Maxine: Another year is coming to a close. They go by so fast that they blend together. I’m mostly at home these days, so I spend my time listening to music, reading the local newspapers and working on word, number and jigsaw puzzles.
In December, Nigel (South Farm Christmas Trees) gave me a beautiful Christmas tree and Diane & Chuck (Apple Hill Farm) sent up a Jigsaw Advent Calendar.
Our family got together for a late Christmas and the kids gifted me an iPad and a bird camera. I now have videos* of my cardinals and hummingbirds along with lots of squirrel videos!
I was surprised when folks gave me a Valentine’s Day Card Party, I received over 50 cards! On my 92nd birthday, we had a party at the Meetinghouse with extended family and friends stopping in. 
In July, I kept my tradition of riding in the parade but this year the 1939 Fire Truck wasn’t working, so Cliff drove me in the Sugar Hill Rescue vehicle. My friend, Erin, took me out for occasional scenic drives to see the lupine and foliage. This autumn, we visited Windy Ridge Orchard to deliver Harman’s Cheese and pick up fresh donuts for both of us. Erin likes jigsaw puzzles too, so the two of us work on them together.
My son, Bob & Patty: Both continue to work rather than retire. Patty hit the milestone of 50 years at her bank! This year, they embraced the theatre; taking in a few New York Broadway shows and had season tickets at their local theatre. They went to their oldest grandchild’s (Bella) last dance competition in Myrtle Beach and combined that trip with a visit to Florida to see Heather, Kevin and grandson, Nolan. Bella is now a pre-med freshman at the University of Rhode Island and they enjoyed visiting her there recently.
My son, Steve & Nancy: They are still busy with work, family and friends but are now empty-nesters as Tommy graduated this year and is a freshman studying accounting at Indiana University. Victoria has settled into her new home, Logan (unfortunately) is currently working without a paycheck as he is an employee of the Naval Shipyard in Portsmouth. Jake works with Steve at Granite State Development Corp and their work is also impacted by the government shutdown. Will continues as a freelance baseball reporter, but currently, is touring Argentina with his fiancée, Madison.
Cliff: I still make the deliveries to Harman’s NH business accounts, like Gilford’s Beans & Greens and Huckins Farm Store in New Hampton. Pauline and I took in a few Red Sox games and soon will be heading to Montreal to watch the Bruins (my team) vs the Canadiens (Pauline’s team). We spent part of last winter in Florida but haven’t made plans this year. This holiday season, I will pack your orders along with Carl, Michael and Rose. Pauline works at the store as needed and often runs errands for Brenda or the store.
Brenda: This was a crazy year. I had some health issues and spent too much time with doctors. Thankfully, our employees took on some of my jobs. I need my aorta heart valve replaced, so Harman’s will be closed for a bit this winter during that surgery.
I managed to have a small garden despite the drought. My eggplant, tomatoes, and cucumbers over-produced. The deer ate the beets and the bear tore up the carrot patch. With the help of produce from others, I made Bread & Butter Pickles, Mom’s Hot Dog Relish and managed to pick a few quarts of raspberries before the bears got the rest.
Harman’s News: Though not unexpected, it is a struggle with the increasing costs of products along with basic insurance, maintenance, and utilities. We are trying to be the best frugalYankee and squeeze every dime without compromising on quality or value.
We hit a few bumps this year. Our 2023 Cheddar was not aging well and in 2024, the factory recalled all of it. Unfortunately, they only had 17,000 pounds of “good” 2023 to replace it and we use 25,000 pounds a year. In mid-December we will be sold-out of 2023 Cheddar and switch to our 2024 Cheddar (aged 18 months). If you want the 2023 Cheddar, please order early and request delivery before Dec. 15th.
Another bump is that we don’t have John Harman’s Cheddar Cheese Cocktail Spreads. Our co-packer streamlined their business and discontinued their cold-pack services as ours was the only product in that category. These traditional spreads will be missed.
On the positive side, Carl has been wood-turning and we have his cheese tools in our brochure and on-line. Wanda makes beautiful baskets and quilted items, so you will find her crafts in our webstore, too! Maybe we’ll convince Michael to tie a few fishing lures for our fishermen customers to add to our employee products!
Employee News: Harper finished his gap year and started Barber School in August. Michael decided to stay and took on more responsibilities. Elaine cut back so that she is “on-call” and fills in when we need her. Gail continues to work when she is in NH and this year she isn’t returning to Florida until mid-November. Our high-school student, Jack, worked this summer and will work on weekends during the school year. When we needed an extra hand: past employees, Dawn and Allie, have filled in more than once this year. We have a great team at Harman’s and are so thankful for each of them.
Last year’s holiday crew included Carl, Cliff, Colleen, Elaine, Harper, Jack, Jen, Jill, Kathy, Michael, Nancy, Pauline, Wanda, Amy and Brenda. The team cut and wrapped over 7,900 pounds of Cheddar. They wrapped numerous other items like jams, maple syrup, and mustards. Those items were then packed and shipped in 2,174 packages.
The Holidays: We gift wrap and include gift cards (or your cards) to give a personal touch to your gifts. Place your order via the webstore, by e-mail, in person, or by phone. By phone, please call and leave your number; we will call you back to take the order.
Order by December 1st for delivery before Christmas, Hanukkah, or New Year’s Eve
If you miss the deadline, we try to get your order out as soon as we can and it might make it for the holidays. We post Shipping Updates on our website. You can check how close we are to your order by the date that your order was received by us.
Newsletter and Annual Letter: There are 3 ways to receive this letter and a notification of our spring sale, which is when we will offer 5-year and 10-year Aged Cheddar.
By E-Mail: Sign up at the bottom of the www.harmanscheese.com page.
By Mail Post: Contact us by phone, mail, or e-mail to stay on the mailing list.
Posted on our Website*: View in the “Our Story” and “Current Newsletter” sections.
*If we can figure out how to do it, we’ll post some bird and squirrel videos!
We wish you a Happy, Peaceful Holiday Season and the time to enjoy it!
– Maxine, Brenda and Cliff Aldrich
Order on or before November 26th
Receive a FREE pound of Harman’s Cheddar.
We will add the gift cheese to the package that you specify.
Limit: 1 per customer, No coupon code needed.