March 26, 2010 by Heather.

If you have fruit trees or bushes and you don’t know the fine details of pruning, here’s another chance for you to learn. Butternut Farm will be holding a fruit tree and bush pruning demonstration on Saturday, April 3, 2010, starting at 9:00 a.m. UNH Strafford County Cooperative Extension is sponsoring the event and two great extension specialists, Geoffrey Njue and Bill Lord, will be there to hopefully clear up any pruning questions and inform everyone about what is going on with agriculture in strafford county.

To learn more, please visit Butternut Farm’s blog post about pruning season and the event, http://whatsthefarmerdoing.blogspot.com/2010/03/pruning-season-is-here.html. 

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March 26, 2010 by Heather.

The Greater Seacoast Permaculture Group will be holding a meetup this Sunday, March 28, 2010, at 4:00 p.m. in Barrington. This meetup will be a film and food night. The movie featured will be Dirt! The Movie, which “tells the story of Earth’s most valuable and underappreciated source of fertility–from its miraculous beginning to its crippling degradation.” Following the movie will be a potluck dinner and discussion about the film.

For more information about the event click here.

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March 26, 2010 by Debra.

Baer’s Best Beans, one of our newest vendors, will be making their debut at the Winter Farmers’ Market in Rollinsford this coming Saturday. Farmer Charley Baer will be bringing a variety of his handpicked, heirloom dried beans. In a recent article, “Growing Beans for Beantown“, Charley talked about his beans:

“People are familiar with lentils, kidney and chickpeas, but I am working hard to keep the old varieties alive, such as money beans and scarlet beauty beans. A favorite of mine is the flageolet, a French variety that is a green and white kidney-shaped bean. I grow my seeds true to type and do not cross fertilize them.”  

In another piece, “Spilling the beans about a special crop“, Baer explains what makes locally gown beans so special:

“You can tell beans are too old when you cook them and cook them, and they never soften,” Baer says. Heirloom beans like Baer’s are prized not only for their unusual shapes and colors, but also because freshness makes a difference. Picked in September and eaten through the next year, the beans take much less time to cook and have better flavor. 

Those already familiar with new crop beans are aware of this taste difference, yet also know the difficulty in finding sources for these. Luckily for us, Baer is  transitioning his farm operations from Massachusetts to a more permanent home in Berwick, Maine. So make sure to drop by Charley’s booth and welcome him to the Seacoast! Lastly, special thanks go to Great Works Land Trust for helping to conserve working landscapes such as Lover’s Brook Farm.

Posted in Market Notes, author: Debra, sources of local food | Print | 1 Comment »

March 25, 2010 by Heather.

Newfields’ Own Produce is selling pastured chicken subscriptions for 2010! It’s simple. You just tell them how many chickens you want and when you want them and you’re good to go. They say their pastured chickens are “a uniquely delectable, wonderfully nutritious bird, available with liver, heart, and feet.”

Chickens will be available from late June to mid-October. The cost is $3.75 per pound and there is no money down and no obligation.

To learn more about their chicken subscription, read this announcement: Newfields’ Own Pastured Chickens 2010. 

You can also visit Newfields’ Own’s Local Harvest site http://www.localharvest.org/farms/M19751.

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March 25, 2010 by Heather.

It’s officially spring, and this weekend there’s a lot going on to celebrate. To get yourself in the swing of things, head over to the UNH Greenhouse for their Open House on Friday and Saturday, March 26 and 27, from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. According to their website, you can

take a tour of the greenhouses, purchase UNH-grown plants, and attend seminars on topics such as coping with garden insects, promoting beneficial insects in the garden, cooking with herbs, and more. Faculty and student researchers will present information on topics like strawberry wine, winter-sprouting broccoli, and growing sweet potatoes in New Hampshire.

For  more information go to UNH’s Discover(ing) Sustainability website.

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March 25, 2010 by Debra.

Having access to really fresh, local eggs means being able to enjoy certain dishes without the worry or concern that might accompany using industrially-produced eggs. This pasta recipe is similar to Pasta Carbonara, which traditionally calls for pancetta (similar to unsmoked bacon). Red onion takes the place of the pancetta, letting the delicate flavors of Spring eggs emerge. Duck eggs can also be used, making this dish an especially lush treat.

Pasta with Farm-Fresh Eggs

½ cup olive oil

1 large red onion, diced into ¼-inch pieces

1 cup white wine

4 farm-fresh chicken eggs or 3 to 4 duck eggs

1 tablespoon cream (optional)

1 cup freshly grated Pecorino cheese

1 pound bucatini or perciatelli (or other long pasta)

¼ cup flat-leaf parsley, cut into fine shreds

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Grated Pecorino cheese for serving

1. In a large frying pan (14 inches), heat olive oil over medium heat. Add red onion and cook until soft and starting to brown, 7 to 9 minutes. Add white wine, bring to a quick boil, then remove pan from heat.

2. In separate bowl, beat eggs. Mix grated Pecorino and cream (if using) in with beaten eggs.

3. Cook pasta in salted water until al dente. Drain pasta, reserving a cup of pasta water.

4. Add cooked pasta to pan with onions. Place over medium heat, add eggs and cheese mixture to the pasta, and gently mix. Thin sauce with reserved pasta water if necessary. Watch carefully, the eggs should begin to cook but not scramble. After a minute or so, the mixture will become creamy. Remove pan from heat and toss with parsley, salt and generous amounts of black pepper.

Serve immediately, with additional grated cheese. Makes 4 to 6 servings.

Note: Recipe adapted from Holiday Food by Mario Batali. Adjust number of eggs to own liking. The original recipe calls for topping each serving with a fresh egg yolk, which is cooked by the residual heat of the pasta once it’s stirred in. Local fresh eggs are now available at the Winter Farmers’ Market from several vendors. Duck eggs may also be found at the farmers’ market through Yellow House Farm.

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

March 24, 2010 by Heather.

Garens Greens used to be Back River Farm in Dover. Now Garen has teamed up with Riverside Farm, North Berwick, ME, in order to continue his business. Garen specializes in salad and cooking greens as well as heirloom tomatoes. A limited amount of CSA shares are available for the 2010 season. CSA pickups will be Tuesdays at 3:00 p.m., Tuesdays only, at Brookford Farm in Rollinsford, NH. CSA shares cost $400 and feed 3 people comfortably.

Visit http://www.localharvest.org/farms/M35947 to see more details.

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March 24, 2010 by Heather.

March 24, 2010 by Sara Zoe.

As we posted in more detail last week, the Department of Justice and the USDA are looking into whether companies like Monsanto and DuPont constitute a monopoly in the seed industry. Listening sessions are being held, but, citizens viewpoints don’t seem to be being heard very well. Food Democracy Now, a great and effective group, has an easy to sign petition on their website to help us make sure the USDA and DOJ know we care very much about these issues!

Food Democracy Now petition

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March 23, 2010 by Heather.

Eisenhower Fellowships, the premier international leadership development program, is accepting applications from experienced farmers and ranchers for its 2011 Agricultural Fellowship. The successful applicant will receive a custom-designed, all-expenses paid program overseas for up to five weeks in one or two countries where he or she will focus on agricultural issues. In addition, the 2011 agricultural fellows will receive orientation and post-travel debriefing in Philadelphia along with a select group of Eisenhower Fellows from around the world. 

Click here, Eisenhower Fellowship, for more details. Or visit their website.

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