Keeping loaves of artisan bread fresh for more than one day can take some thinking.
We cut our bread from the middle of the loaf to keep the sliced surfaces from drying out. It works!
Before returning the loaf to its bag, we use an elastic to hold the two cut surfaces together. Here's a link to great oversize elastic bands that we use in so many ways.
We also wrap the bread in a clean flour sack dish towel. (These are also Ed's favorite towels for drying wine glasses.)
This system keeps the bread fresh as we make our way to the small crusts on the end. These often wind up toasted as croutons in salads.
You may have seen this tip before. This is an update of a post we did in 2008. We were chatting with another bread-a-holic recently and she loved this idea when we shared it. That inspired us to refresh and republish the information.
The arrival of a new preview issue of Edible Boston in my mailbox always makes me smile. It means a new season of food is here and a new opportunity to see which businesses support fresh and local food in our community.
It's good to see a whole fish in photographer Michael Piazza's cover shot. Fish, like meat, takes on better flavor when it's cooked on the bone. Inside you'll find a few fish tales. Having grown up in a fishing family, I adored Sarah Blackburn's article, Edible Basics: Red Fish, Blue Fish, Flat Fish, Whole Fish. It's a must read and includes a chart of when local fish are in season provided by Red's Best, one of my favorite, trusted suppliers of seafood.
Pages of step-by-step recipes for whole fish follow. (My own favorite preparation is to stuff a large fish with a traditional bread stuffing and roast it in the oven. It's a meal on a sheet pan.
Asparagus
When the season arrives, you will be ready with the asparagus primer on page 52. You'll find preparations from five chefs from around the area.
Other Topics
Bread, snack bars, cider, ice cream, pizza, and the very important topic of wasted food are also covered in this issue. Plus the always supportive team at Edible Boston shines its profile spotlight on a few local businesses.
As I alluded to in my first paragraph, this is one publication where I always read the ads. They are a source of new ideas and new resources for me. And I respect those who put their advertising dollars where they reach people like me who think that local food matters.
Support publisher Ilene Bezahler and her talented team
First, pick up a copy of Edible Boston at one of these locations. In fact, pick up two copies and share one with a food-loving friend or leave it where someone might discover it among lesser publications and become a new fan.
May I suggest that you let their sponsors know you saw them in the magazine and grab an extra copy and get it to someone else who cares about supporting the local food movement. Also, if you have a blog, twitter account, or facebook page, write about them, link to them, follow them, retweet their tweets, like them on facebook, and, in general, spread the word about this great asset to our community.
And, to be sure you never miss an issue, you can subscribe over on their website!
Words: Penny Cherubino Covershot & Photos :photographer Michael Piazza Courtesy of Edible Boston ( If you love great photography always pick up an Edible Boston issue!)
The arrival of a new preview issue of Edible Boston in my mailbox always makes me smile. It means a new season of food is here and a new opportunity to see which businesses support fresh and local food in our community.
It's good to see a whole fish in photographer Michael Piazza's cover shot. Fish, like meat, takes on better flavor when it's cooked on the bone. Inside you'll find a few fish tales. Having grown up in a fishing family, I adored Sarah Blackburn's article, Edible Basics: Red Fish, Blue Fish, Flat Fish, Whole Fish. It's a must read and includes a chart of when local fish are in season provided by Red's Best, one of my favorite, trusted suppliers of seafood.
Pages of step-by-step recipes for whole fish follow. (My own favorite preparation is to stuff a large fish with a traditional bread stuffing and roast it in the oven. It's a meal on a sheet pan.
Asparagus
When the season arrives, you will be ready with the asparagus primer on page 52. You'll find preparations from five chefs from around the area.
Other Topics
Bread, snack bars, cider, ice cream, pizza, and the very important topic of wasted food are also covered in this issue. Plus the always supportive team at Edible Boston shines its profile spotlight on a few local businesses.
As I alluded to in my first paragraph, this is one publication where I always read the ads. They are a source of new ideas and new resources for me. And I respect those who put their advertising dollars where they reach people like me who think that local food matters.
