Photo credit: Culinary Delights Farm

From Local Harvest, just in time for CSA/CSF Day at the Wentworth Greenhouses Winter Farmers’ Market in Rollinsford this Saturday, 2/27 (and 12+ other CSA fairs around the region on Sunday, 2/28), comes an informative article entitled How to Choose a CSA.

More resources:

List of all Seacoast Eat Local Winter Farmers’ Markets: http://www.seacoasteatlocal.org/winterfarmersmarkets/index.html

Slow Food Seacoast blog post on local 2010 CSA fairs, Feb. 27 and 28: http://www.slowfoodseacoast.org/category/blog/2010/02/csa-csf-days-for-2010/

Summer CSA harvest

Seacoast Eat Local is sponsoring yet another great event to connect consumers and food producers in the Seacoast! They’ve planned a community-supported agriculture (CSA) and community-supported fisheries (CSF) event to coincide with the Winter Farmers’ Market to be held at Wentworth Greenhouses (141 Rollins Rd, Rollinsford, NH—a mile past Red’s Shoe Barn on Broadway in Dover), on Saturday, Feb. 27, from 10 am to 2 pm. (Similar events will take place at 12 locations in Maine and in Newburyport, Mass., on Sunday, Feb. 28.)

If you’ve ever wanted to know more about CSA and CSF, keep reading … then attend the event that’s local to you. Learn, ask questions, meet 15 participating farms and fisheries, make connections, and maybe sign up for your own 2010 share.

Learn more: Download the Choosing a CSA flyer (PDF) from Seacoast Eat Local.

Learn more: Read a comprehensive list of CSA farms in Rockingham, Strafford, and York Counties in Seacoast Harvest: A Local Food Guide.

Learn more: Get dates, times, and directions for all of the Seacoast Eat Local Winter Farmers’ Markets.

From a Seacoast Eat Local press release:

Seacoast CSA + CSF Day Coming to Winter Farmers’ Market

Community Supported Agriculture, or CSA, is a partnership between consumers and farmers in which members buy shares of the farm’s harvest and receive regular allotments of food throughout the growing season. For farmers, this provides much needed cash flow for the beginning of the season, as well as a ready market and community of supporters. Shareholders join in the risks of the growing season but reap the benefits of the harvest.

Community Supported Fisheries, or CSFs (modeled after CSAs), are a way to buy seafood directly from fishermen and support our local fisheries by purchasing seasonal shares.

Each CSA and CSF has its own pricing structure and distribution schedule, and some farms have work requirements. Signups for CSA and CSF shares often begin in February by directly contacting the farm or sponsoring fishery.

Participating Farms & Fisheries:

Brookford Farm
Connolly’s Organics
Eastman’s Local Catch
Farmer Dave’s CSA
Heron Pond Farm
Meadow’s Mirth
New Roots Farm
Riverside Farm
Riverslea Farm
Stone Wall Farm / Osprey Cove Organic Farm
Touching Earth Farm
Two Toad Farm
Wake Robin Farm
Willow Pond Community Farm
Wolf Pine Farm CSA

Take a virtual tour of a Seacoast Winter Farmers’ Market in this story from Seacoast Online!

For some of us, the farmers’ market is the social event of the week … or fortnight, or month, as the case may be. So come to EXETER tomorrow (2/13) and ROLLINSFORD in 2 weeks  (2/27—also community-supported agriculture [CSA] day at the market) to get your goodies! See the full market calendar on the Seacoast Eat Local website.

Other markets will be held next Saturday (2/20) in RYE (info on Local Harvest) and NEWMARKET (info on Local Harvest).

See you at the market!

Via the Seacoast Eat Local blog:

Meadow’s Mirth is now accepting 2010 CSA Members

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.

At Slow Food Seacoast, we love local shrimp. The Northern shrimp are small, sweet, meaty, and succulent and taste amazing in everything - shrimp cocktails, curries, pastas, stir-fries, you name it. And what’s more, the Northern shrimp are a very good fishery for Slow Food folk to support; the shrimp (especially when trap-caught) are a sustainable fishery, with healthy population levels and low environmental impact. And as if that weren’t enough, purchasing these shrimp really helps local fishermen stay ‘afloat’ during a winter season in which not many other fish are available.

So we’re very excited to hear that this year, the Yankee Fisherman’s Cooperative is offering a Shrimp CSF (Community Supported Fishery)! They write:

The Yankee Fisherman’s Cooperative (YFC) will be offering shares for the upcoming Northern Shrimp season. As a participant in the community supported fishery, you will be supporting the NH commercial fishing industry and a sustainably harvested resource. Your shrimp will also carry the NH Fresh and Local brand which ensures that it was landed in NH and is the freshest available.

