Enfield Shaker Museum Announces Culinary Symposium
Food for Thought: A Study of the Past Through Food

Join Eileen Behan of For the Love of Food to learn to prepare nutritious food  for your family.  The menu includes breakfast biscuits, quick cooking chili, English muffin chicken, veritable veggies, blueberry cake and roasted grapes.  Eileen will be at the Stonewall Kitchen Cooking School on September 12th from 11 to 1 o’clock  for their lunchtime cooking series.

Click here for more information and to register.

In the coming weeks, Seacoast residents will have several opportunities to learn how to can and preserve the summer’s harvest.

Yes You Can! is a food preservation demonstration that will be provided s at the Exeter Farmers’ Market, Swazey Parkway on Thursday, August 13 from 2:15-6:00 pm and at the Portsmouth Farmers’ Market at City Hall parking lot on Saturday, August 15 from 8:00 am to 1:00 pm. Another presentation is scheduled for the Rye Public Library on Tuesday, August 25 from 6:30 PM - 8:00 PM.

The demonstrations are offered free-of-charge and will be provided by Claudia Boozer-Blasco, Extension Educator in Family and Consumer Resources with the UNH Cooperative Extension in Rockingham County.

Participants will learn the most up-to-date techniques for canning fruits and vegetables safely in a water bath canner.  Safe canning techniques will be demonstrated by making tomato salsa.  Proper equipment for canning will be displayed and current recipes by the US Department of Agriculture will be available.

This demonstration is designed for those who are preserving foods for the first time or for those who have been canning for many years. The exhibit and demonstration is open to the public and wheel-chair accessible.

Both the Exeter and Portsmouth Farmers’ Markets are coordinated by the Seacoast Growers Association.  More information can be found at www.seacoastgrowers.org

All programs are FREE (your tax dollars at work!) and open to the public.

Slow Food Seacoast’s own Kate Donald and wellness counselor Tracey Miller will be teaching a cooking class perfect for members of CSA farms:

Choosing and Preparing Spring Greens! CSA shares typically include a generous amount of greens for salads and cooking – like kale, Swiss chard, beet greens, mustard greens, bok choi, and arugula. This class will help prepare CSA families for the harvest season, with great recipes, storage tips, and food preservation ideas! Learn some easy and delicious ways to select and prepare deep rich greens both raw and cooked.  Nothing could be healthier!

Come hungry and try raw kale salad, arugula pesto, green quiches, some simple homemade dressings to top off your greens and more!  You’ll learn about some local and organic farming practices, and what questions to askfarmers so you know what you’re getting.

Choosing & Preparing Spring Greens!

Monday June 8

Attrezzi, 78 Market St., Portsmouth

7:00-9:00 pm

Instructors: Tracey Miller is a certified health & wellness counselor fromInstitute for Integrative Nutrition. She helps individuals and families eat healthier through personal coaching, nutrition education and cooking classes

Kate Donald is an organic vegetable farmer, and advocate for local, sustainable agriculture.  She works with Seacoast Eat Local to help consumersconnect with local farmers and locally produced foods.

Fee:  $40. Includes a full meal of greens, handouts, reference materials, local sources

RSVP to tosbornemiller@yahoo.com, 603-380-1080 or katedonaldnh@gmail.com, 603-580-5364

Join Nature’s Wonders for their first cooking class for adults.  Clariza Simo will be the guest chef–learn some great Latin cooking!

WHAT: Teach and eat (an intimate cooking experience). Come learn to make a tasty gourmet meal. You will enjoy yummy bellinis while learning a wonderful and easy recipe. After the lesson is complete you get to eat the treat–think of it as an educational brunch!

WHERE: Nature’s Wonders Amazing Kitchen at 550 Brackett Rd in Rye, New Hampshire

WHEN: May 16th at 10:30, May 17th at 12:00

COST: $28 (includes lesson plus food and drink)

Space is limited so reserve your spot now!!!  Contact natureswonders@gmail.com or (603) 436-6756

Love local, fresh, good, clean, fair food? Then you might want to become a Local Food Advocate. By participating in this brand-new program, you can be a member of a trained corps of volunteers, helping local food groups talk to the public about sustainable food this summer at the Seacoast Growers Association (SGA) Farmer’s Markets, public fairs and festivals, and a wherever food is on people’s minds.

Slow Food Seacoast, Seacoast Eat Local, the SGA, and Seacoast Local (the “4 Food Groups,” as we sometimes like to call ‘em), are teaming up to offer this collaborative training opportunity. On Saturday, May 2 (first day of the Portsmouth SGA Farmers’ Market!) please join us for a training session that will run from 12:30 - 2:00. We’ll meet at the Farmer’s Market Info Booth at 12:30 to look at the setup for sharing information about the market and local food events. Then, we’ll head over to the Portsmouth Library’s Hilton Garden Room for the “classroom” portion of the training. There, you’ll learn more about the food awareness movement and how our local organizations are working to improve the food system and local economy for everyone. You’ll get fact sheets about each of the 4 Food Groups, information about how a local food system improves our lives, tips and tricks, and answers to frequently asked questions. Also at the training, we’ll sign you up for a day of “shadowing” with an experienced volunteer so you can learn the ropes.

We know many of the supporters of these four groups would really like to spend more time doing outreach with the public - but just want a little help figuring out what to say and which information to share. This training will help you do just that and give you all the tools to be an informative and inspiring Food Advocate. Please join us! RSVP recommended (but not required - come if you can!) to SlowFoodSeacoast@GMail.com

Local Food Advocates Training
Day: Saturday, May 2
Time: 12:30 - 2:30 PM
Place: Meet at Portsmouth Farmer’s Market Info Booth, walk to Portsmouth Public Library about 1:00 PM
Bring: weather-appropriate clothing, notepaper and pen, and your personal story of what got you interested in local food!

… of food preservation!

Applications are now being accepted for the 2009 UMaine Cooperative Extension Master Food Preserver training. To obtain a Master Food Preserver training applications, contact Lois Elwell at lelwell@umext.maine.edu or 1-800-287-1471. The deadline for applications for the 2009 Master Food Preserver training is May 1, 2009.

… is up, including the monthly local and seasonal dinner on April 18, and cooking classes featuring eggs, potluck dishes, and campfire cooking.

Nourishing Your Family from the Inside Out: Earth-Friendly Cooking and Wellness Classes
Location: Attrezzi European Marketplace, 78 Market Street, Portsmouth, NH
April 20, May 18, June 8 - 7:00 - 9:00pm

Are You Too Refined? Getting Back to Whole Grains (Monday April 20)

Slow Foods, Fast Dinner: Quick Meals (Monday May 18)

Super Nourishing Spring Greens! (Monday June

Instructors: Tracey Miller is a certified health & wellness counselor from Institute for Integrative Nutrition. She helps individuals and families eat healthier through personal coaching, nutrition education and cooking classes. Kate Donald is an organic vegetable farmer, and advocate for local, sustainable agriculture. She works with Seacoast
Eat Local to help consumers connect with local farmers and locally produced foods.

Fee: $33 per class for pre-registration for the whole series, or $40 for one class.

To register, please RSVP to tosbornemiller@yahoo.com, 603-380-1080 or katedonaldnh@gmail.com, 603-580-5364