Well over a hundred family and friends gathered together to celebrate the life of long-time resident and first responder Al Ameer, who passed away on March 3, 2025, in the 77th year of his life, in a ceremony which heart-wrenchingly started with the recording of a dispatcher stating: “After sixty years of service, Al Ameer has answered his last call.”

A Vietnam veteran who enlisted in the Army in 1967, and was awarded the National Defense Service Medal, the Valatory Service medal, the Vietnam Campaign Medal, and the Army Commendation Medal, Al returned to civilian life in Hampton and spent the rest of it in service to the residents of Hampton through his tenure with the Fire Department and the Ambulance Corps, selflessly answering the call for his neighbors for sixty years. In 1995 he was recognized as the Gazette’s Citizen of the Year, and in 2024, he received a proclamation from the Town of Hampton and a citation from the State Assembly for his volunteer service to the town.

Many in attendance shared stories of Al, members of the Fire Department who remembered him as a mentor, his daughter-in-law who echoed everyone’s sentiments when she said he was “always there for us”, and his son. Here are his words:

My dad was my hero growing up. He was just the best and he had a hero team that came with him. I often look back and wonder how he did it.

I have countless memories of being with dad from doing firewood at the old house, tending to chickens, and playing in the most awesome tree house that he built. I still to this day can’t figure out how he built that tree house so quickly. That tree house lasted until they had to cut down the tree, so it was at least 30 years old.

One day dad came home with something sticking out of the back of his truck. Looking out the window I didn’t know what it was but I knew it was awesome. He had gotten me a go-kart. I probably was not really old enough for it. The first ride didn’t go so well. I went full tilt across the yard, spun out and scared myself and mom. I had to wait forever to drive it again. That go-kart was for sure a “gateway drug” for me and my addiction to vehicles and fixing stuff.

As I grew and started building my own life and making terrible decisions on my own, mom and dad stuck by me and did their best to encourage and advise me to make better choices. When I found out that I liked jeeps and racing, they did not try to stop me, though mom couldn’t stand to watch me compete most times. Dad came with me to so many races. Looking back I wish I knew at the time how much that would mean to me. Dad and Kari both came to all the big events, they even flew to South Carolina to cheer us on. Mom did her part from home base, making us famously good food to share with the whole crew. At Vermonster there were helicopter rides and every time I won I’d take the money to buy us tickets for it. Dad loved those rides. He would always hit it off with the pilot and the rides would go a little longer than they were supposed to.

My dad influenced who I am in a lot of ways…His love of animals helped Kari and I build our lives. Kari found herself working with animals and for me, it helped me find my amazing, perfect wife.

When dad started working for Amerigas it allowed him to go to more fire calls. For a long time we all joked that he would be the only one that would bring a rolling bomb to a working fire. Speaking of which, dad had been blown up not once, but twice. I learned how strong he really was during those times. Being burned like he was, staying in the burn unit, and the pain he must have endured; he had been through hell and made it back. He was the strongest man I knew and was always there for his family, friends, and the community.

I can’t count the amount of times dad was top responder. The firehouse and everyone who has been a part of it has truly been dad’s family. I hope that all its members here today know that. This was his rock. This was something he loved and cared for as much as his blood family, and he dedicated 60 years of his life to it.

Growing up, mom and dad treated our friends like family. If any one of them needed a safe place, food, a ride, or an advocate, mom and dad had them covered. We always felt safe at home an d I will never be able to thank them enough for that. I have a small family but a strong and loved one. Having memories of being together, camping as a family, surrounded by friends. Charlestown Beachway was such a special place for our family. We intend to spread dad’s and mom’s ashes there together.

Later in life I met Penny and realized that I wanted to spend forever with her and dad was so supportive. Even though he was going through one of the hardest parts of his life, this was when mom was sick. I had never seen my dad cry or show weakness until mom passed. So much had happened in his life but he had handled it all with grace. Losing mom was harder than any physical pain. I remember being with him one day just trying to find some way to help, not too long after she was gone, and the tones went off for a fire in Chaplin requesting mutual aid. Dad hadn’t left the house in a few weeks at this point and was just so sad. I said, “Come on They need help. Let’s go.” And that got him going. We headed up, hopped in one of the ET’s and headed to Chaplin. Dad refocused and his fire family took over. I’m pretty sure he was top responder for many years after that. Thank you, Hampton Fire Department. My dad needed you and to this day you took care of him, too.

