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Editor's Note
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Have a local or regional event related to local food and farming that you'd like to see posted? Send the event details to jen@hannahgrimes.com.
Enjoy the harvest!
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Find Local Produce, Meat & Other Products
Spring lambs are ready to go at the Johnson Farm in East Swanzey. The lambs are grass-fed on fresh grass on over one hundred acres of beautiful pasture. The lambs will sell for $1.80/pound, on the hoof, which includes processing. Orders are being taken now through the next two weeks. Pick up will be at the farm on a day to be announced. Please call 603.352.2870 if you are interested and ask for Mike Johnson.
Harvest to Market Website believes in knowing where food comes from. It knows the value of supporting local farmers and preserving our precious environment in the process. Harvest to Market supports farmers markets, farmers and buyers through this online order website. Please share your questions, thoughts and ideas. http://www.harvesttomarket.com/index.php; Sherri@HarvesttoMarket.com
Farmers: Looking to sell your products direct to consumers? Send a description of what you're selling to jen@hannahgrimes.com and we'll post it in the next Localvore Newsletter.
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Savory-Sweet Rutabaga Pudding
From Farmer John's Cookbook
By John Peterson & Angelic Organics
Somewhere between a fluffy ricotta dessert and mashed potatoes, this delectable rutabaga pudding has all the qualities needed to become a standard in your culinary repertoire. This dish will surprise you in many ways: in taste, in texture, in ease of preparing, and in the compliments it will bring to your table. It pairs exceptionally well with lamb. Friend of the Farm (adapted from Nika Hazelton's Way with Vegetables). Serves 6 to 8
1 large rutabaga (about 2 pounds), peeled, cut into 2-inch dice
1 1/2 teaspoons salt, divided
butter for greasing the baking dish
2 eggs plus 1 egg yolk, beaten
1/4 cup heavy cream
1/4 cup dried bread crumbs
1 tablespoon maple syrup
pinch freshly grated nutmeg
1/3 cup raisins, plumped in hot water for 15 minutes and drained (optional)
freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons butter
1. Bring a large pot of water to boil. Add the rutabaga and 1 teaspoon salt, partially cover, and cook until the rutabaga is very soft, 30 to 45 minutes. (You will need to reserve 1/2 cup of the cooking water.)
2. Preheat the oven to 350° F. Coat a 2-quart baking dish with butter.
3. Beat the eggs and egg yolk in a medium bowl. Stir in the cream, bread crumbs, maple syrup, and nutmeg.
4. Drain the rutabaga, reserving 1/2 cup of the cooking water. Mash the rutabaga thoroughly with a potato masher or run it through a food mill. If the mixture seems dry, add a little of the reserved rutabaga water as you mash. Add the egg mixture, raisins, remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt, and a few grindings of pepper; stir to combine.
5. Transfer the rutabaga pudding to the prepared baking dish. Smooth the top and dot with butter.
6. Bake until lightly golden on top, about 45 minutes. Serve hot.
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Sustainability Project Work Day
Sundays, September 14 & 25, 9a.m. - 4p.m.
Emerson Brook Forest, Gilsum
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Join in the playful work of creating the wheelchair accessible center in Emerson Brook Forest. This summer, much progress has been made with the help of our past workday sponsors Green Energy Options, Hamshaw Lumber, Good Fortune and Chesco. September workdays, sponsored by St. Pierre Sand and Gravel will focus on finishing the lean-to, fine-tuning our wheelchair accessible trail and landscaping. Come for all or any part of the day. Long pants, sturdy shoes and work gloves are recommended.
For more information and directions to our September and October events or to find 352-1887 or 358-3444 or e-mail info@emersonbrookforest.org.
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Stonewall Farm:Fall at the Farm
Saturdays, 11a.m. - 2p.m. through October
Activities include garden tours, marked trails for easy bike rides, woodland hikes, and barn yard tours. Enjoy a hayride for $1/person through fields and wooded trails. Also enjoy scooped ice cream from our ice cream stand and self-guided activities available at our kiosk.
Now Scooping: NH-Made Ice Cream
12-8 p.m. Saturday & Sunday
Farmstand & Grounds Open 8 a.m. - 8 p.m., 7 days a week! No Gate Feee.
Check here for other upcoming Stonewall Farm events. . . .
