July 3, 2009 by Sara Zoe.

USDA Secretary Tom Vilsack
Date: July 6, 2009
Time: 10:30 AM to 12:00 PM
Location: Carter Hill Orchard
73 Carter Hill Road
Concord, NH 03303

Join USDA Secretary Tom Vilsack for a Town Hall Meeting as part of a Rural Tour to listen on the issues that are important to you. This is an opportunity to focus on economic/business impacts on rural America, farms, renewable energy and the role rural America can play. USDA Rural Development, USDA Natural Resource Conservation Service and USDA Farm Service Agency will be present at this forum with Secretary Vilsack.

There will be a question and answer session.
Doors Open to Public at 10:00 AM
Contact: Elizabeth Purchia at 202-422-2371
elizabeth.purchia@wdc.usda.gov
If special accommodations are required contact Elizabeth Purchia
by Thursday, July 2, 2009.

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July 1, 2009 by Jeff.

The 2009 Seacoast Harvest is now available and ready to help you find local sources of your favorite foods.

Copies of Seacoast Harvest can be picked up for free at the Portsmouth, Durham, Newmarket, Exeter, and York farmers’ markets.  You can also find them at farms such as Riverslea Farm in Epping, Barker’s Farm in Stratham, and Brookford Farm in Rollinsford.  We are currently working on getting copies out to farm stands, markets, and events throughout Rockingham, Strafford, and York Counties, so be on the lookout for it.

This year’s Seacoast Harvest is 24 full-color pages of information about many of the farms, farm stands, and farmers’ markets in our region, including products available and where they can be purchased.  Information is provided for over 140 farms and two dozen farmers’ markets. It also includes seasonal availability charts for local produce and New England seafood, a farming practices glossary, and a quick reference guide to help consumers find what they’re looking for.

Seacoast Harvest is the local food guide for York, Strafford, and Rockingham Counties and is updated annually to ensure that it is an effective resource for consumers and farmers.  It is a collaborative project of Seacoast Eat Local and Slow Food Seacoast and is accomplished through the hard work of their volunteers as well as the generous contributions of both business and nonprofit sponsors and individual donors.

Seacoast Harvest’s launch will be held in conjunction with  Slow Food Seacoast’s Down on the Farm Picnic on July 12, 2009 from 11am-3pm at Osprey Cove Farm in Madbury.

Be sure to visit to www.seacoastharvest.org for more useful information as well as a searchable database of local farms.

Posted in author: Jeff, sources of local food | Print | 1 Comment »

June 30, 2009 by Sara Zoe.

I picked up a flyer from Eastman’s on Thursday at the Exeter Farmers’ Market — I’m very excited that we have our very own CSF* style offerings, with pick-ups at the Exeter Farmers’ Market and Emery Farm in Durham.

“Are you looking to provide your family with the freshest local fish possible? If the answer to this question is yes, you may want to consider signing up for Eastman’s Local Catch. By participating, you would receive 12 weeks of wild caught fish harvested by local fishermen. Your weekly fish from our fishermen’s catch could consist of haddock, cod, pollack, flounder, monkfish, or ocean catfish. Your fish are cleaned and packed on ice at our market in Seabrook Beach and then go directly to you! 12 weeks, 2 lbs a week, $190/12 weeks, 4 lb a week, $380″

Here’s the flyer  for all the details of the what and where and how: eastmanslocalcatch.pdf

Questions and more information call Carolyn Eastman at 760-7422

*CSF stands for Community Supported Fishery. Like a CSA, Community Supported Agriculture, the consumer pays up front for a weekly share of the harvest, in this case, fish! This model shortens the supply chain of fish to consumer, helping fishermen get a more fair price for their catch. Very conveniently, the Portsmouth Herald had an awesome article on CSFs around New England in the Sunday paper:

Alice and Larry Hatch always bring a cooler filled with ice when they shop for seafood each week.

They don’t go to a supermarket or even a seafood shop. This summer they’re getting their fish — whole, with eyes staring up — directly from the fishermen who caught it.

The seafood comes from the nearby fishing port of Port Clyde and the sale is at what might be the nation’s first “community supported fishery” venture.

A similar agriculture model has been around for decades; farmers sell portions of their harvest directly to people who take it home and prepare it for dinner. Now fishermen are getting in on the act, selling their fresh fish to people who pay in advance for a share of the catch.

