June 29, 2010 by Debra.

In addition to strawberries and cherries, the blueberries and raspberries have arrived! We’ve received updates on berry picking conditions from Blueberry Bay Farm in Stratham:

Greetings from Blueberry Bay Farm!

 

The warm spring weather has accelerated our berry crop ripening!  So due to the abundance of blueberries and raspberries ripe now, we have decided to open weekdays for picking beginning TOMORROW, Tuesday June 29 (through Friday July 2), from 9AM to 4PM, so that the birds, etc. don’t reduce the crop available to you. On Saturday, July 3 we will, as planned, begin our summer hours: 8AM to 6PM, except Wednesdays & Fridays, to 5PM.   We look forward to seeing you all soon. This should be a great year!!

 

*And remember this important hint: For especially red raspberries and later for black raspberries and blackberries, come early in the morning for best picking, as we usually pick out early.

And from Warren Farm in Barrington:

Pick Your Own Raspberry Season Has Begun

 

Raspberries are early this year and ready for picking now.   The early varieties have a very good berry set and they are ripening up quickly. The picking is good to very good in our early varieties and improving every day. We are in for some great weather this week and if we get an unusually large crowd we may have to close the beds for ripening. Both beds are ready now with three varieties at this point. Our hours are 7am -6pm Monday thru Thursday and 7am – 4pm Friday thru Sunday. Raspberries are $3 per pint. We also have very good picking on sugar snap peas and snow peas.

If you’re looking for a new way to feature fresh-picked berries, I highly recommend “Warm Cornmeal Shortcake with Farm Stand Berries” via Local Harvest. No need for tinkering, it came out deliciously perfect on the first try. Those ends of the cake they instruct you to slice off before serving? A cook’s treat while the cake is still warm from the oven and no one’s looking.

Posted in Market Notes, author: Debra, sources of local food, recipes | Print | No Comments »

June 29, 2010 by Debra.

Stout Oak Farm reports that they’ll be harvesting Forellenschuss or Speckled Lettuce this week, one of the eleven vegetables selected for this year’s RAFT Heirloom Vegetable Grow-out:

Forellenschuss or Speckled lettuce

 

Forellenschuss means “speckled like a trout” in German, which describes this tasty butterhead lettuce aptly. The thick, light green leaves have maroon speckles. Traceable to 1660 in Holland, this lettuce traveled through Germany until in 1790 it was first brought to Ontario, Canada, and then on to the US.

 

Forellenschuss has juicy, thick leaves and has been said to taste similar to watercress. It is mild-flavored, and has a loose-leaf romaine-type head.

In addition to Stout Oak Farm, many Seacoast farmers and chefs are taking part in this year’s RAFT Grow-out. A full list of locations and participants can be found through Chefs Collaborative, the program’s host — be on the look-out for Speckled lettuce as well as other heirloom vegetables appearing at our local farmers’ markets and restaurants in coming months. Stop by Stout Oak Farm on Thursday at the Exeter Farmers’ Market, and bring home a little bit of salad history!

[Photo: Chefs Collaborative/RAFT Grow-out]

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June 29, 2010 by Debra.

The success of Timberland’s Victory Garden at their Stratham headquarters is leading to plans for expansion and the addition of fruit-bearing plantings — a terrific example of a workplace community garden benefitting many!

In an expansion of its corporate Victory Garden, Timberland will replace many of the plants at its front entrance with low maintenance, pesticide-free fruit trees (peach and pear), as well as more than 80 blueberry bushes.

 

Since the inception of their Victory Garden in 2008, Timberland employees have used their company-paid community service hours to harvest more than 2,000 pounds of produce which is then sold to the internal Timberland community. To date, this effort has translated into more than $3,000 to the New Hampshire Food Bank. The planned expansion of the Victory Garden (nearly 2,000 square feet of vegetable gardens currently) will more than double in size, allowing for greater production of fruits and vegetables and leading to increased donations to the food bank.

 

“We’re excited that our Victory Garden has been so successful in its first few years, and looking forward to expanding our effort and our impact,” said Ann Caron, chairperson of Timberland’s Garden Committee. “It’s truly a win-win: we’re feeding our own internal family with the fresh, healthy produce we grow and more importantly, helping to feed other NH families in need by donating our garden proceeds to the NH Food Bank.”

 

To read entire article > 

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