Kendall Square Farmers Market

My first thought emerging from the T was "oh no...did I do it again?" There were no tents in sight, and I thought I had arrived again on the wrong farmers market day (it's already happened once). I worked in Kendall Square for a year, at a seafood restaurant and I remembered the farmers market being right there. Luckily, I have a smart phone and looked up the location, just to make sure. Well, turns out, the Kendall Square Farmers Market had moved to a different location this year, and soon I was on my way to some awesome food.

The new location is so much better. Actually, Kendall Square is so much better. Over the past couple of years, they've put in new restaurants, kayaking stands, a small river walk, a farmers market, and lots of new things happening in front of the Marriott Hotel (it looked like they were setting up for an outdoor concert when I walked by earlier). Before, it was surrounded by office buildings belonging to MIT and labs..."buildings we can't go into", a friend said once.

Kendall's Galaxy: Earth Sphere Fountain

So, what a location. 

As I approached the street that the market is located on, I noticed a walkway along the river. What? Since when is this a thing? How did I work in this area for a year, and never gone beyond the walls of the restaurant and nearby bars? (Actually, it's pretty easy). So, with my newfound curiosity of exploring the city, and my new motto to live life to the absolute fullest, I stumbled upon this awesome little area today, a year late. The market is nestled in a little area between greenery and cool looking buildings, right on this little body of water that leads right into the Charles. 

The farmers market is located along the Broad Canal Walk. 

Before entering the farmers market, I had to follow this little walkway to see where it went.
Note: it doesn't go far, but it's a relaxing walk. 

View from the walkway. Here we have a view of the canal, the walkway, the redline, the statehouse, and the Boston city skyline from Cambridge...just a hop, skip, and a jump across the river. 

I found a kayaking place! 

 Since I'm planning on doing a big haymarket thing in the next few days, I wanted to save myself (and my budget) for the produce. I began this morning with a 7 am run over to the Charles (slightly short of 4.5 miles), and so by the time noon rolled around I was starving...which isn't the best state to be in when buying food. There was a small line forming at the Swiss Bakers, so I went to see what that was all about. Specializing in Swiss food, notably Swiss bread, and even more notably, Swiss pastries, I was sold. I had a sandwich on a pretzel baguette. Who knew such an amazing concoction existed? I also may have purchased a raspberry Berliner that I may have devoured shortly before writing this post.

Enjoying a lovely afternoon by the water, despite the clouds.

Then things got a little nutty. That...is a terrible pun. I've seen Fastachi stands around the other farmers markets before, so today I decided to take a closer look. Most of their delicious looking bags of trail-mix type snacks had cashews in them, which is wonderful!...if you're not allergic to them. So I decided to try a small bag of cinnamon glazed almonds. I figured it will make a decent afternoon snack (a handful, not the whole bag). 

I also noticed on my way out, a stand that had the name Sharp Foods: Energy for the mind and body. Okay...and there's a twice baked granola seed and nut mix. Let's check that out. Sounds healthy, and I'm into that...well mainly anything with carbs and protein to have before and after I run. Well, it's sweetened naturally with honey...and contains whole grain oats, walnuts, pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, almonds, flax seeds, chia seeds, and a touch of cinnamon. They offered a sample of the granola and oh, yes. That's where it's at. We had a little conversation about chia seeds, since I recently found out how totally awesome they are, and left with a bag of my own. So yeah, that's the Kendall Square farmers market for you. Small, simple, local, by the water, and full of awesome people and food.

So now comes the time when I apologize for yet again missing about a week and a half between posts. Here's what else has been going on. Besides working.

I had the amazing opportunity to spend the day in Lenox, Massachusetts with my mom where I ran a clarinet masterclass at the Boston University Tanglewood Institute...

I spent many a summer at BUTI, and nothing beats warming up outside.

The Berkshires <3 

We got lost for over an hour, but with this scenery, what is there to complain about?

At local coffee shop/bakery Patisserie

Firefly. My favorite restaurant. Besides Betty's Pizza...It was the first day of summer, a Friday, and the longest day of the year. I definitely think I made the most of it. It was a day to certainly live life to the fullest, and one that I will remember for a long time. 

 The next day I got quite the unfortunate sunburn at the local beach...But hey, I got to spend another day with my mom relaxing, surrounded by beautiful Rhode Island beach.

 We celebrated by Grandma's 93d birthday!

And most recently, I've been preparing for our first performance of Cosi fan Tutte, happing tonight and tomorrow night, so if you're in Boston, come to Faneuil Hall. I'm performing with NEMPAC (North End Music and Performing Arts Center). Beautiful music, in a beautiful place.

Waitress by day, musician by night. 

Oh yeah. I got to Cosi rehearsal early one day, to find the entire BSO Brass Section and newly appointed music director Andris Nelsons outside ready to play. It was a short concert, because he had to go throw the first pitch at a Red Sox game (not a big deal at all), but not before I was able to shake his hand and tell him I was really excited for this season at Symphony Hall, casually mentioning that I am also a musician. By the way...he has really soft hands. 

