December 31, 2008 by Sara Zoe.

Help spread the word! Download and print a flyer to hang in your workplace, library, or neighborhood shop: January 10 Farmers’ Market flyer (.pdf)

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December 30, 2008 by Audrey.

Shrimp Creole Recipe

3/4 lb shrimp, fresh or frozen

1/4 cup chopped onion

1/4 cup chopped green pepper

1 clove of garlic, chopped

1/4 cup butter

3 T. flour

1 tsp chili powder

salt and pepper to taste

2 cups canned tomatoes

serve with rice

Saute onion, green pepper, and garlic in butter.  Blend in flour and seasonings.  Add tomatoes and cook until thick, stirring often.  Add shrimp and simmer uncovered about 20 minutes.

I love making this simple quick recipe and On the Vine in Exeter carries local Maine popcorn shrimp that are perfect for this meal.  And all the ingredients, except for rice can easily be grown/found local, especially if you plan ahead for a warm winter meal.

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December 29, 2008 by Sara Zoe.

Wendy Berry of Lasting Legacy Farm has organized a Farmer to Consumer Workshop day for Saturday, January 24th to take place at McIntosh Culinary School in Dover. It will be a full day of learning about seedlings, heritage poultry, raw dairy and yogurt making, and underutilized (and often less expensive) cuts of meat. After a lunch prepared by the culinary school staff and students, there will be a wonderful opportunity to ask questions of farmers and hear them talk about their practices.

For more information, and to register, visit the website >

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December 18, 2008 by Sara Zoe.

We hope you’ll join us on Saturday, but of course, do what is best for your safety!

The market will be open until 2pm, and there will be plenty of food available - so if you don’t want to venture out first thing, feel free to come by later!

more information, directions, and foods that will be for sale >

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December 15, 2008 by Sara Zoe.

from the Exeter Newsletter:

Winter Farmers’ Market in Exeter Draws Crowd, By Lara Bricker

Many arrived at the second Winter Farmers Market in Exeter Saturday, Dec. 6 with reusable cloth grocery bags in hand.

When they left, their green bags were packed with containers of raw cow’s milk, organic lamb, fresh kale and produce and other locally produced goodies. Natalie Ewing of Hampton was excited to try the organic elk burger and sausages she discovered at the market as well as the raw cow’s milk, which she said is tough to find.

“I’m a big believer in good nutrition and how that translates into good health and I believe in supporting local farmers,” Ewing said.

Both customers and vendors at the market inside the Exeter Congregational Church said they embraced the concept of buying locally grown and raised food.

read the full story >

(the next market, even bigger than the Exeter one, is this Saturday, December 20th, at MACA in Dover. Details here > )

from The Wire:

Portsmouth fishermen seek city support, Written by Hannah Lally

Committee seeks to make fishing fleet a matter of community concern local fishermen

In the hustle and bustle of a business day, Portsmouth’s geographic positioning allows us to pause and look out over the harbor and enjoy our waterfront view.

But it’s easy to look past the struggling fishing vessels that are anchored to this city. While these boats may seem to do little more than bob in the periphery of a Prescott Park picnic, they were once the cultural and economic backbone to the Port City. Currently, however, Portsmouth’s historically prosperous fishing industry struggles to remain afloat.

“The commercial fishing industry is going though some tough times,” said Erik Anderson, of Portsmouth’s Fishing Fleet Committee. He attributes industry stress to current economic decline and “thousands of pages of regulations.”

The chief regulating bodies are the N.H. Fish and Game Department and the National Marine Fisheries Service, which control the basic size, sex, location and quantity of fish that may be taken, as well as the transportation, sale, inspection and processing of all marine species. Though governing agencies have been around for decades, Anderson reports that these regulations are “the most extreme that we have ever seen.”

Lifelong fisherman John Borden remembers what it was like to fish 20 years ago, before the reels of regulations. “It used to be, if you went hard or you worked hard, you could make money, but now it’s become a wash,” he said.