As time moved along, dad found Holly. Friendship grew into love and marriage. Holly was a big change of pace for us. That was just what dad needed. They got to travel and go on adventures together. They took care of each other, and are awesome grandparents. We became a new family. Thank you to Holly for filling dad’s life with love, and caring for him. He loved us all. He was the best dad and an amazing friend to all of you.

Joey Ameer

Over the past many years, Hampton’s Memorial Day observance program has tried to focus on the extraordinary variety of perspectives the residents of our small rural community bring to the somber and sobering occasion of honoring and reflecting on America’s fallen war heroes.

There have been incredibly personal, firsthand stories that recounted the horror and insights of battle…touching recollections of the comedy and sadness and humanity o shared sacrifice…as well as many poignant and deeply felt experiences of the people who may  not have gone off to battle but whose loved ones served in harm’s way. The last couple of years the Memorial Day Parade committee has tried to bring the actual words and recollections of WWII and Korean War era veterans to life through the letters and recorded interviews of the people who served.

This year we are attempting to tell the story of the Vietnam War in the same way…though the letters, stories and interviews with Vietnam veterans and their families. If you have a story to tell, a memento to share, or a memory to recount won’t you please reach out to us at: firstselectman@hamptonct.org.

Believe us that no memory is too vague, or story too short, and no account of the sacrifices that people make to try and keep the world safe for us all is too small to shed light on the value of service to our community and our country.

Memorial Day Committee

Fifty years ago, the United States pulled out of Vietnam, and the conflict in Southeast Asia came to an end. The Second Vietnam War concluded with the unification of North and South Vietnam. During the ten years of American participation, the news concentrated on combat footage of the conflict, which seldom told the entire story of the American soldier in-country. To provide a broader overview of a soldier’s stay in Vietnam, during the Memorial Day celebration in Hampton, the Town will show a documentary video produced by a Hampton resident in the Town Hall.

The movie takes viewers from stepping on the plane to get to Vietnam to returning home using 125 photographs the residents took during 1968 and 1969. The narration highlights the people, customs, children, G.I. living conditions, work conditions, base camps, and thoughts of home. The movie will be shown in the Community Room at Town Hall after the ceremonies conclude. There will be multiple showings, and all are invited to gain a different perspective on spending 365 days in Vietnam during that period. Showing times will be announced during the ceremony.

Jamie Boss

The sacrifices of our townsfolk during wartime are evidenced in our cemeteries, where an impressive amount of markers identifying veterans flank a multitude of gravestones. Currently, many men and women from our town are serving in the military, a commitment that dates from the French and Indian War.

Connecticut sent five thousand men to fight in the French and Indian War, from 1754 to 1763, and though our town wasn’t incorporated until 1786, according to Susan Jewett Griggs’ Folklore and Firesides, Windham “furnished seven companies”, and two of these were from our parish, Windham’s Second Society.  Hampton’s troop of cavalry, under Captain John Howard, included fifteen men, and under Captain Durkee’s Company, twelve were enlisted.

Mostly what locals recall of that era is the story of “The Frogs of Windham”, for which the town is famed. There are several different versions of the “The Frog Fight”, or “The Frog Fright”. According to legend, a deafening sound awakened Windham villagers one night, and fearing enemy attack, scouts were sent to investigate. All accounts concur that at dawn, hundreds, if not thousands, of dead bull frogs were found in a Windham pond. Historical records verify that there was a drought the summer of 1758, and that the frogs were probably in search of water. Whether the bull frogs fell victim to the scouts’ muskets, fought with one another, or were diseased is unknown. But the frog became Windham’s mascot, and the folktale, Windham’s most famous.

Similarly, the story most remembered from the American Revolution is “The House the Women Built”, the tale of the intrepid and determined Sarah Hammond, who decided to build a home for herself and her fiancé, Uriel Mosley, when he was called to service, enlisting many other women for the raising. The couple were married on September 15, 1788, and lived in the house, which still stands sturdily today, for half a century.

