Farm Fresh RI blog

The Downtown Farmers Market in Providence opens tomorrow! Please...

Mon, 17 Jun 2013 12:48:37 -0400

The Downtown Farmers Market in Providence opens tomorrow! Please note the new date and time! This year the market will run Tuesdays evenings from 3-6pm.

Throughout the summer and fall stop by the market for local fruits and vegetables from NorthStar Farm, Pezza Farm, Lane Gardens, Mello’s Farmstand and Hill Orchards (starting later in the summer). The market will also feature fresh pork, beef, cured sausages, and eggs from Pine View Farm, bread from Palmieri’s Bakery, cupcakes from the Cupcakerie, cheese from Narragansett Creamery, applesauce from Farm Fresh RI’s Harvest Kitchen program, and frozen treats from Providence Pudding Pops and Ellie’s Bakery. Rocket Fine Street Food truck, Mijos Tacos truck, and the Joedega coffee truck will be preparing locally inspired food and drinks.

Click here to read more.

Providence Mayor Angel Taveras visited the Armory Farmers Market...

Thu, 13 Jun 2013 08:18:56 -0400

Providence Mayor Angel Taveras visited the Armory Farmers Market last Thursday and sampled applesauce from Farm Fresh RI’s Harvest Kitchen Program. It was a big hit!

RI Seafood Throwdown serves up sustainable seafood!

Sat, 08 Jun 2013 17:22:27 -0400

Written by Phoebe Neel, a Markets Intern at Farm Fresh RI and farmer at Walrus & Carpenter Oyster Farm. This blog is part of a series on Sustainable Seafood in RI.

Vegetables or fruit might be the first thing that comes to mind when thinking about local agriculture, but the highlight of this year’s first Armory Farmers Market was a Seafood Throwdown, the likes of which have rarely been seen on land. Representing the age-old rivalry between food trucks and restaurants, Chef Peter Gobin of Mijos Tacos and James Mark of North suited up for culinary showdown to cook a secret, local-caught fish from the Local Catch. Sponsored by the Northwest Atlantic Marine Alliance (NAMA), a sustainable fishing advocacy group, the chefs prepared the sustainably caught Acadian Redfish with other local and organic produce, maximizing on all that Rhode Island has to offer.

Rhode Island and northeast fishing at large are home to dozens of seafood species outside of the select few that are easily recognizable. Acadian Redfish, a– you guessed it - red-orange, a deepwater fish that can live up to 50 years or more – if it doesn’t end up at the Local Catch, that is. It may be relatively unknown to home cooks, but its firm, white flesh is very similar to haddock. Acadian redfish was well-loved in the 1940s and 50s, but changing seafood markets meant that in recent years, its often been lampooned as only good for lobster bait. Now, chefs and advocacy groups such as NAMA are working to highlight the redfish and other lesser-known unique seafood varieties as culinary standouts in their own right.

With twenty-five Fresh Bucks to spend at the market and their wits about them, the two chefs had fifteen minutes to select the choicest local ingredients to prepare the redfish. One hour later, Chef Peter Gobin had taken top prize, transforming the redfish into a deep magenta ceviche, colored with a lemon balm infused vermouth beet syrup. He also prepared a redfish filet, seared crispy with the skin on. Sauteed lacinato Kale from Greenleaf Farm accompanied caramelized sweet onions from Little City Growers to round off the meal. Chef James Mark with an incredibly close score, dazzled judges with his kombu cured aadian redfish with pickled green garlic, dashi poached radishes, raw radish, rhubarb, Thai basil, cilantro, amaranth and fish skin chicharrones. Everything was from the market except the kombu and dashi! While their dizzying fish preparations will not likely be replicated by most of us home cooks, their love of experimentation and commitment to sustainable agriculture – on sea and on land – are two examples for us to take home, along with the local catch.

Stop by the Armory Farmers Market each week from 3:30-7pm on Parade Street in Providence for fresh local seafood, fruits, vegetables, and more!

Head out to your local Seven Stars Bakery on Tuesday, June 4th...

