Shake a Leg! Cut a Rug! Eat Good Stuff!

Come to the Eat Local Challenge Potluck Party and Barn Dance - October 6 hosted by Berry Hill & Meadow's Mirth Farms - everyone is welcome! Bring your friends and family and spread the word!

We will have a potluck dinner from 5:30 - 6:30, then dance to the music of Stone Soup from 7 - 9, with a break for dessert at around 8.

Alcohol will not be served, per the caller's request! Bring your picnic ware to help cut down on the use of disposables.

Suggested donation: $6 per person, to split between the band and our Seacoast Eat Local chapter.

RSVP to Caroline Robinson
caroline@jamberries.com
Berry Hill Farm/Meadows Mirth Farm
61 Stratham Heights Rd.
Stratham NH 03885
603-772-6646

Blueberry School

Blueberries: From Planting To Harvest & Processing: What Can Go wrong?

UNH Cooperative Extension will be presenting a workshop on Monday, October 29, 2007 evening from 5:30 to 9:00 on Blueberries: From Planting To Harvest & Processing. Topics to be covered are: site and plant selection, management, prevention and control of diseases, insects and birds; organic and alternative control options; blueberry budget enterprise; marketing, value - added products and homestead food licensing. Presenters are: UNH Cooperative Extension Specialists Mike Sciabarrasi, Becky Grube, Cheryl Smith, Alan Eaton, Extension Educator Nada Haddad, and Rupa Laverdiere, Supervisor with the Food Protection Section with the NH Department of Health and Human Services. Pesticide recertification credits will be offered (2.5 for private and commercial applicators). The workshop will be held at the Rokingham County Nursing Home in Brentwood on North Road. The auditorium is fully handicap accessible. The workshop is free. To reserve a spot call UNH Cooperative Extension at 679-5616. For more information visit: www.extension.unh.edu

Year of the Goat Night

Karl Schatz of SF Portland writes:

I wanted to let everyone know that Margaret and I will be taking part
in the Food Journey series at Frontier Cinema & Cafe in Brunswick next
Tuesday, Oct. 2.

Margaret will be reading from her book, The Year of the Goat: 40,000
Miles and the Quest for the Perfect Cheese. We'll be screening our
documentary short "Goat Love", with a discussion, book signing and
cheese tasting of local maine goat cheeses to follow.

The event is free and starts at 6:30pm

There's more information and directions on the Frontier website:

http://www.explorefrontier.com/schedule.html

Peak Soil

Slow Food Portland alerts us to this event tomorrow:

Roger Doiron of Kitchen Gardeners International to Speak at Frontier Café Tuesday, September 25th at 7pm

Gardening and local foods advocate, Roger Doiron, will speak at Frontier Café on September 25th at 7pm. His multimedia presentation, Dig In: Enjoying Peak Flavors and Peak Health in a Time of Peak Oil and Peak Anxiety offers an informative and entertaining look at our food system including the challenges we face and the opportunities and resources we have for meeting them. Whether you are a gardener, cook, or eater, you will find much food-for-thought in this talk.

A Budding Home-grown Revival

Concerns about the environment, food safety, and health are leading a new generation of people to discover the “localest” foods of all: the foods they grow themselves. Small-scale food production and processing, both at home and on the farm, played an important role in our past and will be even more critical in the future as communities work to build vibrant and healthy local economies.

About Roger Doiron and Kitchen Gardeners International

Roger has been called the “Al Gore of the garden” for his work in making the connection between little picture issues like home gardens and big ones like global warming, food security, and social justice. He is the founding director of the nonprofit group Kitchen Gardeners International, a network of over 4600 gardeners and home cooks from 80 countries. KGI’s mission is to empower individuals, families, and communities to achieve greater levels of food self-reliance through the promotion of kitchen gardening, home-cooking, and sustainable local food systems. In doing so, KGI seeks to connect, serve, and expand the global community of people who grow some of their own food.

When Roger’s not working in his own garden or talking about gardens, he’s writing about them. His articles and op-eds on food and gardening have appeared in many places including Saveur, Organic Gardening, Mother Earth News, the Chicago Tribune and the Christian Science Monitor.

Visit Kitchen Gardeners International on the web at www.kitchengardeners.org.

Chicken?

S.O.S.: Save The Chickens!
Trouble In The Barnyard
A program of Kittery Adult Education

Come learn all about chickens from Joe Marquette, Italian teacher/ poultry
farmer, and Barnyard historian and entrepreneur! You will learn about the
variety of breeds of poultry (endangered and common), their ancient history
and characteristics, the “slow food” movement, the American Livestock
Breeds Conservation group (ALBC) and the Society of Preservation of
Poultry Antiquities (SPPA). He will also discuss old fashioned farming
methods vs. modern technology. You’ll learn everything you need to know
for the upcoming country fairs and what to consider when buying your next
chicken at the market!

