CSA Hunting

Some folks refer to this as tax season. I prefer to think of it as CSA hunting season, and apparently I’m not alone. South Shore Locavores has dedicated their February meeting, to be held next Tuesday at the Kingston Public Library, to the topic. We certainly plan to attend but, as we quickly approach spring and prime growing season, my husband and I have been checking out lots of options on our own for sourcing several months’ worth of fresh local produce.

I recently started a new job with a schedule that means I rarely see daylight, so this year we are considering delivery service. Enter South Shore Organics. Drawing from local and regional producers, South Shore Organics owners Pam and Mark Denholm offer weekly baskets of produce to suit singles, couples and families, including fruit-only, veggie-only and mixed assortments. Households with strong opinions, allergies or picky eaters are easily accommodated as well, with up to three substitutions allowed per week. Unlike a traditional CSA there is no time commitment, although there are baskets consisting entirely of local produce available from June through November. They deliver on Wednesdays and Thursdays to Braintree, Carver, Cohasset, Duxbury, Halifax, Hanover, Hanson, Hingham, Hull, Kingston, Marshfield, Norwell, Pembroke, Plympton, Plymouth, Quincy, Scituate, and Weymouth. And while I may never see the sun my delivery veggies certainly will, but that’s no problem since South Shore Organics will even put your produce in a cooler if you leave it out for them. Sigh… I wonder if these folks do windows, too?

There are also pick-up CSA options nearby for those of us, or our significant others, who work locally and can easily stop on the way home. New Braintree’s Heavens Harvest is located in western Massachusetts, but offers pick up sites around the south shore, as well as an egg share in addition to fruits and vegetables.

Colchester Neighborhood Farm (photo’s below) is just a few minutes away in Plympton, with pickups from 2 to 6 pm on either Saturday or Tuesday, for those who prefer to spend Saturday mornings asleep or at the beach. Also offering shares in a range of sizes, members can choose seasonal options as well. If you’re not up for the full 20-week share, owners Connie and Ron Maribett offer summer-only and fall-only shares, depending on where you spend the season.

Plympton is also home to Sauchuk Farm (photo’s below) farmed by Scott Sauchuk. The farm’s 18-week CSA shares include plenty of fruits and veggies, along with an array of homemade or locally produced potted herbs, cut flowers, jam, salsa, popcorn, kettle corn, apple cider donuts, and more. For the young at heart, or those with little ones, shares also include tickets to the farm’s corn maze which, together with corn cannons, hayrides, a cow train, and corn pit, is a prime harvest season attraction at Sauchuk Farm. Pickups again include convenient weekday and weekend times, and members can exchange items to suit their preferences via a specially designated swap table.

Between now and next Tuesday we’ll be researching several other options so we can make a final decision after talking to some of the CSA farmers at the Locavores’ meeting – hope you’ll follow along!

-Sara Hellmold

Do You Garden?

When I was younger, my mother would have a gorgeous vegetable garden every year. I wanted nothing to do with it. Yuck, dirt. Fast forward a bit and my sister in law has the most amazing garden you’ve ever seen. She shows me around every time we come to visit.  It’s unbelievable what she can grow, but I’m still unmoved. I can see that she’s incredulous that I don’t want to be a part of this wonderful world of gardening. “Here, smell this.” She would say. “Taste it, it’s delicious.”

Then something changed. I gave birth to my son. We bought a house. As we were moving in, my mother planted some extra tomato plants in our yard. That was it, I was hooked.  For me, having my own little piece of land made all the difference. I know there are so many of you out there who have only a sunny window, or a deck to plant on, but once the garden bug bites you, it doesn’t matter what your circumstances, you have to find a way.

Lettuce from last summer's garden.

As time went on, I became more and more interested in the local food scene. However, the thing that has always meant the most to me, has been my garden. You can’t get any more local than your own backyard. The wonder of watching tiny seeds transform themselves into such beautiful and delicious plants is breathtaking. I hope you’ll come along with me as we explore gardening in our edible South Shore gardens.

I’ve added a new page that you’ll see under the banner. It has some information on planting and gardening by the month. Feel free to use it as a reference, or tell me that I’m crazy.

