SoWa Winter Market 3/25

Gail visited the SoWa Winter Market yesterday for what is definitely one of our smallest trips of the season. We have a refrigerator full of leftovers and weren't in need of much but decided to make the trip anyway to see some of our favorite vendors and get out of our apartment for a few hours.
We got 3 apples and a red onion from Silverbrook Farm. Green Peppercorn Pappardelle & Broccoli and Fontina Ravioli from Valicenti Organico. 2 gorgeous looking rib steaks from John Crow Farm, and a pair of Chocolate Sea Salt Biscotti from Joanna's New World Biscotti.
Not picture was the 1 additional item we picked up, a 6" tall rosemary plant from The Herb Lyceum.
The rosemary will have a temporary home on our windowsill until it is time to bring it to the garden, which will hopefully be very soon!

SoWa Market 3/4

Gail and I elected to spend Saturday hanging out at home and relaxing opting to make a trip to the SoWa Winter Market on Sunday rather then the Wayland Market that we have been visiting lately. We've got a short week coming up and weren't in need of much so we enedd up grabbing a few staples as well as some snacks.
We got a strip steak & eggs from John Crow Farm. Pumpkin & Brie ravioli as well as sage fettucini from Valicenti Oganico. Mousakaa and stuffed grape leaves from Samira's homemade. Apples from Silverbrook Farm. A few more small packages of Q's Nuts, and two jars of lemon-verbena honey from the Herb Lyceum. The honey and some of the nuts are being gifted to others.
I also grabbed a copy of the Spring issue of edible Boston.

SoWa Market 2/19

Gail and I made a quick trip to the SoWa market yesterday afternoon. While it wasn't one of our biggest winter market trips we did bring home a great variety of food stuffs! A nice mix of produce, meat, cheese, and specialty goods.

We took home 2 packages of ravioli - cheddar and stout as well as braised carrot and chickpea from Valicenti Organico. Muhammara and flatbread from Samira's Homemade. Local Honey from Golden Rule Honey (they also have a variety of non-local honey), smoked pork chops from John Crow Farm, Maple Smoked Gouda from Taylor Farm. Carrots, turnips, chard, acorn and butternut squash from Silverbrook Farm, and 3 small packages of nuts from Q's Nuts (Banana's Foster pecans, Cayenne Mango almonds, and Sweet Roasted pecans) who were nice enough to let us sample nearly all of the nuts they had available before we finally made up our minds!

Wayland & SoWa Markets 2/4 - 2/5

This weekend we were all over the place getting local goodies for the coming week as well as for the (quite disappointing) super bowl. On Saturday we hit up the Wayland Winter Market and Sunday morning I dashed off to the south end for a quick trip to The Butcher Shop & SoWa Winter Market.

Wayland Winter Market haul

We got a great variety of produce, meats, and specialty goods at the Wayland Market- Apples from Charlton Orchards. Carrots from Terrosa Farm. A variety of radishes and potatoes from Red Fire Farm. Equinox cheese, maple pork sausage and bacon from West River Creamery. A bag of Ehtiopian Yirgacheffe coffee from Karma Coffee Roasters. A 4-pack of Tower Root Beer from the appropriately named Tower Root Beer. Savory Syrah finishing salt & Curry Sugar from didi davis food, proprieter of Salt Traders, and a chunky granola bar from the Danish Pastry House. Along with all the great food we picked up Gail and I also had the pleasure of meeting Lara from Good Cook Doris, her husband, and their delightfully cute baby. It was great meeting a fellow local food and cooking enthusiast, and what better place then a winter market to do so!

SoWa & Butcher Shop Sunday haul

Sunday I had to make a quick trip to The Butcher Shop. Earlier in the week they sent out an email with their Super Bowl specials that Gail had forwarded on to me. When I finally finished salivating over the menu I called them up and ordered to pints of pulled pork and a 1/2 lb of their buffalo chicken galantine. While the butcher pulled my order together we began chatting and he mentioned they had some fresh made pastrami on hand. After a quick sample I was sold! From the Butcher Shop I took home the 2 pints of pulled pork, a 1/2 lb of buffalo chicken galantine, and enough pastrami for a few mid-week sandwiches. The pulled pork was moist and the barbecue sauce was tangy without being overly sweet and had a bit of residual heat that I really enjoyed.
Seeing as how I was just around the corner I made a quick stop at the SoWa Winter Market to say hello to a few of the vendors. I also picked up a small jar of lavender honey from The Herb Lyceum. Stew beef from John Crow Farm, and a bag of Hope Blend from Captain's Coffee Brewers. A lot of running around in an all too busy weekend.

where does the time go?