Based on current federal policies, Portsmouth’s groundfish fleet is only permitted to fish 24 days out of the year, a regulatory tactic intended to help rebuild regional stocks of haddock, cod and yellowtail flounder.

In order to maintain full-time employment, fishermen must diversify. Through the course of the year Borden will transform from scallop hunter to lobster trapper to groundfisherman, all of which require separate permits and equipment.

“You can’t get by on one boat,” says Borden, now lobstering for a fraction of the money that he used to make doing the same amount of work.

read the full article >

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December 15, 2008 by Sara Zoe.

We’ve updated the list of farmers who will be at McIntosh Atlantic Culinary School in Dover this Saturday from 9am-2pm - in addition to the best local food for the holidays, there will be plenty of items for stocking stuffers, last minute gifts, and of course, 2009 Seacoast Eat Local calendars!

Directions, and the complete list of farmers and their products >

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December 15, 2008 by Sara Zoe.

On your way to or from this Saturday’s Holiday Farmers’ Market stop by for the newest incarnation of the Fresh Local Truck, Fresh Local Bayside in Newington.

A note from the owners:

 **UPDATE 1/30/09: Fresh Local Bayside is open 9-2 Sat/Sun and 11-2 Fridays

We’ll be opening our new brunch place at the Great Bay Marine in Newington next weekend, Dec. 20, 21. We’ll be open Saturday and Sunday 8am -3pm throughout the winter.

We’ll have the best eggs benedicts, pancakes, all the normal breakfast fare in addition to some lunch favorites like our pork sandwiches, soups and burgers. It’s a great little space overlooking the bay (you may have been there when it was Currents a few years back).

Directions: Take Exit 4 off the Spaulding, turn left around backside of Rockingham Electric, right onto Nimble Hill Rd, right on Fox Point Rd, right on Beane Lane to the end. Just follow the signs to Great Bay Marine and you’ll find us at the far end of the building facing the water. Our own FRESH LOCAL BAYSIDE signage is in the works so don’t look for any just yet.

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December 10, 2008 by Jeff.

It is often held as conventional wisdom that food banks do not accept donations of perishable food items such as the fresh fruits and vegetables that most readers of this blog often enjoy.  Earlier this year Seacoast Eat Local began encouraging gardeners to grow a row of crops to donate to their local shelters and food pantries.  And we also mentioned the need to check first with the pantries to ensure that they were equipped to handle fresh produce.  A couple of members even took the additional step of compiling a list of nearby food pantries and soup kitchens.

Today in the NY Times there is further discussion of this issue as increased sales of fresh produce in grocery stores has led to increased donations of surplus produce by those stores. Some food pantries are even taking the amazing step of starting their own farms or food processing facilities.  The article is great food for thought as winter approaches, planning for next year’s garden starts to take place, and millions across America don’t have enough good food to eat.

From Canned Goods to Fresh, Food Banks Adapt

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December 4, 2008 by Amy.

Enthusiasm runs deep with this crew and so does angst. The aggression is thankfully not pitted at each other but at bad food; the lame floppy objects labeled pizza, chicken patty or otherwise served on Styrofoam trays in school cafeterias.  That’s how the Dover Dining Facilities Council accomplishes tasks. Members get fired up sans fists, and seek change.

The latest meeting took place November 20, 2008 at Dover middle school.  There is much to report, so I’ll keep the commentary thin.

Old biz revisited:

• Menus are now disclosed on the district Web site in Word format.  Food information is available to the public—there is nothing to hide.
• Parents do not want to see marshmallows or Jell-O on the district list of “recommended food items.” Parents, if you bring food to a school event, make it worth the calories. Rule of thumb, if your food choice isn’t healthful, this is not the best platform.
• Taste testing is moving along. Mark Covell, food service director, passed a spreadsheet listing items tried at the various schools. Items that were a hit: ham and cheese wrap with lettuce and tomato; baked macaroni and cheese with ham; fresh cucumber and zucchini sticks; homemade enchiladas; open face tuna melt; fresh plums, bananas, peaches and pears. Slated for taste testing: Italian-style chicken—as Mark calls it—breast strips, lightly breaded with whole wheat flour and seasoned with Italian herbs.  Chicken nuggets might be booted if kids go commando for Italian-style chicken.
• Styrofoam situation is under consideration. Mark is working with high school students to figure out the best scenario for the district (cost) and planet (waste). Novel, get the students involved.  A Styrofoam tray recycler was mentioned.

