Topics of the Month:
NH Eat Local Month & Meat
Local Meat: It's a year-round local treat growing in popularity. This month's newsletter features events and articles related to farms selling meat and highlighting one major obstacle facing many of these farmers.
Look for the fork and knife symbol for resources & events related to Local Meat.
August is NH Eat Local Month: There's a bumper crop of events planned across the state to celebrate Eat Local Month. And the Monadnock Region is celebrating too - A photo contest, sponsored by the Monadnock Region-NH Facebook Page, the Monadnock Community Market Food Co-op and Monadnock Buy Local, will be launched soon highlighting local food and farming in our region. Email [email protected] for more information.
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Featured Localvore Events
Cluck & Crow: All Things Chicken Workshop Monadnock Localvores
Sunday, August 1, 2-4pm High Hopes Farm, Westmoreland
Bring a lawn chair and come gather around the coop of a small household farm (13 hens & 2 roosters), and discuss the joys and challenges of chicken ownership. Handy flock management tips to be discussed such as: feed; housing options (chicken tractors/buildings), predators, first-aid, free range vs cooped, wintering, getting one to set, breed discussions, resources and trivia (how can you tell a fresh egg from one that's been hard boiled...what color is a fresh egg). Free egg cartons to all who attend. Sliding scale fee is
$5-10. To register, contact [email protected]
or call 603-756-2988 ext.116.
Taste
Testing
Monadnock
Localvores
Saturday,
August 14, 9am - Noon Farmers' Market of Keene
Try out new varieties of local and
in-season produce in a taste testing extravaganza at the Farmers' Market
of Keene. If you like what you taste you can buy it right from the
source. No charge for samples but donations appreciated. For more information, contact [email protected]
or call 603-756-2988 ext.116.
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Farm of the Month:
By Jan Sevene, Monadnock Localvore Project
Boulder Meadow Farm Glenn & Lisa Letendre 254 Rhododendron Road Fitzwilliam, NH 03447 603-585-3461 [email protected] www.bouldermeadowfarm.com
Love lamb? Four years ago Lisa and Glenn Letendre moved to Boulder Meadow Farm. A former horse farm, it is now home to llamas, an alpaca, chickens, and pure-bred Wensleydale sheep, raised for their prized fleece. But along with this line-up, the Letendres raise other types of sheep for meat, and just this year began selling it.
At Boulder Meadow Farm, grass-fed lamb can be purchased on the hoof or packaged and frozen. If buyers opt not to buy a whole lamb on the hoof, Lisa says: "When the lamb is ready for market weight, they can have me bring it to the butcher. Buyers can also buy cuts out of my freezer."
Orders for Boulder Meadow's USDA certified meat are currently picked up at the butcher. "In another month," Lisa says, "lamb will be sold at the farm. I've been raising my lambs here to market weight, now the butcher will do it USDA, to sell right off the farm." Also, Boulder Meadow chicken can be purchased frozen, whole or in individual pieces, right at the farm.
Boulder Meadow also works with Fitzwilliam's Steeple Chase Farm (fleece and raising lambs), and Hill Farm, (fleece and offering pigs, chickens and turkeys for meat), as part of a unique support group that helps assure the highest quality products for their customers. "It's our work. We're dedicated," Lisa says.
Support your local farms. Buy local, buy fresh.
Other farm-direct meat: Country Critters Farm 240 Forest Lake Rd. Winchester, NH 03470 (603) 239-8657 [email protected]
East Hill Farm Dave Adams 460 Monadnock St. Troy, NH 03465 (603) 242-6495 [email protected] www.east-hill-farm.com
Pitcher Mountain Farm Dave Weaver 2110 Rte 123N Stoddard, NH 03462 (603) 446-3350 [email protected]
Porkside Farm 10 French Pond Rd. Henniker, NH 03242 (603) 748-3767 [email protected]
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Product of the Month: Yankee Farmer's Market Buffalo Meat
From Yankee Farmer's Market website: Why are we here at Yankee Farmer's Market so BIG on buffalo? Because it is the natural, delicious choice for health conscious individuals and beef lovers everywhere. Buffalo meat, besides having rich, natural flavor, is also far lower in
fat than beef and poultry. At Yankee Farmer's Market, all of our buffalo are fed a natural diet of hay as well as having many prime acres to graze freely. They also get occasional treats such as apples.
Our bulls are raised 20-24 months of age for desired tenderness and all of our meat is USDA inspected, vacuum packed, and flash frozen to ensure the highest quality. Yankee Farmer's Market guarantees quality buffalo meat, containing NO growth hormones, NO stimulants, and NO antibiotics.
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Recipe of the Month:
Lamb Navarin With Summer Vegetables By Katrina
Hall at http://shesinthekitchen.blogspot.com
This is an off-the-cuff version of French lamb stew, usually made with tiny turnips and potatoes and the first peas of Spring. Don't be put off by the steps - it actually doesn't take much time at all. You saute, pop in the oven with herbs and broth ( wine or beer optional), sieve, and briefly cook again before serving. What you get is a heady, herby broth with chunks of tender lamb and slightly crunchy sugar snap peas and carrots. Mine is a version of Julia Child's from Mastering the Art of French Cooking.