Sun, 02 Jun 2013 16:37:21 -0400

Head out to your local Seven Stars Bakery on Tuesday, June 4th to support Farm Fresh Rhode Island’s Healthy Foods, Healthy Families program. Buy coffee, breakfast, lunch, and bread (buy extra to freeze for later). A big thanks to Seven Stars for hosting the event!

The National Farm to School Network hosted its annual meeting in...

Fri, 31 May 2013 15:04:08 -0400

The National Farm to School Network hosted its annual meeting in Omaha, Nebraska this year, bringing folks together from every state to celebrate Farm to School successes, strategize about the future of the national network, and partake in group service projects across Omaha. RI Farm to School is part of the National Network which supports the implementation of Farm to School programming in all 50 states and DC. After adopting Farm to School last year, Farm Fresh has continued to work to connect local food to all Rhode Islanders, facilitating school districts across the state to purchase from local growers and engaging children in food systems education.

Two Farm Fresh staffers attended the meeting in the Cornhusker state to participate in the planning process for the future of the National Network. Regional breakout sessions allowed RI staffers to connect with other Farm to Schoolers in New England to strengthen and learn about other Farm to School programs and opportunities in the region. Though the meeting lasted only one full day, our staff left Omaha excited and energized about the growing network and possibilities of Farm to School in RI.

The Armory Market opens tomorrow, May 30th at 3:30pm. See you...

Wed, 29 May 2013 19:34:36 -0400

The Armory Market opens tomorrow, May 30th at 3:30pm. See you there! Parade St and Hudson St, Providence. www.farmfresh.org/armory

Guest Blog by Rachel Flaksman: RI Agriculture Overview

Tue, 28 May 2013 08:30:42 -0400

Do you know that according to the USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service, Providence County had the highest rate of direct agricultural sales of all counties in the United States in 2007? The total dollar amount was $3,270,000.

Even more impressive is the fact that, fruit and vegetable sales rose from 9.4 million dollars in 2006 to 15.6 million dollars in 2010.

So, who exactly is considered a farmer in Rhode Island? It depends on how you look at it.

The Rhode Island General Law Section 2-1-22 defines a farmer as “an individual, partnership or corporation who operates a farm and has filed a 1040F U.S. Internal Revenue Form with the Internal Revenue Service, has a state farm tax number and has earned ten thousand dollars ($10,000) gross income on farm products in each of the preceding four (4) years.”

But maybe to you, a farmer is someone who lives outside of the city and grows fruits and vegetables, or horticultural stock, silage, or has animals, regardless of income.

Or perhaps, you define a farmer as someone who lives on a certain amount of land. The USDA 2007 Census of Agriculture states that of the 1, 219 farms in Rhode Island (at the time, as the 2012 Census is not available yet), 353 farms in Rhode Island were less than nine acres in size.

No matter how you look at it, Rhode Island has a lot of farms for such a small state!

How are the years after 2007 shaping up? Some data is available from the 2011 Rhode Island Cash Receipts Report (USDA) but overall, it may be too early to tell. The United States Department of Agriculture publishes a comprehensive Census of Agriculture that has farm data from every state and territory every five years. The last one was for 2007 and 2012 Census of Agriculture data collection ends on May 31^st of this year.

I hope we see even more positive momentum for our farms, big or small.

To learn more about the Rhode Island Cash Receipts Report, visit: http://www.nass.usda.gov/Statistics_by_State/New_England_includes/Publications/cashrec08.pdf

To learn more about the USDA Census of Agriculture, visit: http://www.agcensus.usda.gov

———

It is with gratitude that I dedicate this post to Dr. Steven L. Fales, Professor of Agronomy, Iowa State University. His guidance and thoughtful challenges enhanced my appreciation of Rhode Island agriculture and of the grit and determination of our farmers, past and present, far beyond what I ever imagined.

— Rachel S. Flaksman

On Thursday, May 30th the Armory Farmers Market opens with a...

Fri, 24 May 2013 12:07:06 -0400

On Thursday, May 30th the Armory Farmers Market opens with a seafood celebration in the West End of Providence. Two local chefs will compete, using a local mystery fish, to win top honors at the first Rhode Island Seafood Throwdown hosted by the Northwest Atlantic Marine Alliance. The event will be from 4-6pm at Dexter Training Ground on Parade Street (the market runs from 3:30-7pm).

