September 15, 2015

Sept 2015 - "Conversations around Local, State and National Policy Affecting Agriculture

September 15, 2015/ RA Tasoulas

Over 60 city & state officials, farmers, ag commissioners, farm service providers and stakeholders came together to participate in a community conversation about issues affecting local agriculture. Mark Florenz, Keene Agriculture Commissioner and farmer moderated two, 45-minute panel discussions.

Panelists:
Lorraine Merrill, NH Commissioner of Agriculture, Markets & Food
Tara Sad, NH State Representative
Beth Hodge, NH Farm Bureau, Echo Farm Pudding
Bill Fosher, Cheshire Co. Conservation District, Chair, Edgefield Farm

Thank you to Elm City Brew Pub and Stonewall Farm

Monadnock Farm and Community Coalition

Monadnock Farm & Community Coalition

HARVEST OF THE MONTH
May

CHICKENS, RADISHES, & EGGS

Fun Fact: The New Hampshire Red is a breed of chicken developed in the early 1900s by New Hampshire farmers who wanted to improve on the existing Rhode Island Reds. The farmers focused on breeding hens that were fast growing, early to lay, and hardy in the colder winters of New Hampshire.

SHAKSHUKA

INGREDIENTS

Servings 3 servings
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 medium onion, peeled and diced
- 3 cloves garlic, peeled and thinly sliced
- 1/2 – 1 chile pepper, (or to taste) stemmed, sliced in half and deseeded, finely diced/minced
- 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
- 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1 teaspoon paprika, smoked or sweet
- 1 teaspoon caraway seeds, crushed
- 1 teaspoon cumin seeds, crushed, or 3/4 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1/2 teaspoon turmeric
- 2 pounds (1kg) ripe tomatoes, cored and diced, or two 14-ounce cans of diced or crushed tomatoes
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 2 teaspoons honey
- 1 teaspoon red wine or cider vinegar
- 1 cup (20g) loosely packed greens, such as radish greens, watercress, kale, Swiss chard, or spinach, coarsely chopped
- 4 ounces (about 1 cup, 115g) feta cheese, cut in generous, bite-sized cubes
- 4 to 6 eggs
DIRECTIONS:
In a wide skillet, heat the olive oil over medium high heat. Add the onions and the garlic and cook for 5 minutes, until soft and wilted. Add the chile pepper, the salt, pepper, and spices. Cook for a minute, stirring constantly, to release their fragrance.
Add the fresh or canned tomatoes, tomato paste, honey, and vinegar, reduce the heat to medium, and cook for 12 to 15 minutes, or until the sauce has thickened somewhat but is still loose enough so that when you shake the pan it sloshes around. (Fresh tomatoes may take a little longer to cook than canned.) Stir in the chopped greens.
If you want to finish the Shakshuka on the stovetop, turn off the heat and press the cubes of feta into the tomato sauce. With the back of a spoon, make 6 indentations in the sauce. Crack an egg into each indentation, then drag a spatula gently through the egg whites so it mingles a bit with the tomato sauce, being careful not to disturb the yolks.
Turn the heat back on so the sauce is at a gentle simmer, and cook for about 10 minutes, taking some of the tomato sauce and basting the egg whites from time-to-time. Cover, and cook 3 or 4, or up to 8 minutes, until the eggs are cooked to your liking.
To finish them individually, preheat the oven to 375ºF (180ºC.) Divide the sauce into 6 baking dishes and press the feta cubes into the sauce. Set the baking dishes on a baking sheet, make an indentation in each, and crack and egg into the center. Bake until the eggs are cooked to your liking, basting the whites with some of the sauce midway during baking, which will take anywhere from 10 to 15 minutes – but begin checking them sooner to get them just right. If the yolks begin to get a little firm on top before the whites are cooked, drape a sheet of foil over them, but avoid having it touch the yolks.
Serve with lots of crusty bread for scraping up the sauce. Garnish with chopped cilantro, if desired.

Member organizations
1780 Farm
Antioch Univ. New England
Archway Farm
Bascom Farm
BCM Environmental & Land Law
BioNutrient Food Association
Brookfield Farm
CC&D's Kitchen Market
Cheshire Co. Conservation District
Cheshire Fair
Cheshire Garden
Cheshire Medical Center
Community Garden Connections
Contoocook Valley Food Assoc.
Cook Hill Farm
Cornucopia Project
County of Cheshire
Crescendo Acres Farm
Crooked Creek Hollow Farm
Dog Days Farm
Earth Haven Farm
Echo Farm Pudding
Edgefield Farm
Elm City Brewing Company
Farm Credit East
Far View Farm
Farmers Market of Keene
Farm Service Agency
Farm To Fork: Cornucopia Project
Farm to Institution New England
Foggy Hill Farm
Food Connects
Franklin Pierce Sustainability
Green Wagon Farm
Hannah Grimes Center
Harrisville Ag Commission
Healthy Monadnock
Hillsborough Gleaning
Hillside Springs Farm
Honey Hill Heritage Devons
Ideal Compost
Imagine That Honey
Inn at Valley Farms
Keene Ag Commission
Keller Williams Realty - Hvizda
Kingsbury Hill Farm
KSC Dietetic Internship
KSC Sustainability
Land For Good
Linden Apiaries
Lucky 13 Farm
Manning Hill Farm
Monadnock Agricultural Center
Monadnock Buy Local
Monadnock Conservancy
Mon Economic Development Co.
Monadnock Food Coop
Monadnock Menus
Monadnock Table Magazine
Monadnock Understands Childhood Hunger
Moosewood Ecological
National Center for Appropriate Technology
New England Farmers Union
NH Comm Loan Fund
Northeast Organic Farming Association - New Hampshire
North Star Farm
Nye Hill Farm
Old Bridge Farm
Partners’ Gardens
Peep Willow Farm B & B
Phoenix Farm
Picadilly Farm
Pisgah Farm
Rosie's Farm Stand
Sawyers' Artisanal Cheese
Small & Beginners Farmers of NH
Souhegan Transition Network
SW Region Planning Commission
Stonewall Farm
Stuart & Johns Sugar House
Sullivan Center for Sustainable Ag
Sun Moon Farm
Ten Talents Farm @LaBergerie Dumas
The Community Kitchen
The Community Kitchen Gleaning
The Humane Society of the US
The Hungry Diner
The Inn at East Hill Farm
The Kailyard Farm
The Orchard School
The Sustainability Project
UNH Cooperative Extension
Village Roots Permaculture
Walpole Mtn. View Winery
Walpole Valley Farms
Wellscroft Farm
Wickland Woods
Windy Hill Farm
Windyhurst Farm
Wingate Farm
Worker Bee Farm
Yankee Farmers Market

Policy forums

Sept 2015 - "Conversations around Local, State and National Policy Affecting Agriculture

Monadnock Farm and Community Coalition

2024 forums

Strategic plan

HARVEST OF THE MONTH
May

CHICKENS, RADISHES, & EGGS

SHAKSHUKA

INGREDIENTS

PRINT THE RECIPE HERE.

MORE RECIPES FROM
NH HARVEST OF THE MONTH

BECOME A MEMBER

Policy forums

Monadnock Farm and Community Coalition

2024 forums

Strategic plan

HARVEST OF THE MONTHMay

CHICKENS, RADISHES, & EGGS

SHAKSHUKA

INGREDIENTS

PRINT THE RECIPE HERE.

MORE RECIPES FROM NH HARVEST OF THE MONTH

BECOME A MEMBER

HARVEST OF THE MONTH
May

MORE RECIPES FROM
NH HARVEST OF THE MONTH