As they picked up their weekly 5-pound allotment at the Rockland Farmers Market on a recent day, the Hatches watched closely as fisherman Glen Libby took out a long serrated knife and demonstrated how to fillet a cod.

“This is all very personal, and it’s all very natural. And it all comes from right here,” said Alice Hatch.

The aim is to help fishermen earn a premium on their catch as they struggle with burdensome fishing regulations and declining fish populations. In return, shareholders are guaranteed fresh local fish and a chance to support their local fishermen.

The Port Clyde initiative, branded Port Clyde Fresh Catch, began last year with about 200 people who agreed to buy cod, haddock, pollock, redfish, monkfish and other species from a dozen fishermen. About 250 people are participating this summer, and the numbers are growing.

The idea is spreading. Shrimp fishermen in Stonington and on Mount Desert Island tried it last winter, and a mussel harvester in Brunswick and a lobsterman in Falmouth are now giving it a try. In Massachusetts, 750 shareholders signed up this spring to buy fish in advance from Gloucester fishermen.

The programs go like this: Shareholders pay a set amount in advance for seafood shares that they pick up at designated drop-off points — churches, schools, farmer’s markets and the like (CONT)

 Read the full article >

And don’t forget that if you are a restaurant owner or retailer that uses fish, there is a meeting of the NH Seafood: Fresh & Local group on July 1 at Jumping Jays in Portsmouth. More info at www.nhseafood.com

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June 30, 2009 by Sara Zoe.

From Rye Eats Local:

Due to unfortunate circumstances, the Rye Farmer’s Market will relocate to the Rye Junior High parking lot for this week only (07/01/09).  Rye Junior High is located at 501 Washington Road, down the street from the Rye Congregational Church and directly across from TD Banknorth. The hours will remain from 2:30PM to 6PM.

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June 30, 2009 by Sara Zoe.

Foster’s had a brief article about Sunday’s second annual Barrington Farm Tour Day:

Tours offer chance to learn about farming in Barrington

Barrington Farm Tour Day is slated to be the last Sunday in June each year, so mark your calendars so you don’t miss it!

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June 28, 2009 by Audrey.

Here is a front page article from the Washington Post about the increase of women farmers and the direction they are taking agriculture.  I myself am following a similar path now.

Female Farmers Sprouting
Don’t miss the pictures either!  The pigs are soo cute.

Posted in author: Audrey | Print | 1 Comment »

June 27, 2009 by Sara Zoe.

Restaurants, Markets and Consumers Can Now Support Local Fisheries with “NH Seafood Fresh & Local”Learn more about a new program to serve up more locally landed seafood in our restaurants and markets on July 1
On Wednesday, July 1, at 11 a.m., join us to learn more about “NH Seafood Fresh and Local” a project to get more local seafood onto local plates. This business-to-business meeting is open to anyone who sells/serves seafood.

We’ll meet at Jumpin’ Jay’s Fish Cafe, 150 Congress St., Portsmouth. RSVP to info@seacoastlocal.org by June 30.

We’ll share background on the program and plans to launch “New Hampshire Seafood Fresh & Local” brand in restaurants and markets this summer.

The program provides a direct channel to purchase local fish, making it a distinct and unique product for visitors and local customers. It

• Gives your business a greater opportunity to capture its market share for consumers that subscribe to supporting buy/eat local initiatives.
• Helps support a plan that’s good for the fishing industry, your business, and the consumer.
• Offers new seafood opportunities, sources, and ideas intended to help your business.

The brand, “New Hampshire Seafood Fresh & Local,” promises customers that products carrying the seal were caught and processed in New Hampshire, making the fish the freshest, most direct available. In addition, purchase of this product directly supports the local economy and an industry that has been part of the fabric of our community for over 400 years.

At this time there is no cost to participate, though program partners will sign a memorandum of understanding to participate in the poster, logo and web campaign.

Numerous individuals and organizations are collaborating on this project to support the local fishing industry. An online information resource is in the early stages of development at www.nhseafood.com.

Please RSVP so we can guarantee adequate space for the meeting, to info@seacoastlocal.org by June 30.

We look forward to seeing you on July 1!

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June 24, 2009 by Debra.

