Somerville Local First

Featured Sponsor

jg — Sun, 05 Sep 2010 02:02:42 +0000

CPCU Credit Union was established in 1928 in Cambridge to serve the financial needs of the Portuguese-American community. CPCU has since extended their services to everyone in the community while it continues to operate as a member owned, not-for-profit organization. CPCU has a rich history of helping its members with their banking needs and provides a high level of member service combined with a wide range of affordable financial products and services.

To meet the needs of small local businesses, CPCU Credit Union recently expanded its services into the Business Banking arena and now offers a full line of business products and services such as Lines of Credit, Term Loans, Commercial Real Estate Loans, Free Business Checking* and more.

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No need to Whine, The Second Glass Has You Covered

SLF — Wed, 01 Sep 2010 16:19:12 +0000

One of the improvements at Harvest Fest 2010 that we’re really excited about is our enhanced Local Wines presence. This year, The Second Glass, your unpretentious, badass source for baller wine information, will be sampling wine from Massachusetts and Cider from New Hampshire. And this is no Proximity over Quality choice either.

President and Co-Founder of The Second Glass, Tyler Balliet says:

“Every single state in the US now makes wine and there are some really good vineyards in some surprising places. Here in New England we have some totally kickass wineries making fantastic wine! Dollar for dollar, the wines you’ll taste at Harvest Fest 2010 are good enough to compare with anything France or California can offer.”

The Second Glass to bring their love of local wine and penchant for partying to Harvest Fest 2010

So with no further ado, here’s what’s in-store for the wine booth at Harvest Fest 2010:

Wesport Rivers

A family owned winery in Westport MA specializes in sparkling wines that rival those from all over the globe. They also make a variety of still wines that are crisp, delicious and reflect the New England lands on which they were grown. It started with Bob and Caroll Russel who bought an old dairy farm and built a winery, their sons Rob and Bill carry on the tradition to this day with an array of wines that are both local and delicious!

Farnum Hill Wines

A small apple orchard in MA that specializes in rare apple species made for cider, cooking and eating. Planted on an old dairy farm their ciders are refreshing, made from all MA apples and fermented on site!

Travessia Winery

Marco Montez is the man behind the wine, using all local produce they create a variety of well crafted white wines (and a rose!). Marco hopes to one day own his own land, that he might himself grow the grapes somewhere in Southeastern New England. “In a very short period of time I’ve learned that winemaking presents tremendous risks and enormous challenges. It’s farming, it’s chemistry, it’s marketing, it’s sales… And I’ve only scratched the surface. But the world of wine and winemaking is also extremely exciting and rewarding in its own unique way.”

90+ Cellars

90+ is taking advantage of the current economic conditions by purchasing high quality and highly rated finished wines direct from wineries at a discount and then passing the savings on to you. Price and availability aren’t the only selection criteria. The wines we purchase must have a pedigree of 90 or higher ratings, best buy or gold medal accolades from a respected wine authority or publication meaning 90+ sells high quality wine to you at a discount.

Tickets are starting to move fast, get yours today before you miss out on all the local love!

(Editors Note: This story originally referenced ”ALL Massachusetts wine”. We have updated the post to more accurately reflect our tasting, which will be from all Massachusetts wine companies, but not all produced within Massachusetts. We’ve also added a clarification that Farnum Hills Cider is from New Hampshire. We’re the first ones to call out others for mis-representing local, so we made these corrections as soon as they were brought to our attention.)

Contest – Give advice to incoming students for $20 @ Sherman Market

SLF — Mon, 30 Aug 2010 14:54:57 +0000

Well, the moving trucks are here and that means that students from all around the country are once again decending on Boston, Somerville, Cambridge and the like. One of the challenges that students often face when coming into a new community is: Where do I go to get what I need?

The SLF Interns created a mini guide to local businesses for incoming Freshmen this year

In many cases, it takes years for students to become acclimated in a community and to explore the local businesses that make our neighborhoods unique and awesome. So we thought we’d try to help by offering you a prize to help them out.

