May 18, 2010 by Debra.

In a recent essay, “Farm Ec: What our customers teach us,” a Canadian farmer explores the transaction between farmer and customer, and shows that it’s not just a matter of simple economics:

I have just hung up the phone after talking with the owner of a Thai restaurant in a neighboring city. He wanted to order 100 pounds of locally produced boneless and skinless chicken breasts. Every week.

I had to break the news to him that we can only raise 300 of our outdoor birds each year. We sell them to our list of loyal customers who happily snap them up whole, frozen, right from our farm freezers.

Lover’s Creek Farm is a small farm, rather than a butcher shop. Besides, if we sold all our chicken breasts, we would be left with wings, drumsticks, and a whole lot of soup bones.

Farmer Mark Hall explains further:

In a time when so much coverage about local food and local farms focuses on glitzy restaurant meals, celebrity chefs, and flashy magazine spreads, we find our faithful customers are the ones who know the most about local food and how best to enjoy it.

Many of them have large families and like the savings and convenience of buying their beef and pork by the side. A number of them are homeschoolers and incorporate food — and where it comes from — into their own homegrown curriculums. And they can be geniuses when it comes to stretching the meat for their families…

For more on why Hall’s customers get more than boneless, skinless chicken breasts when they come to his farm, visit Culinate.

Posted in author: Debra | Print | No Comments »

May 18, 2010 by Sara Zoe.

Great Island Garden Club Plant Sale

Saturday, May 22, 2010
8:30 - 1pm

Indoors in the Recreation Building  at the Great Island Common - plenty of parking, Route 1B - New Castle, NH

Master Gardeners available on site.

Locally grown Vegetable and Herb Plants for sale!!

Posted in events | Print | No Comments »

May 18, 2010 by Heather.

The New Hampshire Winery Association will be hosting a wine festival, Live Free and Wine, on Sunday, June 13, 2010, from 12:00 to 5:00 p.m. at Flag Hill Winery in Lee. The event will consist of local wineries sampling and selling their products, other New Hampshire made products, and live music by Old Time Bluegrass (12:00-1:15), the Spaceheaters (1:45-3:00), and the Evan Goodrow Band (3:30-5:00).

Tickets are $10 in advance and $15 at the door. Admission includes a souvenir wine glass and 10 wine samples.

For more information visit http://www.nhwineryassociation.com/wine-festival.html. 

Posted in author: Heather, events | Print | No Comments »