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.

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.

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!

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!

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