There was much notable involvement in the War for Independence. According to Griggs, “Captain Ebenezer Mosley led a company to Bunker Hill”, Captain James Stedman “was at the battles of White Plains and Harlem Plains, marched with Washington in his retreat through New Jersey, crossed the Delaware with him, and suffered the bitter winter at Valley Forge”, and Lieutenant Calvin Munn “was with Lafayette in Virginia, and was at the evacuation of Yorktown, and the taking of Cornwallis”. There were seventeen Fullers from our village on the muster roll, including Abijah, who served under General Israel Putnam, and “had charge of throwing up the earthworks the night before the battle of Bunker Hill.” Hampton, or the Second Society of Windham at the time, sent many soldiers to war. In Discovering Hampton, Janice Trecker wrote “Some idea of the number drawn from villages such as ours…can be seen in the fact that at the fifty year celebration in 1826, no fewer than forty-two revolutionary veterans were still alive, and hearty enough to squeeze into their old uniforms for the celebratory parade.”

Trecker writes of the Civil War that Luther J. Burnham was the first Hampton recruit in April of 1861. Twenty-seven men followed him that year and twenty-one in 1862, “a fair percentage from a town of only 937 people”. She writes of those who returned home ”wounded and disabled”, and others who never returned,  the stone in their family’s plot inscribed with ‘buried where he fell’.  Hampton has a primary source in the letters of Sergeant George Hammond, who fought under General McClellan’s Union Army. Starting in April 19, 1863, he penned detailed missives while “the misquitoes hummed around (his) head”, conceding “we would be really lonesome without them”.  His letters include information on rations, “the Rebs”, marching orders, “good news from Vicksburg”, dysentery, and the “mercy of the all supreme power”.

The memorial stone at the town’s center, dedicated on July 4, 1920, lists the names of 47 veterans of World War I. According to the memories relayed in Alison Davis’ Hampton Remembers, the American Legion Post was initiated a few years later, and sponsored the Memorial Day Commemorations. At that time, it was more of a Community Day: a parade with a Brass Band and a Ladies Band, both with resident musicians, intramural races between the various one-room school houses, picnic lunches and concerts. It was estimated that 98 percent of Hampton’s inhabitants attended.

After World War II, the American Legion Post #106 was named for Leslie Jewett, Hampton’s only son lost in the war, one of the first to storm Omaha Beach at Normandy on June 6, 1944, and one of the 47 veterans of World War II, born and raised here, whose names are engraved on the Memorial Stone at Town Hall. His story has been the subject of a number of Memorial Day Addresses, including 2023, when the passing of Clarence Thornton and Tom Gaines, the last two veterans of World War II prompted us to commemorate those who served in the war with their own words, recorded in letters, newspaper clippings, and speeches, and read by their sons and daughters and grandchildren: Clarence Thornton’s most memorable moment of running into his brother, who needed bullets, and emptying his own gun and “giving them all to him”;  Richard Schenk’s story of building a pontoon bridge across the Moselle River, of soldiers replacing those killed by enemy shellfire, their bodies floating down the river, a scene “repeated over and over until the bridge reached the other shore”; Bob Jones’ description of his capture and imprisonment at Stahlig Luf, in a 12 X 12 cell with 24 men for ten months, though “sometimes you thought you’d be there forever”; Wendell Davis’ accounts of  a “pile of dead men, stacked like cord wood, waiting for the graves registration unit to clip their dog tags before burial…the stench of rotting flesh on a tropical beach…a young sailor sewed up in a length of new white canvas, slipped gently over the side… voices always full of hope, dreams of the future, plans, full of excitement, voices of young Americans, ‘when I get home’”;  Ernie Loew’s letter relaying the liberation of a concentration camp, “of dead bodies…all over the place, piled up head to feet…two hundred of them lay there, unburied, simply starved to death”; and Tom Gaines, who was stationed at Pearl Harbor, and simply spoke of the importance of peace.

The Memorial Stone at Town Hall also lists those who left their homes here in Hampton to serve during the Korean War. Last year’s Memorial Day Address shared the stories of these veterans, collected from previous interviews, Memorial Day speeches, and those living still among us.  We were honored to have one, George Miller, as our first speaker. Many of our Korean War veterans were stationed elsewhere — Germany, Greenland, France, Japan, Puerto Rico, the North Pole, on the seas transporting cargo from Norfolk, Virginia to Portsmouth, England and to Casablanca, and in the air, engaged in an airborne rendezvous to refuel planes transporting atomic bombs from the United States to the Sahara Desert.