 Last but not least, as you can see, I'm helping out a friend store her mattress for the summer. My bed is now complete. I'm just glad she left a step stool for me.

So yes, I've been busy, busy, busy...but so far this summer has been awesome, awesome, awesome. I'm probably going to be bombarding you with posts about farmers markets all weekend, since I have performances at night, and time during the day...and also since this month is coming to an end quicker than I imagined.
So for next month, will I continue the farmers market excursions, or should we do something else? I guess you'll find out...when I decide :)

Have a good day, and come to my performance!

p.s....
I should also add two movies that I highly recommend. Let's just say that if Farinelli was around today I would marry him, and if Meryl Streep ever runs for Prime Minister, she gets my vote.

Farinelli, a movie for the musicians and music lovers. Great music, and probably highly romanticized story, but so good, nonetheless. And of course, nothing like a movie about Margaret Thatcher, who died just a few months ago. I was curious to see this movie before, mainly because Meryl Streep is the best, and it was definitely worth it.

Central Square Farmers Market

Today with the sun out, birds singing, and the absence of clouds, cold, and soaking downpours (the weather has been pretty awful, which is why I haven't posted recently), I ventured over to the Central Square Farmers Market in Cambridge. This market is quite different from the Copley Square market in a few ways, but majorly one: size. Instead of being in the center of downtown, it was located in a parking lot, with about one third of the farms, and not a whole lot of people (yet...I went early). But that doesn't mean it wasn't awesome!...just tiny. It actually made selecting veggies easier, since there were fewer vendors. There were two or three major farms, selling strawberries, tomatoes, and greens, two bread specialists, a Vermont maple syrup stand (not really "local", but legit), and a few meat/seafood stands, which I didn't visit (not because I don't trust their products, but because I simply wanted a little bit of produce).

From the Central Square T stop, on Mondays from 12-6pm, walk down Norfolk street (about a block away from the T), and you'll find it. It's behind a building, and so I didn't see it until I actually walked by, so don't be confused if you peek down Norfolk Street and don't see a whole lot going on. 

Size doesn't matter when you're supporting local farms...well except maybe the size of fresh tomatoes...

 Since I had to work, I couldn't stick around too long, and I still needed to make myself lunch, but I still  snapped a few pictures of Central Square for you. This is a place I usually don't frequent unless I'm coming for a concert. I've been to a club called the Middle East during my freshman year, and more recently, I've been to the Cantab Lounge for spoken word and bluegrass, and also the Lily Pad, which is a little bit of a hike from the square itself, but also a great venue for concerts.

Central Square

Lots of businesses around here

T stop

It's so Boston, but cute, with a little church in the background. 

A bag from Kimball's farm, one of the vendors. 

So let's talk about my bounty. I left feeling pretty awesome about my purchases, because I know I'm getting quality food, and supporting local business. There was something called a diva cucumber, which the farmers told me were sweet and succulent, and great on salads, and I really can't wait to try them; I've never seen them in the super market, either because they're not there or I'm just not paying attention. I got a bunch of cherry tomatoes that are all sorts of colorful, a salad mixture which looks delicious, some bread which was advertised as being great for bruschetta (hmm, dinner idea?), and a pint of strawberries-don't worry, I didn't get severely ripped off with the strawberries there, I ate most of them on the ride home.

I also bought a zucchini, and ate the whole thing. It was...delicious. No picture here, because I was too hungry to take a picture and the zucchini is now completely gone. I've been going to this website every once in a while, called World's Healthiest Foods. It has healthy recipes, and complete nutritional, flavor, and historical information on every fruit, veggy, grain, nut, oat, meat...anything you can think of. They also feature foods that are in season, so you are guaranteed to get super fresh, ripe fruits and veggies in the market (pineapple is actually in season during the winter, something I didn't know until this site). They also feature a few different ways to prepare said featured food. 

So I was starving, summer squash is very much in season (yes, summer squash and zucchini are the same thing), and I had all the ingredients to make a simple, fast, and awesome lunch. (Emphasis on simple...because it was literally a bowl of zucchini). It's super nutritious and filling, low in calories, great source of fiber, vitamin C, and is beneficial in the prevention of certain cancers and heart disease. Booya. 

So, if you're hungry, have these ingredients, and feel like eating an entire medium sized zucchini cut into quarter inch slices, this is what you do:

-put a little veggy broth in a skillet, mainly enough to cover the bottom, and heat it up

-when it starts to steam, throw in the already cut zucchini pieces for and let them cook (usually around 3-5 minutes depending on your stove)...I also threw a little garlic in there. Look at me, cheffing it up. I made that word up. I digress...

-while the zucchini is doing it's thing, and while you're frequently stirring, in a bowl put some olive oil, lemon juice, and chopped garlic, stir it up, and set it to the side, because this is a mediterranean style dressing.

-when the zucchini is ready, put it in a bowl, drizzle the dressing on top, add a little freshly ground pepper, and if you're feeling really wild, add some salted/roasted sun flower seeds. Woah. 

Delicious, and now I have 66% of my vitamin C, and a whole lot of fiber. Awesome! 

In a nutshell, Central Square Farmers Market is awesome, despite the size and despite the almost hidden location. It's one of those things that you only really know about if you live here, and I like that.

