March 12, 2010 by Heather.

Yesterday, the Hippo ran a story about Manchester restaurants striving to bring more local food into their kitchens. But this was no small article simply naming a few locations and the beginning of their adventure. This was more of an in-depth study on how New Hampshire is coming home, so as to speak, and how the momentum for local food is growing. Writer Heidi Masek got input from many restaurant owners, farmers, and local food leaders.

Chef Jeffrey Paige said it’s amazing that right now in New Hampshire you can find venison, buffalo, beef, pork and chicken raised locally, and probably eight or 10 different kinds of cheeses.

But although everyone is excited about local food, there remain many challenges to fully stocked restaurants. Masek says:

These [farms] are usually family businesses, though, and producers are working so hard on products that a lot of them don’t have time to market or distribute. “That’s the hard part of this whole process. The average chef works 60 hours per week,” Paige said. They need sourcing simplified.

And that’s one of the things a group of 50 to 75 people–farmers, producers, distributors, chefs, and others–met to work on in January at Cotton Restaurant in Manchester. It was a New Hampshire Farm to Restaurant Connection meeting and they were starting to figure out ways to get more local products into Manchester restaurants. 

The bottom line of what the New Hampshire Farm to Restaurant Connection does is to sustain New Hampshire farms — provide farmers with a reason not to sell to real estate brokers, Charlie Burke said. However, local foods are also safer, better and fresher.

Of course, there’s a lot more where this came from. The article also takes a look at what groups in all parts of the state and even over into Vermont are doing. It’s worth taking a few minutes to read the whole article on the Hippo’s website.

And remember, you can always find local food near you in Rockingham, Strafford, and York counties with the help of Seacoast Harvest.

Posted in author: Heather, local food in local restaurants, eating locally in the media, farms | Print | No Comments »

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. 

Posted in author: Heather, local food in local restaurants, eating locally in the media, events | Print | No Comments »

December 19, 2009 by Debra.

Congratulations go to several of our local apple orchards located here in New Hampshire — heirloom apples from Applecrest Farm, Poverty Lane Orchards, and Apple Hill Farm have been selected by Mother Earth News to be featured as part of their holiday display at the State Department! The artisan cider from Farnum Hill Cider of New Hampshire was also part of the selection:

Mother Earth News Spreads the Word about Unique Apples and Artisan Ciders 

As part of our effort to decorate the Diplomatic Reception Rooms at the State Department in Washington, D.C. for the holidays (See Magazine Holiday Design Showcase), MOTHER EARTH NEWS embraced the theme “An Extravaganza of Apples.” We coordinated with orchards and cideries around the country to showcase America’s most beloved apple varieties and hard ciders.

More than 50 apple varieties will be on display in the historic Adams Reception Room in the State Department’s Harry S. Truman Building during the month of December, and will be seen by hundreds of guests, including foreign leaders and dignitaries, diplomats, senators and congressmen. Besides being delicious and deliciously fragrant, each apple variety brings with it a unique history (learn more below).

Heirloom Apple Donors

Applesource  (Chapin, Illinois)

Poverty Lane Orchards  (Lebanon, New Hampshire)

Applecrest Farm  (Hampton Falls, New Hampshire)

Apple Hill Farm  (Concord, New Hampshire)

Prevedelli Farms  (Watsonville, California)

Gray Wolf Plantation  (New Oxford, Pennsylvania)

Century Farm Orchard  (Reidsville, North Carolina)

 

Read more…

Posted in author: Debra, local food in local restaurants | Print | 1 Comment »

October 12, 2009 by Sara Zoe.

      Final NH Growers’ Dinner of 2009 to be held at Enfield Shaker Museum

The final official 2009 NH Growers Dinner will take place at the Enfield Shaker Museum in Enfield, NH on Oct. 24. This caps off a series of special dinner events, organized by the NH Farm to Restaurant Connection, that highlight the use of local farm and food products at local restaurants.

The Enfield event is the finale to a day-long Culinary History Symposium, however the symposium and dinner events are separate and attendees may chose to attend either event, or both. The setting for both the symposium and the dinner is the Enfield Shaker Museum, once the home of the Enfield Shakers, known for their exceptional culinary herbs, meals, and agricultural products. To see the full symposium program visit www.newhampshirefarms.net.

The Enfield growers’ dinner is being prepared by well-known local chef, Jason Dacier who is the Head Chef for the Hanover-Lebanon Co-op Food Stores.  Jason and his staff create a full range of prepared foods available daily for Co-op customers.  He also oversees the Co-op’s catering service. The dinner menu will feature hard cider braised beef, an array of seasonal vegetables from farms in the Enfield region, presented in soup, salad and unique side dishes. A delectable maple crème brulee is planned for dessert.  For reservations, call the Enfield Shaker Museum at: 603-632-4346, by October 19th.  Visit www.newhampshirefarms.net for more details.

 For information about the NH Farm to Restaurant Connection, contact Gail McWilliam Jellie at the NH Dept of Agriculture, Markets and Food at: 603 271 3788, gmcwilliam@agr.state.nh.us or visit www.nhfarmtorestaurant.com.

Posted in local food in local restaurants | Print | No Comments »

August 31, 2009 by Sara Zoe.

If seeing Food Inc. at The Music Hall isn’t already on your calendar for the evening of September 24, there is also a NH Farm to Restaurant Connection dinner planned for that evening:

The Old Salt and Lamie’s Inn
presents
New Hampshire Farm to Restaurant Connection Dinner

Buying your food locally is good for your local economy, good for family farmers, good for your family’s health, and good for the environment. Not to mention how good fresh, local food tastes!

