Ready to get your hands into the soil and bring back the green? On Saturday, April 24 (rain date: Sunday, April 25), join an inspired community in helping to bring new life to the historic gardens at Strawbery Banke Museum. The day starts with the Strawbery Banke Earth Day Volunteer Garden Cleanup and continues into the afternoon with a Slow Food Potluck and an Heirloom Seed Plant-In.

Other work opportunities also will be available throughout the site for those not inclined toward gardening, but all work done will help the museum get ready for its May 1 opening.

Morning: Garden Cleanup

Volunteers should arrive at the Strawbery Banke Visitors Center between 8:30 and 9:00 am for work assignments and refreshments. Please feel free to bring your favorite gardening tools, wheelbarrows, rakes, and gloves. All other tools will be provided by the Museum. Park in the lot by the Visitors Center at 14 Hancock Street, Portsmouth.

Midday: Slow Food Potluck Lunch

An optional Slow Food Potluck Lunch will follow at 12:30 pm. Visit the Slow Food Seacoast website and About Our Potlucks to learn more about Slow Food Seacoast and our potluck events.

Afternoon: Heirloom Seed “Plant-In”

To celebrate the 40th anniversary of Earth Day and to further the day’s theme, join us for an Heirloom Seed Plant-In from 1:30 to 4:00 pm!  Slow Food Seacoast is partnering with Strawbery Banke and the Chefs Collaborative to teach how to grow and eat food from your own backyard. Participants will receive free heirloom seeds and plants, and enjoy free workshops and talks. Afternoon sessions will include Renewing America’s Food Traditions (RAFT) information sessions, gardening tips, and heirloom seed planting, plus plenty of opportunities to get dirt under your fingernails.

>>Please RSVP by April 19 to volunteers@strawberybanke.org or 1-603-433-1110; tell us if you plan to bring gardening tools and a potluck dish.<<

Program Schedule and Locations [subject to change]

8:30–9:00 am: Volunteers arrive at Strawbery Banke for work assignments and refreshments (Visitors Center)

12:30 pm: Slow Food Potluck Lunch; visit About Our Potlucks to learn more about Slow Food Seacoast potluck events (Visitors Center)

1:30 pm: RAFT Heirloom Seed Plant-In and plant giveaway (Visitors Center)

1:30–4:00 pm: “Planting for Kids and Families” ongoing in the Children’s Garden with UNH Cooperative Extension Service Master Gardeners (Victorian Children’s Garden)

1:45 pm: David Buchanon of Slow Food Portland—”Slow Food in the Garden” The Ark of Taste and RAFT programs (Visitors Center)

2:00 pm: “Planting and Saving Heirloom Seeds”—Return to the gardens for a hands program planting early crops at the 1695 Sherburne, 1919 Shapiro, and 1944 Victory Gardens (meet in front of the Visitor Center)

2:30 pm: “Community Gardening”—Suzanne MacDonald (Community Gardens)

3:00 pm: “Slow Food—Sustainable Gardens” with John Forti, Slow Food Seacoast (Visitor Center)

Hope you’ll be joining Slow Food Seacoast for its public potluck supper on March 7th. Bring a dish to share and your own reusable dinnerware, and share in a feast created by the whole group. After the meal, Erika Zollett, a marine scientist in fisheries management as well as proprietor of the sustainability consulting business Green My Restaurant, will be speaking on the topic of Sustainable Seafood. Discussion about seafood that’s both sustainable and slow will follow!

For those who’d like to prepare a seafood dish with a view toward sustainable sourcing, Erika has a few recommendations. “For fish that qualify as both sustainable and somewhat local, I would suggest Gulf of Maine shrimp, farmed mussels, clams (farmed is better), farmed scallops, or line-caught haddock.” She says. She also invites everyone to have a look at Seafood Watch, a site created by the Monterey Bay Aquarium.

Check out our Events page for details about this Sunday’s potluck, and please take a moment to read About Our Potlucks if you’ve never attended before!

All you culturally curious eaters will want to know about a new series at Halley Gallery titled Art & Dine. Each themed event will include a sit-down dinner as well a presentation and discussion. Take a dinner-table trip to Iran on March 19th, as the gallery celebrates  the Spring Equinox and Persian New Year (No Rouz). Guests will sample Persian food, view Rick Steves’ presentation on Iran - Yesterday and Today, and take an armchair tour through Iran’s history, art, culture, and politics, seen through the eyes of a world traveler. All this for $60 a couple, which includes event, food, and 15% discount on gallery shopping. Seating is limited! Contact the Haley Gallery to reserve your spot.

How do kids learn to eat well - or poorly? With food manufacturers aggressively pushing junk food and branded processed food at kids, teaching the children in your life about good, clean, fair food isn’t an easy task. It might help to know what you’re up against.

