March 12, 2010 by Heather.

The year 2010 marks the 15th annual New Hampshire Maple Weekend. March 27th and 28th are sure to be exciting days for those who choose to visit any of the 65 sugarhouses across the state that will be welcoming visitors. Events include learning how maple syrup is made, learning the history of maple syrup, tasting free samples, pancake breakfasts, horse-drawn rides, sap collecting, petting zoos, musical entertainment, and much more. And it all will be enjoyed while sweet maple steam rises from evaporators and New Hampshire maple producers work in sugarhouses to boil sap down to syrup, a craft that has been refined over hundreds of years in New England. Visit the New Hampshire Maple Producers website for more information on the weekend.

One sugarhouse that will be welcoming guests during New Hampshire Maple Weekend is Sugarmomma’s Maple Farm, 213 Ridge Road, Northwood, also a vendor at the Winter Farmers’ Markets. Sugarmomma’s will be open from 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m., rain or shine, on March 27th and 28th.  There will be hayrides, a pancake breakfast, pony rides, and much more. See Sugarmomma’s website for more details.   
 

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March 9, 2010 by Heather.

This summer Wentworth Greenhouses will be holding its summer farmers’ markets on Saturdays. Starting June 26th and running through October 30th, the markets will be held outdoors in the parking lot, from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m., with the option of bringing them indoors to one of the greenhouses during inclement weather.  The move to Saturday aligns the markets with the busiest weekend shopping day at Wentworth Greenhouses and builds upon the momentum from last year’s summer markets and the tremendously successful winter markets. Market guidelines and application forms will be available at the Wentworth Greenhouses website shortly. Should you have questions about the markets, or the application process, please call Steve at 603.743.0923.

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March 8, 2010 by Heather.

Spring has sprung, and it’s time for the Strafford County Conservation District’s 2010 Annual Conservation Plant Sale! The Strafford County Conservation District (SCCD) holds this sale, its largest fund-raiser, to provide landowners with trees, shrubs, and plants at discounted prices with a few goals in mind. ”The goals of the [SCCD] are to offer plants for sale to land owners for controlling erosion, wind/sound breaks, bird/wildlife food/shelter/nesting sites, evergreens that are ideal for growing your own Christmas trees, fruits for your own use, starting a business, or for making the natural world more enjoyable.” 

Another benefit is that these plants are grown in Farmfield Greenhouses, Lebanon, ME, and Wentworth Greenhouses, Rollinsford, NH. So this sale supports local conservation, local greenhouses, and gives people a more affordable way to plant their own decorative and edible plants. Wondering just what they’re selling? A lot! The main types of items are evergreens; deciduous trees; fruit trees; shrubs; wildflowers, ground covers, vines, and ferns; small fruits and roots; and perennials, herbs, vegetables, annuals, and flower baskets. The SCCD has produced a six-page document of all the options, which is packed full with information about each item, like what type of soil the plant flourishes in or if it’s native to the area. SCCD Plant Sale Info

Orders are filled on a first-come, first-served basis. Orders should be placed by March 25, 2010. Fill out the SCCD Plant Sale Order Form and send, along with your payment, to the Strafford County Conservation District, 259 County Farm Road Unit #3, Dover, NH 03820-6015.

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March 6, 2010 by Sara Zoe.

From the good people of Slow Food Seacoast:

Visit their website for more information about the potlucks!

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March 5, 2010 by Heather.

If you’ve always wanted to drive a tractor but want to know the basics, this upcoming adult education class at Alvirne High School’s Wilbur H. Palmer Vocational-Technical Center is for you.

Tractor Safety and Operation is designed for inexperienced drivers who would like to learn how to maintain and operate a tractor. Students will learn basic tractor maintenance, safety, basic driving, and power take off operation. An interactive CD is included for each student to take home.

This class will run on Monday nights, March 22 through April 19, from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m. Tuition for the 5 weekly classes is $60 and includes the CD. There is a minimum age requirement of 18.

If you’re interested, fill out the registration form and mail it, along with your payment, to Alvirne High School, 200 Derry Road, Hudson, NH 03051. Please call the school as well to get your name on the class list as the deadline is coming quickly, 603.886.1260.

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March 5, 2010 by Debra.

I grew up in was what was then considered an average-sized family of six, with parents from even larger families. They remembered living through the Depression and, in our household, food was not something that was ever wasted. Recently, my sister told me of a friend remarking on the fact that my sister’s family ate “leftovers,” implying that leftovers weren’t “fresh” and therefore somehow not “food.” I’m not certain where this belief came from or how it’s become common thinking but, intentional leftovers are a cook’s best strategy when eating locally on a daily basis.

In her previous book, The Tenth Muse: My Life in Food, Judith Jones describes what she did with the leftovers the week after a dinner party in a section called “The Nine Lives of a Leg of Lamb”. Her new book expands on this notion and, in addition to its focus on the idea of cooking for oneself, is equally useful for those interested in the forgotten art of how to cook for more than one meal at a time.

The legendary editor of some of the world’s greatest cooks, Judith Jones, talks about

THE PLEASURES OF COOKING FOR ONE

RiverRun Bookstore, 20 Congress Street, Portsmouth

Monday, March 8th at 7 p.m.

www.riverrunbookstore.com

We’re thrilled to be hosting legendary editor Judith Jones.  She has edited some of the world’s greatest cooks, including Julia Child and James Beard, and is the author of The Tenth Muse: My Life in Food. Her new book, The Pleasures of Cooking for One, is a book as passionate as it is practical.