New Biz:

• Big idea for a council or board: break it up into subcommittees to get tasks done. Laurie Verville, district business manager and head of the Dining Facilities Council, strongly encouraged members to create subcommittees. Technically, the group has already formed several subcommittees: grant writing and research, UNH dietetic intern program, UNH nursing intern program, healthy snack/newsletter writing, communications, Styrofoam research, and farm to school.
• Over achievers? Maybe, but they can handle it. UNH dietetic interns, Dana Poist and Kimberly Povec presented their plan for Spring semester 2009: introduce one new nutrient dense recipe that can be used in all schools; incorporate more whole grains in current recipes by helping Mark purchase products that contain whole grains; add an increased number of fresh fruits and veggies and get them in front of the students (i.e. not old apples in a bowl behind the counter); make a muffin mix from scratch and incorporate whole grains; use dietetic software to calculate nutritional information for recipes and “flag” foods that contain trans fats in an effort to eliminate said items from the menu; Elementary schools: conduct cooking demos and a tasting in each cafe focusing on fresh local ingredients, think farm to school; also have a fresh fruit and veggie “this is what it looks like table”… like a mini farmers market, with fruits and veggies whole and cut ready for tasting; Middle/High school: conduct focus groups to establish how best to market healthful foods/farm to table ideology to the students. Create posters to hang in the cafes and create a labeling system, nutrition info cards to be placed next to each dish in the cafes. Note: Ashli Franck, third UNH dietetic intern could not make this meeting.
• Parent Amy Middleton gave a brief presentation on grant subcommittee status. The team is creating a spreadsheet of district wants and needs with goals, objectives and projected dollar amounts assigned to each.  Next step is to research grants and apply for grant money. An example, enroll all kitchen staff in a professional development nutrition certificate program like that offered through the School Nutrition Association http://www.schoolnutrition.org/.
• Melissa Snow, parent, Registered and Licensed Dietitian, and healthy snack subcommittee member presented a one-sheet listing healthy snack suggestions and best practices for pairing food items for optimum nutrition… match a protein packed food with a whole grain carb and fresh fruit or veggie. If interested in eyeing the doc, leave a comment at the end of the blog with an email address. An exceptional bit to share—ZERO brand names are listed!

Round table:

• YMCA afterschool program continues to serve unhealthy snacks. Technically the program is on school grounds; therefore they need to clean up their act.
• School nurses need an accurate breakdown of all items served each day. This will help eliminate issues with incorrect amounts of insulin given to diabetic students.
• Prices for snack items need to be listed on rack of snacks.
• Two middle school student council members joined the meeting. They attest that they and friends seek healthier food options. They like the UNH dietetic intern idea of creating a basic labeling system for menu items.
• Parents want to know more than just fat, calorie, sugar, carb content of menu items. Some are curious to see full ingredient lists. Why? Sneaky preservatives and scary additives. And what about GMOs, antibiotics and growth hormones?
• FREE live Webcast from Action for Healthy Kids http://www.actionforhealthykids.org/. Call to Leadership: Elevating School Wellness to a Higher Level, December 8, 2008 from 3-4:30pm EST.
• UNH nursing interns created an art competition for Dover middle school students “Fruit and Veggies Matter: A Rainbow of Colors”. A grand prize of an iPod Nano was awarded to the winning artist. First, second and third place winners were chosen from each grade level. All artwork is displayed in the school.

Next council meeting January 22, 2009—next year! The holidays are upon us, a wonderful time to scale back, slow down, love and teach our children. For an inspiring jolt into sustainable living check out groups.yahoo.com/group/thecompact—they and you too can make Santa proud. 

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December 2, 2008 by Sara Zoe.

Download and print a flyer + help spread the word!

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