Comment here with your suggestion for students on where they can buy student stuff locally. Multiple items appreciated, but only 1 suggestion is necessary to enter. Suggestions must be locally owned and independent businesses in or near Somerville and fill a need that students have. Comments posted by 11:30 AM tomorrow (8/31) are eligible for a $20 Shift & Save coupon to Sherman Market where you can explore and enjoy some of the best New England food products out there.

Help incoming students buy local and get a chance for a $20 Gift Certificate to Sherman Market

Helping new residents go local + a chance for free local food = Win. Go!

How Local Food is advancing the Local Movement

SLF — Sat, 28 Aug 2010 19:55:40 +0000

by Joe Grafton

Note: This post was written in conjunciton with the Loving Local: Celebrating the Flavors of Massachusetts blogathon, organized by the author of In Our Grandmothers’ Kitchens. This week long blogging effort is intended to raise awareness about locally produced food and further strengthen the local food movement. We encourage our readers to donate to Mass Farmers Markets as this effort runs in conjunction with Farmers Market Week.

Local: It seems like that word is popping up everywhere these days. From food to finance, energy to retail, there is a growing cultural meme around local. Frankly, I’m not surprised. Local just makes sense and as time goes on, more and more economic impact studies prove the case that Local Works.

Being on the ground in the movement, I feel I have an inside perspective on how the movment has evolved and is evolving. That’s why Local Washing and its main perpetrators is of GRAVE concern to me. That’s why I believe that the groundswell around Local First efforts will soon lead to substantive funding from government and foundations. And that’s why I know that the movement owes a great deal of gratitude to Local Food advocates.

It seems to me that, of all the industries and aspects of Local, food is the one that is leading the way. I think in large part, this has to do with the amazing work done by pioneers like Michael Pollan, our own JJ Gonson and the creators of Food, Inc. I think it has to do with the way in which Big Agribusiness works, and how that makes people feel. I think it has to do with the way we feel about farmers.

But what I think it has to do with most is community. That’s ultimately what local is all about. Bringing us back together to do the things that worked for people in the past, but to do them in new ways that can last into the future.

And one of the hallmarks of community is coming together to eat. When people are buying, preparing and eating local food, they tend to feel better about the purchase because the feel connected to the food system and they tend to enjoy it more because it is fresher and it tastes better.

But let’s not just make a case based on warm fuzzy feelings. The truth is that if you look at the data, local food is exploding in our communities. Farmers Markets are growing at a staggering rate. Local food oriented businesses are springing up and expanding (Sherman Market, Dave’s Fresh Pasta, The Dairy Bar). The Boston Local Food Festival is coming in October, and is going to be HUGE. Heck, even Restaurant Week got into the act, offering a Local option through numerous participating restaurants.

Local Food has its challenges. Prices can be high. People don’t know how to cook and prepare food like they used to. (Note: both of those inhibit my personal consumption of local food). There are still a vast number of people who don’t ‘get it’ or are unaware of ‘it’ at all. But this much is clear to me…local food and its advocates, suppliers and pioneers are out in front. And I say to all of you early adopters out there: Thanks for leading the way, and get ready to make more room at the Local table because we’re coming in force behind you.

The Local Movement: Starting a Revolution

SLF — Fri, 27 Aug 2010 17:19:37 +0000

by Jen Lawrence

Everyone is talking about green jobs now. Some people are vocally against the idea that green jobs can pull us out of poverty, slow the crush of climate change, create local economies. Others are touting green jobs as the only way that the world will stand upright again. At Groundwork Somerville, we believe that there are MANY things that must be addressed in order to create a truly sustainable community, and yes green jobs is one of those things. Also included is valuing our collective community voice, buying locally, banking with community banks, supporting neighborhoods, getting out of cars and on to bikes, and more.

