The VINE - e-Newsletter |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Dear Friends and Supporters:
We had an amazing Farm to Table Dinner! Thank you so much to our host farm, Alderbrook Farm, our fantastic volunteers, attendees, Chefs Rosa Galeno & Meredith Ciaburri, sponsors, and especially our farmers. Without our farmers there is no dinner! We sourced from 38 local farms, artisans and wineries. Check out all the great photos - thanks to Nathan Gurvitch of Gurvitch Images, where the focus is on the food.Our next upcoming event is the Bog Jog & Veggie Stampede with Picnic & Seafood Throw-down on Saturday, September 14th. The run starts at 9am and the event will run till 1pm. Great fun for the whole family at the A.D. Makepeace Company in Wareham. Sign up now!
However, if you are eager to get your hands on the summer's bounty ASAP, then by all means, please sign-up for our Twilight Tomato Canning Workshop in Easton with Chef Rosa Galeno. Learn more here and below. In other food news, the Farm Bill is fresh from the Senate and back to the House with a nutrition title including food stamps and food banks back in. The next step is likely conference with the Senate formally making the request to the House. See below for more on the issue.
Please stay cool and enjoy our southeastern Mass summer by visiting your farm stands and farmers' markets! See our member farmers' markets highlighted below and a full listing at the On-Line Farm Guide. Farm stand members will be our focus in August.
Sincerely,
Bridget Alexander
SEMAP Executive Director
|
|
If you didn't make it this year, you'll wish you had...!
|
SEMAP's Twilight Workshop Series Continues!
Monday, August 5
6pm - 8pm
Oakes Ames Memorial Hall
3 Barrows St. Extension
North Easton, MA 02356
Artisanal Food Educator/Chef Rosa Galeno will teach you how to properly can and preserve tomatoes, as well as fresh herbs and oils.
|
It's Farmers Market Season!
SEMAP 2013 Member Markets:
 | | Attleboro Farmers Market |
Finberg Field, 732 Park St.
Saturdays, 9am - 1pm
25+ vendors selling local,fresh and organic produce, artisan breads, seafood, grass fed beef, baked items, cheeses, eggs and more. We also have local artisans selling woodworking, pottery, recycled jewelry, artwork and more!
Braintree Town Hall Mall
Saturdays 9am - 1pm
Featuring locally grown and produced fruits, vegetables, hormone & antibiotic-free meats, seafood, prepared foods, flowers, plants, preserves, creative cookies, spa products, gourmet cupcakes, fresh eggs, award-winning pies, honey, breads, nuts and nut butters, granola, cheeses, handmade pastas, sauces, cranberries, fair-trade coffees, teas, chocolates, and much more.
 | | Carver Farmers Market |
Across from Carver Town Hall
Sundays, 12pm - 4pm
Open-air market selling a variety of fresh produce, including cranberries, cut flowers, value added items, baked goods, and craft items including metal works, jewelry, leather goods, body products/soaps, paintings and more!
591 Depot Street, North Easton, MA
Tuesdays, 2pm - 6pm; Saturdays, 10am - 2pm
The Easton Farmers Market, formerly the North Easton Farmers Market, has operated continuously for the past fourteen years. Come by for fruit, veggies, eggs, breads, meat, cheese, and flowers!
140 Main St. Marshfield, MA 
Fridays, 2pm - 6pm
The Marshfield Farmers' Market offers a wonderful array of products from fresh, local produce to seafood and dairy, to local home goods and artisans. There's also live music, kids actitvities, and demonstrations.
Plymouth Farmers' Market
at Plimoth Plantation
137 Warren Avenue, Plymouth, MA
Thursdays, 2:30-6:30
CELEBRATE 10 YEARS OF LOCAL FOODS! In its 10th season, the market is held year round at Plimoth Plantation: weekly June 6 thru October 31 and moves indoors monthly November thru May. This vibrant mix of 4 certified organic farmers, 4 conventional growers, meat, pork and poultry farmers, food-makers who source locally, artisan food crafters, local earth based artisans and musicians, and committed community groups working to promote and support local agriculture is sure to please on multiple levels.
