2016 NOFA Winter Conference

The Northeast Organic Farming Association of New Hampshire (NOFA-NH) put on another great winter conference January 30th in Concord. It is such a great time of year to attend workshops related to the production of food from harvesting wild greens and mushrooms to GMO labeling legislation. Whether you are a backyard gardener or a commercial farmer, you are surrounded by a support network of like-minded folks, looking for ways to live and work sustainably.

After Russ Cohen (above), environmental steward, educator and author of  Wild Plants I Have Known...and Eaten, gave a talk on edible native plants, he treated the class to locally harvested nuts and homemade baked goods. The list of wild edibles is extensive and it's exciting to know that there is a smorgasbord of greens, fruits and nuts available for feasting around most people's homes.

To continue the theme of wild foraging, I followed Russ Cohen's presentation with a session titled "Chasing Wild Mushrooms: Foraging and Preparing Edible and Medicinal Mushrooms" by Greg Marley. Although I will always be hesitant to pick and eat wild mushrooms, Greg's talk and his book that I purchased Chanterelle Dreams, Amanita Nightmares: The Love, Lore and Mystic of Mushrooms have opened up my mind to appreciate the complex and amazing characteristics of fungi in the environment.

One of the great features of the NOFA winter conference, is the book fair sponsored by Main Street BookEnds of Warner. I had no trouble filling up free time between sessions, browsing the tables of the various vendors, including the huge display of "green" books. At the end of the day my mind was filled with ideas of what to to plant once the snow has melted, which should be soon according to the caretakers of Punxsutawney Phil.