Annual Rhode Island Quahog Week May 17-23
PROVIDENCE – The Rhode Island Seafood Marketing Collaborative, chaired by Department of Environmental Management (DEM) Director Janet Coit, announces that the 5th annual Quahog Week returns this year from May 17 to May 23. The week-long celebration shines a light on Rhode Island’s favorite local clam, the hard-working men and women who harvest them, and the vibrant local food industry that makes them available to consumers.
Quahogging is a year-round activity in Rhode Island, so the product is available, freshly harvested, throughout the year. Demand tends to peak during the summer months, when stuffies and clam cakes serve as main attractions for shore-goers and tourists. Targeting the spring shoulder season for Quahog Week helps to increase consumer awareness, demand, sales and market opportunities for quahogs during a time of year when the fresh product is readily available, but often overlooked.
The Rhode Island Commerce Corporation on Friday approved two innovation grants one for $50,000 for American Mussel Harvesters of North Kingstown, and the other for $49,972 to Flux Marine of East Greenwich.
The directors also approved a $250,000 grant to Polaris MEP, a nonprofit group that runs programs to help manufacturers. Polaris will use the award to develop a technology-transfer program with the University of Rhode Island. The state funding will be matched by federal grants.
Gov. Gina Raimondo, board chairwoman, attended the first few minutes of the meeting and said it was probably her last meeting as governor. The Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Technology is set to consider her confirmation as U.S. Commerce Secretary on Wednesday, with a full Senate vote soon after.
A New Way to Shop Regionally for the New Year Find Family Farms helps you . well, find family farms Tweet Share
If one of your resolutions for 2021 was to try to buy more food products from regional family farms, you may have discovered the difficulty involved in getting shipments direct from the purveyors when you’re just ordering enough for a family. Farmers’ markets are a great solution that offer a variety of choices that you can assort and carry home, but there’s an extra level of logistics involved in figuring out when your favorite farmers will be showcasing their wares for easy pickup.