Southern New Hampshire Locavore

Manchester Food Coop

2011-12-16T06:50:00.000-08:00

Have you heard about the Manchester Food Coop?

What: A cooperative is a business voluntarily owned and controlled by the people (all inclusive) who use it to meet a mutual need; to sell affordably priced locally grown, mostly organic and unprocessed food.

Who: People like you and me who seek alternate healthier food choices than what is available at mega markets filled with products from farm factories and food processing corporations.

Where: Downtown Manchester

How: Developing a food co-op is a grassroots effort by a cadre of devoted volunteers, who are supported and advised by experts in the field, other cooperatives and community leaders

(see below for brief history).

When: A cooperative food market normally takes about 1-1/2 to 2-1/2 years to develop. The amount of time really depends on the passion and dedication of its volunteers. The development phase is very rewarding to its participants as it establishes community and a cooperative spirit among its members.

Contact Kate at manchesterfoodcoop@gmail.com or join the Co-op’s Facebook or Twitter.

Still Need a Christmas Tree?

2011-12-14T06:06:00.000-08:00

Lots of places in New Hampshire to get a Christmas tree!

http://www.nh.com/pickyourown

View NH Pick-Your-Own in a larger map

Winter Farmers Markets!

2011-12-13T07:46:00.001-08:00

The number of Winter Farmers Markets is growing! The Town of Derry is now hosting a winter farmers market:

Holiday Farmers Market
When: Sunday, November 6th/20th Sunday, December 4th/18th
Where: 31 West Broadway Derry, NH
(The Derry Parks & Recreation Department)
Time: 11:00am- 3:00pm

Winter Farmers Market
When: Saturday, January 7th/21st Saturday, February 4th/18th Saturday, March 3rd/17th
Where: 1 West Running Brook Lane
(West Running Brook Middle School)
Time: 11:00am- 3:00pm

Other Winter farmers markets include Raymond and Weare. Check out the following link for a list of winter farmers markets in NH:

http://www.nh.gov/agric/publications/documents/WinterFM.pdf

Sad little garden

2011-09-05T04:52:00.000-07:00

My garden is so very sad this year...I planted cukes and tomatoes last minute in June and although the cuke plants did more growing than last year they produced not a single cuke! They've also got what looks like some white mold thing going on so that was a fail...

Tomatoes fared better and have finally started to ripen in the past couple of weeks...

we also had some basil in a pot on the back porch which has been a great addition to Friday night pizza:)

So I'm starting to learn that our backyard just isn't the greatest place for a garden...there's just not enough sunshine throughout the day I think...plus I have little time to tend to it these days so that doesn't help either. Oh well, I try...and we've got real farmers just down the road so we'll just rely on them for our local produce needs:)

August is NH Eat Local Month!

2011-08-18T06:22:00.000-07:00

and I'm now on twitter:) Look me up! SNHLocavore

Local Agricultural Commissions

2011-06-21T07:00:00.000-07:00

In my work I have discovered that Local Agricultural Commissions can play a big role in creating farm-friendly towns and supporting our local farmers. I have also found that not a whole lot of people know what they are about and what role they can play in their communities. UNH Cooperative Extension does a lot of work that helps support farmers and Agricultural Commissions in our state. More info can be found here from them on Agricultural Commissions. They have a good explanation on the purpose of an Agricultural Commission below:

What is an Agricultural Commission?

The local legislative body of any New Hampshire city or town may establish an agricultural commission (Ag Com) to recognize, promote, and encourage farming and agricultural-based economic opportunities, and conserve agricultural land and resources. An agricultural commission has advisory and review authority to work with the boards and agencies of local government.

The purpose of an agricultural commission is to protect agricultural lands, preserve rural character, provide a voice for farmers, and encourage agriculture-based businesses and activities. For years New Hampshire farmers have served as stewards of land and water resources, including habitat for native plants and animals. As New Hampshire communities grow and change, citizens are looking for ways to support local farms, and foster new ones.

Last year there were approximately 15 Local Agricultural Commissions and this year there are 23 and the list is growing! In the Southern New Hampshire Region the towns of Chester and Weare both have an established Agricultural Commission. These Commissions are advisory in nature and do not hold regulatory powers, but they give the agricultural community a voice in town and that is so important for keeping our local farmers in business! Contact your local Agricultural Commission or UNH Cooperative Extension for more info if you are interested in getting involved!

I love strawberry month!

