May 15, 2008 by Sara Zoe.

written by Amy W. (This is the first of her posts, you can look forward to more on this topic!)

 Last week I attended my first Dining Facilities Meeting for Dover Public School District. It’s an honor to be accepted to this committee as a future parent—my daughter is 2 and my son 5 months old. Our family has several years before we’ll officially cross Garrison school grounds. So why does public school food matter so much to me? Here are a few thoughts.

• I’m a lunch lady in my own home and my daughter is a diverse eater, sometimes veggies at the forefront of her dinner plate. Although finicky at times (she is two!), she always comes around and sometimes surprises us with her distinguished palate.
• Dover school kids are served more or less highly processed food and produce from the West or Midwest. Produce not picked at the peak of ripeness and lengthy travel time diminishes flavor and nutrients. Thanks to a culinary degree, I have the insight and “foodie” credentials to make this statement.
• Although our household isn’t perfect, we aspire to live sustainably and would like to encourage others, especially institutions catering to kids, to do so.
• Schools should offer a well rounded education. Lost within our culture, American children need to be reintroduced to a simpler, rewarding lifestyle—well prepared food from a local farm (yes kids, a carrot grows in the dirt and that’s not icky), taste, and the art of dining or conversation over a well prepared meal with family and friends. Schools have a lot to shoulder in the broader category of education and this could be a controversial grey area. To counterpoint, parents are ultimately responsible to feed their children a healthful diet, but that’s not happening. Can our schools come to the rescue to save children and local farmers alike?
• Nationally 16 percent of school aged children and adolescents are overweight—a figure that has risen three-fold since 1980. ¹ Between 70 and 80 percent of overweight children and adolescents remain overweight or become obese as adults. We’re told that the obesity epidemic also links to skyrocketing rates of other illnesses like diabetes. Responsible adults should take care of their kin, not kill them.
• I’ve heard excuses like kids are served Oreos and boxed mac-n-cheese at home. That’s what they like and eat, and therefore that’s what they are served at school. Not so! That’s what they know. I won’t denounce, it’s a challenge to feed kids, especially when on the go, but it is worth the effort.

The point of blogging about this experience it to help others interested in starting farm-to-school programs. By keeping up with what is happening in Dover, some folks might be inspired to leap forward in another district or join the volunteer cause in Dover.

The Dover Dining Facilities Council is headed by the district Business Manager and is made up of the Director of Food Service, a school board member, school nurses and parent volunteers. This particular group of parents and nurses, anyway, is fired up and looks forward to seek positive change—more vegetables (hopefully local) on school lunch tables.

At the meeting, Nathan Duclos, NH Farm to School Program Coordinator from University of New Hampshire Office of Sustainability  gave a presentation on the NH Farm to School program. Mark Saunders, owner of Saunders Fruit and Produce  was also present and shared a few words on distribution issues.

Basic challenges to overcome: build a plan with measurable results that will work for this specific district; establish a farm-to-distributor-to-school system; devise new recipes and create new menus to accommodate the local produce; cost, will it cost more to pay local?; figure out how best to market new food items to students (elementary, middle and high school-age); educate students (again, different ages) on the health benefits of eating more vegetables and fruits, and about local farming and food in general.

Nathan Duclos made it clear that each of these areas is a huge task in itself, not to be taken lightly. To be successful, the group needs to focus and make small-scale change, an example, serve kale on the menu in 2008. The group is up for the challenge, and despite the hefty workload, we learned something inspiring—Dover schools still have fully equipped kitchens!—anything can happen. We meet next at Dover high school for a group kitchen tour… hairnets not required.

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April 26, 2008 by Sara Zoe.

from the Portsmouth Herald >

Farmers’ markets return for the season across the Seacoast

April 24, 2008 5:39 PM

PORTSMOUTH — The weekly farmers’ market in Portsmouth opens Saturday, May 3, bringing Seacoast residents and visitors another season of shopping just a short, gas-saving walk or bike ride from downtown. Fifteen new, independent businesses have joined Seacoast Growers’ Association in its 32nd year — a growth of 36 percent from 2007 — so the selection will be better than ever.

Every Saturday from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. in the City Hall lot on Junkins Avenue, fresh and local produce, flowers and garden plants, meats and cheeses, breads and pastries, fine crafts and more are available. Stock up on groceries, enjoy a live musical performance, and buy a gift for your mom … all in one stop!

Opening Ceremonies will be held the second week of the market, May 10, with a special ribbon-cutting at 10 a.m. by Portsmouth Mayor Tom Ferrini, attended by City Manager John Bohenko and members of the City Council. The week’s live music will be provided by American Flyer, a collection of instruments and vocals on classic and contemporary Bluegrass, originals and covers. Other entertainment for the month is: Random Acts of Harmony, May 3; Taylor River Band, May 17; Jonathan Blakeslee, May 24; and The Reef Band, May 31.