SoWa Winter Market 1/22

We had a small haul at the SoWa Market yesterday, but we got a good amount of produce including a few pounds of greenhouse tomatoes. Fresh tomatoes in January are a treat. I definitely prefer the taste of a fresh summer tomato, but these are grown with care by some great people and being able to enjoy them fresh this time of year is a real treat. 
Here is breakdown of everything we got:
Carrots, onions, a rutabaga, and a turnip from Silverbrook Farm. Garlic from Spring Brook Farm. Tomatoes from The Herb Lyceum. A 'small' brisket from John Crow Farm, and Truffle Pappardelle from Valicenti Organico. 
After shopping and chatting with some of our favorite vendors we decided to grab lunch by the SoWa Vintage Market at Roxy's Grilled Cheese one of our favorite local food trucks! We were pretty hungry too, as between Gail and I we nearly devoured 3 grilled cheese and a basket of truffle fries! We enjoyed our feast!

Front: Mighty Rib Melt. Middle: Mac & Chorizo, Green Muenster
Back: handcut truffle fries.

Not a bad way to spend part of Sunday afternoon!

Did you get any local produce, meat, or prepared goods this weekend??

SoWa Winter Market 1/8

Gail and I made our post-holiday return to the SoWa Winter Market yesterday. Despite there being fewer vendors present then we were expecting  it was great to see those who made it out, and as usual, have a variety of interesting conversations with them.
This week we took home: potatoes, braising mix (chard & kale), and apples from Silverbrook Farm. Red pepper hummus from Samira's Homemade. Pickled golden beets from Grillo's Pickles. Kale & currant ravioli from Nella Pasta and artichoke & Boursin cheese ravioli from Valicenti Organico. A beautiful looking chuck roast from John Crow Farm, and last but not least, a bottle of hazelnut cold-brew coffee from Captain's Coffee Brewers.

It was great to catch up with some of the vendors, and as usual we learned a little bit from the vendors about what goes into their work ranging from butchering to finding seasonal farm help.
With the new year underway there are even more Winter Markets starting up for the season which means lots more new vendors and seeing some of our old favorites in new locations! 2012 is shaping up to be healthier and more delicious then 2011!!

SoWa Winter Market, Sienna Farms micro-store, & The Butcher Shop 12/18

Sunday's haul from the whirlwind
south end  shopping trip

Not only did I visit the final SoWa Winter Market of 2011 yesterday, I also popped into the Butcher Shop and the newly opened Sienna Farm micro-store right next door to the Butcher Shop! All of the vendors I spoke to, including the folks at the Sienna Farm store and the butcher at the Butcher Shop were in a great mood with this being a pretty busy shopping weekend spirits were high! Once again I found myself having some great conversations with some of the vendors about various winter markets, freezing pasta, growing herbs, and cooking! It was great to catch the market one more time before the holidays and wish some of my favorite vendors a good holiday season and a happy new year!   I brought home a ton of really great stuff from the market, Sienna Farm store, and Butcher Shop. I tried to stock up on some goods as I know SoWa will be cosed the next to weekends and we may be busy celebrating with friends and family to visit the Somerville market as well.  I ended up bringing home a nice mix of produce and specialty goods yesterday:

Beef Ravioli & Truffle/Wild Mushroom Ravioli from Valicenti Organico

Smoked Mozzarella, White Bean, & Sage Ravioli from Nella Pasta

Beef Stew meat from John Crow Farm

Red Onion's from Silverbrook Farm

Tomatoes (cherry and fully sized!) peppers, and Brussels sprouts from The Herb Lyceum

Spinach from The Food Project & Earthquake cookies from Sofra Bakery via the Sienna Farms micro-store

Hot Coppa from The Butcher Shop!

I also placed an order for some bottled iced coffee from Captain's Coffee Brewers. He had run out at the market and would be delivering in my neighborhood when I'm working from home which is really great! Gail and I really like their iced coffee!

I had been to the butcher shop a few other times. The most memorable being a few years ago for my birthday when Gail and I went for a pig butchering demonstration with talk from Dominic Polumbo of Moon in the Pond Farm. This time I wanted to visit their selection of charcuterie and housemade goods and pick up a treat for myself. When I arrived the restaurant was bustling and the butcher was helping someone with a lengthy order. I quietly snuck up to the refrigerated cooler that housed much of their charcuterie. I was greeted with a great variety of sausages, pates, and cured meats. Everything looked so good it was tough to decide what looked most appealing. Ultimately I took home some hot coppa and the desire to come back again soon for a meal, and a few more times to sample all the delicious charcuterie they had for sale!
I after all the shopping at SoWa and the stop at the butcher shop I was ready to go home, but right next to the butcher shop was the recently opened Siena Farms store. I had read about it and am very familiar with Siena Farms, Sofra Bakery, and Oleana restaurant. They were having a little party that day so I was told to help myself to some of the great cookies they had available for nibbling on. I looked around the 'micro farm store' and was impressed with all the produce and food I saw. Leeks potatoes, kale, parsnips, turnips, onions squash, mushrooms, apples, baked goods, taza chocolate, and more! I ended up grabbing a bag of spinach from the non-profit food project and a package of Earthquake cookies as a treat for Gail and a friend who were back at the apartment. 
The cookies were fudgy and rich and a perfect treat on what seemed like the first really cold day of the season. We shared them after a lunch of mini grilled cheese sandwiches and warm soup, the perfect lunch on a chilly day.

