Hot pepper jelly wins!

A note from Dagne Goodwin of Amelia Mae's -

My pepper jellies were put in a taste test in NH Magazine and we got first place! My flavor: Golden Hot Pepper Jelly. This has golden bell peppers, hot thai peppers and garlic......yummy!

I can't wait for the market, hurry spring!

Great news for organic dairy farmers and consumers!

Here is a good synopsis of the latest news about rules for organic dairy.

The new rule requires:

Cows must be grazed on pasture for the entire growing season, no less than 120 days per year

Cows must be allowed outdoors year-round except when the weather or their health makes it impossible

Grazing/grass must make up at least 30% of a cow's diet

Good news for small farms

From Yellow House Farm:

We have wonderful news! The National Animal Identification System, a.k.a. NAIS, is being abandoned by the USDA because you spoke out!!!!

It is not that animal identification is going away completely. Indeed, they are going to move toward a new tailored program that follows interstate moving of animals. Insofar as this will not affect the vast majority of small-scale, i.e. locally focused, producers, the general threat that NAIS represented to the small-scale farmer is alleviated. The potentially devastating threat that NAIS represented to farms that safeguard heritage animals was utterly horrific. This is, indeed, wonderful news for the continued existence and promotion of traditional farm animals. Here's the New York Times article: link

Announcing schedule for 2010

Here's the proposed schedule for 2010.

Summer Markets will be held in the same location, on Thursday afternoons - 3:00 - 6:30pm

The summer season will begin a little earlier this year on May 27th and will run through October 7th.

Fall Markets will be held indoors (location to be determined) on Saturdays 9:00 am - 1:00pm

The indoor markets will run October 23rd through November 20th.

Winter farmers market in Concord

WHERE: Cole Gardens on 430 Loudon Rd, Concord

Inside a warm greenhouse!

WHEN: Saturdays - Jan 30, Feb 27 and March 27

FROM: 10am-2pm

BearPaw Regional Greenways Annual Meeting

In order to have farmers markets we need to have farms, and in order to have farms we need to conserve farm lands. Here's a great organization to support whose mission is to conserve our land, water, and living things.

DEERFIELD N.H., January 13, 2010 – Bear-Paw Regional Greenways invites their members, friends, and the public to its Annual Meeting scheduled for February 13th, 2010. Bear-Paw will be celebrating the completion of nine conservation projects conserving over 944 acres last year – it now holds easements protecting 36 properties and 3,255 acres. In 2010, Bear-Paw expects to conserve more than 1,000 additional acres!

Bear-Paw Regional Greenways Annual Meeting

Coe-Brown Academy, 907 First NH Turnpike (Route 4), Northwood, NH

Saturday, February 13, 2010, Registration begins at 8:30am

The meeting will be held at Coe-Brown Academy on Route 4 in Northwood and registration begins at 8:30 AM. After a brief business meeting and the presentation of awards, Vince Walsh, a wildlife tracker and natural history expert, will be this year’s guest speaker. He will present a morning slide program of the mammals that inhabit our northern woods and will have on-hand mounted specimens, skulls, skins, scats and plaster casts of tracks from his extensive collection. Vince will then help lead our afternoon trip to nearby conservation land as we search for animal sign. (www.kawingcrow.com)

After a potluck lunch that will be provided, please plan to join us for a moderately strenuous walk on nearby conservation land. Weather permitting, we will snow shoe or hike. The Annual Meeting will also feature the raffle of many donated items. Bear-Paw welcomes donations from artists, writers, and craftspeople for this fundraising effort.

Pre-registration is requested so that Bear-Paw can plan appropriately so please register at info@Bear-Paw.org, www.bear-paw.org, or 463-9400 by February 5th to reserve your place. This event is open to the public and a modest donation is requested to offset the cost of the event ($10.00 for members and $15.00 for non-members).

Bear-Paw is a non-profit land trust with a mission to permanently conserve a network of lands that protects our region’s water, wildlife habitat, forests, and farmland. Established by resident volunteers, Bear-Paw works to conserve open space in Candia, Deerfield, Epsom, Northwood, Nottingham, Raymond, and Strafford through outreach, education, and land protection project assistance. For information about how to become a member, land protection options for landowners or volunteering with the land trust, please contact Daniel Kern at Bear-Paw Regional Greenways, Post Office Box 19, Deerfield, NH 03037, 603 463-9400, or info@bear-paw.org. You can also visit their website at www.bear-paw.org.

INTRODUCTION TO INVASIVE PLANTS WORKSHOP

Wednesday February 17th

7:00 pm at the Northwood Town Hall

You’ve seen them – along roadsides, bordering streams and wetlands, and even in your own back yard. Many non-native invasive plant species are pretty, grow easily and spread rapidly. They are pervasive throughout Northwood and surrounding towns - and that’s the problem. Invasive species overwhelm and crowd out native plants, reduce wildlife habitat, impact water quality, and decrease diversity in natural plant communities.

This workshop will help you to:

ü Identify invasive species in your neighborhood

ü Understand how they got here and how they impact our environment

ü Learn how to control their spread and preserve native plants

ü Get involved with community efforts to monitor and control invasive species

Presented by: Doug Cygan, Invasive Species Coordinator,

New Hampshire Department of Agriculture

Please join us to learn more about invasive species and how you can take action to help!

For more information, contact:

Carl Wallman, NALMC at info@nalmc.net or 435-5209

Dawn Genes, LRWA at dawn.genes@lrwa-nh.org or 659-9363