Joe Marquette, when he is not teaching Italian, co-runs “Yellow House
Farm”. On his farm he made a conscious effort to preserve some of the more
endangered breeds of poultry. Presently he has 9 varieties of “Heritage”
chickens, along with turkey, guinea fowl and goats.

Kittery Resident Fee: $10, $12 Nonresident
Oct. 1, Mon., 6:30-8:30 p.m.

For more information, call 207-439-5896 or www.kitteryschools.org

Dover Digs

Slow Food Seacoast received this notice recently:

"A few citizens of Dover are in the beginning stages of creating a community vegetable garden. We are having an organizational meeting on Wednesday, September 26th. All are welcome to participate and we are asking for help in spreading the word.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Greetings Local Food Advocates,

The City of Dover has granted the authority to build and maintain a community garden off of Sixth St. next to Beckwith Park. The garden site has been mowed, and the soil can now be prepared for next year's growing season. Several people have expressed interest in becoming stewards of the garden. Now it is time to gather these volunteers to create a design and plan of action.

The first organizational meeting will be held Wednesday, September 26th, at 6:00pm. Anyone and everyone are invited and welcome. Even the most experienced gardener learns something new each year, so by no means should anyone feel embarrassed about their lack of a green thumb.

We will first meet in the parking lot of Beckwith Park to observe the future garden grounds, and we recommend dressing accordingly. After the tour of the site, we will go to the McConnell Center cafeteria for the rest of the meeting. We will have the expertise and assistance of Garen Heller (Back River Farm, Dover) and Lauren Chase-Rowell (Northeast Organic Farmers Association, NH Chapter). Beckwith Park is off of Hillside Dr., just .5 miles down Sixth St from Central Ave., on the left. If you're still not sure how to get there or if you need a ride, please e-mail us.

Again, everyone is welcome and we encourage you to share this notice with anyone you feel may be interested. We want the Dover Community Garden to be inviting for all! :-)

Please e-mail Eric Kelsey or Matt Polzin if you plan to come so we know who to expect. Additionally, please fee free to contact us if you have any questions, comments, or ideas you would like to share with the group.

Thanks, and we hope to see you on September 26th!

Eric Kelsey
Email: ekelsey@gust.sr.unh.edu

Matt Polzin
Email: itssmatt@yahoo.com"

"Speakeasy" to Support Slow Food Portland and Share Our Strength

Slow Food Portland writes:

We've received a generous invitation from Jim Britt at Share Our Strength to earn ticket revenue from the event listed below. The organizers will let Slow Food Portland keep 100% of the proceeds from any tickets we sell. All you have to do is call or email me, and write Slow Food Portland a check for $25 for each ticket purchased. I'll collect names and reserve tickets for you at the door. Short notice but it looks like a fun party, hope many of you will consider attending! David

make checks out to: Slow Food Portland
and send to: David Buchanan, PO Box 5140, Portland, ME 04101
confirm by email: eatbydesign@mac.com or by phone, 772-2710

Next Wed (Sept 26) a fun event is going to take place in Portland. It's called "The Speakeasy."

The Speakeasy
Wed., Sept 26
5:30 to 8:30 PM
At the Portland Company Warehouse (58 Fore Street in Portland)

Tickets cost just $25 each.

Tickets include all top-shelf cocktails, a wide array of delicious foods (see menus below), and terrific live entertainment. Performers include Bellamy Jazz Band, singer and actress, Kelly Caufield, and Portland Ballet dancers, Alicia Pyle and Cristal Cooper.

MENU PREVIEW

Cool Blues
Blue Cheese Tarts with Blueberry Chutney
New Blue Potatoes with Chive Cream Cheese and Caviar
Blue Corn Biscuits with Smoked Turkey and Cranberry Butter

Hot Jazz
Chicken Adobo Skewers with Salsa
Baked Pastry-Wrapped Olives
Lemon-Pepper Grilled Shrimp
Sausage and Fig Skewers

Buffet
Cheese, Fruit and Assorted Crackers
Salmon Mousse
Assorted Dips and Dippers

BAR PREVIEW

Johnnie Walker scotch - Green, Gold and Blue
Don Julio Tequila - Blanco, Reposado, Anejo, and 1942;
Ciroc vodka
Godiva Liqueur
Tanqueray No.10 and Rangpur
Bullet Bourbon
Caol Ila Single Malt
Clynelish Single Malt

Slow Food at the Fair

It's the height of fair season in New England. In the words of Templeton the Rat, of Charlotte's Web fame, "a fair is a veritable smorgasbord," and it's hard not to perk up at the thought of fried dough or sausage and peppers purchased from the window of a marginally clean truck. But aside from these classic, somewhat-less-than-Slow offerings, a recent trip to the Rochester Fair showed that there's plenty for a Slow Food person to see, taste, and enjoy. Slow is all around at the fair.

