Photo: Ben Sutherland/Flickr

Hello from the Kitchen! 

Today we’ve got a goodie from the ever-informative, ever-engaging JJ Gonson of Cuisine en Locale. Why? The air is getting frosty, you can see your breath in the morning and many (not all) farmers markets are set to close. Where do you find the best, fresh food?

Enter JJ. And, PLEASE. Share with all of us where YOU find the best of what’s in season, in your area.

From JJ Gonson…..

Hey guys,
it’s getting cold out, isn’t it?
Are you worried about where you are going to be finding sustenance after Tday and the end of the markets?
It’s going to be OK, we are all going to muddle through, as we always have.
While the selection will certainly continue to be more and more limited as the days grow shorter (and even after they start to grow longer again), you can always just stroll on over to Sherman Market in Somerville or City Feed and Supply in JP. If you are in Cambridge, try Formaggio or Savenors to find some local fare.
 
And Shape Up Somerville is going to be bringing us an indoor market for some, if not all, of the winter months. That will be on Saturday mornings at the Armory on Highland Ave, from what I hear. Don’t forget, both Enterprise and Red Fire will be delivering winter shares to Metro Pedal Power, and they’re the folks to contact for info!
So try to keep your chin up. We are all in this together, and here are a couple of fun things coming down the pike that will help, too.
• This Friday, Oct. 22nd, is the first “Meat Meet” of the year
Meat meets are when Stillman brings the meat van to town, loaded up and weighted down with lots of orders and plenty of extra to pick up. You look at when they are coming on my blog, under Meat Meets and then, if you want to specially order anything, you can post a comment at the end of the post, and Kate and co. will load it up for you, and you can pick up and pay.
This one is going to be at Harvard Law School, and the deets are here:  http://www.enlocale.com/wp002/2010/09/26/its-never-too-soon-to-meet-your-meat/
Don’t forget to post in the comments if you want anything special, otherwise just show up and take the same kind of chances you do at a farmers market. (We will keep doing this even when most of them are closed)
• You may have noticed me talking about something called “Farmers To You”
They are a new company who are going to be bringing food directly from VT farms to Cambridge and areas nearby, starting as soon as they can get enough people signed up. They need a regular order of at least $30 from 40 buyers to start up in an area. I really want them to start here, in Central Sq., so I am hoping that loads of you will hop on over to their website and check it out!  
http://farmerstoyou.com/
You might notice, because they are only selling direct from farm to consumer, that their prices, generally, are really very reasonable.  
I am especially excited that they have found a steady source for garlic, which is important, as MA had a fairly miserable garlic season. (Yes, the wet was worth it for the tomatoes and peaches, but I’m still happy to have located a place to obtain that particular alium.)
Hope you are staying warm, and that you are looking forward to those delicious winter stews, soups and bakes. mmmm… comfort food…. ok, I’m ready!