[1]

This year’s [2] Seacoast Harvest is now getting ready to be printed. Seeing a copy of the proof reminded me of the dedication and long hours that went into researching it — special thanks to our volunteers and especially our 3 [3] interns who helped to contact all of the farms listed.

One of our interns, [4] Sarah, recalls her experience in a post for the UNH internship blog:

Supporting local food, farmers, and precious farm land

This semester I have been enjoying working with Seacoast Eat Local, a volunteer organization that works to promote eating locally through the publication of Seacoast Harvest and their website SeacoasteatLocal.org. They are also the coordinators of eleven winter farmers markets…. In between market dates my intern-mates and I have been helping with the Seacoast Harvest publication. Farm information must be updated, farmers are called for confirmation, new farms are researched and contacted, all of the information is edited, and then sent to print for the 2010 season. One of the best parts of this job is to talk to the farmers either at the market or over the phone. Over simple conversation you can learn about a farm’s history, what crops are going to be successful that season, or what new legislation is causing trouble for certain farms. It becomes apparent that farming is its own microcosm that most of our society is completely unaware of. You can’t help feel instantly connected to these people, their land, and their products. It becomes more than simply promoting a green lifestyle, it is about protecting a part of American culture that needs our assistance and support.

[5] Hillary, another intern, remembers one conversation in particular:

I had an interesting conversation with a farmer from Saco, Maine yesterday. I had left a message for him to call me back on his cell phone.  He called me back very promptly, unlike others I have left messages for.  We went through the form which consists of various questions and check boxes, and updated some of his farm’s info from last year’s publication. He then went on to say that he was very thankful and appreciative of our website and organization’s outreach.  He has a couple from Massachusetts driving north to his farm soon to purchase a roaster pig for their wedding. The couple found his farm through our website. It was great to hear how excited this farmer was and that our online guide is providing the desired connection between consumers and local farms…

While our third intern, [6] Michelle, overcame her own fears to help us reach our sponsorship goals successfully:

Since this is a free publication for consumers as well as the farmers, vineyards, markets, and orchards, we are looking to obtain sponsorship from local restaurants, businesses, nonprofit organizations, and generous community members to help us publish this valuable resource. I have been working with Jeff Donald to contact possible sponsors and it has proven to be more difficult than I had thought. It is one thing to get over the fear of asking strangers for money, but another to follow up with those who do not return my emails or phone calls. As of now we are very close to meeting our projected goal and working on finishing up our information and sponsorship gathering…

We are very grateful to all those involved who make Seacoast Harvest possible!