For the twelfth year, let’s shine a light on local food, farms, and our entire Monadnock Region food system during New Hampshire Eats Local Month, a month-long celebration of our state’s harvest in August. 

What Do We Mean by a Food System?

Our food system is an intricate web of people, resources, and processes that grow and bring food from the farm to your plate.  It includes the soil's fertility, the diligent labor of farm workers, the networks transporting goods, bustling markets, and beyond.  Please enjoy Part One of this year’s bounty of Monadnock Region food system updates!

Start With the Land

Local farmers need local farmland.  That’s why the Monadnock Conservancy works to protect farmland on some of our region’s most beloved farms. Using a tool called a conservation easement -- a permanent agreement that prohibits development of the land but permits forestry and farming -- the Conservancy keeps these highly productive pieces of land in the hands of farmers. Many farm conservation easements provide cash to farmers to expand their business, pay down debt, or help transfer the farm to the next generation. Monadnock Conservancy recently purchased conservation easements on two local farms, Picadilly Farm in Winchester and Pete’s Stand in Walpole. For more information, please visit monadnockconservancy.org.

“Local farms provide so much to this region, and I am always pleased when we can keep farmland in the hands of farmers,” said Ryan Owens, Executive Director of The Monadnock Conservancy. “Some of the best soils in the nation are found right here in this region, along the Connecticut River.”

Jonathan Hayden and Abigail Clarke from Winter Street Farm in Claremont received a New Hampshire Conservation Districts Climate Resilience Grant to grow their community composting program.

Cultivating Climate Resilience

With more farmers dealing with extreme weather events and increased pest pressures due to climate change, we must support and empower local farmers to build climate resilience. The New Hampshire Conservation Districts Climate Resilience Grant program aims to do just that.

Since 2022, this program has distributed 95 grant awards totaling $714,000 to New Hampshire farms. The Climate Resilience Grant Program funded projects at fifteen farms in our region. Two examples include Boggy Meadow Farm in Walpole, which will build a Johnson-Su compost bioreactor to create a fungal-rich compost and improve on-farm soil health, and Foggy Hill Farm in Jaffrey, which will install a passive solar greenhouse to improve their farm's energy efficiency and reduce their carbon footprint. Learn more about this program at cheshireconservation.org/climate.

Growing Community

It's been an exciting couple of years for the Monadnock View Community Garden (MVCG) in West Keene.  Fully subscribed for the second consecutive year, MVCG received funding from the Cheshire County Conservation District to construct a tool shed (with design and labor contributed by Bensonwood), install five additional water spigots, purchase an array of shared tools, season extension, water conservation, pest control and soil building materials for gardeners, and add infrastructure to our Giving Garden.  These additions, along with the efforts of volunteers, allowed gardeners to increase the amount of produce donated to The Community Kitchen from approximately 450 pounds in 2022 to just over 600 pounds in 2023.  

"At MVCG, we like to think we're not only growing veggies but community," said volunteer garden manager Rowland Russell.  "In the big picture, it's the connective tissue of community that gives our local food system its resilience."

Attend NH Eats Local Events

Now, get out there and enjoy our local food and farms! Here are a few (of the many) events happening in our region in August.  

Co-produced by Monadnock Food Co-op and Monadnock Farm and Community Coalition (MFCC), the Monadnock Farm Tour and After Party at Granite Roots Brewing celebrates local food and farms on Saturday, August 17, 12 p.m. – 8 p.m.  From 12 p.m. to 5 p.m., enjoy farm activities such as sheepdog herding demonstrations, pudding production, free tractor and hayrides, pasture tours, and more. Tickets are $10 per car, providing access to all participating farms. Tickets can be purchased online or at each farm during tour hours. Learn more at mfcommunitycoalition.org/2024monadnockfarmtour.
 
Attendees can continue the fun at the After Party at Granite Roots Brewing in Troy from 5 - 8 p.m. The event will feature fresh brews, food trucks, and live music, all with no entry fee. Children and leashed, friendly dogs are welcome. Enter MFCC’s raffle, offering a first prize of $500, a second prize of a quarter CSA share from Dog Dogs Farm in Fitzwilliam valued at $250, and a third prize of locally sourced products worth $125. The raffle drawing will occur at this event, and ticket holders will not need to be present to win.
 
“David Kennard of Wellscroft Farm will show off the skills of his sheepherding Border Collies as they move the herd to his every command and will share a bit about raising sheep. Blackfire Farm is cooking up fresh vegetable pizzas and will enlighten folks on what sustainable farming is to them while on a hay wagon ride,” said Roe-Ann Tasoulas, director of MFCC.  “This is a rare opportunity to experience our farmers’ day-to-day lives working a farm business. Our hope is that everyone will walk away feeling more connected with the land, the animals, and the farmers who thoughtfully care for it."

Also, on August 17, Stonewall Farm in Keene celebrates turning 30 with a Farm Fair from 12 p.m. – 6 p.m. Experience horse and farm equipment demonstrations, live music, contra dancing, games, contests, delicious food, a beer garden, and more. Tickets cost $10 per person (free admissions for kids three and under). Tickets to access the beer garden (with beer sampling) cost $40 per person.  Learn more at stonewallfarm.org/events/stonewall-farm-fair.

Are you a teacher? Join the Monadnock Farm to School Network at the Cornucopia Project Educational Farm for a fun-filled day camp designed especially for you. Dive into classroom-ready activities through demonstrations, a farm tour, group activities, and games -- just like a real summer camp. This event includes a delicious lunch and a chance to win school supplies. Professional development credits are available, too. Learn more and register at eventbrite.com/e/farm-to-school-day-camp-for-teachers-tickets-945161642917.

Stay tuned for Part Two of this article in August, including local food and farm updates from Hannah Grimes Center for Entrepreneurship, Community Garden Connections, and more! Also, check out our local food and farming events list at tlcmonadnock.com/NHEatLocal.

Thank you to all the individuals, programs, policies, and initiatives that continue to build a more robust local and regional food system in our corner of the state and throughout New England.  Together, we’re cultivating healthier citizens, communities, and economies.