Category: Food: At The Market Reports

At The Market: Mushrooms, Shallots, Sage & Granola…

No, that's not a recipe, but it is a list of some of the many things that caught our attention at the markets this week.

Lets's start with the granola. Over on the Chowhound Boston board someone announced to area food lovers what we have known for a long time. Cook's Farm & Bakery makes great granola.

"Chuck S" asked, "Granola as good as Cook's Farm?" This former granola abstainer was now addicted and wanted more sources of granola greatness.

Penny replied, "Another Cook's Farm fan here. Love the granola which I believe is sweetened with their own maple syrup. That may be part of the reason you enjoy it. Earlier this year, they had some granola bars that were wonderful and my husband is addicted to their oatmeal raisin cookies. Seems they have a way with oats!"

So, stop by this stand at Copley or any of the other markets where you can find them summer and winter. And, if you're in foliage country in the months ahead, visit them in Brimfield, MA or Newbury, VT.

Click on any photo for a larger version.

The rest of the title – mushrooms, shallots, and sage sauted with a bit of butter would make a great supper. You could deglaze the pan with some red wine and stock and serve it on toast or along side a prefectly grilled ribeye.

All three of these ingredients are from Siena Farms.

The Word from the Farms & Markets

Ben Sommer, manager of the Copley Square Farmers' Market, says, "Can you believe that farmers market season is half over. Now let's get to the good half! Having a job like this I am continuously amazed by how incredible nature can be: it seems like the heirloom tomatoes get bigger and juicier with each passing week. I've spotted the first shallots of the season as well as the first broccoli.

Small tart apples tumble by the bushel in rusted autumnal shades with old New England monikers like Russet Crab and Paula Red. Great for baking with!"

In Season, Right Now!

Apples, pears, and stone fruit. Enjoy them for snacks, desserts, and in cocktails.

Get Some Before It's Gone!

Blueberries – Barbara Hamilton from Hamilton Orchards says the heat this week has ripened some of the late varieties and she may have a few for the next markets.

Follow all our Local Food/Farmers' Markets and At The Market reports:

What's on your Food Lover's Shopping List? Shop Amazon for all your Kitchen & Dining needs and support this site!

Details:

Words: Penny & Ed Cherubino
Photos: ©2013 Penny & Ed Cherubino

Note on Comments: We monitor comments constantly and anything that is pure spam, inappropriate, or nasty is swept away. In addition to readers' comments, we welcome hearing from the people, places, and services we cover. Often, those add great insights for our readers. As long as it doesn’t become a pure ad, we’d love to hear from you. We do reserve the right to edit ads and links out of comments.

August 29, 2013
At The Market: Garlic

As a defining element in cuisines like Italian and Korean to its use in fighting off plague and vampires, garlic has a long and spicy history. In recent years, fresh, full-flavored garlic has been available at local farmers’ markets.

Choosing Local Garlic

At farmers’ markets, it’s easy. In the case of garlic, the farmer should have dried the bulbs before bringing them to market. You want bulbs that are completely dry to the touch.

Storing Garlic

You can buy purpose-made garlic keepers
for storing garlic. A small, clean, overturned clay flower pot works as well. (Yes, the flower pot below is not pristine, but we just set up this shot to show you what we mean. We keep our garlic in a different terracotta container.)

Keep garlic in the dark to discourage sprouting. Good airflow helps prevent molding and keeps your garlic dry and as fresh as possible.

Because we have accepted stale supermarket garlic for so long, the taste of fresh garlic can be shockingly strong. You may want to use a bit less or add layers of garlic as you cook.

Elsewhere in the market, what to enjoy now!

Make a meal of local melons and August tomatoes. The perfection of these local crops makes you think about whether or not you want to eat the pale substitutes we get the rest of the year.

Get Some Before It's Gone!

Blueberries! Enjoy them now. We are reaching the end of their season. However, wild blueberries from Maine are just arriving at our home via Boston Organics.

Follow all our Local Food/Farmers' Markets and At The Market reports:

What's on your Food Lover's Shopping List? Shop Amazon for all your Kitchen & Dining needs and support this site!

Details:

Words: Penny & Ed Cherubino
Photos: ©2013 Penny & Ed Cherubino

Note on Comments: We monitor comments constantly and anything that is pure spam, inappropriate, or nasty is swept away. In addition to readers' comments, we welcome hearing from the people, places, and services we cover. Often, those add great insights for our readers. As long as it doesn’t become a pure ad, we’d love to hear from you. We do reserve the right to edit ads and links out of comments.

