June 30, 2009 by Sara Zoe.

From Rye Eats Local:

Due to unfortunate circumstances, the Rye Farmer’s Market will relocate to the Rye Junior High parking lot for this week only (07/01/09).  Rye Junior High is located at 501 Washington Road, down the street from the Rye Congregational Church and directly across from TD Banknorth. The hours will remain from 2:30PM to 6PM.

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June 20, 2009 by Sara Zoe.

from the organizers:

The Wentworth Greenhouse Summer Farmers’ Markets will premier Tuesday, June 30th, from 2 to 6 pm and will continue every Tuesday throughout the summer through October 27th. The Markets will take place in the Wentworth Greenhouses parking lot, opposite the main Greenhouse entrance.

A total of sixteen vendors have been accepted into the markets to date, representing high quality produce growers, food producers, and artisans from throughout the local area.  Market patrons will be able to treat themselves to fresh fruits, berries, seasonal vegetables, salad raised heritage poultry, chicken and duck eggs, hand crafted goat cheeses, yogurts and soaps, NH maple syrup products, gourmet jams, jellies, salsas, sauces, fresh baked breads and pastries, and even a unique soft serve maple ice cream.  In addition to farm raised vegetable and food products, a select number of crafts will be highlighted.

Opening Day will feature Shaker Broom Maker George Polichronopoulos, demonstrating the art of broom making on a 200-year-old Shaker broom-making machine.  Retired from Pease Air Force Base 18 years ago, George took it upon himself to research and study Shaker Broom making, and has since been selling his brooms and supplying Canterbury Shaker and Alfred Shaker Villages with his creations.

Those interested in the art of rug hooking will have an opportunity to ask questions about the craft and even try their hand at hooking, as Rae Lamson from Wool and Goods, in the lower Rollinsford Mills, will be on hand demonstrating the art as well as selling her wool supplies, rug patterns, and other materials. 

Creative animal balloonist Beth Booth of Lee, NH promises to add yet another festive touch to the day, by making and giving away her airy, colorful and spontaneous animal creations to admirers both young and old.

Market-goers are invited to arrive early on opening day to enjoy a free lecture by Joseph Marquette from Yellow House Farm in Barrington, NH.  Joseph will introduce patrons to the Yellow House Farm’s mission, which is dedicated to celebrating the rich cultural heritage of New England farming, as well as to preserving and promoting endangered heirloom breeds of fowl (some dating as far back as ancient Roman and Mayan times) that were part of sustainable and healthy farming practices around the world, prior to the advent of modern factory-style poultry production. Joseph’s talk will take place at 1 pm, an hour before the official opening of the Market, and will be held indoors in one of the greenhouses. No registration is required.

All market patrons will be eligible for a free weekly raffle and drawing of a $25 gift certificate.  You need only purchase an item at the market to qualify.

Wentworth Greenhouses Farmers’ Market participants to date include Amelia Mae’s and Company,  Applegard Farms, The Black Bean Café, Café Ciabatta, Crooked Birch Kitchens, The Fig Tree Café, George Polichronopoulos Shaker Broom Maker, Hickory Nut Farm, Hollister Family Farm, Nippo Brook Farm, Stonewall and Osprey Cove Organic Farms, Sugarmomma’s Maple Farm, The Bead Bin, Wool and Goods, Yellow House Farm, and 45 Market Street Bakery and Café.  

Detailed information about each farm and food product, with links to individual websites, is available through www.wentworthgreenhouses.com.

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June 18, 2009 by Sara Zoe.

Another of the new farmers’ markets this year is North Berwick. The 236diner.com had this list of vendors and their goods listed - looks like it is going to be a fantastic market!:

Fridays 3-6pm Rain or Shine!
through October 2009
North Berwick Town Hall Parking Lot

Buy from these local food growers and producers, including several from South Berwick:

