Seasonal Local Produce 2018 [MA]

Have now eaten some of my veggie-loot:

  1. The Sun Gold tomatoes from Langwater were absolutely superb. They pop open in your mouth with bursts of sweet, complex tomato juice.
  2. The peaches from Silvia were very juicy, but not as sweet as they’ve been in the past. They insist they are the same variety as in previous years.
  3. The donut peaches are still hard, and refusing to soften.
  4. The corn from Silvia was every bit as sweetly, milkily good as it smelled.
  5. The corny bread was just as softly puddingy as on past tastes, and still popping with corn kernels.
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If @GretchenS isn’t interested, could I still ask for the recipe? This jogged an old childhood memory of an Uyghur vendor selling dispensing delicious cold treats, and I would love to recreate it if possible (maybe with goat milk/cream?).

Speaking of diary products, I saw sheep cream being offered at Westborough farmer’s market by Couet Farm (excellent cheeses all around) and tried a sample - it was rich and almost custard like without being whipped, and ever so slightly grassy. The vendor explained that sheep milk was so high in fat content that they had to take some cream out of the cheese making process, thus the availability. Does anybody have any ideas on what to do with those? Seriously tempted but do not want to buy unprepared.

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The annual invasion of the zucchini is in full swing. We needed dinners and a way to use up as many squash as possible, so I tried out a zucchini and ricotta pie recipe from Saveur. Success!

I topped ours with a sliced and seeded tomato, so it looked like this. The topping could have been prettier but I was in a hurry. Swapped fresh basil for parsley. image

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I got champagne grapes at the Winchester market on Saturday, and they are delicious.

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Last couple of weeks I have been getting amazing local peaches from Wilson Farms. Made a pilgrimage out to Verrill Farm on Sunday and got their usual incredible tomatoes.

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Sunday night supper of succotash is what you get when you have corn and shell beans waiting in the fridge. Overripe tomatoes on the counter needed using, too. I enriched the cooking liquid with about a cup of frozen prosciutto broth from Moody’s that I have squirreled away, though plain water would have been the usual.

Grated Parmesan on top and a splash of extra special olive oil to top our bowls because this was our one-dish meal. It put dinner on the table and used a bunch of late summer veggies.

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Excellent. What is this “frozen prosciutto broth from Moody’s” of which you speak? Is it a staple you all have, of which I am ignorant?

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Robber baroness that I am, I have a container of the stuff in the freezer. :wink: I must have bought it a year ago. I let the container thaw just enough to safely chip out chunks with my trusty Parmesan cheese knife. Then I can use a touch of the broth to enrich things like braised greens or a vegetable dish that could use extra oomph.

I just realize that I admitted to possessing a knife specifically for Parmesan. (Also a handy tool for making chunks of chocolate Easter bunny, BTW.)

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My god (and, I refer, of course, to Child/Jaffrey/Dunlop/…, not to a bearded old man), so much to chew on and rib you about (but you knew that, didn’t you?) in a single post. Where to begin…

  1. OK, your container was in the freezer. Did it magically appear there – and what’s the magic chant that I can use to have some appear in mine? You say you bought it – from where?, pray tell. (Or did you, a year ago, simmer prosciutto for hours to extract its heady broth?)
  2. Is your parmesan knife the deadly one that can pierce the center of an unopened wheel in one swift stroke? Or is the kinder, gentler (oh, for the times when that was all there was to mock) kind that cuts more genteel pieces of parm?
  3. Carving bunnies into bits? Run, you spring onions, the tomato is on the loose!
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Best. Response. Ever. You ask, I answer.

  1. The magic of going to Moody’s freezer case and $12 made the prosciutto broth appear. I have gotten multiple uses from a quart size container. Haven’t been to Moody’s recently to check if they stock it regularly.

  2. Parmesan knife is below. I think we picked it up in a supermarket while traveling.

  3. That knife may be small but it does mighty work carving things into bits. Parmesan cheese and chocolate Easter bunnies, you have been warned.

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Thanks. I’ll have to ask Moody’s how they make prosciutto broth – is there an onion studded with cloves, as they simmer the broth?

Ah, that knife. I have one too (all metal, but I cannot share a picture because I am in NY and she is in Boston). I have not used it yet to cut bunnies to bits, but now you’ve given me ideas …

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I’ve been away for 2 weeks in Iceland, where the awe-inspiring landscape is barren in terms of veggies and fruit. Sadly, most produce in the supermarkets is packaged up in plastic (which I know is not much different than the sad state of affairs here in the States). Spring onion and I visited LexFarm after school today and we were both in our happy place. We picked up a gorgeous head of lettuce; beautiful, gnarly tomatoes; raspberries; milk; and durum levain from Bread Obsession (we snuck a slice before I snapped its photo). And, importantly, we watched Farmer Elena work the tractor and said hi to Farmer Tim.

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That haul looks great!

What is it with Iceland this year? It seems like everyone I know has gone there or is going. I’m envious as it is a place I’ve yet to visit.

This was our 3rd trip in one calendar year. Iceland had been on our list for at least a decade but it seemed too easy of a trip for us when we were childless. With a spring onion now, it’s perfect for us since it’s a non-stop and short flight from Boston. Plus, we already have the inclement weather gear.

Unfortunately, Iceland has been over-run with clueless irresponsible selfie stick-toting tourists (not solely Americans) for years now. Sad. But it’s still a place full of wonder and unexplored corners.

Feel free to message me if you want more info.

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Savoring the late summer weekend called for pairing local produce with a special charcuterie feast. It’s been a great season for peaches so I threw together a peach and blue cheese salad with marcona almonds. (Note: Arugula would have been great in this but I had none.) Fantastic charcuterie and pickled red onions came from Moody’s in Waltham.

We have summer dinners of a similar style with meze (often) or cheeses (rarely). A salad of summer produce takes them to another level, whether we’re having a Greek village salad, a green salad, watermelon and feta, tomato salad, or some other concoction.

P.S. @fooddabbler, on this visit Moody’s freezer case was bereft of stocks and soups I have seen there in the past. I may have gotten lucky finding proscuitto broth when I did.

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Lovely feast. Thanks for the broth check.

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Good gawd…wanna adopt me?:yum:

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Please, I asked long ago that T…T… take an interest in me. I may be a bit old for traditional adoption, but, hey, this is the modern world (despite the vigorous efforts of those who would take us back to an un-great past), and I am happy to be T…T…'s adopted great-great grandfather. Or her very untraditional older-than-I son.

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Local squash is at its peak as the kiss of the first frost closes the growing season. Last night I roasted a big sheet pan of cubed butternut squash, potatoes, and chunks of red onion for a hearty vegetable side. Enough for dinner guests. Plus leftovers for us.

Anointed the veg sparingly with olive oil and a resrtained dusting of kibbeh spice blend (contains cumin, rose leaves, marjoram, allspice, dried mint, paprika, black pepper, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, red chili).

The aroma of roasting squash on a gray, raw October day was a fine thing.

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How inspiring, beautiful table.

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