2011-06-19T16:11:00.000-07:00

I just love the month of June and how we kick off the summer with fruity delicious strawberries! We went strawberry picking today at J&F Farms and it was so nice to be spending time as a family, supporting our local farmers and enjoying the beautiful weather. Here is what we brought home with us...

I took some rhubarb from the garden and turned most of this into a pie today...mmmm mmmm mmmm!

Rhubarb

2011-06-18T17:33:00.001-07:00

Rhubarb is in:) (My oldest daughter is totally into gardening with us!) I'm a little behind this year, but tomatoes and cukes are going in tomorrow (I totally cheated and bought starters! oh well, I'm just glad I finally got around to doing something!) ....being a little more realistic with the size of the garden and simply sticking to tomatoes and cukes. I'll try a container plant for some basil as well, but that's it. Everything else can come from the farmers market or sunnycrest:)

Summer Farmers Market Season again!

2011-06-11T10:04:00.000-07:00

It's that time of year!

Thursday June 16, 2011 is opening day for the Downtown Manchester Farmers Market!

To find a farmers market near you, go to: http://www.nhfma.org/

Locavore App!

2011-06-11T09:56:00.001-07:00

http://www.getlocavore.com/

So I am not an iphone person...in fact all I can do with my cell phone is call people (lol!!), no internet or "apps" for me...whatever those are...but I have an idea of what they are and apparently there is a locavore app which will pinpoint nearby farmers markets and farms that sell products you love. How cool is that? Would definitely come in handy for the 100 mile diet.

I'm still here:)

2011-06-10T18:01:00.000-07:00

Our busy life is getting the best of me lately and I'm finding little time to devote to this blog...but I am still here and still trying to figure out how to make "being a locavore" fit more easily into our lives. I attended the New Hampshire Planners Association Annual Conference today and the topic was "Planning for Public Health". Some REALLY interesting stuff with a lot of "locavore" talk and how eating locally is interconnected with public health.

I had the pleasure of speaking with one of the keynote speakers at the conference, Ben Hewitt, author of "The Town that Food Saved."

Ben had some interesting history on the Town of Hardwick, Vermont and how the locavore movement has "saved" the town not only economically but by creating a true sense of community as well. I'm looking forward to reading Ben's book and hope that I can use our meeting to inspire me to get back to pursuing the locavore lifestyle more and more.

The conference was in Keene and I got to stop by Hannah Grimes Marketplace while I was there. Picked up some Sage Cheese from Graton Village Cheese Company and some Birch Beer from Squamscot Beverages...mmmmmmmmmmmm.

Wiping the Dust Off

2011-02-26T11:09:00.001-08:00

Well hello there! Its been awhile! Our second baby girl, Ava was born in November and wow did we get busy! Especially since I've been back to work this month! So I promised some pictures...here is Ava in her Christmas longies that I knit last fall...

Isnt she cute? :)

I found another local resource today and I'm excited about it.

Natural Choice Market in Hooksett, NH

Similar to A Market in Manchester it has a good variety of local and organic foods. I picked up a few things, including some of Pete and Gerry's Organic Eggs and some Mitchell's Tortilla chips .

I'm dying for spring to get here! Its been a rough winter and we're all ready for a little sunshine. Can't wait to get the garden up and running and I'm hopeful that it will be a little more successful this year.

One Year Blog-aversary and Moving Beyond Food

2010-10-02T10:07:00.000-07:00

It's been a year since I started this blog and took a turn towards becoming more of a locavore! And to mark the blog-aversary I am moving beyond food in my locavore ways...well I try my best to shop locally for things besides food but I'll just highlight this one since I'm excited about it:) I took up knitting in the past couple of months as we are expecting our second baby in November and I kept seeing adorable little knitted things that I wanted to be able to make...so I've started to learn and in my quest for yarn I came across this adorable little yarn shop closeby and saw that she sells Seacoast Handpainted yarns from someone who is based out of Raymond, NH. I inquired about a Christmas colorway and was impressed that Jen at Seacoast was willing to make one up just for me since it didn't already exist! Here it is...

I'm so excited to knit it up! and will post pictures when I do:)

Fried Green Tomatoes

2010-09-19T17:44:00.001-07:00

Picked up some green tomatoes at the Derry Farmer's Market this weekend and made this yumminess tonight!

