Eating locally: NH seeks consumer-farm link

By PAULA TRACY
New Hampshire Union Leader Staff
7/14/08

CONCORD – Riding a wave of concern over tainted vegetables, rising transportation costs and a surge to go green, the state Agriculture Department is using the opportunity to sink new roots in local farms.

Rolling out a “New Hampshire Eat Local Week,” Aug. 3-9, the state is marketing farmers’ markets and promoting farm tours to connect consumers and vacationers to New Hampshire’s 3,400 farms and the food Granite Staters eat.

This summer, for the first time, the state is trying a new sort of challenge to get residents to eat local. Merrill said next month’s New Hampshire Eat Local Week will coincide with Farmers Market Week.

A new Web site, www.nheatlocalweek.org, details the effort to get people to try a new vegetable, take a friend to a farm stand, find a restaurant that serves locally grown food, discover a new farm and other ideas to help expand the state’s almost $1 billion farm industry.

[1] read the full article at the Union Leader website >

(cross-posted at www.nheatlocalweek.org)