We just received this wonderful report of the Exeter Congregational Church’s Localvore Supper from this past Saturday night:
We just had a very successful Locavore church supper here in Exeter, NH, last week. We purchased all the food locally, inlcluding 80 pounds of fresh turkey at the local farmer’s market, from Kellie Brook Farms in Stratham, NH. We walked from the church over to the farmer’s market, loaded up the 4 turkeys in a little red wagon, and hauled them up the hill to the church ovens.
Church members, who have rather large home gardens (I call them our micro-farmers), donated apples, squash, potatoes, cabbage, and more. One lady picked up a 10lb bag of cranberries when she was on an earlier vist to Cape Cod. The co-chefs drove a little north to Butternut Farm to get more apples for the pies, Tuttle Farm to get fresh corn for the corn-relish salads, and they drove a little south for fresh rolls from Piantedosi’s bakery in MA. Please see the attached flyer.
This was an awareness-raising event, and we had a table of information and flyers on various conservation, locavore, and green topics. We had also posted all the names of the farms where the foods were grown. The tables were set with church china and old silver on linen tablecloths. The centerpieces of each table had a listing of the free films we will be showing in our fall green series: Fresh, Botany of Desire, and History of the Chicken. Our house band was playing folk music.
We opened the doors, and sold out in the first hour all 120 seats. We were charging more than our other church suppers, because of the higher food costs, but people gladly paid to get the fresh food.( Usually $8-9, but local was $12). This was our 2nd annual Locavore supper, and the first one - same time last year, was just as successful. Maybe we are on to something?
Didn’t the original church suppers used to be from all-local food when they first began in the 1700′s?
Let us marry the old with the new, to create something sustainable.Renay Allen
Renay Allen
Office Manager
The Congregational Church in Exeter, UCC
21 Front St., Exeter, NH 03833
office@exetercongchurch.org
603-772-4216 Mon-Fri 9-2pm