For one thing, there are the animals. You can walk through barns of poultry birds, milking and beef cows, pigs, and more, touching and observing the animals, and chatting with the people of all ages who raise them. Their respect for and understanding of their animals is a joy to see, and it's very interesting to see what some of the breeds we hear about look like, how their temperaments and characteristics vary. A large incubator hatched chicks and quail yesterday, and the family farmers who brought it noticed my Seacoast Eat Local shirt and shared stories about how their own "Eat Local Challenge" has worked for many years: "We'd sit down at Thanksgiving or Christmas dinner and try to count up everything we raised or grew ourselves," one of the farmers said.

Next door to the chicks was the judging barn, loaded with produce as gorgeous and shiny as you can imagine (how do they keep people away from those cherry tomatoes?) My companion remarked, "Isn't it amazing we live in a country where they can lay out row upon row of good fresh food, and we can just admire it?" The display was indeed a testament not only to the pride and quality in the produce, but also the sheer bounty we enjoy here.

Right next to the produce were the jams, jellies, and preserves, along with pies and breads. The jellies were gemlike in their array of colors, clear and sparkling. Now that so many of us are interested in buying local and preserving the best of the season, it's heartening to think that the skill of preparing preserves might be enjoying a renaissance.

Fairgoers usually have an overwhelming number of food choices, not all of them slow. Still, it's interesting to see that much of the food preparation in the flashy trucks is dramatic in itself. There are trucks that use a gadget to cut curly fries from Maine potatoes or thin ribbons from onions to fry as onion rings, and the simplicity of making a pizza or fried dough is always fun to watch.

But the real Slow winners at this fair are well worth looking for next year. Across from the circus tent there was a very familiar painted sign reading "Heirloom Tomatoes..." -- the same sign, I was sure, as the one I'd been admiring that morning at the Portsmouth Farmer's Market as I purchased some greens. And it was! Who woulda thought -- in the middle of Rochester Fair, the manager of Nelson's Farm was running an incredible, homemade organic food stand offering choices like corn chowder, vegetable soup, and burritos. What a treat! Foster's ran a story highlighting the booth's food - apparently, this is their second year.

Another great Slow pick was the Methodist Church dining room, where volunteers were dishing up lots and lots of simple, hearty homemade food like baked beans, chowder, beef stew, fried chicken, and apple crisp.

Fair season will be with us for another couple weeks - so head to one of the region's agricultural fairs and look for the Slow!

Still to come:
Maine: Cumberland Fair, Fryeburg Fair
NH: Deerfield Fair and Sandwich Fair
MA: Topsfield Fair

"Family Reunion"

A poem by Maxine Kumin, read by Garrison Kiellor today on his "Writer's Almanac."


The week in August you come home,
adult, professional, aloof,
we roast and carve the fatted calf
—in our case home-grown pig, the chine
garlicked and crisped, the applesauce
hand-pressed. Hand-pressed the greengage wine.

Nothing is cost-effective here.
The peas, the beets, the lettuces,
hand sown, are raised to stand apart.
The electric fence ticks like the slow heart
of something we fed and bedded for a year,
then killed with kindness's one bullet
and paid Jake Mott to do the butchering.

In winter we lure the birds with suet,
thaw lungs and kidneys for the cat.
Darlings, it's all a circle from the ring
of wire that keeps the raccoons from the corn
to the gouged pine table that we lounge around,
distressed before any of you was born.

Benign and dozy from our gluttonies,
the candles down to stubs, defenses down,
love leaking out unguarded the way
juice dribbles from the fence when grounded
by grass stalks or a forgotten hoe,
how eloquent, how beautiful you seem!

Wearing our gestures, how wise you grow,
ballooning to overfill our space,
the almost-parents of your parents now.
So briefly having you back to measure us
is harder than having let you go.

Upcoming Events

Join the Portland Convivium for Cultivating Community's 20 Mile Meal. David from Portland sends this writeup:

The first meal I ate harvested entirely from a friend's farm was an eye-opening experience for me. I hadn't even imagined what it would feel like to eat that way. Nothing brings the reality of seasonal local food alive like getting outside, picking your dinner and cooking right from the field. So I hope you'll come out for Cultivating Community's 20 mile meal on Sunday the 30th, an event inspired by this kind of eating.