Berry Best Farm, Lebanon, Me: fresh picked fruit and jams
Borealis Breads, Wells, Me: whole grain breads, pastries, cookies
Buddha’s Burning Buns, S. Berwick, Me: cookies, granola and dry mixes
Catch a Piece of Maine, Portland, Me: lobster rolls, salad and cooked lobster meat
Cricket Corner Soapworks, NH, herbal soaps and salves
Dan’s Delectable Bee Barf, S. Berwick, Me: honey and fruit
Farmfield Greenhouses, Lebanon, Me: annuals, perennials and hanging baskets
Juniper Ledge Farm, S. Berwick, Me: organic veggies, herbs and some pastries
Kelly Orchards, Acton, Me: apples, cider, peaches, berries, fall squashes and pumpkins
Little Cottage Baking Co., Sanford, Me: fudge, peanut brittle, and sweets
Outlaw Farm, Rochester, NH: free-range Hereford beef
Spiller Farm, Wells, Me: wide variety of veggies and fruits
The Coop Co-op, N. Berwick, Me: free-range eggs
Tic-Toc Farm, N. Berwick, Me: variety of veggies, fruits and flowers
Zach’s Farm, York, Me: sweet corn, melons, veggies, and flowers

Driving directions >

Other Friday farmers’ markets are the Deerfield Farmers’ Market and Rochester Four Corners Farmers’ Market 

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June 15, 2009 by Sara Zoe.

Another new area Farmers’ Market, the Newmarket Farmers’ Market, will begin Saturday June 20 in the parking lot of the Stone Church.

Saturdays 9–1, June 20 to October 10

Stone Church Meeting House parking lot, 5–7 Granite Street, Newmarket, NH
more info: (603) 659-5900, newmarketfarmersmarket@gmail.com

Featuring:

Tuckaway Farm

New Roots Farm

Hollister Family Farm

Folsom’s Sugarhouse

Hickory Nut Farm

Natural Gatherings

Griffin Hill Farm

Larson Family Farm

Sweet Revenge

Greenleaf Farm

Agape Homestead Farm

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June 8, 2009 by Sara Zoe.

from the Seacoast Growers’ Association:

PORTSMOUTH FARMERS’ MARKET OPEN MARKET SQUARE DAY

The Portsmouth Farmers’ Market will be open this Saturday, June 13, on Market Square Day. It’s just a short walk from the annual downtown event to the farmers’ market, held rain or shine every Saturday in the parking lot of City Hall, 1 Junkins Ave., just across from the South Mill Ponds. 

The Portsmouth Farmers’ Market is a true agricultural event, with over 30 farmers selling everything from fresh produce and dairy products and a variety of meats to seasonal flowers and hardy plants for your own garden. A number of vendors prepare meals to order for breakfast and lunch, and visitors can also take home a bounty of baked goods, beverages (including wine and honey mead), gourmet sauces and jams, and frozen meals.   Hand-made bodycare products and fine crafts such as pottery, jewelry, and photography are also on display.

The ever-popular Market Square Day 10-K Road Race will pass near the farmers’ market in its route down South Street.  Between roughly 9:15-9:45 a.m., traffic may be interrupted at the corner of Junkins and South streets as police officers let runners pass, but access to and from the markets will remain open at all times from Parrott and Pleasant streets and Lincoln Avenue.

The Portsmouth Farmers’ Market is coordinated by Seacoast Growers’ Association, which also puts on five additional markets throughout the week: Mondays in Durham (2:15—5:30); Tuesdays in Hampton (3:00—6:00) and Kingston (2:15—5:30), Wednesdays in Dover (2:15—6:00), and Thursdays in Exeter (2:15—6:00). All SGA farmers’ markets offer the SGA Guarantee: 100 percent of the products sold are grown or made locally by our own vendors. 

For more information about farmers’ markets, including maps to all six SGA locations, visit www.seacoastgrowers.org.

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April 20, 2009 by Sara Zoe.

From the Seacoast Growers Association:

The start of May brings the start of the farmers’ market season.

Seacoast Growers’ Association’s weekly Portsmouth Farmers’ Market opens Saturday, May 2, from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. Five additional markets open the first week of June in Dover, Durham, Exeter, Hampton and Kingston.

Rain or shine, more than 50 local vendors can be found every Saturday in the City Hall lot on Junkins Avenue. Local produce, flowers and garden plants, meats and dairy, breads and pastries, prepared foods, fine crafts and more are fresh for the taking, sold directly by the people who grow and make each item.

