Some stores carry certain foods only at certain times of the year and I thought it worth maintaining a list of the best of these so that we’ll know when to pounce. To start:
** Apple-walnut muffins at Hi-Rise Bread Co. (Concord Ave, Cambridge): Every fall (uncertain dates), but well worth looking out for.
** Irish soda bread, also at Hi-Rise: Every March from the first to St. Patrick’s Day. The best I’ve ever had.
** Fresh rose ice cream at Christina’s (Cambridge St, Cambridge): Every June.
Wilson Farms has fresh fava beans right now!
Hot cross buns at Lyndell’s Bakery on Broadway in Somerville, in the ~seven weeks before Easter.
Thanks. Hot cross buns are also available pre-Easter at Flour.
Speaking of pre-festivals, Buche de Noel is available before Christmas at Flour, Hi-Rise, and Formaggio Kitchen, among other places.
Any places making anything special for Cinco de Mayo?
Has anybody seen ramps anywhere? Whole Foods Charlestown had them one year pre pandemic.
Hi-Rise has them at $20/lb (but a pound goes a long way). They’ve tended to have them every April/May since the pandemic began.
ETA: Also see here for a discussion last year.
thanks! And Hi-Rise is really close to Formaggio, so I can check out both places.
I had completely forgotten about that discussion last year, which I participated in!
I try to avoid Wilson Farm these days, but there are other options.
I ended up at the Burlington Mall for a different reason today, and was surprised that around noon on a weekday the trip was only 15 - 20 minutes from Somerville (we are right at I-95 near Sullivan). Went into the Wegmans at Burlington Mall on a lark and found ramps for $24 a pound. I grabbed a small handful and when I checked out, the ramps even given the correct Wegmans produce code could not check out. Manager was called, tried 3 times. I was finally able to purchase the small handful for ten cents per the manager as a compromise after I’d waited 15 minutes and said I had to leave. The check out scale couldn’t handle something that weighed as little as a small handful.
I just brought them home and can’t wait to find the best way to use them soon. Now wishing I’d grabbed a slightly larger handful…
thanks! Some great ideas there. I’m going for something delicate and mostly ramp-y, so maybe eggs, or adding to a salad.
The Union Square Farmers Market in Somerville opens May13, and Copley in Boston opens the day before. I asked at the last winter farmers market Somerville when they were anticipating the first local asparagus this season. It’s so fleeting! So expensive! so worth it! Local tomatoes and other produce is amazing; however, I am most deeply impressed with local asparagus and strawberries, there being no chance for local ramps. They said at the Kimball Farm stand that mother’s day is the projection given the weather so far this “spring”. I so look forward to the asparagus/garlic scape convergence.
Looking for sightings of soft-shelled crabs (restaurant, not fish store). Also fresh, not frozen.
I was going to tell you that I saw ramps at Wegmans a couple of weeks ago, but I see you found them. 
And very odd the scale couldn’t recognize the weight.
The scale finally did finally recognize the weight as 0.24. The cash register was programmed, apparently, not to allow anything to be rung up with such a small weight. It was a really small handful of something that weighs very little.
Back this year. I’m on pint R5 and have R6 to go, with R7-R8 in the freezer, before I go for R9----------.
It’s that good.