First Garden update

2010-08-28T13:51:00.000-07:00

Since it is the end of summer I suppose I should give a garden update. The tomatoes finally came in! and a couple of the basil plants came back to life, so those are my two successes. These two uglies next to the tomatoes are what came out of the cucumber attempt...so that didn't really work out. We got the one summer squash and then that plant died! Not sure what happened there. The carrots are about as long as my pinky finger, but much skinnier...so don't think those are going anywhere and the peppers never sprouted peppers...they were too crowded in with the tomatoes though and got shaded out...so you win some you lose some right? Next year I think I need to try to do a lot less...focus on 2-3 things I suppose.

NH Eat local Month

2010-08-01T05:52:00.000-07:00

August is NH Eat Local Month!

Granite Staters are invited to spend August discovering and enjoying all that our farmers have to offer! Check out some of the events happening in NH here, including Passport to local farms happening August 28-29.

And We Have Vegetables!

2010-07-23T05:51:00.000-07:00

I was beginning to think we would never see them, but here they are!

My first little summer squash!

and tomatoes!

and cucumbers!

very exciting! :)

And we've been supplied from our other local garden sources with plenty of cucumbers these past couple of weeks. We've also been to Sunnycrest Farms in Londonderry for everything else we might need in the way of produce, so we are definitely enjoying some fresh and delicious local produce this summer!

1st Garden Progress

2010-06-27T06:21:00.001-07:00

Here is my garden!

Tomatoes

Basil

Summer Squash (which I'm realizing might need some more room than this, but I'm not too concerned if they take over the lettuce's space)

So far so good I think...the cucumbers had a hard adjustment to being moved outdoors, but I think they are finally staring to come around and perk up a bit...I feel like it's moving slow compared to other gardens I've seen, but I think that's because everything was started from seed.

My boss has a garden and has offered some of his harvest to us since he has more than they need, so I'm going to be making mushroom and Kale risotto tonight with the Kale he shared with us this weekend.

Farmers Market Salad

2010-06-18T09:22:00.001-07:00

Today I was able to make my first farmers market salad! At the Manchester Farmers Market I picked up some mixed greens, carrots and broccoli from Eric's Farmstand (Pelham, NH). I also picked up some strawberries at a roadside farmstand in Chester on my way through the other day. Yummy!

Can't wait until I can make my first backyard garden salad! The garden is coming along...has a ways to go, but definitely coming along...

Summer Farmers Market Season!

2010-06-16T17:18:00.000-07:00

Tomorrow is opening day for the Manchester Farmers Market!

~2009 Opening Day Ribbon Cutting~

Lorraine Merrill, Commissioner of the Department of Agriculture, and Charlie Reid from Stone Wall Farm

There are a lot of other summer farmers markets opening this week as well. You can find one near you at the New Hampshire Farmers Market Association Website.

Backyard Garden

2010-05-09T11:44:00.000-07:00

Wow, it's been awhile! I'm attempting my very first vegetable garden this year in our backyard and I started some seeds inside a couple of months ago. I took some pictures with the intent to update this blog about the garden awhile ago, but somehow they got lost. I started digging the garden last weekend so I guess it's a good time to finally remember to update here.

Here is my itty bitty garden bed that I dug last weekend...took me a good part of the day just for this small area though! I think I will expand it just a little bit, but keep it small this year since it's a trial run for my first attempt.

Here are some of the seedlings inside, waiting to go into the garden until after the last frost date in a couple of weeks. This tray is basil, oregano and mesclun.

Here are some tomatoes and cucumbers that have graduated to bigger pots just recently

and some more tomatoes

I also have a small tray with peppers in it, but they are still pretty small and I'm not sure how well they are going to do. If I have room I will direct sow some squash, beans and carrots as well...but I've got to see what I can fit in my tiny little garden:) We're also going to plant some pumpkins at my inlaws house, since they've got 3 acres we can fit them in a lot easier. I'll get some more pictures up when everything is in the garden.

We've decided that the CSA we wanted to join isn't going to be practical distance-wise for pickups, so we'll get our produce from our garden and supplement from my inlaws garden and the local farmer's market this year. I have gotten word that there are a lot of towns in the area working on starting them up, including Derry where we live, so I'm looking forward to having one in town.

The Loot

2010-01-23T14:31:00.001-08:00

Ok, so I didn't get to the Farmer's Market on the 9th...had way too many things to do and not enough time to do them...and the drive to Exeter and back wouldn't have helped that either. But we did end up going today to the one in Rollinsford, NH at Wentworth Greenhouses. It was a fun outing and we stopped by Portsmouth after to make a day out of it. Here is what we picked up...