Provincetown Farmers Market
Municipal Lot off Ryder Street, next to Town Hall
Saturdays, 11am - 4pm
A very popular market with a little bit of everything: wine, oils, cheese and chocolates, veggies, herbs, eggs and pastries. A treat for your palate and your eyes.
 | |
Scituate Farmers Market
|
Front St. and First Parish Rd.
Wednesdays, 3pm - 7pm
Many vendors selling fresh peaches and a large assortment of other fruits and vegetables, fresh cut flowers and herbs, live lobsters and other seafood, dairy products, baked goods, custom woodwork, organic soaps and scented products, and much more.
Taunton Farmers Market
First Parish Church in Taunton, at 76 Church Green
Sundays, 11am - 2pm
Come checkout this market at a new location, time and day!
It's time for cukes and tomato sandwiches and the Taunton Farmers' Market is the place to get all you need! Not to mention, a great opportunity to get to know your community.
SEMAP thanks Sustainable Braintree for our participation in this year's Strawberry Festival on June 22nd! We had a great time tabling the event, meeting new people, and indulging on delicious locally-grown strawberries! Read more about the event on the market's blog, here.
|
|
Upcoming food and farm events this summer:
|
Cranberry Wilderness Wild Ride
July 20, 2013
9AM - 11AM
Makepeace Farms
Tihonet Village
146 Tihonet Rd., Wareham, MA
Bike around the naturally beautiful cranberry bogs, reservoirs and woodlands that this trail follows. Enjoy yourself during this relaxing self-guided ride while learning a bit about the cranberry industry. Proceeds from this event will benefit the
Fee s:
Adults $25, Children $15 children (4-10)
Non-rider with lunch $8
Picnic Lunch and Bike Safety Rodeo Included with Registration Fee
Register Here
|
Cape Cod Cooperative Extension Presents:
Fruit & Vegetable Pest Management July 29, 2013 Coonamessett Farm 227 Hatchville Rd. E. Falmouth FREE
Join Larry Dapsis, Extension Entomologist and Russell Norton, Extension Horticulture Educator, at Coonamessett Farm for an educational twilight meeting focusing on insect and disease management of fruits & vegetables.
The twilight meeting will cover the latest information on monitoring, management, and lifecycle of the Spotted Wing Drosophila, a new pest of small fruit. Identification and management of tomato diseases will be covered with some new tools for local growers.
Pre-registration is encouraged.
Call 508-375-6638 or email information to cstpierre@barnstablecounty.org.
|
Would you be interested in studying topics such as Soil Science, Entomology, Grazing Management, Horticulture and Tractor Repair during the off season?
The Young Farmer Network (hosts of Young Farmer  Nights) and URI Cooperative Extension are assessing the demand for college level "short-courses" on agricultural topics. These courses would likely be offered through handful of sessions during the winter, at sliding scale tuition, with the goal of offering deeper learning than your typical one-day workshop or conference. Please take a minute to fill out this brief survey to help us get the idea off the ground! 
|
Enjoy shopping for your rentals from the comfort of your home.
Compare products, pricing and details to create the perfect order for your next event.
  Shop by category from tables and tabletop needs to linens and most popular categorized products!
View existing orders and order status with a click of a button!
Chat with NECR's rental experts, either over the phone or online, for help with any questions or assistance.
|
|
U.S. Farm Bill Could Be Stripped of Food Stamps and Other Nutrition Programs
Last week the U.S. House of Representatives passed a stripped-down version of the nation's Farm Bill that separates the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP)-commonly referred to as Food Stamps-from Agricultural Policy. This is the first time that Food Stamps have not been part of the Farm Bill since 1973. Politicians argue that the removal of SNAP from the bill will allow for increased funding for farming subsidies and crop and land insurance programs, which are very crucial to the longevity of agriculture in the country. Unfortunately, this decision, which hasn't yet gone to Senate for voting, leaves the future of Food Stamps in question. While its unlikely that SNAP will ever be discontinued, its level of funding and available programs are in jeopardy considering it has historically comprised three quarters of the Farm Bill's cost. Food Stamps stand to lose billions of dollars in support over the next decade if this revised Farm Bill passes.
