September 21, 2010 by Debra.

The Chefs Collaborative, a national network of chefs and food professionals active in building a sustainable food system, is holding their annual National Summit in nearby Boston this year — a terrific opportunity to meet other members of the food community!

This  3-day event opens on Sunday, October 3, with a selection of field trips. Two of them feature the Seacoast: “Lobster 101″ with Jeremy Sewall and Mark Sewall in York, ME; and “A Culinary Tour of New England” led by Evan Mallett of Black Trumpet Bistro, and John Forti of Strawbery Banke Museum. The Summit continues October 4–5 with a full schedule of workshops and general sessions, including “Chefs’ Roles in Renewing Heirloom & Heritage Foods,” which Evan Mallett and John Forti are also participating in.

The second annual Chefs Collaborative National Summit, Redefining our Culinary Traditions, will bring together chefs and members of the food community from around the country to share expertise and ideas, while inspiring action towards a more sustainable food system!  We expect 300 chefs, culinary professionals, and members of the food media to join us at Bunker Hill Community College in Boston, October 3-5, 2010, for this educational and community-building conference focused on the theme of integrating sustainable principles into regional culinary and agricultural heritage.

$250 for non-members, $200 for members

Register now!

**A limited number of scholarships for culinary students are available. Please call our office for details at 617-236-5200.

**For more information, see workshops, field trips, and general sessions!

 

A Culinary Tour of the New England Seacoast

Led by chef Evan Mallet and John Forti

Destination: Portsmouth, NH

Sunday, October 3

Visit one of New England’s oldest seaports and enjoy the culinary traditions and tastes of the Seacoast. The day will begin at Strawbery Banke Museum where you’ll join garden historian and curator John Forti for a guided tour of the museum’s heirloom gardens and orchards. Next, learn how Portsmouth Brewing Company is sourcing its grains locally to create incredible brews. Finally, acclaimed chef Evan Mallett of Black Trumpet Bistro will close the evening with a delicious family-style meal of local and seasonal fare.

 

Lobster 101

Led by chef Jeremy Sewall and lobsterman Mark Sewall

Destination: York, ME

Sunday, October 3

Spend an afternoon on York Harbor with third generation lobsterman, Mark Sewall, and his cousin, Jeremy Sewall, Executive Chef of the soon-to-open Island Creek Oyster Bar, Eastern Standard and Lineage Restaurant.  This is a once in a lifetime opportunity to learn first-hand about lobster fishing and a true sea-to-plate relationship.  We’ll stop for an early dinner at Robert’s Maine Grill before returning to Boston.  Dress warm and be prepared to get wet.  Be sure to bring a rain jacket and some waterproof shoes.

 

Chefs’ Roles in Renewing Heirloom & Heritage Foods

Saturday, October 4

What is the difference between a Red Wattle and a Large Black hog? Why would you go out of your way to find an Ozette potato? And who was Jimmy Nardello and what’s so special about his sweet peppers? This panel features chefs who are working to restore foods at risk of extinction not only by featuring the unusual and delicious ingredients on their menus, but by getting involved in their local food communities.

Moderator: John Forti, curator of historic landscapes, Strawbery Banke Museum, Portsmouth, NH

Speakers: Seth Caswell, chef/owner, emmer&rye restaurant, Seattle, WA; Evan Mallet, chef/owner, Black Trumpet Bistro, Portsmouth, NH; Andrea Reusing, chef/owner, Lantern Restaurant, Chapel Hill, NC

For more information, registration and full schedule of events >

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

September 21, 2010 by Debra.

One of the special features of the 2nd Annual NH Fish & Lobster Festival, otherwise known as the Fishtival, is the chance to taste freshly-landed local seafood prepared by Seacoast chefs:

14 chefs and restaurants will serve up fresh and delicious seafood tastings. Each were assigned a different locally-caught fish species at random (via lottery) to prepare at the event. The restaurants and their catch of the day are:

Little Bay Oyster fresh shucked oysters

Seaport Fish monkfish

Green Monkey/Brazo hake

Jumpin’ Jays Fish Cafe bluefish

Portsmouth Lobster Co. whole steamed lobster

Blue Mermaid skate

Portsmouth Brewery haddock

River House Restaurant cod

Portsmouth High School Culinary Arts squid

Old Salt Restaurant pollock

100 Club mackerel

106 Kitchen Bar shrimp

Black Trumpet lobster meat

Come join the fun on Saturday, September 25, from noon to 4 p.m. at Prescott Park, Portsmouth. Admission is free, seafood tastings are $4/each. For more information >

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

September 21, 2010 by Debra.

