Tag Archives: Farm Fresh Rhode Island

Celebrate this Holiday Season with Local Food!

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And help support the local economy while you’re at it – what could be more holiday spirited than giving great gifts and keeping the business local?

The Wintertime Farmers Market in Pawtucket, RI is the perfect place to do your holiday grocery and gift shopping! Get the eggnog, pie, veggies, cheese, meat, or shellfish you need for your holiday gatherings, plus pick up gifts for everyone on your list.

Below is the Farm Fresh RI Holiday Gift Guide, a selection of edible gifts available at the Wintertime Farmers Market. Many people may be scaling down their purchases this year due to the economic downturn, so everything on this list is $25 or under (sweet!):

  • Farmacy Herbs Tea Sampler: a collection of their handcrafted, organic tea blends to help you relax, fight colds, and warm up this winter. Add a jar of local honey for an extra sweet gift!
  • Deluxcious Foods’ gluten-free chocolates, cookies and confections are hand made using farm fresh local ingredients. They make perfect stocking stuffers!
  • Narragansett Creamery cheese baskets feature heavenly cheese made in small batches in Providence RI. Give it to someone who’ll share!
  • Coffee-lovers will be pleased with a pound of New Harvest Coffee Roasters fair-trade coffee, roasted in Pawtucket, RI.
  • Jacks Snack’s handmade dog biscuits are made from human-grade ingredients, local and organic when possible. Dogs love ‘em! (my Golden, in particular, would tell you how much she loves them if she could)

From hot pepper jelly to salsa to apple butter, there is an edible, spreadable treat for anyone on your list. Pick out your favorite flavors made from ingredients grown in RI.

  • Sweet or spicy roasted pecans from Purple Pear of Providence make a special gift for a food-lover. Once you try them you’ll want to keep them for yourself!
  • Spoil someone with succulent scallops and herb butter from Bomster Scallops.
  • Assemble your own gift basket: help someone de-stress with Earth Essence Herbals lavender aromatherapy spray, an herb plant from Allen Farms, and ache-away salve from Farmacy Herbs.
  • Fresh Bucks, a gift certificate for the farmers’ market, can be purchased at the Farm Fresh info table. They never expire and always bring a smile!

Whether you are hosting a holiday dinner or attending a party, get the ingredients for a festive and flavorful meal at the Wintertime Farmers Market:

  • Poultry, beef, lamb, pork, clams, oysters, lobster, scallops, eggs, milk, and cheese are all available from local farmers at the market.
  • Veggies in season include beets, broccoli, cabbage, carrots, collards, garlic, herbs, leeks, onions, parsnips, pea greens, potatoes, turnips, and winter squash.
  • Sweet apple cider, Christensen’s Dairy eggnog, and Yacht Club seltzers make fun holiday drinks.
  • What’s a holiday dinner without dessert? The Cupcakerie features stunning seasonal cupcakes such as Peppermint Twist and Gingerbread. Pies are available from Cutie Pies and Hopkins Farm. Cookies, breads, and other treats are available from many vendors! Or bake your own using farm-fresh apples, pumpkin, or pears. Top with Kafe Lila Ice Cream!

For more information about Farm Fresh Rhode Island or the Wintertime Farmers Market go to www.farmfreshri.org

On Locally Grown Foods, courtesy of Providence the Creative Capitol

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As we’re all interested in the local food scene – and we mean the growing, as well as the preparing and serving – this article (excerpted below) from Providence the Creative Capitol caught our eye:

The national trend towards locally grown, organic, seasonal foods has been gaining momentum thanks to recent food scares and recalls. Vegetables containing E-coli and peanuts spreading salmonella have helped raise awareness about food production, called into question factory-farming practices, and led consumers to want to know where their food is coming from…

…Bruce Tillinghast, owner and chef of New Rivers, a Providence restaurant serving refined bistro food made from fresh, organic ingredients, was an early local promoter of locally grown food.

We were thrilled to see that the article included insight into the Rhode Island food system, with our friends from New Rivers, Farmstead, Red Planet, Farm Fresh Rhode Island, and Southside Community Land Trust all mentioned in the article. We think it nicely demonstrates how many people are working so diligently at building and maintaining a local food system right here in Rhode Island.

To read the article in its entirety, click here.

