Photo: joyosity/Flickr

This will be a momentous, emotional weekend for many in the Boston area. Across the nation and around the world, as well. With our deepest respect, PRK offers the below, small ‘celebrations of freedom’ which begin this weekend, the 10th anniversary of September 11th. May a shared love of food and need for nourishment heal us all.

Ice Cream Showdown III
Join the hoards Sunday, Sept. 11, from 4-6pm on the docks of Community Boating in a fundraiser for Community Servings and Lovin’ Spoonfuls. Attendees will sample ice creamy offerings from some of the Boston area’s best purveyors; several are participating for their third year straight! All info here.

Harvest Dinner in Natick
Natick Community Organic Farm’s 9th Annual Harvest Dinner will be held September 19, 6-9pm in Wellesley. A scrumptious meal of NCOF’s organic fruits, vegetables and meats — paired with beer and wine from MA brewers and vintners, plus cheese from MA dairies — are the main guest of honor. The Mass-Made Wine Tasting runs from 5:15-6:15pm; there will be a Silent Auction too, with all proceeds benefiting the work/mentor NCOF Teen Program. Reservations can be made online. (Read about PRK’s own visit to the farm here.)

Libation Elimination
Boston’s best bartenders will grab their bottles of tequila, pray to their personal muses and begin mixing for this second annual event, happening Wednesday, Sept. 14th, 7-9p.m. at the W Lounge on Stuart Street, Boston. You get to sample and judge, but vote for your favorite bartender NOW! Last year’s prize went to Alejandro Alvarez of Stella. To attend, you gotta’ RSVP: WBostonRSVP@WHotels.com.

Family Farm Day
Head to Appleton Farms in Ipswich, MA, on Sept. 18th for a day’s worth of family- and environmentally-friendly events. There will be butter-making, pumpkin-picking, local foods at the food court, and music by Ben Rudnick and Friends (a Boston-area favorite!). Oh, and a calf training show. And tours of the Old House. And farm animals. Event details through Trustees of Reservations.

“Everybody Has Food Stories”
So says Candy Gold of Newton. And she has her own to tell. Pluck, imagination and a great brisket sandwich has landed her a spot on the Cooking Channel, though she is already at home on TV. Literally. Read her food story; it’s inspiring.

How Gutsy Are You?
This cleverly written review, puns and all, by Lindsey Canant of the Improper Bostonian is sure to please, even if the drink makes you gasp. It’s a foie gras-spiked bourbon (you read that right) by Ted Kilpatrick of No. 9 Park. The bar manager recommends it with chocolate- or fruit-based desserts. Canant plain ole’ recommends it.

Concord Again Delights
Food critic Corby Kummer reviews 80 Thoreau in Concord for Boston magazine. He calls it “serious dining…serious hospitality.” If interested in other of Concord’s food destinations, read on.

NATIONAL BITES

Now That’s A Headline
You just can’t make this stuff up. Maybe the gentleman in question was the most recent inspiration for Ben and Jerry’s new ice cream flavor?

Google Bites
…and gobbles up Zagat, in a nod towards “pure content” and local appeal. This WSJ interview gives a taste of the buy-out, and the fall-out for consumers. Here’s what Tim and Nina Zagat had to say. The New York Times was more expansive. (Could PRK be next? We’re mighty tasty.)

Get Figgy with It
A history lesson on figs, a well-deserved plug and a recipe for deliciously simple Figgy Pizza from Kathy Hunt of Zester Daily.