Health coach Tracey Miller has added to her schedule of cooking classes being offered this fall:

Posted in author: Debra, learning | Print | No Comments »

September 20, 2010 by Debra.

A recent article about raising oysters in Great Bay from Seacoastonline.com:

Rebuilding Great Bay’s Oysters

Cooperative effort eyes commercial harvesting

 

Every day the sun is shining Will Carey and his dog, Logan, take a 30-minute boat ride down the Lamprey River into Great Bay, where he drops anchor along the edge of Newington’s Fox Point.

 

There, floating just above the bottom of an acre and a half of shoreline, is an oyster farm where more than 1 million half-shell oysters are slowly developing to market size.

 

Across the water, at the University of New Hampshire’s Jackson Estuarine Laboratory, sits Dr. Ray Grizzle, a professor of zoology with a current focus on increasing oyster populations in Great Bay.

 

Carey’s farm and a swath of the bay’s floor tended by Grizzle and fellow professor David Berlinski are the beginning of what Grizzle hopes will become an oyster farm cooperative, where he envisions some 20 oyster farmers cultivating up to 100 acres of the bay.

 

“I think there could be a Great Bay oyster that is internationally known,” he said, adding the region’s mollusks are sweet and briny.

 

Grizzle’s dream is part of a shellfish expansion project under way in New Hampshire. The professor and his team are about to enter the second year of a four-phase project that will determine if the bay is as well suited for oyster farming as he predicts.

To read full article >

Update: Via our Facebook page,  Will Carey’s oysters can be found at the Newmarket Farmer’s Market, and will be one of the features of the NH Fish & Lobster Festival in Prescott Park this Saturday, September 25.

Posted in author: Debra, seafood | Print | No Comments »

September 20, 2010 by Debra.

Come celebrate rural living at MOFGA’s Common Ground Country Fair in Unity this week-end, September 24–26. This 3-day annual event, now in its 34th year, offers something for everyone — more than 700 exhibitors, demonstrators, speakers and artist will be participating in this year’s Fair. Some highlights from past years include: mowing with and sharpening a European scythe, the lively sheep dog demos, any workshop with Will Bonsall, and a tour of the vegetable exhibition with C.R. Lawn where we got to taste-test the entries!

 September 24, 25 & 26, 2010  

All the information you need for this year’s Fair is posted online.

MOFGA Members Get Free Admission To The Fair. Join Now.

We Need Volunteers! Register For A Shift Now.

Fair Tickets Available Around The State and Online.

The Fair allows fairgoers to make connections with a rapidly expanding base of organic farms in the state of Maine. Hundreds of vendors, exhibitors and demonstrators, more than 1,000 volunteers, and tens of thousands of fairgoers will gather to: share knowledge about sustainable living; eat delicious, organic, Maine-grown food; buy and sell beautiful Maine crafts and useful agricultural products; compete in various activities; dance; sing and have a great time!

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

September 19, 2010 by Debra.

The Greater Seacoast Permaculture Group has organized a field trip to D Acres, an organic farm and homestead, for Sunday, October 3:

Field Trip to D Acres: Organic Farm & Educational Homestead using permaculture principles and techniques — Farm Feast Breakfast & Open House

Dorchester, NH

Sunday, October 3, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

 

We are very lucky to have D Acres accessible to us here in NH and excited to go together to see it!

 

The first Sunday of each month D Acres hosts an All-You-Should-Eat breakfast featuring pancakes made with local flour, NH maple syrup (in season), local free-range eggs, D Acres meat, potatoes, and greens, and fair-trade coffee. $5-15 sliding scale suggested donation. Then at 1 pm is the Open House tour, including a garden walk, meeting the animals (chickens, pigs, goats, oxen), seeing the alternative energy systems, a greenhouse/animal husbandry building, edible forest gardens, and more!

 

More about D Acres: D Acres was founded in 1997. The mission of the organization is to function as an educational center that researches, applies and teaches skills of sustainable living and small-scale organic farming. Striving to improve the human relationship to the environment, the center functions as a demonstration farm to role model exemplars of healthy living. To learn more, see www.DACRES.org.

