Gilmanton farmers join forces

Alicia Smith, at Hammer Down Farm in Gilmanton, sees the Gilmanton's Own initiative as "Farmers helping farmers." (Adam Drapcho/Laconia Daily Sun)

‘Gilmanton’s Own’ hopes to offer local goods in one spot

GILMANTON — Last year, a dinner was held to showcase the variety of agricultural products produced in Gilmanton, and to serve them to the people who live nearby. All 60 tickets sold quickly, with diners asking when the next event would be held.

"We definitely were encouraged by the response," said Sarah Baldwin-Welcome. Meeting with the event participants afterward, it was clear that there was a desire to do more than an occasional farm-to-table dinner. Those discussions led to the creation of the nonprofit Gilmanton's Own, which will be hosting its first informational and fund raising event on Saturday. A meeting, featuring beverages, appetizers and discussion of plans and goals for the organization, will be held from 3 to 5 p.m. on March 4, at the Wagner Barn at 63 French Road in Lower Gilmanton. The $20 entry fee will further Gilmanton's Own's mission, to provide a site where the artisans and farmers, often working at the far end of this small town's long dirt roads, can market their products at a place convenient to consumers.

Though March might seem like a quiet time on the Gilmanton landscape, there's much work to be done. At Still Seeking Farm, Keith and Michelle Descoteaux are boiling sap for maple syrup. Their neighbors, Alicia and Ryan Smith, started producing their own meat five years ago, with one pig. They now have 34 pigs and 12 cows, which require feeding and tending to regardless of the season.

Baldwin-Welcome counts 37 farmers in Gilmanton – hay farmers, vegetable growers, meat producers and maple sugaring operations. And there's a list of artisans just about as long. Nearly all of these do their work at their own property, and, as Keith Descoteaux noted, a shopper looking to buy meat, vegetables and bread in Gilmanton would drive so many miles from one to the other that he might as well do his shopping in Concord.

But what if all of those products were available at one place, in a single building on one of the town's major thoroughfares? Then, it would be not only fresher, higher-quality and locally-sourced, but also more convenient.

Baldwin-Welcome said the store would be a cooperative farm stand, open year-round and open to farmers and artisans from Gilmanton. Interest in the idea is strong among the people who would stock such a farm stand.

"It's getting all the farmers together, working as one collective, really, getting products out to other folks," said Thomie Dombrowski, of Fernwood Farms.

Descoteaux thinks more people would be drawn to fresh, local products if it were more convenient for them to find them.

"If we don't bring it to a local place, most people are not willing to drive to the farms," he said. Descoteaux plans to add two more greenhouses and hire two more people to provide enough food to serve the demand he anticipates will result from Gilmanton's Own.

At Hammer Down Farm, Alicia Smith sees the effort as, "Farmers helping farmers... Most people don't know of all the farms in Gilmanton. Hopefully, we can start helping each other out." Her husband, Ryan, added, "It's awesome to see the community come together on the same page."

Baldwin-Welcome, the organization's president, said she's hoping to see on Saturday how broad the support is for the concept.

"We're excited about it. We need to see if the community is supporting it, if the farmers are supporting it... We really feel that it is a need in this time."

Those planning to attend are asked to RSVP to gilmantonsown@gmail.com.

Hammer Down Farm, operated by Alicia Smith and her husband Ryan, raises pigs and cows, and has been in commercial operation for three years. (Adam Drapcho/Laconia Daily Sun)

Keith Descoteaux, of Still Seeking Farm, grows what he calls "nutrient-dense" berries and vegetables in the warm months, and is busy boiling maple sap this time of year. (Adam Drapcho/Laconia Daily Sun)