Pork by Bob
I ducked out of work early today to hit up the Copley Square farmers market. It's still a bit early in the season for things like beets and radishes and especially peaches, plums, and heirloom tomatoes (in otherwords, there was not much color, not to mention I arrived an hour from closing, so most things were sold out), but it was still really nice to be out on the square and see all these people dealing in fresh, green produce, some of it from barely half an hour away. The Copley Square market (at least at this time of year) is also probably best described as "artisan." Things are definitely not cheaper than they are at the supermarket, but they are all incredibly fresh, organic, and, of course, local. Also, the buttermilk-cardamom-coriander biscuits from the kitchen at Oleana that I picked up from Sienna Farms' stand are definitely one of the highlights of my day.
Then I biked three blocks over, across the Mass Pike and the Orange Line to Tremont Street and stopped in at Lionette's Market on Tremont Street. I'd found out about them while trying to track down local sources of animal products in the Boston area. I think this place is pretty much exactly what I'm looking for. All of the meat and cheese they sell is from Massachusetts, Vermont, or New York, and a sizeable portion of their beef comes from cows that are one-hundred percent grass-fed. Apparently their pork all comes from a single Vermont-raised pig that they buy at the beginning of each week and sell off in parts. The guy behind the counter seemed personally obsessed with the local sourcing of their products; it really endeared me to the place. I decided to pick up a small piece of the pig and a pound of grass-fed ground beef (I've never cooked grass-fed beef myself before!)
I've got hamburger buns, mustard greens, potatoes, green onions, an heirloom tomato, plenty of red wine and beer, and all the various spices, oils, and vinegars that any good kitchen should have. Now I will wave my magic wand and hopefully a tasty meal will appear. Wish me luck!