Wayland Winter Market 2/25

Gail and I visited an extremely busy Wayland Winter Market this past Saturday. We arrived just a few minutes after the market was officially open and there was already a line of nearly 20 people waiting to get produce from one particular vendor. There was barely enough room for people to squeeze by each other as we went from vendor to vendor. No matter though, we persevered and wound our way through the vendors, leaving the market with an impressive and delicious haul!

We took home a bag of salad greens, white sweet potatoes, and a bag of potatoes from Red Fire Farm. Two bottles of Ginger Libation from Green River Ambrosia. A nice sampling of pickled goods from Grillo's Pickles including pickled grapes, pickled carrots, and half sour pickles. Micro salad greens from E & T Farms. Carrots, radishes, and beets from Winter Moon Farm. Smoked Cambridge and Herdsman Cheeses from West River Creamery. Country style pork ribs and Dragon Stout Mustard from Pete & Jen's Backyard Birds.  Steak tips and beef liver from Charlton Orchard. A new(ish) vendor for the Wayland Market (but a favorite from other locales), Doves & Figs had one of my favorites - Cape Escape an amazing cranberry puree with Taza Chocolate! We also took home some baked goods from the Danish Pasty House - a chocolate croissant, a bourbon chocolate pecan tart, and a savory baguette - not pictured is the ginger chew cookie that only made it to the car, where it was promptly devoured by Gail and I.
What we love so much about this market is the great variety of produce and local foods available from some really friendly and passionate vendors. The Wayland Market is easily our favorite Winter Market, which is why once it is open for the season we frequent it far more then they other markets.

Wayland Winter Market 2/11

Gail and I unexpectedly found ourselves at her Sister's house early on Saturday morning which made a trip to to the Wayland Winter Market  very convenient!  We got some usual staples as well as a few treats!

We got carrots from Winter Moon Farm, which are quickly become my favorite carrots! They are slightly sweet and bursting with flavor!! From Red Fire Farm we got a bag of potatoes, a bag of yellow onions, a bag of spinach, and two sweet potatoes. We took home a small bag of arugula micro-greens from E&T farms and a baguette from the Danish Pastry House. From Charlton Orchards we got apples and beef shank for soup. We also got a second beef shank from Caladonia Farms, because Charlton Orchards only had one. We needed a soft cheese for a dinner party so we took home a log of Australian ginger goat cheese from Crystal Brook Farm. On the 'treat' side of things we picked up a container each of pickled carrots and picked grapes from Grillo's Pickles...as strange as the thought of pickled grapes sound they are  a great balance of pickled and sweet and very snack-able. I can say with full confidence that I would be able to take down an entire container of the grapes with ease. The carrots were great too, and were a perfect addition to a cheese plate.

Not from the market, but another 'local' treat we got was a bag of Hawaii Kona coffee from Sudbury Coffee Works, which is roasted on site in their commercial grade roaster. The coffee works had an impressive selection of at least 15 or 16 varieties of coffee and I look forward to giving the Hawaii Kona a test drive!

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?

Brookline & Wayland Winter Farmers Markets 1/28

On Saturday Gail and I went on quite the local food shopping trip, starting very close to home at the one-off Brookline winter farmers market and continuing on to the Wayland Market.

The Brookline market was part of climate week in the town of Brookline and was only a one time market. We decided to check it out because it was very close and a new there would be a few things (really local grains/flour) that I wanted to pick up as I had not seen them at any other markets. We definitely ended up getting some local grains/flour (15 lbs worth!!) as well as a few other items at the Brookline Winter Market:

We got a small bit of hedgehog & dried porcini mushrooms from an unknown but very eccentric vendor. A package of roasted red pepper, goat cheese & chive ravioli from the ladies at Nella Pasta.  Two jars of honey (Massachusetts Wildflower & Pollen and Propolis infused) as well as a great taste testing from the Boston Honey Company. Last but not least from our trip to the Brookline Market was the 15 lbs of grains/flour we got from Four Star Farms! We took home 5lbs of bolted Warthog bread flour, 4 lbs of whole wheat Zorro bread flour, 2lbs of whole wheat Bravo pastry flour, 2lbs of bolted buckwheat flour, and 2lbs of wheat berries!

Based on our conversation whole grain flour is cleaned grain which is then milled. Larger pieces of bran are left, giving the flour a rougher texture and stronger flavor, whereas the bolted flour has been sifted and screening resulting in a finer and more consistent texture. The difference between the Warthog and Zorro flours is protein content and flavor. The buckwheat looks to be a good alternative for 'heartier' breakfast breads, pancakes, and similar dishes. The wheat berries were definitely an impulse buy, as Gail tried them, fell in love and decided we had to take some home for ourselves! Elizabeth from Four Star Farms was really helpful in taking the time to answer all of our questions and explain the differences in all their products to Gail and I.

After our time was up in Brookline we headed over to the Wayland Market to grab some meat, produce, and, to my surprise some local booze! Saturday was one of the winery days the Wayland Market has throughout the season. As we browsed the produce, cheese, and other goods we also sampled a few wines and ended up bringing some home along with our meat, produce, and apples!

Our haul from the Wayland Market included a bag of salad mix from E&T Farms. Garlic and beets from Red Fire Farm. Parsnips, carrots, and 3 types of radish (watermelon, white, and daikon) from Winter Moon Farm. Apples from Charlton Orchards. Spicy Italian Beef Sausage and Beef Kielbasa from Caledonia Farm. An Ice WIne from Running Brook Vineyard and Winery, and Ginger Libation a spicy sweet carbonated brew from Green River Ambrosia.

Such a great haul for a Saturday afternoon. I'm amazed at all the great local products we are able to find even in the middle of (an unusually mild) winter.