Lessons on opening oysters

First of all, you need the right kind of knife.

Being oyster season (sort of, it's very near the end) I bought a dozen Cape Neddick blue point oysters to bring home and eat last night. Only to find out I couldn't open them. I know I've bought them from fish markets before, so I'm guessing they opened them for me before I left. Since I can't remember for sure, it must not have been for some time. I was able to find an oyster knife today, luckily, so we had them with dinner. The first six were ok, although a bit disappointing. The second six were delicious! I'm guessing it had to do with my skill at opening them: the first six were pretty badly (wo)man-handled, so they must have released some kind of stress hormone. Not tasty. After my practice run, I was able to open the remaining six quickly, without stressing them out, and they were as delicious as I was hoping they'd be.

One of the reasons humanely-raised animals taste so good is that they are processed by caring individuals who take care to minimize their stress. Not only does it make for happier animals, it makes for tastier ones, too.

Sorry, little oysters... next time I'll be gentle.

Lobstah!

Our fantastic CSF (community-supported fishery), Cape Ann Fresh Catch, gave us the chance to order lobsters this week. Hell yeah! We got three! Talia was pretty interested in checking it out before...

..and after the cooking process. Yum!

Carlson Orchards, Harvard MA

115 Oak Hill Road, Harvard, MA 01451

800.286.3916

carlsonorchards.com

I actually went here on a trip with my daughter's preschool. Living so close for practically my whole life, you'd think I'd have been here before; but no, I haven't. I have had their apple cider, though. I'm very picky about apple cider, and prefer unpasteurized (my hands-down favorite is from Derby's in Stow, MA), but the cider from here is good. Even if it is pasteurized. I don't know how other places do it, but their cider is heated and cooled so quickly (I think they told us the process takes only 14 seconds), that it preserves the apple flavor. Whatever it is, the end result is pretty delicious. They sell juice boxes of it, too, if you're looking for portable, kid-friendly drinks. You can find their cider in stores and farmstands around the state.

Since it's pumpkin season now, they had all their pumpkins out for sale. Before checking out this pumpkin display, I wandered around the orchard, helping to herd a pack of preschoolers. Watching them pick apples was pretty funny. Early Macs (MacIntosh), which they had, are my absolute favorites. Maybe it's because they are only crisp and tart for just so long that makes them so special. Once you get Macs that have been stored for a while, they lose their tartness and crispness and they just aren't the same. Time to eat up before it's too late!

They have a retail store here which is open year-round and sells apples, cider, locally-produced honey, jams, preserves, and frozen pies and crisps.

Smolak Farms, North Andover MA: Pumpkin Festival

315 South Bradford Street, North Andover, MA 01845

978.682.6332

smolakfarms.com

This was a fun time--the Pumpkin Festival at Smolak Farms in North Andover, MA. This place used to be a lot smaller, but they have done a lot of work to make it a destination for families. Their playground has been totally redone since we last came here (in the spring, maybe). We got to see one of our favorite local kid bands, Ben Rudnick and Friends, play. This was an added bonus (for us and our three-year-old).

It was a bit crazy, but not overwhelming. They had games, a bounce house, and  tons of food. One of the best things they had was a ride where you got into a long train of radio flyer-style wagons and got pulled around by a little tractor. They also had a big wagon/tractor ride, but we passed on that one this time. As usual, they also had delicious cider donuts. We brought home a dozen--they are so good. We didn't actually get a pumpkin, though, since we have a while to go until Halloween.

Nancy's Airfield Cafe, Stow MA

302 Boxboro Road, Stow MA 01775

978.897.3934

nancysairfieldcafe.com

We went out for breakfast at Nancy's Airfield Cafe in Stow, MA this morning. They source many of their ingredients locally, and have a list of their local providers on their website.

I usually get the vegetarian eggs benedict, which has kale (one of my favorite greens) in place of the ham. Today, however, I couldn't pass up raspberry pancakes with cinnamon pecan butter and real (of course) maple syrup.

Talia went for the breakfast bear: a bear-shaped pancake with chocolate chip eyes and a sausage patty mouth.

Verrill Farm's Corn and Tomato Festival, Concord MA

11 Wheeler Road, Concord MA 01742

978.369.4494

verrillfarm.com

Today was Verrill Farm's Corn and Tomato Festival, which I highly recommend. This is our second time going and it was as delicious as ever. Imagine about 20 different kinds of tomatoes, plus just-picked corn on the cob. You can try them as is, or in an assortment of different recipes. All outside in the sunshine while listening to live bluegrass music. For those so inclined, they also offer their own pit BBQ, as well as standard hot dog and hamburger fare.

What a wonderful day.

Tougas Farm, Northborough MA

234 Ball Street, Northborough, MA 01532

508.393.6406

tougasfarm.com

We attempted to go peach-picking at Tougas Farm, in Northborough, MA, but they were all picked out by the time we got there. So, we had to settle for blueberries. And, I'm not sorry we did. I could have stood there all day eating them off the bushes. 

Neither could Talia. We did actually buy the blueberries (lots!), but I won't deny that some product sampling took place ;).

Besides blueberries, they have tons of other kinds of fruit for picking. Or for buying already picked. I ended up buying a giant box of "seconds," filled with mostly nectarines and a few peaches. They will be transformed into jam sometime in the next few days. When winter rolls around, I can open a jar of summer to mix into a bowl of oatmeal or spread on toast.

After picking all the blueberries we could carry, we bought lunch from the farm store (sandwiches, ice cream, and a smoothie) which we ate at a picnic table. If we had planned better, we would have packed a lunch, but it was sort of last-minute. This is a great place to spend the day with kids. There is a fantastic playground, and also a petting zoo. We were there for hours, and never actually made it to the petting zoo--the playground was such a big hit. That will give us something extra to look forward to next time.