No, it's not too late to eat local - Concord Monitor

The pandemic threw me off my stride, and while Marianne has staffed the Miles Smith Farm booth selling our meat, I was only recently free to visit the Concord Farmers Market. If you haven’t been, it’s not too late. The market takes over Capital Street from 8:30 a.m. to noon every Saturday through October.

It was the first visit for my new puppy Flora, where she met a half-dozen new doggy friends. During a break from minding the stand, she and I made the circuit of the other 40-plus vendors’ booths.

Flora’s first stop was at Mrs. Beasley’s Dog Treats, Weare, where Flora nose-pointed to a package of dried lamb treats and a packet of dried chicken liver treats, flavors she doesn’t get at home. Flora also chose a pig ear from the Marsh Meadow Bison, Canterbury, booth.

With Flora’s shopping out of the way, I bought goat cheese from Hickory Nut Farm, Lee, and checked out the fresh produce at the Kearsage Gore Farm, Warner and the Hopping N Hen, Henniker, booths. Vendors of soap, flowers, fish, coffee, garlic, meat, mushrooms, bread, wine, and pasta were also there. The produce was fresh and bountiful, and the fantastic collection of other local products, along with the cool weather, lifted my spirits. I realized that the market is a delightful outdoor supermarket with almost everything you’d need to stock your kitchen for the week.

Even though August – “New Hampshire Eats Local Month” – is over, eating local is a 365-day celebration in the Granite State. There is still time to savor the power of local food that connects us all, and I’m proud to say that Flora did her part. She adores the treats from Mrs. Beasley’s and made me promise to get more. Don’t forget that when the summer markets end, there are numerous winter markets to visit or, better yet, find a local farm to support. Miles Smith Farm and many other farms are open year-round, and some, like ours, offer home delivery.

Happily, Flora has no credit card.

Carole Soule is co-owner of Miles Smith Farm, in Loudon, where she raises and sells beef, pork, lamb, eggs and other local products.

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No, it's not too late to eat local - Concord Monitor
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