On Sunday, April 3, 2011, Slow Food Seacoast and Tidewater Waldorf School welcomed 140 people to a Localvore Brunch & Heirloom Seed Plant-In in Kittery, ME. All the planning and prepping by lots of volunteers really paid off! When the first attendees entered at 11 am on the dot, the serving line was ready to fill their plates.

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

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.

This fall, enjoy films on food themes on three Friday evenings in Exeter! FRESH the Movie on October 22, The Botany of Desire (from Michael Pollan’s book of the same name) on October 29, and The Natural History of the Chicken on November 5.

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

Are you—or do you aspire to be—a gardener? The Seacoast Community Garden Network (SCGN), brainchild of Slow Food Seacoast’s very own membership coordinator, Jenny Isler, is now a live, interactive website of resources for gardens and gardeners. It’s a place to make connections:

• See what community gardens (more than 30!) in the Seacoast area are doing.
• Find or list a community garden plot, gardeners, or supplies.
• Share problems, solutions, and achievements.
• Get help starting a community garden.

You don’t even have to be a community gardener to benefit from the wonderful  SCGN website, because anyone can

• Learn about composting, companion planting, canning, and more from the growing list of gardening resources.
• Consult the Calendar for an array of events related to gardening and sustainability and the Free Classifieds.
• Contribute to the Compost Pile.

If you want to respond to a Free Classified ad or participate in the Discussion Forum, you’ll have to register; but it’s quick (I just did it in about 30 seconds) and FREE, so why not check it out?

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For those of us who weren’t working behind the scenes for the past 4 or 5 months, building the framework for and decorating the virtual walls of this nonprofit interactive online community, SCGN seems to have have sprung straight from seed packet to vigorous seedling. But in reality, SCGN is an idea that has been germinating for a long time.

As long as 4 years ago, Jenny and fellow community garden coordinator Gail Wingate talked about connecting gardeners. They noticed that community gardens operated in isolation but faced many of the same problems—and as a result, each one was reinventing the wheel to solve them, duplicating efforts and wasting time that could be better spent working in the garden or enjoying the harvest! Their deep passion for vibrant community, local food resources, and the environment fueled their dream of making the Seacoast community garden movement stronger by bringing together the wisdom, experience, and vision of many gardeners.

Eventually, technology caught up with Jenny and Gail’s vision. A grant from the New England Grassroots Fund provided seed money, and the intrepid pair called together more than 20 community leaders to help define their vision. Bringing the vision to life were gifted community gardeners, artists, and Joomla! gurus Kathy Lombard and Donna Chick. Together, the four women met regularly from winter into spring, and the SCGN website went live on May Day, just in time for spring planting.

The resulting SCGN website—open-source construction, and free to anyone to use—features everything the focus group envisioned and more. And just like a garden, SCGN is self-managed: Anyone and everyone can contribute, update, and post to their heart’s content—planting their own seeds! Each community garden can create a Garden Page and even use it as their own website. Folks without a community garden (for now!) can contribute to the general forums and learn from the wonderful resources that the site provides.

Since Jenny and Gail’s initial conversation 4 years ago, the number of community gardens on the Seacoast has blossomed from 3 to more than 30. Many more gardens are yet to come, and SCGN is the place to learn, support, connect and share as our community garden movement grows stronger—together. Stop by the SCGN website to see what’s growin’ on!

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.

Via Seacoast Eat Local:

Your Organic Vegetable Garden: Managing Pests & Diseases

Many home and community gardeners have taken up growing vegetables in recent years. This rewarding pursuit comes with its own set of challenges. Those vegetables we find so delicious can be equally attractive to a wide range of insects. Understanding the difference between beneficial insects and destructive pests is often difficult. In Your Organic Vegetable Garden: Managing Pests & Diseases, Eric Sideman, Organic Crop Specialist for the Maine Organic Farmers and Gardeners Association (MOFGA), will cover the identification of pests and diseases common to growing vegetables. He also will discuss organic methods of prevention and management, with a special focus on identifying and preventing Late Blight.

This event is free and open to the public. It is a collaboration of the Maine Organic Farmers and Gardeners Association (MOFGA), Seacoast Eat Local, and Seacoast Community Garden Network.