What you’ll find

Year-round provisions such as fresh greens, maple syrup, wine, meats and baked goods are plentiful in the market’s early weeks, while other vegetables and fruits are yet growing and ripening to be picked.

Spring is also an especially good time to walk the aisles in search of the perfect plants for your own gardens-or to give as Mothers’ Day gifts. Vegetable and herb starts, bedding plants, perennials and hanging flower baskets abound. Not sure the difference between a Brandywine or a Jet Star tomato? Curious if a snapdragon will grow on your shaded porch? Ask the grower, and get some advice on pest control while you’re at it. Farmers’ markets are an excellent opportunity to learn.

Special Events

As always, the Portsmouth Farmers’ Market presents a different entertainer every week. Opening Day’s live music will feature “folk songs and sing-alongs” by Random Acts of Harmony, a trio from Exeter. The rest of May brings: High Range, May 9; Taylor River Band, May 16; special guest TBA, May 23; and Rock Spring, May 30.

Market Tours will also be available on Saturday, May 9, in conjunction with the Sustainability Fair at the Middle School. Volunteers will meet tour-goers at the fairgrounds and lead them up the hill to the market, where they’ll receive a personalized tour, introductions to the vendors, and tips on how to choose and purchase items at a farmers’ market. There is no charge, and tours are expected to last 45 minutes. They will be conducted every half-hour from 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.

Become a Local Food Advocate!  Learn about the implications of local food choices and how to be represent the local food movement in the Seacoast. The first training will be held on Opening Day, Saturday, May 2. Meet at the Market Information Booth; there is no charge to attend. This program is a joint project of Seacoast Growers’ Association, Slow Food Seacoast, Seacoast Eat Local and Seacoast Local. For more information or to RSVP (requested, but not necessary), contact Michelle Moon at (603) 422-7507 or slowfoodseacoast@gmail.com.

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April 9, 2009 by Sara Zoe.

A one-day farmers’ market will be held in tandem with the 2nd annual arts festival. 6 vendors have already signed up and there is room for 8 more. Contact Brint Stone at bshone@greatmillsmanagement.com or 603-944-2580 to sign up. 

The 2^nd Annual Arts Festival at One Washington Center in Dover has been set for Saturday, May 9, from 10:00 a.m. until 3:00 p.m.  The Festival celebrates the vibrant Dover arts community featuring visual arts, dance perfomances, live music, theater and much more. Professional artists and craftspeople will be selling unique New Hampshire made items; just in time for Mother’s Day.  The Dover mounted police will give a demonstration of their equestrian skills, and our younger visitors are sure to also enjoy the face painting and balloon sculptures.  Local children’s artwork will be displayed, gallery-style, throughout the mill. Last year’s Festival attracted over 1,000 visitors.  The event is free and open to the public. 

Event partners include the Children’s Museum and the Dover Main Street program.  The Children’s Museum will have a special visiting guest on the same day, Dr. Seuss’s “Cat in the Hat”. The Children’s Museum is just a short walk across the bridge from the mill property. 

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January 29, 2009 by Sara Zoe.

Foster’s picked up the story about fishermen selling shrimp at the next Winter Farmers’ Markets:

Written by Robert M. Cook

DOVER — Bob Campbell has high hopes for the few New Hampshire commercial fishermen who still ply coastal waters for Gulf of Maine shrimp and lobster.

Campbell, the manager of the Yankee Fishermen’s Cooperative in Seabrook, said the fishermen are working with the University of New Hampshire Cooperative Extension to develop new markets closer to home for their locally caught products.

“We’re basically trying to reach out to new customers,” Campbell said.

Beginning in February, commercial fishermen will sell Gulf of Maine shrimp at Winter Farmers’ Markets sponsored by Seacoast Eat Local that will encourage Seacoast residents to buy locally-caught seafood, Campbell said.

The first market will be held at the Exeter Congregational Church in Exeter on Feb. 7, followed by a second fish market at Stratham Town Hall on March 7, he said. Both markets will be held from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Campbell said people will definitely be able to pay less than the average $2.99 to $3.99 per pound they pay for fresh Gulf of Maine shrimp at area supermarkets and retail stores. They could also score some good deals on fresh caught lobster, he said.