Heather Smith can also be found blogging at Heather’s Homemaking.

Lots to think about for a CSF

I recently attended a Sustainable South Shore meeting in Norwell on February 2 at the request of Laurie, my editor here at eSS. The purpose of the meeting was to get a discussion going to try and figure out how we can get a CSF (Community Supported Fishery) started on our South Shore and Coast, and Laurie thought I might be interested since she’s had me write a couple of articles on this subject for the magazine and since she knows I and my family are avid fishermen.

Although it was a relatively small group in attendance, just around twenty people, you would have been hard-pressed to come up with a more savvy and knowledgeable group than those present. Ed Barrett, Frank Mirarchi, and Steve Welch three of the South Shore’s best and most recognized commercial fishermen from Plymouth and Scituate, were there representing the fishing community. Several Directors from local Sustainable South Shore chapters represented the eventual shareholders of a possible South Shore CSF, and several members of the local press, including me, were there to spread the news. Rounding out the evening’s attendees is CSF “Subject Matter Specialist” Niaz Dorry.

If you have a CSF question, all roads eventually lead to Niaz, who is the Director of North Atlantic Marine Alliance (NAMA). She and her organization were influential in getting the most-recognized and successful local CSF, Cape Ann Fresh Catch (CAFC) in Gloucester, up and running. To have these men and women in attendance shows a serious commitment to addressing the issues as to whether we on the South Shore and Coast will one day be able to participate in a CSF.

For those just tuning in to the discussion, a CSF is similar to a CSA (Community Supported Agriculture), in which a farmer sells a share of this season’s harvest in exchange for much-needed up-front capital to run his business. In the case of a CSF, the shareholder receives a share of a fisherman’s catch. The similarities don’t end there: you get what’s in season, whether it’s fruit and vegetables for a CSA or fish and shellfish in a CSF. By directly connecting the food supplier to the consumer and doing away with the middleman, everyone (except the middleman!) wins. The fisherman gets a far better price for his fish, and the consumer gets a fresher piece of fish.

Consider the night of our meeting. Ben Cowie-Haskell, Sustainable South Shore President, had just purchased a cod in the round (whole fish gutted on the boat) earlier that day from a market in Brant Rock. I’m sure he thought he was buying a fish that couldn’t have been any fresher unless he had caught it himself. In fact, since I am from Marshfield as well, I know you could throw a rock from the front door of this fish market and it would land in the ocean right across the way.

Imagine our surprise when the fishermen informed us that cod may very well have been caught right off Georges Bank and been offloaded in Green Harbor, but more than likely it was picked up by a fish distributor, shipped to the fish auction in either Boston or New Bedford, and then bought by the fish market and shipped back down to Marshfield.

To understand the difficulties facing our community when it comes to getting a CSF started is to understand the circuitous route of this cod. For the eager consumer with cash in his wallet and a fillet knife in his knife block, it’s almost inconceivable he cannot go to his local fish pier when the fishermen come in, and for an agreed upon price have his pick of any fish in the boat’s hold. As Ed and Frank confirmed, it is against the law for fishermen to sell directly to consumers at the dock.

There are government regulations in place to record and weigh in a fisherman’s catch to make sure we’re not depleting our natural resources, and there are health regulations in place to ensure one of our most highly perishable foods, seafood, is delivered safely to consumers. Enter the seafood processor, or that pesky middleman, to record the catch and to load all those fish totes onto his refrigerated truck to bring the fish to auction and then to the restaurants and markets and finally to the consumer.

We no longer have fish processing facilities on our South Shore, so in order to have a viable CSF, we would need to address that issue first and foremost. How do we go about bringing back a processing facility on the South Shore? Or, if we were able to work out of coolers and sell fish on a much smaller scale, who would record the information required by the government regulating industries?

Niaz gently reminded everyone in the audience that the fishermen are much like the farmers: they are up at the crack of dawn and they don’t finish their days until evening, and don’t forget, their days are physically demanding and grueling. As much as the fishermen would like to see a CSF formed to supplement or even provide their income, they will not be the ones taking the lead on this endeavor. Furthermore, after years of government regulations that seem to change with each turn of the tide, the fishermen are understandably skeptical and leery of any new idea to “save their industry.”

