Farm Food and Flowers Nearby

the flower gardens at Small Farm

Recently, I've been reading quite a bit about the Farm to Table movement. Adherent believe you should plan meals around what is freshest and best, rather than first creating set menus and then searching for foods that fit. The Boston Globe wrote an article about farm to table meals, as did Smithsonian magazine. I knew that Nancy's Airfield Cafe used local foods whenever possible, but I thought she was the only nearby source.

Boy, was I wrong!  Through the two print articles, I learned that Verrill Farm in Concord offered a summertime meal they described as "from field to fork" (sold out at the time of this writing, according to their website).  I thought it sounded like a good idea and then promptly forgot about it for all of two days.

Then I stopped by Small Farm in Stow, where I often stop to schmooze with the owners, Barbara and Dwight Sipler,  and to enjoy their chemical-free produce and their glorious flowers. On this visit, they introduced me to a young friend and relative, Amanda, who is putting on a seasonal feast next week. She calls it Supper on Small Farm, and has scheduled it for 4 in the afternoon on August 5. The meal will feature not only Small Farm produce, but also local wine, beer, and cider.  In addition, guests can carry home a bouquet that they have picked themselves. For reservations and more details, call Amanda at 686-2033, area code 617.

Who knew that the food revolution had hit so close to home?

Joys of Summer: Farmstands & Farmer's Markets

Acton-Boxborough Farmer's Market

This week marks the start of the local farmer's market season. The Acton-Boxborough Farmer's Market will open on Sunday, and if history is any indication, it will be a glorious event. The streets will be thronged with cheerful vendors, happy customers, nuzzling dogs, and various performers. The stands will be bursting with tempting local foods. Money will change hands, and hard work will be rewarded.

I love these events. I grew up around farmers and have maintained a lifelong interest in farms and farming. My parents owned a large farm in Portland, Pennsylvania, which was surrounded by other farms. The sights, sounds, and smells of farming life are a delight to me. Some suburbanites smell manured fields and think, "Ick!" I think, "Spring has sprung!"

For years, I watched small farms  struggle and die, the younger generation striking out in new directions. Today, though, many farmers have found new livelihoods as a result of the growing interest in fresh local foods.

Farmer's Markets can be found all over Massachusetts. On any given weekend, I can probably hit two or three. In addition, local farmstands are springing up again, and many are thriving. Years ago, I lived down the street from a small farm stand that grew smaller each year. Then the folks at Idylewilde Farms took over the site, and today it is flourishing.

Carrots at a local farmstand

Smaller establishments are also going strong. I live within walking distance to two farmstands, one run by Stanley Farms and the other by the Burroughs Farm. Both offer pesticide free vegetables that are as gorgeous as they are tasty. A few miles down the road is Small Farm, where I buy not only food but also giant bouquets of cut flowers that I choose myself.

Recently, I read that farmer's markets have become so abundant in a few places that they are creating problems for the vendors; if a dozen vendors all sell lettuce in one area, prices will fall and an individual vendor may not flourish. However, enough farmers are developing special niches, such as Asian vegetables, or berries, or goat milk products, that I think the problem may sort itself out.

Meanwhile, I will take advantage of the season and make sure my wallet has some small bills and my car contains reusable bags. You never know when you will pass a farmstand or market that speaks to you.