Media: Argument Against Locavorism in NY Times

This seems like a specious argument to me, that the quality of the experience doesn't necessarily justify locavorism. Of course it doesn't, but it certainly does add to its value.

Sherman Market Opens in Union Square

At long last, Sherman Market opened yesterday in Union Square. A spinoff from the nearby Sherman Cafe, Sherman Market features locally sourced foods. It's roughly twice the size of the Dairy Bar in Davis Square, so here's hoping they have a broader selection of local foods. When I went in today, they had local, organic produce such as heirloom tomatoes, tomatillos, garlic, potatoes, sweet potatoes, and fresh herbs. They also had jams, jellies, teas, coffees, ready-made soup stock, and a freezer full of Giovanna gelato made in Newton. We picked up one pint of coffee gelato and one of chocolate. Mmmm... I think this may be the same gelato we ate at Stone Hearth Pizza last weekend. Next week, I hope to chat a bit more with the owner and find out where they get their products. Actually, their twitter feed says a great deal about their sources. (Their web site is currently under construction.)

ASIDE: I found wild hen of the woods mushrooms at flora restaurant's stall at the Arlington Farmer's market yesterday. These wonderful, seasonal mushrooms are a real treat, so keep an eye out for them again next week. Other lovely surprises included our favorite ham steak from Chestnut Farms on sale, organic numex green chiles, and lobsters on sale for $4.99-$5.99/lb. Wow!

Restaurant: Stone Hearth Pizza, Belmont, MA

It's not often that I get the opportunity to write one post for two blogs, but Stone Hearth Pizza in Belmont, MA fits the bill. We've dined at the Stone Hearth Pizza in Cambridge near Porter Sq., but the restaurant there is small, cramped, and suffers from slow service. We'd heard that the Belmont restaurant was larger and had better kid amenities, so we decided to check it out.

The Belmont restaurant is indeed about three times the size of the Cambridge location and rather more plush, but it had no kid amenities at all. And where the Cambridge location has one wall covered with placemats colored in by their underage patrons, the Belmont location has no such kid-friendly atmosphere.

The food, as always, is quite good. Stone Hearth Pizza uses local, mostly organic ingredients. Their menu and their pizza boxes feature a map of New England showing exactly where their ingredients come from (see a complete list here). Their pizzas are inventive and tasty. Our favorites are the Sausage and Carmelized Onion pizza and Bacon and Blue pizza.

This time out, we tried the Farm Fresh pizza, which sounded great on paper: "Garlic oil, cherry tomatoes, charred red/yellow peppers, Yukon gold potatoes, artichoke hearts, green/black olives, fresh mozzarella, topped with salad of arugula/red onion/prosciutto." Unfortunately, the olives completely overwhelmed the flavors of the other vegetables. When we picked the olives off (to our omnivorous two-year-old's delight), we discovered that the pizza without them had hardly any flavor at all.

The girls had better luck with their pizzas. Our five-year-old practically inhaled her cheese pizza, and our two-year-old had to compete with her daddy to finish her cheeseburger pizza. We knew from past experience to stay away from the mac 'n' cheese, which was oddly too spicy for the kids to eat. I like it that way, but the kids won't touch it.

The kid's meals included drinks (lemonade and chocolate milk, respectively) and desserts, a choice of cookies or gelato. Both girls chose the gelato, vanilla and chocolate respectively, and my husband also ordered the hazelnut. The vanilla gelato's vanilla flavor was overpowering, and my five-year-old gratefully traded her sister for the chocolate when she was done with it. My husband's hazelnut gelato was chunky with bits of hazelnut but also somehow over-flavored. The chocolate, however, was quite good.

Regardless of how good the meals were and the quality of the ingredients, we got some mild sticker shock from the price: $8.50 for a kid's meal is a bit much, especially when we paid only $12.50 for our own pizza. Then again, when you do the math, an 8" cheese pizza is $5.60, a drink is $2, and gelato is $4 (two cookies are $1), for a total of $11.60, which means the kid's meal is actually a bargain. I do wish, however, that just one of the kid's meals had included vegetables.