Niaz brought up that there are grants available that might be able to provide some of the seed money to start up a CSF, but someone needs to write them. Then, someone will need to administer the shares, run the finances, and oversee the business.

The Sustainable representatives at the meeting were vocal about their interest in a CSF, and I have no doubts they can drum up a number of people on the South Shore and Coast who would love to participate in a CSF. There are fish in the sea, fishermen with boats, people who can provide expertise on how to start a CSF, and people with money and a desire to help the local fisherman. Despite the obstacles and moving targets, it seems there has to be a way we can make this work on the South Shore and Coast.

Stay tuned. This discussion, although daunting, is in the preliminary phases. I wish I had a good fish quote to end with, but I’ll have to inspire you with flora rather than fauna: “mighty oaks from little acorns grow.”

Written by Kathleen Fitzpatrick-Wright

This is a call to action.

Though I will exclusively embrace the “Phoenix” farmers market under Barbara Anglin, I will have a hard time forgetting the incompetence of the leadership of this town on this issue. Why have a public process that drew Anglin supporters out of the woodwork to request revision of a half-baked RFP when the public’s voice was summarily ignored, in a most insulting manner. The unilateral decision of one bureaucrat, Melissa Arrighi, trumped the voice of hundreds, perhaps thousands. How can this be regarded as a working government that does well by its constituency? It’s demonstrates that among Plymouth’s executive leadership, there is no respect for public process. And the Board of Selectmen pulled a classic CYA by opting to take no action; too keep their hands clean. …Why bother with campaigns to hold office if you render yourself powerless and voiceless. Cowards… Shame on the whole lot. They pulled a perfectly functional system, which benefited a very broad cross section of stakeholders, out from underneath them. In this economic environment, Plymouth’s leaders are taking action to disrupt business, economic stability, and a source of food–of all things– from the community. I can’t forget that.

And for what?

I tend to think that people who seek local product are generally intentional and actively seek change. I think too that Plymouth’s leadership kicked the beehive a bit too hard this time.

But as we learn, now is the time to organize and capitalize on our renewed motivations to affect change. With so many people making themselves known throughout this whole ordeal, we need to connect and envision what we want in terms of local food security along with the organizational and legal framework that will support that goal. Now is the time to put our heads together and think big picture about what we want Plymouth to be.

I’m thinking, farm-to-school programs, engaging schools to participate in healthy food production, composting of cafeteria waste, larger town-wide systems to better manage and reuse organic waste. I’m imagining community gardens next to basketball courts with summer programs for students. I’ve heard many great ideas from many people out there. If you’ve got an idea, please feel free to connect with me so I can share any upcoming events. I will also be posting to the ESS wall as events get organized.

This is a call to action.

Brahim Dagher
brahim.dagher@gmail.com

So now we know how much money it takes in Plymouth to throw ethics, morality and fairness out the window.

Dorian Gieseler Greenbaum, Ph.D.
Duxbury, MA

February 1, 2012

Board of Selectmen
Town of Plymouth
11 Lincoln Street
Plymouth, MA 02360

To the Board:

So now we know how much money it takes in Plymouth to throw ethics, morality and fairness out the window. It takes $5000, the amount of the bid accepted by the town to run the Plymouth Farmers’ Market, a market created and lovingly nurtured by Barbara Anglin for the last eight years.

To say I am disgusted with this decision cannot begin to express the depth of my feelings. I started attending the Plymouth Farmers’ Market in 2010, first the Winter Market and then the Summer Market at Stephens Field. It was my first experience with farmers’ markets, and I felt welcomed and nurtured from the very first visit. Since I don’t live in Plymouth, and didn’t have many reasons to go there, I was very pleasantly surprised to find the high quality; standards in regard to local, organic and healthy food; and variety that the market offered. All of these things were in complete agreement with my personal philosophies about the kind of food I want to buy for my family. In addition, Barbara Anglin made me feel welcome and special for coming to the market. That’s an intangible that can’t be quantified. I also began to explore other businesses in Plymouth that I would never have known about had it not been for the Farmers’ Market, because the Farmers’ Market gave me a good feeling about shopping in Plymouth.

