FRUIT OR VEGETABLE?

When it’s time for dinner and the stress and chaos of the day sinks in, it’s all too easy to boil a big pot of pasta and pour some ready-made tomato sauce on top.

 

This is completely acceptable, especially if you’re using pasta from Valicenti Organico and sprinkling some fresh cheese from Narragansett Creamery, however there is a time and place for everything and the time for canned or jarred tomatoes is not when you can get fresh, local, juicy tomatoes in abundance. Right now, there are too many delicious options to choose from! Pay a visit to your closest farmers market.

Slice up some heirloom tomatoes from one of the many farms carrying them in abundance at the moment and drizzle them with olive oil, salt and pepper for an easy snack... or try one of these simple recipes from local bloggers and make the most of summer’s sweetest fruit that you didn’t realize was a fruit!

Looking for something simple and portable? Pick up some cherry tomatoes, fresh burrata from Fiore Di Nonno and a Hi-Rise Bread Company baguette for a picnic friendly afternoon snack – perfect with a bottle of wine from Turtle Creek or Westport Rivers. Get the recipe for Roasted Tomatoes with Burrata and Pesto from A Thought for Food.

Or highlight your cherry tomatoes and Crystal Brook Farm Goat Cheese in these adorable Tomato and Goat Cheese Wonton Cups from Fork it Over Boston!

Another great dinner party appetizer which is colorful, fresh, and delicious are these Tomato Salsa Crostinis from Tiny Urban Kitchen making the most out of your medium sized tomatoes.

Pick up some bacon, free-range chicken from Copicut, corn and grape/cherry tomatoes from your local farmers market and mix up this hearty blend of summer flavors. This Creamy Chicken with Corn, Tomatoes and Bacon is from Katie at the Kitchen Door.

Enjoy another summer favorite by picking up some fresh fish from C&C Lobster Co. or get creative with smoked fish from Matt's Amazing Smokehouse to serve atop fried heirloom tomatoes and avocado. Get the recipe for Crab Salad with Fried Tomato and Avocado from A Boston Food Diary.

 

Make the most of this year's tomato season! We promise you won't be sorry.

BAKING SEASON IS BACK! TRY MAKING A PIE

Scan your favorite market.... What do you see?

Lots of stone fruits (peaches, plums, apricots), berries (blueberries, raspberries, currants, etc.), and apples! It's the perfect time of the year to think about heating your stove back up and to begin baking! The weather has finally cooled down this week and pies, tarts, and galettes can go a long way in impressing your friends at a dinner party or making the most of your summer time produce. The differences among them are subtle and the possibilities are virtually endless.

A pie is a very American dessert and close to our hearts, often times made in a special pie dish handed down through the generations. We think of pie as a great kind of comfort food, flexible for sweet or savory dishes. You can make pies using any number of fruit fillings (perfect for using up those berries and peaches from the pick your own expedition you took last weekend), savory fillings, or by using heartier fillings such as pumpkin, banana cream, or nut around Thanksgiving. Tarts, on the other hand, are very European and can be made in a multitude of shapes and sizes; often featuring whole or sliced fruit over a creamy custard base. Galettes are free-form versions of pies or tarts that are made flat on a cookie sheet with the crust folded over the edges to contain the filling. Whatever your desire, they offer the perfect opportunity to highlight your farmers market finds!

Mix up your own flavors and ideas or try any of the recipes below, inspired by Massachusetts' local farmers markets and sourced from local bloggers! 

  

Peach Cherry Pie

Even though cherries are already out of season at the farmers markets, you can Mix up some fresh peaches from Kimball's Fruit Farm, Foppema's, or Nicewicz Family Farm and make a classic sweet pie Peach Cherry Pie with Crumb Topping from Beantown Baker.

Savory Farmers Market Tart

Pick up some heirloom tomatoes, zucchini, onions, and arugula from any number of the local farmers right now. Then, make the most of your savory vegetables with this Farmers Market Tart from Once Upon a Small Boston Kitchen.

Vanilla Plum Galette

Buy a pint of adorable plums at Nicewicz Family Farm or Dick's Market Garden and try this very easy and delicious Vanilla Plum Galette from Young Idealistic Baker.

Feeling a little lazy or don't have enough confidence in your baking skills? No worries! There is an option for that too. Pick up a pie from Cook's Farm at the Copley Square Farmers Market Tuesdays or Fridays! They have a variety of delicious pies to choose from. 

WELCOME GRASS ROOTS FARM!

Mass Farmers Markets welcomes Grass Roots Farm, our brand new grass fed beef and pork vendor, to the Central Square Farmers Market this season! Tom and Kristen, the husband and wife team at Grass Roots, cherish the lives of their animals and strive to give them a happy life before they go to slaughter.

At Grass Roots Farm, the animals roam and graze freely. Cows graze first, eating tops off the blades of grass, followed by chickens who graze on the remaining shorter grass and larva. This process helps fertilize their land. The pigs often graze on land that was formerly cornfields because they help tear up the ground, which helps bring back the topsoil. This is a natural cycle in which everyone enjoys new space and nutrients daily, keeping the land in top shape for seasons to come.

Tom and Kristen started their careers in the corporate world, but felt unfulfilled by this lifestyle and eventually turned to renovating multi-family homes instead. Neither thought they would one day be co-owners of a farm in New Braintree!  

As with many new parents, their lives completely changed when their first babies were born. Already heavily influenced by authors Michael Pollan and Joel Salatin as well as the movie Food Inc., Tom and Kristen decided to put the well being of their children first seeking organic alternatives and growing their own food. Eventually, they came across a farm for sale, too enticing to pass up. This farm, now Grass Roots, started out as an old building lacking heat and foundation with 212 acres of land that was used to grow corn by a neighboring farmer.

Tom and Kristen got to work fixing up the old farm house (built in 1742) and left their old home and lifestyle behind with two toddlers and a third baby on the way. They took back the land, bought 3 calves from a dairy farmer for $20 each, and started teaching themselves a new way of life in which they survived on their own food and nourishment. Now, Tom and Kristen sell their meat three times a week at our Copley Square and Central Square Farmers Markets. 

Life on the farm isn’t something to go into lightly, and the 12-hour market days tend to be the easiest on Tom and Kristen. Their children (now 8, 10 and 12) love farm life and often help take care of the chickens, piglets, and bunnies. 

Both Tom and Kristen agree on the importance of shopping at farmers markets. “It used to be that farming was a way of life," Kristen says. "Now, people are so removed from where things come from and take it for granted, people don’t understand everything has its season.”

Tom adds, “People complain so much about how things are, but spend money at Walmart and buy gas at BP. Their money is a vote and I don’t think they realize that. It doesn’t have to be us or this market, but just Farmers Markets in general. Go to the market, meet the farmer, look at his hands, see what he does.”

Last Monday, Tom and Kristen celebrated their 18^th wedding anniversary at the Central Square Farmers Market, which was exactly where they wanted to be!

Visit their website to learn more and come to the CentralSquare Farmers Market on Mondays, or visit the Copley Square Farmers Market Tuesdays and Fridays.

Live closer to New Braintree? Stop by the farm Thursdays or Saturdays with advanced notice.