Here are some of the details:

--ten or more of our best area chefs serving tastings of foods grown at or within 20 miles of the farm (no, you won't have to pick them yourself!)
--activities for all ages: cider pressing, pie baking, kids' vegetable harvest and pizza making, cooking demonstrations, storytelling, farm tours
--silent auction
--live music and a cash bar

Slow Food Portland is one of the cosponsors and many of us have been helping to put this event together. So please come out and show your support, and forward this notice to anyone else who might be interested. All proceeds support Cultivating Community's youth and community development programs. More information about the organization and this event is available at www.cultivatingcommunity.org.

time: Sunday, September 30 from 2:30 to 5:30
place: Turkey Hill Farm, 122 Old Ocean House Road, Cape Elizabeth
tickets: $25 in advance, $30 at the farm, $18 for elders, students and children under 12 (kids 6 and under get in free!)
tickets available at: Aurora Provisions, Longfellow Books, Rabelais Books, Rosemont market, Videoport

The 20 Mile Meal will happen rain or shine, under the tent and in the barn or out in the open air. Turkey Hill is a beautiful farm close to Portland, with walking trails through the woods as well as open fields and orchards. This is going to be a really good time, hope to see everyone there!

Judy of Slow Food Seacoast sends word of this sustainability event:

Better Together: Fostering Interfaith Collaboration for Sustainability

To be held at Green Acre Bahá'í School, Eliot, ME - September 21-23,
2007

This special weekend gathering, organized by a local interfaith team in collaboration with the U.S. Partnership for Education for Sustainable Development (www.uspartnership.org), will have a regional focus. Although the emphasis will be on collaboration among faith communities within the Piscataqua (Greater Portsmouth) Region, participants from outside the area will be able to contribute and benefit as well. The UN Decade of Education for Sustainable Development recognizes faith communities as essential partners in educating for sustainability. Drawing inspiration from their sacred scriptures and motivation from a growing body of scientific knowledge about the human impact on the planet, many faith communities are making the connection between spirituality and sustainability; learning to be faithful stewards of Earth; offering opportunities for education, reflection, and action in support of justice and sustainability; and forming relationships within and among themselves to serve the common good. Such relationships will benefit by asking the question: What could we do better together? Participants will reflect on this question with the goal of generating new ideas for furthering faith-based cooperative sustainability efforts in their own region. The weekend will include a Friday evening educational program on The Natural Step for Communities, to be held at St. John's Episcopal Church in Portsmouth, and a celebration of the United Nations International Day of Peace on Saturday night at Green Acre; both are open to the public and free of charge.

And though it may be too late to book your flight to Italy, Slow Food USA sent this information about CHEESE 2007.

This year, Slow Food is organizing the sixth edition of CHEESE, the biennial festival celebrating cheese in all its shapes and forms.

The event is being held from September 21 to 24 in Bra, Italy, with the main focus on blue cheeses. For the first time the event will also welcome producers from Eastern Europe, particularly new EU members Romania and Bulgaria, custodians of long agricultural traditions.

As always, taste education will be a major item. Tastings and many other activities are available for young and old. But places at Dinner Dates and Taste Workshops are limited, so it is advisable to be quick with your bookings — they can also be made online. Make sure you take advantage of the special offers reserved for members.

Cheese also provides an opportunity to discuss many sometimes controversial issues regarding sustainable production, quality and the identity of our dairy products, such as the presence of GMOs in animal feed, pastoral farming in national parks and the concept of quality milk.

The whole Cheese program will unfold with musical entertainment and summer celebrations enlivening the streets by both day and night.

Given our concern for sustainability, we have decided to pay more attention to ecological considerations this year and are limiting the amount of printed material being sent by mail in favor of information that can be accessed on the internet. You will find the complete program for the event (downloadable pdf documents), together with a great deal of other useful information at www.cheese.slowfood.it. The site exists in English, German and Italian versions, with the program also available in French.

Harvest Supper Memories (with Pictures!)

Saturday, September 15th, dawned inauspiciously with intermittent rain and slate gray skies. Would our planned celebration of the Seacoast's harvest season go all right? Everyone was a bit worried.