The Old Salt, in cooperation with “Farm to Restaurant Connection” would like to celebrate these local farmers and vendors. Please join us September 24, 2009 for a delicious dinner, made exclusively with local NH ingredients.

$24.99 per person
(Reserve a table of 10 for only $229.99)
Limiting Seating Available Reservations Required
603-926-8322
The Old Salt
490 Lafayette Road
Hampton, NH 03842

Posted in local food in local restaurants, events | Print | No Comments »

March 3, 2009 by Sara Zoe.

Farnum Hill Ciders and the Portsmouth Brewery will hold their second annual Cider Social on Thursday, March 12, 7 p.m. at The Brewery, 56 Market Street in Portsmouth.  Tickets are available now for this event.

Join Farnum Hill Cidermakers Steve Wood and Brian Goodwin plus Portsmouth’s own Master Brewer Tod Mott for a tasting menu highlighting Farnum Hill’s ciders and hearty food pairings.  The Brewery Executive Chef Robert Martin’s four-course menu will showcase recipes developed for a new book about New Hampshire’s winemaking tradition, Wine & Dine in New Hampshire, available this spring.

Learn how cider is made and experience the great food and atmosphere at the Brewery, and hear about the ongoing partnership between two renowned New Hampshire beverage producers.

The Cider Social is $30 per person and includes a four-course tasting menu with ciders, complimentary Portsmouth Brewery beer goblets with “Cider Bucks,” and special giveaways from Farnum Hill; reservations are limited.  Please contact the Brewery at 603 431-1115 or Corrie Martin at 603 252-0737 to make your reservation.

Posted in local food in local restaurants, events | Print | No Comments »

February 9, 2009 by Sara Zoe.

Rachel Forrest wrote an article about Fresh Local Bayside, the weekend brunch and Friday lunch on the water spot in Newington that is an extension of the Fresh Local business: Fresh Local Bayside has food with a view

I ate brunch there a few weeks ago and it was fantastic. My personal highlights were: a bread basket of assorted breakfasty like breads as soon as you sit down (because who arrives for brunch not starving?), the perfect hollandaise and the home made corned beef hash which achieved an amazing balance of texture and flavor.

Posted in local food in local restaurants | Print | No Comments »

January 13, 2009 by Sara Zoe.

Farnum Hill Ciders has partnered with the Portsmouth Brewery to offer a Cider Night!

Wednesday, January 28, 7:00-9:00 pm, downstairs at the Portsmouth Brewery.
Featuring Farnum Hill Ciders with a four-course menu.
Tod Mott of The Brewery and Brian Goodwin of Farnum Hill will talk first-hand about making local beverages.
$30 per person (tax & tip included).
Reserve at the Brewery, 603/431-1115, or with Corrie at Farnum Hill: 603/252-0737.

7:00-7:15 pm
Welcome and introduction by Tod Mott, Brian Goodwin, other Farnum Hill people.
7:15-8:45
Four ciders with four courses, brief comments from Brian.

Tasting Menu:
Farnum Hill Semi-Dry Cider with Rosemary Apple Puffs
Farnum Hill ‘Farmhouse’ with Arugula and Boggy Meadow Fiddlehead Tomme Salad
Farnum Hill Kingston Black Reserve with Braised Spanish Porketta, Stewed Lentils with Fried Taleggio Cheese
8:45 Dessert and Wrapup
Farnum Hill French Martinis with Apple Crisp and Cinnamon Cookies

This event is part of New Hampshire Wine Week:
Information at www.nh.gov/liquor/

Posted in local food in local restaurants, events | Print | No Comments »

December 15, 2008 by Sara Zoe.

On your way to or from this Saturday’s Holiday Farmers’ Market stop by for the newest incarnation of the Fresh Local Truck, Fresh Local Bayside in Newington.

A note from the owners:

 **UPDATE 1/30/09: Fresh Local Bayside is open 9-2 Sat/Sun and 11-2 Fridays

We’ll be opening our new brunch place at the Great Bay Marine in Newington next weekend, Dec. 20, 21. We’ll be open Saturday and Sunday 8am -3pm throughout the winter.

We’ll have the best eggs benedicts, pancakes, all the normal breakfast fare in addition to some lunch favorites like our pork sandwiches, soups and burgers. It’s a great little space overlooking the bay (you may have been there when it was Currents a few years back).

Directions: Take Exit 4 off the Spaulding, turn left around backside of Rockingham Electric, right onto Nimble Hill Rd, right on Fox Point Rd, right on Beane Lane to the end. Just follow the signs to Great Bay Marine and you’ll find us at the far end of the building facing the water. Our own FRESH LOCAL BAYSIDE signage is in the works so don’t look for any just yet.

Posted in local food in local restaurants | Print | No Comments »

September 25, 2008 by Sara Zoe.

Flag Hill Winery’s series of regional cuisine dinners, featuring ample locally sourced food, continues with a menu celebrating duck on October 10th.

The duck is from Yellow House Farm in Barrington! Pears from Mack’s Apples in Londonderry, other organic produce from Tuckaway Farm in Lee, bacon from Kelllie Brook Farm, and andouillie from North Country Smoke House.

Choices of:

• Hot and Sour Duck Soup
• Smoked Duck Salad
• Jambalaya
• Duck Crepes with Raspberry Wine Gastric
• Baked Dumpling Squash
• Poached Pears in Port

reservations are required. More information and online reservations >

Posted in October 2008 Eat Local Challenge, local food in local restaurants, events | Print | No Comments »