Campbell, a former ground fisherman from Kennebunk, Maine, said this new marketing strategy may help the state’s remaining ground fishermen and lobstermen stay in business.

read the full article >

More information about the Winter Farmers’ Markets >

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January 25, 2009 by Sara Zoe.

A New Venue for Buying Fresh Seafood Direct from New Hampshire Fishermen

By Charlie French and Ken LaValley

Residents of New Hampshire’s seacoast region can now purchase locally and sustainably-caught shrimp and lobster direct from local fishermen at the Winter Farmers’ Markets. With shrimp and lobster prices at near 20-year lows, this is just the boost that local fishermen need.

New Hampshire’s rich history in commercial fishing has helped to shape the state’s character and sense of community. In fact, commercial fishing has been a vital component of the state’s economy for over two centuries and has grown to a multi-million dollar industry in New Hampshire employing approximately 100 commercial fishermen. Equally important, recent economic studies based on National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) data suggests that New Hampshire’s seafood industry has lead to the creation of approximately 250 jobs in other sectors including food processing, tourism, restaurants, boatyards, etc.

However, the seafood industry is at a critical juncture that will determine its future viability. On the one hand, fishing regulations aimed at protecting declining fish stocks have made it difficult for commercial fishermen to turn a profit. Couple this with rock-bottom prices for shrimp and lobster, commercial fishermen worry that their livelihood is in jeopardy.

The question is; how can the shrimp and lobster industries sustain the resource and increase profits from fish sales? The answer may lie in establishing direct markets for local and sustainably-caught seafood.

This winter, the Yankee Seafood Co-op, based out of Seabrook, New Hampshire, will begin selling shrimp and lobster direct to consumers at Winter Farmers’ Markets sponsored by Seacoast Eat Local. As Bob Campbell, Manager of the co-op explains, the idea is to build stronger links between the commercial fishermen and local fresh markets and area restaurants. And what better venue than a farmers market where a variety of locally produced foods can be purchased.

If you are interested in purchasing locally-caught seafood, below are the dates and locations of upcoming farmers markets where pre-packaged shrimp will be available in the Seacoast:
•    Saturday, February 7th from 10am-2pm at 21 Front Street, Exeter, New Hampshire
•    Saturday, Saturday, March 7, 10am-2pm at Stratham Town Hall, Stratham, New Hampshire

More information about these winter farmers’ markets is available at www.seacoasteatlocal.org

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January 21, 2009 by Sara Zoe.

a new winter CSA and winter farmers’ market starting up in Concord!

from the Concord Monitor:

Most gardens are buried in inches of snow. But that doesn’t mean it’s not possible to get fresh vegetables in Concord.

Next month, Larry Pletcher, owner of the Vegetable Ranch in Warner, is starting a winter CSA and farmers market. A CSA - an acronym for community supported agriculture - will give members a chance to pre-buy shares of the farm’s produce, then pick up fresh lettuce, bok choy and other fresh veggies every two weeks from the end of February through early May.

“It’s becoming a growing thing,” Pletcher said. “I know lots of people interested in local foods, the local situation, but everyone wonders what can they eat locally during the winter.”

Pletcher has run the Vegetable Ranch as an organic farm since 1988. He has been working there full time for about seven years, selling his goods at farmers markets throughout the area.

In the summer, he participates in the Local Harvest CSA, which includes a large number of farms around Concord, and the Kearsarge Mountain CSA, a smaller program run from his farm.

This year, after putting up a new greenhouse, Pletcher decided to start his own CSA in the winter. He has stored potatoes, onions, beets and carrots, which will be distributed. He also has three greenhouses filled with lettuce, spinach, bok choy, chard and kale. Come spring, there should be fresh radishes, beets and carrots.

Pletcher said that some vegetables, like lettuce, need to be grown in heated greenhouses. Others, like spinach, are simply covered in an unheated greenhouse. The greenhouses generate solar warmth, and covering the vegetables in mid-afternoon keeps the heat in. “It’s amazing,” Pletcher said. “You have days when it’s down 5, 6 below. You go out the next day and they’re not frozen.”

read the full article>

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