August 22, 2013
At The Market: Garlic

As a defining element in cuisines like Italian and Korean to its use in fighting off plague and vampires, garlic has a long and spicy history. In recent years, fresh, full-flavored garlic has been available at local farmers’ markets.

Choosing Local Garlic

At farmers’ markets, it’s easy. In the case of garlic, the farmer should have dried the bulbs before bringing them to market. You want bulbs that are completely dry to the touch.

Storing Garlic

You can buy purpose-made garlic keepers
for storing garlic. A small, clean, overturned clay flower pot works as well. (Yes, the flower pot below is not pristine, but we just set up this shot to show you what we mean. We keep our garlic in a different terracotta container.)

Keep garlic in the dark to discourage sprouting. Good airflow helps prevent molding and keeps your garlic dry and as fresh as possible.

Because we have accepted stale supermarket garlic for so long, the taste of fresh garlic can be shockingly strong. You may want to use a bit less or add layers of garlic as you cook.

Elsewhere in the market, what to enjoy now!

Make a meal of local melons and August tomatoes. The perfection of these local crops makes you think about whether or not you want to eat the pale substitutes we get the rest of the year.

Get Some Before It's Gone!

Blueberries! Enjoy them now. We are reaching the end of their season. However, wild blueberries from Maine are just arriving at our home via Boston Organics.

Follow all our Local Food/Farmers' Markets and At The Market reports:

What's on your Food Lover's Shopping List? Shop Amazon for all your Kitchen & Dining needs and support this site!

Details:

Words: Penny & Ed Cherubino
Photos: ©2013 Penny & Ed Cherubino

Note on Comments: We monitor comments constantly and anything that is pure spam, inappropriate, or nasty is swept away. In addition to readers' comments, we welcome hearing from the people, places, and services we cover. Often, those add great insights for our readers. As long as it doesn’t become a pure ad, we’d love to hear from you. We do reserve the right to edit ads and links out of comments.

August 22, 2013
At The Market: Garlic

As a defining element in cuisines like Italian and Korean to its use in fighting off plague and vampires, garlic has a long and spicy history. In recent years, fresh, full-flavored garlic has been available at local farmers’ markets.

Choosing Local Garlic

At farmers’ markets, it’s easy. In the case of garlic, the farmer should have dried the bulbs before bringing them to market. You want bulbs that are completely dry to the touch.

Storing Garlic

You can buy purpose-made garlic keepers
for storing garlic. A small, clean, overturned clay flower pot works as well. (Yes, the flower pot below is not pristine, but we just set up this shot to show you what we mean. We keep our garlic in a different terracotta container.)

Keep garlic in the dark to discourage sprouting. Good airflow helps prevent molding and keeps your garlic dry and as fresh as possible.

Because we have accepted stale supermarket garlic for so long, the taste of fresh garlic can be shockingly strong. You may want to use a bit less or add layers of garlic as you cook.

Elsewhere in the market, what to enjoy now!

Make a meal of local melons and August tomatoes. The perfection of these local crops makes you think about whether or not you want to eat the pale substitutes we get the rest of the year.

Get Some Before It's Gone!

Blueberries! Enjoy them now. We are reaching the end of their season. However, wild blueberries from Maine are just arriving at our home via Boston Organics.

Follow all our Local Food/Farmers' Markets and At The Market reports:

What's on your Food Lover's Shopping List? Shop Amazon for all your Kitchen & Dining needs and support this site!

Details:

Words: Penny & Ed Cherubino
Photos: ©2013 Penny & Ed Cherubino

Note on Comments: We monitor comments constantly and anything that is pure spam, inappropriate, or nasty is swept away. In addition to readers' comments, we welcome hearing from the people, places, and services we cover. Often, those add great insights for our readers. As long as it doesn’t become a pure ad, we’d love to hear from you. We do reserve the right to edit ads and links out of comments.

August 22, 2013
At The Market: Yummy Peppers & Saturn Peaches

This week, two of our favorite seasonal treats have arrived at the Copley Square Farmers' Market – Yummy Peppers and Saturn Peaches.

Yummys are mild, almost sweet peppers. They are perfect for salads and egg dishes and make the cutest little stuffed peppers you've ever seen. More about Yummy Peppers

Saturn Peaches are very sweet, delicate, small white peaches that we eat by the bagful from their first appearance at Foppema's Farm stand until they disappear.

