This weekend my daughter and I spent an hour walking around the Tamworth Farmers’ Market and enjoyed visiting with the vendors, tasting flavored honey, drinking lemonade, and talking to a vendor about making animal treats for horses. Even though the air was hot and humid, the atmosphere was so relaxing and enjoyable we hardly noticed the heat. Everywhere we went, we came across friendly faces and people we wanted to meet.
The farmers’ market isn’t only a fun place to go, it’s full of local products and food sold by our neighbors and friends. At the market this week I saw plenty of local greens, meats, dairy and strawberries, as well as baked goods and beverages. There is such a variety of products that each booth has something different and interesting to learn about, or purchase. Unlike the grocery store, the farmers’ market is set up to be a social event and this day made me feel like I was somewhere that everyone knew my name even if we just met that day.
In Carroll County there are four farmers’ markets to choose from that are conveniently spread from north to south. Some farmers’ markets have an “ATM” option where you can use an ATM card to receive wooden tokens to use when you run out of cash. Some of these markets also take food stamps (SNAP) and allow you to swipe an EBT card for wooden tokens too. Most of the local markets will also “Double your SNAP dollars” if you use an EBT card.
To help you choose a Farmers’ market near you here is a list of the markets and their locations:
- North Conway Farmers’ Market, 649 East Conway Road – Saturdays 9am-2pm (EBT accepted)
- Tamworth Farmers’ Market, 30 Tamworth Rd – Saturdays 9am-1pm (Double SNAP)
- Wolfeboro Farmer’s Market, Clark Park 233 South Main Street – Thursdays 12:30pm-4:30pm (Double SNAP)
- Wakefield Farmers’ and Crafters Market, Corner of Rte. 153 and Rte. 16 – Saturdays 9:00am-3:00pm
Since strawberries are in season here is a recipe to try:
Strawberry Pepper Salsa
Ingredients:
2 cups chopped strawberries
½ half red onion, thinly diced
1 jalapeño pepper, diced
½ red bell pepper, chopped
½ green bell pepper, chopped
½ orange bell pepper, chopped
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
Salt, pepper, and cilantro to taste
Directions:
Combine all ingredients in a bowl and mix well. Serve and enjoy. Refrigerate leftovers.
Makes 6 servings (adapted from www.yummly.com)
Nutrition Connections provides nutrition education for income eligible individuals, families, seniors and students. Participants learn how to make healthy choices on a budget with topics such as choosing whole grain, reading food labels, shopping, feeding children and how to increase physical activity.
