Looking for advice from Davis / Camberville locavores

[hikermtnbiker.livejournal.com]

I've been disgusted and frustrated one time too many and have finally
decided that I want to break my "industrial food" consumption habits.
I am looking for advice and ideas from others who are committed to
local food sourcing.

This will be a big challenge for me as I am a huge creature of habit
and not the least bit handy in the kitchen. So I am really interested
in how others started down this path and how they make it work.

Comments

[lyonesse.livejournal.com]

the weekly (in summer, like now :) farmer's market, wednesday afternoons in the day street parking lot (kind of behind the post office) is a great gateway to local food. i buy a lot of my food there -- bread, veg, fruit, meat, even wine -- and that's about as local-sourced as it gets :)

[enveri.livejournal.com]

And if your schedule, like mine, makes it difficult to get to that one (I think they close at 6), I -believe- Harvard Square has theirs on Sunday afternoons. I haven't googled around to check and see when all the local communities have their Farmers Markets though. In the winter it's a little more difficult, but there are CSAs (community supported agriculture) that have winter crop shares to sell, and some of the local restaurants use local produce and ingredients as much as possible. (Za in Arlington comes to mind)

Eating local takes alot more 'leg' work in the beginning; doing your research to find the vendors that source local products, but once you establish places to buy your food, it does get easier.

Good luck! :)

Edit: A quick google turned this up: http://bostonlocalvores.org (http://bostonlocalvores.org/)

I haven't looked at the blog yet, but it might be useful?

[enveri.livejournal.com]

Replying, so I don't spam the previous commenter with my edits. It looks like bostonlocalvores.org shut down their blog, but still have resources listed that might be helpful. :)

[ron_newman]

Or Union Square market, which is from 9 am to 1 pm on Saturdays.

[anotherjen.livejournal.com]

If you can get there, I like the Arlington one better; I've been going there exclusively for the last 2-3 years. It's the same day, around the same time.

[hrafn.livejournal.com]

Farmers markets, in the summer, are a relatively easy first step. There are MANY of them in the Boston area. http://www.massfarmersmarkets.org/ A CSA may be easier, depending on your/their schedule, and can provide flowers, eggs and more, not just fruit/vegetables. Some farms do winter shares.

The markets would probably be the best way to see some options for all kinds of local foods, because I see bakers and jam makers and honey sellers and chocolate and booze and all kinds of things that aren't veggies or fruit.

Boston Organics is more focused on the organic than the local, but they do source some food locally. And they deliver to your door :). They have winter delivery, though in the winter "local" can mean "from Florida." (It's better than from California?) http://www.bostonorganics.com/

Local meat is going to be a lot more expensive than not-local, but it's doable. You can point your favorite search engine at "meat csa" for some options, or look for vendors at local markets.

And Cape Ann Fresh Catch does fish/seafood shares, for local seafood: http://capeannfreshcatch.org/

Kick Ass Cupcakes stocks local dairy products, preserves, and possibly other goodies.

When Pigs Fly is localish bread (how far away is too far?); I think it is baked in Maine? Or New Hampshire?

[badseed1980.livejournal.com]

Boston Organics now has the "dogma box" for locavores.

"$29 dogma box
The Dogma Box includes produce sourced as close to Boston as possible.

This box is intended for customers that believe it is of the utmost importance to purchase organic produce that is grown as close to home as possible.

We'll source produce close to home and move further out until we can provide at least 8 unique items.

NO LISTS are NOT allowed for this box.


1 1/2 pint Blueberries (VT)
1 bunch Broccoli (Quebec)
1 lbs Carrots (MA)
1 2/3 oz clamshell Chives (MA)
3 ears Corn (MA)
1 bunch Dandelion Greens (MA)
1 head Green Leaf, Red Leaf, or Romaine Lettuce (MA)
1 Hot House Tomatoes (Quebec)
1 lbs Mixed Soft-Rind Squash (MA)
3 Pickling Cucumbers (MA)
1 lbs Spanish Onions (MA)"

[ron_newman]

What does "No lists are not allowed" mean?

[badseed1980.livejournal.com]

It means you're not allowed to make a "no list"--a list of stuff you do NOT want to receive in your delivery--if you've signed up to get this box. You can do so with the other boxes that are not necessarily sourced so close to home.

[mockingbird39.livejournal.com]

I love my dogma box! I find that not allowing no lists actually makes me more creative. There are very few veggies that I won't eat, but last summer I got a giant head of cauliflower in my box one week and that is my one actual won't-eat-it-no-way-never veggie. I HATE cauliflower. So I glared at it for a while, googled, and found a recipe for mac n cheese where you added ground up cauliflower to stretch the sauce in a low-cal way. It was delicious - didn't taste a bit like cauliflower.