More about Saturn Peaches at: (yes, we are kind of obsessed with photographing them as well as eating them.)

Get the Most from Your Investment– Stock Up on Saturn Peaches!

They’re Back! All the Way from– Saturn!

Saturn Peaches Are Here, Again!

Saturn Peaches, or Donut Peaches, or….

New investors may need to learn a thing or two about the produce market. Here are great primers,

How to Pick a Peach: The Search for Flavor from Farm to Table

Details:
Words: Penny Cherubino
Photography: © 2011-2012 Penny Cherubino

August 15, 2013
At The Market: Yummy Peppers & Saturn Peaches

This week, two of our favorite seasonal treats have arrived at the Copley Square Farmers' Market – Yummy Peppers and Saturn Peaches.

Yummys are mild, almost sweet peppers. They are perfect for salads and egg dishes and make the cutest little stuffed peppers you've ever seen. More about Yummy Peppers

Saturn Peaches are very sweet, delicate, small white peaches that we eat by the bagful from their first appearance at Foppema's Farm stand until they disappear.

More about Saturn Peaches at: (yes, we are kind of obsessed with photographing them as well as eating them.)

Get the Most from Your Investment– Stock Up on Saturn Peaches!

They’re Back! All the Way from– Saturn!

Saturn Peaches Are Here, Again!

Saturn Peaches, or Donut Peaches, or….

New investors may need to learn a thing or two about the produce market. Here are great primers,

How to Pick a Peach: The Search for Flavor from Farm to Table

Details:
Words: Penny Cherubino
Photography: © 2011-2012 Penny Cherubino

August 15, 2013
At The Market: Yummy Peppers & Saturn Peaches

This week, two of our favorite seasonal treats have arrived at the Copley Square Farmers' Market – Yummy Peppers and Saturn Peaches.

Yummys are mild, almost sweet peppers. They are perfect for salads and egg dishes and make the cutest little stuffed peppers you've ever seen. More about Yummy Peppers

Saturn Peaches are very sweet, delicate, small white peaches that we eat by the bagful from their first appearance at Foppema's Farm stand until they disappear.

More about Saturn Peaches at: (yes, we are kind of obsessed with photographing them as well as eating them.)

Get the Most from Your Investment– Stock Up on Saturn Peaches!

They’re Back! All the Way from– Saturn!

Saturn Peaches Are Here, Again!

Saturn Peaches, or Donut Peaches, or….

New investors may need to learn a thing or two about the produce market. Here are great primers,

How to Pick a Peach: The Search for Flavor from Farm to Table

Details:
Words: Penny Cherubino
Photography: © 2011-2012 Penny Cherubino

August 15, 2013
At The Market: Eggplant & Peppers & Beans & More…

This is the season of abundance for farmers like Kate Stillman, shown here at the Stillman Farm stand at the City Hall Farmers' Market.

Each season seems to bring new varieties of fruit and vegetables like these lemon cucumbers.

Pickling cucumbers are now a staple at most farms.

Eggplants are appearing in many sizes, shapes, and colors, even the original egg-shaped white ones that gave this vegetable its name. I would say it's the English language name but the British call them aubergine.

And, peppers are showing up in all degrees of heat, ripeness, and flavor.

Local garlic is now available. Remember, this is so much fresher and hotter than what we get in stores the rest of the year that you should add it in steps. It's packed with zinging flavor. You might make your favorite 40 clove chicken with 30 cloves.

The Word from the Farms & Markets

Peter Ward, Central Square Cambridge, Farmers' Market Manager says, "Now with the extreme heat gone, you can boil water again and plop in some fresh-made vegetable- or meat-filled ravioli from Valicenti Organico, or grill delicious grass-fed beef and pork from or broil fresh-butchered chicken from Copicut Farms or enjoy Chris Manning's Massachusetts coast lobsters, live or already steam-cooked."

Ben Sommer, Copley Square Farmers' Market Manager has a challenge for his customers. "I was pleasantly surprised this past week to spy some cantaloupe and red watermelon at Atlas' stand. Seed spitting contest anyone?"

Follow all our Local Food/Farmers' Markets and At The Market reports:

What's on your Food Lover's Shopping List? Shop Amazon for all your Kitchen & Dining needs and support this site!