Potatoes, onions, french bread, soft cheese and Porkchops. Some other things that were available there included LOBSTER (mmm, but we resisted as it was not on the grocery list and we're trying to stick to a budget), coffee, eggs, jams and jellies, granola, seeds (for the garden) and some other veggies and meats. It is nice to be able to eat locally even during these cold winter months.

Winter Farmers' Markets

2010-01-08T16:10:00.000-08:00

Seacoast Eat Local is hosting 11 Winter Farmers' Markets this year. Click the link above for more info. I'm planning on going to tomorrow's market at Exeter High School. Here is the schedule for the rest of the winter.

January 9 - Seacoast Eat Local Market at Exeter High School
January 16 - Rye at the Congregational Church
Newmarket at the Stone Church
January 23 - Seacoast Eat Local at Wentworth Greenhouses, Rollinsford
February 13 - Seacoast Eat Local, Exeter High School
February 20 - Rye at the Congregational Church
Newmarket at the Stone Church
February 27 - Seacoast Eat Local, Wentworth Greenhouses, Rollinsford
March 13 - Seacoast Eat Local, Exeter High School
March 20 - Rye at the Congregational Church
Newmarket at the Stone Church
March 27 - Seacoast Eat Local, Wentworth Greenhouses, Rollinsford
April 10 - Seacoast Eat Local, Exeter High School

May 1 - Opening day for the Portsmouth Farmers' Market, outdoors!

Community Supported Agriculture

2010-01-07T07:47:00.000-08:00

What is Community Supported Agriculture?

"Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) is a partnership between a farm and a community of responsible consumers. It puts you—the consumer—in direct relationship with the production of your food. There are no unknown middlemen. By paying for your produce upfront in the winter and springtime, you become “shareholder” of the farm’s yearly harvest. And each week during the growing season, you receive a portion of your share. We—the farmer—also benefit by receiving payments at the beginning of the season, when we need them most, to buy seeds and supplies to produce the food. This reduces the interest costs of loans to begin the season. The CSA partnership is good for you, good for the farm, and good for the earth (Farmer Daves)."

We will be joining our first CSA this year with Farmer Dave's in Dracut, MA. Find one close to you at FarmFresh.org. Farm Fresh is a wonderful resource for finding local food, so explore the rest of the site while you are there.

Photo: Farmer Dave's CSA Crew

Read more about how Community Supported Agriculture is making local farms more viable in an article from the Boston Globe.

Turkey Day!

2009-11-25T06:27:00.000-08:00

In honor of Turkey day here are some local resources in Southern New Hampshire for Turkeys!

Charmingfare Farm, Candia, NH

Henniker Saw, Henniker, NH
Joseph Morette
P.O. Box 438
Henniker, NH 03242
Ph: 603-428-3751

Jocose Farm
Box 307 26 Derry Road,
Chester, NH 03036,
603.887.3610

Thistle Ridge Farm, Dover, NH

Nelson Flynn Farm
Cherie Nelson & Tim Flynn
75 West Rd.
Bradford, NH 03221
Ph: 603-938-6187

Happy Thanksgiving!

100 Mile Diet: Lessons Learned

2009-10-17T03:46:00.000-07:00

So my 100 mile diet challenge ended on Thursday and I survived! Woo! Ok, so my challenge ended up being not strictly 100 miles after all and I had to make some exceptions, but still trying to stick to that motto ended up being pretty hard as it is. The word "convenience" is key to making my schedule/life work right now. Between working full time, taking care of a toddler, two dogs and a husband, not to mention a house that needs a lot of my attention too I am barely keeping all the plates spinning as it is...throwing in another thing that takes a lot of time, planning and $$ is not easy to say the least, but I'm proud of myself for sticking to what I'll call my own version of the 100 mile diet. Here are my biggest lessons learned

1. Eating locally takes A LOT of planning

2. Eating locally takes a lot of TIME

3. Eating locally takes a lot of driving

4. Eating locally means eating a lot of produce opposed to pasta, bread and meat

5. Eating locally means fresh delicious food that generally lasts longer than things purchased at the supermarket, as it hasn't had shipping and storing time which reduces its shelf life

6. Eating locally for me meant trying new things we wouldn't normally purchase, like venison and buffalo and organic quark

7. Eating locally means taking time out of the workday in order to be able to get to the local farmers market

8. Eating locally means lots of cooking and baking...no ready-made processed foods that can just be popped into the microwave

9. Eating locally is Expensive - you really will pay a premium for fresh, quality food

10. Eating locally would never work for me and the lifestyle we live...there's just not enough hours in the day (or $$ in the bank)