100th Post! and Copley Square Farmer's Market

100 posts, and 10 months. I'm so glad I stuck with the idea of having a blog, because I've done so many amazing things. As I stated last time, this month I'm taking you on a tour around Boston by way of the farmers market. I began by talking about Copley Square, and earlier this week on Tuesday I stopped by once again. Since I work by Copley Square, this is the easiest and most convenient farmers market to start with. Lets start with some pictures. 

A farmers market and an unexpected way home:

On my way to work, with the farmers beginning to set up their stands before officially starting at 11

Farmers Market after I worked, in a new light and in full swing (do you see the duck boat?)

In the midst of the stands, there is the Boston Marathon Memorial

This is where I bought those beautiful tomatoes 

This is where I decided "Eff the green line...I'm walking home". Rush hour plus Red Sox traffic. It's a gorgeous day, I've got shoes I can walk in, and an ipod full of Copland. 

It took the walk way on Commonwealth Avenue home, where I passed monuments of people like the abolitionist William Garrison...

...and Samuel Eliot Morison, Navy Admiral and maritime historian...

...and the Women's Memorial, honoring Abigail Adams, Lucy Stone, and Phillis Wheatley. 

It was a beautiful day and perfect weather to be walking around...not too hot, not too cold, and sunny. I had a task to complete that day...a task many, if not all, females find daunting: the quest to find a bathing suit. Luckily I work in shopping central, and was able to find a wicked cheap one. I had a really nice black one...that I think I left in the Dominican Republic. Drinking Presidente and packing don't really mix. 

While walking back to the T, I ran into one of my many vices. A food truck. And not just any food truck mind you, but the Cookie Monstah. They have all sorts of freshly baked cookies, breakfast cookies, and cookie desserts. Who eats a breakfast cookie?!?! Although I did have pancakes this morning...so I'm assuming its close. I then took a gander at some of the farmers stands while munching on a freshly baked chocolate chip cookie, and with a small percentage of the cash I made during the lunch shift, was able to feel good about splurging a little on babaganoush (my newest obsession), and an onion baguette from the Iggy's stand (for really cheap). I later made little crostini's out of the bread by toasting them with some olive oil then scooping up the babaganoush. BEST snack ever. 

As you saw from the pictures above, getting on the T was impossible. Squeezing onto a two car train during rush hour and Red Sox traffic proved to be futile, so I gave up and decided just to walk home. With all the Boston pride, Red Sox reminders, and supporting local farms, I felt strangely patriotic and American, so I put on my headphones and listened to Copland all the way home.

The Farmer in the Dell (or in this case, City)

"Prosperous farmers mean more employment, more prosperity for the workers and the business men of every industrial area in the whole country", said Franklin D. Roosevelt.

Since it is already the second of the month, it is time for me to introduce you to a new monthly challenge. I am giving myself the task of exploring the farmers markets of Boston for a month. The great thing about living in such a diverse place is that it has tons of farms just outside the city limits, which means that there are TONS of markets that take place every week (multiple ones on the same days even). I've compiled a list:

-SOWA open market in the south end (Sundays)
-Central Square Farmers Market (FM) (Monday)
-Harvard University FM (Tuesday)
-Copley Square (Tues & Friday)
-Davis Square FM (Wednesday)
-Kendall Square FM (Thursday)
-Allston Farmers Market (Friday)
-Union Square FM (Saturday)
-Charles Square FM (Sunday)
And the mother load of farmers markets-Haymarket. A place that has it's own stop on the T and is open every weekend over by the Government Center/Faneuil Hall area.

This idea came to me as I was walking through the Copley Square farmers market the other day, with a small bit of cash to find some good quality items (and support the local farmers). It was right around lunch time and I decided to try to find a snack (I decided on a locally baked pumpkin bread with fig slice). I succeeded in getting some babaganoush from a Mediterranean food stand, fresh pita from a bakery/salad stand, fresh sourdough bread that was covered in herbs from another place, and the two most beautiful tomatoes I think I've ever seen in my life:

As I sat dipping the still-warm pita bread into the babaganoush, I realized how interesting it would be to take you all on a tour around Boston, farmers market style (while also simultaneously doing my food shopping for the week). I don't recommend the Copley Square market for doing all your food shopping, but it was nice to pick up a few treats and eat extremely well for a few days (the babaganoush only lasted a day and a half)...

Actual tomato salad...huge tomato, a little cucumber, and lots of mixed greens that you can't even see.

One tomato went into my quinoa dish that you saw a few posts ago, and the other I didn't know what to do with. So...I cut it up, threw it on some greens, tossed on a few cukes, drizzled some dressing and voila. A tomato salad with all the lycopene I could ever ask for.

So that's the upcoming adventure for the month of June.

What else have I been up to? Well, I premiered an opera at the Boston Center for the Arts. It's entitled "Magic Mirror", written by a Russian composer, scored beautifully, had an amazing cast, talented musicians, and awe-inspiring set designers. They turned the black box theatre into a fairytale wonderland. Below is my view from the pit during the dress rehearsal.