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Regional Localvore Events
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| First Annual Harvest Festival
Friday, September 19, 2008
Fair Winds Farm, Brattleboro, VT
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Celebrate the season of bounty with the second annual Harvest Festival at Fair Winds Farm on Friday evening, September 19, 2008. Enjoy a leisurely stroll or ride the wagon out to the field for a dinner of locally grown food. A horse drawn hayride, camp fire and local harvest music will fill your mind with memories and your heart with good cheer for the months to come. This event is co-sponsored by Windham Localvores, Riverview Cafe and Fair Winds Farm.
Dinner will be served from 5-7 pm; music and hayrides into the evening. Advance tickets are $18 for adults, $10 for kids with half-sized appetites
What does a 100% local menu prepared by Tristan Toleno of the Riverview Cafe have to offer? Load up your plate with organic chicken, free-range pork or grassfed lamb all grown at Fair Winds Farm. Add winter squash, potatoes, slabs of fresh tomato, side salads, applesauce and more, all from Fair Winds, Picadilly or other local farms. For dessert try fruit salad, a slice of melon, or apple custard...mmmm. The festival will be held under a tent in the midst of meadows, trees and hills just showing the beginning of their fall colors.
Good food is just the start of the evening's festivities. Climb into the hay-filled wagon for a peaceful ride through fields and woods behind our team of Suffolk draft horses. Gather around a campfire to hear local musicians Megan, Gary & Dan MacArthur, Jason Breen and Jay Bailey as they sing autumn harvest songs accompanied by their instruments.
Join us on Friday, September 19, dinner will be served from 5-7 pm; music and hayrides will continue into the evening. Advance tickets are $18 for adults, $10 for kids with half-sized appetites, available at the Fair Winds Farm Store on Upper Dummerston Road (open daylight hours every day). At the door, tickets are $22/$12. The farm is located across from the Brattleboro Country Club off Route 30 in Brattleboro, VT. Ticket numbers are limited.
Call for more information: 802-254-7128 or visit http://www.fairwindsfarm.org/about/harvestfestival.html.
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Farm Aid 2008
Saturday, September 20, 1p.m. - 11p.m.
Comcast Center, Mansfield, MA
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Willie Nelson, Neil Young and John Mellencamp organized the first Farm Aid concert in 1985 to raise awareness about the loss of family farms and to raise funds to keep farm families on their land. Farm Aid stages America's longest running annual concert event that unites farmers, artists, consumers, and concerned citizens to build a powerful movement for good food from family farms. The annual benefit concert will celebrate music and good food, featuring hands-on activities in the HOMEGROWN Village that will showcase the direct connection between who is growing our food and what we eat every day.
Farm Aid 2008 Presented by Whole Foods Market and Horizon Organic will feature headliners Willie Nelson, Mellencamp, Neil Young, and Dave Matthews, plus other top artists to be announced.
For more information, visit http://www.farmaid.org.
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Common Ground Country Fair
Friday - Sunday, September 19-21
Unity, ME
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Come to the Fair and see why Downeast Magazine calls Common Ground "Maine's most authentic country fair, uniting, as it does, old-time folkways with progressive ideas about living the good life on a fragile planet."
MOFGA celebrates its 32nd Common Ground Country Fair. The Fair allows fairgoers to make connections with a rapidly expanding base of organic farms in the state of Maine. Hundreds of vendors, exhibitors and demonstrators, more than 1,000 volunteers, and roughly 50,000 fairgoers will gather to: share knowledge about sustainable living; eat delicious, organic, Maine-grown food; buy and sell beautiful Maine crafts and useful agricultural products; compete in various activities; dance; sing and have a great time.
For more information, visit: http://www.mofga.org
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Fall Harvest Feast in the Fields
Saturday, September 20
Red Fire Farms, Granby, MA
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Come celebrate the plenty of fall with a splendid feast in the Red Fire Farm fields. Tickets are limited, so call to make your reservation. 413-467-SOIL.
For more information, visit http://www.redfirefarm.com/
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North Quabbin Garlic & Arts Festival
Saturday & Sunday, September 20th-21st, 10a.m. - 5p.m.
Forsters Farm, Orange, MA
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Come to the "festival that stinks".... over 100 amazing art, regional agriculture, glorious garlic vendors, renewable energy workshops, and great enertainment on two solar powered stages. Enjoy garlic growing workshops, then choose from 16 varieties to plant or eat. Savor fresh farm cuisine served by SOL Garden Teens. Admission: $5 Adults; Kids under 12 FREE! Weekend Pass : $8
Festival composting results in only 2 bags of trash for 10,000 folks!
