On Sunday, June 5, join Slow Food Seacoast for a potluck Sunday Dinner in Portsmouth. The theme of the evening is Bread, Yeast, and Beer.

Paula Marcoux, Edible South Shore magazine’s food editor, will share some great breads with us after an afternoon Bread-Baking Class. (Sorry, that class is full.) After dinner, Paula will speak about the return to traditional baking technologies and techniques (like wood-fired ovens and natural leavening) and some modern developments that benefit bakers.

In addition, Annette Lee and Nicole Carrier of Throwback Brewery will join us to talk about their experience opening a nanobrewery (still in process!) in North Hampton. Striving to create a sustainably produced beer that tastes of this place called New England, they source ingredients from local farmers (including our friends at Brookford Farm in Rollinsford, NH) and local maltsters (e.g., Valley Malt in Hadley, MA). The first artisanal brews that Throwback will be producing have names that pique your interest even before you take that first sip, like Campfire Smoked Porter, Dippity-Do, and Hog Happy Hefeweizen. Speaking of which … the gals will bring along some beer for sampling, yay!  Let’s give them a big show of support as they wait out the final stages of the label-approval process so they can start selling some beer.

Of course it would be lovely if you brought a potluck offering in line with the Bread, Yeast, and Beer theme, but please bring any dish made with wholesome, preferably local, ingredients. Home brewers, bakers, and other lovers of fermentation are especially encouraged to bring some of their creations for dinner and some starters (leaven/sourdough, kombucha, kefir, etc.) to share with people who would like to make their own. Sharing these living foods—and the practice of making them—is fun!

Please bring your own “mess kit” (plate, bowl, drinkware, cutlery, and napkin) to minimize the use of paper goods, waste, and cleanup time. Also please bring your own beverage. If you’ve never been to a Slow Food potluck before, please read About Our Potlucks for more information about what to expect.

DATE: Sunday, June 5

TIME: 5:30–7:30 pm

PLACE: Stoodley’s Tavern, 17 Hancock Street, Portsmouth, NH 03801

DIRECTIONS: Stoodley’s Tavern is part of Strawbery Banke Museum. (Directions to Strawbery Banke are available on the museum’s website.) Please park in the Strawbery Banke Main Visitor Parking Lot at 14 Hancock Street (or along Hancock Street itself). From the parking lot, cross the street diagonally and to right to “Stoodley’s Tavern Education Center” at 17 Hancock Street. Jiggle the latch of the old front door until it opens! We will meet in the room to the left after you enter the front door.

More Info

• Paula’s website, The Magnificent Leaven
• Read more about Paula and her love of wood-fired baking on Boston.com.
• Throwback Brewery’s vision of New England “beer-oir”

Paula Marcoux

Celebrate spring at the Slow Food Seacoast Sunday Dinner on May 1!

Bring a potluck dish that includes spring flowers or other wild edibles to Blue Moon Evolution, a restaurant committed to supporting organic and local food producers. Their newly renovated space is a perfect place to come together and share a meal. After dinner, Nancy Randolph will speak about two books from Just Write Publishers, a Maine-based company that focuses on books of local interest, that are relevant to our evening’s theme:

• How to Fix a Leek … and Other Fresh Food from Your Farmers Markets, by Sandra Garson. Originally written in 1991, the 20-year anniversary reissue comes out on May 1, just in time for the 2011 market season.
• Wild Plants of Maine: A Useful Guide, by Tom Seymour (a guide to Maine’s wild edibles and other useful plants)

DATE: Sunday, May 1

TIME: 5:30–7:30 pm

PLACE: Blue Moon Evolution, 8 Clifford St, Exeter, NH

THEME: Wild Edible Greens & Flowers

Please bring your own beverage. To minimize the use of paper goods, waste, and cleanup time, please bring your own “dining kit” (plate, bowl, drinkware, cutlery, and napkin). If you’ve never been to a Slow Food potluck before, please read About Our Potlucks for more information about what to expect! See you on Sunday!

The Ouellette family, "hard-core locavores" from Barrington, were among the first to arrive.