Support publisher Ilene Bezahler and her talented team
First, pick up a copy of Edible Boston at one of these locations. In fact, pick up two copies and share one with a food-loving friend or leave it where someone might discover it among lesser publications and become a new fan.
May I suggest that you let their sponsors know you saw them in the magazine and grab an extra copy and get it to someone else who cares about supporting the local food movement. Also, if you have a blog, twitter account, or facebook page, write about them, link to them, follow them, retweet their tweets, like them on facebook, and, in general, spread the word about this great asset to our community.
And, to be sure you never miss an issue, you can subscribe over on their website!
Words: Penny Cherubino Covershot & Photos :photographer Michael Piazza Courtesy of Edible Boston ( If you love great photography always pick up an Edible Boston issue!)
Happily our shopping bags were heavy on the way home from the Copley Farmers Market on Friday. We did miss out on our favorite strawberries so we plan on being on hand at the opening bell today.
The Atlas Farm stand had a nice selection of greens, vegetables, and even some heirloom tomatoes. And, of course, this market has a great fish vendor, bakeries, meat, and prepared foods.
Happily our shopping bags were heavy on the way home from the Copley Farmers Market on Friday. We did miss out on our favorite strawberries so we plan on being on hand at the opening bell today.
The Atlas Farm stand had a nice selection of greens, vegetables, and even some heirloom tomatoes. And, of course, this market has a great fish vendor, bakeries, meat, and prepared foods.
If you have confirmed dates for your favorite farmers' market, please tell us in a comment or send us an emailand we'll add it as an update to this post.
We'll be telling you more about some of these markets in the weeks ahead!
Update: 05/14/14: Here is the great selection of food we bought at the opening day of the Copley Farmers' Market.
If you have confirmed dates for your favorite farmers' market, please tell us in a comment or send us an emailand we'll add it as an update to this post.
We'll be telling you more about some of these markets in the weeks ahead!
Update: 05/14/14: Here is the great selection of food we bought at the opening day of the Copley Farmers' Market.
We love the combination of salty meat with Champagne. And, when we decide to stay in and enjoy the bounty of our own wine rack, we think it's okay to splurge a bit on the food.
There is a theory that your taste buds are most receptive to the first 1 to 4 bites of something. Why not take advantage of that when you want to splurge. Buy the best in a small quantity. Then, buy a larger amount of something wonderful but a lot less expensive.
We took our time and savored those curls of Jamón Ibérico and then went on to enjoyed the lovely pile of Serrano.
Someone wrote on twitter today that she loved having guests because she could go to Formaggio for a cheese tray. We love having shops like Formaggio, so we can go and buy one perfect cheese or outstanding jamon, just for us.
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.
We love the combination of salty meat with Champagne. And, when we decide to stay in and enjoy the bounty of our own wine rack, we think it's okay to splurge a bit on the food.
There is a theory that your taste buds are most receptive to the first 1 to 4 bites of something. Why not take advantage of that when you want to splurge. Buy the best in a small quantity. Then, buy a larger amount of something wonderful but a lot less expensive.
We took our time and savored those curls of Jamón Ibérico and then went on to enjoyed the lovely pile of Serrano.
Someone wrote on twitter today that she loved having guests because she could go to Formaggio for a cheese tray. We love having shops like Formaggio, so we can go and buy one perfect cheese or outstanding jamon, just for us.
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.
We love the combination of salty meat with Champagne. And, when we decide to stay in and enjoy the bounty of our own wine rack, we think it's okay to splurge a bit on the food.
There is a theory that your taste buds are most receptive to the first 1 to 4 bites of something. Why not take advantage of that when you want to splurge. Buy the best in a small quantity. Then, buy a larger amount of something wonderful but a lot less expensive.
We took our time and savored those curls of Jamón Ibérico and then went on to enjoyed the lovely pile of Serrano.
Someone wrote on twitter today that she loved having guests because she could go to Formaggio for a cheese tray. We love having shops like Formaggio, so we can go and buy one perfect cheese or outstanding jamon, just for us.
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.
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