Archive for May, 2009

The Davis Square Farmers Market opened up again this past Wednesday, making humpday even better. It’s in the parking lot behind the plaza between Starbucks and Chipotle.

As it was early in the season, there wasn’t a lot of ready-to-eat fruits and veggies, but there was a great deal of potted plants, herbs, lettuces, some rhubarb, and a good collection of meats, cheeses, and breads, plus some fish, chocolate and even soap. A chalkboard at the entrance lists what’s on each day. I picked up some smoked sable (the fish, not the rodent!) from Nantucket Wild Gourmet & Smokehouse, and then got a lime-poppy cake and something called a cheddar snail at an unmarked bakery stand.

Since I’ve eaten all these goodies before having a chance to photograph them, I’ll take a moment to offer up some unasked-for advice to people running farm market stalls: it’s a marketing opportunity.  Compare these two experiences…

1. Hi Rise Bread Co.

This is a pretty well-known bakery cafe in West Cambridge, but that shouldn’t let them off the hook for having no website (that I could find), no signage at their farm stand, and no takeaway material at all – no brochures, no business cards, no paper bags with their logo and address on them, nothing.  Bummer.

2. Nantucket Wild Gourmet & Smokehouse

These folks have their act together, which is important because their farm stand is just about their only retail outlet beyond Nantucket.  They had clear signage, business cards with their website on them, and packaging with all the vital info on it.

I don’t expect farmers and small producers to have fancy marketing – although many do – but I want them to succeed, and that takes some attention to the basics.  So next time you buy some local produce or something at a farm market, ask for a business card or brochure to share with your friends and see what happens.  And if you get one, be sure to actually share it.

As if there’s not enough stuff to want already, I was recent tipped off by Apartment Therapy to the wonder of soft maps.  The example at hand is from Haptic Labs in Brookyn.  They make a variety of things, but it’s the quilts and pillows featuring hand-stitched maps that grabbed my attention.   This waterfront pillow gives an idea of the possibilities.

Of course, I can’t stop here.  I remember seeing a nice world map pillow cover on display at IKEA but couldn’t find the actual article in the bins.  It’s called Ketty Värld and it comes in three colors for $15.  The picture on the IKEA site was lousy so I found this shot at Plurielles.

I also figured Etsy would have some cool mappy stuff but was largely disappointed with the exception of this this cool pillow, Topography in Blue, in felt made from recycled plastic bottles from seller diffractionfiber.  It reminds me of a Wayne Pommnitz photo I have.  I also dig their state pillows, which you can adorn with a star on the city of your choice.

Further searches came up with this amazing patchwork quilt of Africa.  Note the hands along the top to get a sense of scale.  Those are 3″ squares.  Wow.

Some of these map textiles are more literal and some more abstracted, but all are fascinating to me because of their use of the visual language of maps.  It brought to mind the drawings of Daniel Zeller which I saw not too long ago at the DeCordova’s drawing show, and the paintings of David Palmquist, which were on view at Somerville Open Studios at the Vernon Street Studios.  Zeller’s drawings are abstract but look like maps; Palmquist’s paintings are of satellite views of the world, but are somewhat abstracted.

Much more on the fine art side than the bedspread side is the textile art of Leah Evans which is inspiring for the level of detail and work, but also for compositional beauty.  I like how the irregular shapes recall both the process of quilting and the collages of satellite pictures that create flat views of the round world.

Recently, I lamented the waste of a non-refillable salt mill I had bought.  I was pretty close to shelling out for a nice reusable mill, when I happened on this little number in, of all places, the frozen dessert aisle of Trader Joe’s.

It didn’t say it was refillable, but the clear plastic design made me suspect it, and for $2, the same price as a bottle of Charles Shaw wine, including a full load of sea salt, I figured it was worth a try.  And sure enough, the grinder cap screws right off, ready to be filled or refilled with anything you care to grind.  And grind I shall, as long as the plastic teeth hold out…

It’s been a while since our last savory scone update.  That’s what I was thinking when I popped in at The Biscuit (FKA Toscanini Bakery) not far from Inman Square.  And sure enough, right there in the case was a batch of spinach parmesean scones.

Maybe just slightly undercooked, moist and doughy in the middle (like many of my best friends), this scone scores high for spinach content and crusty cheese flavor.  It had several pockets of green and a good chewy outside.  Needless to say, it could be improved with the addition of bacon, but at the same time, I think just a touch of sea salt would so almost as much good.

I also picked up a sourdough round and gazed fondly at the quiche and pizza.  Be sure to stop in before or after your next visit to EVOO, Dali, and/or the Wine & Cheese Cask.

I do like to graze.  It seems a shame to take a meandering walk home without first giving the local eateries along the way a look, or a bite.  So I took a seat at the bar at Garden at the Cellar, Will Gilson’s localvore joint in the dwindling furniture district between Harvard and Central.   I usually go right for the tomato herb soup with a grilled vermont cheddar sandwich, a double dose of superb comfort food for only $8, but tonight I was seduced by a special, lamb tongue confit with fava beans, lentils and fiddleheads:

It shouldn’t diminish this dish at all to say that it wasn’t as satisfying as the lengua served at Toro, but as good as the lamb tongue was, I have to say the bright green beans and fiddleheads upstaged it a bit.  There was a generous portion of tongue chunks, tender and tasty in a rustic thick cut, identifiably lamb-flavored and different from the usual beef tongue you get.

I’ve also enjoyed fiddleheads recently at Hungry Mother, where they appeared with asparagus and ramps in another super-seasonal springy special.

Jumping back to Gilson, I should mention that he guest chef’d at the Savant Project a couple of weeks ago and served up (among other deliciousness) pickled ramps with oysters.

So spring is here, and the specials are flying.  Get out there and graze some!