On February 11 at 6:30 the first Seacoast screening of a provocative documentary on marketing food and other consumer goods directly to children. The Rye PTA and Nature’s Wonders are partnering to present  CONSUMING KIDS: The Commercialization of Childhood . This film by the Media Education Foundation reveals the practices of a million-dollar marketing machine that now sells kids and their parents everything from junk food and video games to bogus educational products. 

Drawing on the insights of health care professionals, children’s advocates, and industry insiders, the film focuses on the explosive growth of child marketing in the wake of deregulation, showing how youth marketers have used the latest advances in psychology and neuroscience to transform Children into the most powerful and profitable consumer demographics in the world.

CONSUMING KIDS pushes back against the wholesale commercialization of childhood, raising urgent questions about the ethics of children’s marketing and its impact on the health and well-being of kids. The film will be shown at the Rye Public Library on February 11 at 6:30 PM.

What’s the easiest, quickest way to learn how to peel and clean your fresh NH shrimp? Watch this great, 4-minute video by Padi Anderson of the F/V Rimrack. Nothing to it - pretty soon you’ll “pull, pinch, and flip” your way to your next shrimp dinner. Or buy plenty of extra shrimp, clean as shown, and freeze for later - they defrost in a flash!

The New England Marketplace at One Washington Center in Dover, N.H. is seeking artisans and specialty food producers throughout New England with products for purchase to participate in a Specialty Food and Artisan Marketplace being organized in the upcoming months.
 
“We noticed a demand for specialty food producers and artisan to have an outlet to display their wares”, says Bonnie McLoud the marketplace organizer and part owner of Crazy Camel Dessert Hummus. “There are so many wonderful products hand produced in New England that do not have always have a channel to market their goods.  Many small business owners of this type do not have typical bricks and mortar storefront and we thought that this would be a great venue to offer to artisan and specialty food producers.”
 
In partnership with Washington Street Mills at One Washington Center in Dover, The New England Marketplace will offer three different event dates in the upcoming months.  The events will be held inside on the first floor of the Picker building. Vendors can attend all three event dates or choose from one of the dates based on their schedule.
 
Also organizing the event is Sheila Speckin and Kim Knight of Maine Buck Nuts. “The Picker Building is a great space to hold this type of event.  It has great windows with views of the river and there is room for 40 vendors. We want the event to be a feel good event.  Great products that make you feel good from gourmet packaged foods to a one of kind artisan works.”
 
The New England Marketplace event dates are slated for the last Saturday of the month from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. February 27th, March 27th and April 24th        
 
There will be music performed on acoustic guitar from 12:00 p.m. 3:00 p.m. by Barry Arvin Young of Buxton, Maine.
 
Specialty Food Producers and Artisans interested in participating or who would like more information can contact Bonnie or Sheila. Bonnie McLoud 603-502-0434 Email: Bonniemcloud@comcast.net or Sheila Speckin 207 423-2854 Email Sheila@mainebucknuts.com.

A shrimp preparation and cooking demonstration workshop for February, 10th will be presented in collaboration with the UNH Thompson School’s culinary arts program.   The link for more information and to register is www.tinyurl.com/localshrimp

Shrimp Local, Eat Local Workshop
February, 10th, 2010
6-8pm
UNH Thompson School culinary Arts Program
Cole Hall Room 219

Come to this event to learn how to cook, peel and store the Northern Shrimp delicacy!  Chefs from the Culinary Program will be demonstrating how to prepare these local gems in a variety of ways for you to taste.  Leave the workshop with recipes and educational materials so you can enjoy shrimp at home!

On Saturday, January 23, 35 farmers, fishermen and food producers will be inside the beautiful greenhouses of Wentworth Greenhouses in Rollinsford, NH from 10am-2pm, selling their vegetables, meats, cheeses, milk, eggs, fish and shrimp, prepared foods, baked goods, honey and maple syrup! You can find a full list of participating vendors and the products they will be selling at www.seacoasteatlocal.org

Wentworth Greenhouses is located at 141 Rollins Rd, Rollinsford, NH, just a mile past Red’s Shoe Barn of Dover. Here’s a map!

Look forward to:

Vegetables
spinach, bok choi, salad greens, kale, radishes, cabbage, lettuce, winter squash, carrots, potatoes, turnips, onions, garlic, and parsnips

Meats
beef from Kellie Brook Farm, Lasting Legacy
pork from Brookford Farm, Jenness Farm, Kellie
Brook Farm, Lasting Legacy, New Roots Farm
elk from Velvet Pastures Elk Ranch
chicken from Kellie Brook Farm, Lasting Legacy,
Yellow House Farm
lamb from Lasting Legacy, Riverslea Farm
duck from Yellow House Farm
goat from Jenness Farm, Riverslea Farm
turkey from Kellie Brook Farm, Lasting Legacy

Dairy
As the daylight grows longer, chickens and ducks lay more eggs. Fresh eggs last up to five weeks in the refrigerator so plan to buy enough to last you until the next market on February 13, three weeks away! There will also be cow’s milk, goat’s milk, goat’s milk cheeses, and cow + goat’s milk yogurt.