I didn’t know anything about the magnitude of the problems Barbara was experiencing with Susan Shannon, the owner of the Side Dish Café. I only found out about it at your own Board of Selectmen meetings. So because one woman is disgruntled, you put out a completely flawed and improper RFP (your own Assistant Town Manager, who clearly was out of her depth, admitted this), you make acceptance determined solely on financial criteria, and you award Barbara’s work product to a group fronting for the disgruntled woman. (Apparently Susan Shannon was in Town Hall during the day on the 31st, making sure everything was in order for the evening.) Can you see why this stinks to high heaven?

I don’t know what Barbara Anglin makes running the Farmers’ Market. I don’t really care – in fact, I’m sure it’s not nearly enough to compensate for all the work she does. I doubt if it would be enough to get a person off welfare. I do know that you have now destroyed the work she’s done for the past eight years. I do know that I will NEVER patronize the new farmers’ market, if it even gets up and running. My friends will know why I’m not patronizing it, and it’s not a pretty story.

You, the Board of Selectmen, should be ashamed of yourselves. You have placed money (it’s always about money and politics, isn’t it?) above fairness, ethics and morality. You have sullied the reputation of the Town of Plymouth.

Sincerely yours,
Dorian Greenbaum

Astonishment in Plymouth

Astonishment in Plymouth

Dozens of onlookers sat stunned tonight in the Plymouth Select Board meeting, as the inexorable policy-making machine ground out a particularly fine specimen of farmers’ market sausage. Come to think of it, no one in the crowd looked more stunned than the Board members themselves, who kept up a nice show of support for The Plymouth Farmers’ Market while kicking the legs out from under it (and—finesse!—still claiming ignorance as to how things came to this pass).

The winning bid had been entered by Chris Pratt of Explore Historic Plymouth, whose i-dotting and t-crossing style (and offer of cash) seems to have deeply affected Assistant Town Manager Melissa Arrighi, in a way that eight years of commitment and hard work and some puny contributions to the parks by Barbara Anglin could not. Ms. Arrighi’s enthusiastic recommendation to the Board to accept Ms. Pratt’s bid was unanimously accepted, after a few perfunctory questions, pretty much just like that. The Chair’s coy hints last Tuesday about “finding a moderate path” or “some sort of compromise” had encouraged some of the greener by-standers to expect creativity and leadership; how hard could it be in this big town, with so many hours each week not already occupied with farmers’ markets, to make everybody happy? Apparently, “everybody” doesn’t have a say in this; the RFP just kept on marching along in its raggedy cheap business suit, like a zombie in a bad movie, staggering to its inexorable (there’s that word again) whimper of a conclusion.

In a brief interview after the pitchforks and torches had left the building, Ms. Pratt pledged her commitment to create “a real community market” with the help of neighborhood and business leaders and other Plymoutheans. She acknowledged that there’s a wee bit of a trust gap out there right now, but hopes that everyone will “keep an open mind” about the new Exploring Historic Plymouth Farmers’ Markets.

edible South Shore wishes her and the group she represents well in their efforts—after all, it has been our opinion all along that Plymoutheans deserve more access to fresh local foods. It’s just that we had envisioned a process whereby the Town might spread the model to other locations and time slots and managers, not auction an established business to the highest bidder.

Things didn’t have to end this way; as Walter “Morrie” Morrison pointed out early in the meeting, there are plenty of knowledgeable folks around town—people like him who’ve dealt with local food producers for decades—whose input was never sought for a second. As that nice farmer from Middleboro, Dave Purpura, said last Tuesday, “I just don’t get it”.

Paula Marcoux
edible South Shore

Drinking Local in the New World

As soon as we heard about New World Tavern we couldn’t wait to visit. Knocking on the door this past Saturday as they opened at noon, we were excited to check out the food but (dare we say) even more excited to check out the beer.

Our waitress was great but did not want to be in our movie.

We requested a flight of local beer

"New Years in Lebanon" starter

Appetizer highlights included pumpkin hummus and spiced lavash chips.

Over 30 beers on tap – they encourage you to ask for samples.

New World Tavern
(located where Guru Indian restaurant used to be)
http://www.facebook.com/TheNewWorldTavern
56 Main st., Plymouth, MA 02360