Details:

Words: Penny & Ed Cherubino
Photos: ©2013 Penny & Ed Cherubino

Note on Comments: We monitor comments constantly and anything that is pure spam, inappropriate, or nasty is swept away. In addition to readers' comments, we welcome hearing from the people, places, and services we cover. Often, those add great insights for our readers. As long as it doesn’t become a pure ad, we’d love to hear from you. We do reserve the right to edit ads and links out of comments.

August 8, 2013
At The Market: Eggplant & Peppers & Beans & More…

This is the season of abundance for farmers like Kate Stillman, shown here at the Stillman Farm stand at the City Hall Farmers' Market.

Each season seems to bring new varieties of fruit and vegetables like these lemon cucumbers.

Pickling cucumbers are now a staple at most farms.

Eggplants are appearing in many sizes, shapes, and colors, even the original egg-shaped white ones that gave this vegetable its name. I would say it's the English language name but the British call them aubergine.

And, peppers are showing up in all degrees of heat, ripeness, and flavor.

Local garlic is now available. Remember, this is so much fresher and hotter than what we get in stores the rest of the year that you should add it in steps. It's packed with zinging flavor. You might make your favorite 40 clove chicken with 30 cloves.

The Word from the Farms & Markets

Peter Ward, Central Square Cambridge, Farmers' Market Manager says, "Now with the extreme heat gone, you can boil water again and plop in some fresh-made vegetable- or meat-filled ravioli from Valicenti Organico, or grill delicious grass-fed beef and pork from or broil fresh-butchered chicken from Copicut Farms or enjoy Chris Manning's Massachusetts coast lobsters, live or already steam-cooked."

Ben Sommer, Copley Square Farmers' Market Manager has a challenge for his customers. "I was pleasantly surprised this past week to spy some cantaloupe and red watermelon at Atlas' stand. Seed spitting contest anyone?"

Follow all our Local Food/Farmers' Markets and At The Market reports:

What's on your Food Lover's Shopping List? Shop Amazon for all your Kitchen & Dining needs and support this site!

Details:

Words: Penny & Ed Cherubino
Photos: ©2013 Penny & Ed Cherubino

Note on Comments: We monitor comments constantly and anything that is pure spam, inappropriate, or nasty is swept away. In addition to readers' comments, we welcome hearing from the people, places, and services we cover. Often, those add great insights for our readers. As long as it doesn’t become a pure ad, we’d love to hear from you. We do reserve the right to edit ads and links out of comments.

August 8, 2013
At The Market: Eggplant & Peppers & Beans & More…

This is the season of abundance for farmers like Kate Stillman, shown here at the Stillman Farm stand at the City Hall Farmers' Market.

Each season seems to bring new varieties of fruit and vegetables like these lemon cucumbers.

Pickling cucumbers are now a staple at most farms.

Eggplants are appearing in many sizes, shapes, and colors, even the original egg-shaped white ones that gave this vegetable its name. I would say it's the English language name but the British call them aubergine.

And, peppers are showing up in all degrees of heat, ripeness, and flavor.

Local garlic is now available. Remember, this is so much fresher and hotter than what we get in stores the rest of the year that you should add it in steps. It's packed with zinging flavor. You might make your favorite 40 clove chicken with 30 cloves.

The Word from the Farms & Markets

Peter Ward, Central Square Cambridge, Farmers' Market Manager says, "Now with the extreme heat gone, you can boil water again and plop in some fresh-made vegetable- or meat-filled ravioli from Valicenti Organico, or grill delicious grass-fed beef and pork from or broil fresh-butchered chicken from Copicut Farms or enjoy Chris Manning's Massachusetts coast lobsters, live or already steam-cooked."

Ben Sommer, Copley Square Farmers' Market Manager has a challenge for his customers. "I was pleasantly surprised this past week to spy some cantaloupe and red watermelon at Atlas' stand. Seed spitting contest anyone?"

Follow all our Local Food/Farmers' Markets and At The Market reports:

What's on your Food Lover's Shopping List? Shop Amazon for all your Kitchen & Dining needs and support this site!

Details:

Words: Penny & Ed Cherubino
Photos: ©2013 Penny & Ed Cherubino

Note on Comments: We monitor comments constantly and anything that is pure spam, inappropriate, or nasty is swept away. In addition to readers' comments, we welcome hearing from the people, places, and services we cover. Often, those add great insights for our readers. As long as it doesn’t become a pure ad, we’d love to hear from you. We do reserve the right to edit ads and links out of comments.

August 8, 2013