Welcome to week 1 of your Spring FarmShare! You have until 2pm tomorrow (Tuesday) to customize your box. There is lots of delicious spring food to choose from! If you have any questions at all, please reach out by replying to this email or giving us a call at 603-606-2663.
Today, the Fresh Start Farm Concord farmers met at the Food Hub to get seeds, discuss their planting plans, and see the new Fresh Start Market! Everyone is excited for the start of the season!
You'll notice that at the beginning of the season, most of the food in the FarmShare will be sourced from local farms outside of Fresh Start Farms. In the early spring when Fresh Start farmers don't yet have crops ready, we source from carefully selected partner local farms that are located under 100 miles from Manchester.
This year, we have been working with the NH Food Hub Network as the group works to connect local NH & VT producers to mission-driven hubs and ensure year-round access to fresh foods.
Each of the Fresh Start Farmers grows on less than an acre of land and are in various stages of building their farms businesses. Only 9 farmers have greenhouses, which are essential to growing in the early parts of the year. As the season progresses, you'll start to see more and more Fresh Start Farm produce in the share. Partnering with other local farms allows us to start the FarmShare early in the season and provide critical funds for our farmer training programs and food access work.
Highlights from this week's Bounty
Scallions & Mustard Greens from Fresh Start Farmer Sylvain Spring-Dug Organic Parsnips, Picadilly Farm Organic Carrots, Basin Farm Organic Sweet Potato Fingerlings, Basin Farm Jonagold, Red Honeycrisp, and Macoun Apples, Dutton Berry Farm Organic Watermelon Radish, Harlow Farm Spring Mix, Little Leaf Farms
Spring-dug parsnips are the first vegetables that come out of the ground in the early spring. Parsnips are planted the previous spring and left in the ground to over winter to deep freeze. As this happens, the starches are converted to sugar, the flavor matures, and the flesh becomes more tender. Never had parsnips? Sweeter than carrots and more versatile, parsnips are sweet, nutty, and succulent when cooked. They can be roasted, used in a soup, chowder, salads, purees and much more!
Sweet, tender, toasty parsnip matchsticks hidden in a tangle of bitter spring greens, punctuated with crunchy nuts and sharp creamy cheese -- this is early spring in a bowl!
Pick Up and Delivery Instructions
Please wear a mask and practice social distancing when picking up. For home delivery, please leave a cooler out for the delivery driver.
Home Delivery Wednesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays 9am to 5pm It is very important that you update your delivery instructions on your Harvie Profile page so we get the food to the right place. Be sure to leave a cooler out for the delivery driver.
Bona Fide Green Goods Pick Up Wednesdays 3pm to 6pm 25 N. Main Street, Concord Give the Bona Fide staff your name and they'll get your box for you.
St. Paul's School Employee Pick Up Wednesdays 2pm to 4pm SPS Post Office Milk and meat products will be in the fridge.
Story Hill Farm in Dunbarton Wednesdays 4:30pm to 6pm 5 Story Hill Road, Dunbarton There is a tiny house on the farm that we use as a Self-Service Farm Stand. Your box will be in the house labeled with your name. Any milk or meat products will be in a cooler.
Fresh Start Food Hub Pick Up Wednesdays & Thursdays 2pm to 6pm 150 Spruce Street, Manchester We can't wait for you to see our new Market!
We will not hold missed pick ups. We will donate any unclaimed shares to our local food pantries.
We are a collective brand for immigrant and refugee farmers participating in the New American Sustainable Agriculture Program, a program of the Organization for Refugee and Immigrant Success. We work alongside new American farmers to bring farm fresh ingredients to your table via neighborhood farm stands, farmers markets, our FarmShare, wholesale and through NH Farm to School.
Twenty-three new American farmers make up Fresh Start Farms. Nine farmers are part of the New American Farmers Co-op and grow at Our Farm on Story Hill in Dunbarton, NH. An additional 14 farmers, the Umoja Farmers, grow on land at the St. Paul's School in Concord, NH.
All producers in the Fresh Start Farms collective implement organic practices. While not certified organic, the farmers grow nutrient dense produce without chemicals and in a way that promotes healthy soil, habitat, and environment.
We speak 13 languages, represent 7 countries and grow over 50 different varieties of produce!