The Local Catch, a vendor at the Armory Market, will provide the mystery fish and after sampling the chefs’ creations, you can purchase some for yourself!

Chef James Mark of North in the West End will be competing against Armory Market regular, Peter Gobin of Mijos Tacos. The event will be emceed by Michael Gazdacko, Director of Development and Operations at Urban Smart Growth and Host of Providence PechaKucha Night, and John Taraborelli, Special Projects Manager at Providence Media.

The Seafood Throwdown Judges are:

Christine West - West Side resident, enthusiastic amateur cook, and Principal at KITE Architects in Olneyville
Kari Lang - Executive Director of the West Broadway Neighborhood Association
Don Nguyen - Designer, conscientious angler and foodie

More about the Armory Farmers Market -

The Little City Growers Coop!Thursdays, 3:30-7pm, May 30th through October 31st. No market on July 4th! Parade St and Hudson St at the Armory Park/Dexter Training Ground.

Returning vendors this year include: Little City Growers Coop, Green Leaf Farm (formerly Xiong Farm), Hill Orchards, Barden Family Orchard (starting in July), Salisbury Farm, Whispering Elms Farm, The Local Catch, Windmist Farm, Rocket Fine Food Truck, Mijos Tacos, African Alliance Community Garden, The Coffee Guy, Great Harvest Bread Co., Amos House Bakes, Rhode Island Roots and Providence Pudding Pops.

New vendors for 2013: Akofa, Three Paws Up, and Harvest Kitchen.

If you are interested in receiving an assortment of fruits and veggies each week at the Armory Market from several different farms, sign-up for the Market Shares program. This CSA-like veggie pick-up has summer, fall, and full season options. Sign-up online today! There are only a few spaces remaining.

A free nutrition education program, Healthy Foods, Healthy Families, will start at the market in July.

The Armory Market accepts debit, credit, and ebt cards at the FFRI Welcome Table. For those shopping with an EBT card, you can receive a 40% bonus through FFRI’s Bonus Bucks program.

The Harvest Kitchen Team will be selling at the following...

Mon, 20 May 2013 13:32:08 -0400

The Harvest Kitchen Team will be selling at the following Providence farmers markets for the 2013 summer season: the Hope Street Farmers Market (Lippitt Park/Blackstone Blvd) and the Armory Farmers Market (Parade Street in the West End).

This past Saturday was the opening day of the Hope Street Farmers Market and Osbert and Aldrin (shown above) sold loads of applesauce and pickles to eager customers. The Armory Market opens on May 30th and the Harvest Kitchen team is sure to receive a similar warm welcome!

New product this season - carrot cake! With carrots from Schartner Farms, this delicious cake will be available at the Armory Market only. Plus, look forward to a new product taste-testing and full line of summer pickles at both markets.

Local Food Fest tickets are available and selling fast! Buy your...

Thu, 16 May 2013 18:13:42 -0400

Local Food Fest tickets are available and selling fast! Buy your ticket today.

A ramble through the flavors of Rhode Island
The benefit for Farm Fresh Rhode Island at Castle Hill

Tuesday, August 6, 2013. An evening celebrating Rhode Island farmers, fishermen and food artisans. Featuring two dozen local farmers and producers, teamed up with chefs from Castle Hill, Newport Restaurant Group and ten more. Plus, local wines, beers, live music, a photo booth and a silent auction.

4pm – Preview Hour. Time with chefs and farmers, live cooking, hors d’œuvres, champagne and raw bar.
5pm – Doors open. Live cooking, silent auction and flavorful festivities.
7:58pm – Enjoy the sunset.

Open to the public. Ticket sales are capped and we anticipate will sell out. All tickets are online this year. Your ticket is paperless; your name will be on the guestlist. Kids under 12 are free. Tickets include food and a choice of a local wine or beer. Additional drinks can be purchased at the welcome table.

See photos from past Local Food Fests: 2012, 2011, 2010, 2009, 2008.

