Our collaborators Slow Food Seacoast are offering a fun, celebratory, and informative opportunity to have an easy “practice round” for a 100-mile Thanksgiving. What better time to eat locally than Thanksgiving in New England?
Slow Food Seacoast Hosts “100-Mile Thanksgiving”
On Nov.4, 2007, Slow Food Seacoast brings back a popular event for its second year — The 100-Mile Thanksgiving Potluck! All are invited to accept the challenge of sharing a potluck fest of Turkey Day traditions in which all dishes feature ingredients grown within 100 miles of Portsmouth, NH
PORTSMOUTH, NH, Oct. 25, 2007 –Updating a classic feast with local flavors, Slow Food Seacoast brings Thanksgiving home this November.
On November 4th, 2007, Slow Food invites the public to a 100-Mile Thanksgiving Potluck Dinner at the Portsmouth Pearl , 45 Pearl Street, Portsmouth, NH, from 5:30 – 8:00 PM. Slow Food Seacoast will serve up two locally raised roasted turkeys, and attendees are invited to bring potluck contributions featuring food grown or raised within a few hours of the Seacoast. Come witness the abundance and enjoy the taste of home. Conversation and celebration are on the program. Taste locally raised domestic and heritage-breed turkeys side-by-side and savor the autumn flavors of home-cooked dishes from soups to desserts. Seacoast Eat Local will present information about its upcoming Holiday Farmers’ Markets. The evening will include a live musical performance by Cynthia Chatis, who will share songs celebrating the harvest season.
All ages are welcome to join in the feast. Guests are asked to contribute a potluck dish to serve at least 10 portions, and to bring their own place settings and beverages (no alcoholic beverages at this event, please). Admission is free, but Slow Food Seacoast will be accepting voluntary suggested donations of $5 per person, $4 of which will be donated to the Seacoast Family Food Pantry and $1 to Slow Food Seacoast. Seacoast Family Food Pantry is one of the oldest charitable organizations in the state, initially chartered in 1816, and serves over 300 families and individuals from Portsmouth and surrounding communities.
The Portsmouth Pearl, a restored 1868 Church with a distinguished history as the earliest African-American church structure in New Hampshire. The Pearl’s century and more of positive social change provide the ideal venue for friends to meet, eat, and discuss ways to find and grow good, clean, and fair food right here in our home region.
Partners in Change: Along with Seacoast Eat Local
( https://seacoasteatlocal.org/) and the 100-Mile Diet (http://www.100milediet.org/), Slow Food Seacoast joins others nationwide who have accepted the challenge of the 100-Mile Thanksgiving (http://100milediet.org/thanksgiving ). This event reminds us to enjoy the bounty of the local harvest. The Slow Food movement was born as a counterbalance to the fast food industry, and the 100-Mile Thanksgiving challenge encourages all Americans to be thankful for the delicious, homegrown, seasonal foods coming from our own “foodshed.” It’s a reminder that when we buy food locally, our dollars support the good works of neighbors, the cultivation of traditional heirloom and native crops, and the production of organic and artisanal foods that bring sustainability and good health to the table.
Flavors From History: Seasonally available foods associated with our holiday tradition include: Turkey, pumpkin, parsnips, turnips, skirrets, carrots, Jerusalem artichokes, corn, beans and squash, potatoes, leeks, Brussel sprouts, cabbage, apples and onions, cranberries, chestnuts, black walnuts, oysters, local cheese and dairy butter…and of course maple syrup. Whether we eat a local turkey or goose, make a sage and chestnut dressing with cornbread or cubed wheat bread, or bake apple pies with New England cheddar or pumpkin pie, we are partaking in remnants of a past in which all of our foodstuffs were successfully and deliciously tied to the season and the agriculture of the region.
Event Details: The Slow Food 100-Mile Thanksgiving takes place at 5:30 PM, November 4, 2007 at The Portsmouth Pearl, 45 Pearl Street, Portsmouth, NH. The public is invited to attend and encouraged to contribute a side dish featuring at least one locally raised or grown main ingredient. Bring your own place settings and beverages. A $5 suggested donation will be collected at the door with $4 going to Seacoast Family Food Pantry. Parking is available in the business lot across the street from the Pearl.
Drawing on the past to inform and inspire the future, Slow Food Seacoast connects our region’s longstanding traditions to today’s table and supports the Slow Food Movement. We believe in good, clean, and fair food for all people worldwide, in supporting our of local farms and food producers, and taking time to enjoy the pleasures of the community table. Live the slow life!
Additional Resources:
Slow Food USA
Slow Food Seacoast
http://www.slowfoodseacoast.com
100-Mile Diet
Seacoast Eat Local
Seacoast Family Food Pantry
Local Harvest
Plimoth Plantation (Thanksgiving History and recipes)
http://www.plimoth.org/learn/history/thanksgiving/thanksgiving.asp
Portsmouth Pearl
http://portsmouthpearl.com/–
Slow Food Seacoast, Portsmouth, NH
[email protected]
Our Website: http://www.slowfoodseacoast.org
Slow Food USA: http://www.slowfoodusa.org