The Charlesgate Farmers Market is new this year at Charlesgate Park serving the Back Bay, Kenmore and Fenway areas. Our grand opening is on June 23. The market will be held on Sundays from 11-2 until October 13. Student from Berklee School of Music will be performing. Our vendors will be selling fresh produce, fresh fruit, seafood, meat, chicken and eggs, baked goods and many more fresh and locally produced items.
Wright-Locke Farm in Winchester announces its online Farm Stand, “Farm-To-Go”, has been given the go-ahead to continue throughout the winter. It’s been such a popular program and has helped support the farm throughout this difficult year. There will be plenty of local, delicious options for you year around. Some highlights of offerings are Concord grape and rosemary mixers (excellent with gin or soda), Prophecy Chocolate (sustainable, ethical chocolate made with great local ingredients), gourmet mushrooms from Fat Moon Mushrooms, Granny Smith, Cortland, Honeycrisp, and Macoun apples from Brookdale Farm, entrees from Essex Catering, Stew Beef or Lamb from Lilac Hedge Farm, and more. Options change weekly. Visit https://wlfarm.localfoodmarketplace.com/Products
Become a master of the farm to table experience – in this Boston Center for Adult Education class on Wednesday, August 5 from 6 – 9, students will work with seasonal ingredients carefully chosen by the instructor. Simple techniques will be shown to highlight the beautiful early summer flavors. There will be no menu in advance because the class will be based on the ingredients that look best that day! $55 (BCAE members $47) with a $15 materials charge. Register online at www.bcae.org. The class will take place at 122 Arlington Street, Boston, in the Front Gaggenau kitchen. Image from Yankee Magazine.
The Concord Farm & Garden Fair weekend will be held September 13 and 14. On Saturday, from 10 – 2, shop at Ag Day Farmers Market in Concord Center. Purchase local produce, meat, eggs, and flowers. Nearby restaurants will offer Ag Day specials. At the Farmers Market, see the Lexicon of Sustainability (TM) Pop-up Photo Exhibit, illustrating the new language of sustainability, on loan from the Museum of Science. Then, from 2 – 5, there will be Food & Flower Tours. Chart your own course between six tours designed to delight and inspire: chickens, bees, organic veggies, fruit trees and flowers, bio-diverse community and home gardens (including an herb CSA,) a harvest treasure hunt and solar fencing. Pre-register for home garden tours at the Market or at www.concordfood.ning.com.  You may also get on your bike for a casual tour of Concord gardens and farms – email richard@playandlearntogether.com.
On Sunday, from noon – 4, the photo exhibit continues at the Concord Art Association, 37 Lexington Road. Then, from 1 – 4, six farms take you behind their farmstands. Walk the fields and talk with farmers, learn how small-scale farming and selling works today, see historic greenhouses and vintage tractors, and gather eggs and harvest vegetables. Cycle Concord’s foodscape with Richard (email above.) At 4 pm, dine on produce donated by local farmers and prepared by local chefs at the Stone Soup Dinner at Verrill Farm. Appetizers at 4, dinner served at 5. Limited seating. Tickets may be purchased in advance from Debra’s Natural Gourmet, Concord Cheese Shop, and Verrill Farm, with proceeds supporting Concord agricultural projects. Visit www.stonesoupconcord.com for more details.
The Fair is sponsored by the Concord Agriculture Committee and Concord Gardeners Cooperative, with generous contributions from individuals and First Parish in Concord, Barrett Sotheby’s International Realty, Budget Printing, ConcordCAN, Concord Lumber, Debra’s Natural Gourmet, Dunkin Donuts, Helen’s Restaurant, and Middlesex Savings Bank.
The colorful and often exciting history of Topsfield Fair began in 1818 when the Essex Agricultural Society, the non-profit organization that owns the Topsfield Fair, was officially granted a charter on June 12th of that year.
The goal of the fledgling Society, formed by a group of “practical farmers” who first met on February 16, 1818, was “to promote and improve the agricultural interests of farmers and others in Essex County.”
Now, almost 200 years later, the Society still strives to do this, “to encourage, promote and preserve Essex County agricultural activities and to educate the general public regarding their importance in an atmosphere of fun and excitement through the medium of the Topsfield Fair.” Â For more information log on to www.topsfieldfair.org.
As temperatures rise, the distance between plates and farms should fall. Spend an afternoon making this happen by cooking up the best farmer’s market produce Massachusetts has to offer, at the Boston Center for Adult Education on Arlington Street in Boston. Chef Diane Manteca will lead you step by step through delightful summer dishes. In the end, you’ll leave with a collection of recipes that are just like you: fresh, fabulous, and based in Boston! The class will take place on July 20 from 2:30 – 5:30 at 122 Arlington Street. $60 fee ($51 for BCAE members) and a $20 materials cost. Sign up at www.bcae.org.
Join Rialto for one of its 2013 Cooking Classes led by Chef Jody Adams. The day begins with coffee & scones at 11am in the bar & lounge at Rialto in the Charles Hotel in Cambridge. Summer is the perfect time for seasonal pickings at the farmers market. Join Chef Adams and the Rialto staff on June 23rd for the annual Farmers Market & Grilling class. You’ll tour the local markets and peruse Rialto’s favorite purveyors for fresh ingredients before returning to the Rialto Terrace where they’ll bring out the grill and cook up some delicious dishes perfect for your next patio party. For inquiries and to reserve space call 617-661-5050.
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Parma Prosciutto… grilled asparagus, toma, arugula, truffle oil
Spring Salad… grilled onion, strawberry, pistachio pesto
Grilled scallops… English peas, fennel-ramp puree, pickled rhubarb, pork belly, brown butter sauce
$125, inclusive of tax and gratuity. A portion of proceeds from cooking classes go toward the Rialto Restaurant Scholarship offered yearly at the Cambridge Rindge & Latin School. Please inquire about making an additional donation toward the Rialto Scholarship Fund. For complete information visit www.rialto-restaurant.com.
For generations, the Harvest Festival has been a cherished tradition in the Berkshires. Originally conceived as a harvest-season family and community festival, it is one of the largest and longest running events of its kind in the country. The Festival is a celebration of community, showcasing local artisans, supporting local services, and promoting a wide array of superb Berkshire area products. Also of particular regional interest, this year’s Harvest Festival will feature a Farmers Market with the best Berkshire grown foods. The Harvest Festival supports educational programs at the Berkshire Botanical Garden. The Festival will take place Saturday and Sunday, October 1 – 2, from 9 – 5 each day at the Berkshire Botanical Garden at the junction of Routes 183 and 102 in Stockbridge. Photo below from www.ruralintelligence.com. For a full schedule of events, visit www.berkshirebotanical.org/Harvest_Festival/
Stonewall Kitchen will host Farmers’ Market Tours and Cooking Classes on Wednesdays, starting June 8, through Portland, Maine’s Monument Square. Travel and Leisure Magazine has crowned Monument Square one of the top ten Farmers’ Markets in the country. The educational walking tour will focus on Maine’s agriculture, and a cooking class at Stonewall Kitchen, featuring freshly picked produce and other native foods, will follow the tour. For more information, call 207-879-2409, or log on to www.stonewallkitchen.com or www.MaineFoodieTours.com.
Come to Russell’s Garden Center, 397 Boston Post Road in Wayland, on Saturday and Sunday, March 5 and 6, from 10 – 4 each day, for a dose of spring. Get rid of your winter blahs with views of exotic birds, tasty Farmers’ Market treats, informational booths, and more. Planning is still underway, but log on to www.russellsgardencenter.com for details and directions. Photo by Jenn Forman Orth.
