Our favorite New England snacks, condiments and appetizers

by Eric H., lifelong New England native

There's something special about buying products from your own region. For some travelers, it's even more special buying products from that region as a vacation memory.

Whenever possible, we like to buy local to celebrate the unique products in our areas, support local business, and validate the idea that our New England area turns out food products as good as any in the country. Here are a few of our favorite regional snacks, condiments and appetizers:

Vermont Common Crackers: As children we thought the crunchy, round Vermont Common crackers were a new product, made especially for us.  Little did we know that this cracker with the pleasing, agreeable cracker taste had been around since 1828! Suffice to say, it's a staple of Vermont snack lovers. We like eating them straight out of the retro green tin, but they're great in chowders, too! We stayed away from the Common Crackers for awhile as they had trans fats, but now they are free of this deadly fat. This has opened the gates, once again, to eating one of our favorite New England snacks and feeling like a kid again. 

Stonewall Kitchen Blueberry Jam

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Just thinking about Stonewall Kitchen Blueberry Jam makes my mouth water. I believe that all blueberry jam is good, which makes it noteworthy that Stonewall Kitchen's brand clearly stands above the rest.  It's like they picked the blueberries at the peak of ripeness,  and then added the right amount of sweetness to augment the inherent great blueberry taste.  It's slightly more expensive than other jams, but certainly worth the price!

Orton Cooper Kettle Fudge

Made in Massachusetts and sold at the Vermont Country Store, this amazing sweet treat proves that there's nothing like buying fudge at a New England country store.  I remember as a child enjoying eating fudge from the Vermont Country store as much as the foliage and other incredible "Green State" scenery!  As adults, we made sure that we bought some fudge at the Vermont Country Store on the way back from our honeymoon in Quebec City. The fudge tasted as fresh and wonderful as ever.

Vermont Four Year Cheddar Cheese

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While I have never bought this specific product, Vermont-made cheese has always had a special place in our hearts. We grew up in Arlington, MA, across the street from the Murphys, cheese salesmen with kind hearts and boundless generosity. When Fred came back from Vermont, he would give us some cheese samples that tasted unlike anything we bought at the market. I think many local producers of Vermont cheese really care about their product, including the right amount of aging. The difference in taste is quite obvious!

Vermont Maple Syrup

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All New England states turn out maple syrup, but somehow the best maple syrup comes from Vermont. The words "Vermont" and "maple syrup" have formed a household name phrase for many years, given the fresh, sweet taste that is just great on pancakes, waffles and French toast!

Necco Wafers

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There has been many changes of ownership dating back to 1847, but the taste of the sweet and flavorful Necco (short for its former manufacturer, the New England Confectionary Company) wafer, thankfully, remains intact. I remember buying these candies from the old Kendall Contectionary Company in Cambridge, from Ms. Mooney (the lady who called us "honey") at Hoffman News in Arlington, MA and taking them on the long ride to see our cousins in Rochester, NY. I loved the licorice and wintergreen wafers the best

Legal Sea Foods Clam Chowder

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New England has countless places that offer great clam chowder (or "chowda," as we say here).  Legal Sea Foods is one of those storied New England seafood restaurants that represents the clam chowder scene quite well. It's everything a New England chowder should be: creamy, thick, tangy and with the right proportion of clams and potatoes.

Hotel Reservations in New England 

For discount lodging availability in and around your New England vacation destination, select from the hotel lists below:

Connecticut Hotels

Maine Hotels

Massachusetts Hotels

New Hampshire Hotels

Rhode Island Hotels