We had such a great time at the Blue Moon Market & Café (8 Clifford St., Exeter, NH) last spring that we are happy to be heading there once again. This year, participants can sign up for a special cooking class (preregistration and fee required) before the potluck. The potluck will feature dishes prepared during the class, and the meeting will feature some thoughts from Kathy about growing, preparing, and eating greens.

4:00 pm Class: Cook Your Greens and Eat Them, Too! with Blue Moon Chef/Owner Kathy Gallant. You must register in advance for this class by sending an email to Alison. A few spots are still available; $15 per person. Read about this event on the Slow Food Seacoast website.

5:30 pm Potluck Dinner: The theme is … greens! (What else?) Please remember to bring your own dining kits … read About Our Potlucks on the Slow Food Seacoast website.

6:30 pm Meeting: We’ll quickly announce upcoming events (like the 4th Annual Slow Food Seacoast Down-on-the-Farm Picnic on August 1—details to come!), and Kathy will share some thoughts about growing, preparing, and eating greens.

The Jenness Farm Spring Open House/Open Farm Weekend is scheduled for Saturday and Sunday, April 17 & 18, 2010, from 10 am to 6 pm, rain or shine. Enjoy fresh donuts; browse the new-and-improved Jenness Farm store (there’s so much more than goat milk soap!); buy products from several vendors. Visit with chicks, piglets, baby goats, lambs, and crazy turkeys—not to mention Rhun the Frisbee Dog, official farm greeter! The weekend-long event will offer lots of fun for children of all ages. Bring a picnic lunch and any questions that you may have. WHAT: Jenness Farm Spring Open House/Open Farm Weekend WHEN: April 17 & 18, 2010, 10 am–6 pm WHERE: 77 Garland Road, Nottingham, NH 03290 WEBSITE: http://www.jennessfarm.com

It’s less than 2 months until the the first Seacoast Growers Association summer farmers’ market opens in Portsmouth, and the winter farmers’ markets in Newburyport, MA, and Northwood, NH, have finished for the season. But thanks to the efforts of local consumers, craftspeople, food producers—bakers, beekeepers, farmers, ranchers, vintners, and more—and the fabulous local organizations that bring us all together, we in the Seacoast region of New Hampshire are fortunate to have several more winter markets to get us there.

Final Winter Markets

Come check out what the vendors have to offer at the last indoor markets of the season.

• March 13 - Seacoast Eat Local Exeter Winter Farmers’ Market at Exeter High School, 1 Blue Hawk Drive, Exeter (GPS users, please use 315 Epping Road)
• March 20 - Rye Farmers’ Market - 10 am to 2 pm at Rye Junior High (note new location!), 501 Washington Road, Rye
• March 20 - Newmarket Farmers’ Market - 9 am to 1 pm at the Stone Church, 5 Granite Street, Newmarket
• March 27 - Seacoast Eat Local Rollinsford Winter Farmers’ Market at Wentworth Greenhouses, 141 Rollins Rd., Rollinsford
• April 10 - Seacoast Eat Local Exeter Winter Farmers’ Market at Exeter High School, 1 Blue Hawk Drive, Exeter (GPS users, please use 315 Epping Road)

Spring Markets

• April 17 -Newmarket Farmers’ Market - 9 am to 1 pm at the Stone Church, 5 Granite Street, Newmarket
• April 24 - Farmer’s Market at Heron’s Pond Farm, 299 Main Ave, South Hampton

Summer Markets Opening Soon!

The first summer farmers’ markets of the season usually feature early spring greens and locally grown plants to decorate your flower beds, create a vegetable garden, and add color to your life after a long winter. Other food and nonfood products will be available, too. Come see what they have to offer.

