead of Ringoes. This NJ producer of fruit butters, chutneys, mustards, and salad dressings grew out of the erstwhile restaurant of that name that was opened by Doris and Ed Simpson in 1974. This year the company introduced Roasted Rhubarb Compote, which is good enough to convert even the rhubarb reticent. There was a unique and touching feature at the Muirhead booth: Ed Simpson passed away last summer and, as a tribute, Doris and daughter Barbara exhibited the cherry-condition 1930 Chevy Sedan that Ed had worked on restoring.

Jersey Fresh: Taste the Best NJ Has to Offer

By Maureen C. Petrosky

After indulging in last week’s Real Housewives of New Jersey finale-- drenched in Godfather moments and finished off with flipping tables--I wondered: Really, how could the Garden State top that? Well, we’re doing it, and this time you won’t have to wince as we make waves in the press. Break out your most fashionable drinking shoes (gilded or otherwise), grab your friends, and get ready to celebrate New Jersey in style.

The former New Jersey Slow Food and Wine event has blown up to become the first East Coast Food and Wine festival, and it’s right here in your backyard. For the first time ever, Central Jersey is the place to be for food and wine lovers to revel in the biggest wine event on the calendar. That’s right, no need to travel to Napa Valley, Oregon, or the North Fork to spoil yourself with world class wine and artisanal food.

This weekend New Jersey’s wine-loving housewives (TV’s and otherwise), wine connoisseurs, and rookies are all invited to Hopewell Valley Vineyards for the festival. Don’t miss your chance to taste hundreds of wines grown in the Garden State, served alongside dishes from popular chefs and restaurateurs. Wine and cooking seminars as well as talks on beekeeping and honey making and cheese making are all yours for the taking. Yours truly will be under the tent at 2 p.m. on Saturday, toasting all of you wine lovers, locavores, and those who just can’t get enough of all the best parts New Jersey life has to offer. I can’t promise I’ll flip over my table but I can’t promise I won’t either. You’ll just have to come and find out for yourself.

For more information, visit slowfoodandwinefestival.com

Shad Fest: Not Just About Fish

By Brianne Harrison

There aren’t too many towns (at least not in the mid-Atlantic region) that hold a whole two-day festival to celebrate one fish, but every year the picturesque town of Lambertville does just that when they hold the Shad Fest. This year’s to do is taking place April 25 and 26.

The Shad Fest has been a staple of the town’s calendar since 1981 and celebrates the annual return of the shad up the Delaware River. When the Fest was founded, the fish’s return was something of a miracle—pollution in the river decimated the Shad population, but tighter environmental laws and state and local initiatives cleaned up the Delaware and the Shad came back.

The Shad Fest is about more than just fish (although there’s plenty of it). Local chefs show off their skills, businesses throw open their doors, musicians play, and the streets become galleries, with local artists and artisans displaying their wares. This year, you can also grab a copy of the first-ever reprint of the 1982 Shad Fest Cookbook, featuring recipes from local chefs and residents. Take in one of the historic shad fishing demonstrations or bid on a poster by a local artist for the Sunday Shad Festival Scholarship Poster Auction. There will be rides, face painting, and sand art for kids as well as wine and beer tasting and cooking demonstrations for the parents.

Shad Fest will be held rain or shine in downtown Lambertville from 12:30 to 5:30