The event’s truly local meal featured several dishes prepared by volunteers on Saturday afternoon and Sunday morning:

• Buttermilk Pancakes made with whole wheat pastry flour, buttermilk, and whole milk donated by Brookford Farm (Rollinsford, NH); Kate’s Homemade Butter; local eggs (see below) and honey; and Maine Sea Salt (Marshfield, ME)—topped with maple syrup from Sugarmomma’s Maple Farm (Northwood, NH)
  
• Scrambled Eggs from Nick’s Chicks (at Sugarmomma’s Maple Farm) and many local backyard chickens
• Peppercorn-Fennel Pork Sausage from New Roots Farm (Newmarket, NH)
  
• Turkey Sausage made with turkey from Misty Knoll Farms (New Haven, VT), apple cider from Carter Hill Orchard (Concord, NH), maple syrup from Sugarmomma’s Maple Farm, and locally foraged native seasonings (sumac and sassafrass)
• Apple Compote made with apples donated by Wolf Pine Farm (Alfred, ME) sautéed in Kate’s Homemade Butter, sweetened with apple cider from Carter Hill Orchard and maple syrup from Sugarmomma’s Maple Farm
• Yogurt from Brookford Farm
• Apple Cider from Carter Hill Orchard
• Coffee from Equal Exchange (West Bridgewater, MA)
• Cream from Brookford Farm
• Tea from White Heron Tea (Rollinsford, NH)  and Equal Exchange

Alison Magill, co-leader of Slow Food Seacoast, talks a bit about what "locavore" means.

Even though the event was primarily about the meal, a few other activities rounded out the day:

• Volunteers from Tidewater led kids (and adults!) in seed-planting and other craft activities.
• Kate and Pam from Slow Food Seacoast gave away packets and packets of heirloom seeds—some featured in the Renewing America’s Food Traditions (RAFT) Alliance—and encouraged both novice and seasoned gardeners to plant the seeds, enjoy the produce, save seeds from the harvest, and bring seeds back in the fall (or next spring) to share with other gardeners.
• Deb Locke (a.k.a. Sugarmomma) answered questions about maple syrup and maple sugaring.

In addition, attendees donated a total of almost $250 to a special fund for Brookford Farm (which had generously donated many, many ingredients for this event, despite the tragic loss of several dairy cows last week). The Mahoneys have our support, and we were happy to be able to both thank them for their contributions and express our condolences in person.

A great many volunteers from Slow Food Seacoast and Tidewater Waldorf School made this event possible. THANK YOU to each and every person who donated, shopped for, prepped, cooked, served, cleaned up, or composted food (thanks to EcoMovement in Portsmouth, NH); set up or cleaned up the space at the Lions Club; or helped publicize the event or record it (in photos) for posterity. Without a community like you, a successful event like this one would not be possible.

Should we do it again? Let us know in the comments!

P.S. Want to see more pictures? Check out the event photos on our Flickr page.

Alison Petersen from Tidewater Waldorf School shows Catarina and Emanuel Mahoney of Brookford Farm how to create a living centerpiece that their grass-fed dairy cows wouldn't mind nibbling! Made from bark, potting soil, and soaked wheat berries, this decoration for their spring table will sprout into lovely green grass in about 1 week.

Sharpen your skills and improve your confidence with a 3-hour hands-on bread-making class on Sunday, June 5, from 2 to 5 pm. Paula Marcoux, Edible South Shore magazine’s food editor and a food and beer historian, will teach participants

• How to tackle the basics of natural leavening and store-bought yeast
• How to make home-baked bread work on YOUR schedule

Participants will learn various dough-handling techniques while fashioning, baking, and sampling some great breads to be shared at the Slow Food Seacoast “Bread, Yeast, and Beer”-themed Sunday Dinner to follow at 5:30 pm.

DATE: Sunday, June 5

TIME: 2–5 pm

PLACE: Stoodley’s Tavern, 17 Hancock Street, Portsmouth, NH 03801

DIRECTIONS: Stoodley’s Tavern is part of Strawbery Banke Museum. (Directions to Strawbery Banke are available on the museum’s website.) Please park in the Strawbery Banke Main Visitor Parking Lot at 14 Hancock Street (or along Hancock Street itself). From the parking lot, cross the street diagonally and to right to “Stoodley’s Tavern Education Center” at 17 Hancock Street. Jiggle the latch of the old front door until it opens! We will meet in the room to the left after you enter the front door.

