A Trip to the Bedford Farmers Market

Where is the best place to stop for a great farm to table meal?  How about your local farmers’ market!  Tuesday was a clear beautiful but hot summer day and my little guy and I decided we’d try some local fare. We headed off to the Bedford Farmers’ Market located at 190 Meetinghouse Rd behind St. Elizabeth Seton Church in Bedford, New Hampshire. This was a large sized farmers’ market.  It had several vendors selling produce but it also had a local fish monger (who I’ll discuss more about in my Merrimack Farmers’ Market post) a brewery of beer and hard cider, a craft booth, dairy free frozen treats, fresh pressed olive oil, maple syrup and a food truck. One vendor even mentioned they usually have live music.  I’ll have to go back to check that out.

While we were there we got fresh cherries, blueberries and broccoli to make baby purees. The recipe I used for the blueberry puree is below.  The head of broccoli was so large my husband and I had some with our dinner the next day. We purchased the cherries and blueberries from a farmer called Apple Hill.  They are out of Concord New Hampshire. The fruit was very sweet and tasty. I snacked on them while making my little guy’s purees.  We also acquired broccoli and zucchini from a farm called Rockey Ole Farm also out of Concord.  The veggies were excellent and the folks running the booth were so kind.  They were chatting up my little guy and he was all smile and wiggles in his baby carrier. ❤ Check out Apple Hill Farm at http://www.applehillfarmnh.com/ . Check out Rockey Ole Farm at http://www.rockeyolefarm.com/.

Another treat as I mentioned above that my husband and I enjoyed was from a local Brewer, Pup’s Cider.  They were selling beer and hard cider.  The hard cider was crisp and dry.  I found it refreshing and a large step away from the commercially produced ciders which can be overly sweet in my opinion. I enjoyed sipping it on the warm evening on our deck with a nice local fish dinner.  My husband had the American Pale Ale.  That was served chilled.  It was refreshing with dinner. It was a bit on the sweeter side but good. More about Pup’s Cider company can be found here http://www.pupscider.com/SHTM/HOME.htm.

Bedford Farmers’ Market was definitely a fun shopping trip for me and my little guy.  There was plenty of shade and lots of nice people out for some local dinner shopping. I can’t wait to go back and grab more goodies! ❤

Check out the Bedford Farmers’ Market and what New Hampshire has to serve up fresh at https://www.bedfordfarmersmarketnh.org/?fbclid=IwAR2mP22tMI6pEpMeNVLaMmyhQ0-5Dd2jpB6DLjxLWaBzNxJ_jEqBBwGJg1A or their Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/BedfordFarmersMarketNH/ .

Blueberry Baby Puree

Ingredients:

• 1 pint of blueberries
• 3 cups of water

Directions:

• Place a sauce pot on your stove and add the water to the pot.
• Turn the burner on high and add a steaming insert into pot.
• Wash blueberries. When water is boiling add blueberries to steaming insert.
• Steam for 5 minutes.
• Remove berries from insert and place into food processor. Puree till smooth consistency.
• Divide puree evenly into silicone ice cube tray.
• place plastic wrap on the top.
• Freeze over night.
• Serve completely thawed or frozen in baby fruit pacifier.

To thaw:

• Thaw by placing in lidded mason jar the night before serving. Ensure completely thawed before serving.

Always supervise baby carefully when they are eating.

Check back in next week to hear about our adventure at the Merrimack Farmers’ Market. If you enjoyed this blog please like, comment or share.  You can also find more from me on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.

 

Exploring the Local Farmers’ Market – Bedford

In honor of New Hampshire Eat Local Month and NH Farmers’ Market Week, I’m dedicating this weeks’ blogs to New Hampshire’s Farmers’ Markets.  This way everyone gets a chance to see how great grocery shopping and eating local truly can be!

I’ve start my farmers’ market journey at Salem Farmers’ Market and continued on to Durham’s Farmers’ Market. Durham, which takes place every Monday June through October from 2:30- 5:30 p.m., is held in the parking lot by 15 Newmarket Rd.

Today I decided to explore Bedford’s Farmers’ Market. The market is held at Benedictine Park, which is located off of Wallace Road, signs letting consumers know what is available, line the road just after the turn off. Benedictine Park offers the potential for an array of activities, besides farmers’ marketing, such as hiking, skiing, picnicking, snowshoeing, bird watching or gardening but today I was there to enjoying the farmers’ market variety.

http://bedfordfarmersmarket.org/

The turn off from Wallace Road is a rough dirt road. The parking lot can be either dirt or grass. The first thing I noticed as I pulled into the parking area was the two police officers patrolling the parking lot. Next was the Mitt Romney booth which promoted his presidential campaign. These are touches I haven’t seen at any other farmers’ market. The market is otherwise peaceful and surrounded by lovely greenery.

Bedford had other offering that made it almost irresistible. The first booth I couldn’t pass up was Tomina’s. Tomina’s offered gluten free, vegan, organic cookie dough. The vendor, Tina Birdsall, provided patrons with a sample of her cookies. They were delicious. As someone who was gluten free for 5 year, to go to a farmers’ market and find someone who specializes in tasty gluten free treat, is great! Tomina’s offers an excellent alternative for vegans and Celiac’s at the farmers’ market.

www.tominascookiedough.com

Another exciting find at the farmers’ market was LaBelle’s Winery. I love my wine and if I can find a tasty local wine you know I’ll love it all the more. LaBelle’s is currently in the process of moving and will be located on route 101 in September.  When they open, they will be available for tastings Wednesday through Sunday. While I couldn’t try a wine at the market I did purchase the Granite State Apple. It is a semi sweet, slightly crisp bottle of wine quite enjoyable with a good sharp cheese.

www.labellewinerynh.com

While I was there I found a wonderful Maple Syrup vendor. He made the best maple cream I have ever had. It was rich like a frosting. It tasted heavenly. Sadly, I assumed when I purchased the cream the business’ name was on the label, it wasn’t. So all I can tell you is if you have a chance to get up to Bedford’s farmers’ market, find the maple syrup vendor and ask for a sample of the cream. Trust me it absolutely delicious! You won’t be able to leave without your own jar.

Laurel Hill is another fun vendor! They sell locally made jellies and jams. They are very tasty. They offer jams and jellies made from wines as well as fruit and veggie jellies. I purchased the “Zetz” Red Pepper Jam because I like a little heat and spice in my life. The two you women running the booth were charming and full of laughs!

www.laurelhilljams.com

Another vendor I really enjoyed was the Rolling in the Dough Bakery. The focaccia bread I was sold was wonderful and made an excellent bruschetta. The man running the booth was lively and passionate about his work. He was kind and attentive to his customers no matter their age. He sold a variety of baked goods from cookies to breads.

The vendors at Bedford were well versed in their crafts and loved talking about them. It was a very charming farmers’ market and I look for to tomorrows.