This Week's Food

1. Tomorrow January 9th and Tuesday January 12th we will be collecting dry goods for La Colaborativa, a Food Bank in Chelsea, in addition to our new monthly giving initiative at Family Dinner. 

2. Latkes are in the house! We are starting a series of restaurant collaborations with some of the best joints in Boston. We are kicking it off with Mamaleh's Delicatessen. We will have their items in the shares and there are plenty of add-ons to pick from for next week only.

Well, hello again! This is Shannon here on the keys. This may be a new year, but I’m still going to be talking about the way food is grown, because that’s all I ever want to talk about! This is part one of a two-part series about what a year looks like for farmers around here in New England. I spoke with our friends over at Kimball Fruit Farm and Iron Ox Farm about what a year on their farms look like.

It's been a brutal year. For all of you, for all of us in uncountable ways. Anxiety and grief seem to be the common air we breathe, coupled with the incredible kick in the teeth that we are all much busier, much more frantic and hectic than we have ever been.

The comfort of cozying up in front of a fire, or beneath the warm glow of the Netflix home screen, to watch a movie is one of life's simplest joys - a joy underscored by the bounty of iconic holiday films. Whether you're watching Will Ferrell (in tights) go absolutely berserk with holiday cheer in Elf, or simply falling in love (all over again) with Bruce Willis' shimmery muscles in Die Hard - there is something beautiful about sitting around in your most unflattering sweatpants and watching a movie. 

The first time I walked into Magic Bites Bakery, it was an unseasonably grey and chilly afternoon. I had spent the morning at a farm; learning, watching, helping out when I wasn't too clumsy to ruin something.  My overalls were wet and muddy. I am afraid to say I looked and smelled like the rear end of a cow.

Buying local is important, not just because it gives you the warm fuzzies (which is for sure does, almost as much as biting into a cookie from A&J King, or snuggling a baby sloth), but because it bolsters the local economy in enduring ways.

This year the holidays will likely take a different shape for many folks. They may be simpler, less fussy than in years past, but may also leave people with a hankering for the familiar or struggling with sadness.

Whatever Thanksgiving brings for you, I hope you find something small and simple to enjoy. The company of a dog, a well-buttered roll, a perfect soundtrack. I hope the simple things burrow their way in and you find a way to love lunch. 

Recently I have been reading a lot of foodie type books. One might say, ahem, that I have been devouring them. 

It is culinary escapism at its absolute finest. You skip from peering into Bourdain’s life as he climbs the rotten, explicative-coated ladder of kitchen hierarchy, to being tucked into Ruth Reichl’s pocket as she dines at hidden Parisian bistros.

To say this was an unexpected and tumultuous growing season may be an understatement of the decade. Between a pandemic and a drought, there were many challenges that our farmers faced and continue to face this year as they work to grow the food on your plates. 

Luis and Maria came to the US from their beautiful home town of Toa Alta in Puerto Rico and moved to Framingham. Luis worked in logistics at the TJX company and Maria in community health organizations. They joined the Family Dinner crew in 2018. To Family Dinner they brought their dedication, amazing sense of humor, and incredible collection of Superhero/Disney/Pixar paraphernalia.

This week we were really excited to connect with Local Goods Gathered in Maine. This group was founded during the pandemic to help promote Maine artisan cheese makers by helping to get their cheese direct to consumers. We're getting cheeses from a variety of their makers to bring to you this week. (Yes! It's cheese two weeks in a row! Time for a cheese board, some vino and episodes of Cobra Kai on Netflix. Is that just me?)

The idea of Martha’s Vineyard Smokehouse started with fishing buddies Gus Leaf and Nathan Gould (former head Chef at O Ya, which is heaven on earth).  As the two thought about different ways to use their fish they began experimenting with wet and dry brines, different smoking temperatures, and using different woods. Eventually they explored a dry brine hot hickory smoked product that makes the Bluefish Filet and Bluefish Spread, which have become their signature products.

Janet Brown, pictured above, is 100% our favorite customer and I refuse to apologize about it. She also turns 100 years old today and we are dedicating this little newsletter as a birthday card to her.