But at noon the undaunted crew from Atlantic Culinary Academy arrived at Strawbery Banke in a fleet of vehicles, loaded with equipment and towing an enormous "Pig Rig" roaster. They set up camp like an army battalion digging in, and soon good smells were wafting over the grounds. The aroma of the roasting pork and blueberry cobbler must have gotten the attention of the sky-gods, because the clouds parted and a honey-colored late-afternoon sunlight came beaming through. About 200 guests, sporting fall sweaters for perhaps the first evening of the year, streamed in for an hour of cheese, bread, and fruit tastings and incidental music provided by Cynthia Chatis. Soon afterward, the buffet began. Anticipation was high and patience was called for as the line wound along the amazing bounty of seasonal fresh food prepared by the ACA chefs and students.

Once under the dining tent, new friends were made and convivial conversations had. Jeff Warner and Barbara Benn closed the dinner with a rousing English song titled "Success to the Farmer," in which the assembled gathering joined in chorus. Then we all moved to the dancing tent for a lively evening of all-ages contra, square, and circle dancing with the Rhythm Method String Band. Dancing went on until what felt like the wee hours, but was really only 9:30.

The Harvest Supper was truly a festive and beautiful occasion to stop and savor the beauty and good fortune of the harvest season. Everyone agreed that the food, fresh as could be from local farms and businesses, was astoundingly good - saying more for the cause of Slow Food than any speech or brochure could ever hope to. It was a real pleasure to have several of the providing farmers on the guest list, too. This event was truly a community happening. The volunteers from Slow Food Seacoast worked so hard to set up the tents, tables, and chairs, keep candles lit and trash swept away, and make sure everyone's needs were met. The musicians added a celebratory tone that was irreplaceable. The goodwill and high spirits of the guests made it a wonderful social evening for all. The chefs and students from ACA were unfailingly professional, enthusiastic, and hardworking. The support of Strawbery Banke gave us a beautiful outdoor venue and harvest occasion to celebrate. And the care and effort of the food producers who filled out plates was evident in every mouthful.

If you'd like to relive the evening, please take a look at the "Harvest Supper" set on the Slow Food Seacoast Flickr page. It traces some of the lead-up harvest activities at Tuckaway Farm and Strawbery Banke, and ends with a few shots of the evening itself.

Thanks to all of those who joined us, and to our many collaborators. A copy of the menu with contact information for all farms & businesses will be attached to the next Slow Food Seacoast newsletter. If you aren't on our e-mailing list, please write slowfoodseacoast@Gmail.com to request a copy.

A happy and joyfully slow autumn to all!

Harvest Supper Still On!

For those who were concerned about today's "liquid sunshine," we wanted to assure you that the Harvest Supper will go on as planned. The weather forecast predicts scattered light showers ending by early afternoon and clearing to some partly sunny skies this evening. Sounds lovely! The Garden Harvest Festival during the day at Strawbery Banke will also continue as planned. Most events take place under the large tents, and as John Forti says, "garden people" are hardy souls not to be deterred by a little dampness.

So wear comfortable clothing for this evening's weather, and sturdy shoes for dancing and grassy lawn, and we'll see you at 5 to celebrate the harvest!

Is Eating Local the Best Choice?

Eat Local Challenge month continues! We've been discussing some of the recent challenges to the "Eat Local" idea that seem to indicate some environmental advantages to importing certain foods. Is it really better to import so much of our food from other bioregions? The analysis gets complicated, but evidence still points to a reduction of our long-distance food trade to enhance environmental health. And besides the environmental issues, there are many other excellent and rewarding reasons to eat locally. This thoughtful piece does an excellent job of highlighting some of the other reasons why Slow Food Seacoast is going to keep helping to raise awareness of local food sources.

Atlantic Culinary Academy

Slow Food Seacoast is fortunate to be connected with Atlantic Culinary Academy through the membership of ACA Chef and Director of Education Jim Gallivan and partnership on events like the Harvest Supper. ACA is a school of culinary science but also a cultural resource, bringing skills, techniques, and expertise from around the country into the Seacoast. The culinary training offered is that developed by Le Cordon Bleu, the internationally reknowned program boasting a distinguished history since the opening of its first school in Paris in 1895. Students in the program experience a thorough hands-on curriculum taught by professional chefs who deliver both theory and the wisdom of practical experience, covering the varied skills needed to excel in modern professional kitchens -- everything from knowledge of ethnic and regional cuisines to time and personnel management. There are just fourteen Le Cordon Bleu schools in North America - so we're lucky to have one of the programs located right here on a state-of-the-art campus in Dover, NH.

We're indebted to ACA, Chef Stephen Hunn and his associates and students, who have donated their time and skills to prepare the food for Saturday's Harvest Supper. Their knowledge of New England regional cuisine and its history and their experience with special event service and quantity cooking have been invaluable. To them we owe the menu which incorporates the local produce gathered from our participating farms, and we appreciate their support of the ideals of Slow Food and their willingness to work with our "slow" sourcing tactics and with unusual varieties of produce. Please stop and say a special thanks to ACA while you're enjoying the supper!