I've definitely learned a lot from this challenge about where our food comes from...checking the labels at the grocery store isn't even enough because a lot of times the ingredients are coming from much farther away than where the product is being distributed. I'll continue to buy many of the things I purchased locally during the challenge...like my Stonyfield products and I'll get over to Sunnycrest Farms as much as possible during the summer/fall...I'll even check labels and try to figure out if there is a more local option a lot of times when I'm grocery shopping....but I won't be driving to Manchester to shop at the local natural foods store anymore and I won't be taking time off of work to go to the farmer's market and I won't be able to drive all over creation to find farms that sell their products on site...I need my "big box" grocery store and I'm glad that we live in a place that gives me the convenience I need so that I am able to balance everything that's on my plate.

Day 15!!! Final Day!

2009-10-15T18:28:00.000-07:00

I made it!

Breakfast

Toast - When Pig's Fly Bakery
Organic Quark - Brookford Farm

Snack

Pumpkin Bread - Sunnycrest Farm
Apple Butter - Sunnycrest Farm

Lunch

leftover chinese

Snack

Apple - Boston Hill Farm

Dinner

Taco Salad:
lettuce and veggies from Sunnycrest and Vegetable Ranch
Ground Turkey - Misty Knoll Farm, New Haven, VT
Salsa - Better than Fred's, Derry, NH
Sour Cream - Cabot, VT

I've got some lessons learned...but will have to post later. I must say that I'm relieved to be done! Eating locally is a lot of work!

Day 14

2009-10-14T16:28:00.000-07:00

Breakfast

Bagel - Against the Grain, Brattleboro, VT
Organic Quark - Brookford Farm

Snack

Pumpkin Bread - Sunnycrest Farm
Apple Butter - Sunnycrest Farm

Lunch

Salad with veggies from Sunnycrest, Vegetable Ranch and Barrett Hill Farm
leftover chicken and mashed potatoes
yogurt - Stonyfield

Snack

Apple - Boston Hill Farm, N. Andover, MA

Dinner

Chicken Pot Pie - Aristocrat Foods, Upton, MA
Butternut Squash - Sunnycrest Farm

Getting ready to complete this challenge tomorrow! It is sooo much less work not to think about where your food comes from!

Day 13

2009-10-13T09:18:00.000-07:00

Breakfast

Bagel - Against the Grain, Brattleboro, VT

Organic Quark - Brookford Farm, Rollinsford, NH

Snack

Pumpkin Bread - Sunnycrest Farms

yogurt - Stonyfield Farms

Lunch

Salad with veggies from Sunnycrest Farms and Vegetable Ranch

Leftover mashed potatoes and chicken

Apple - Boston Hill Farm, N. Andover, MA

Dinner

Angel Hair - organic whole wheat, not local but still good
Meatballs! - Miles Smith Farm, Loudon, NH (egg - Pete and Gerry's)
sauce - uh oh...I had too...who has spaghetti and meatballs without sauce right? it was Prego...I won't lie...but I did add a tomato that was 1 of 4 that we produced in our pots on our deck this summer....so that helps to make that better right? :)

Day 12

2009-10-12T21:06:00.000-07:00

Breakfast

Pancakes - Amanda's Cabin Baking Mix
Maple Syrup - McClure's

Snack

Pumpkin Bread - Sunnycrest Farms

Lunch

Grilled Cheese - When Pig's Fly Bread, York, ME and Helluva Good Cheese, Sodus, NY
Yogurt - Stonyfield
Granola - Will and Roses
Honey - McClure's

Snack - Apples, Boston Hill Farm, N. Andover, MA

Dinner

Chicken - Misty Knoll Farms, New Haven, VT
Mashed Potatoes - Sunnycrest Farms
Corn - Sunnycrest Farms

ok, I'm really starting to lose it here...I'm being way more lenient than I was in the beginning...the grilled cheese...umm yah that cheese, I have no idea where it is *really* from since apparently it's part of the Hood family of dairy products...and plus, Sodus, NY...a little out of the 100 mile range anyway...oy...it's all I had in the house and I was pressed for time...the rest of the day was ok though! :)

