NOFA-NH E-Newsletter: August 2021

Dear Friend of NOFA-NH,

Celebrate local food and our bountiful harvests in the Granite State this August during NH Eats Local Month! As we reach peak harvest season, it’s a timely celebration of our local farmers, fisherfolk, and food businesses who work hard year-round to provide food for our communities.

Find farms near you with guides from MWVEG (Mount Washington Valley), Seacoast Eat Local, Vital Communities (Upper Valley), the Cheshire County Conservation District, and the Merrimack County Conservation District. You can also find local certified organic food and farm products with our very own Farm & Food Map.

NOFA turns 50 this year, and we’re excited to announce two upcoming anniversary celebration events in New Hampshire! Please join us for a pizza party, fair, and farm tour at Brookford Farm on September 12th and a farm-to-table dinner and fundraiser at Colby Hill Inn on October 3rd. We'll be collecting memories of NOFA's first 50 years through the end of 2021 and welcome you to continue sharing your stories and experiences for our 50th anniversary archive.

Please also save the date for a public discussion on August 26th at Stonewall Farm about current challenges and opportunities in NH Agriculture featuring Rep. Annie Kuster and others. More details will be on our website and elsewhere soon.

While we’re grateful to be able to host in-person events in a safer outdoor environment this fall, we’re looking ahead to the Winter Conference and trying to determine how to best serve our community in light of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Considering the current state of the pandemic, would you attend an in-person conference in February or would you prefer a virtual or hybrid event? Please take this 2-minute survey and share your thoughts with us.

Thank you for supporting NOFA-NH, and we hope to see you soon!

Yours in Good Health & Healthy Food,

Team NOFA-NH

Education and Networking for Small-Scale Growers

Our two upcoming CRAFT tours are geared towards small-scale growers. Learn about intensive growing in small spaces with Winnipesaukee Woods Farm & Busy Lizzie's Blooms on August 21st, and small scale efficiencies and community partnerships with Mountain Heartbeet on August 28th.

In September, join us at Stonewall Farm in Keene on September 11th and North Family Farm on September 18th.

Sliding scale pricing, $5-15. Free for farmers, farm workers, and NOFA-NH members.

Four Season Growing & Closing Up Your Garden Workshops

In the final classes of our online Organic Gardening Series with organic farmer Ron Christie, learn how to grow in all four seasons (September 7th) and how to close up your garden in the fall (October 12th). These classes include technical assistance and attendees are welcome to bring any and all questions about their gardens.

You're Invited to NOFA-NH's 50th Anniversary Parties!

NOFA is officially 50! In honor of this milestone, we’re hosting two exciting anniversary events with a focus on local and organic food this fall.

Brookford Farm Pizza Party, Fair & Farm Tour

Sunday, September 12, 1–5 PM

Enjoy a Sunday afternoon with us at an outdoor, family friendly pizza party, complete with live music, an exhibitor fair, children’s activities, and educational opportunities. Feast on house made, brick oven pizzas and sides loaded with farm fresh, organic ingredients. Learn more about this marvelous, diversified organic farm during an optional walking tour beginning at 4:15 p.m. Tickets: $15 per adult, $7 per child

Colby Hill Inn Farm-to-Table Dinner & Fundraiser

Sunday October 3, 4–8 PM

Help us celebrate our 50th with a delicious, local and organic centered farm-to-table dinner. Mingle with old friends, meet new people, and share memories of NOFA through the years while enjoying a three-course meal at Colby Hill Inn during the height of the fall harvest and foliage season.

Tickets: $100 per person

NOFA-NH 50th Anniversary Award Nominations

NOFA-NH will recognize the best of the best in our organic farming community over the years at an Awards Ceremony during our 50th Anniversary pizza party and fair at Brookford Farm on September 12th. Help us choose the awardees by submitting nominations for: Foundational Organic Community Partner, Outstanding Legacy Farmer, Outstanding Legacy Mentor, Volunteer of the Decade.

Nominations are due Monday, August 23rd.

Nominate Here

It's NH Eats Local Month!

Throughout the month of August, we’re joining the NH Food Alliance and partners around the state in celebrating our farmers, producers, and local food system. There are photo contests throughout the month, and NH Eats Local partners and eaters are sharing how they eat local.

NOFA-NH encourages eaters to choose local and organic whenever possible. Be a local organic advocate and help us spread the word by sharing our educational flyer and brochure or this social media post!