WHAT YOU WILL GET
- An 8-week subscription to the winter CSF (January - February)
- HALF share of whole shrimp: 5 lbs per week
- FULL share of whole shrimp: 10 lbs per week FULL shares are $128 ($1.60 per pound), HALF shares are $72 ($1.80 per pound)

Please use this link to fill out the interest application and a member of the fisheries cooperative will contact you.

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

Seacoast Eat Local has their ear to the ground this spring, listening for CSA shares that are still unclaimed. Thanks to them we have this information to share:

Looking for a smart way to get your veggies this year? Connect directly with a local farm through a CSA share. The following farms still have plenty of shares available:

Heron Pond Farm still has shares for Portsmouth and farm stand pick ups. Visit the web site for more information.

Sustainable Farm Products LocalMotive CSA - many pickup locations throughout the seacoast! Visit the website for more information.

Andy’s Greens Delivery to downtown Portsmouth available. Online credit card payment option. Visit the website for more information.

Two Toad Farm in Lebanon, Maine still has plenty of full CSA shares left for the 2009 summer season. Full shares cost $475.00 and are designed to feed a family of four. Distribution begins in early June, and extends until the end of September (18-20 weeks). Visit the website for details and a signup sheet. Credit card purchase available at Farmfield Nursery and Greenhouses. Contact: Jordan Pike, 207-252-1103

The farm participants at Saturday’s Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) Fair have confirmed their attendance! Come down to meet representatives from a dozen area farms offering CSA programs. Get information about their share plans and meet farmers and members of local CSAs at the fair, which runs 10 AM - 1 PM in the Levenson Room, Portsmouth Public Library, Portsmouth, NH. Drop in any time during those hours and stay as long as you like!

Andy’s Greens, York, ME
Wildroot Farm , Kennebunk, ME
Touching Earth Farm, Kittery, ME
Brookford Farm, Rollinsford, NH
Heron Pond Farm, S. Hampton, NH
Two Toad Farm , Lebanon, ME
Back River Farm, Dover, NH
Stone Wall Farm, Madbury, NH
Meadow’s Mirth, Stratham, NH
Sustainable Farm Products / Nelson Farm, Strafford, NH
Wake Robin Farm, Stratham, NH
Willow Pond Community Farm, Brentwood, NH

Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) allows customers to buy shares in one season’s crops at a local farm. In return, customers receive fresh, locally grown produce once a week during the growing season. By providing mutual support, the growers and customers make the farm part of the community. Share-holders cover anticipated costs of the operation of the farm. In return they receive a portion of the farm’s crops through the growing season. Farmers and share-holders share in the risks of farming (such as poor yields due to inclement weather or pests) allowing the farmer greater financial stability. By investing, literally, in local agriculture, consumers can directly support the presence of small, local farms on the Seacoast.

By Charlie French and Ken LaValley

Residents of New Hampshire’s seacoast region can now purchase locally and sustainably-caught shrimp and lobster direct from local fishermen at the Winter Farmers’ Markets. With shrimp and lobster prices at near 20-year lows, this is just the boost that local fishermen need.

New Hampshire’s rich history in commercial fishing has helped to shape the state’s character and sense of community. In fact, commercial fishing has been a vital component of the state’s economy for over two centuries and has grown to a multi-million dollar industry in New Hampshire employing approximately 100 commercial fishermen. Equally important, recent economic studies based on National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) data suggests that New Hampshire’s seafood industry has lead to the creation of approximately 250 jobs in other sectors including food processing, tourism, restaurants, boatyards, etc.

However, the seafood industry is at a critical juncture that will determine its future viability. On the one hand, fishing regulations aimed at protecting declining fish stocks have made it difficult for commercial fishermen to turn a profit. Couple this with rock-bottom prices for shrimp and lobster, commercial fishermen worry that their livelihood is in jeopardy.

The question is; how can the shrimp and lobster industries sustain the resource and increase profits from fish sales? The answer may lie in establishing direct markets for local and sustainably-caught seafood.

This winter, the Yankee Seafood Co-op, based out of Seabrook, New Hampshire, will begin selling shrimp and lobster direct to consumers at Winter Farmers’ Markets sponsored by Seacoast Eat Local. As Bob Campbell, Manager of the co-op explains, the idea is to build stronger links between the commercial fishermen and local fresh markets and area restaurants. And what better venue than a farmers’ market where a variety of locally produced foods can be purchased.

If you are interested in purchasing locally-caught seafood, below are the dates and locations of upcoming farmers markets where pre-packaged shrimp will be available in the Seacoast:
• Saturday, February 7th from 10am-2pm at 21 Front Street, Exeter, New Hampshire
• Saturday, Saturday, March 7, 10am-2pm at Stratham Town Hall, Stratham, New Hampshire

More information about these winter farmers’ markets is available at www.seacoasteatlocal.org