One of our veterans, Gordon Hanson, shared his experiences serving two years on the front lines, where it was so dark one could cross enemy lines and not even know it, and where he dispelled the warning that the front lines were the worst with the words: “those guys really took care of each other.” He ended one of the three Memorial Day Addresses he delivered with the reminder: “The collective breadth and depth of our experiences, the sheer weight of the collective number of experiences assembled here together, provide the most powerful and enduring memorial. So before you leave, turn around and thank your friends and neighbors for being here, for remembering, for making this truly a Memorial Day”. 

After our tributes to the veterans of World War II and of Korea, it only follows that we honor our Vietnam veterans this year.  As we have for the last two Memorial Day Addresses, we’ll share their stories. They were not as easy to collect. The Vietnam veterans really didn’t talk of their experiences for a very long time. It wasn’t just the veterans though who didn’t speak of the war, no one really did. Unlike World War II, when the town published a newspaper reporting on all of the men and women who were serving, there was no special publication. Couched in political controversy, there was no memorial stone, no ”Welcome Home”  dinner, no “Welcome Home” parade. I had already researched and written an article for “Our Rural Heritage” titled “On the Home Front” which chronicled all the war efforts and support for our troops during those prior wars. And then realized — that won’t do this year.

In 1995 Art Osborne, a veteran of World War II, delivered the Memorial Day Address.  “I still remember being part of the war in Europe, the struggles, the mud and cold, the fearfulness, the longing for home, my buddies being brought in wounded and dying, not ever knowing what was coming next,” he wrote. “And then the good news, Japan had surrendered! Our ship was turned around and put into Newport News, Virginia. What a welcome we received! All over the country people were rejoicing. How I wish that our boys coming back from Vietnam could have received a welcome like we had.” Our nation failed miserably in giving the soldiers returning from Vietnam the recognition they deserved.

Much as the music fueled the anti-war sentiment, art, eventually, instructed us: books like The Things They Carried, Ken Burns’ documentary series: The Vietnam War, movies, such as Platoon, and performances as in Born on the Fourth of July. Our country started the process of trying to comprehend what we couldn’t possibly; and we learned, and grew, and repented.

And some of the soldiers started to talk. Decades after the war ended, two of our town’s Vietnam War veterans delivered Memorial Day Addresses, four veterans granted the Gazette interviews for the series “Those Who Serve”, and one veteran even published an important memoir.  Our front page this month pays tribute to a Vietnam War veteran who spoke little of his experiences there, yet taught us commitment and courage on his return, when he continued to give unfailingly of himself for the rest of his life.

This year the nation commemorates the 50^th anniversary of the end of the Vietnam War. Across the country, in large cities and small towns like ours, we express gratitude for those who served, apologies for the belated recognition, and publicly proclaim, at long last,  a collective and sincere “thank you” on Memorial Day, when the presence of each and every one of us assembled shall “provide the most powerful and enduring memorial.”

Dayna McDermott

June 16, 1863

Dear Father,

Now like others I have seen enough of battle. Men lie dead, shot through the head and everywhere some are barely alive. We see a man wounded & all we can do is give him a cheering word & some water, fix his wound & see someone takes him to the hospital. A Major & Col. were all tore to pieces. No one but soldiers could stand the sight…It seems a miserable useless slaughter. Though some think the Rebs have but little ammunition left, little food & few men, I think they have enough to last 3 months if they get reinforcements from the rear. Don’t expect us home soon.

Some say they will not write until it is all over. But when it is all over I may be gone. This will give you my account.

Give my love to all,

Your Son,

George A. Hammond.

The proposed school budget for the 2025–2026 academic year is $7,386,184 and represents a 3.66% or $261,013 increase from the current year, reflecting our district’s continued commitment to student success, academic innovation, and fiscal responsibility. This modest increase supports key priorities while addressing rising operational costs.  The assessment for Hampton in this budget is $1,639,196.

The most significant portions of the budget increase are tied to contractually obligated wages, magnet school tuition, health insurance, special education, (including speech and language services), athletic transportation, and diesel fuel.  Recently settled contract negotiations have yielded a 3.5% increase in salaries and wages. Additionally, increased special education costs reflect our ongoing commitment to meeting the diverse needs of all learners with the appropriate resources, staffing, and support. Transportation costs have also risen, and this budget ensures continued safe and reliable service for all students. We are appreciative of the efforts of our health insurance broker who has worked with our tri-town Boards to minimize cost increases for the upcoming year.