Farm Bill Update 2013

Tue, 14 May 2013 11:09:06 -0400

The US Senate and House Committees will both be debating their versions of the 2013 Farm Bill this week! This is the third year in a row that lawmakers are attempting to pass the Bill, after Congress refused to pass it last year. It is an important time for agriculture across the country and the Bill’s passage will have (hopefully positive) impacts on local agriculture in RI. Below are a list of resources for learning more about the proposed versions of the Farm Bill and their impacts.

A general overview of Farm Bill proceedings this week from the National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition.
A more detailed breakdown and comparison of the Republican and Democrat Farm Bill versions from Farmpolicy.net.
An article posted on the New York Times today, May 14th.
A blog from Farm Fresh RI partner, the Wholesome Wave Foundation, that highlights our recent efforts in Washington, DC to include funding for incentive programs such as Bonus Bucks in the Farm Bill.

This just in! Come out to the opening of the Armory Farmers...

Fri, 10 May 2013 17:20:38 -0400

This just in! Come out to the opening of the Armory Farmers Market on Thursday, May 30th and experience Rhode Island’s first Seafood Throwdown! Hosted by the Northeast Atlantic Marine Alliance and Farm Fresh RI, two local chefs will compete with a local mystery fish from market vendor The Local Catch. Lots of samples for the public!

Market starts at 3:30pm and the Throwdown starts at 4pm.

More information coming soon. ..

Lawmakers Announce Plans for 2013 Farm Bill – NSAC

Fri, 03 May 2013 08:27:24 -0400

Lawmakers Announce Plans for 2013 Farm Bill – NSAC:

This week, Agriculture Committee leaders announced plans for starting the 2013 Farm Bill process. Because a new Congress started this year, Congress

The Harvest Kitchen team visited Williams-Sonoma at Garden City...

Mon, 29 Apr 2013 10:38:55 -0400

The Harvest Kitchen team visited Williams-Sonoma at Garden City Center in Cranston this Saturday for a cooking demo! Customers were impressed with the delicious Harvest Kitchen products and many contributed to our Kitchen Fund. Thank you Williams-Sonoma for a successful day!

Our Markets Coordinator, Sarah Lester, made her first television...

Thu, 18 Apr 2013 11:05:20 -0400

Our Markets Coordinator, Sarah Lester, made her first television debut last week on State of the State at PEG-RI. Sarah discusses the current winter markets in the state, plus some upcoming events and markets to look forward to this summer!

Sustaining Our Markets - RI Market Manager Conference TOMORROW

Mon, 15 Apr 2013 16:43:44 -0400

The first Rhode Island Farmers Market Manager Conference, Sustaining Our Markets, takes place tomorrow April 16th at the DEM headquarters - 235 Promenade Street, Providence, RI.

Market managers and supporters from all over Rhode Island will be gathering to share best practices and review food safety procedures for the 2013 farmers markets.

If you are interested in attending, please register online ASAP.

Let’s get ready for the summer farmers market season in RI! Photos of the conference to follow this week.

By Jennifer Quigley-Harris Veggie Boxes + Clinica Esperanza +...

Fri, 12 Apr 2013 10:09:23 -0400

By Jennifer Quigley-Harris

Veggie Boxes + Clinica Esperanza + Olneyville Housing Corporation = more RI residents having ACCESS to fresh, nutritious and affordable food.

Clinica Esperanza, an Olneyville health care clinic offering primary care to uninsured adults, has a focus on preventive health maintenance and runs several programs that help patients make lifestyle changes to improve overall health. One of these programs is called Vida Sana, or “Healthy Life”. To help patients with metabolic syndrome (a combination of medical and health issues that, when occurring together, increase the risk of a person developing cardiovascular disease and diabetes), Vida Sana offers diet and nutrition education, cooking classes and exercise options for participants in a small, supportive setting. The Clinic wanted to incorporate increased access to fresh fruits and vegetables for the Vida Sana patients and was in preliminary conversations with Farm Fresh RI about possibly starting a Prescription Veggie Program or opening up a Farmers Market for their community. Both options lacked the extensive resources necessary to start them and talks were stalled.

