Winter Markets Start This Weekend

The passage of time is marked, most notably by the change of seasons.  In New Hampshire, each season has something wonderful to offer and often something that one has to give-up for a while until that season returns again.  The end of summer begins slowly, beginning with the closing of the Portsmouth public pool and the slow retreating tide of weekend vacationers.  There is still the farmers market to hold onto, at least until the beginning of November, when the option of fresh local vegetables begins to slide away.  I was happy to discover there is a growing group of local organic farmers that would like to change this.  For the second year in a row the Newmarket Farmers Market will be operating every third Saturday at 9am from November 21st until March 20^th.  I have been given the opportunity to follow one farmer’s process of producing organic produce that will be available in these markets.   Healthy Home Harvest LLC has steadily been building their organic vegetable business for a little over a year. Their business isn’t just about growing organic vegetables, it is also about using farming methods that have minimal impact on the environment, a process they call Solarganic.  Traditional greenhouses require fuel for heating in order to grow produce through the winter.  The Solarganic method is intended to eliminate this need.

                                     Building the new hoop greenhouse next to The Mother Ship

David O’Connor and James Cavarretta began Healthy Harvest, a year ago, by building a 900 square foot greenhouse that uses solar heat.  The design was based largely on greenhouses designed in the 60’s and 70’s, but have long since been forgotten.  After resurrecting these plans, the duo, who together have more then 20 years of organic farming experience, created a “Mother Ship” that is a collage of old and new greenhouse and solar technology.  All the heat collected by the “Mother Ship” during the day is stored and used to maintain temperatures at night without the use of any fuel.   This project is largely experimental for these first winter months.  The aim is to be able to produce organically grown vegetables that can be offered at winter markets right up until March.  It was amazing to see how quickly the green house changed from pans of dirt to leaves of green.  Within three weeks a second “hoop” greenhouse needed to be constructed to expand the growing space.  The site is set up so that one greenhouse, designed to collect excess heat during the day, can heat the second through a pipe system.  After a season of experimenting with conditions Healthy Home Harvest plans to educate the general public on their methods and sell “hoop house” greenhouses that the average consumer can use to produce their on vegetables.

                                              Starting out in The Mother Ship

                                             Three weeks later

November 21^st marks the beginning of the winter market season and the unveiling of this ingenious effort at sustainable living.   Look for Healthy Home Harvest at the  Newmarket Farmers Market this season.  Expect to see local organically grown fresh lettuce, spinach, unique greens, herbs, radishes, and mushrooms.  For more information  on the Newmarket Farmers Market please visit http://www.localharvest.org/farmers-markets/M28473.  Healthy Home Harvest LLC would love to give you a tour of their “Mother Ship”.  Contact them for more information at www.healthyhomeharvest.com  

                                           Grey Dove Mushrooms Offered at the Farmers Market