A core emphasis of the 2025–2026 budget is the continued implementation and expansion of Advanced Placement (AP) and Early College Experience (ECE) courses, providing students with the opportunity to pursue rigorous college-level coursework and earn college credit while still in high school. At the same time, the district is expanding career readiness programs to prepare students for success after graduation—whether they choose to pursue college, technical training, or enter the workforce. These initiatives include new partnerships with local industries, internship opportunities, and enhanced vocational programming.

This budget reflects the district’s mission to offer every student a pathway to success, whether academic, technical, or career based. We are proud of the progress we continue to make and remain committed to transparency, accountability, and community engagement. We encourage all residents to learn more about the proposed budget and participate in the upcoming budget vote.

There will be a Tri-town hearing relating to the proposed (BOE-approved on 4/1/25 for assessment) 2025-2026 Regional School District #11 on Monday, May 5th at 7PM in the Parish Hill Middle/High School Library. Everyone is encouraged to attend.

Together, we can ensure our schools remain a place where every student has the opportunity to grow, achieve, and thrive.

Andrew Skarzynski, Superintendent

N.B.Despite a decrease from 54 to 50 students, Hampton’s Assessment for the FY2025-26 RD#11 Budget is a $191,255, or 11.67%, increase over the current year.

On April 25, staff and students from the Hampton Elementary School, members of various town and state organizations, and several residents gathered together to celebrate Arbor Day. This was the town’s sixth annual commemoration.

This year’s event took place at the Hammond Hill Preserve, a parcel of over 50 acres in the Little River Valley which the Town purchased a few years ago for open space. Bruce Spaman, a member of the Recreation and Conservation Commissions, served as Master of Ceremonies and spoke of the preserve, encouraging everyone to visit. The preserve offers trails to hike, a viewing platform, and ample opportunities to fish in a pond and in the Little River.

All of the elementary school students participated in the ceremony, starting with the first and second grade students singing “This Land is Your Land”. The pre-school students shared ways that even little people can make a big impact on trees and on the environment. Their suggestions included planting trees, planting gardens, and planting flowers for the bees. The kindergarteners recently explored Hampton’s trees and wrote a collective letter to a tree. Students in third and fourth grade wrote essays on the importance of trees, and the fifth graders wrote poems on trees. Sixth grade students were at Nature’s Classroom all week, where they undoubtedly celebrated plenty of trees.

Sugar maple trees were planted at the preserve in honor of Randy Thompson, a life-long resident of Hampton who was a member of the Conservation Commission and instrumental in the town’s purchases of many parcels to preserve as open space, including the one at Hammond Hill. Conservation Commission Chairman Mark Samios explained to the children that Randy wanted to protect nature and the rural character of the town for future generations, and expressed hope that this and other preserves will be protected for years to come.

Mr. Spaman thanked all participants, including the Department of Public Works for preparing the site for the planting of the trees, and introduced guest speakers. A representative from Eversource spoke of the history of Arbor Day, a forester from the Department of Environmental Protection fielded several questions from the students, and Selectman Bob Grindle read the annual proclamation. A well-known “star gazer”, Mr. Grindle also encouraged families to visit the preserve at night, explaining that there are few places in Hampton as spacious for viewing constellations.

Students were given bags of tree-related gifts, and  Kousa dogwoods to plant at their homes.

Dayna McDermott

It stands witness to the traffic and affairs of everyday life.  It is older than I.  Yes, I believe older than us all.

Its exterior is clad with diagonal shingles, calling to mind the scales of a fearsome dragon, but the vision is deceptive.  As I, it is showing its age.

Its interior beams, weathered and checked, can be seen clearly in the daylight that enters it through missing east and west doors and windows. Its cupola sits crookedly astride its unevenly sagging ridge pole. It bears the scars of appendages removed, for usefulness or necessity. Its neighbor is a faithful companion, a massive Chinese chestnut that shades it from southern sun in summer while letting the fleeting winter sun warm its old timbers.

The barn has begun to list in recent years, now leaning decidedly northward.  Its eastern side has buckled outward, an interior post or two having given way.  Without repair the decay will continue until the barn succumbs to the forces surrounding it: wind and water, snow and ice and rain, or simply gravity.

What a structure it must’ve been in its early years!  Not as large as some of the town’s other barn owners could boast, but a beacon signaling the change from Hampton to our southern neighbors to travelers utilizing the nearby road.

