Seacoast Eat Local

The boundary between art and food is surprisingly permeable — I attended both art and culinary schools, and it wasn’t uncommon to find that the line cook standing beside me originally studied sculpture, or that the painter at next easel used to be a pastry chef. Both fields attract people who need to make things, a process that, in transforming one thing into another, resembles nothing less than alchemy.

The exhibition, “From the Garden to the Kitchen”, opens this Saturday, June 4th, at the George Marshall Store Gallery, and is part of Stonewall Kitchen’s 20th anniversary celebration. Accompanying the exhibition is a special garden installation by landscape designer Jacquelyn Nooney at the Company Store in York, just in time for the opening of the Gateway Farmers’ Market next door!

From the Garden to the Kitchen

George Marshall Gallery Store

140 Lindsay Rd, York, ME

Opening Reception: Saturday, June 4,  2011, 5–7 p.m.

Exhibition Dates: June 4 – July 10

Gallery Hours: Tuesday – Saturday 10–5, Sunday 1–5, and also by appointment

The theme of “From the Garden to the Kitchen” speaks to the landscape, the cultivation of fruits and vegetables, the inspiration of cooks and chefs and the gathering of friends to enjoy the bounty. At Stonewall Kitchen’s flagship store on Route One, landscape designer Jacquelyn Nooney has interpreted this theme using plant materials and reproductions of works by regional artists. The original works of art and others by more than thirty New England artists are exhibited in a two-part exhibition at the George Marshall Store Gallery.

 

“From the Garden to the Kitchen”, Part II opens July 16 and continues through August 21.

This exhibition of invited New England artists has been planned in conjunction with Stonewall Kitchens 20th anniversary celebration.

For more infomation: www.georgemarshallstoregallery.com.

From pyramid to plate, the USDA has introduced a new design of its nutrition guidelines to help consumers think about making healthier food choices. With the new growing season moving into full swing, fulfilling these requirements with local foods is easier than ever. Visit one of our many weekly farmers’ markets or nearest farmstand and fill your plate with local food!

First Lady Michelle Obama and Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack unveiled the federal government’s new food icon, MyPlate, to serve as a reminder to help consumers make healthier food choices. MyPlate is a new generation icon with the intent to prompt consumers to think about building a healthy plate at meal times and to seek more information to help them do that by going to www.ChooseMyPlate.gov. The new MyPlate icon emphasizes the fruit, vegetable, grains, protein and dairy food groups.

“This is a quick, simple reminder for all of us to be more mindful of the foods that we’re eating and as a mom, I can already tell how much this is going to help parents across the country,” said First Lady Michelle Obama. “When mom or dad comes home from a long day of work, we’re already asked to be a chef, a referee, a cleaning crew. So it’s tough to be a nutritionist, too. But we do have time to take a look at our kids’ plates. As long as they’re half full of fruits and vegetables, and paired with lean proteins, whole grains and low-fat dairy, we’re golden. That’s how easy it is.”

Balancing Calories

● Enjoy your food, but eat less.

● Avoid oversized portions.

 

Foods to Increase

● Make half your plate fruits and vegetables.

● Make at least half your grains whole grains.

● Switch to fat-free or low-fat (1%) milk.

 

Foods to Reduce

● Compare sodium in foods like soup, bread, and frozen meals ― and choose the foods with lower numbers.

● Drink water instead of sugary drinks.

For more information about filling your plate with local food, visit www.seacoastharvest.com.

Brookford Farm launches their Outdoor Film Series this Saturday, June 4th — bring a lawn chair or blanket, treat yourself to a frozen yogurt and enjoy a summer evening at the farm!

Brookford Farm Outdoor Film Series:

“The Plow That Broke the Plains” & “The Greenhorns”

On the Farm at 278 Sligo Rd, Rollinsford, NH

Saturday, June 4, 2011 (Rain date: June 5th)

9 p.m.

Free and open to the public

This summer, we’re delighted to invite you to the farm for a film series which will feature agriculturally-themed documentaries from around the world. We begin in June with two American films, one from the present day, and one from the Dust Bowl era. In July and August, we present films from France and Thailand.

The Plow That Broke the Plains (1936) is a short documentary film which shows what happened to the Great Plains region of the United States when uncontrolled agricultural farming led to the Dust Bowl. It was written and directed by Pare Lorentz. The Greenhorns documentary film explores the lives of America’s young farming community, and shows how a new generation of young agrarians farm with their brains as well as their bodies. These greenhorns are working to reverse negative trends in agriculture in favor of healthy food, local and regional foodsheds, and the revitalization of rural economies, one farm at a time. Directed by farmer/ activist Severine von Tscharner Fleming. Watch a trailer of The Plow That Broke the Plains here, and The Greenhorns here. Screened with permission of the Greenhorns.

All films will be screened in the backyard of 278 Sligo Road, the red house between two hills about a mile south of the Farm Store, but you should park about a quarter-mile before you get to the house, at the gray tunnel barn across the street from a gray house. Bring lawn chairs, blankets, and whatever you’ll need to be comfortable at an outdoor event. We’ll have frozen yogurt and other treats for purchase at the screening.

This is a free event – rain date June 5th.

For more information: www.brookfordfarm.com.

The Granite State Graziers, a statewide network for grass-based farming, is sponsoring a Pasture Walk at Bonnie Brae Farms in Plymouth, NH, on Wednesday, June 8th, at 4:30 p.m. These series of Pasture Walks focus on fundamental grazing skills, and new and innovative practices, and are free and open to the public:

Pasture Walk: Bonnie Brae Farms

Granite State Graziers

Bonnie Brae Farms, Plymouth, NH

Wednesday, June 8, 2011

4:30–6 p.m., rain or shine

Spend an afternoon in Plymouth at Bonnie Brae Farms exploring how grazing figures into the way Henry Ahern raises red deer. The walk will be held Wednesday, June 8 from 4:30 to 6 p.m., rain or shine.

 

Bonnie Brae Farms has been producing locally grown, farm-raised venison since 1994. The farm is owned and operated by Henry, who represents the third generation to farm the land. His first deer arrived in early 1994, and they have proven to be a perfect fit.

 

Fawns pose special challenges in the rotational grazing system used at Bonnie Brae Farms. Henry will also discuss some challenges that those of us with more standard-issue animals might face: pasture flooding and thistle. He’ll also show us a gravel pit that he’s reclaiming for grazing.

 

Bonnie Brae Farms meat products have no antibiotics, steroids, or added hormones. The animals eat grass and hay, as well as some grain, which is useful as a management tool. Roasts, steaks, burger, sausage and more are available at the farm, at the Concord Farmers Market, or by mail order. The farm offers breeding stock and their own velvet antler nutritional supplements. They are open year round.

 

Directions to Bonnie Brae Farms: Interstate 93 (Northbound and Southbound): Take a left at Exit 24 (Ashland) onto Route 3 N. Drive two miles. Deer farm is at red brick house and a barn on the right hand side of the road. Ph: 603-536-3880, fax: 603-536-2649; or email: admin@bonniebraefarms.com. Visit their web site: www.bonniebraefarms.com.

 

The pasture walk is free and open to the public. Donations to the Granite State Graziers will be gladly accepted at the event.

 

Granite State Graziers is a collaborative effort of the USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service and UNH Cooperative Extension.  For more information, contact GSG coordinator Bill Fosher (news@grazenh.com) or 399-9975

For more information: www.grazenh.com.