GWS Jobs bring "Green" understanding to youth

I think that one of our youth employees said it best at a recent community meeting: “We need a revolution!” And we do. We can’t create a revolution, however, without youth voice. We have to resolve as a community to engage our youth members in action – in creating that revolution. And what revolution do we need, you ask?

We need to move back to our roots as communities and focus around our neighborhoods. We need to walk and bike to work. We need to actually KNOW the owner of the bakery down the street. We need to be on a first-name basis with our banker. We need to depend upon one another. Now what does this have to do with green jobs and youth revolution?

18 High School Students worked for Groundwork this Summer

It’s about rebuilding our communities so that they can sustain themselves. We don’t just need people to build solar panels, and farm locally, and re-insulate homes (although these are very necessary jobs!). We need to think about our neighborhoods differently and rebuild a local economy that is not dependent upon oil from the gulf or from economic trends in NYC. That is what this vision is about – rebuilding how we think about our communities in order to create self-sustaining communities – utilizing the full force of our amazing youth community members.

How We Know Where to Go: Somerville on the World Wide Web

SLF — Thu, 26 Aug 2010 16:47:27 +0000

by Maggie Kaiser & Louis Epstein

In a bustling city like Somerville, there’s never a shortage of fun things to do. The challenge lies in determining what’s out there so you can make an informed choice. We often learn about events while strolling around, stopping to read posters on telephone polls or in store windows. But our strolls (and dog-walking excursions) are sometimes limited to a relatively small geographical area which can limit our awareness of city life. That’s why we rely on virtual strolls through Somerville’s online streets to keep abreast of all the excitement that abounds in our 4.2 square miles of goodness.

Our first stop is – you guessed it – Somerville Local First! By following SLF’s updates on Facebook, we were some of the first people to capitalize on the Sherman Market Shift & Save coupon offered a few weeks ago. And the post on this very blog about the Ice Cream Showdown was instrumental in bringing us to GRAND & poor little rich girl on Saturday to try 8 different vendors’ sweet, frozen treats.

When we want to know what’s going on in our favorite squares, we mosey on over to the Davis Square LiveJournal and Union Square Main Streets. We also benefit from a constant drip of tweets and facebook updates from some of our favorite local businesses and organizations, including Sherman Cafe & Market, Taza Chocolate, The Center for Arts at the Armory, the Somerville Public Library and the Somerville Arts Council.

Our Facebook friends alerted us to the totally fun Rock-n-Roll Yard Sale in Union Square

To always stay in the know, we check out the Somerville Scout, the Somerville Journal, and the City of Somerville’s own website where we’ve signed up for email alerts about snow emergencies and community meetings. And we are always on the lookout for new sites and feeds to stoke our Somerville obsession. If you have a favorite, we hope you’ll let us know! And if you’re new to online Somerville, welcome to the community and happy exploring!

Moving the Ball Forward: What I Learned Interning with SLF

SLF — Wed, 25 Aug 2010 17:01:06 +0000

by Karrie Larsson

When I first heard that my internship with Somerville Local First was to be dominated by working on this website and blog, I was a little skeptical. To be honest, I had an underlying fear that the new SLF site would end up kind of like the last one: lost in the black hole that is the Internet.

Luckily, this was the not case. Over the past several months, I’ve been able to see ideas and sketches materialize into a fully functioning website that is helping spread the message of the local movement. Community members cannot only use this website as a resource for information on the benefits of buying locally, but also as place to connect. Everything from the blog, to the Shift and Save Coupons, to the Member Directory is helping reinforce the growing network of people and businesses associated with SLF. The fact that I was a part of making this possible has definitely made my time with SLF a gratifying experience.

