Friday, November 18, 2011

A Locally Grown Cornucopia at the Winter Farmers’ Market

ROLLINSFORD—
On the Saturday before Thanksgiving, more than 50 farmers and food producers will be offering their own farm-grown products on November 19, 10 a.m.-2 p.m. at Seacoast Eat Local’s 5th annual Holiday Farmers’ Market indoors at the Wentworth Greenhouses in Rollinsford. Wentworth Greenhouses is located at 141 Rollins Road, a mile past Red’s Shoe Barn of Dover.
From cheese, milk, eggs, and butter to apple cider, pears, pie pumpkins, and apples, farmers and food producers will be offering a wide variety of foods for a completely delicious and local feast. There will be potatoes, carrots, winter squash, onions, beets, leeks, broccoli, parsnips, turnips, cauliflower, sweet potatoes, Brussels sprouts and salad greens.
Farms are taking pre-orders for turkeys (see www.seacoasteatlocal.org for details). A wide variety of beef, pork, poultry and will also be for sale. Dinner rolls, pre-baked pies from locally grown fruit, bread for stuffing, and honey and maple syrup.
Area food producers have pledged to a high standard of localism and will be offering ready-to-eat meals, soups and stews, sausages and more, utilizing local ingredients in their recipes.
Seacoast Eat Local has begun using an online resource to manage the Winter Farmers’ Markets, providing customers with exciting new ways to get to know participating farmers, what products will be for sale, and even where to find their market booths before arriving at the market. The full list of participating vendors, product search, and interactive market maps are online at www.seacoasteatlocal.org.
SNAP (foodstamps) can now be used at the winter farmers’ market. With support from the New Hampshire Charitable Foundation, Seacoast Eat Local will now be able to offer SNAP beneficiaries a way to purchase delicious local foods directly from farmers. SNAP customers will be able to swipe their EBT cards, and then use tokens to shop with approved vendors. With 15% of Americans now receiving Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits, alongside a crisis in health and obesity, it’s significant to be able to offer access to customers who seek healthful foods for their families.
The police association will be on hand accepting donations of food – including fresh foods – for their Holiday Food Basket program, which last year fed over 200 people and supplied a boost to area food pantries. Shoppers are encouraged to purchase fresh foods to donate; pantries are seeing a sharp increase in demand for their services and those in need are also eager to eat wholesome foods. Potatoes, carrots, onions, salad greens – any product available for sale at the market would make a welcome donation. Farmers generously donate hundreds of pounds of foods at each market and the combined efforts of shoppers and farmers creates a significant positive impact in our community.
Purchasing locally grown food directly from area growers helps ensure our farms stay in business - keeping open space and good food growing in the seacoast and keeping dollars and jobs in our community. Market Sponsors for the 2011-2012 Winter Season include Underwriting Sponsor Veris Wealth Partners, LLC, Wentworth Greenhouses, and Exeter Hospital.
For more information, including a complete schedule of area winter farmers’ markets, visit www.seacoasteatlocal.org.
Photo caption: RJ Joyce and Susan McGeough of White Gate Farm. (Courtesy photo)