March 16, 2010 by Heather.

If you’re excited about planting a garden this year but feel like you need a little guidance, Snell Family Farm, in Buxton, Maine, is holding the workshop for you. This class, starting at 10:00 a.m. on Sunday, May 2, 2010, will help you sort out your space and planting schedule.

Space is limited, the April 24th class is already full! The cost per participant is $10. Please e-mail ramona@snellfamilyfarm.com or call 207.929.5318 to register and receive your planning materials.

For more information about the class or any of the other exciting things going on at Snell Family Farm visit their website.

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March 16, 2010 by Heather.

UNH Cooperative Extension will be holding a blueberry pruning, pollination, and pest management workshop on Monday, March 22, from 4:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. at BerryBogg Farm, 650 Province Road, in Strafford. There will be discussion on blueberry pollination and managing disease as well as a demonstration on pruning highbush blueberries. Speakers include Geoffrey Njue, UNH Cooperative Extension, Strafford County agricultural resources educator; Dr. Cheryl Smith, UNH Cooperative Extension, plant health specialist and director of UNH Plant Diagnostic Lab; Dr. Alan Eaton, entomologist and integrated pest management specialist with UNH Cooperative Extension; and Bill Lord, retired fruit specialist with UNH Cooperative Extension. 

To register, please contact the UNH Cooperative Extension Strafford County Office at 603.749.4445 or e-mail cristy.cardoso@unh.edu.

For more information please see the UNH Cooperative Extension workshop notice or BerryBogg Farm’s Weblog.

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March 16, 2010 by Heather.

Did you miss the segment about Seacoast Eat Local’s winter markets on Chronicle last week? Well, you’re in luck because you can watch it on the WMUR website!

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March 16, 2010 by Debra.

Some foods in particular lend themselves to cooking with others — making pasta is one, canning’s another, and now sausage joins the list. A recent adult ed class in Kittery had a group of us soon churning out links a plenty amidst much understandably sophomoric humor. The surprise winner of the evening’s tasting was the chicken sausage. 

Chicken & Sun-Dried Tomato Sausage

5 pounds chicken meat, with skin, coarsely ground (1/4 inch plate)

12 ounces minced onion

7 ounces sun dried tomatoes

2 tablespoons coriander seeds, ground

2 tablespoons dried rosemary, ground

2 tablespoons dried oregano, crushed

1 tablespoon celery seed

1 tablespoon dried thyme

1 tablespoon kosher salt

Mix all ingredients together in a large bowl until well blended. Stuff into hog casings for links, or shape into patties. Patties or links may be cooked by browning in a skillet. Will keep refrigerated for 3 days, or frozen for 2 months.

Tips:

- Keep ingredients cold, especially meat, and work with it while still cold, particularly when grinding.

- The original recipe calls for chicken thighs. Since locally sourced chicken tends to come whole, use both white and dark meat. When grinding chicken meat for sausage, including the skin improves the texture as well as flavor.

- Let sausage sit for 24 hours before cooking to allow flavors to develop and meld, and the texture to set.

- Casing can be found through local butchers or through mail/online order. Please leave a comment if you know of casing from local sources.

Sausage Club

Lucas, the teacher of the class, learned his way around ground meat from a workshop he took with John “Popper” Medlin, of Popper’s Kitchen. If stuffing casing isn’t your thing, fresh sausage, as well as other porky delicacies, can be ordered directly through Popper’s Sausage Club — place your order via email by the 3rd Wednesday of the month, with pick-up at various locations. This month the last day to order is Wednesday, March 24th, pick-up is scheduled for Saturday, March 27th, at the Winter Farmers’ Market in Rollinsford. He’ll have your order ready at Kellie Brook Farm’s booth.

*Special thanks to Chrissy for her photos!

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