The North Quabbin Garlic and Arts Festival is a celebration of the artistic, agricultural and cultural bounty of the region. The festival is an engaging, fun and educational celebration for all ages. For more information, visit www.garlicandarts.org or call 978-544-9023.
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(Re)Learning to Feed Ourselves Workshops
Post Oil Solutions, VT
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Mushroom Walk
Sep-21-2008 01:00PM - 03:00PM - Bellows Falls, VT Post Oil Solutions (Re)Learning to Feed Ourselves presents a Mushroom Walk with Meg Lucas and Barbi Schrieber. This workshop was filled last year but had to be canceled due to lack of rain. Hopefully the weather will be on our side this time around. Bring a flat bottomed basket or paper bag for collecting mushrooms. Workshop fee is $5/$10 sliding scale, no one refused. Pre-registration is required. Contact info@postoilsolutions.org or call 802 869-2141 for more information or to register and get directions to the workshop location.
Simba Dance - Benefit for Food Security Project
Sep-26-2008 08:00PM - 10:00PM - Dummerston, VT Simba Benefit Dance Friday, September 26 8:00 PM Dummerston Grange, Dummerston Center Tickets $10. Available at door, advance ticket sales at Everyone's Books & Brattleboro Books Proceeds to benefit the POS Food Security Project
Canning Workshop (II)
Sep-28-2008 11:00AM - 03:00PM - Saxtons River, VT Post Oil Solutions (Re)Learning to Feed Ourselves presents a second session of our third annual canning workshop with Treah Pichette & Sherry Maher. Learn skills for putting by the harvest from your garden. Both boiling water canning and pressure canning techniques will be used. Workshop fee is $5/$10 sliding scale, no one refused. Pre-registration is required. Contact info@postoilsolutions.org or call 802 869-2141 for details and to register.
Click here to see more POS Events . . . .
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"Wonder Not" Bread Festival
Sunday, September 21, 11a.m. - 5p.m.
Hungry Ghost Bread, Northampton, MA
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A celebration of local bread and local toppings and the locals that make and eat and turn such food into music and crafts, this is a free event and open to all. For more information, email us at somehungryghost@yahoo.com or call 413-582-9009.
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Starting a Community Garden
Tuesday, September 23, 7 - 8 p.m.
Kittery Adult Education, Kittery, ME
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Interested in becoming part of a community garden? Jenny Isler, the coordinator of the Community Garden at Strawbery Banke, will give a brief history of Community Gardens and will discuss the considerations and steps needed to start a community garden. Jenny Isler, is a horticulturalist at Strawbery Banke and has been the Coordinator of The Community Garden at Strawbery Banke for 5 years. She has been a master gardener since 1992 and is presently enrolled in an MBA Program at Antioch College on Environmental & Organizational Sustainability. Resident Fee: $8, $10 Nonresident.
For more information, call 207-439-5896 or visit www.kitteryschools.org.
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Nuestras Raices Harvest Festival
Saturday, September 27, 12p.m. - 6 p.m.
Holyoke, MA
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 Nuestras Raíces is a grass-roots organization that promotes economic, human and community development in Holyoke, Massachusetts through projects relating to food, agriculture and the environment.
Their projects include: Community Gardens, Youth Leadership, Economic Development, A Women's Leadership Group, Environmental Justice Organizing, and the Tierra de Oportunidades Farm.
For more information visit www.nuestras-raices.org or contact info@nuestras-raices.org, (413) 535-1789.
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Veggie Oil Conversion
Saturday, September 27, 1 - 4 p.m.
D Acres Farm, Dorchester
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Workshop with Kevin Maas of KTM Auto:
YES! The rumors are true...your diesel car CAN be converted to run on waste vegetable oil that you recycle from your local restaurants' fryer! Learn how you too can be driving a veggie oil-powered car, and why you should care! $32
D Acres, (603) 786-2366,info@dacres.org, http://www.dacres.org.
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Environmental Studies Institute Sustainable Agriculture Course
Omnivore's Dilemma
Thursdays, Sept. 26, Oct. 2, 9, & 16, 10:30a.m. - Noon
Harris Center, Hancock, NH
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This course will explore the realm of environmentally sound food production, distribution & consumption. Inspired by issues presented in Michael Pollan's The Omnivore's Dilemma, we hope you'll read this book, in full or in part, in preparation for the class. We'll incorporate guided field trips as well as discussion, so be prepared for walking tours of local farms and varied meeting locations. A great way to learn about and celebrate the harvest season! Cost: $25 members, $35 nonmembers.