Additional weekday markets in Dover, Durham, Exeter, Hampton and Kingston are open the first week of June through mid-October. The Dover farmers’ market, in particular, has grown and now boasts extended hours. Open weekly until 6 p.m., it has moved to the parking lot of McIntosh College’s Atlantic Culinary Academy, 181 Silver St., where a total of 15 weekly vendors will provide farm-fresh produce, fine crafts and gourmet foods.

(Dover: Wednesdays starting June 4, 2:30-6 p.m., McIntosh College’s Atlantic Culinary Academy parking lot, 181 Silver St.; Durham: Mondays starting June 2, 2:30-5:30 p.m., Durham traffic circle, Pettee Brook parking lot; Exeter: Thursdays starting June 5, 2:30-6 p.m., Swasey Parkway; Hampton: Tuesdays starting June 3, 3:00-6 p.m., Route 1, across from the post office; Kingston: Tuesdays starting June 3, 2:30-5:30 p.m., Main Street.)

The average American eats food that’s traveled 1,500 miles from field to plate. Who wants to be average? Shop local, enjoy the flavor, meet your neighbors, and reduce your carbon footprint. For details and directions, visit www.seacoastgrowers.org.

Seacoast Growers’ Association is a state-registered nonprofit organization representing 57 local small businesses. SGA works closely with Slow Food Seacoast, Seacoast Eat Local, and Seacoast Local, all of whom can be found every Saturday at the market booth. A hotline listing in-season produce and weekly special events can be reached 24 hours a day at 658-0280. For details and directions, visit www.seacoastgrowers.org.

Portsmouth Herald article >

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April 21, 2008 by Sara Zoe.

From a Yahoo Finance article that is sort of freakishly local comes advice on buying local meat: buy it by the animal. Unfortunately for the aspiring butchers out there, the meat comes packaged in normal and recognizable cuts, there’s just a lot of it:

What does the high price of food mean to the average frugal grocery shopper? Eat locally. Produce, meat, poultry and eggs grown nearby have always been better for the environment. Now, because of high fuel prices, buying local is also the smartest way to shop.

Purchase produce in season and frequent farmer’s markets, where you’ll find the best deals on the freshest fruits and vegetables. Invest in a freezer, if you have the space, and buy your meat locally as well.

Uber saver Mike Hegarty, a CPA in Des Moines, Iowa, says he saves $500 a year on meat by purchasing whole animals from local farms.

In case you’ve never done it and you’re having a hard time visualizing it in your garage, when you buy a quarter of a cow from a local farm, a butcher cuts it into the familiar hamburger, flank and sirloin steaks and packages it for you. An extra bonus: Local farms often raise all-natural or even organic beef, pork and chicken.

Sources of local meat on the Seacoast (Seacoast Eat Local wiki) > 

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April 18, 2008 by Sara Zoe.

from the cover of today’s Newburyport Daily News:

City’s first Farmers Market to launch on Earth Day

By Stephen Tait
Staff Writer

NEWBURYPORT — Dick Chase is bringing spinach and fresh herbs, some honey from last year’s crop and also potted flowers, such as pansies.

He is also going to bring a new item from his Arrowhead Farm: a “living salad bowl,” or a collection of greens that grows back after people pick it for salads.

Arrowhead is just one of 10 farms participating in a farmers market Sunday at the Bartlet Mall as part of the city’s Earth Day celebration, which involves numerous events running throughout the weekend and ending Tuesday with the first-ever Earth Day Awards.

Chase and other farmers market organizers hope this weekend’s event serves as the launching pad for a summer-long farmers market in the city.

“The time is right for a farmers market in Newburyport,” said Heidi Spinella, an Earth Day organizer. “The concept is that the people will embrace it and we will be able to do a six- to eight-week farmers market this summer.”

Spinella and Chase said Newburyport is fortunate to have farms in the area that produce herbs, fruits, vegetables and meats.

“It is important to support the local farmers,” Spinella said.

Supporting local food producers has grown in popularity and importance throughout the country in recent years, especially among those who are environmentally conscious. One of the biggest reasons is that local farming is considered “green” because it can save fuel costs.

“The farmers market ties in beautifully with eating locally,” Spinella said. “If we can eat more food produced locally, we can cut down on the fuel it takes to truck them across the country.”

Chase said it is also supports sustainable agriculture, another movement he says is really starting to flourish.

“For a community to be sustainable, it really needs the capacity to produce its own food,” he said.

Spinella said beyond green aspects, the farm also could prove to be a great connection for local residents. She said she envisions a market that would allow for people to “re-engage with the simple pleasures in life,” such as riding a bike to go shopping at the market.

“It is a community-spirited opportunity,” she said. “You could come to town, meet your friends. It would be a beautiful thing.”

