Originally published in ELF Magazine

August is a time to dig in and celebrate the bounty of locally grown (and brewed!) food and drink that our farmers, producers, chefs and markets serve up to us this month.  New Hampshire Eat Local Month happens each August and the Monadnock Region is ripe with events to mark the month!

Enjoy this sample of events from our region -- and be sure to visit nheatlocal.org for happenings throughout the state.

Pizza Night at Orchard Hill Breadworks happens each Tuesday in August from 5 – 7:30 p.m. in Alstead.  Top your pizza with fresh produce from their brand new Pizza Night garden -- or bring locally grown and made toppings from your own garden or pantry.  Orchard Hill Breadworks provides the crust (gluten free available), sauce and cheese and bakes it in their incredible outdoor oven.  Cost: $9 per pizza and proceeds go to a different nonprofit each week.

Thursday nights are Free Movie Nights at the Barn at Walpole Valley Farms in Walpole.  Walpole Valley Farms will sell their grass-fed burgers and hot dogs, along with fresh popped popcorn and drinks.  Food and games start at 5:30 p.m. and the movie begins at 7 p.m.  Discover the movie of the night and more at the Walpole Valley Farms Facebook Page.

Community Garden Connection hosts weekly Garden Parties every Tuesday from 4 – 6 p.m. at the Cheshire County Farm on River Road in Westmoreland.  Dress for weeding, watering or harvesting -- they’ll provide all the supplies needed.  Each week’s harvest goes to the Keene Community Kitchen and other community members with limited access to fresh, local produce.  For more information contact: communitygardens@antioch.edu.

Join the Monadnock Food Co-op for a tour of Alyson’s Orchard in Walpole on August 12 from 10 – 11 a.m.  From peaches to apples, learn how Alyson’s Orchard produces its sustainably grown and delicious fruit.  This event is free, but registration is required.

Learn about native plants and their healing properties at an Intro to Herbalism on August 17 from 6 – 8 p.m. at Stonewall Farm in Keene.  Make your own tincture to take home with you.  Cost: $30 members, $35 for non-members.  Find details and a link to register on Stonewall Farm’s Facebook Page.

From Noon to 2 p.m. on August 19, the Monadnock Food Co-op hosts an Ice Cream Social sponsored by Walpole Creamery Ice Cream.  Toppings included and vegan options available.  A suggested donation of $5 goes to the Jeffrey P. Smith Farm Scholarship Fund that helps more kids attend farm camps each summer.

Celebrate the harvest of locally grown food at the Annual Harvest Dinner at the Acworth Village Store on August 19 starting at 6 p.m. in South Acworth.  Enjoy a five-course dinner and music in a historic barn. Tickets are $35 and available at the Village Store.

There’s another opportunity to dine at Stonewall Farm’s Farm to Table Dinner on August 25 from 6 – 9 p.m. Chef Linda Stavely and Denise Meadows of Free Range Chick Catering will create a scrumptious menu featuring sustainably grown products from the farm.  Cost: $75.  Tickets are available online.

Nineteen farms will open their barn and fence doors to visitors during the Monadnock Farm Tour with Monadnock Farm & Community Coalition on August 26 from 2 – 6 p.m.  Farm Tour Buttons are $5 for individuals and $10 per car -- so be sure to carpool!

Also, check out our region’s nine farmers’ markets: yardenofeatin.wordpress.com/markets.

We’ll add more events as we discover them, so please visit our site often to stay up to date on all the happenings in our region. 

All month long, we hope to inspire you to eat more locally grown, raised and made foods, meet the farmers, growers and chefs behind your food and learn new skills that keep you eating locally throughout the year. Dig in and celebrate New Hampshire Eat Local Month!