November 3, 2009 by Hillary.

From Slow Food Seacoast, information about their fantastic upcoming event!

This year, Slow Food Seacoast’s popular Thanksgiving event comes closer to home. The “100-Mile Thanksgiving” of past years is being updated to reflect our community’s progress in finding and developing more of our own local food resources. In recognition of these positive changes, this year’s Thanksgiving celebration of regional foods is titled “50-Mile Thanksgiving: Closer to Home.”The event takes place at South Church, the Unitarian Universalist Church of Portsmouth, and is cosponsored by Slow Food Seacoast and the Church’s Green Sanctuary Team, with support from RiverRun Bookstore. This year the event takes an exciting new format, featuring a 7:00 PM talk on urban farming by Novella Carpenter, author of the book “Farm City: The Education of an Urban Farmer.”

The talk is open to the public, and in lieu of admission Slow Food Seacoast asks attendees to bring a food donation for the (H)EAT campaign, which works to provide food and heating oil for people in need across the Seacoast area.

Before the talk, Slow Food Seacoast will also offer an optional Thanksgiving potluck dinner in South Church’s downstairs gathering hall. Guests are invited to bring a seasonal dish to share that features at least one item grown or sourced from within 50 miles of their home. The dinner will include resources for doing your own urban or suburban ‘farming’ and an opportunity to learn about and share homegrown food.

This local Thanksgiving celebration, now in its fourth year, was originally inspired by the writings of Alisa Smith and J.B. MacKinnon, a Canadian couple who challenged themselves to spend a year living on just the ingredients available from within 100 miles of their home in Vancouver, BC.

Here in the Portsmouth area, Seacoast Eat Local took up the charge by promoting Eat Local Challenges in 2006, 2007 and 2008, and this year Gov. Lynch and the State of New Hampshire declared August of 2009 NH Eat Local Month, indicating the growing power and reach of the idea of sourcing food closer to home. Slow Food Seacoast adopted the idea for its first large public event, holding its inaugural Thanksgiving in November, 2006.

Admission to the 5 PM potluck supper is $10 per person, kids under 12 free. Potluck seating is limited and on a first-come, first-served basis; RSVP required. Please RSVP to slowfoodseacoast@gmail.com

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November 1, 2008 by Sara Zoe.

Here’s a downloadable .pdf for the 100-mile Thanksgiving that Slow Food is hosting on November 14th - help promote the event by downloading and printing a copy to post at your workplace, favorite coffee stop, local library, town hall or any place you happen to see an empty bulletin board!

SFS 100-mile Thanksgiving poster (.pdf)

For full details about the 100-mile Thanksgiving, visit the Slow Food Seacoast blog >

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October 31, 2008 by Sara Zoe.

Allison has a great post over at the UNH Sustainability Blog about the food baskets program we’re working on for the Holiday Farmers’ Markets:

Perhaps you’ve read the headlines:
Food Bank Inventories at an All-time Low
Demand is up - Donations are Down at NH Food Banks

Unfortunately, these are not from last week’s papers but illustrate an issue that has been ongoing for the last two years here in NH. Increased cost of heating and transportation leave many families without enough money to pay their bills and buy food for the table. Thus an increase in demand and a decrease in people’s ability to donate, have strained food banks in NH and the rest of the country.

It is now the time of year - with holidays’ approaching - that many food drives begin and food banks and food pantry’s are hoping to restock their shelves before winter. At UNH, the Cornucopia Food Pantry serves the local community and perhaps you have seen information about the “basket of hope” program where individuals or UNH Departments come together to donate an entire basket of food for a family. This has been an incredible successful program and much appreciated by the families who receive the baskets.

I’m a local food supporter and one of those who mostly shops the perimeter of the supermarket. Okay - there is the occasional foray into the snack food aisle for cheese puffs - but other than that, I just don’t eat a lot of canned or processed food. Looking into the food donation bins at the supermarket exit, they are usually loaded with boxes of potato buds or cans of creamed corn. I’m not likely to buy that sort of item so what can I do to support local families in need?

This year there is a great alternative! Cornucopia has partnered with Seacoast Eat Local to donate baskets that are full of locally grown food. On November 22 and December 20, Seacoast Eat Local is hosting Holiday Farmers’ Markets at the McIntosh Atlantic Culinary Academy in Dover. A group of UNH students and other volunteers will be there accepting monetary donations from market shoppers on behalf of Cornucopia. They will then take those dollars and purchase food directly from farmers at the market and deliver the food to Cornucopia in time for distribution before the holidays. I can’t think of a better way to support both local families and local farmers!