Each time I approach the barn, I feel my breath halt rounding the corner as I wonder to myself, is it still standing?  These old structures don’t die easily, mortised and tenoned together.  My father spoke of his friend, Joe White, owner of a Dutch gambrel home nestled in the woods of town.  Joe had an old barn, likely contemporary to his home, that he wanted removed.  My father with reluctance helped him in the task: “What a shame!  We had to hook a chain around the corner post and use a tractor to break it to get the barn down.” Yes, my father understood the beauty of ancient and lasting craftsmanship, and that each demolition diminished our own history, a beam and a trunnel at a time.

The National Weather Service has advised us that tomorrow will bring perhaps our first snowstorm of the season.  Yes, I enjoy snow.  While I could go out and play, I prefer to truly enjoy it from inside my snug home as it dances down, changing my view of my world.

I am expectant that I will survive this storm, as I have so many others.

I don’t know about the barn.  Perhaps it, too, will survive to greet me once more, a welcome friend, as I drive by.

June Pawlikowski Miller

This was the first barn we featured in the series “Our Rural Heritage”, originally intended to record the stories of our town’s old barns “while they’re still standing”. That was seven years ago. These words and the photograph were recorded this winter.  Spring has finally sprung; we’ve survived another winter and so has the barn.

I grew up nearly in the shadow of the big red barn. I remember from an early age the sounds and sights and smells of that old barn with its two, then one, then no standing silos. It was a great comfort to go outside and see the cows going into the barn to be milked. To hear Nanny calling to them, “Come Boss! Come Boss! Come Bossie!” They’d come running. They knew it was time to eat the sweet grain and be milked. In the afternoon some of us kids — there were eight of us so we didn’t all go in a crowd — would head down to the barn to get our pail of milk and carry it home. It was cold and rich and sweet, fresh from the cows, many of whom we’d named and treated like pets. There was Charlie — she was a sweet and gentle cow. Georgie the bull — you didn’t want to go in the field with him — he didn’t like people.

The barn was full of adventure and fun for my siblings and me. A perfect place to play cops and robbers, hide and seek. And of course, the hay mow was wonderful for tunneling in the hay, swinging from a rope from the big wooden beam to the sweet hay below. Nanny didn’t like us playing up there as we’d scatter the hay about. We’d be quiet as the barn mice but she always knew when we were up there. She’d holler “You kids, get out of that hay loft!” But didn’t care if we continued to stay and play. During the summer months, we’d be down the farm more than at home. We’d play in the barn, pet the animals, look for new kittens. The barn was home to many animals, including some infamous mousers, who went by the names of Hunter, Zorba, Starsky and Hutch.

In later years, the dairy cows were all sold. There were still a few beef cows, goats, chickens, and of course the barn cats. Then they all too were gone from the barn. But the echoes remained. Of the sounds of the cows moving their noses about in their grain bins, the banging of the stanchions as they moved about when the flies were bothering them. The smell lingered in the wooden beams and walls of Timothy hay, milk and manure. I can still picture Nanny’s sweet, tired smile as she finished up her barn chores and headed for the house to fix supper.

Becky Burelle Gagne

Reprinted from “Our Rural Heritage”, February 2018

Rhubarb Custard Cake

Unsurprisingly, even people who are not fans of rhubarb tend to love this cake.

Preheat oven to 350°F, grease and flour 13”x 9” pan.

Ingredients:

1 Box Yellow Cake Mix

4 Cups chopped rhubarb, rinsed and drained, unpeeled

1 Cup granulated sugar

1 Pint heavy cream

Instructions:

1. Prepare cake batter according to package directions and pour into the prepared pan.
2. Spread the chopped rhubarb evenly over the top of the cake batter.
3. Sprinkle sugar evenly over the rhubarb.
4. Pour heavy cream (unwhipped) over the sugar.
5. Bake 50-60 minutes; till cake springs back when lightlypressed.

Notes:

1. The cream, sugar and rhubarb sink to the bottom, forming a custard layer.
2. If you prefer to make a favorite “from scratch” yellow cake, pretty much any 3-egg recipe will do, but having done it both ways it is

difficult to taste the difference.

iii. Rhubarb can be harvested in season and frozen—do it in 4 cup batches…then thaw overnight in the fridge, drain (it will be a little

mushy at this point, avoid the urge to squeeze it dry) and let it sit a while to get rid of some of the extra moisture. Frozen rhubarb

works very well.

1. Have tried this recipe with other fruits and nothing works quite as well as rhubarb, though well drained home-canned peaches and

fresh berries perform okay…just okay.

Bob Grindle