Have You Seen the Menu?

The Harvest Supper menu is just about final. After a few solid days of work in gardens and fields and on the roads, the fresh food is all on its way to ACA for its star treatment. And even I can't believe we get to eat all this for $25.

Assorted Breads, Fruits, and Cheeses
Breads from Seacoast bakeries;cheese tastings from New England creameries;and fresh melons, apples, grapes, and pears from Tuckaway Farm and Strawbery Banke

Mussel & Cod Chowder
Seafood from York Lobster Company, Celery & Herbs from Strawbery Banke

Cider-Braised Pork with Apples and Onions
Cider and Apples from Apple Annie; Pork from Breezy Hill Farm; Copra Onions from Meadow’s Mirth Farm

Cod Stifle with Tomatoes and Fennel
Codfish from York Lobster Company; Plum Tomatoes from Stone Wall Farm; Bulb Fennel from Tuckaway Farm; Green and Bronze Fennel from Strawbery Banke; Rosemary from Strawbery Banke

Heirloom Bean Succotash
Jacob’s Cattle Beans from Meadow’s Mirth Farm, fresh Corn from Tuckaway Farm

Roasted Root Vegetables
Red, Blue, and Fingerling Potatoes from Tuckaway Farm; Gilfeather Turnips, Salsify, Jerusalem Artichokes, Parsnips, Beets, Leeks, and Red Russian Garlic from Strawbery Banke; Beets from Wild Root Farm and Tuckaway Farm; Leeks and Celeriac from Tuckaway Farm; Carrots from Wild Root Farm, Tuckaway Farm, Nelson Farm, and Strawbery Banke

Sauteed Swiss Chard
Swiss Chard from Tuckaway Farm and Strawbery Banke

Apple-Pumpkin Bread Pudding
Heirloom Apples from Apple Annie; Connecticut Field Pumpkins from Strawbery Banke

Peach-Blueberry Cobbler

Hot Mulled Sweet Cider
from Apple Annie

Chilled Sweet Cider
from DeMeritt Hill

....all this and dancing too? You can't beat that!

Make your reservation today by emailing SlowFoodSeacoast@GMail.com! Once all the spots are full we'll have to close down ticket sales. Hope to see you there!

What's For Dinner?

Slow Food Seacoast members have been scrambling around this weekend gathering fresh food from local farms for the Harvest Supper. Jacob's Cattle beans and Copra onions from Meadow's Mirth Farm, carrots and beets from Wild Roots Farm, and more carrots from Nelson's Farm were the first to come in. Today, volunteers harvested plum tomatoes at Stone Wall Farm, and at Tuckaway Farm we gathered loads of delicious things: red, blue, and fingerling potatoes, leeks, stalk celery and celeriac, garlic, beets, kale, cabbage, Crenshaw melons and cataloupe, and fennel. We even reserved some of the cold sweet cider at DeMeritt Hill Farm. With dirt under our fingernails and big bushels of fresh produce in our pantries, we're really getting excited for the weekend's event. Tomorrow comes more harvesting at Strawbery Banke, plus deliveries of Apple Annie cider, Breezy Hill Farm pork, and our copious veggies to Atlantic Culinary Academy so the chefs and studnts there can begin the dinner prep. Can't wait! View some more photos of volunteers at Tuckaway Farm in Lee at our Slow Food Seacoast Flickr page, here.

Flat-Out Delicious

Thanks to Flatbread Company in Portsmouth for hosting a fundraiser night for Slow Food on September 4th! Flatbread is already a favorite dinner-out destination for many of us. We appreciate its affordability, attention to quality and taste, and the efforts they make to source ingredients locally and from organic, ethical, and/or sustainable sources. When we sat down to dinner last Tuesday and asked our server which pie was the "most local," in honor of the Eat Local Challenge, she promptly responded with a list of the ingredients on the veggie and carne specials, complete with farms of origin. How wonderful! It's so great to see a business making a special effort to support Eat Local Challenge month. We got a half-and-half pizza and it went beautifully with a locally brewed beer. We're lucky to have this great business in town and look forward to joining them in the future!

Harvest Supper at the Neighbors'

Our neighbors at Slow Food Boston sent word of this event taking place tomorrow night!