Then, during an early summer 2012 meeting of the RI Food Policy Council’s Access Work Group, chaired by RIFPC member Amelia Rose of the Environmental Justice League, attendees helped to restart the conversation and lay the groundwork for delivery of Veggie Boxes - Farm Fresh RI’s weekly subscription of fresh produce directly delivered to workplaces and community centers - to Clinica Esperanza as part of the Vida Sana program. With funding help from the Olneyville Housing Corporation, Farm Fresh RI was able to offer subsidized Veggie Box subscriptions to Vida Sana patients starting in September 2012. Weekly boxes were delivered for patients through the end of October and then became biweekly boxes through mid-February.

Those funding dollars were a part of the Community Action Team for a Healthier Olneyville (CAT), a coalition of stakeholder organizations working together to increase access to healthy food and physical activity in the neighborhood and decrease barriers for residents to live healthy lifestyles. Olneyville Housing Corporation is the convener of the CAT, whose members include Farm Fresh RI, Clinica Esperanza, and the EJ League. The group was formed as a result of a neighborhood health assessment - Action for a Healthier Olneyville - conducted by Olneyville Housing Corporation in partnership with the RI Department of Health and the Greater Providence YMCA. The assessment examined a broad range of factors that influence the health of Olneyville residents - including access to fresh fruits and vegetables. The CAT created a Community Action Plan from the results of the assessment and is overseeing its implementation. They were able to allocate implementation funds to pilot the veggie box program at the Clinic using a grant from RI Housing’s KeepSpace Initiative, which seeks to build strong, healthy, prosperous communities. Providing funds to help subsidize the cost of Veggie Boxes in the Vida Sana program was one of the ways OHC was able to implement some the Action Plan items that came about through the health assessment.

Farm Fresh RI will deliver Veggie Box subscriptions to the clinic again starting thissummer and running at least through the fall. Based on feedback from the patient community, there will be some additional resources inside the boxes, including dual-language recipes and preparation suggestions for the vegetables that come each week. Farm Fresh RI is also working to schedule cooking demonstrations for Veggie Box recipients and hopes to work with Clinica Esperanza staff to find other ways to actively engage patients with Veggie Box contents.

“Looking to the future, we are eager to organize more hands-on education about what is inside each Veggie Box delivery and help to provide more context about how to cook foods native to our New England region during different times of the year”, says Kayla Ringelheim. “In return, we are also looking forward to hearing back from Clinica Esperanza’s patients about how they like to prepare the Veggie Box foods themselves and how increased access to local, fresh vegetables from our nearby farms has had a positive influence on their health goals and outcomes.”

For Further Info:

RI Food Policy Council - www.rifoodcouncil.org

Farm Fresh RI - http://www.farmfreshri.org/

Olneyville Housing Corporation - www.olneyville.org

Clinica Esperanza - http://www.aplacetobehealthy.org/

This past weekend, two representatives from Farm Fresh RI...

Wed, 03 Apr 2013 17:06:52 -0400

This past weekend, two representatives from Farm Fresh RI attended the Just Food Conference in NYC. Mikayla and Kayla, who focus their work on FFRI’s Nutrition Education programs, went to explore how to incorporate more diverse cultural traditions and conversations into FFRI’s education curricula. A few of the workshops they attended include:

Setting an Anti-Racist Table

Check Ya’Self: A Workshop For White Folk Working in Communities of Color

Byron Hurt’s Soul Food Junkies Documentary

The conference offered an important opportunity for FFRI staff to engage in deeper conversations about food justice and racism within the food system. The rich diversity of conference attendees allowed them to explore different vantage points and hear personal experiences about inequities in the food system. Kayla and Mikayla are back in Providence now, eager to deepen FFRI’s focus in its education programs on cultural inclusivity, mutual respect, and celebration of the rich food traditions we all hold.

Introducing...Flora Silva!

Thu, 28 Mar 2013 10:18:49 -0400

Since September, Flora Silva, a senior at The Met high-school in Providence, has been interning with us at Farm Fresh. She’s been a huge help, and here is some info about what she has been working on! Check out some of the pictures she took while volunteering at the Pawtucket Wintertime Farmers Market.

1. How long have you been working at Farm Fresh?

I have been working at Farm Fresh RI since the summer of 2012, but started officially interning here regularly in September of 2012.