SLF Interns Helping us Move the Movement Forward

It has also been a valuable one from which I will take away an important lesson. When first explaining how things work at SLF to me, my boss/mentor/sensei Joe Grafton said, “We are always moving the ball forward.” Over the summer, I dropped my procrastinating tendencies as I learned exactly what he meant: When pursuing an idea, act on it. If something does not work, understand why it didn’t, and then move on. Constantly outreach and interact- don’t let things rest idle. For example, this mindset was really essential for my work on the blog. Scheduling posts required advance planning and ongoing communication with contributors. I had to be on my toes when editing content and familiarizing myself with the blog world. Where as previously I would have kept delaying and dragging along the work, I was now forced to be active and diligent in my approach. Otherwise, this site would have most certainly entered that dreaded black hole.

I now realize that it is this philosophy of keeping the ball rolling that has enabled the success of the website, and the success of SLF as an organization. The people and businesses behind SLF are always asking the question “what next?” And I encourage you to do the same.

Back to School, Somerville-style

SLF — Tue, 24 Aug 2010 18:05:37 +0000

by Abbe Cohen Dvornik

I’ve never gotten completely off of the school year cycle – though I admit that now that I’m not personally heading for class, it sometimes takes me by surprise when I leave the house one day each fall and suddenly the crosswalk around the corner is full of Tufts students on their way to their first day of classes.

Still, my Septembers are always full of transitions, much more than any other month of the year. This year, we will tack on a new baby to the mix in September or October. And my daughter will be heading out to her first day of pre-K at the SMILE program at the Capuano School in East Somerville, and just before then I’ll be making a spiritual fresh start with the Jewish New Year. So, I’ve been thinking about how to get ready for the season in Somerville.

School Supplies

I’ve been a bit stymied by taking a strictly Somerville approach to back to school shopping. When I was a kid, in a suburb far from Somerville, I used to savor the annual trip to the stationers to pore over the decorated folders and three ring binders – but at the moment we don’t have a little store much like that in Somerville. (The one from my childhood in New Jersey is gone, too, replaced by a condo development with restaurants on the first floor.) So at the moment, for the paper supplies, I can either stay in Somerville and go to a drugstore chain or one of a few giant retailers that has a branch in Somerville, or we can head to a small independent store in neighboring Cambridge or Arlington. Fortunately, for pre-K, we won’t need much besides a backpack and a lunchbox, more easily found around town.
Editors Note: Bob Slate in Porter Square and University Stationary in Central Square are good independent options for this stuff in our sister community in Cambridge. SLF hasn’t found an Indie Somerville locale…have you?

As for what to put in the lunchbox, I’ve already had practice with that from preschool – and for that, Somerville has everything I need! For a fun twist on PB&J, we like to use round bread (such as Lyndell’s English Muffin Bread, or even regular English Muffins). The sandwich fits perfectly in a flat round container (such as the kind your cole slaw from Redbones might have come in – we save them). Those containers are a great size for many lunch items for kids, and hold a round peanut butter sandwich perfectly! We also like to send plain cheese quesadillas inspired by Anna’s Taqueria – made with the same Cinco de Mayo brand corn tortillas we’ve seen them using, which are for sale at Market Basket – and some cheddar cheese. We heat them in a nonstick pan, melt the cheese on one side, and wrap them up in foil just like they do at Anna’s, and then put them in a Thermosjar to stay warm and soft. Leftover pizza – especially our favorite Sicilian from Mike’s – gets cut into strips, warmed up, and put in a Thermos too. And ta-da, even a picky eater has a few options that aren’t identical every day for lunch.

Baby Stuff

As a second time parent, and a packrat, stocking up on baby stuff is a bit easier. But I’m considering cloth diapering this time around, and I plan to learn all about it and find everything I’ll need at Diaper Lab. Davis squared has all kinds of cute baby accessories and clothing in the windows too!

Jewish Holidays

Apples (mainly early-ripening varieties), and even local honey, can be found at either farmers market weekly. For a holiday meal treat, order a locally raised, grass-fed beef brisket and pick it up at the farmer’s market. In Davis Square, River Rock Farm sells beef including brisket when it’s available, and in Union Square, Stillman’s farm should also be able to bring your request to the market. And for a New-Year-inspired dessert, JP Licks has been known to introduce some wacky Jewish-inspired flavors of the month for the Jewish New Year! The Manischevitz sorbet strikes me as a better idea than the noodle kugel ice cream with bits of noodles in the ice cream.