Farm Fresh RI’s Perfect Pickle Contest, November 7

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Farm Fresh Rhode Island is sponsoring a fun contest to celebrate the harvest and preserving. It is taking place on Saturday, November 7, the first day of the Wintertime Farmers Market at the Hope Artiste Village. And, who, we ask, does not like a pickle? So what are you waiting for? Read on and sign up!

From the Farm Fresh RI website:
Rhode Island not only has many wonderful farmers, but we Rhode Islanders also have a wealth of homegrown knowledge about how to turn fresh foods into jarred and prepared delights! We’ve survived winters in New England for more than a few years. From raspberry jams to Johnny cakes, from peach pie to pesto, local talent needs to be exposed – and this November it’s the picklers’ turn to shine. We hope the pickle contest will not only inspire non-picklers to try pickling—but it will also promote the wealth of good food that grows in Rhode Island. Plus, a great way to start off the winter season is with a zesty taste of the bountiful autumn.

How to Enter:

Pickles

  • Register by October 31 with your name, category, and what veggies will be local in your entry.
  • Let us know which farm grew your veggies if you can (or if they’re from your own backyard).
  • Everyone – chefs, schools, home cooks, gardeners, market-goers and more – is encouraged to enter.
  • First time picklers encouraged!

Judging Location and Time:

  • Opening day of the Wintertime Farmers’ Market – Saturday, November 7, 2009 at 12pm at Hope Artiste Village in Pawtucket.
  • Six expert pickle tasters will work to decide which pickle is best. Winners will receive a unique, handcrafted basket of local goodies as well as the honor of being Rhode Island’s Perfect Pickler. There is one track for Chefs and another track for Home-batch.
  • By 1pm we will know the finest pickle makers in all the (Rhode Is)land.
  • Best of luck!

Rhode Island CSAs with availability for 2009

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This update comes from our friends at Farm Fresh Rhode Island’s blog:

Each week during the summer months, farmers across Rhode Island put together a selection of whatever is at peak harvest. Hundreds of local families stop by the farms or designated pickup spots for that week’s slice of heaven, with flavors that are seasonally spontaneous and guaranteed to be delicious. The farmers benefit too. Normally, farmers must invest in seeds, equipment and months of labor before receiving even a penny for their harvest. But in Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) arrangements, customers pre-pay for the weekly pickups and that helps tremendously.

We surveyed CSA farms to find out which still had spaces available for 2009. We’ll continue to update this list until most CSAs begin (mid-June).

There are many CSA variations, some with work days on the farm, some that offer cheese, and seafood and still others that let customers choose from a market-style selection of produce.

Don’t delay – get your spot reserved for 2009 and enjoy a steady supply of fresh, local produce and more!

Newport Restaurant Group Chefs up to the challenge: The Farm Fresh Initiative at the Wintertime Market

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The chefs of Newport Restaurant Group, Fresh Bucks at the ready

If you’re familiar with the Providence Wintertime Farmers Market, you already know about the stunning array of locally-produced foods available all winter long. This past Saturday, the Wintertime Market provided inspiration for chefs from each of the Newport Restaurant Group’s restaurants.

On Saturday morning at the start of the market, teams of chefs from each of the Newport Restaurant Group’s restaurants arrived at the Wintertime Market at Hope Artiste Village in Pawtucket to participate in their first Farm Fresh Initiative.

The teams were given Fresh Bucks to choose a selection of ingredients that they would turn into specials featured that evening in each restaurant. As the group gathered the excitement was palpable, most went out and scouted the market to see what might be waiting for them. The market was filled with so many amazing locally grown and raised options including a variety of greens, apples, cider, potatoes, beets, parsnips, turnips, winter squash, oysters, beef, pork, cheeses, eggs, honey, and maple syrup. There were also many artisan products; jams, jellies, chutneys, artisan breads and pastries, nuts and chocolates.

The chefs were extremely enthusiastic as they surveyed all the booths with an abundance of great local options in the winter in New England. After perusing and selecting an assortment of ingredients they headed back to their respective restaurants where they brainstormed and finalizing their ideas. Before beginning their prep, they also sent out a teaser email of what they would be offering. The creations were amazing; many chose not just one menu item but multiple course offerings.