• May 1 - Portsmouth Farmers’ Market, Saturdays, 8 am–1  pm, 1 Junkins Ave., Portsmouth
• May 2 - Newburyport Farmers’ Market, Sundays, 9 am–1 pm, Tannery Marketplace, Newburyport, Mass.
• May 6 - Exeter Farmers’ Market, Thursdays, 2:30–6 pm, Swazey Parkway, Exeter
• May 15 - Newmarket Plant Sale & Farmers’ Market - 9 am to 1 pm, 5 Granite Street (Stone Church), Newmarket
• May 22 - Newmarket Plant Sale & Farmers’ Market - 9 am to 1 pm, 5 Granite Street (Stone Church), Newmarket
• May 27 - Northwood Farmers’ Market, Thursdays, 3–6:30 pm, Junction of Route 4 & Route 202A & 43, Northwood
• June 7 - Durham Farmers’ Market, Mondays, 2:15–5:30 pm, Pettee Brook Lane (Pettee Brook parking lot), Durham
• June 8 - Hampton Farmers’ Market, Tuesdays, 3–6 pm, 289 Lafayette Rd/Route 1 (Sacred Heart Church parking lot), Hampton, NH
• June 9 - Dover Farmers’ Market, Wednesdays, 2:15–6:00 pm, corner of Central Ave. and Sixth St. (parking lot of the new Dover Chamber of Commerce), Dover
• June 26 - Wentworth Greenhouses Farmers’ Market, Saturdays, 10 am–2 pm, 141 Rollins Road, Rollinsford (parking lot)

For More Information

Want to know which vendors are scheduled to be at the market, check a venue address, or get directions? Go straight to the source!

• Newburyport Farmers’ Market
• Newmarket Farmers’ Markets at Stone Church
• Northwood Farmers’ Market
• Seacoast Eat Local Winter Farmers’ Markets
• Wentworth Greenhouses Farmers’ Markets (Rollinsford)
• Rye Farmers’ Markets
• Seacoast Growers Association (Dover, Durham, Exeter, Hampton, and Portsmouth)

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More via Slow Food Portland:

Due to some last-minute cancellations, Appleton Creamery (Appleton, ME) still has space left in the 2-day Home Cheesemaking workshop, February 27 and 28. Visit the Appleton Creamery website for details and fees.

Have you ever have considered raising your own chickens or other poultry, for eggs or meat? For years, many people have been raising backyard birds—just a few, or a sizable flock—because that way, they can be sure what the animals eat (good, clean, and fair food for them, too!), how the animals live (running and pecking around the yard, truly free-ranging), and how fresh the food is (like, eggs harvested just this morning).

Joseph Marquette and Robert Gibson of Yellow House Farm in Barrington are wonderful local resources of all things related to heritage poultry husbandry. They are friendly faces at Seacoast farmers’ markets, not to mention active planners and participants in Barrington Farm Day and the NH Natural Heritage and Agricultural Fair. And they aren’t selfish about sharing what they know, either! For example, at Slow Food Seacoast’s 3rd Annual Down-on-the-Farm Picnic (held July  12, 2009, at Osprey Cove Organic Farm in Madbury), Joe graciously shared his time and knowledge with a rapt circle of listeners. He talked about the history of domesticated poultry and explained why preserving old-fashioned heritage poultry breeds is important.

If you are ready to raise your own laying hens or broiler chickens, Yellow House Farm can help. They currently are accepting orders for Ancona and White Dorking chicks.  Learn more about these two heritage breeds and how to order Day-Old Hatchlings on their website.

In 2009, Joe and Rob launched Yellow House Farm School (a.k.a. Chicken School) with great success, and the spring 2010 seminar schedule has been announced. One-day seminars that cover choosing, raising, managing, and marketing heritage poultry will be held on Saturdays, 9 am–4 pm, biweekly from March 6 through May 29, 2010. Each 1-day class is limited to only 10 participants, so learn more about the Homesteading Heritage Poultry class and calendar online, then follow instructions there to register—as soon as possible to guarantee your spot. The cost of the 1-day seminar is $45.00.

Learn how to peel, cook, store, and enjoy the delicacy that is Northern shrimp in a 2-hour workshop on February 10! Chefs from the UNH Thompson School Culinary Arts Program will demonstrate how to prepare these locally wild-harvested gems in many ways for you to taste. You will leave the workshop with recipes and educational materials so you can enjoy Northern shrimp at home.  Register online at the UNH website.

Shrimp Local, Eat Local

Date: February 10, 2010

Time: 6-8 pm

Registration fee: $10

Registration form: www.tinyurl.com/localshrimp

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!

