Join UNH Slow Food on Sunday, September 12 at 5:30pm for the first annual Seacoast Community Eat-In. This event is free and open to the public and will be held on the UNH campus behind Demeritt Hall, just off Main Street in Durham. This is a potluck event — bring a favorite dish to share with your friends and neighbors. Click here for info.

IN DOVER, DURHAM AND HAMPTON

The outdoor farmers’ market season continues to pick up pace with the opening of the Durham, Hampton and Dover markets on June 7, 8 and 9, respectively. Markets are held rain or shine every week through mid-October. New locations in Durham and Dover, along with several new farms joining the mix, make this a banner year.

“All local, all the time” is how organizers describe these markets. The farmers, fishermen, foodies and artisans there grow, raise, catch and make literally everything you’ll see. And they all come from Rockingham, Strafford or York counties.

The season kicks off with an abundance of bedding plants, veggie transplants, hanging flower baskets, salad greens and herbs. Early birds in June also may catch asparagus, peas, radishes and even strawberries.

More than a dozen farms will bring a wide variety of seasonal fruits and vegetables to market this summer, including berries, sweet corn, tomatoes and melons. Local honey and maple syrup will also be available at some markets, along with eggs, goat’s milk cheese, yogurt and fudge, fresh-pressed and hard cider, and wine.

An impressive range of meats is available at markets this year, including naturally raised pork, chicken, turkey, duck, goat, beef and veal. And if you don’t feel like cooking, take advantage of the homemade soups, wraps, salads, pies, baked goods and meals to go. Pick up a bouquet of flowers at market, and turn your weeknight dinner into an occasion to savor!

Throughout the season, Farmers’ Markets will also feature surprise guest vendors, community groups and special activities.

Keep up with what’s in season—and what’s at market—by subscribing to the market’s weekly e-newsletter. You can also find them on Facebook and Twitter, or get directions and access vendor lists online at www.SeacoastGrowers.org.

Better yet, visit in person!

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DURHAM

The Durham Farmers’ Market moves this year to the parking lot of Durham Marketplace at the Mill Road Plaza, 7 Mill Road. The market will continue its traditional day and time: Mondays from 2:15 to 5:30 p.m. This year, it will be held in conjunction with Durham’s “Main Street Mondays” program.

HAMPTON

Hampton’s Farmers’ Market opens Tuesday, June 8. A dozen new and returning vendors will set up every Tuesday from 3:00 to 6:00 p.m. in their traditional spot at the Sacred Heart Church School parking lot, 289 Lafayette Road/Route 1.

DOVER

Dover’s Farmers’ Market opens Wednesday, June 9, in a new location: 550 Central Ave., in the parking lot of the Dover Chamber of Commerce Visitor Center. The Dover Farmers’ Market will again take place from 2:15 to 6:00 p.m. every Wednesday.

The theme will be fresh spring herbs. You have the choice of coming and cooking with us or bringing something to share from home. We are hoping to make this a campus wide event so invite your room mates, friends, and teachers!

Come down to the main doors at Barton Hall and follow the Snail Signs!

Sunday May 2nd:
1:00PM – Kitchen is open and we can start cooking!
4:00PM – Herb demonstration
5:30PM – Potluck

Seacoast Eat Local will be hosting a CSA + CSF Day at their upcoming Winter Farmers’ Market on Saturday, February 27th, at the Wentworth Greenhouses in Rollinsford. Residents will have the opportunity to learn more about CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) and CSF (Community Supported Fisheries), meet the farmers and fisherfolk offering shares, and sign up for the 2010 season. Fifteen CSA farms are signed up to take part in this event.

Community Supported Agriculture and Community Supported Fisheries offer a terrific way for people to get a steady supply of local food directly from the producers. Community Supported Agriculture, or CSA, is a partnership between consumers and farmers in which members buy shares of the farm’s harvest and receive regular allotments of food throughout the growing season.

For farmers, this provides much needed cash flow for the beginning of the season, as well as a ready market and community of supporters. Shareholders join in the risks of the growing season but reap the benefits of the harvest. Community Supported Fisheries, or CSFs (modeled after CSAs), are a way to buy seafood directly from fishermen, and support our local fisheries by purchasing seasonal shares.

Each CSA and CSF has its own pricing structure and distribution schedule, and some farms have work requirements. Signups for CSA and CSF shares often begin in February by directly contacting the farm or sponsoring fishery. A list of CSA farms in the Rockingham, Strafford, and York Counties is available at Seacoast Harvest, an online guide to local food sponsored by Seacoast Eat Local.

Choosing a CSA

Community Supported Agriculture or CSA is a partnership between consumers and farmers in which members buy shares of the farm’s harvest and enjoy regular allotments of food throughout the growing season. For farmers, this provides much needed cash flow for the beginning of the season, as well as a ready market and community of supporters. Shareholders join in the risks of the growing season but reap the benefits of the harvest. Each CSA farm has its own pricing structure, disbursement schedule, and some have work requirements. Signups for CSA shares often begin in February by directlycontacting the farm.

List of Participating Farms & Fisheries

More information about CSA + CSF Day can be found here. The website also provides details about Seacoast Eat Local’s series of Winter Farmers’ Markets, including a list of the 35+ other vendors you can expect to see at the February 27th market in Rollinsford. Wentworth Greenhouses is located at 141 Rollins Road, Rollinsford, NH, a mile past Red’s Shoe Barn of Dover.

Seacoast Eat Local connects people with sources of locally grown foods and advocates eating locally for the health of our environment, community, culture and economy. Through advocacy, organizing and education, they work toward a sustainable local food system that meets the needs of both producers and consumers. They organize winter farmers’ markets, co-produce Seacoast Harvest, sponsor workshops and events, and provide information through their email newsletter, blog, and website.