Overall, while I applaud Stone Hearth Pizza's commitment to local, organic foods, I'm not all that impressed by either their pizzas or their prices. Zing! Pizza in Porter Sq. also uses local, organic ingredients, has more interesting and inventive pizzas, is less expensive, and they deliver. Their restaurant is seriously tiny, though, so if you want to eat out, Stone Hearth pizza is a better bet. If you're eating in Cambridge, I recommend that you call ahead and order in advance to compensate for the slow wait staff. For the record, the service at the Belmont location was fine.

Poll: Lexington Community Farm

This week's Lexington Minuteman online poll asks whether Community Farming is a good idea for Lexington. Please take the poll and let Lexington know that you support local, community farming.

Fundraiser - Urban Barn Dance for Farmers' Markets

Received this today from the Mass. Farmers' Markets newsletter:

The Second Annual Urban Barn Dance

A lively celebration of the 2009 growing season featuring
Chef Bob Sargent of flora restaurant.

Friday, October 16
(just a month away!)
6:30 -- 9:30 pm
Kendall Square, Cambridge
Dante Alighieri Italian Cultural Center
41 Hampshire Street, Cambridge, MA 02139

Proceeds from the event will benefit the work of the Federation of
Mass Farmers Markets

NOW'S THE TIME TO GET YOUR TICKETS!
$50 each

To purchase your tickets,
call Mass Farmers Markets
at 781-893-8222
or e-mail Martha.

Event Details:

Guests will toast the hard work of their favorite farmers with a hearty locally grown supper, and then continue the celebration with live music and dancing. Music will be provided again this year by Sean Smith, with musical accomplices Janine Sirignano and Peter Buchak. Contra caller David Titus returns to lead us in dances that new and experienced dancers will enjoy.

Dinner will feature several different preparations of locally raised pork from Austin Brothers Valley Farm, vendors at the Central Square Farmers Market in Cambridge.

Chef Bob Sargent of flora restaurant is once again generously donating his time to create mouth-watering pork dishes as well as hearty sides to accompany them. There should be plenty of food for hungry vegetarians as well!

Guests will also enjoy a silent auction with prizes donated by local businesses.

Libations will be available at the Dante Alighieri Center's cash bar.

Please consider being a sponsor for this event at one of the following levels:

• Golden Watermelon ~ $400 (includes admission for two)
• Silver Queen Corn ~ $250 (includes admission for two)
• Bronze Fennel ~ $100 (includes admission for one)

Urban Agriculture Fair in Harvard Square

This came in Henrietta Davis's mailing list:

Please come to Cambridge's 1st URBAN AG FAIR in Harvard Square, Sunday, Sept. 20th 11 am - 4 pm.

Celebrating Local Gardens, Growers & Foods!
Sample recipes, get tips on composting, community gardening, rain barrels, and bee-keeping! Cooking demos from local chefs, and "Cambridge School student-growers" will be held throughout the day. Enter your own items in a judged competition of home-grown fruits, veggies, home-made baked goods, honey, flowers, preserves, pickles and eggs! All Events are free, open to the public and family-friendly.

Visit www.harvardsquare.com http://www.harvardsquare.com/ for entry form and more info.

Resource: Green City Growers

I spotted a flyer in a cafe across from my daughter's elementary school for Green City Growers.These folks will come to your house, build raised beds, and plant organic vegetables for you. They also make rooftop beds and work with schools, hospitals, and nursing homes. There was no word on their web site on whether they offer a maintenance plan (i.e., someone comes and weeds the bed for you), so I'll send them email for clarification.

This comes as a great relief to me. I was starting to think I would have to start up this business myself. Nothing is more local and sustainable than growing food in your own backyard, and nothing's as nutritious and tasty as food picked and eaten immediately. If you have any interest at all in growing your own vegetables, but you have no idea how, I encourage you to contact these folks.

If there's enough interest from do-it-yourselfers, I can also write up a series of posts on how to create your own backyard garden with a minimum of work and fuss.