Day 11

2009-10-11T15:40:00.001-07:00

Breakfast

Eggs - Pete and Gerry's
Toast - Abigail's
Butter - Cabot, VT

Lunch

Leftover Butternut Squash Bisque (last of it! woo!)
Leftover mashed potatoes

Snack

Pumpkin Bread - Sunnycrest Farm
Apple Butter - Bear Meadow Farm

Dinner

Chinese - Bonsai, Auburn, NH

Other
Clif Organic Shot Bloks
Yokids yogurt - Stonyfield

I did a 10k today, so I used some of the organic Clif Shot Bloks to help me out a little bit...at the end of the race I was delighted to see that they had Yokids yogurt in a tube for everyone! I couldn't partake in the bananas and oranges, so I was psyched to see there was actually something I could have there:) And dinner....yah, well at least it is a local business:)

Day 10

2009-10-10T16:17:00.000-07:00

Breakfast

Pancakes - Amanda's Cabin specialty baking mixes, Litchfield, NH
Maple Syrup - McClure's, Littleton, NH
Milk - Garelick Farms

Toast - Abigail's and Butter - Kate's Homemade
Coffee - Newman's Own

Lunch

Haddock - ??

So, today presented me with a new challenge...we went out to lunch with family and the choice of restaurant was already chosen so I had to just do the best I could with it. I chose the haddock, assuming that it was caught locally...I'm not sure if it was and I just didn't have the time or energy to bother the waitress to find out so I'm just going to assume it was...this is just one of those situations where I had to get as close as I can to making a good choice and sticking to the motto.

Day 9

2009-10-09T09:08:00.000-07:00

Breakfast

Granola - Will and Roses, New Boston, NH

Milk - Garelick Farms, based in Franklin, MA and uses New England Dairies

Coffee - Mill City Roasting, Manchester,NH

Snack

Yogurt- Stonyfield

Blueberries - Barrett Hill Farm

Lunch

Leftover Pasta and veggies

Dinner

Pizza - Juliano's, Derry, NH
Sam Adams - Boston, MA

Day 8

2009-10-08T20:57:00.000-07:00

I realize this is getting pretty boring, but bare with me...I plan to keep up with Southern NH Locavore tips and resources once my challenge is over too...

Breakfast

Toast - Abigail's Bakery
Peanut Butter - Teddie's Organic

Snack

Yogurt - Stonyfield
Blueberries - Barrett Hill Farm

Lunch

Salad with veggies from Butternut Farm, Vegetable Ranch and Barrett Hill Farm
Dressing - Three Acre Kitchen
Bread - Abigail's Bakery
Cheese - Grafton Village, VT
Greek Yogurt - Stonyfield

Dinner

Whole Wheat Organic Pasta - not local, but still organic so I'm ok with it
Eggplant - Barrett Hill Farm
Tomato - Barrett Hill Farm
Onion - Vegetable Ranch
Butter - Kate's Homemade
Cheese - Cabot (only shredded cheese in the house...still from VT, so ok)

After Dinner

Wine - Piscassic Winery

My willpower is waning here...I guess I'm just kind of bored with my choices and the fact that I haven't been able to buy new stuff recently doesn't help that either...

Day 7

2009-10-07T19:29:00.000-07:00

Breakfast

Toast - Abigail's Bakery
Butter - Kate's Homemade
Eggs - Pete and Gerry's
Coffee - Mill City Roasting Co

Lunch

leftover Butternut Squash Bisque
leftover Venison
Bread - Abigail's Bakery
Dill Chevre - Agape Farms

Snack

Yogurt - Stonyfield
Blueberries - Barrett Hill Farms

Dinner

Nachos - Better than Fred's Salsa and Chips, Neighborly Farms of VT Cheese
Beer - Magic Hat #9, Burlington, VT

so, my menu is getting a bit repetitive...I really need to go shopping again, but I really don't have time to do that during the week...therefore I'm scraping by with what I've still got in the house...only one more bowl of Butternut Squash Bisque left! woohoo! :)

Day 6

2009-10-06T09:36:00.000-07:00

Breakfast

Toast - Abigail's Bakery

Jam - Shawn Michael's Homemade

yah, this is getting pretty boring now

Snack

Yogurt - Stonyfield

Blueberries - Barrett Hill Farm

Granola - Hopkinton, NH (something I picked up from a vendor at the local farmers market)

Lunch

Salad with veggies from Vegetable Ranch, Sunnycrest, Barrett Hill Farm

Dressing - Three acre kitchen

Leftover Butternut Squash Bisque

yup, still working on that Bisque

Snack

Apple - Mack's

Dinner

Venison - Bonnie Brae Farms, Plymouth, NH
leftover mashed potatoes
Summer Squash - Barrett Hill Farm

Venison is SO yummy...will definitely be getting some of this again in the future! I'm getting very bored...but I want to finish up my leftovers since I put a lot of time and effort into them and I dont have much time for cooking anyway...