Right in Somerville, there are a few options for religious services as well – Havurat Shalom is a small community that hold services in the living room of a 2 family house near Tufts, and Temple B’nai Brith, where I’m a member, is in a historic building on Winter Hill with traditional services in the main sanctuary, as well as a special short service downstairs for children to attend together with their families. In Somerville, we do things our own way – both communities are unaffiliated with any major branch of Judaism.

Growing our City Green

SLF — Mon, 23 Aug 2010 15:38:04 +0000

by Kristen Schaer

In cities, where space is premium and green space is generally owned by city parks, having a patch of one’s own carries a significant importance. The benefits (aesthetic, economic and ecologic) are manifold. The sense of doing good doesn’t get much better than really digging in to soil, planting and then reaping the rewards of an intimate relationship with the land. Bad puns withstanding, this is why Somerville’s Green City Growers is a business in bloom.

In 2008, GCG co-founder Gabe Erde-Cohen returned from the West Coast armed with an idea from the Your Backyard Farmer program in Portland, Oregon. Erde-Cohen contacted college friend Jessie Banzahl about importing the idea to the East Coast and Green City Growers was born.

Green City Growers - A Business In Bloom

Banzahl, over the thrum of coffee grinders at Bloc 11 in Union Square, describes the inception of the business, working out of apartments and various Somerville coffee shops: “We met Wenzday Jane (owner of Metro Pedal Power, a human-powered bike delivery service) at a Somerville Local First event, and she mentioned that there was office space available in Olive Square in the Union Square area. Once we got a contract with Harvard Pilgrim Health Care, our program really took off in 2009.”

The alliance with Harvard Pilgrim proved to be mutually beneficial and more than one rooftop is greener for it. With the help of GCG, Harvard Pilgrim employees plant, grow and harvest gardens at their various Boston and Cambridge locations. The food is then donated to Quincy Community Action and Massachusetts Hospital School, among other locations throughout the city.

Gardening on the Roof - Trendy or Trend

Green City Growers is involved in both residential and commercial planting. Their plant starts come from Allandale Farms in Brookline, a grower of Certified Natural Grown foods and Boston’s last working farm. Under the guidance of Ben Bois, the Horticultural Supervisor, and Anne Lemay Hurley, the Director of Operations, GCG has expanded their operations and scope steadily since 2009.

Dorchester’s The Ledge restaurant, in a partnership with GCG and Recover Green Roofs, has reaped the rewards of sustainable, local farming most recently with the completion of a rooftop vegetable garden in July. Executive chef Marco Suarez approached The Ledge with the idea of growing vegetables, herbs and greens on the roof of The Ledge with the purpose of using them in the restaurant. Suarez, described the scope and scale of the project: the garden comprises 28 tons of dirt in addition to a recycled tire bed that encloses the heirloom tomatoes, herbs, zucchinis, squash, greens, jalapenos and other locally-acquired, organically grown foods. (See video below from SLF Member Paper Fortress)

Suarez estimates that the cost of produce purchases will be defrayed as much as 40%, and the the insulation provided by the rooftop garden will cut down on heating and air-conditioning costs. Typically, most rooftops withstand about 10-15 years of the sun’s UV rays, but the rooftop garden allays that for up to 50 years, and even produces the effect of managing storm water.

Recover Green Roofs from Paper Fortress on Vimeo.

