Growing a local food culture begins with education… and no better place to begin than with youth! At Youth Opportunities Unlimited, this work has been happening for the last 13 years. This New Bedford non-profit provides inspiring “experiences” to local youth, one of those being their “Food for Thought” Cooking Program. In Food for Thought, kids acquire kitchen skills and an appreciation of healthy foods through hands-on workshops at the Dartmouth Grange. Each week a guest chef introduces a new recipe and cooking methods, leading kids in exciting discoveries as they explore the journey of food from soil to plate.

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BY KENDRA MURRAY
Back in March, SEMAP co-hosted a Statewide Grain Gathering at the Plimoth Grist Mill. We packed the mill with farmers, bakers, and millers to discuss a localized grain economy throughout the Commonwealth. While there, I spoke with George Whitley, the miller at Gray’s Grist Mill in Westport. He invited me to tour the mill and learn a little bit more about the history and what was currently happening where he was milling.

Gray’s Grist Mill

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BY KENDRA MURRAY
It was about a year ago that I met Andrew Todoroff for the first time. After reading a previous article I had composed, Andrew challenged my statement that you could not grow coffee in Massachusetts.  We met up at Rendevous Cafe & Creperie in Hyannis, where he showed me a coffee tree that he was growing. Although it doesn’t make sense to grow coffee on a large scale here, it can be done, and it is a fun project. When Andrew isn’t tending to his own trees, he’s busy at Speedwell Coffee in Plymouth. Our director Karen Schwalbe and I headed over to Speedwell last week to talk a little further about the business and tour the facility.

Cold Brew Speedwell Coffee

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BY KAREN SCHWALBE
Locally grown food is on our minds every day and it is really exciting when a local business ‘gets it.’ Kathryn Hackett, owner of Cranberry Vine Catering in Pembroke, is one of our most enthusiastic members. Sourcing locally is part of her day-to-day routine for her catering business.  Last spring when delivering some of our member ‘swag’ we got a chance to hear a little about her business and we liked what we heard! We circled back this fall to hear more about it.

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BY KENDRA MURRAY
Being a lifelong Acushnet resident, I can say I’ve easily driven by Stone Bridge Farm thousands of times. It was always just another cranberry bog to me, one of many in Southeastern Massachusetts. Over the past couple of years, though, I’ve gotten to know the owners Scott and Joanne Harding and learn about their business, and it is not just another cranberry bog. Not only do the Hardings harvest cranberries, but also offer some great agritourism, which incorporates history, learning, and fun.

Scott and Joanne Harding

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