Chestnut Farms, Hardwick MA: "Meet Your Meat"

404 Turkey Street, Hardwick, MA 01037

chestnutfarms.org

We attended the semi-annual Open Barn that the farmers at Chestnut Farms hold for their (meat CSA) shareholders each June (the other is in October). As usual, the animals were the stars of the day. The baby pigs were so cute! .

At the monthly pick-ups, Kim is usually doing about sixteen things at once, so it was nice to spend time chatting in a much more relaxed atmosphere.

For me, the open barns are a chance to connect a bit with the people behind the food, and to see first hand, and appreciate, the attentiveness and care that goes into raising the food that I put on the table for my family. It costs a bit more, but is worth it for so many reasons.  Last fall, we had a bit of a budget crisis, but decided that the $22/week we spend to eat meat from Chestnut Farms was well worth the expense. We decided that a small amount of meat (10lbs/month) from responsible farmers was a way to fit it into our budget. As Kim says herself, CSAs don't work for everyone all the time. But, we are lucky that we can make it work for us right now.

Favorite local ice cream spots

One of my favorite food-related things about New England is the number of ice cream stands that open for the short summer season. We've been eating ice cream pretty regularly this summer. I'm eating for two these days, so I figure I have a good excuse :).

So far, we haven't ventured too far from home, though, and have been mostly eating at Kimball's in Westford, MA and Erikson's in Maynard, MA. Why travel too far when there is delicious ice cream available practically in our own backyard? I found a great ice cream blog with entries about both Kimball's and Erickson's.

Radishes!

The first vegetable from my garden this year--radishes!

So far, so good. Next up should be the peas.

First ice cream of the season

Kimball Farm

400 Littleton Road (Rte. 110), Westford, MA 01886

kimballfarm.com

Kimball's is open, and ice cream season has officially begun! Like true New Englanders, we braved the cold and went out for our first cone of the season. They had sides up on their big tent and a propane heater going full blast, so we didn't mind the temperature. We certainly didn't have to worry about our cones melting today!

The Good Loaf, Mont Vernon NH

The Good Loaf
75 Mont Vernon Road, Milford, New Hampshire 03055
603.672.1500
thegoodloaf.com

Today I stopped in at The Good Loaf bakery, right on Rte. 13, just north of Milford. Every time I go there, I want to fill up my car with their delicious bread. Luckily, I was able to restrain myself and left with a loaf of bread, a cup of coffee, and a pumpkin cupcake.

As you can see, I couldn't keep from sampling the cupcake before remembering to take a picture of it. Yes, it was that good.

Spring planting

The crocuses are out in our yard! Aside from maple sugaring, of course, that's one of my favorite signs that spring is really here.

Today was the first day of planting seeds for our vegetable garden: sugar snap peas, carrots, and radishes.. Talia gets her own little garden patch, too.  She did a great job planting her peas all by herself.

I say this every year, but this year I mean it--our garden is going to be amazing!

We'll see how it goes. I don't have the greenest thumb, but if I get better every year, I consider that a victory. There is nothing more delicious--or more local--than vegetables from your backyard.

Drumlin Farm, Lincoln MA

Drumlin Farm

208 South Great Road, Lincoln MA 01773

http://www.massaudubon.org/drumlin

We got a glimpse of spring in the seedling-filled greenhouse at Drumlin Farm this weekend. For the third year in a row, we (me and twelve of my relatives) went to their annual Farmer's Breakfast. After feasting on pancakes covered in their own maple syrup, as well as potatoes and sausage also from their farm, we walked around to visit the animals and see if anyone had babies yet this spring.

We lucked out and found a bunch of new baby goats. They were so cute! It was naptime for everyone, apparently, while we walked through the barn. Here are a couple of kids curled up and being periodically licked by their momma. There was also a large pig with about a month to go to deliver her litter. We'll have to go back and see them once they're born. Last year there was a barn full of adorable polka-dotted pigs.

On the way out, we visited the sugarhouse and watched them making maple syrup. They had samples of straight maple sap, which for some reason I had expected to be at least slightly sticky, but it was only just the faintest bit sweet. And, they also samples of the in-process batch of maple syrup--about 1/4 of the way done. I had to dive in and intercept my daughter's multiple attempts at extra samples. She is a big maple syrup fan.

All in all, another fun spring pancake breakfast. On deck for later this month is the open house at Dave's Sugarhouse, in Ashby, MA. That's not until the 26th, though, so I'll have to figure something out for this coming weekend.