Not having grown up in New England, many locally-grown foods were unfamiliar to me when I moved here. Rhubarb seemed very exotic, with its fleshy crimson and acid-green stalks, and hint of danger contained within its toxic parasol-like leaves. Commonly known as “pie plant,” I began by dutifully making strawberry-rhubarb pies. Since then, I’ve come to appreciate rhubarb’s ability to stand on its own, as featured in a rustic galette made with a cornmeal crust. This season I look forward to trying rhubarb as a juice, pickled, and in a savory dish combining it with lentils.

Its appearance at the farmers’ markets also marks the beginning of the preserving season. Frozen or as preserves, the tart nature of rhubarb brings a welcome brightness to winter desserts. In its frozen form, rhubarb can be used in many recipes or left to process into preserves at a later date. Rhubarb preserves make for a quick dessert spooned over ice cream, fresh ricotta or yogurt, or swirled with a dollop of creme fraiche and served as a topping for buttermilk biscuits or pound cake.

Frozen Rhubarb: wash, wipe dry, trim ends, cut into ½ to 1-inch pieces, freeze on trays, pack into containers and store in freezer.

Rhubarb Preserves:

1. Wash and trim off both ends of each stalk. Cut into ½ to 1-inch pieces, depending on size of stalk).

2. Add ½ cup sugar to each quart of sliced fruit. Let stand for several hours to draw out the juice.

3. Begin heating the water in canner. Prepare jars and lids.

4. Boil the rhubarb with their juices for 1 minute.

5. Pack into clean hot jars, leaving ½-inch headspace. Cover with hot juice, leaving ½-inch headspace.

6. Process pints and quarts for 10 minutes in boiling water bath canner.

Notes: A quart of trimmed rhubarb is a little over a pound. 1½ quarts of rhubarb makes 2 pints of preserves. I let the preserves settle for at least several weeks before using. Recipes adapted from “The Busy Person’s Guide to Preserving Food”.

Posted in Market Notes, author: Debra, putting food by, recipes | Print | 1 Comment »

June 24, 2009 by Sara Zoe.

Are you confused about what to feed your children? Do you need new ideas for healthy snacks for your kids?  Not sure if organic is better and what all the labels mean? Join a group of like-minded moms who want to feed their families healthy foods for a cooking and wellness class which combines food preparation, nutrition and sustainability. We have a few spots left for our upcoming class in South Berwick, Maine.

Nourishing Your Family From the Inside Out

Earth-friendly Cooking and Wellness Classes for Moms

Thursday, June 25, 2009, 7:00 – 9:00 pm

Location:  South Berwick, Maine Hostess: Amy Bevan

 Are You too Refined?

Getting Back to Whole Grains, Beans and Nuts

The standard American diet is filled with highly processed foods making up about 90 percent of our diet.  Whole foods such as beans, grains and nuts will keep your family healthy and provide you family with the nutrients they need. This class combines both cooking and wellness tips to help you better understand:

·         How sugar and highly processed food affects your children’s immune system along with some recipes for healthy snacks.

·         How to prepare whole nutrient-dense grains and beans to make them easier to digest with tastey summer recipes

·         Why organic products make a difference to you, your family, and our environment

·         How to stock your pantry and freezer to save bountiful summer fruits for the winter

·         How to read labels to make sure you know what you’re getting.

Come learn some new recipes for healthy snacks, grain and bean salads, crispy nuts and more!! 

Instructors:   Tracey Miller is a certified health & wellness counselor from Institute for Integrative Nutrition. She helps individuals and families eat healthier through personal coaching, nutrition education and cooking classes.

Kate Donald is an organic vegetable farmer, and advocate for local, sustainable agriculture.  She works with Seacoast Eat Local to help consumers connect with local farmers and locally produced foods.

Fee:  $40 per class.

RSVP to tosbornemiller@yahoo.com, 603-380-1080 or katedonaldnh@gmail.com, 603-580-5364

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June 24, 2009 by Sara Zoe.

From Nature’s Wonders in Rye:

Are you looking for something fun to do with your child next week? 

Thursday, July 2 at 10:00 and 3:00
Pollinators
Did you know that 1 out of every third bite of food you eat comes to us thanks to pollinators.  Learn about the bees and butterflies that pollinate our flowers and help to grow our food.  Learn what you can do to encourage them to hang out in your garden.
Cost is $20. If you have questions, please call 436-6756 or email natureswonders@gmail,
Call to reserve you spot.

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