From our friends at Seacoast Eat Local comes the following request. We hope you can take part!

***

The Portsmouth Farmers’ Market is open through November 7 and the Kennebunk Market will be open through November 14, and indoor winter farmers’ markets are coming soon!

Seacoast Eat Local has organized a total of 11 winter farmers’ markets for the 2009-10 season, ensuring you can buy local food from your farmers all winter long. The first market is just three weeks away, on November 21 at the Wentworth Greenhouses in Rollinsford from 10am-2pm.

We’re looking for volunteers!

Volunteers play an important role during our winter farmers’ markets. From helping unload and carry foods, to making sure the customers coming in know about the next markets and have answers to their questions, to clean up, volunteers make sure the markets are the best possible for farmers and customers.

Some of the volunteer roles include:

In addition to these jobs, we’re also looking for a volunteer who might want to take on a larger, organizing role. We’d like to set up a simple area for families to take a break and relax with their kids and we’re looking for someone who has a vision for what that might look like, to be implemented with volunteer support.

If you would like to volunteer, please contact Erin Ehlers at erin@yogaonthehillkittery.com. Mention the date(s) that you are available, and preferred volunteer role if you have one.

Market dates/locations: (All markets are Saturdays with hours of 10am-2pm)

November 21 - Wentworth Greenhouses, 141 Rollins Rd, Rollinsford, NH
December 5 - Wentworth Greenhouses
December 12 - Exeter High School, 1 Blue Hawk Drive, Exeter, NH
December 19 - Wentworth Greenhouses
January 9 - Exeter
January 23 - Wentworth Greenhouses
February 13 - Exeter
February 27 - Wentworth Greenhouses
March 13 - Exeter
March 27 - Wentworth Greenhouses
April 10 - Exeter

No matter your availability to volunteer, we hope to see you at the markets!

Sara Zoe Patterson, on behalf of Seacoast Eat Local
sarazoe@seacoasteatlocal.org
blog.seacoasteatlocal.org
www.seacoasteatlocal.org

Seacoast Eat Local welcomes donations in support of the winter farmers’ markets. Your donation supports the growth of these markets, enabling a more sustainable, self-reliant food system in our region. Donate online via PayPal, or contact us to send a donation by mail.

10+ Marketing Strategies & Tips to Consider When Selling Farm Produce”  Workshop

Are you looking at potential farm markets for next season? Or  are you wondering how to juggle different markets in one season? To tackle these questions, the University of New Hampshire Cooperative Extension, Rockingham County,  has organized a day-long workshop “10+ Marketing Strategies & Tips to Consider When Selling Farm Produce” . Specialists, a panel of growers from New England and industry professionals will discuss different aspects and types of markets, branding, pricing, profitable crops as well as crop and revenue insurance.The workshop is scheduled for Monday, November 2, 2009 from 8:30 am till 3:30 pm at the Rockingham County Nursing Home Auditorium in Brentwood (William Sturtevant Way - off North Road) in New Hampshire.

Speakers are Richard Bonnano (Pleasant Valley Garden, Methhuen, MA), Josh Jennings (Meadow’s Mirth, Stratham, NH), John Moulton (Moulton Farm, Meredith, NH) and Bill & Anna Spiller (Spiller Farm U-Pick, Wells, Maine). Michelle Chambers from “Red Tomato” will talk about the importance of branding to engage and empower customers. Pricing farm products and cost of production will also be presented. Michael Sciabarrasi, Extension  Professor, Business Management Specialist

UNH Cooperative and David Tuttles from Tuttle Farm in Wells, Maine, will also be speakers. The Pros and Cons of Crop Insurance will also be discussed.

Who should attend: Anyone exploring new markets or adding new ones to their existing one such as selling at Open Air Farmers Markets, Winter Farmers Markets, Community Supported Agriculture, Pick-Your-Own,Restaurants, Supermarkets, Institutions, Farmstands..

Registration before October 26 is  $15 per person and includes lunch. Late registration is $20. This workshop has been made possible with the support  from the USDA Risk Management Agency (RMA).Download a flier with details from  http://www.extension.unh.edu/ or contact Deb Stevens at 679-5616.

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