Chase said that it is also a way for people to get to know local farmers. He said not many locals may realize there are many farms in the region.

He said farming is among the “original green enterprises” and a farmers market is an “appropriate fit” for Newburyport.

“It is a good way for people to get connected back to agriculture,” he said. “We are hoping it will become a regular thing.”

“It is good for the farmers, good for the residents and good for planet Earth,” Spinella said.

 

 

If you go

When: Sunday, 11:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.

Where: Bartlet Mall

Why: Earth Day celebration

Who: 10 local farms with fruits, flowers and more

 

Participating farms:

Arrowhead Farm, Newburyport

Bartlett Farm, Salisbury

Colby Farm, Newburyport and Newbury

Herrick Dairy Farm, Rowley

Nunan Florist and Greenhouses, Georgetown

Pettengill Farm, Salisbury

Simple Foods, Amesbury

The Herb Farmacy, Salisbury

The Katie May, a Newburyport fishing vessel

CSA at Long Hill, West Newbury

Pictures and more at the Newburyport Daily News website >

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April 13, 2008 by Sara Zoe.

Thanks go to Amy W. and Deb M. who collated these websites where farmers can list their businesses to increase their exposure - even if you don’t have a website yourself, you can certainly start to build a web presence, helping more people connect with local food.

www.localharvest.orgwww.eatwellguide.org
www.pickyourown.org
www.nh.gov/agric/publications/index.htm
www.nhfarmtorestaurant.com/guide-sections.htm
www.mofga.org/Resources/FindLocalFoods/tabid/221/Default.aspx
www.state.me.us/agriculture/mpd/foodandfarms/index.shtml
www.NHfarms.com Virtual farmer’s market with free listings
www.NHliving.com Lists primarily fruit and berry growers
www.lightenupnh.org
www.getrealgetmaine.com
www.NHFMA.org NH farmers Market Association

Ones that require membership
www.NHpga.org NH Plant growers Association
www.directorynh.com
www.nofanh.net/foodMap.php?center=sc
http://www.nhmade.com

Of course, our own effort is also underway and will be ready the beginning of July! In print and on the web, Seacoast Harvest will list the farms of Rockingham, Strafford, and York counties. This is a joint project of Slow Food Seacoast and Seacoast Eat Local. It’s not too late to help if you’d like to be a sponsor.

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April 2, 2008 by Sara Zoe.

I was googling something rather unrelated when I came across this Youtube video of our own local farmer Shawn Stimpson, who, along with his partner Sarah Anderson, farm at Nelsons Organics and use a used-veggie oil radiant heat system to have fresh organic greens almost all year round. Nelsons Organics will be one of the farmers at the April 19th Sustainability Fair in Portsmouth (10am - 4pm, Parrot Avenue near the middle school and library), selling their fresh and sustainably grown greens:

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March 31, 2008 by Sara Zoe.

Gary Hirschberg, the ceo of Stonyfield Yogurt, made sure his new book was printed in an environmentally smart way. The paper he insisted on was not only post-consumer recycled, but also “Manufactured with electricity that is offset with Green-e® certified renewable energy certificates” (from the manufacturer’s website).

Seacoast Eat Local and Slow Food Seacoast are currently in the midst of our annual resource guide revision, with plans for bigger, better, more. But one thing we don’t want more of is paper pollution, so we’ve gathered quotes on printing on these same papers that are beautiful quality, 100% post-consumer recycled, and green energy certified. It ain’t cheap, but it’s important. Eating locally is a good and wonderful thing we can do, with environmental reasons being one of my own personal motivations. But it’s not worth as much if we’re printing lots of stuff unsustainably, or taking home lots of plastic bags from the markets, and so on.

The new guide [with its new name, Seacoast Harvest] will be ready the beginning of July. In the meantime you can help out by becoming a sponsor, helping us keep the guide free for farmers and consumers, and helping us make the smart choice in printing.

More info on the good printing decisions of Gary Hirschberg’s new book from Publisher’s Weekly > 

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March 25, 2008 by Jeff.

My wife Kate and I recently took a long weekend to enjoy some of the local food that Maine has to offer and to relax a bit before the farming season begins in earnest. We started off in Portland (which I forget is only 1 hour away) and then went as far north as Rockland before turning around and heading back. Here are some highlights from our trip.

Beer

Unfortunately we didn’t get to see as many microbreweries as we would have liked because of some scheduling glitches. One of the brewers we had hoped to visit couldn’t meet with us because his son was giving a presentation for 4-H that day. However, we did get to try Sebago Brewing Co’s Frye’s Leap IPA which was quite good as well as Gritty McDuffs Scottish Ale (of which we brought home a 12 pack) and their Best Bitter. We also brought back a variety of local 22 ounce bottles to share with our neighbors.

