It’s Farmers Market Time!

By Kathi Caldwell-Hopper

Who doesn’t enjoy a good farmers market? There is always fresh produce from the farm, meats, cheeses, homemade baked goods of all sorts from bread to cookies, pies and rolls, crafts, flowers, food trucks, and at many markets, live music adding to the festive atmosphere.

The Rt. 16 area of New Hampshire has a variety of farmers markets just right to bring you the best food and handmade items.

In Dover, the Dover Farmers Market is held every Wednesday until Oct. 4 from 2:30 to 6 pm. The location of the market is Guppey Park, located at 110 Portland Avenue in Dover.

In the charming little village of Tamworth, a farmers market has been providing the public with sought-after goods for years.

In the summer the Tamworth Farmers Market offers a lot to the public on Saturdays from 9 am to noon. Located at 30 Tamworth Road in the parking lot of the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of the Eastern Slope, the mission of the Tamworth market is “To increase the exchange of food and farm products in our region, encourage new farmers and producers and help build community through a seasonal marketplace and a year-round, vibrant food and farm economy.”

The market indeed meets the mission, and offers veggies, honey, baked goods, meats, seedlings, goat ice cream, milk, fruits, berries, pet treats, Kombucha, mushrooms, native perennials, meads, fish and much more.

The Tamworth market is enlivened by music each week; the selection includes Gravel Road on June 17; Peter Heimlich on June 24; Mitch Alden on July 1; Bakery Band on July 8; Sky Road on July 15; Sandwich on July 22; Rangers on July 29 and each week right through October 7 has a different band.

The vendors at the Tamworth market are hearty types and endure cold winter temperatures, keeping the market outdoors even during cold days! To learn more, visit www.tamworthfarmersmarket.org

The Wakefield Marketplace runs from 9 am to 3 pm at Rt. 16 North and Wakefield Road. The market has produce, fruit, baked goods, flowers, handmade items and much more. The market is held on Saturdays with a variety of vendors until Columbus Day. Call 603-608-2319.

The Mount Washington Valley Farmers Market takes place from June 20 to Oct. 3 from 4 to 7 pm each week. The market is a popular event and in a can’tmiss-it location, conveniently situated at the North Conway Community Center, 78 Norcross Circle in North Conway. Like many areas markets, there is a variety of goods for sale, such as fresh produce, crafts, baked goods, and much more. Email mwvfarmersmarket@ gmail.com or visit www.mwvfarmersmarket.com

The Gorham Farmers Market is a weekly event, held on Thursdays through October 5 from 3 to 6 pm. The market is set up on the Gorham Town Common at 69 Main Street. With all sorts of vegetables, fruits, meats, cheeses, baked goods, soaps and handmade items, the market also has live music, making each week a fun event. Some vendors include Dave’s Gourmet Kettle Corn, Earth and Fire Pottery, JNL’s Sno-Cones, Mountain View Maples, Uphill Farms and many more.

Musicians at the Gorham market perform every second and fourth Thursday from 3 to 6 pm and include on June 22: Norman Labonville; July 13: Dan Aldrich; July 27: Brad Wilson; August 10: Randy Messineo; August 24: Mike Galipeau; September 14: Tim Dion and September 28: Barry Hayes. Call 603466-3322.

The Wolfeboro Farmers Market takes place each Thursday from noon to 3:30 pm through October. It is held at The Nick Recreation Park on 10 Trotting Track Road (Rt. 28) in Wolfeboro. With plenty of parking and room for the vendors to spread out, the market is a fun place to go for produce, fresh foods and more.

The market in Wolfeboro is very popular due to the wide variety of products offered each week. Some of the market vendors you will see over the season include Arlene’s Asian Kitchen, Beth’s Gluten-Free Goodies, Good Bread, The Boy’s Fresh Catch, Garden of Freedom, It’s So Good Granola, Maple Makers Homestead, Matras Maple/Sudsy Cow, Moose Mountain Farm, Mountain Heartbeet, Naoki’s Crafts, Adventures on Canvas, Peak’s International Eats/ Shave Ice, Red Gate Farm, Seabrisket Bakery, Seacoast Pretzel Co., Siegrist Family Farm, Sol Kitchen, Steven “Grumpy” Bell, Tortuga Soap Co., Under N Acre Farm, Wayuu Handmade Bags, and Winnipesaukee Soap Co.

Stop by for lunch or pick up food for dinner and choose from a variety of hot and cold foods. Local musicians bring an added festive nature to the markets.

Once the summer season is over, (the outdoor market runs until the end of October), there are plans to offer the market indoors elsewhere for November and December, with the location

TBA. Visitors can check www.wolfeborofarmersmarket.com for updates.

Sandwich is planning a farmers market, starting in June (or July) on Saturdays from 9 am to noon. Plans are still underway; call 603-455-0324 for updates. The market will be held on the town green in Sandwich village.

Most farmers markets are SNAP/ EBT accessible, which is very helpful for shopping at the markets.

