News

2018 Conservation Plant Sale is Now Available

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The Cheshire County Conservation District is currently accepting orders for its Annual Conservation Plant Sale. 2018 offerings include a variety of top quality evergreen and deciduous trees, wildlife and landscaping shrubs, tender summer bulbs, perennials and ornamentals, as well as berries and fruit trees.

Many of the species we offer are native, attractive to pollinators, and drought resistant. For this reason they are healthy, hardy plants adapted to our local growing conditions and beneficial to both the grower and wildlife. Once established they require less watering, fertilizers, and pesticides, saving you time and money. This year we are working with Fedco of Maine to bring you top quality plants and bring you mushrooms for your backyard from Wichland Woods of Keene, NH.

All of the proceeds from the sale will benefit conservation efforts in Cheshire County. Thus, in addition to improving your landscape you are helping fund conservation projects in your local community. For more information and to receive order forms, contact the Conservation District office at 756-2988 ext. 115 or send an email to lola@cheshireconservation.org.

View the Plant Sale Catalog and order forms online

All orders and payment must be received by the Conservation District no later than March 2, 2018. Plant Sale Pick-Up Day is currently scheduled for April 28, 2018 from 9am-1pm at Alyson’s Orchard in Walpole.

13th Annual Seed Celebration and Sustainable Community Fair

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This year’s 13th Annual Seed Celebration and Sustainable Community Fair will be held on Saturday, February 10th, from 8:45 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. at the Hannah Grimes Center for Entrepreneurship. This family-friendly event offers presentations on permaculture and related topics including local food, environmental and sustainable community initiatives, children’s activities and an opportunity for participants to plan gardens and stock up on organic seeds.

Schedule of Events

All Day:

The Caterpillar Lab, Seeds For Sale & Swap, Seed Art! Living Prayer Mandala, Activities for Children & Families, Tablers, Displays, Networking, café, Raffle

8:30 Doors Open
9:00 Welcome – Valerie Piedmont – Hive Space
9:30 – 10:30 Jonah Ruh Roberts: Medicinal Herbs for the Northeast Garden – Colony Room
9:30 – 10:30 Nicole Colvin-Griffin: Social Permaculture and Activism – Creating A New Way Together – Roxbury Room
9:30 – 11:00 Lionel Chute: Planetary Management: Principles and Consequences – Buckminster Room
9:45 – 11:15 Valerie Piedmont: Designing the Self – Green Energy Options
9:45 – 11:45 Marty Castriotta: Introduction to Permaculture – Wadsworth Room
11:00 – 11:45 Jodi Turner: Home is Where the Heart Is – Honey Bees & Pollinators – Roxbury Room
11:00 – 12:00 Dave Wichland: Mycological Landscaping: Breaking it all Down! – Colony Room
11:15 – 12:00 Lior Sadeh: Herbs in Biodynamic Preparation – Buckminster Room
11:45 – 12:00 Jennifer Close: Seed Blessing Circle – Hive Space
12:15 – 1:00 Solar Sisters Concert – Combined Roxbury & Wadsworth rooms
1:15 – 1:45 Tom Prunier: Kimchi Making – Wadsworth Room
1:15 – 2:00 Jean Balamuth: Vermiculture – Colony Room
1:15 – 2:15 Leslie Kreek: Planting Your First Vegetable Garden – Roxbury Room
1:15 – 2:15 Katherine Policy: Financial Permaculture – Buckminster Room
1:15 – 2:15 Jennifer Close: Powerful Potential: A Guided Drum Journey and Circle Discussion on Seeds – Green Energy Options
2:00 – 3:30 Tad Montgomery: A Call for a Connecticut River Watershed Bioregional Congress – Wadsworth Room
2:15 – 3:00 Doug Clayton: Getting Biochar into your Compost – Colony Room
2:30 – 3:15 Eric Zablowsky: Permaculture strategies for raising chickens! – Roxbury Room
2:30 – 3:30 Jan Lambert: Beavers: Nature’s Water Cycle Experts – Buckminster Room
3:30 Last Call for Raffle
3:30 – 4:00 Firebird Morris Dancers – Hive Space
4:00 Raffle Drawing

The celebration will focus on stewardship and other skills necessary for living well in a changing world. Topics include: mycological landscaping, biochar, permaculture design, bioregionalism, financial permaculture, vermiculture, beekeeping, making kimchee and tools for personal and planetary growth. There will be music and dance including a lunchtime concert. Our café features soups, stews and baked goods from local restaurants and kitchens, as well as Orchard Hill breads.

Over the years, farmers, gardeners, and activists working for sustainable communities have come to know this event as a great opportunity for networking and day-long fun. Your support enables us to make this event a success.

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Monadnock Food Co-op Farm Fund

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2018 Grant Cycle Request for Proposal Applications are due February 1, 2018.

You can find the Request for Proposals HERE, then you can apply by filling out the word doc application here and or the PDF version here.

Funds can be used for a range of needs including the purchase of equipment or infrastructure, packaging and labeling design needs, and technical assistance. Eligible applicants include farms in Cheshire County and abutting NH towns who would like to develop or expand their production for wholesale markets, including the Monadnock Food Co-op and Monadnock Menus.

Learn more about the Co-op’s Farm Fund.

Winter Farmers’ Markets: Monadnock Region

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Farmers’ Market of Keene: Monadnock Waldorf School, 98 S. Lincoln St. Every Saturday, November through December; 2nd and 4th Saturday, January through March; Every Saturday in April, 10 a.m. – 1 p.m. SNAP/EBT accepted. keenefarmersmarket@gmail.com, http://www.keenefarmersmarket.com/.

Peterborough Farmers’ Market: Peterborough Community Center, 25 Elm St., Weds. Oct.-Dec 20, 3– 5 p.m. Vegetables, flowers/plants, dairy, maple, baked goods, meat, crafts. 396-9136, peterboroughfarmersmarketnh@gmail.com, https://www.facebook.com/PeterboroughNHFarmersMarket.

Winchester Farmers’ Market on Main: Town Hall, 1 Richmond Rd., Sat., Nov. – May, 10 a.m.–2 p.m. Vegetables, maple, baked goods, meat, jams/jellies, eggs, Vegan foods, fudge, hand made soap, crafts. Live music, holiday card and cookie decorating, visits with Santa and more. SNAP/EBT accepted. 239-6361, winchesterfarmersmarket@gmail.com, www.winchesterfarmersmarketnh.com.

View New Hampshire Winter Farmers’ Markets (2017/2018 Season)

From the NH Dept. of Agriculture, Markets & Food

**Please contact market to verify products available**

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