Support Our Farm Share Program During Hunger Action Month!

September is National Hunger Action Month, and we'll be raising funds for NOFA-NH's 2022 Farm Share Program, which helps limited-income NH residents access certified organic CSA shares.

You can help support this program in the following ways:

Share the Bounty Day: Dine in, take out, or shop with the Kearsarge Food Hub, Revival Kitchen & Bar, The Works Café, and Warner Public Market on Sunday, September 19th. Partner businesses will donate a portion of their sales or a predetermined amount to the Program.
Round It Up: Round up your change when you shop at the Monadnock Food Co-op throughout September. Proceeds will go to support our Farm Share Program.
Participate in a Flatbread Company Community Bake: Pizza With Purpose in North Conway and Portsmouth. A portion of each flatbread sold will be donated to the Farm Share Program during this fundraiser. Stay tuned for dates & details.
Make a donation directly to the Farm Share Program.

Interested in becoming a Share the Bounty Day partner? Contact our Operations Manager Nikki Kolb at nikki@nofanh.org.

Save Our Planet, Save Our Pollinators

Fawn Gaudet, Native American activist and leader of the NH Save Our Bees Coalition, recently wrote an article about the ecological crisis. In the article, which was published in a national publication, she describes how organic farming and Indigenous perspectives can contribute to the restoration of a healthy world for both humans and other beings here on Mother Earth - including precious pollinators.

Farm Labor Reform Considered

The Farm Workforce Modernization Act, passed by the House of Representatives earlier this year, if enacted would help alleviate immigrant farm workers’ fears of deportation as they would be offered a path to legal status or citizenship. In July, the Senate Judiciary Committee discussed the role these essential workers play in our food system and the need for offering a track to citizenship.

Watch the Hearing

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Removing Bottlenecks for Small Producers? USDA Supply Chain Investment

The USDA plans to invest $500 million in American Rescue Plan funds to expand meat and poultry processing capacity with the intent “that farmers, ranchers, and consumers have more choices in the marketplace.”

Now is the time for citizens to send in comments about this funding emphasizing that it be directed to new, small, and/or farmer-owned operations, not just large pre-existing facilities. Having more local, small-scale processors is essential if NH’s organic farmers are to be able to provide more food for our communities.

Comments close August 30th.

Submit a Comment

NOFA-NH Formally Supports the Real Organic Project

We are happy to announce that the Board of NOFA-NH voted this June to become one of the 1000 Real Organic Project Fans and an annual contributor to the Project. The Real Organic Project (ROP) is a newly formed organization that is doing vital work to restore integrity to the USDA organic label.

Many of you may already know Dave Chapman of Long Wind Farm, VT, who co-chairs this farmer-led organization with Linley Dixon. Some of you may even remember Dave’s convincing presentation about “Saving Real Organics” during a panel discussion at the 2018 NOFA-NH Winter Conference.

Eat Local: Grilled Eggplant "Pizza"

Joanne Ducas of Mountain Heartbeet in Effingham has traveled the circular path of love of farming from Southern NH to Maine to Western Ma. back to NH. She is certified in Permaculture Design and studied Environmental Science at UNH. Mountain Heartbeet Farm is a certified organic operation and is one of the featured farms on the “CRAFT of Farming” tour on August 28th.

Joanne’s approach to preparing food is to suggest and loosely guide rather than giving you a detailed recipe. It’s simple and quick and the vegetable isn’t shrouded in flavors you can’t identify.

Here is a perfect summer recipe when the grill is on and you’ve got lots of eggplant ready to pick:

Slice 1/2 inch thick rounds of eggplant, peeled or not.
Brush with olive oil, grill both sides until desired doneness is reached.
Do the same with thick slices of onion.
Cut thick slices of tomatoes.
Cheese can be rounds of fresh mozzarella or goat cheese – whatever you like.
To assemble, start with eggplant add cheese, then tomato, sprinkle with salt & pepper & finish with the grilled onion.
Add a sprinkle of fresh herbs-parsley, cilantro, basil whatever you have.

Network Café Addressing Soil Health in September

Zoom into the September 3rd Soil Health Network Café to learn more about the crucial role that living soils play in climate resilience, as well as human and ecosystem health. Discover the many actions already underway or emerging that aim to protect and revitalize this essential dimension of the Granite State.