Natick Community Organic Farm will be hosting their 5th Annual Harvest Dinner on September 10th at the beautiful Sherborn Inn in Sherborn, MA. The menu looks amazing with a "Land Table" featuring local lamb, suckling pig and a vegetable cassoulet, an "Ocean Table" featuring local bluefish and clam, bacon, corn chowder and an "Earth Table" with beet salad and corn risotto and a host of other goodies. Mind you, we aren't sure what the difference is between an Earth Table and a Land Table but, hey, at a mere $75 per person, we aren't inclined to ask. We'll be too busy eating!

The event will also feature music and a very cool silent auction on a variety of green items including organic wines and beers, gardening items, original art, organic coffees and visits to local restaurants and green inns.

And, of course, all this is happening for the best of reasons: to support the farm's Youth and Teen Summer Programs so you can feel good while you eat good.

If you'd like to attend, please call (508) 655-2204. If, on the other hand, you'd like a bit more information, please check out Natick Community Organic Farm's website.

"But it's expensive, isn't it?"

Most of us have had conversations about the cost of food that's locally grown, sustainable/organic, or produced on a small scale. When you're new to Slow Food, it can seem as though your food budget going to go through the roof. And sometimes, choices you feel better about do cost a bit more, and take a higher priority position in the monthly accounting.

But there are ways to keep food costs down, and usually they're the kinds of things those of us that are old enough to have taken Home Ec. once learned about: planned leftovers, buying in bulk, freezing/canning/storing, more meatless meals, following the seasonal calendar for cheaper produce.

Last April, blogger Rebecca Blood used these strategies and more as she took the challenge of eating organically (and Slowly) on the USDA's "Thrifty Food Plan" budget of 74.00/week or 320.80/month for a family of 2 adults, aged 20-50 years.

Her month's worth of blogging makes great reading; she discusses some of the barriers that would make following this plan more challenging for someone with fewer resources, such as being able to bulk-buy, and is very scrupulous about accounting for her use of pantry items like spices. And beyond the politics of her experiment, she shares a ton of great recipes and some handy-dandy tips.

It's Eat Local Challenge Month!

From our good friends at Seacoast Eat Local comes this comprehensive summary...read on for more and be sure to visit the links!

The September Eat Local Challenge is here!

Rediscover New England's delicious local food sources by eating more foods from within 100 miles of your home. Take the Eat Local Challenge!

What is the Challenge?

During the Eat Local Challenge, participants eat foods primarily from our local area, often defined as a 100-mile circle around our homes. Participants define their own personal challenges, deciding how local they will try to be, how often they will eat local meals, and what exemptions they will claim. The Challenge is considered an intense learning month, the lessons from which can be applied on a somewhat more relaxed scale year-round.

Why Eat Local?

Eating locally means more money stays within our community and supports our local economy and culture. Local businesses give a higher percentage of their earnings to good works and form the backbone of a sustainable community.

Locally grown food is fresher and more nutritious. Since it doesn't have to be bred for long-distance shipping and rough handling, local produce can fully ripen, making it much more flavorful.

Eating locally reduces your second-hand consumption of fossil fuels. The average American meal travels an estimated 1500 miles from farm to plate.

Local foods foster community. People meet their farmers at farmers' markets, neighbors come together on CSA pick-up day. We can know our bakers and chefs.

Supporting local agriculture supports responsible land development. When you buy local, you give those with open space - farms and pastures - an economic reason to stay open and undeveloped.

adapted from "10 reasons to Eat Local Food" by Jennifer Maiser. See the Eat Local Challenge site for more!

How to Participate:

Define your personal challenge:
The Eat Local Challenge is individual. It's not a contest, and we're not making the rules. It won't work for you if its impossibly hard. On the other hand, it wouldn't be a challenge if it weren't a bit hard. Here are some things to think about in deciding the shape of your September Eat Local Challenge:

What is Local?
A 100-mile circle around your home is the standard set by the Localvores, but some people set larger circles or include entire regions.Are you going to strive for 100% local (including all ingredients of pre-made foods) or is locally produced by locally-owned companies acceptable?

What is your personal goal for the month? Will you be eating one meal a day locally? All meals for a week? Every single meal with a couple exceptions? Allow yourself some down time and space.

What will your exemptions be? What can't you live without that isn't grown anywhere within your local area? (like coffee?) The point is to challenge yourself - see what you can live without, and what new sources of new and known foods you can find - but not to make yourself miserable.

Visit the Seacoast Eat Local website to make a public commitment, or simply keep track of your progress and gather your resources: maps, farmers' market schedules, local foods resource guide. Share your new found food sources, ask questions and get answers on the Seacoast Eat Local blog.