So yes, another vote for Boston Organics!

[squirrelitude]

Yeah, you can do some pretty amazing stuff with cauliflower. My mom has used it to make something that is surprisingly similar to mashed potatoes.

[turil.livejournal.com]

Yeah, I never liked the stuff until I got into raw foods, and discovered that you can cover small pieces of cauliflower with a nut dressing (with fatty nuts, lemon, salt, and water blended together) and dehydrate until crispy (if you can wait that long!) to make a healthy, yummy, fatty, salty finger food. Yum!

[magid.livejournal.com]

When Pigs Fly bread is baked in Maine (but not far over the border from NH) and brought in each morning to their store in Davis.

[ron_newman]

I love their bread, but that distance makes it 'non-local' if you can instead buy from a truly local bakery such as Hi-Rise in Cambridge (who are at the Davis Square market every week)

The geographically closest bakery to Davis Square (if we're talking bread, rather than cake) is probably La Ronga on Somerville Ave.

[squirrelitude]

I don't find their selection quite as inspiring, unfortunately.

[ron_newman]

Hi-Rise's or La Ronga's? I guess Lyndell's also bakes bread, though that isn't what they are best known for.

[magid.livejournal.com]

For me, the fact that they have kosher certification makes the difference. Alas, Hi-Rise doesn't (neither does Iggy's. boo.), and while La Ronga does (or at least, did), I never liked their stuff well enough to go there.

[logt.livejournal.com]

We tried breads in When Pigs Fly and weren't vewry impressed. However, we love the hidden about 10 minutes walk from Alewife absolutely local "Iggy's".

[ron_newman]

For that to be a 10 minute walk, you must be using some hole in the fence around the railroad tracks. What is your walking route?

[logt.livejournal.com]

You are right. I haven't walked there from the T for quite a while and forgot how far it actually is (now with the kid just drive there)

[ron_newman]

Damn, I was hoping you knew a secret shortcut so I could add it to my map.

[logt.livejournal.com]

Wish I found one when I looked... and did I look.

[rozhinka.livejournal.com]

There absolutely used to be a hole in the fence from the back of the office parking lots on CambridgePark Drive that you could use to walk over the tracks to Iggy's.

[icecreamempress.livejournal.com]

Yep. It's not there any more.

[ron_newman]

Unless you make it be there again ;-)

[logt.livejournal.com]

I second Boston Organics. We used a CSA share (delivered to the door by Metro Pedal) last year when we just had our baby and were a bit disappointed by quality and hugely disappointed by variety. Now we get a half-half $29 box from BO and we love it! Though some of the fruits/veggies come from far. Unfortunately with a very picky husband I can't use Dogma Box.

Now Whole Foods at Alewife has a local produce section, but farmers markets are better in my opinion (if you can go there at the right time).

[findingthegirl.livejournal.com]

Sherman Market in Union Square has a lot of local foods.

[turil.livejournal.com]

Do try the smoked salt (I think it's from the Maine Sea Salt company)! It's available in bulk, and is awesome!

[chenoameg.livejournal.com]

I recommend you think about what matters most to you, so you can make (the inevitable) tradeoffs.

Are you trying to:

keep more money in the community?
avoid factory farming for environmental reasons or cruelty to animals reasons?
increase the sources of local foodstuffs to reduce dependence on long distance shipping/superconglomerates?
increase the wages of those who produce our food?
eat more nutritive food?
reduce your carbon footprint?


Somerville has a LOT of options available to you for places to get local food. Sherman's market in Union. Dave's Fresh on one side of Davis, and the Dairy bar on the other. Farmer's markets in Union, Davis, Harvard, downtown, and Arlington. Fishshares, meatshares, and farmshares available.

Some people find it easier to change habits positively -- committing to eat vegetarian-only one day a week, or always buying local milk from now on.

Other people do better by laying down negatives -- "I'm never eating at a chain restaurant again."

Similarly, some people find it easier to change habits when they make small changes, other people find it easier to change everything at once.

Reflect on how you've successfully changed habits in the past, and that will help you succeed at local eating.

[anotherjen.livejournal.com]

Great comment.

[hikermtnbiker.livejournal.com]

Great comments, thanks.

Although.... you are assuming that I have actually changed habits at some point. I'm not so sure. I think that I simply accumulate more habits.

[jadelennox]

I saw flyers at Sherman market for some new service which is delivering cooked meals made of local food (delivered by bike, via Metro pedal power). I can't remember the name of the company, but you should be able to find the flyers or ask at Sherman. Wasn't cheap, though.