 

*Please Do Not Bring Your Pets to D Acres*

 

D Acres asks for $5-15. We will work out sharing travel expenses. Otherwise, no charge for this meetup.

 

To RSVP and for more information plus details about carpooling >

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

September 19, 2010 by Debra.

If you’re like me, the shorter days and cooler nights of September bring with them the overwhelming urge to store away food for the winter. Fortunately, the organization CISA (Community Involved in Sustaining Agriculture), based in Western Massachusetts, has just added a new feature to their website on storing winter crops at home.

Store Local has tips on storing potatoes, winter squash, sweet potatoes, garlic, and root vegetables such as carrots, beets, and celeriac. They include a link for those storing in apartments or with limited space, and also a list of food preservation resources.

Certain varieties and, in general, in an unwashed condition are better for long-term storage. Remember, if you’re unsure if the vegetable is suitable for winter storage, ask your farmer.

Posted in Market Notes, author: Debra, putting food by | Print | No Comments »

September 19, 2010 by Debra.

Based in Portland, Cultivating Community is hosting their fourth annual 20 Mile Meal at Turkey Hill Farm in Cape Elizabeth. Featuring tastings from Portland area chefs, locally-sourced delicacies will be accompanied by music, farm tours, and family activities:

Join us for the fourth annual 20 Mile Meal!

 

Cultivating Community is pleased to invite you to the 20 Mile Meal that links local food with local culinary talent. Turkey Hill Farm will be the backdrop once again for this exciting event that will take place on Sunday, October 3rd from 2–5 pm. Tastings portions of savory dishes will take place from 2–3:30, followed by desserts from 4–5. Participating resturants include Bar Lola, Blue Spoon, Aurora Provisions, Flatbread, Local Sprouts and El Rayo among others. Proceeds from the 20 Mile Meal will support Cultivating Community’s year-round educational programming in the greater Portland area.

 

Tickets are $35 for adults/ $18 for students and elders (60+): Click here to order tickets today.

20 Mile Meal Raffle

• Grand Prize: Traditional barn-raising quilt by guild quilter Vickery Cleaves, $1500 value)

• 1st Prize: Portland Arts, Culture and Dining Package (tickets and gift certificates from many local venues, eateries and organizations), $1000 value

• 2nd Prize: Family CSA share, $480 value

Raffle tickets are $20 apiece and available until October 1st at Rabelais Books, Longfellow Books, Aurora Provisions, Rosemont Markets, and Cultivating Community farm stands.

If you are interested in volunteering for the 20 Mile Meal, please email Sarah Robinson at srobionson@cultivatingcommunity.org. Thanks so much for supporting our work!

For more information >

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

September 18, 2010 by Debra.

Celebrate the apple season by entering Rye Farmers’ Market’s 2nd Annual Apple Pie Baking Contest:

2nd Annual Pie Baking Contest

 

Local bakers and vendors are baking apple pies of all kinds!

 

The Rye Farmers’ Market will be hosting our 2nd Annual Apple Pie Baking Contest on Wednesday, September 22. The market is 2:30–5:30, and pies must be there by 3:00. Judging will take place at 4:00 and, after that, everyone can taste the pies. Last year’s pies ranged from an onion/cheese apple pie (surprisingly delicious) and a chocolate/apple pie, which speaks for itself!

While you’re there, check out their “What’s For Dinner” program, a weekly menu with recipes included, featuring ingredients available at the market. For more information >

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

September 18, 2010 by Sara Zoe.

Eastman’s Fish and Heron Pond Farm have opened up their next season of CSF/CSA shares:

Eastman’s will be offering a 5 week Community Supported Fish share, with options of 1lb, 2lb, or 4lb filleted fish each week and three pick up locations:
Emery Farm, Durham, Wednesdays, 4-6pm
Exeter Farmer’s Market, Thursdays, 2:15-6pm
Newburyport Farmer’s Market, Sundays, 9-1pm

The deadline to sign up is September 24th. Sign up online or call 603-760-7422 with any questions.

Heron Pond Farm will be offering shares that include 14 pickups (spread out over 24 weeks) and run through the end of March. There will be a lot of fresh greens all winter long, onions and garlic, winter squash, cabbage, cauliflower, turnips and a whole host of other winter vegetables! Pickups occur at the farm stand in South Hampton, in Dover, or Portsmouth. Learn more and sign up at their website >

Posted in seafood, sources of local food | Print | No Comments »