The eagerness with which local businesses, community members and non-profits have embraced the work of Green City Growers is gathering steam. Banzahl said GCG currently has twelve proposals submitted to local hospitals, high-end hotels, and corporations. Inman Square restaurant Ole is currently signed up for the spring growing season and there are high hopes that the Children’s Museum in the Seaport District will make a space for a garden that GCG can provide demonstrations and educational opportunities in. With the summer coming to a close and the fall planting season quickly arriving, Banzahl also mentioned the marketing of cold frames on the Green City Growers website. The cold frames provide a mini-greenhouse environment for the harsher winter months in the Northeast.

Creating Sustainable Food Systems, One Roof At A Time

On the way out of Bloc 11, after enthusiastically relating the upcoming projects, Banzahl spoke about the many fulfilling aspects of her job, such as providing consultation for commercial and residential owners and the little quirks and unexpected wonders that come from working closely with people and the places they work and live. “We use ladybugs to cut down on aphid growth in the gardens we plant. We put them in the fridge, and they sleep until we pull them out and put them to work. It is funny to come to work in the morning, put your lunch in the fridge and see hundreds of little ladybugs.” Lucky lady.

Cupcake Quest Champion: The Chocolate Tarte

SLF — Thu, 19 Aug 2010 17:50:32 +0000

by Rachel Leah Blumenthal

Rachel's Fav? the chocolate tarte!

I’ve been on an extensive, waistline-expanding “cupcake quest” over on my food blog, searching for the best cupcakes in and around Boston. Imagine my delight when I found a winner right around the corner from my boyfriend’s Somerville apartment (and also close to my new apartment, as of September 1^st)! The Chocolate Tarte, founded in 2004 but with a newly opened Highland Avenue storefront, has the Greatest Cupcakes in the World.

Cupcakes!

Owner Linda Hein works closely with Dave’s Fresh Pasta and East Coast Grill to cater weddings and other events. Can someone please marry me immediately so I can experience the awesomeness of three of my absolute favorite food places feeding me all at once? Some girls dream out every detail of the dress, the decorations, and the flowers. I just want BBQ, pasta, and cupcakes. Is that so much to ask?

This cake is a gift!

I first discovered these miniature bites of heaven while picking up some fresh ravioli from Dave’s. They got a bit squished on the way home, a travesty that I blamed on my boyfriend for not carrying the bag carefully.

One bite and all was forgotten. We knew immediately that our Quest had reached its first real zenith, the long awaited reward of so many calories consumed. There may be others down the line – who knows? – but at that moment, these were the Best Cupcakes We Had Ever Tasted.

The namesake...a Chocolate Tarte!

Frosting: perfect. A buttercream unlike any we had ever tasted. (After much testing, Linda settled on a method that actually combines two European methods.) Creamy but light, like a dollop of the best whipped cream you could ever imagine, the frosting sits in a perfectly manageable little puff atop the cake.

Cake: moist! Flavorful! Until this point, all other miniature cupcakes that we had tasted on the Quest were very dry. These were magical.

Several days later, we stopped by to check out the actual store, since the first batch of cupcakes had come from Dave’s. We discussed cupcakes and a whole lot more with Linda, who is very friendly in addition to being an amazing baker. She told us that after 20 years in the corporate world, she took a baking class and realized she could bake cakes (“but not pies.”) The Chocolate Tarte was born.

As science nerds, we were impressed with Linda’s technical baking knowledge, taking things like humidity into account when choosing a proper frosting-making method. We left with more cupcakes plus a couple of slices of the namesake chocolate tarte, which Linda garnished with a sprig of fresh mint from the herb garden out back. The tarte was incredibly smooth, rich, and fudgy.

It’s not just the cupcakes that make The Chocolate Tarte worth a visit (or ten): everything else was spectacular, too. I got a perfect brownie on another visit. Linda’s talent is evident in every flourish of frosting or bite of chocolate. She knows that every second counts when baking a treat to perfection, and she understands the changing environmental factors that can cause obstacles to deliciousness. Stop by and grab a bunch of mini cupcakes – just $1 each – from one of Somerville Local First’s brand new members, The Chocolate Tarte!

Cupcakes, Cakes...and browines too!