As the farm-to-table movement caught on nation-wide, a cohort of farmers, chefs, and organizers put in the legwork to make local food possible here in New Hampshire. This week on Word of Mouth, we trace the history of local food in the state, and we address a listener's question: How can you distinguish real, authentic local food from the dizzying display of marketing gimmicks? We also hang out with a local arts collective on the seacoast, and we sit down with National Book Award-winning poet

Years ago, in the very early days of Youtube, a video was posted that mesmerized audiences and inspired thousands of imitators across the country. But there's someone in New Hampshire who says he's been doing it just as long: syncing sound and light in an all-consuming holiday spectacular on his front lawn. On this episode, we find out what it takes to produce the kind of Christmas display that stops traffic. Also: what exactly happens to your leaves after you rake them up and send them off?

In this episode, a look back at the most controversial stories from our "Only in NH" series, where you ask the questions and we find the answers. We'll hear about the origin of the famous "Chicken Farmer I Still Love You" rock, get an update on the health effects of inhaling wood-stove smoke, and investigate whether New Hampshire's lack of seat-belt law results in more accidents. Plus, your feedback on what we got right (and wrong) reporting each of these stories!

This week on Word of Mouth, two stories about New Hampshire's past, and what it means for the future. First, what did New Hampshire's landscape look like before the intensive logging and development of the past few centuries, and what does that tell us about our history? Next, a New Hampshire court case in the 1970s wound its way to the Supreme Court--and what seemed at the time to be a narrow freedom of speech case is still influencing laws today.

Holidays don't simply spring into existence - they're conceptualized, created, lobbied for, and passed into law by state and federal lawmakers. On this show, we're looking at the New Hampshire author Sarah Hale, who helped craft the modern traditions of Thanksgiving. Also, a holiday that's still under construction: Indigenous People's Day.

In the past few months, the Manchester VA Medical Center met with scandal, disaster, and a full helping of public outcry. Today on Word of Mouth, NHPR's Peter Biello looks back on the summer's news and tells the story of one woman's effort to improve hospital facilities for survivors of military sexual trauma. Also on this week's episode, New Hampshire remains the only state in the country without a law requiring adults to wear seat belts, and we investigate why. A recap of recent news from the

Bodo Schrader was just a baby when his mother was taken to Auschwitz, and four when the concentration camp where he was being held was liberated. While many Holocaust survivor stories are first-person narratives told from memory, time and trauma have prevented Bodo from accessing the details of his own history. For the past two years, Bodo's daughter Margot has taken on the tasks of researching his past. Today on Word of Mouth, Bodo and Margot talk about their shared journey.

For generations, the little red house at the end of Via Tranquilla has been home to a legend. The kind that makes your heart pound and your hair raise. A ghost story... a murder mystery... a curse. On this episode, the keepers of this myth share the grisly story of Via Tranquilla. And then, the truth comes out. Also in this episode: A walk through Haunted Overload , Eric Lowther's haunted wood at DeMerrit Hill Farm. It features towering pumpkin-headed scarecrows, a deranged circus and a scale

For the better part of two decades, New Hampshire has been home to dozens of Indonesian families who immigrated to the United States fleeing religious persecution. Some of them were denied their applications for religious asylum, and they've spent years checking in with authorities and receiving temporary means to stay in the country. Now, under President Donald Trump, they've been told their time is up. This week on Word of Mouth, producer Ben Henry follows one family's journey from Indonesia

Elizabeth Marshall Thomas and Sy Montgomery's 30-plus year friendship began with a ferret bite. Since then, the pair of New Hampshire-based naturalists and science writers have traveled together from Costa Rica to Tanzania. Their new book is called Tamed and Untamed , a collection of essays from their long-time Boston Globe column of the same name. On this episode, Sy and Liz share scientific findings and personal viewpoints that argue the line between human and animal is blurrier than you might