Back in the early fall, I had to the unique opportunity to follow Angela Roell, founder and operator of YardBirds Bees, into their active apiary. Surrounded by buzzing, swarming insects, I squirmed inside my protective suit and tried my best to keep the camera steady. Over two days of honey extraction and comb cutting, we…
Category: Community
Farmers Market Series Part Six: Medfield
The farmers market in Medfield is small, and tucked into the shadow of the First Parish Unitarian Universalist Church on North Street. Tables and tents for the vendors are set up on the lawn: one table of fresh produce, flowers and food goods, one table of handmade quilts, oven mitts and hot plates, one table…
Farmers Market Series Part Five: Waltham
The Waltham Farmers Market opens at 9:30 am, and within the hour, the parking lot of the Arthur J. Clark Government Center is full of people. Parents, children, friends, residents and dogs eagerly crowd the market, and stand in throngs by crates of purple eggplants and dishes of arroz con pollo. It’s early morning and…
Farmers Market Series Part Four: Newton
The pine branches hang low at Cold Spring Park, and nestled between the trees is the entrance to the Newton Farmers Market. The market has a couple dozen vendors, and I stop at each of the tables. There are long lines at the ice cream booth and at another booth making meat pies, and I stop…
Farmers Market Series Part Three: Framingham
I can see a kettle corn vendor as I drive up to the Framingham farmers market on the Village Green. I love the sweet and salty snack, and I grab a bag to munch on as I tour the market, not yet having had lunch. There are produce vendors on both sides of the sidewalk,…
The Mushroom Farm at Fungi Ally
Four years ago, Willie Crosby sat in his friend’s basement harvesting mushrooms from fruited sawdust logs. In a space that was only 8 x 16 feet, he could inoculate 200 logs per week with mushroom mycelium and bring them to harvest. Willie was a produce farmer but he was inspired to grow mushrooms after reading…
Farmers Market Series Part Two: Boston Public Market Pop-ups
The Boston Public Market, the largest indoor, year-round farmers market in Boston, opened two new seasonal locations over the last month: one in the Seaport District and one in Dewey Square. The BPM sources exclusively local produce, meat and goods from small businesses around New England, focusing on helping our local communities and economy. The small…
A cup of mushroom tea with Liat Racin, founder of Tamim Teas
A bite of ginger, a little nuttiness from the turmeric, and a deep earthiness. That must be the taste of the mushrooms… or maybe that’s still the turmeric. The hot cup of Lion’s Share mushroom tea steams, and makes the room smell of ginger. In Liat Racin’s kitchen in Somerville, the shelves are lined with…
Grilled Haddock with Rhubarb Tomato Salsa
Rhubarb and zucchini are in season! Pleasantly surprised at the Natick Farmers Market yesterday, I bought some of each, and then I sat for 20 minutes trying to think of how to use them both. Rhubarb is usually used in sweet dishes, but it has a nice, naturally tart flavor. I really wanted to spend the…
The Clean Food Club 