Preheat oven to 350F. 1 pound of lamb ( I used a center leg slice, which had almost no fat ) 2 T. olive oil 1 T. unsalted butter kosher salt fresh pepper a three or four inch sprig of rosemary 1/2 t. thyme 1 T. flour 2 cups beef stock 1 cup beer ( I used Corona, which was all I had) Or wine. 1 cup canned plum tomatoes 2 cloves garlic, peeled and smushed gently 2 bay leaves 1 large onion, peeled, halved, and cut into slices
Heat the olive oil and butter in a medium skillet. Cut the lamb into 1 inch chunks and pat dry with paper towels. Saute the lamb in small batches, browning on two sides. Remove lamb to a casserole as you saute, continue until all the lamb is sauteed. Sprinkle the lamb with salt, pepper, thyme, and flour and toss. Add the beef stock, optional beer, rosemary, tomatoes, garlic, bay leaves, and onion. Cover and slide into the oven. Cook for one hour. Set a sieve over a large bowl and drain the Navarin. Cool, and pick out the lamb chunks.
Pour broth into a saucepan, add lamb chunks again & add: 1 1/2 cups peeled, cut carrots another sprig of rosemary another 1/2 t. thyme salt and pepper 1 T. unsalted butter Simmer until carrots are barely tender, then add: 1 1/2 cups sugar snap peas
Cook a few minutes then serve with a nice crusty bread (and maybe a cool Corona).
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Localvore Classifieds*
Herb Plants, Veggies and Local Products for Sale: Visit the self-serve farm stand for vegetable and herb plants and farm store in the barn at Tracie's Community Farm in Fitzwilliam for vegetables, fruits, eggs, cheese, Orchard Hill Bread and cookies, honey, jam, maple syrup, Badger Balm, Good Forest Soap, With Good Reasons Granola and more. Open 7 a.m.-8 p.m. daily. Tracie's Community Farm, 72 Jaffrey Rd, Fitzwilliam, right off of route
12, http://www.traciesfarm.com, 603-209-1851 for directions and more info.
Fall Interns Wanted: Fertile Fields Farm is seeking Fall interns starting late Aug/early Sept and through October. Offers a great learning experience, delicious produce to go and tasty lunches for a full day's work (work exchange, not a paid position). A minimum of 6 hours per week and a somewhat consistent work schedule is needed. Contact us: 603-399-7772; http://www.fertilefieldsfarm.com.
Five Issues for the Price of Four: Edible
White Mountains is offering a bonus subscription offer in honor of NH
Eat Local Month! Subscribe during the month of August and receive 5
issues for the price of four. Edible White Mountains is new quarterly
publication covering the entire state of New Hampshire and featuring
farmers, food artisans, chefs & restaurants focusing on locally
grown and locally crafted foods. This subscription offer is good for the
month of August only! http://www.ediblecommunities.com/whitemountains/
*The Hannah Grimes Center is posting these classifieds as a service to readers and does not imply endorsement. Add your own classified ad: Send a 20-30 word description of your service or product that is directly supporting entrepreneurs to [email protected]. Make sure to include the best way to contact you. |
News & Resources Farmers Struggle to Satisfy Appetite for Local Meat By Elaine Grant, Posted at NHPR
As more and more people begin thinking about where their food is coming from, many turn to local sources. The growth of local fruit and vegetable markets bears that out. And it seems to be the case for meat too. Farmers would love to fill the demand for local meat... But one obstacle makes this new business particularly difficult. There's only one USDA-inspected slaughterhouse in New Hampshire and only a handful in the region. And that means that farmers raising local meat have few and often troubling options. Scheduling is obviously difficult, but it's not the only issue.
Farmers Turn to Mobile Slaughterhouses By Lyndsey Layton, Posted at Washington Post
When Kathryn Thomas wanted to turn her sheep into lamb chops, the federal government required her to haul them across Puget Sound on a ferry and then drive three hours to reach a suitable slaughterhouse. Not anymore. These days, the slaughterhouse -- and the feds -- come to her.
Burger & Fries, Please (But Make It Local) By Marcia Passos Duffy, Our Local Table Monadnock Reposted at Monadnock Menus
When Jessica Graveline opened Fritz restaurant in 2003 at The Center of Keene, her mind was focused on fries-not local food. But Graveline began to ponder weightier issues-such as preservation of open spaces, the survival of small farms, and the importance of contributing to the local economy-after she attended a few local food forums held in the region. "I started to realize the importance of using local-on many levels," says Graveline. By using more local foods in her business Graveline figured she'd not only help preserve local farms, but she'd get fresher, better tasting food. Graveline started incorporating local foods gradually into the menu by adding ostrich and buffalo meat burgers. The meat was sourced from local farmers' markets and online through Yankee Farmers' Market based in Warner, NH. More about local meat and other farm fresh products at Fritz.
Become a member of the
Monadnock Community Market Co-op!
Send completed Membership
Applications & checks to: Monadnock Community Market P.O.
Box 38 Keene, NH 03431
Questions? Visit MCM's
Website or email:[email protected].
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