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This Week's Food

Kohlrabi? More like KOOLrabi!

Kohlrabi? More like KOOLrabi!

NEWS! 
Looking for something to do this weekend? Family Dinner is excited to take part in the Purely Good in Our Neighborhood Food Festival in Beverly, MA on Sunday Nov 3 from 2-5pm. There will be great vendors, food trucks, beer, music and games! Bring the Family on down and say hello!

THIS WEEK:
At Family Dinner, we love a good challenge and we love the (occasionally weird) bounty of Autumn vegetables in New England. Fall produce can sometimes be silly looking; oddly shaped, brightly colored and bumpy (much like many of us in our adolescence).
Kohlrabi fits squarely into this category. Kohlrabi, with an alias of "German Turnip" is a member of the Brassica clan. Its not so distant relatives include cabbage, broccoli, Brussels Sprouts (also in this week's share! Reunion time, Fam!)
Because of its thick skin and spiky greens, Kohlrabi can be intimidating - we often don't know what to make of it. Even the contestants on Chopped always look like they swallowed a bug when it pops up in the baskets.
But they needn't be scary. They're incredibly versatile, can be eaten raw or cooked and work with a wide variety of flavors.
So this when we saw them at Clark Farm this week we wanted to include them in each share as a fun experiment.  They're not part of your normal produce count for the week, just a little extra thing to try!  There are all kinds of way to approach this, let the KITCHN be your guide. They have a few great ideas on roasting, soup and fritters. (I'm gonna go for the fritters, duh.) Dive in, have fun and get to know the weirdo veggies on the block!
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Brite Harvest Farm

Brite Harvest Farm

BREAKING NEWS! 

Family Dinner is growing! We will be advertising on NRP/WBUR this week. Listen in on your morning drive, cheer loudly in your cars, and spread the word to your fellow commuters stuck in the hellacious gridlock of 93 South.

 

People often ask how Family Dinner operates in the winter when the fields in New England look like the frozen terroir of the White Walkers. 

The answer is we have to get creative, cast a wider net and the result is we get to meet amazing people growing really delicious products in nonconventional ways.

This week we took a trip back to Lexington Community Farm to visit Mark Gabrenya from  Brite Harvest Farms. 

To get to Mark, you walk through the rows of kale and carrots, up a hill and past the alpacas. ( I paused to tell them a joke: "You guys wanna go on a trip? Alpaca my bags!" They were nonplussed.) Once you see the 40ft shipping container, you can stop. You're at the right place.

Mark grows greens year round in a recycling shipping container from local start-up Freight Farms. He grows hydroponically - meaning the plants are grown in a water-based, nutrient rich solution. They grow under lights supported by solar power, it is an amazing operation.

Growing in a 40-foot recycled shipping container with solar power allows Mark to harvest greens regardless of the outside temperatures. The lettuces and greens are more delicate than their soil-based compatriots outside, but holy heck are they tasty.  The leaves are tender but textured and very simply lettucey. Lettuce like. Hmm. That's not right. Letticious? 

You get the point, they're delicious.

We will have Brite Harvest green partially in our rotation for the coming months. We hope you enjoy!

 

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Got Milk? Yeah we do!

Got Milk? Yeah we do!

FOLKS! We are so happy to announce that we are now delivering milk from Crescent Ridge in Sharon, MA. We sat down a few weeks ago with Mark Parrish and his team whose family has been running Crescent Ridge for generations.

We tasted some delicious products and gabbed about the importance of local food in a time of global food markets. We were thrilled to sit down with Mark days before he got to fly to Madison, WI to pick up their GOLD METAL in a worldwide dairy competition! Gold metal, folks! 

A bit more about them:

Crescent Ridge, our family-owned and operated farm and a Dairy of Distinction*, has been dedicated to delivering the freshest, tastiest products to our customers since 1932 when Malby Parrish started making his rounds in his 1928 Chevrolet milk truck.

Like we did so many years ago, Crescent Ridge still produces small batch milk that is pasteurized, homogenized, and bottled in glass right here at the farm to preserve the taste of the milk the way it should be, creamy, rich, and delicious.

At a time when colossal mega-companies are hopping on the milk wagon to offer home delivery, we’re still here, carrying on the tradition of bringing farm fresh, local products directly from Crescent Ridge to your fridge.