All in all it was a very fitting(possibly)final local food buying excursion.  I was able to wish some vendors happy holidays and good new years as well as making a special stop at a few small business.  Despite the chilly temperatures everyone had big smiles and warm wishes for each other. I say possibly final excursion because the Somerville Winter Farmers market is open on Christmas Eve, and maybe even on New Years Eve but in all likelihood I may not have the time to drop in.
Have you been stocking up on local produce or treating yourself to local prepared goods ahead of the holiday season? What is finding it's way into your kitchen from local markets?? 

SoWa Winter Market 12/11

Gail and I had a big shopping weekend! Yesterday we visited the SoWa Winter Market, and  Saturday we went to the Eat Boutique - Holiday Local Market  in Fort Point. I will be looking at our shopping list from the SoWa Winter Market today. Check back tomorrow to see the great stuff I took home from the Eat Boutique - Holiday Local Market.

We had some really wonderful conversations with many of the vendors and farmers that were at yesterday's SoWa Winter Market. We carefully reviewed and smelled most of the fresh pasta's from Valicenti Organico, learned about jerusalem artichokes and sunflowers from Spring Brook farm, had a great introduction to oyster mushrooms from Leif Johnson of Shady Oaks Organics, talked coffee with Andrew of Captain's Coffee Brewers, learned about greenhouses and year round crop production from David Gilson of the Herb Lyceum, talked social media and pork with John Crow Farm, and learned about preserving fresh fruit with Bug Hill Farm!

These conversations and learning experiences allow us connect with what we eat on a deep level, we gain storage advice and pick up cooking tips from people deeply connected and passionate about the produce, meat, and process' we are discussing. The heartfelt thanks we receive and connections we make allow us to put a face to the great people who raise, harvest, and produce our food! 

In the coming days as we enjoy all this great food I will recall all the people we talked with and be glad that Gail and I have so many opportunities to support sustainable and local food producers!

Here is a look at what we picked up at yesterday's SoWa Winter Market:

carrots, scallions, potatoes, onions, & jerusalem artichokes - Spring Brook Farm

peppers, tomatoes, & cucumbers - Herb Lyceum

grey dove & italian oyster mushrooms - Shady Oaks Organics

truffle pappradelle - Valicente Organico

22 oz cold brew coffee - Captain's Coffee Brewers
pork spare ribs - John Crow Farm

This great abundance and variety of ingredients has us looking forward to planning a few great meals this week, including our dark days meal!

SoWa Winter Market 11/27

Despite some unusually balmy weather Gail and I took a trip to the SoWa Winter Market yesterday morning. There were lots of smiling faces from vendors and customers a like, probably a result of the warm temperatures and the abundance of great samples at the market! Gail and I went with a vague notion of what we might want to bring home and left with a few bags full of goodies!!

Here is a breakdown of all the awesome stuff we took home:

Eggs and pears from Springbrook Farm. Bacon & chicken breast from John Crow Farm, pickles & pickled golden beets from Grillo's Pickles. Seeded whole grain bread from When Pigs Fly. Potatoes, hot peppers and cherry tomatoes (greenhouse grown) from Potager Farm/Gilson's Herb Lyceum. Stuffed grape leaves and baba gannoush from Samira's Homemade, 2 different local pasta's: kale & currant ravioli from Nella Pasta as well as spinach fettuccine from Valicenti Organico, a dark chocolate and ancho chile pesto from Pestos with Panache, and a bag of medium bodied very recently roasted coffee from Captain's Coffee Brewers.

With such great variety along with some of what we grabbed last week in Somerville we are certainly ready for the start of the Dark Days Challenge which is officially underway!

A great variety of products from all over Massachusetts! What was really great was the lengthy conversations we were able to have with many of the vendors, even those who we didn't purchase from were willing to chat with us about their production methods or where they source their ingredients. Definitely educational and fun!

Another feature of the SoWa Market that makes it worth the trip is they have a variety of food trucks park at the location of their summer market down the street! Their slightly small but enjoyable vintage market is also open in conjunction with the food trucks and winter market. We were able to get a quick meal, a few records, and all the great local food in one trip!!

Have you been enjoying any local foods lately??