Seafood
Yankee Fishermen’s Cooperative will (as long as the weather cooperates for fishing!) be selling their own shrimp and lobster and Eastman’s Fish will be selling their own locally caught fish. Seaport Fish will also be selling locally caught seafood. Keep reading for a workshop on cleaning, cooking, and freezing shrimp offered by UNH

Maple Syrup + Honey!

Locally made foods:
breads, jams + jellies, granola, teas, pot pies, Indian curries, chowder, sandwiches, macaroni and cheese, shepherd’s pie, country stew, muffins, frozen cookie dough, scones, pies, rolls, pastries, brownies, cookies

Seacoast area farmers are working hard to feed us well this winter, and appreciate our support as much as we appreciate their vegetables! Spread the word through friends, family, and coworkers, and invite them to come enjoy local food year round!

For a complete list of vendors and the products they will be bringing, visit www.seacoasteatlocal.org; check back often for updates! Product availability depends on consumer demand and weather; please be flexible when planning purchases.

Winter Farmers’ Market: Saturday, January 9, 35 farmers, fishermen and food producers will be in the cafeteria of the new Exeter High School in Exeter, NH from 10am-2pm, selling their meats, cheeses, milk, eggs, vegetables, fish and shrimp, prepared foods, baked goods, honey and maple syrup! You can find a full list of participating vendors and the products they will be selling at www.seacoasteatlocal.org. The new Exeter High School is located at 1 Blue Hawk Drive, or 315 Epping for GPS.

Seacoast area farmers and food producers have expanded their offerings in response to customers seeking fresh, wholesome, sustainable foods and this season’s winter markets include a wide diversity of local products. Shoppers can look forward to filling their tote bags with a wide variety of vegetables including salad greens, broccoli, bok choi, kale, radishes, cabbage, lettuce, winter squash, carrots, potatoes, turnips, onions, garlic, and parsnips. Local, sustainable meats and seafood will be for sale such as beef, pork, chicken, lamb, duck, goat, turkey, lobster, and shrimp as well as dairy products including eggs, milk, and cheeses. Honey, maple syrup, prepared foods and baked goods round out the farmers’ market making the market a one-stop shopping opportunity for local food.

For more information, visit www.seacoasteatlocal.org

From Seacoast Eat Local:

Fresh salad greens, spinach, and lettuce … carrots, parsnips, onions, and potatoes … locally raised meats, locally caught fish, locally made jams, jellies, breads, and teas  … New Hampshire grown Christmas trees, wreaths, poinsettias, and kissing balls — these are just some of the products that will be for sale this Saturday, December 5th from 10am-2pm at our next Winter Farmers’ Market indoors at Wentworth Greenhouses in Rollinsford! Wentworth Greenhouses is located at 141 Rollins Road, a mile past Red’s Shoe Barn of Dover. You can find a full list of participating vendors and the products they will be selling at www.seacoasteatlocal.org

• The market is open until 2pm - If you have something else to do in the morning, want a relaxed morning, or just want to avoid the crowds, feel free to come later! Our vendors are well prepared for a large number of customers and will appreciate your business whenever you can get there!

• Volunteer! We’re still looking for a few more volunteers to help set up, provide information during the market, or clean up afterward. Volunteers come for one or two hour shifts, and play a key role in ensuring the success of the markets! Email erin@yogaonthehillkittery.com if you would like to volunteer.

It’s Buy Local Week on the Seacoast. Our friends at Seacoast Local have been organizing and promoting a wide variety of opportunities to shift your spending locally, including buying local food! Read all about their other ideas and events for buying local art, toys, and more >

Help spread the word! Forward this email, post a message on your blog/website/facebook profile, invite a friend to come with you to the market this Saturday - the more the merrier!

For more information, maps and driving directions, visit www.seacoasteatlocal.org. Please note, when coming from the west, Google maps incorrectly lists Shady Lane as a through street near Wentworth Douglass Hospital.

We hope you’ll join us on December 5th as it is going to be another amazing farmers’ market, with an abundance of locally grown and raised foods that you can feel great about buying as you’ll be supporting local farms and agriculture while enjoying safe, healthful, and delicious food!

- Sara Zoe Patterson, on behalf of Seacoast Eat Local
www.seacoasteatlocal.org
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