The NH Farm Museum in Milton has the Farm Museum Country Store on the property. While not technically an outdoor farmers market, the store offers many of the same kinds of products.

According to the Farm Museum’s website, “The New Hampshire Farm Museum Country Store is open during the same hours as the museum. Open to all, you don’t need to pay admission to the museum to shop at the Country Store. Stop in to buy our own farm grown produce when available by season. All store sales support the educational mission of the New Hampshire Farm Museum.”

Sold at the Farm Museum’s Country Store are: fresh eggs from the museum’s own free-range chickens; New Hampshire products such as maple syrup, honey, soaps and jams; knitted goods and wooden items made by New Hampshire crafters; games, toys, and activities; old-fashioned candy; household items and goods; children’s books; books about farm topics, including hog-raising, growing tomatoes, making soap, country cooking, tractors, stone walls, and farm buildings, the New Hampshire Farm Museum Cookbook, filled with 200 years of historical New England recipes, farm-grown produce and more.

Visit the NH Farm Museum, located at 1305 White Mountain Highway in Milton. Visit www.nhfarmmuseum.org or call 603-652-7840.

As the 2023 boating season is beginning in earnest, the New Hampshire Department of Environmental Services (NHDES) reminds boaters of state laws intended to prevent additional aquatic invasive species infestations. Specifically, it is illegal to transport any aquatic plants on recreational gear and related trailers. Further, boaters are required to drain any water-containing devices on vessels, and to only trailer vessels in the open drain position. Violators could face fines ranging from $50-$200. This law is enforced by New Hampshire Marine Patrol, conservation officers, and other peace officers.

Freshwater aquatic invasive plants and animals are those that are not naturally found in New Hampshire’s lakes, ponds, and rivers. Because they are not native, they have no predators or diseases, allowing them to grow quickly and dominate the freshwater systems and impact the native plants, fish, and aquatic insects already present. Aquatic invasive species can lead to reduced shorefront property values, water quality impairments, and problems with the aesthetic and recreational values of water bodies.

According to Amy Smagula, the NHDES Exotic Species Program Coordinator, “New Hampshire now has a total of 80 lakes and 11 rivers infested with aquatic invasive species. Most of these waterbodies contain variable milfoil as the primary invasive plant, while others have fanwort, Eurasian water milfoil, and water chestnut, among other common species. Dozens of waterbodies also have established populations of the Chinese mystery snail, an aquatic invasive animal; and, the Asian clam, another aquatic invasive animal, has been identified in nearly a dozen waterbodies.” A new invasive plant, water violet, was recently found in some of the state’s largest lakes, and it is spreading in the Lakes Region, where it can pose a risk to other nearby waterbodies, and downstream waters like the Winnipesaukee, Pemigewasset, and Merrimack Rivers.

Boaters are reminded to:

CLEAN off any plants, animals and algae found on boats, trailers, and other recreational gear, and dispose of it away from a waterbody.

DRAIN your boat, bait buckets, bilges, and other equipment away from the waterbody, leaving your boat’s drain in the open position during transport.

DRY anything that comes into contact with the water.

Also, if your vessel is registered in a state other than New Hampshire, you are required to purchase and display an out-of-state boater decal, which can be purchased for $20 online.

The Department of Environmental Services urges lake and river residents and visitors to routinely monitor for aquatic invasive species and report new infestations of anything suspicious early. Look for plants or animals that are growing or increasing in number quickly, and that do not appear to be part of the native aquatic community. For more information or to report a potential new infestation (emailed photos are welcome), please contact the Exotic Species Program Coordinator at Amy.Smagula@des.nh.gov or 603-271-2248.

While spring leaf development of New Hampshire’s oak trees was severely affected by an unusually deep late-season frost on May 18, it is unlikely the trees sustained permanent damage, according to the N.H. Division of Forests and Lands.

“Oak is particularly sensitive to frost during the two-week window after the buds break and that’s why it has adapted to ‘leafing out’ later than most trees in New Hampshire,” said Kyle Lombard, program director for the NHDFL’s Forest Health Program.

“The good news is that oak can lose these first leaves and put a second set out in the same year, so by July the oaks should look as they usually do.”

Oak leaf drop has been observed from Coös County all the way to Nashua. Current estimation is that more than 100,000 acres were affected by the cold snap.

NHDFL has tracked frost events for more than 100 years and the effects of the recent frost are the worst on record.

The damage from the May frost should not be confused with oak wilt, a serious invasive pathogen that the NHDFL has been monitoring but that has not yet arrived in New Hampshire. Oak wilt is not active until mid-summer when mature oak leaves suddenly drop on a single tree.

New Hampshire’s Division of Forests and Lands is part of the Department of Natural and Cultural Resources. NHDFL’s mission is to protect and promote the values provided by trees, forests and natural communities. This mission is accomplished through responsible management of the state’s forested resources; by providing forest resource information and education to the public; and through the protection of these resources for the continuing benefit of the state’s citizens, visitors, and forest industry. Learn more at nh.gov/nhdfl