We are happy to carry their Whole and 2% milk as well as half and half.  Give it a try, we know you will love it. Now if only we could find some local, grass-fed Oreos...
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What's Eating Dan.

I am the only one who gets in cooking ruts? We have access to the most beautiful, fresh,  local food yet in my abject laziness I will still return to the same things: everything is a taco, anything can be a pizza.

We all need some inspiration to pull us out of the depths our Everything is a Taco Hell. For that, I turn to Chef Dan Souza.  He's the Editor in Chief for Cook's Illustrated and a friend. If you're wondering if it is exhausting to have such beautiful and talented friends, yes. Yes, it is. It's the worst.

We went to visit him last week at America's Test Kitchen, to tour the space and learn about what he's been up to. ATK is pure nirvana for anyone who cares about food. A library with thousands of cookbooks, room after room of beautiful equipment and perfectly organized pantries. ( I actually have not left ATK yet. I'm penning this email from the cookbook room, and hope to be protected by the Squatter's Rights Act in the State of Massachusetts.)

Dan has a great channel on YouTube called "What's Eating Dan". They're short, smart takes on simple food topics that are informative and approachable.  Everything from egg yolks to cauliflower.  Check it out to improve your kitchen savoir faire and fall in love with things you never thought were in your wheelhouse.

Enjoy the weekend folks!

Erin + Tim

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Foodie Friends.

Foodie Friends.

News Flash!

There are two new products on our a la carte offering! Delicious almond milk from Nectar and Green;  and Chickens from Tad at Feather Brook Farms! You can still get your coffee fix from the folks at Tandem as well as all the other add ons. Keep your eyes peeled for more news in the a la carte aisle!!

The Good Stuff:

So many of our members share their incredible creations with us week-to-week on social media, text messages or email.  We love seeing what you do with the goodies we carefully curate for you every week. Most of the time it makes just hungry and jealous.... but we love it.

Some folks have asked about more food resources and recipe ideas- so we want to share resources as they come across our desk/table.

It's exciting to learn that some of our members are food nerds themselves and it gives us great pride to share their work with you, to help create a community around great local food; how to source it, how to cook it and how to love it. 

Family Dinner member Kristyn MacFawn is a Certified Integrative Health Coach based in Boston. Her program Sprout with Kristyn grew out of Kristyn’s lifelong passion for health and wellness. Her program offers information, insight and practical tools to help her clients develop a healthy lifestyle that is achievable, sustainable and enjoyable - and delicious! If it doesn't taste good whats the damn point?!?! From her site: 

Kristyn loves to cook and believes in real food, (heck yes, woman!) real ingredients and a clean diet. Her program gives step by step guidance on how to source local ingredients, read nutrition labels and make quick and easy recipes. 

Her newsletter is chock full of great information, amazing recipes and hints about eating better and loving what you cook. Follow her to see what she is up to in the kitchen. Her recipes are easy and straightforward. You will return to them over and over. ( We have listed a few below!)

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Foodie Friends.

Foodie Friends.

News Flash!

There are two new products on our a la carte offering! Delicious almond milk from Nectar and Green;  and Chickens from Tad at Feather Brook Farms! You can still get your coffee fix from the folks at Tandem as well as all the other add ons. Keep your eyes peeled for more news in the a la carte aisle!!

The Good Stuff:

So many of our members share their incredible creations with us week-to-week on social media, text messages or email.  We love seeing what you do with the goodies we carefully curate for you every week. Most of the time it makes just hungry and jealous.... but we love it.

Some folks have asked about more food resources and recipe ideas- so we want to share resources as they come across our desk/table.

It's exciting to learn that some of our members are food nerds themselves and it gives us great pride to share their work with you, to help create a community around great local food; how to source it, how to cook it and how to love it. 

Family Dinner member Kristyn MacFawn is a Certified Integrative Health Coach based in Boston. Her program Sprout with Kristyn grew out of Kristyn’s lifelong passion for health and wellness. Her program offers information, insight and practical tools to help her clients develop a healthy lifestyle that is achievable, sustainable and enjoyable - and delicious! If it doesn't taste good whats the damn point?!?! From her site: 

Kristyn loves to cook and believes in real food, (heck yes, woman!) real ingredients and a clean diet. Her program gives step by step guidance on how to source local ingredients, read nutrition labels and make quick and easy recipes. 