A deeper issue underlining this action is the statement that agriculture is more important than nutrition. The heart of agriculture in the United States has always been about preserving and improving this nation's health. Sustainable farms care just as much about their region's well-being as they do their crops because they cannot exist separately. Consumer safety and nutrition are what drive locally-supported agriculture and expand its reach to more communities. Agriculture is both a business and a lifestyle predicated on the mindset that living off the land is better for everyone.
What's at stake are funding to support nutrition programs for senior citizens, farmers markets, schools, and other community entities, funding for Emergency Food Assistance, and the financial means to ensure that many low-income families can still be provided with healthy, fresh food free of industrial processes, GMO practices, and the harmful byproducts associated with most commercialized food. SNAP and similar programs bring nutrition to food deserts, greatly reducing the consumption of fatty and sugary foods families have to rely on from supermarkets, convenience stores and fast food chains due to proximity and cheaper prices.
Know where you stand on this issue. Track the Farm Bill and make your own informed decision.
|
Community Events, Members and Announcements
Upcoming Event:
Join Southcoast Outdoor Network Partners at Buttonwood Park on Sunday, July 21, from 12PM to 4PM. Learn how to row on a rowing machine, take a super close look at urban birds and bugs, go on a family nature scavenger hunt, or play 19th century outdoor games with Ruth and Abby, the park's 1850s ladies. Admission is free for this event!
New Member:
SEMAP welcomes a brand-new business Locally into our membership. 
Locally is on a mission to increase the amount of local food consumed in the US, and is looking for Partners to join them in re-connecting communities to their food sources. Locally markets and sells fresh, local produce, meats, dairy, and cheeses to consumers in the Boston area via the locally.co website and delivers it right to their door. They manage the sales, customer relations, and home delivery of the food, increasing farmers' reach and distribution with little effort on their part. If you're interested in partnering with them and making your food available on the Locally.co website, please e-mail Jessie at partners@locally.co.
Member Spotlight:
SEMAP would like to welcome Westport Rivers Winery into our membership. In addition to producing some of the best wine New England has to offer, they are also a strong supporter of local agriculture and sustainable initiatives. They also host many events on their land. Check out their summer entertainment schedule here.
Adopt your ducks today! The ducks will paddle on the incoming tide from Buzzards Bay into Allens Pond. The race will be followed the next day by a festival, which will include BBQ, live music, an auction, and other activities. Be sure to visit the SEMAP table at the festival! Learn more here.
Save the Date: A special music and food festival, will be held on September 7 in South Dartmouth, MA. The Festival is a benefit for SEMAP and will host a variety of local musicians and food vendors. More information regarding the event's schedule and ticket prices to come as we get closer to the event.
Save the Date:
SEMAP's 3rd Annual Bog Jog 5k & Local Food Celebration will take place on Saturday, September 14th, at  A.D. Makepeace's Tihonet Village in Wareham. The 5k BOG JOG takes place on the forested trails around the Makepeace cranberry bogs. This makes for a challenging trail run or walk. In its second year, the kids' Veggie Stampede will include potato sack races, bean bag toss, and crunchy kale chips recipe! SEMAP staff will be dressed as vegetables! Local Food Celebration and Seafood Throwdown post-race! Follow the event here.
Announcement:Farmers and supporters should start paying attention to The Beginning Farmer Network of Massachusetts. BFN Mass is a collaborative network of farmers and farm service providers dedicated to beginning farmer success in MA. By creating more space for networking and collaboration amongst Beginning Farmers and Service Providers BFN Mass hopes to bring together people who want to work on similar issues, who want to share information and lessons learned, and who can inspire each other by the work they are already doing. Learn more here.
|
Want Your Events & Announcements in The Vine?
Email us your events and share with our 6,000+ readers! A benefit of SEMAP Membership.
We track clicks and opens.
|
|
|
|
Please contact us with any questions, suggestions or concerns. We want to hear from you!
Bridget & Kristen
|
|
|
|
|
|