Here, in convincing fashion, Judith Jones demonstrates that cooking for yourself presents unparalleled possibilities for both pleasure and experimentation: you can utilize whatever ingredients appeal, using farmers’ markets and specialty shops to enrich your palate and improve your health; you can feel free to fail, since a meal for one doesn’t have to be perfect; and you can use leftovers to innovate—in the course of a week, the remains of beef bourguignon might be reimagined as a ragù, pork tenderloin may become a stir-fry, a cup or two of wild rice produces both a refreshing pilaf and a rich pancake, and red snapper can be reinvented as a summery salad. It’s a fulfilling and immensely economical process, one perfectly suited for our times—although, as Jones points out, cooking for one also means we can occasionally indulge ourselves in a favorite treat.



Throughout, Jones is both our instructor and our mentor, suggesting basic recipes—such as tomato sauce, preserved lemons, pesto, and homemade stock—that all cooks should have on hand; teaching us how to improvise using an ingenious strategy of building meals through the week; and supplying us with a lifetime’s worth of tips and shortcuts. From Child’s advice for buying fresh meat to Beard’s challenge to beginning crêpe-makers and Lidia Bastianich’s tips for cooking perfectly sauced pasta, Jones’s book presents a wealth of acquired knowledge from our finest cooks. 

For more information about this event >

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March 2, 2010 by Heather.

The Seacoast Family Food Pantry will be holding a Frugal Feast this Saturday, March 6, 2010, at the Masonic Temple, 351 Middle Street, Portsmouth, NH (at the corner of Miller Avenue). The event begins at 5:00 p.m. with a silent auction and refreshments, followed at 5:30 p.m. by a family supper served in the tradition of local soup kitchens with local artists playing music in the tradition of street buskers. 

The Seacoast Family Food Pantry invites one and all to share this evening raising awareness and financial support to ensure that our neighbors and friends do not go hungry.

Tickets are $20 per person or $35 per couple while children under 18 are $5. A table for 8 can be had for $140; an absentee table sponsorship is $75.

For more information and to purchase tickets go to the Seacoast Family Food Pantry’s Web site, www.seacoastfamilyfoodpantry.org/.

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March 2, 2010 by Heather.

This conference is for growers selling at summer or winter farmers markets, farm stands, or PYO operations or selling through Community Supported Agriculture; market coordinators and volunteers; or anyone exploring alternatives to cash payments. Besides growing your farm markets and profits using alternative to cash payments, you will also learn about making food accessible to low income families and increasing nutrition for the well being of individuals and families.

There are two sessions at the workshop. Session A is from 3:30 to 4:30 p.m. and will deal with Farmers Market Nutrition Program (FMNP) coupons, the new WIC food package, and senior coupons. Session B will be held from 4:30 to 7:15 p.m. and will discuss the Supplementary Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), formerly known as Food Stamps-EBT.

Interested participants can attend both sessions or just A or B individually.

This workshop is free and open to all.

More information can be found at http://extension.unh.edu/events/index.cfm?e=app.event&event_id=21130.

To preregister, please contact Deb Stevens at (603) 679-5616 or deb.stevens@unh.edu.

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March 2, 2010 by Heather.

Farmers and agricultural service providers will learn about effective on-farm energy practices that are suitable for New England at this two-day conference, scheduled for Monday and Tuesday, March 15 and 16, 2010, at the Radisson Conference Center in Manchester.

The keynote address will be delivered by Mike Morris, ATTRA/National Center for Appropriate Technology. Morris will address practical ways to assess energy options on the farm. Two workshop tracks will be offered–on oilseed production and greenhouse energy efficiency and conservation–and will include 14 individual workshops on topics ranging from systems for harvesting and pressing oilseeds to using shell corn for greenhouse heat. A complete description of the workshops, along with additional conference information, can be found at http://www.uvm.edu/vtvegandberry/meetings/FarmEnergy3-10.pdf. The registration fee is $25 per person per day and includes lunch and materials. Please register by March 10.

To register, send payment to UVM Extension at

278 South Main Street, Suite 2, St. Albans, VT 05478.

A block of rooms has been reserved at the Radisson (603-625-1000) for conference participants at a rate of $109/double room.

For more information, including request for accommodations to participate in this program, please contact UVM Extension–St. Albans office at 802-524-6501.

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March 1, 2010 by Heather.

Do you love local food? Is your calender free Friday, March 19, through Sunday, March 21, at 6:00 p.m.? Then maybe you should make reservations for the New England Farm 2 Fork Project’s “a forty mile meal.” But do it fast, there are only 30 seats available for what is sure to be a remarkable culinary treat.

According to their Web site, “The New England Farm 2 Fork Project’s ‘a forty mile meal’ dinner will consist of locally made artisan and farmstead cheeses, pastured local lamb, antique (heirloom) apples and many other locally raised products. Our gastronomic goal is to serve the best local, sustainably produced ingredients, and to treat them with respect and simplicity in our cuisine. This means using as much of a products resources as possible, be it the greens from garden grown organic beets, or the livers and gizzards of barnyard chickens. Our deep-rooted regional influences have shaped and continue to shape New England farm cuisine and inspire our cooking and food on a daily basis.”

For more information, to read the full article, or to RSVP for “a forty mile meal” please see the New England Farm 2 Fork Project’s Web site, http://tnef2fp.blogspot.com/2010/02/forty-mile-mealdefining-local-new.html. 

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