2. What types of activities have you been working on?

I have done various activities with both Kayla Ringleheim and Kimberly Clark. With Kimberly I have gone to various elementary schools and helped her teach kindergarten through 1^st graders about farms and why eating healthy is important. We have also ran an afterschool program for middle school students called “Meals in Minutes” which taught kids how to create healthy snacks and meals with every day foods in just a few minutes. With Kayla I have gone to several meetings related to bringing healthy food to the communities around us. I helped with creating excel sheets and graphing data given to me about different programs Farm Fresh runs; for example, for the Healthy Foods, Healthy Families program, I documented their answers to the pre and post questionnaires.

3. Why did you decide to intern at Farm Fresh?

I decided to intern at Farm Fresh RI because one of the students in my classes’ father came in and talked to us about the food revolution. The moment I heard about it I was hooked, and wanted to find an internship related to promoting healthy eating and good eating habits. I was then connected with Kayla Ringleheim who introduced me to the organization more in-depth and took me in as an intern.

4. What are 3 things you have learned since working at Farm Fresh?

I’ve learned a lot more than three things, but some of the things that come to mind when this question is asked are:

Supporting local agriculture is helpful to the local economy.
The Farm Bill, is a bill that was created to support farmers and help them sustain agriculture.
Factory farming is different from traditional farming in that animals are confined in small spaces their whole lives and never breath fresh air.

5. What has your favorite part of your experience here been so far?

I am a very hands on person, so my favorite experience was being able to teach the middle school students about how to make healthy meals in minutes. Also going into the elementary schools and teaching the kindergarten to 1^st graders about farms and just hearing what they know about farms and eating healthy. It’s always great to see kids who know they are supposed to eat vegetables and fruits and that actually enjoy it because those are the ages that they need to be taught about healthy eating so it sticks. I love teaching young kids about healthy eating!

A KITCHEN THAT EXTENDS THE LOCAL HARVEST, AND CHANGES LIVES

Wed, 27 Mar 2013 15:40:53 -0400

We have most of the equipment, but need some “glue” to complete the buildout.

Help make our new RI kitchen facility a reality.

Yes! I’d like to contribute now.

Big harvests, big impacts, and we’re just beginning.

Just 3 years ago, we had an idea about helping farmers find value from extra crops while helping youth in the juvenile justice system find value in their work and their potential.

Since then, Farm Fresh’s Harvest Kitchen has helped 45 Rhode Island youth on probation or parole gain culinary skills, life skills and confidence by producing simple products from local farms’ harvest and selling the products at farmers markets around Rhode Island.

Thousands of jars of applesauce later…
We needed our own space. In February 2013, we contracted to rent a new kitchen near the Wintertime Farmers Market in Pawtucket. This is the first time Harvest Kitchen will have 24/7 control over its kitchen (vs just 16 hours per week previously) and the possibilities are big.

We’re hoping to raise $12,000 from the community in the next 30 days as part of the necessary $40,000 investment we’re making this spring. It will help us grow from our tiny prior kitchen space into a stable, robust setup that enables us to teach more youth and better, and to produce more delicious local products. Everybody wins.

Please donate today. A contribution of any amount will help. We have some donors lined up, but that won’t yet cover it. The equipment and wiring is relatively simple, but they will yield an abundant harvest for Rhode Island farmers, eaters and for these youth for many years to come.

Below is a snapshot of what Harvest Kitchen did last year. With our own space and more hours to use, we can dream even bigger for the teens, the farmers and all of us who get to taste the incredible results.

Last year we mentored 21 youth across three 15-week sessions.
The Harvest Kitchen youth recidivism rate is 1/4 of normal rate.
Youth made 2,000 jars of applesauce and 1,500 jars of pickles, turning bushels and bushels of local apples, carrots, green beans, cranberries, strawberries into products that can be enjoyed the year round.
Harvest Kitchen products were sold at 8 farmers markets and a limited number of grocery stores since we were not been able to keep up with demand in our prior kitchen.

Help the new kitchen spring into action… Your donation can make it a reality!

Because everyone has a stake in good food,

Noah, Sheri, Ryan, Jen, John, Billy, Hans, Lori, Leanne & the Farm Fresh team