The Southeastern Massachusetts Agricultural Partnership (SEMAP) is now offering “Local Food 101” seminars and local food workshops covering a variety of local food topics.  Between Saturday, January 8, and Saturday, March 5, there are six distinct opportunities to grow your local food knowledge.

For class details and to sign-up online go to www.semaponline.org and select Classes & Events under Get Involved.  You can e-mail your workshop and technical course requests and ideas to info@semaponline.org.

For winter 2011 SEMAP has scheduled:

January 8 – Startling Sprout Nutrition at the Mattapoisett Library with Barbara Sanderson of Jonathan’s Sprouts.  The workshop includes recipes, tasting and a nutritional information brochure and will be held from 11-11:45 AM.

January 19 – Local Food 101 Volunteer Training Session at the Cranberry Experiment Station in East Wareham with Sarah Cogswell, Buy Fresh Buy Local Coordinator and Katie Cavanagh, Farms Forever Coordinator.  Please plan on attending from 5:30-6:30 PM if you are interested in being a SEMAP Volunteer.

February 1 – Local Food 101 Seminar - Join SEMAP and Margie Baldwin, founding member of Marion Institute and How On Earth for an evening discussion of local food and sustainable agriculture.  Part of Mattapoisett Library’s Cooks & Books series, taking place at 7 PM.

February 12 – Applesauce Making from Cedar Spring Herb Farm’s Donna Eaton Woods.  While on the farm in Harwich, you will cover recipes, canning instructions, tidbits on saving money by preserving locally grown foods, and take home a jar of applesauce that you made.  This workshop runs from 1-3 PM.

March 5 – 4th Annual One Day Farm Conference in partnership with Bristol County Conservation District will be held at the Bristol County Agricultural High School.  In previous years this conference was for the farming community only, but new this year is a public track geared towards the general community that is taking their local food interests to a new level.  This year’s conference includes a Virtual Farm Tour, Eating Local 101, a Local Lunch, Panel on Farmers Markets, Workshop on Vermaculture, and a Panel on Keeping Honeybees & Raising Chickens.  The conference runs from 8 AM – 4 PM.

March 7 – Local Food 101 Seminar covering the Why, Where and How of Local Food at the Barnstable Senior Center starting at 11 AM.

Spring dates and classes will be announced by the end of January.  SEMAP’s Executive Director, Bridget Alexander Ferreira, added that it is SEMAP’s goal to offer at least one Local Food 101 Seminar and one local food workshop once a month in 2011 and to increase class offerings in the coming years.  SEMAP will also be offering five technical workshops for entering farmers, established farmers and the backyard grower this year.

Established in 1998, SEMAP is dedicated to preserving and expanding access to local food and sustainable farming in Southeastern Massachusetts through research and education.   Learn more about SEMAP at www.semaponline.org.