Photo: SierraTierra/Flickr

Today at 2:30 at Boston City Hall the future of Boston’s food truck scene is up for discussion.

The indefatigable Penny Cherubino of BostonZest.com recently posted an interview for Serious Eats with City Council President Mike Ross, in which Ross talks about the current state of the food truck scene here in town and the reasons he believes the food entrepreneurs behind the movement need to be heard out and supported in their efforts.

If you want to speak up and be heard, now’s your chance! Head to City Hall this afternoon. Or, voice your support by contacting Ross via email or snailmail; BostonZest has provided the contact information.

Follow PRK’s Jessica Alpert HERE as she makes (er, eats) her way through the 1st annual Boston Food Truck Festival held in Beantown’s South End just a few weeks ago.

Stella and Jennifer of Maggie's Farm (Photo: Alexandra Dimodica)

It only takes a bite out of a juicy nectarine. Or the smell of fresh tomatoes. Or one look at rainbow chard’s beautiful natural coloring. A walk through the stalls allows even the non-local believer to understand the beauty that a farmers’ market holds.

While visiting local markets in August during Massachussetts Farmers Market week, I took in the tastes and smells that hard-working local farmers bring to the table – and  those that they allow me to feast upon in my own kitchen.

(Photo: Alexandra Dimodica)

Local farmers’ markets felt the love during this weeklong celebration. All-day festivals, cooking demonstrations, and raffles were in town for the occasion.

While visiting the Lexington and Belmont Farmers Markets, voted Best of Boston by The Boston Globe in 2010 and 2009 respectively, I was pleased to hear that this burst of affection was not a brief fling, but instead a long term love affair. The farmers I spoke with have received affection from passionate market patrons for years. Continue reading →

Photo: Jon Stammers/Flickr

Calling all meat-eaters! Have you ever tried goat? (I haven’t.) ‘Feel like you know how best to shop for and cook it? PRK guest contributor Anastacia Marx de Salcedo of Slow Food Boston has put together a write-up, complete with videos, on where in the Boston area to get your hands on great quality goat meat and what to do with it to make an equally great, home-made meal.

Goat, Three Ways: A Video Guide to Goat Meat

Photo: Wallula Junction/Flickr

Recently, I picked up some tapioca from the grocer’s refrigerator in those little plastic pudding cups. I brought ‘em home, tossed a few blueberries on top of one and had a yummy snack. But after thinking about it, I was left wondering what it was, elementally, I had eaten. Hail the Internet! I went online to find an answer to an age-old question: “What are those little lumps in my tapioca?”

What I found was a blogosphere filled with decadent home-made tapioca recipes so distinctive and indulgent I succumbed. In addition, I came across a fascinating culinary history lesson AND an answer to that ‘lump conundrum’ palatable and friendly enough to put my mind at ease.

But! Before we get to the good stuff – the recipes, and there are many- let’s get at that elephant in the room. Or, in this case, that pea under the mattress. The lumps. Continue reading →

Photo: Flickr/moreno0101

Meryl LaTronica
Farm Manager, Powisset Farm

As we come to the end of August, we are nearing the end of one of our best melon harvests ever here at Powisset Farm. Even though we grow our melons in the same way that we grow most of our other crops—seed in greenhouse, transplant out to field, weed, water, care—they somehow seem to carry a bit more magic and mystery due to their extreme size and sweet, sugary deliciousness. It’s not that biting into a freshly picked head of broccoli isn’t amazing; it is. But in mid-August, when you are so hot and tired from picking all day every day, there is something special about dunking head-first into a dripping watermelon, letting go of all need to be cool or shy and instead letting our childhood joys take hold and win.

Continue reading →

Photo: Courtesy of Edible Boston

Ilene Bezahler, Guest Contributor
Edible Boston

Wendy Mainardi learned to keep bees after she inherited the hives at Allandale Farm. She jumped right in – taking classes, reading and being fearless in her efforts. Her sense of humor has also helped her along the way. What else can you do but laugh when you see your entire colony fly off to settle in the highest branches of a local tree! Read about Wendy’s experiences as she goes from novice to seasoned beekeeper. You’ll find tips on cooking with honey at the end of her article, plus several recipes (including one for Labneh with honey and orange) and information about Bee School!

(Stung?! Read PRK’s post on 13-year-old, local beekeeper Orren Fox, and follow the link to hear amazing audio and the interview with Orren which aired on “Radio Boston” in July.)

Mike Fubini

Have you ever heard of Glucagon-like peptide-1? Know how to make Arepa de Huevo? How about taking an exceptional food photograph using the “rule of thirds?” If your answer to any or all of these questions is no, you’ll want to check out Nikas Culinaria.

Continue reading →

John Gertsen of Drink (All photos: Susanna Bolle)

John Gertsen is one of Boston’s most respected and talented bartenders. For six years, he manned the bar at No. 9 Park, developing a reputation not only as a supremely inventive mixologist, but also as an expert on the history of cocktails, particularly drinks from the 19th and early 20th centuries. Then, two years ago, with chef Barbara Lynch, Gertsen helped found Drink in Fort Point. The bar quickly established itself as one of the finest and most original in the city, if not the country. It’s a testament to the high regard in which he’s held in the local cocktail community that each of the bartenders profiled thus far in PRK’s Meet Your Bartender series has expressed admiration for his work behind the bar. Continue reading →

Photo: JSF/Flickr

Alexandra Dimodica 

LOCAL BITES 

Lots on the menu in Newport…
Spend a day (or three) on the water August 20th through 22nd at the Newport Yachting Center and indulge at the Newport Winefest. Enjoy the scenery, local chefs’ dishes, wine, beer and other spirits.  

Cold War
Beat the heat with a sweet treat at the Ice Cream Showdown in Somerville and Boston on August 21st & 22nd. 

(Fish) Farm to Table
On August 24th dine at the New England Aquarium as part of its Celebrate Seafood Dinner Series, featuring a “fish farm to table” dinner guest-hosted by chef Jeffrey Fournier of 51 Lincoln in Newton. Say hello to the well-dressed penguins while you’re there. 

Fresh fare for free
Visit Smolak Farms on August 25th for the Final 2010 Summer Chef Series Event. Edible Boston and the Wine ConneXtion are in on the free fun. And Executive Chef Samuel Hunt of 15 Walnut will show you the ins and outs of his recipe for Grilled Peach and Tomato Caprese Salad. 

A dog’s happiest hour
For those of you who love to go out but hate to leave your four-legged friend behind, Boston has the event for you. Visit The Beehive on August 29th for K9 & Cocktails II, where your dog will taste broth ‘cocktails’ like “the tail wagger” and eat martini-glass-shaped doggie treats from Polkadog Bakery. Continue reading →