Space is limited. To RSVP or for more information, please email Debra Kam.

WHO: Eric Sideman, Organic Crop Specialist, Maine Organic Farmers and Gardeners Association (MOFGA)

WHERE: Portsmouth Public Library, Hilton Room, 175 Parrott Ave, Portsmouth, NH

WHEN: Tuesday, May 25, 2010, 6–7:30 pm

Some of you may already know Eric Sideman through his informative Pest Reports for MOFGA. Eric earned a B.S. in agriculture from Cornell University, an M.S. in biology from Northeastern University, and a Ph.D. in Botany from the University of New Hampshire. He moved to Maine in 1982 to teach biology and ecology at Bates College. In 1986 he moved on to MOFGA to become what some call “the nation’s first Organic Extension Agent.” He provides technical support for farmers and gardeners, serves as staff scientist for MOFGA, plans and produces educational events for MOFGA and Cooperative Extension, and serves on various agricultural committees for the Maine Department of Agriculture and the University of Maine. From 1997 to 2002 Eric served a term on the National Organic Standards Board, an advisory board to the USDA National Organic Program. Eric has recently moved to New Hampshire, just over the border from Maine, and now MOFGA has a great opportunity to give support to farmers and gardeners a long way from Unity.

Slow Food Seacoast’s next event is the May potluck, which will be held in conjunction with members of UNH Slow Food (campus chapter) and the Great Bay Agricultural Resource Network, a group of producers who are making connections within their community to share equipment and resources.

As always, please bring a potluck dish to share and your own dining kit and beverage, but please note: No alcohol is allowed in UNH buildings. Please read About Our Potlucks if this will be your first Slow Food potluck.

The event summary is below; click through to the May 2 Potluck page for details galore!

Sunday, May 2: Slow Food Seacoast–UNH Slow Food Potluck & Meeting in Durham

DATE: Sunday, May 2

TIME: 4 pm optional FREE workshop, Herbs for Food and Medicine with John Forti, 5:30–7 pm potluck dinner, with members from UNH Slow Food and Great Bay Agricultural Resource Network

PLACE: Barton Hall, Thompson School, University of New Hampshire, Durham, NH

THEME: spring herbs

DIRECTIONS and DETAILS: May 2 Potluck

Via the University of New Hampshire Cooperative Extension, Rockingham County:

WHAT: Wine Grapes: Growing and Pest Management. Topics to be discussed in this FREE workshop are pruning, disease prevention, insect and wildlife management.  Speakers are from the UNH Cooperative Extension:

• Cheryl Smith Extension, Plant Health Specialist
• Becky Sideman, Sustainable Horticulture Specialist
• Bill Lord, Fruit Specialist Emeritus
• Nada Haddad, Agriculture Extension Educator

If interested in pesticide recertification credit, 2 credits are available. Workshop is free, rain or Shine. Registration is not required but is helpful.

WHEN: Thursday, April 15, 2010, from 3:15 to 5:30 pm

WHERE: Zorvino Vineyards at 226 Main Street, Sandown, NH

COST: FREE!

FOR MORE INFORMATION: Contact Deb at 679-5616 or Deb.Stevens@UNH.edu. If you need special accommodations in order to participate, please call 10 days in advance. See all events on the UNH Cooperative Extension calendar

In case you haven’t been bitten by the urge to garden yet (and with this weather, how can you not?), you might be spurred to action by knowing that April is National Garden Month!

From the National Gardening Association:

Every April communities, organizations, and individuals nationwide celebrate gardening during National Garden Month. Gardeners know, and research confirms, that nurturing plants is good for us: attitudes toward health and nutrition improve, kids perform better at school, and community spirit grows. Join the celebration and help to make America a greener, healthier, more livable place!

If you don’t have a garden of your own but are itching to get some dirt under your fingernails, pencil in April 24. In the morning, join other volunteers for Garden Cleanup Day to help ready Strawbery Banke Museum for its opening a week later. In the afternoon, attend free workshops at the  Heirloom Seed Plant-In, also at Strawbery Banke. Slow Food Seacoast is partnering with Strawbery Banke and the Chefs Collaborative to teach you how to grow and eat unique heirloom produce from your own backyard. See DETAILS and AGENDA for these events. RSVP requested.