A panel featuring Rep. Peter Bixby (author of the recently passed NH Healthy Soils Bill, HB 199), Julie Davenson, Executive Director of Stonewall Educational Farm and NOFA-NH's Policy Committee Chair, and others, will describe the opportunities and benefits that agroecological soil practices offer to farmers, eaters, and citizens.

Explore ways that we can work together to create more nourishing, reliable, enjoyable, and relocalized systems of growing and eating using practices based on healthy, living soils.

Resources for Farmers

Building Soils for Better Crops, a guide to ecological soil management published by SARE Outreach.

NOFA Soil Health Field Days, recordings of virtual educational events hosted by NOFA regional chapters in 2020.

Support NOFA-NH at the Co-op Food Stores in August

Round up to the nearest dollar when you shop at the Co-op Food Stores in the Upper Valley! This month, a portion of the proceeds from the Co-op's Pennies for Change program will go to support NOFA-NH programs. Thank you to the Co-op Food Stores and your shoppers for your contributions!

September Is Member Drive Month

Our members support our mission to help people build local, sustainable, healthy food systems by actively promoting regenerative, ecologically sound gardening, farming and land care practices for healthy communities.

Next month, join us for our annual Membership Drive and help us grow the NOFA-NH Community. We'll be hosting a raffle for new members - stay tuned for details!

Join Our Quality Assurance Committee!

Our Quality Assurance Committee is responsible for ensuring continuity of quality and best practices through the sound evaluation of NOFA-NH's products, services, programs and personnel, including outcomes, goals, data analysis and resulting adjustments.

We invite passionate and enthusiastic volunteers to join the Quality Assurance Committee or any of our seven other volunteer Board Committees. (Note: You do not have to be a Board Member to join.) Prospective members are welcome to attend a meeting. Please contact us for more information.

Meet Our Members: Introducing Tristan Lovecky and Zach Nordlund

NOFA-NH's knowledgeable and passionate members make our organization great. That's why we offer our members with farms and farm-related businesses eligibility to be featured in the 'Meet Our Members' e-news column. Each month, we make our community a little closer by introducing you to someone new. Please contact us if you'd like to be featured!

Welcome New & Renewing Members

Thank you to our NOFA-NH Members who became new members or renewed their memberships in July 2021.

New Members:

Matthew Breton, Over the Moon Farm

Renewing Members:

Betsy Janeway, Nancy Lockhart, Pork Hill Farm, Regenerative Roots Association, Margaret Sheehan, James Whitlock, Wyatt Birch Farm

Classifieds

Pick Your Own Blueberries, Blackberries and Peaches (Center Harbor)

Pick your own berries and peaches at our organic farm, Sunnyhill Gardens in Center Harbor, NH. Organically grown vegetables and herbs are also available. Please call Eloise or Bart Coudert at 279-8477 for picking availability.

5 Acre Farm For Sale By Auction (Central PA)

Click here for general info and video overview. Over the years we have made many improvements on this farm for direct marketing of grass-fed broilers, hens, turkeys, beef and hogs. Turn-key operation with good water, good fences, good buildings, commercial kitchen & walk-in freezer. No organically-prohibited substances have been used on the land for over 30 years. For details, please see https://overthemoonfarm.com or email Lyn Garling at lyn@overthemoonfarm.com.

NOFA-NH Members may post 1 free Classified per month on our Classifieds page and in this newsletter. Not yet members may post a Classified in the e-news and on our website for $45 per Classified per month. To inquire about this program and to share your Classified with our community, please contact info@nofanh.org.

Please Note: The views and opinions expressed in these classifieds are those of our members and sponsors, and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of NOFA-NH, its staff, or Board of Directors. We reserve the right to reject content deemed unsuitable or inappropriate for our readership and distribution.

NOFA-NH's Winter Conference Book Store

Hosted by Main Street Book Ends

MainStreet BookEnds of Warner is a family owned, independent bookstore serving NH since 1998. They share a strong commitment to community, local farmers, children, teachers, local artists and authors, and all who enjoy reading the printed word. MainStreet BookEnds is proud to once again be the bookseller for NOFA-NH’s Winter Conference.

Books by conference presenters and others are available through our Winter Conference Book List! When placing a book order, be sure to write "NOFA-NH" in the comments. As always, 20% of proceeds from book sales go back to support NOFA-NH throughout 2021!

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