Her newsletter is chock full of great information, amazing recipes and hints about eating better and loving what you cook. Follow her to see what she is up to in the kitchen. Her recipes are easy and straightforward. You will return to them over and over. ( We have listed a few below!)

Read more
Hahvahd Yahd.

Hahvahd Yahd.

This weekend we are honored to be involved in the Let's Talk About Food event at Harvard University.

This all-day, FREE event features local chefs, food entrepreneurs and experts. There are presentations, demonstration and plenty of fun things to do. 

The mission of the event sounds exactly like ours at Family Dinner:

"We start at the beginning of where and who grows our food, who brings it from the oceans, coaxes it from the soil, who works with our food in industrial kitchens and labs, in large greenhouses and in small craft cellars, etc.

We care about the supply chain of how food gets from here to there, and how much of it gets left behind. We care about food waste, we care about food insecurity and justice. We care about how many miles food travels to get to us. We care about humanity."

That sounds so much like the working goals of Family Dinner, just more eloquent. (Which leads me to wonder: is plagiarism actually illegal? Could I just borrow their text?)

So come on down, and pahk your Prius in Hahvahd Yahd.

We go on at 1pm at the "Endless Table" - we would love to see you there!

Erin + Tim

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Butter, Butter and more Butter.

Butter, Butter and more Butter.

One of our amazing teammates at Family Dinner, Olivia (professional glassblower, teller of horrible makes and maker excellent Spotify playlists) came to us once and asked if we had ever had the goodies from Quebrada Baking Co in Arlington (and Belmont! And Wellesley!). I hadn't and next thing I knew Olivia brought us an assorted box of cookies, rolls, and croissants to try- thinking it would be a great fit for Family Dinner.

To ensure a well-run experiment; I did what any data obsessed foodie would do and I ATE THEM ALL.

To be honest, I did what I used to as a child with boxes of Chocolates and I ate the best bites of each one and put them rest back in the box for Tim. (I'm an Only Child, folks). 

We were really impressed with what we tried. You can taste the delicious ingredients, the quality of the butter and the freshness of goodies made just that morning. And we echoes of our mission in theirs:

"We are a family run neighborhood bakery with unrelenting dedication to our product, our team, and our communities.

Everything is baked in house, starting in the early hours of the morning to ensure freshness.  We use the highest quality ingredients and are committed to sourcing locally. We strive to bring the freshest, simplest and most wholesome Ingredients in every decadent bite."

We hope you enjoy the treats this week and we can't wait to hear what you think.

We also always love your suggestions on new products and new things to carry! Like this week's garlic salt from Hippy Pilgrim- we put that stuff on EVERYTHING. (Pucker up, people! It's garrrlicky!)

Bon Appetit,

Erin + Tim

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Pak-ing a Punch.

Pak-ing a Punch.

First note: BAGS!! BAGS!! BAGS!!! Please (pretty please!) return your bags and ice packs to your driver. We clean, sanitize and re-use them! Please hunt around and see if you have a treasure trove of them somewhere and leave them out for your driver! Thank you!

This week's vegetable hero is Pak Choi. 

Pak Choi, sometimes found under its alias "Bok Choy" is a variety of Chinese cabbage. This kind doesn't form the giant head of cabbage that we are used to, instead forming these petite clusters of greens. The good folks at Wikipedia let me know that this is also sometime called the "soup spoon" vegetable because of the shape of its leaves. They may look spoonish but we don't recommend eating your cereal with them (gross.)

Even if you've never cooked this vegetable, its has a delicate flavor and is easy to prepare a variety of ways. We think simple is best, just a quick trip to the cast iron, some garlic and a splash of sesame oil- more on that later.  If you don't have sesame oil, but like a little punch of flavor- we recommend picking some up. It's a great pairing for many of the wonderful veggies that come with Fall.

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But first, Coffee.

But first, Coffee.

You asked and we have heard your cries for coffee. Folks started asking over a year ago when coffee (and for some folks, when WINE) would be available in the a la carte offering for the shares. It took us some time and some sleuthing around for the best folks to partner with, but we are ready to bring Tandem Coffee to the Family Dinner table.