As if that weren’t enough to urge you to don your gardening gloves, the Seacoast Community Garden Network (brainchild of Slow Food Seacoast’s own Jenny Isler!) is poised to launch its interactive website in May to inform and connect gardeners, and to connect gardeners and gardens. Stay tuned for the official announcement!

The solution for the climate crisis, the food crisis and the water crisis is the same: biodiversity-based, organic farming systems. —Vandana Shiva

In Resurgence magazine, Vandana Shiva talks about the “water famine” in India that has resulted as a consequence of the Green Revolution—that is, of the switch from traditional farming methods and crops toward chemical agriculture and water-intensive crops. She speaks of falling water levels, disappearing groundwater, widespread drought, and declining soil fertility Issue 259, (March/April 2010).

Shiva’s context is India, but the problem—and the solution—is as global as it is local. Want to know more? Read Water Wisdom on the Resurgence website. Then bring it home by supporting the wise farmers in your community.

(Seacoast Winter Farmers’ Markets continue this Saturday, in Rollinsford! The remaining Seacoast winter markets are listed here.)

Ready to get your hands into the soil and bring back the green? On Saturday, April 24 (rain date: Sunday, April 25), join an inspired community in helping to bring new life to the historic gardens at Strawbery Banke Museum. The day starts with the Strawbery Banke Earth Day Volunteer Garden Cleanup and continues into the afternoon with a Slow Food Potluck and an Heirloom Seed Plant-In.

Other work opportunities also will be available throughout the site for those not inclined toward gardening, but all work done will help the museum get ready for its May 1 opening.

Morning: Garden Cleanup

Volunteers should arrive at the Strawbery Banke Visitors Center between 8:30 and 9:00 am for work assignments and refreshments. Please feel free to bring your favorite gardening tools, wheelbarrows, rakes, and gloves. All other tools will be provided by the Museum. Park in the lot by the Visitors Center at 14 Hancock Street, Portsmouth.

Midday: Slow Food Potluck Lunch

An optional Slow Food Potluck Lunch will follow at 12:30 pm. Visit the Slow Food Seacoast website and About Our Potlucks to learn more about Slow Food Seacoast and our potluck events.

Afternoon: Heirloom Seed “Plant-In”

To celebrate the 40th anniversary of Earth Day and to further the day’s theme, join us for an Heirloom Seed Plant-In from 1:30 to 4:00 pm!  Slow Food Seacoast is partnering with Strawbery Banke and the Chefs Collaborative to teach how to grow and eat food from your own backyard. Participants will receive free heirloom seeds and plants, and enjoy free workshops and talks. Afternoon sessions will include Renewing America’s Food Traditions (RAFT) information sessions, gardening tips, and heirloom seed planting, plus plenty of opportunities to get dirt under your fingernails.

>>Please RSVP by April 19 to volunteers@strawberybanke.org or 1-603-433-1110; tell us if you plan to bring gardening tools and a potluck dish.<<

Program Schedule and Locations [subject to change]

8:30–9:00 am: Volunteers arrive at Strawbery Banke for work assignments and refreshments (Visitors Center)

12:30 pm: Slow Food Potluck Lunch; visit About Our Potlucks to learn more about Slow Food Seacoast potluck events (Visitors Center)

1:30 pm: RAFT Heirloom Seed Plant-In and plant giveaway (Visitors Center)

1:30–4:00 pm: “Planting for Kids and Families” ongoing in the Children’s Garden with UNH Cooperative Extension Service Master Gardeners (Victorian Children’s Garden)

1:45 pm: David Buchanon of Slow Food Portland—”Slow Food in the Garden” The Ark of Taste and RAFT programs (Visitors Center)

2:00 pm: “Planting and Saving Heirloom Seeds”—Return to the gardens for a hands program planting early crops at the 1695 Sherburne, 1919 Shapiro, and 1944 Victory Gardens (meet in front of the Visitor Center)

2:30 pm: “Community Gardening”—Suzanne MacDonald (Community Gardens)

3:00 pm: “Slow Food—Sustainable Gardens” with John Forti, Slow Food Seacoast (Visitor Center)