Other than that, ditto what everyone else said: farmers market, CSA, know your reasons.

[genevra-mcneil.livejournal.com]

I love pretty much what everyone has said. CSAs, Farmer's Markets, Sherman's and Kick Ass. If you have a garden, that's a good start too. I've been amazed at how much food I get with even my pathetic gardening skills and my tiny shady plot at the Community Garden.

Pete and Jen's Backyard Birds out in Concord is a great resource (if you have a car) for locally grown chickens, eggs, pork, and rabbits.

Since you say you aren't handy in the kitchen, let me suggest a few generic things that I found helpful when I made the switch.

1. Be prepared for sticker shock. Local meat is much more expensive than industrial food. (Insert rant about internalized and externalized hidden costs here.)

2. To mitigate sticker shock, start thinking "flexivore". That's the foodie word for "not eating a lot of meat." Make meat your flavoring and not the main component. For instance, don't have beef stew with two pounds of meat and half a pound of potatoes. Make a stew with 5 pounds of veggies and only half a pound of meat.

3. For me at least -- a busy mom with a pt job -- the slow cooker is vital. Also vital, "The Slow Cooker Revolution" by (local company!) America's Test Kitchen. I like to braise cheap cuts and then freeze the shredded meat to add to grain/bean meals as flavorings.

4. Finally, importantly, always be cooking. Cooking from scratch takes time and if you wait until you're hungry to make a dinner, you'll be starving and ticked off an hour later when you're wrestling with dinner. Instead, if you have a few minutes one night, make a batch of granola. Make a batch of crackers. Knead some dough for bread.

Can I take a minute to do some one-the-fly market research if you'd pay for a personal chef who came in and filled your fridge and freezer with prepared dishes made from locally sourced food? I'm thinking of a career change come the fall ....

[ukelele.livejournal.com]

I have, FWIW, actually already considered paying you money to feed me.

[genevra-mcneil.livejournal.com]

:) Then keep an eye out for Kitchen Witch Personal Cooking in the fall. Or winter. Or spring....

[hikermtnbiker.livejournal.com]

Thanks for the great advice. Actually, I figure that acquiring new cooking habits will be harder than finding local food, so your prep suggestions are really welcome.

I am not sure that I am quite ready for a personal chef. It would feel too self indulgent. But it sounds like a great idea.

[grapefruiteater.livejournal.com]

Maybe make challenging yourself to learn to cook part of the process. It's hard to eat locally if you don't cook or only cook in a limited fashion. I usually prepare vegetables in the simplest way possible—steam, boil, or saute—but you have to know how to treat each one. Get yourself a Mark Bittman cookbook and read up on vegetables and techniques. Start with simple recipes and use them as building blocks, and don't be afraid to fail and learn from your mistakes.

Also, remember that dumping a fried egg on top of almost anything makes it a meal.

[hrafn.livejournal.com]

Also, remember that dumping a fried egg on top of almost anything makes it a meal.

I just wanted to repeat that :D

[genevra-mcneil.livejournal.com]

Yes! Bittman is awesome for a new cook. (I love this article: http://www.nytimes.com/2011/01/02/weekinreview/02bittman.html) And eggs are one of my go-to last minute proteins.

Finally, if you can stand a little more advice on cooking, let me suggest a menu plan. Not a strict rigid thing but a loose guideline so you know, in rough outlines, what you're having for dinner every night and have lots of flexibility within that schedule.

So, for instance:

Monday night: Stir fry (use Bittman's recipe for this). Any veg from your CSA or farmer's market run will work in this.

Tuesday night: Pizza -- get your dough at Shaw/Dave's Fresh Pasta or make it yourself and then pile it high with local veggies and local cheese.

Wed. night: Lentils and brown rice with veg. (Bittman's recipe again)

Thursday night: Ravioli from Dave's Fresh. Steam veggies over the boiling pasta water.

Friday night: Soup! Or, if it's hot, tossed salad and scrambled eggs

Sat.: Leftovers. If you don't have leftovers, whole wheat pasta tossed with garlicky greens and lots of cheese.

Sunday: Pull out all the stops and do something fancy. Roast a chicken. Braise a lamb shank. Whip up a souffle (which is so easy it's criminal).

With a schedule like that, you can have tons of variety but you're never stuck in the kitchen staring around thinking "what the hell am I going to have for dinner?"

It dawns on me, after that long post, that you're probably a single person and don't need to feed a big family. In that case, you may want to stretch that schedule out over two weeks, with leftovers ever other night.