COST: $25/person ($20 for Slow Food USA members)

SPACE IS LIMITED for this class, and preregistration is required. Please send an e-mail to Slow Food Seacoast with “I want to bake bread!” in the subject line. This class is full! If you wish to be on a waiting list in the case of cancellation, please email the address above.

More Info

• Read more about Paula and her love of wood-fired baking on Boston.com.

RAFT tomatoes 2010

Celebrate maple season with a Localvore Brunch and Heirloom Seed Plant-In! Slow Food Seacoast is partnering with the Tidewater Waldorf School to bring you a delicious truly local meal and activities for all ages.

• The meal will feature pancakes, maple syrup, eggs, sausage, yogurt and apple compote—all grown, raised, and produced in New Hampshire, Vermont, and Maine. (Fair-trade coffee and tea also will be served.)
• Slow Food Seacoast will distribute at-risk heirloom seeds featured in the Renewing America’s Food Traditions (RAFT) Alliance and offer seed-planting tips.
• The Tidewater Waldorf School will offer nature-based craft activities for kids.

EVENT: Localvore Brunch and Heirloom Seed Plant-In
DATE: Sunday, April 3, 2011
TIME: 11 am–2 pm
PLACE: Kittery Lions Club, 17 State Road, Kittery, ME
COST: $12/adult (Slow Food USA members $10); $5/child under 12

Tapping maple trees at Tidewater Waldorf School

Volunteers are needed on the day of the event! If you are interested and available during any of the following times, please send us an e-mail with “I want to volunteer” in the subject line. Tell us when you’re available to help, and include your phone number and the best time to contact you. Thanks!

10:00am–11:00 am: Set up tables and chairs; prep food
11:00 am–12:30 pm: Cook and serve food
12:30 pm  - 2:00pm: Cook and serve food
2:00pm –3:00 pm: Clean up kitchen and hall

For 379 years, the Seacoast community has supported Tuttle’s Farm in Dover, NH—the oldest continually operating family farm in America—but the Tuttles are ready to pass the reins. They’ve enlisted the help of the New Hampshire Institute of Agriculture and Forestry (NHIAF) to help put the farm into the hands of those who will both respect the history and tradition of the land and shepherd it into the future.

On March 19 from 12 noon to 9 pm, NHIAF and Tuttle’s Red Barn will host TuttleFest: a day dedicated to supporting and celebrating the tradition of small family farms. Food from the Seacoast will be served up to the accompaniment of live local bands; llama rides and other child-friendly activities will engage the next generation in local agriculture, up close and personal!

Many local organizations will be represented at TuttleFest—including the Green Alliance and some of its business partners. Come join the fun while raising money and awareness about the importance of family farms to their communities, in the Seacoast and beyond.

DATE: March 19, 2011

TIME: 12 noon–9 pm

PLACE: Tuttle’s Farm, 151 Dover Point Rd., Dover, NH

FEE: $10/adult, $5/student, $5/Green Alliance member; children free!

MORE INFO: Call NHIAF at 603-534-5292, send an email to NHIAF, or visit the Tuttle’s Red Barn website.

John Forti, Jean Jennings, and Evan Mallett in Italy (Photo: Jean Jennings)

CALLING ALL FARMERS, FISHERS, RANCHERS, CHEFS, AND CONSUMERS WHO VALUE GOOD, CLEAN, AND FAIR FOOD: You’re invited to Terra Madre “Taste of Place”: A Slow Food Seacoast Social at The Press Room in Portsmouth on March 10!

Come celebrate our shared roots with great local food and fun! Learn more about Terra Madre, known as the “farmers’ United Nations”, from local delegates who represented the Seacoast region at the Terra Madre conference in October 2010: John Forti of Slow Food Seacoast, Jean Jennings of Meadow’s Mirth, and Evan Mallett of Black Trumpet Bistro. These Seacoast representatives joined more than 5,000 delegates from 150 countries at the Olympic Stadium in Turin, Italy, to discuss how to create new economies and artisanal products around local agriculture, horticulture, and fisheries.