Day 5

2009-10-05T21:00:00.000-07:00

Breakfast

Toast - Abigail's Bakery
Jam - Shawn Michael's Homemade
Milk - Sherman Farms
Coffee - Mill City Roasting Co

Snack

Apple - Mack's

Lunch

Salad with veggies from Vegetable Ranch, Sunnycrest and Heron Pond Farm
Dressing - Three Acre Kitchen
Leftover Butternut Squash Bisque

Dinner

Eggs - Pete and Gerry's
Leftover Pan Fries
Cheese - Neighborly Farms of VT

After Dinner

Wine - Piscassic Winery

And here's my confession for the day...I had Newman's Own Organic Coffee (yes still within the motto) from ....gasp....McDonald's...seriously I needed a coffee after the afternoon I had yesterday and this is the only thing I could think of that actually still fit within the motto and was convenient to my location and schedule...is this cheating ? part of me feels like it is and part of me feels like it isnt'...cause hey, it is organic...

Day 4

2009-10-04T15:37:00.000-07:00

Breakfast

eggs - Pete and Gerry's
Cheese - Vermont Neighborly
Tomato - Sunnycrest
Pan fries - Heron Pond Farm
Toast - Abigail's Bakery
Apple Butter - Bear Meadow Farm

Lunch

Leftover Butternut Squash Bisque
Salad:
Lettuce - Sunnycrest Farm
Tomato - Sunnycrest
Carrot - Vegetable Ranch
Cuke - Heron Pond Farm

Snack

Blueberries - Barrett Hill Farm
Tortilla Chips - Better than Fred's, Derry, NH
Salsa - Better Than Fred's

Dinner

Leftover pizza

After Dinner

Wine - Piscassic Pond Winery, Newfields, NH

I went to the grocery store today for a few things we needed for the house and was happy to find that there are actually more local choices than I thought at our Hannaford down the street. This was the first time I was actually paying attention in the regular grocery store to what was available locally there and I was happy to find more things than I thought I would. My biggest discovery was the Better Than Fred's chips and salsa that is from a local business right here in Derry! Score! :)

Day 3

2009-10-03T23:59:00.000-07:00

Breakfast

Toast - Abigail's Bakery
Apple Butter - Bear Meadow Farms
Milk - Sherman Farm

Lunch (which was maybe 2 bites of this sandwich I made)

Peanut Butter - Teddies Organic, Everett, MA
Blackberry Jam - Shawn Michael's Homemade, Warner, NH

Snack

Apple - Mack's

Dinner

At the ILs:
Maine Lobster
Corn - Litchfield, CT
Wine - Nashoba Valley, Bolton, MA

At Home:
Pizza - yah, yah, but we did get it from a local pizzeria so we are supporting our local businesses and thus sticking to the motto:)
Beer - Smuttynose, Portsmouth, NH

Other:
Clif Shots Energy Gel - no, not local, but organic!

Craig and I did an INTENSE extremely challenging hike yesterday. We didn't have much time to eat since we were focused on getting off the ridge alive (lol) and by the time we got back to the ILs to pick up Ella we could have eaten our arms off...so we enjoyed dinner with them and then came home and had a second one from our local pizzeria:) We did have some Clif Shots Energy Gel during our hike to help get ourselves through it, which I was happy to find out are organic and within my motto:) Pictures and details from the hike in our family blog.

Day 2

2009-10-02T09:58:00.000-07:00

Breakfast

Toast - Abigail's Bakery, Weare, NH

Apple Butter - Bear Meadow Farm, Colrain, MA

Milk - Sherman Farm, East Conway, NH

Coffee - Mill City Roasting Co, Manchester, NH

Lunch

Leftover Buffalo Burger and Mashed Potatoes

Salad with

lettuce - Sunnycrest Farms, Londonderry, NH

tomato - Sunnycrest Farms

Onion - Vegetable Ranch, Warner, NH

Cucumber - Heron Pond farm, South Hampton, NH

Dressing - Three Acre Kitchen, Hopkinton, NH

Yogurt - Stonyfield Farm, Londonderry, NH

Blueberries - Barrett Hill Farm, Mason, NH

Dinner

Butternut Squash Bisque with
Butternut Squash - Mack's Apples, Londonderry, NH
Apples - Mack's
Onion - Vegetable Ranch
Garlic - Barrett Hill Farm
Carrot - Barret Hill Farm
Chipotle Pepper - Mack's
Cider - Mack's
Chicken Broth - Pacific Natural Foods, Tualitin, Oregon! - but hey, at least it was organic
Greek Yogurt - Stonyfield
Cheese - Neighborly Farms of Vermont, Randolph Center