Visit locally owned food businesses & let them know you are looking for local food

Let people know what you are doing and why! Convincing someone else of the importance of eating locally doubles your good work in improving our environment, taking charge of our health, and supporting our community. And you never know what new sources of local food you may discover from a friend, neighbor, or co-worker!

Ask local restaurants if they use local foods and if not, why not? Support those that do - list of restaurants that serve locally grown foods.

Return to www.seacoasteatlocal.org after your challenge to tell us how it went. Everyone who does will be eligible for a free 2-year subscription to Portsmouth Magazine and be entered into a raffle for additional prizes. Entries due October 5th.

Have fun & enjoy great food!

Events

Opportunities to eat out during the September Eat Local Challenge! (details below)

Saturday, 9/15 - Slow Food Seacoast Harvest Supper featuring local foods
Wednesday, 9/19 - Willow Pond/Flag Hill local foods cooking class
Thursday, 9/20 - UNH Harvest Dinner featuring local foods
Saturday, 10/6 - Eat Local Challenge Party! local foods potluck and barn dance

Willow Pond Community Farm Cooking Classes - Wednesday September 19

Building a Complete Seasonal Meal - A "hands on" cooking class at Flag Hill by Chef Ted McCormack - Sign up by email or phone for $25 per person per class

Menu:
Red pepper, goat cheese and garlic stuffed eggplant
Kellie Brooke Farm stewed chicken with okra and tomatoes
Peach cobbler
To Sign Up:
Email : ted@flaghill.com
Phone : 603-659-2949, please ask for Ted
Flag Hill Winery & Distillery
297 North River Road (Route 155)
Lee, NH 03824

Visit the Flag Hill Winery website for more information.

UNH harvest dinner celebrates bounty of local food - September 20th

Since 2005, the University of New Hampshire has celebrated the region's rich agricultural heritage with its annual Local Harvest Dinner, gaining fans and patrons for its gourmet preparations of local produce, seafood, meats and cheeses. Building on its popularity, this year's dinner, on Thursday, Sept. 20, has moved to Holloway Commons, UNH's largest dining hall. The Local Harvest Dinner runs from 4:30 to 9 p.m. and is offered to all students on the UNH meal plan, as well as to the general public (adults, $12.50 plus tax; children under 10, $6.25).

The meal showcases the diversity of foods from the region, with a menu that includes organic vegetables from UNH's Organic Garden Club and Tuckaway Farm in Lee; beef and chicken from Lasting Legacy Farm in Barrington; buffalo from Yankee Farmer's Market Natural Meats in Warner; tea from Portsmouth Tea Company; and cheeses from Full Moon Farm in Rochester, Boggy Meadow Farm in Walpole, and Silvery Moon Creamery in Westbrook, Maine. Honey from Bee Rich Apiary in Hudson, apples and squash from UNH's Woodman Farm, and cider from Carter Hill Orchard in Concord provide a more traditional taste of autumn in New Hampshire.

For more information: Sustainable UNH

Eat Local Challenge Potluck Party and Barn Dance - October 6 hosted by Berry Hill & Meadow's Mirth Farms

We will have a potluck dinner from 5:30 - 6:30, then dance to the music of Stone Soup from 7 - 9, with a break for dessert at around 8.

Alcohol will not be served, per the caller's request!

Suggested donation: $6 per person, to split between the band and our Seacoast Eat Local chapter.

RSVP to Caroline Robinson
caroline@jamberries.com
Berry Hill Farm/Meadows Mirth Farm
61 Stratham Heights Rd.
Stratham NH 03885
603-772-6646

Thank you for supporting Seacoast Eat Local!
Portsmouth Magazine, Willow Pond Community Farm, Meadow's Mirth Farm, and Berry Hill Farm have been generous in providing donations of materials, resources, and space. Thank you!

If you would like to support Seacoast Eat Local, consider making a purchase in the Seacoast Eat Local cafepress.com store. All proceeds go right back into the project to such things as printing costs, web hosting, and providing information resources. Thank you!

Mark your calendars! Seacoast Eat Local and the Atlantic Culinary Academy are co-sponsoring two winter holiday farmers' markets for 2007. Both will be 9am - 2pm at the Atlantic Culinary Academy in Dover, NH. The first will be November 17th (the Saturday before Thanksgiving) and the second will be December 22 (the Saturday before Christmas). In addition to locally grown root crops, organic heirloom dried beans, and local meat, you'll be able to take home fresh breads and pies, holiday baked goods, tea, prepared foods and more! Eat Locally this winter!

A Local Partner in the News!

Farmer Kate of Willow Pond Community Farm is an active Slow Food Seacoast member. Her CSA was featured recently in the Portsmouth Herald - here it is, in case you missed it!