Kudos to the minds and hearts that came together to make this happen! To me, its a perfect example of how to creating a healthy and supportive food community. If you want to add to the success of this fantastic program, here’s how you can do it.

• Shop at the market, take home some local holiday food and donate a few dollars for baskets.
• Sign up to donate a fresh produce basket to Cornucopia directly. http://www.cornucopia.unh.edu
• Volunteer to help Seacoast Eat Local work at the market or help assemble the baskets. http://www.seacoasteatlocal.org
• Go to the Slow Food Seacoast annual 100-mile Thanksgiving potluck on November 14 at 6:00. Your donation at the door will directly benefit this program and you’ll enjoy an evening of great fun, food and community friendship. More info at http://www.slowfoodseacoast.org

What Allison may not know is that it was a connection made by the Office of Sustainability that brought this collaboration together and sent Sarah T., the UNH student in charge of the program, our way!

Visit UNH’s Discover(ing) Sustainability blog  >

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October 28, 2008 by Sara Zoe.

from Slow Food Seacoast’s website: 

On Friday evening, November 14th, 2008, Slow Food invites the public to a 100-Mile Thanksgiving Potluck Dinner at the Portsmouth Pearl, 45 Pearl Street, Portsmouth, NH, from 6:00-9:30 PM. Slow Food Seacoast will serve up locally raised roasted turkeys from Kellie Brook Farm in Greenland, NH and present a fun program featuring speakers, music, and information from organizations working toward a sustainable, healthy and affordable regional food supply for everyone.

In this “learn by eating” event, participants are invited to bring potluck dishes featuring at least one ingredient grown or raised within 100 miles of home. Guest speakers from farmers to food writers will give short talks on the history and lore of the familiar Turkey Day dinner, and share hints, sources and methods for planning your own hometown harvest celebration. How did the classics - turkey, cranberries, pumpkin pie - end up with a permanent place on our Thanksgiving menus? Why is Thanksgiving a perfect time to celebrate New England agriculture? Where can a home cook find the makings of a local Thanksgiving meal? We’ll explore all these topics and more to provide new inspiration for your holiday table. Seacoast Eat Local will be present to share information about their upcoming Holiday Farmer’s Markets, timed just right to stock up on fresh, locally grown foods for special dinners.

“Historically, the majority of our food came from within 100 miles of our kitchens,” says John Forti, co-leader of Slow Food Seacoast and Curator of Historic Landscapes at Strawbery Banke Museum. “Today, less than 6% of our agricultural products come from NH — some might say a dangerously low percentage. This Slow Food Seacoast event offers us a chance to meet the pleasant and worthwhile challenge of cooking from fresh ingredients sourced locally. Truly something to be thankful for!”

And the sharing of the bounty won’t stop at the table. Money raised from admission donations will help the UNH Cornucopia Food Pantry distribute “Baskets of Hope,” holiday baskets featuring delicious produce fresh from local farms. Funds from 100-Mile Thanksgiving will purchase food directly at local holiday farmer’s markets. UNH students will assemble baskets on the spot and deliver them in time for needy residents’ holiday meals.

for the complete story and full details, visit Slow Food Seacoast’s website >

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November 5, 2007 by Sara Zoe.

This year, Chef Ted McCormack and Flag Hill Winery are offering a local foods based Thanksgiving meal you can pick up on Thanksgiving morning:

Thanksgiving should be a time for friends and family, so why not leave the cooking to us! Order your full Thanksgiving meal or individual portions from Flag Hill. Our executive chef, Chef Ted McCormack will prepare and cook your Thanksgiving feast from locally procured foods and have it ready for you to pickup Thanksgiving between 10am and 12pm. Let the family think you slaved over it in the kitchen - we won’t tell if you won’t. Turkeys are procured locally and 85% of the menu is from local farms and producers. Eat great and support local agriculture !!

Complete meal includes:

• Butternut Squash Soup and Rolls
• Roast New England Turkey
• Homemade Gravy and Cranberry Sauce
• Herb Bread Stuffing
• Mashed Potatoes
• Fresh Green Beans
• Awesome Apple or Real Pumpkin Pie

Cost:

• Individual Serving - $16
• Serving 12-14 - $200

Call 603-659-2949 or email dinners@flaghill.com to place an order or make any inquiries. Your Thanksgiving meal may be picked up on Thanksgiving Thursday between 10am and 12pm. Orders must be placed by November 17th. Payment accepted at time of order.

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