Course limited to 12 participants. Please call for course agenda and to register at (603) 525-3394.
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History of Apple Production Display
September, Hancock Town Library, Hancock
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The Hancock Town Library will host a display case for viewers to learn more about the history of apple production in Hancock. The display, created by the Hancock Historical Society, features historical photographs, archival materials, and artifacts.
On Saturday, October 11th, the Historical Society will have a hands-on demonstration of all things apple at the Apple Harvest Festival & Exhibit. |
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Slow Food: Thousands Gather to Promote Organic, Local, & Fair Trade Food & Farming
By Jane Black ,Washington Post
September 3, 2008
SAN FRANCISCO - When most people think about Slow Food, they probably imagine wealthy epicureans sipping organic wine and nibbling on farmstead cheeses. That the organization decided to have its first U.S. national conference here only furthered the stereotype: Slow Food is for Prius-driving, Whole Foods-shopping, latte-loving liberals with plenty of time and cash on hand.
Slow Food Nation, as the conference was dubbed, aimed to create a very different impression. At formal lectures, impromptu outdoor speeches and even in the tasting pavilions, where those very wines and cheeses were being served, the talk was mainly about how to transform the food system -- and Slow Food's reputation. Chefs, authors, activists and CEOs focused not on gastronomic indulgence but on new political relevance at a time when food is poised to take center stage.
"I don't care if the tomato was heirloom or organic if it was harvested by slave labor. A commitment to social justice needs to be at the core of this movement," Eric Schlosser, author of "Fast Food Nation," said at one panel.
"We need to get small farmers into the distribution system," Rick Schnieders, chief executive of food distributor Sysco, told an audience of activists at another.
"This is our time," Larry Yee, founder of the Association of Family Farms, announced at the unveiling of the group's food bill declaration, which aims to set the agenda for future farm legislation.
The four-day event, which ran through Monday, took place on a sparkling San Francisco weekend. The lectures, tastings, rock concert and film series attracted 50,000 people, organizers estimated. This despite the fact that Slow Food had to compete for attention with the two national political conventions -- and, equally important here in the Bay Area, the annual Burning Man festival.
Full Story: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008.
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The average dollar value of farmland in most NE states is among the highest in the US. In 1999 this was $2,320 per acre, reflecting an average increase of 1.8% between 1995 and 1999.
The elevated price of productive land resources is one of the major challenges to farm viability in our region. Purchasing farmland is prohibitive for many new and expanding farmers. Increasing demand on rental land raises rental rates, exacerbating the "insecurity syndrome" in which farmers are less likely to invest in improvements to the land or farm infrastructure.
Other land-related costs are escalating property taxes, although every NE state has some form of current use or preferential tax program for farmland. Farmland taxes in the NE are 4.34 times the US national average. |
Are you feeling the change? A chilly nip in the air and those intense blue skies signal fall is approaching. And there is nothing more New England in the fall than making that annual trip to a local apple orchard, where trees hang heavy with healthy, fresh apples ready for the picking.
Since 1945, the McLeods at Norway Hill Orchard in Hancock have made that a delightful experience; the proof is their many repeat customers over the years.
"Yes, that has been really wonderful," says owner, Marguerite "Peg" McLeod. "We've had many repeat customers from all over the place." Not only from the Monadnock Region, she notes, but traveling within the 150-mile Localvore range, customers come from as far away as Boston, Nantucket, Manchester and Maine.
"They discovered us on vacation, saw the signs, then planned their vacations to come back again, which has been lovely," Peg says.
Over the years, the McLeods expanded the original orchard of Cortlands, Delicious, and Baldwins (all planted in 1923), with about 1000 semi-dwarf Paula Reds, McIntosh, Empire and Macouin. The orchard provides a wonderful picnic area, so pack a lunch and make a day of it. And while picking, think apple pie, warm applesauce, apple cake, apples in salad, or just snacking on a crisp apple picked fresh from the tree. It's local. It's the best!
Paula Reds are currently available at Norway Hill Orchard's farmstand. Picking season is officially September and October; open 7 days, 10:00 a.m. to 6 p.m. Peg suggests calling in advance to be sure your favorite apples are ready for picking.
