Boston Local Food Fest

My friend and I went to the Boston Local Food Festival on Saturday.  Were you there, too?  It was an awfully big turnout for a first-time event.  Grills were smoking and free samples were plentiful along the Fort Point Channel near the Children’s Museum.  Several of my favorite local farms and products were represented: Cape Ann Fresh Catch, Reseska Apiaries, Blue Heron Organic Farm, Taza Chocolate, Red Fire Farm, Cabot Cheese, The Food Project.  Other pleasant discoveries:

• The Enterprise Farms school bus from Whately, MA: Enterprise Farms had a mobile farmer’s market set up in and around a converted school bus.  I’ll admit, I giggled like a schoolgirl when I hopped aboard and saw the neatly arranged bins of vegetables where the seats used to be.  Owner Dave Jackson plans to travel to underserved neighborhoods in western Massachusetts, like urban Springfield, to increase access to naturally grown local food.

• Maple cream from Ben’s Sugar Shack, Temple, NH: Maple cream is a thick, pure maple spread which is produced by boiling maple syrup, rapidly cooling it down, then stirring it as you bring it back to room temperature so it maintains a creamy emulsion.  It contains no actual cream.  Good for slathering on biscuits or toast.  Actually, good doesn’t even begin to describe it.  It’s crack.  That’s all I can say.

• Dahlicious Lassi, Tewksbury, MA: Indian-style drinkable yogurts in mango, strawberry, blueberry, and banana.  Very tasty stuff made with Vermont milk and containing all the health benefits of natural probiotics.

• Big Moe’s BBQ (M&M Ribs), Boston, MA: Based out of a truck on Hampden St., mighty fine ribs, pulled pork, and collard greens.  But did you know that they source all of their meat locally?  The beef is from River Rock Farm in Brimfield, MA and the pork from North Brook Farm in Rochester, VT.  Holy crap, it’s good BBQ.  And the T-shirts: Eat Well! Stay Fit! Die Anyway!  Priceless.

• Grillo’s Pickles, Boston, MA:  I believe it was reader Gillis who first mentioned Grillo’s pickles to me, and now I am a believer.  Grillo’s, let me introduce you to my fridge.  Fridge, Grillo’s.

• Cloumage from Shy Brother’s Farm, Westport, MA: I’ve enjoyed their tiny Hannahbells before, bite-sized, thimble-shaped cow’s milk cheeses, but their Cloumage, a soft, tangy lactic curd, was a bit of a revelation.  I didn’t buy any at the time and I regret it. 

So, tell me, what were your favorites?

Comments

[Julia]

Gosh, I'm surprised I didn't see you there! Lordy, it was insanely crowded. Glad to hear you really liked Dahlicious. The founder is a classmate of mine from Babson. And what a great thing Enterprise Farm is doing!!!

[Annabelle B]

Maple Crack in a can.... I think my pancreas thinks I am trying to give it diabetes as I eat the stuff straight off the spoon. Sooooooo goooood.

Also I am surprised you didn't mention the weather. Because you know, it was a beautiful day... hahahahahah!

I hope you had a GREAT birthday!

[melch]

Our local food festival didn't have nearly as much food or free samples. I did get to taste some of the beef that I've seen grazing on the nearby hills and some delicious pie, though. The most fun thing to me was seeing a wide range of folks brought together from super sustainability evangelists to folks who just enjoy good food and everybody was having a good time.