See for yourself:

From Trio:
~Farm Fresh Salad – Jeffrey’s baby greens, mutsun apples, Westfield Farm goat cheese, Purple Pear ginger pecans + Smithfield honey
~Entrée – Windmist Farm Beef Pot Pie – slow simmered beef stew, Maplewood Farm potatoes, carrots, green peas + house made pastry crust
~Dessert – Crème Brulee – Ocean State chocolate, Zephyr Farms custard + Grand Marnier meringue

From The Boathouse:
~Westport Farm fresh egg bruschetta ~ Olga’s bread with Westport Farm fresh eggs, Jeffrey’s greens, Cato Farms “Bridgid’s Abbey” cow’s milk cheese and Marcia’s Pepper Jelly
~ D’artagnan pasture raised rack of lamb with Simmons Farm Bok Choy, Allen Farms oregano and orange mint, Marcia’s pear ginger chutney, Capri goat cheese and Olga’s Cup and Saucer bread

From 22 Bowens:
~Blue corn crusted Cod loin over chipotle braised yellow eyed beans, topped with a citrus salsa.

From Waterman Grille:
~ Matunuck oyster on the half shell with a honey dew melon and wasabi mignonette
~ Kenyon’s Blue corn meal crusted Boston Blue Cod served with roasted creamers and an Asian vegetable slaw finished with Farm Fresh grapefruit segments and Jeffrey’s micro greens.
~ 16oz.Hereford Ribeye with Farm Fresh butternut squash fries and Agraria Farm apple and shallot brown sugar demi glaze
~ Fresh strawberries with Aquidneck farm granola, vanilla ice cream finish with lavender scented honey and fresh mint

Castle Hill Inn’s Chile-braised Simmons Farm Pork and Matunuck Little Neck Stew

From Castle Hill Inn:
~Amuse ~ Kenyons Cornmeal Jonny cakes, topped with Blueberry preserve crème fraiche
~Chile Braised Simmons Farm pork and Matunuck Farms little neck stew, Czajkowski Farms Butternut squash and potatoes, Allen Farms Pea shoot pesto topped on a Seven Stars Crostini

The Mooring’s Housemade Narragansett Creamery Ricotta Ravioli


From The Mooring:
~ Housemade Narragansett Creamery ricotta ravioli, butter poached Maine lobster, Farm Fresh butternut cream, Seven Stars Focaccia
~ Grilled beef tenderloin, Harmony Hill Farm egg and crab frittata, chipotle hollandaise, Allen Farms pea shoots

Newport Harbor Corporation, which is the parent company of Newport Restaurant Group, believes that utilizing locally grown, organic produce in their dishes supports the local farming industry, enhances the connection between the plate and its source, and ultimately increases the quality of the culinary experience.

This initiative brought that belief to life and gave an opportunity to a team of talented young chefs to meet and talk with the growers and producers and purchase their products right from the source. Building these connections and highlighting the Wintertime Market are two great reasons to love this project, the other is delicious, fresh food prepared with attention and thoughtful consideration.

Posted by Jess

Renewing America’s Food Traditions, the Local Food Forum, and information on nominating a food producer to receive $10,000.

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Here at Slow Food Rhode Island, we’re busy planning our events schedule for the early part of 2009, and will keep you updated on those details here and by email (be sure to sign up to be included in the Slow Food RI email by joining us at Slow Food USA!).

Meanwhile, there are a lot of exciting things going on. We want to remind you that the fifth annual Local Food Forum is next Wednesday, February 4 at Andrews Dining Hall on the Brown University Campus. You can still register for the event through Sunday, February 1, and admission is free. It’s a great opportunity to listen to and discuss plans for our local food system.

Slow Food Rhode Island is very excited to help Slow Food USA and Chefs Collaborative promote the Foods at Risk/Renewing America’s Food Traditions (RAFT) grow-out project. The RAFT grow-out project seeks to help reintroduce endangered foods to their native regions. Rhode Island chefs and farmers will be working together on this project, with chefs featuring the endangered foods from the grow-out on their menus this fall. We’ll keep you posted about those events, and, in addition to selecting one or two foods to champion here in Rhode Island, we will also be posting the stories of Rhode Island’s own endangered foods here on the Slow Food Rhode Island blog, and will be doing community outreach to promote the growing of these foods by individual gardeners in addition to farmers. We think this is a very important project to help restore these foods to our region, fostering biodiversity as it does, and we hope to one day see these foods available not solely at the Farmers Market, but also at grocery stores and other retail outlets.