[csbermack.livejournal.com]

I have considered hiring someone to take my farmshare and turn it into meals in accordance with my preferences. I solved my "ack too much fresh produce, no time or brain to deal" by splitting the farmshare with two other people, but I still eat less of it than I'd like, and still have less time for dealing than I'd like.

I no longer make stupid amounts of money, and I have more food constraints now, so it may not be sensible, but it's a service I would seriously consider.

[kelkyag]

Another map of farmers' markets, farmstands, farms, and related. (That link is set for farmers' markets; look through the options at the top for other businesses.)

If you want someone else to do a large chunk of the work and are willing to pay for that, you could look at Cuisine En Locale's Once a Week, which offers a weekly share of prepared food made from all-local ingredients.

[dial-zero.livejournal.com]

The website Supercook.com is your friend. Type in the ingredients you have, it suggests ingredients you may have, and tells you what recipes you can make. That's how I cooked all the stuff in my Dogma box.

[hikermtnbiker.livejournal.com]

That is very cool!

[turil.livejournal.com]

Sprouting is a great way to get super local superfoods!

It's even better when you can get the seeds from local growers. If nothing else, you can order the most common sprouting seeds grown in New England from Johnny's Selected Seeds.

You can also grow your own microgreens, which are exceptionally healthy for you, too.

And remember wild edibles, which are often exceptionally healthy. Just make sure to get them from an area that hasn't been made toxic by car exhaust, lead, or synthetic fertilizer, pesticides, herbicides, etc. The wilder areas of Somerville offer a reasonable selection. And out on the bike path in the suburbs you can find a lot of great stuff. (Check out the "Boston Raw Food" Meetup group for listings of educational wild edible walks/bike rides. And maybe pick up David Craft's Urban Foraging book. He's a local, too, and organizes some of these walks/rides.)

My favorite things are sunchokes (a "wild" sweet root that grows like crazy), cultivated kale and mustard micro greens, lambsquarters, and wood sorrel (made into green smoothies, with local berries), and alfalfa, clover, and lentil sprouts (in salads or made into veggie burgers).

I've also gotten a grant for Binikou.org, to run a 20 week program on local superfoods, and will be adding lots of solutions for getting more of this great stuff to the Binikou wiki over the next few months.

[hikermtnbiker.livejournal.com]

I hope to start growing some of my own greens and veggies but this will be a project for next year.

Foraging sounds like a great idea but it is not without its problems, as illustrated in this NYT article. This should not be a problem in many places but in areas set aside for conservation this can be problematic. See various pro/cons in the comments section.

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/07/30/nyregion/new-york-moves-to-stop-foraging-in-citys-parks.html?pagewanted=all

[turil.livejournal.com]

Oh, and I'll add the idea that making a smoothie for breakfast (greens plus fruit) is super easy, and no cooking involved at all.

And adding at least one substantial salad a day to your meals goes a long way to using up your local foods (and feeding your body and brain well!) and is, again, easy and no cooking skills are necessary.

[bobobb.livejournal.com]

I can recommend the book Vegan Planet by Robin Robertson -- even if your not vegan (just add meat, cheese or eggs to the recipes as desired). I started using it when I started cooking out of my CSA and the recipes are really good and easy. You can probably find it at the Porter Book Store.

Good luck!

[elements.livejournal.com]

Many of our area restaurants serve a lot of local stuff. I recently switched from being vegetarian (for 16 years) to being a source-conscious omnivore, and have been pleasantly surprised at how many places near here source local, organic, free-range, pastured meats. I'd rather eat meat like that than soy that's been farmed in a monoculture displacing native crops half a continent away. Many of our local markets and supermarkets even have options for locally produced and farmed food. Whole Foods, Harvest Coop, Dave's etc (at varying levels of price).

Figure our which farmers' market fits into your weekly routine. There are markets on weekdays scattered throughout Camberville, as well as a few weekend ones. My current routine involves a stop at the Harvard Science Center market (Tuesdays noon-6) after work, and if I miss that trying to get to the Davis one before it closes at 6. Kendall Square is I think Thursday, Central is Monday. There's a twice-a-week one at Copley and I assume others in downtown-accessible areas. Even folks who work til or past 6 may be able to swing by a market on lunch break. The biggest, easiest thing for me was simply to make sure the market is a regular part of my routine, and that I'm going there before I make any runs to a grocery store for whatever I can't get there.

[elements.livejournal.com]

Realizing I forgot to note: the Davis market is Wednesdays. Someone upthread has probably already said this but realized my sentence made it look like it might be Tuesdays.