Other farm-direct apples:
Alyson's Orchard
Homer Dunn (manager), Susan Jasse (owner)
57 Alyson's Lane
Walpole, NH 03608
603-756-9800
Maple Lane Farm
Julie Barrett
220 Gunn Road
Keene, NH 03431
603-352-2329
Old Cider Press Farm
Angela & Marius Hauri
Thompson Road
Westmoreland, NH 03467
603-399-7210 |
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Localvore Product of the Month
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Bonnie Brae Farm Venison
at Hannah Grimes Marketplace
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From Bonnie Brae Farms Website:
Deer farming has been around a long time. Ever since the Mesolithic era (40,000 to 10,000 BC), man has farmed deer for venison. It is a relatively new industry in North America, however, with its modern roots set in the 1980's.
Bonnie Brae Farms began as a quest for a farming endeavor that would bring over 200 acres of old farmland, which had been family property for three generations, back to life. The intent was to make the property productive, while at the same time keeping it open. In late 1992, Henry and Bruce Ahern starting investigating options, including aquaculture, ostriches, and llamas.
Ultimately, the search led to the New Hampshire Farm and Forest Expo in February of 1993 and a scheduled seminar on fish farming. However, the two brothers discovered a seminar on deer farming to be held that morning. That piqued their curiosity. They attended it, and came back with a whole new train of thought. Although aquaculture was not out of the picture at this point, deer farming soon became the focal point of their activities.
They visited both fallow and red deer farms in Maine, New Hampshire, and Vermont. They spent four days on a Red Deer farm, feeding, working, and enjoying the deer. After running numerous calculations, doing extensive reading, checking regulations, and attending other deer farm related meetings, they made their decision - Red Deer.
Autumn of 1993 was spent ordering and putting in poles and fence. Deer were selected and ordered in December, and the first twenty-seven animals arrived on February 17, 1994. Bonnie Brae Farms was a reality!
Located in Plymouth, NH - the gateway to both the White Mountains and the Lakes Region - Bonnie Brae Farms enjoys the exposure of busy Route 3 just off Interstate 93, and the quiet of a rural neighborhood. As the third deer farm in the state of New Hampshire, Bonnie Brae Farms has been able to utilize its location to generate interest in deer farming and to educate the general public regarding raising deer and the health benefits of venison.
Find Bonnie Brae Farm's venison sticks, stew meat, & ground venison at the Hannah Grimes Marketplace. |
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Keene Farmer's Market Update
What's Fresh? |
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Located on Gilbo Avenue in Keene
Every Tuesday and Saturday from 9-2
Abenaki Springs Farm: Acorn squash, beans, beets, broccoli, cantaloupe, carrots, chard, corn, dill, eggplant, mesclun, parsley, peppers, potatoes, summer squash, tomatoes, winter squash, zucchini
Basin Farm:
Basil, bread, broccoli, cantaloupe, carrots, cauliflower, cherry tomatoes, cucumbers, eggplant, lettuce, onions, peppers, potatoes, summer squash, tomatillos, tomatoes, zucchini
Bolles Farm:
Hamburger, eye of round roast, standing rib roast
Milkweed Farm:
Basil, beans, chard, cherry tomatoes, collards, cucumbers, heirloom tomatoes, kale, onions, parsley, radishes (daikon, German white - good for storage) salad turnips, snow peas, summer squash, zucchini
High Hopes: Apples, blueberries
Monadnock Berries: Apples, blueberries, jam, lettuce, nectarines, peaches, pears, plums, raspberries, tomatoes
Brown House Bakery
Saturdays - Breakfast burrito & sandwiches, wraps, and pastries
Ruffled Feathers Farm:
Fresh Eggs on Tuesdays- Starting September 1st, Saturdays too!
Stonewall Farm:
Basil, cauliflower, celery, chard, cucumbers, heirloom tomatoes, lettuce, kale, onions, oregano, parsley, peppers (hot & sweet), summer squash, zucchini
Sunset Farm: Beans, cherry tomatoes, chard, cucumbers, eggplant, flowers, heirloom tomatoes, melons, onions, peppers, potatoes, summer squash, winter squash
Sawyers Syrup:
Maple syrup, maple cream, maple roasted mixed nuts
And more!
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| Local Products For Sale |
Price Road Perpetual Perennials:
Fall plantings of peonies, iris, & others;
Cut flowers;
Christa Patterson, Sullivan
603-357-5662
christahpp@verizon.net
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