We have long been fans of their incredible coffee, we drink it by the gallon at Vinal Bakery in Somerville, and at Tandems two locations in Portland, ME. The more we dug into their story and talked with their incredible staff, the more hooked we are.

"In 2012, after working in coffee in Boston, Martha's Vineyard, San Francisco, and New York, Will and Kathleen Pratt found a home for Tandem Coffee Roasters in Portland, Maine. With Will’s background in carpentry and Kathleen’s immaculate painting and sanding skills (plus the occasional libation from their neighbors at Bunker Brewing Co.) they built a cozy cafe and roastery in a beautiful 1930s brick building nestled in East Bayside—a neighborhood they are excited to call home.

Tandem wholesales to businesses who share their commitment to quality and detail. They travel to origin every year to source the best tasting coffees they can find, as well as to build the relationships they've already started with farmers, exporters, and importers. Their coffees are roasted on the lighter side of things to highlight the unique flavors each one has to offer, and to represent all the hard work that has gone in throughout the entire process. "

We love that commitment to detail and respect of the origin of the product.

We are bringing you their West End Blues offering. The folks at Tandem say:

West End Blues is a complex blend of flavors and textures.  Fruity but not fruit forward, grounded in chocolate and sparkling with zesty notes of baking spices and tea, WEB shines when combined with milk but stands on its own as a killer drip coffee." 

SO! How do you get it?!?!

Add it on to your weekly share in the a la carte section. We are running a special for $13 bag through September. The price will increase to $16/bag in October. Each week they will roast on Wednesday and we will deliver to you that Saturday. Doesn't get any damn fresher than that.

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Summer is still a-MAIZE-ing.

Summer is still a-MAIZE-ing.

Some folks are saying that Summer is over. The slight chill in the air, the drastically early Halloween candy and the perpetual Pumpkin Spice pushers are singing the the death knell of the season.  

At Family Dinner, we say NAY.

Summer is not over. Not in the fields anyway, and certainly not in your shares-  your grill wants to flex its muscles for at LEAST another month. So let's summer it up for a few more weeks and celebrate the sweetest corn around, the juiciest heirloom tomatoes and the peachiest peaches New England has to offer.

Also, keep an eye out folks! We have heard your cries to add to our a la carte options and we are responding. Get ready for new fun options coming soon. 

Happy Labor Day folks!

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The Future (of Farming) is Female.

The Future (of Farming) is Female.

Friends, meet Shannon. Shannon is one of the wonderful team members at Family Dinner, lovingly packing and delivering your shares to you each week. She is the maker of great playlists and the teller of terrible (but wonderful) jokes.

Shannon is also an entrepreneur who started her own organic vegetable, flower and herb farm this year!

She's no spring chicken in the farming world, having grown up on Feather Brook Farm where we source our amazing meats.

She went on to get a BBA Marketing with Certificate in Sustainable Food and Farming via UMass AND a Master of Science in Sustainability Science with a concentration in Sustainable Agriculture and Food Systems. Smart cookie!

She traveled to Ghana interning with an oil palm mill and  farmers implementing regenerative agriculture and then finally returned back home, starting her farm with a firm mission in mind:

"I wanted to take an active role in combating climate change here at home through agriculture.

Local food is an act of defiance against the corporate ag machine. Sovereignty in the local food system from seed to plate is giving power back to the community and empowering local food producers and consumers."

HECK YES!

We love what Shannon is doing at Blossom Brook Farm and are excited to support her as she grows. Keep an eye out for her produce in your shares and follow her on IG to check out the progress! @blossombrookfarm

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Stare Down Your Chicken.

Stare Down Your Chicken.

We hear from folks sometimes that they are intimidated by the chickens in the shares, they're not used to cooking a full or half bird, so they tuck it into the freezer to be used "some other time".

Have faith people! It's time to stare down that bird and conquer your fears. 

Carpe Poulet!!!

Today might be the day that you use your chicken right away. Let it defrost and plan your attack. Grill, stovetop, or slow-cooker- just get it done and enjoy for the rest of the week.

As always it is chicken from Tad at Feather Brook Farm.  As always they are treated with love (and a few curse words) and its the best damn chicken, ever.

Enjoy friends!

Erin + Tim

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