Bread and Apple Butter - see above

After Dinner

Ice Cream - Stonyfield Farms

Today went pretty good...I had to use chicken broth from Oregon for my bisque at dinner, because I had it in the house and had forgotten about that ingredient until it was time to put it in there! At least what I had was organic though, so I'm sticking to my motto:) I thought I was going to starve a little bit during these 2 weeks a couple of days ago, but it looks like I'm pulling it together...now tomorrow will be a challenge. Craig and I are going hiking and although I've got some local stuff packed for lunch I'm usually STARVING afterwards and willing to fill the hole in my stomach with just about anything and everything...not sure if I'll make it home to my local food stash, but we'll see how the day goes...

Day 1

2009-10-01T09:57:00.000-07:00

Breakfast

2 eggs - Pete and Gerry's Organic Eggs, Monroe, NH
Coffee - Cafe du Jour, Mill City Roasting Co, Manchester, NH (Fair Trade)

Snack

Apple - Mack's Apples, Londonderry, NH

Lunch

Salad with
lettuce - Sunnycrest Farms, Londonderry, NH
tomato - Sunnycrest Farms
Onion - Vegetable Ranch, Warner, NH
Dressing - Three Acre Kitchen, Hopkinton, NH
Yogurt - Stonyfield Farm, Londonderry, NH
Bread - Abigail's Bakery (wheat ground in onsite mill), Weare, NH
Dill and Garlic Chevre - Agape Homestead, Center Ossipee, NH

Dinner

Buffalo Burgers - Yankee Farmers Market, Warner, NH
Mashed Potatoes:
Potatoes - Sunnycrest Farms
Butter - Kate's, Old Orchard Beach, ME
Greek Yogurt - Stonyfield
Milk - Sherman Farms, East Conway, NH

After Dinner

Apple Cider - Mack's Apples

Not too bad...I've got a couple exceptions, coffee being a big one...I decided that my dressing was ok since it came from a local business and everything else is all good I think. I know Stonyfield gets some of it's milk/dairy products from Vermont farms that might be just out of my 100 mile radius, but it's all good if they are pretty close. I know that Abigail's grinds their wheat onsite, but I think the wheat actually comes from offsite...not sure where, but hey it's still a great choice when it comes to bread since it's a local bakery and it's organic. Alright, 1 day down, 14 to go:)

100 Mile Diet

2009-09-30T06:22:00.000-07:00

Tomorrow I am starting an EcoChallenge with my sister, hosted by her work, the Northwest Earth Institute. The challenge (which we were to choose individually) is to live on the 100 mile diet for 15 days. This means that everything you consume should be from a source within 100 miles of where you live. I started researching a couple of weeks ago and have been shopping since last weekend in preparation. I will say that between these two things the challenge has already begun.

When I was first agreeing to do this challenge I was thinking to myself "hey I can find stuff from local sources, no problem!" I've since learned that it is not as easy as it might seem. Produce is not too hard to find, but when it comes to other staples in your diet, like dairy, grains and meat it gets a lot harder to find them. A lot of things may be produced and sold from local businesses, but their ingredients are not from a local source. Most likely they are from the midwest or California. Flour/wheat has proved to be the hardest thing for me to find from a local source...no flour = no bread products of any kind (yikes!).

Frankly I don't really have the time to be a Hardcore Locavore, I barely find time to pee these days:)...so this is my motto for this challenge:

If not LOCALLY PRODUCED, then Organic.

If not ORGANIC, then Family farm.

If not FAMILY FARM, then Local business.

If not a LOCAL BUSINESS, then Fair Trade.

If all else fails, at least don’t eat at McDonald’s!

ha!

I read this article and it had some great tips for my personal challenge as well and made me feel better that the point of this exercise is not to set yourself up for failure but to make the best choices that you can make. I know how busy I am and I know that I will not survive my caffeine withdrawals if I don't have coffee (or some sort of caffeine...I've tried before and the migraines/neck pain crippled me for a week) so I will live by the motto above for this challenge and if something is not totally from within a 100 mile radius I will make sure it is at least close or the best possible alternative.

Ready, set, go!