DATE: Thursday, March 10, 2011

TIME: 5–7:45 pm

PLACE: UPSTAIRS at The Press Room, 77 Daniel Street, Portsmouth, NH

MORE: Click here for more details about Terra Madre “Taste of Place”: A Slow Food Seacoast Social.

Beautiful produce in Eataly! (Photo: Jean Jennings)

Admission to this informal social event is free! Light appetizers will be provided by Black Trumpet Bistro, and local music will entertain us. Please patronize the cash bar to thank The Press Room for hosting this event.

More Info

• Slow Food Seacoast
• U.S. Terra Madre Network
• The Press Room

Slow Food Seacoast invites you to attend the next community “Sunday Dinner” of the new year on Sunday, February 6, at 5:30 pm in Portsmouth. The theme, Not Fast Food!, challenges attendees to rework a common fast food dish the “slow” way, with good, clean, and fair food.

The dinner theme stems from the topic of the guest speaker, Sriram Madhusoodanan, Portsmouth Organizer for Corporate Accountability International,  a nonprofit organization that protects public health by waging and winning campaigns against the corporate abuse of food systems worldwide. Sriram will give us a broad overview of corporate influence on our food system and share examples of efforts to reverse this trend, in the Seacoast and elsewhere.

More specifically, Sriram will speak about Corporate Accountability International’s Value [the] Meal campaign, which is dedicated to reversing the global epidemic of diet-related disease by challenging the fast food industry to curb its marketing of unhealthy food to children. Foremost, the organization is calling on fast-food giant McDonald’s to Retire Ronald [McDonald] once and for all.

DATE: Sunday, February 6, 2011

TIME: 5:30–7:30 pm Potluck Dinner (please remember to BYOB and BYO dining kit as described in About Our Potlucks!)

PLACE: Stoodley’s Tavern, 17 Hancock Street, Portsmouth, NH

DIRECTIONS: Stoodley’s Tavern is part of Strawbery Banke Museum. (Directions to Strawbery Banke are available on the museum’s website.) Please park in the Strawbery Banke Main Visitor Parking Lot at 14 Hancock Street (or along Hancock Street itself). From the parking lot, cross the street diagonally and to right to “Stoodley’s Tavern Education Center” at 17 Hancock Street. Jiggle the latch of the old front door until it opens! We will meet in the room to the left after you enter the front door.

THEME: Not Fast Food! Try to remake a common fast food dish the slow way, or prepare a dish the way that it might have been prepared before fast food made it ubiquitous. Burgers and fries are a starting point … be creative, and please try to include at least one local ingredient in your dish!

MORE: If you have any suggestions or questions, please send us an e-mail.

More Info

• To find out more about Corporate Accountability International, click here.
• To learn how McDonald’s aggressive marketing of junk food makes kids sick, click here.
• To add your name to the petition to Retire Ronald, click here.
• To find out more about Slow Food Seacoast events and potlucks, click here.

For times and locations, see the poster below (click to open PDF):

Are you going to be around the Seacoast this holiday weekend? If so, you will have lots of ways to make it “slow” while being outside and enjoying the sunny fall days!

Saturday, 10/09

• 3rd Annual NH Fall Festival & 21st Annual WHEB Chili Cook-Off at Strawbery Banke Museum in Portsmouth, NH
• Portsmouth Farmers’ Market
• Newmarket Farmers’ Market (closing day)

Sunday, 10/10

• Brookford Farm Quark Festival & barn movie in Rollinsford,  NH
• Other 10/10/10 (Global Environmental Action Day) events, searchable by ZIP code
• Newburyport Farmers’ Market

Monday

• 3rd Annual Fall Eco-Fest at Clay Hill Farm in Ogunquit, ME

All weekend

Search the online database of Seacoast Harvest: A Local Food Guide for a farm near you for

• pick-your-own apples
• pick-your-own pumpkins

Have a wonderful weekend!