Booze

While we didn’t make it to Cold River Vodka in Freeport, we did stop by Sweetgrass Winery & Distillery in Union, ME. Sweetgrass is located at the top of a beautiful hill and provides quite the view. I think we were the only customer they’d had in a week but they still gamely took the time to provide a tasting of all of their fruit wines as well as their gin. The fruit wines, not usually my favorite, were all nuanced, interesting, and not overly sweet. Fortunately for them, but unfortunately for us, they were sold out of the apple cranberry wine, made from local fruit. Finally we made it to the Back River Gin, which is why we had come. I must say, it was certainly a bit better than the Gordon’s that I normally drink, and it’s made with Maine blueberries to complement the juniper berries and other aromatics. We most certainly brought a bottle home. Sweetgrass also makes vanilla extract and is hoping to begin producing rum and vermouth next year, to which I can only say “Maine-made martinis, hurrah!”.

Cheese

Oh, the cheese! To find creameries to visit, we consulted Jeffrey Roberts’ Atlas of American Artisan Cheese. Our first stop for cheese (after calling ahead, of course) was Town House Farm in Whitefield. Town House makes ‘ewe’gurt and sheep’s milk cheese as well as ‘moo’gurt and cow’s milk cheese. Upon our arrival Beth immediately invited us in for Chai and was eager to discuss her operation as well as the local food movement. She later cooked us up a couple of slices of Haloumi, a Cypriot cheese which can be fried without melting and tasted quite good. She gave us a tour of her cheese room, offered us a taste of a cheese she was still working to perfect and introduced us to a couple of her sheep. We left with some maple moogurt that we later ate for lunch. All in all, a great visit.

Our next stop was Mystique Goat Cheese in Waldoboro. There was no cheese-making happening in March, but we did get to see the lovely (if odd) Nubian goats that supply the milk. Such long, floppy ears! And of course we left with a couple of containers of spreadable goat cheese. Mystique makes a number of other types of cheese as well, but was sold out (definitely a good sign). From there we went to State of Maine in Rockport. The store was just being cleaned up after the winter farmers’ market they had hosted that morning. After perusing a store full of Maine-made food (and some goods) we also received a tour of the kitchen where the cheese maker does his work. After spending the night in Rockland we visited Pineland Farms in New Gloucester. Pineland includes a non-profit educational facility as well as numerous cross country skiing and snow shoeing trails. There weren’t any tours that day, but we did bring home a nice Monterey Jack.

We finished our trip with a visit to one of our favorite creameries, Silvery Moon in Westbrook at Smiling Hill Farm. Silvery Moon is one of the cheeses offered through my wife’s CSA to her members. The cheddar curd makes me happy to be alive. Jen, the cheese maker, took time on her day off to show us where she has been making her cheese as well as the partially finished space where she will soon be working. She gave us the full tour, talked to us about the cheese making community in Maine, and happily answered any and all of our questions. We left with 2 delicious rounds of Camembert.

Miscellany

It’s time to end this unusually long-winded post but I would be remiss if I didn’t briefly mention seafood. In Rockland we ate dinner in a sushi restaurant called Suzuki’s where we ate delicious local shrimp and benefited from excellent service. The next morning while I ate my grilled biscuit, haddock cake, scrambled eggs, and hollandaise sauce we overhead 2 fishermen discussing whether or not their boat would be going out later that day, which was pretty neat.

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February 21, 2008 by Sara Zoe.

March 29th and 30th is New Hampshire Maple Weekend (Maine Maple Sunday is March 23 this year, and here’s a link to a searchable database of open houses and pancake breakfasts!, though since the 23rd is Easter, many producers are holding events on other days. Massachusetts declares all of March “Maple Month” and, well, I’m sure there are good sugar houses there, but I couldn’t find any.)

Sugarmomma’s Maple Farm will be holding an open house!

Maple Weekend - Open House
March 29th & 30th - 10am- 2pm
Sugarmomma’s Maple Farm
213 Ridge Road Northwood, NH 03261
603-942-7005

“While visiting the sugarhouse you will have the opportunity to sample some treats made with our finest pure NH maple syrup. We hope that the weather will be cooperative so that you will be able to experience the sweet process of making maple syrup.

Wendy Berry of Lasting Legacy Farm will be bringing in baby animals to pet and play with!”

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February 8, 2008 by Sara Zoe.

My local fish store (well, my on the way home fish store: Al’s Seafood on rte 1 in North Hampton, NH) has been featuring already cleaned Maine shrimp and Great Bay smelt. This is one of the funnest parts of eating locally with the seasons - the foods that come into their own in the winter.

I’ve been chowing down on the shrimp regularly, especially since they are already cleaned and I understand that the fisheries are pretty sustainable, but smelt . . well, this transplant to New England has yet to get her feet wet. A bit of internet searchery reveals that they are commonly floured and fried, but does anyone have an idea as to the sustainability?

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