If you would like to read more about the RAFT project, please take a look at the Slow Food USA website, or the Chefs Collaborative website. If you’d like to purchase seeds to grow some of the endangered RAFT, or Ark of Taste, varieties, the Seed Savers Exchange website is the place to go. In addition to featuring background on individual foods, we will be posting a list of RAFT foods so that it’s easy for you to track them down on the Seed Savers Exchange site.

Finally, if you know a farmer, business leader, or thought leader who is working to promote local food systems, The Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) has announced the first annual Growing Green awards to honor the work of a Food Producer, a Business Leader and a Thought Leader in the sustainable agriculture world. The organization will highlight extraordinary contributions that include innovation within an ecologically-integrated food system, advancement of sustainable food production, climate stewardship, water stewardship, the preservation of farmland, and social responsibility. We think this is a great opportunity to honor an individual who is making changes in our community in a unique area such as protecting biodiversity or leading a school garden program.

The following three categories are eligible to apply:

Food Producer: Farmers or other food producers, including aquaculture, who employ
innovative techniques to sustain agriculture, the natural environment, workers and
community; (this category includes a $10,000 award)

Business Leader: Entrepreneurs who effectively use the marketplace to promote sustainable food systems, develop infrastructure that enables producers to be more sustainable, or advance sustainable innovations anywhere along the supply chain from farm to fork;

Thought Leader: Visionaries who advance sustainability as it relates to food through creative research, public education, and outreach.

The deadline is next Friday, February 6, so you’ll want to get on this quickly. For information on the nomination process, please visit NRDC’s website at: http://www.nrdc.org/growinggreen/

Please visit the blog again soon as we will be starting to post the stories of RAFT foods in the coming weeks.

Providence Wintertime Farmers Market

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If you haven’t yet been to the Providence Wintertime Farmers Market, you’ve been missing a fantastic event. Not to worry, though, it continues every Saturday from 11am until 2pm at the Hope Artiste Village in Pawtucket from now through April 25, but you should make a habit of shopping there. Don’t wait until it’s too late, you’ll regret it. It’s an impressive market, and one for which the farmers and food artisans, and Farm Fresh Rhode Island deserve a lot of credit for keeping the local food system flourishing throughout the winter.

There is a fantastic selection of locally produced foods at the market, and the market itself is abuzz with activity and an upbeat vibe. Last Saturday, the market was jam-packed with shoppers and vendors alike. A line had formed at the Naragansett Creamery stand, shoppers eagerly awaiting their turn to select locally-crafted cheeses like Atwell’s Gold, Renaissance Ricotta, and Queso Blanco, among others.

Grass-fed pork and beef is available from a few farms, as are eggs and whole pastured chickens. If you’re looking for obscure cuts of meat, the market is a great resource. I picked up some leaf lard and guanciale from Pat’s Pastured, and plan to buy pig’s trotters and beef tongue in the coming weeks. Of course, the farmers do have all of your “normal” cuts of meat, so by no means do you have to be planning to experiment with eating “everything but the squeal,” as farmer Pat McNiff put it to me as he handed me my package of lard.


There is plenty of locally grown produce available, including apples, apple cider, greens, squashes, and root vegetables, and this was clearly well-appreciated, as the produce stands had many customers lined up with goods in-hand.

This being the Ocean State, there is also shellfish and lobster on offer from Matunuck Oyster Farm. I’m thinking any time is a good time for oysters – especially oysters from the waters off of our state – but maybe you want to make a plan for oysters on Valentine’s Day? Or for a birthday celebration? Or simply to break up the monotony the winter brings? Your choice. Any reason is a good one.

There are plenty of gift-type items at the market, including soaps and infused oils, as well as homemade dog treats at Jack’s Snacks, of which my dog was the happy recipient. She seemed to like the Squirrel Nut treat quite a bit, in fact.

And there are treats for humans as well – chocolates, pies, chutneys, jams, and freshly baked breads. Not to mention the treat that is the space itself. The mill building is beautifully restored and has floor to ceiling windows on the interior walls, so along with the meat, produce, cheese, bread, dog treats, and shellfish, there are permanent shops as well, including a book store and children’s store, among others. You’ll be amazed. And you’ll go back again and again, for the great local food as well as the ambiance.

Take it Slow, and get yourself down to the market!