Massachusetts Local Food

Hi everyone!

Ordering for Mass Local Food begins Nov 20th & runs til midnight Nov.30th.  Pick up will be Fri. Dec. 4th.  As always, we would love some help on sorting/distribution day.  If you are available from 1pm - 3pm or longer, let Kelley know at kelleyoconnor@gmail.com

Pick-up in Westminster will be at  the Finnish Farmers' Coop Building from 3PM to 6PM.

                             Pick-up in Sterling will be in the parking lot at the Town Hall from 5PM to 6:30PM.

                             Pick-up in Berlin will be at the Eco-Village from 5PM to 7PM.
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                      To open your shopping cart and start ordering, go to: http://www.massfoodcoop.org/shop/

Massachusetts Local Food
Report

We moved to our new home this past month….the historical building that once housed
the Westminster Finnish Farmers Coop.  What fun it was to use this little gem of a building and how much easier than lugging & setting up pop-ups, tables, chairs, coolers, the freezer,
etc!!!! 

We have some new producers this month and we hope you are able to find their products: Oak Hollow Livestock’s goat meat, East Acres Farm’s veal, Four Star Farm's grains and Smith Country Cheese’s cheese.  Our regulars have posted some new items as well.

With most of the local farmers’ markets closed now, you may find it increasingly harder to locate the fresh, nutritious, tasty fare we all have begun to crave.  Of course, you still have to eat and you deserve farmers’ market fresh.  However, if, like Sheryl, you didn’t or couldn’t take the time to freeze or can things when they were at their peak, you may want to stock up on as many root vegetables as you can get your hands on this month for storing in a dry, cool place or roasting, pureeing & freezing (it takes time, but is soooo worth it!).  At least, when you pull out frozen corn or bagged spinach for supper, you can pair it with a Central MA vegetable & local meat.  Then, adding one or more of the many other products from MLF to your menu you can create a meal you feel good about serving to your family.  In addition, keep in mind that it is your patronage that keeps our producers producing.  The reason that you are able to find such great food at our cooperative is simply because you shop through us!  Keep up the good work!

Kerrie & Sheryl have been making a lot of broth lately.  There are many, many qualities to broth that are beneficial to humans and the only way to get the benefits is to make the broth from scratch.  Whenever you can get your hands on a really good chicken or turkey or beef or pork bones, never let the opportunity to make a good broth slip by.  Broth is loaded with nutrition and if you take the time to read this article, you may never compost another bone without simmering the heck out of it first.  Making a broth only takes about 10 minutes of actual time – and nothing, not even apple pie, will make your house smell better.

Sheryl & Kerrie use bones and meat most of the time but Sheryl uses a combo of left-over vegetable cooking juices when cooking for vegetarian family and friends.  Kerrie’s broth this week went into a Beef Barley soup (you can get the beef & barley from MLF).  This meal was a huge success among her four children.  They loved the flavor and could not figure out if the barley was rice or pasta.  She modified the recipe to use her own broth instead of
bouillon.  In addition she added a beef shank to the broth instead of using the more expensive chuck roast.  She also used vegetables that she had on hand rather than a frozen bag of vegetables.  And she substitutes brown sugar instead of white whenever she makes a tomato base for anything because she likes the more complex flavor combination.  So, this recipe is a great starting point and the tomato in the broth gives the soup a thicker richer flavor than what you are used to finding in cafeteria style Beef Barley soup.  Sheryl
says she did manage to puree & freeze a bunch of roma tomatoes and thinks she might try substituting a couple of cups of that instead of the 28oz. can of stewed tomatoes. 

For your Christmas shopping pleasure:

It’s not that far away now!  You still have time to order a few Christmas gifts for our December delivery day.  Some ideas are: live plants, holiday table arrangements, yarn, note cards, baby alpaca handwarmers, mohair caps, bottlecap or scrabble tile necklaces, frames and dog treats.  Also, use some of our many edible products or some of our soaps, candles, lip balms, tinctures, solid perfumes, etc. to make scrumptious or uniquely personalized one-of-a kind gift baskets.  If you have holiday parties planned, don’t forget to order extra of our wonderful baked goods …..many even freeze well.  Shop ahead at MLF for a more relaxed holiday season!

FYI  Good 4 You Tea is taking the month off….don’t worry her products will be back soon.

THANK YOU FOR YOUR CONTINUED SUPPORT!!!!!

Happy local eating.
Kelley, Sheryl & Kerrie

Mass Local Food is now offering free delivery to housebound members in the towns of Holden, MA and Westminster, MA. 

We offer a limited number of free-deliveries, first come first served at www.massfoodcoop.org/shop.  If you need free delivery and are housebound, please email me at mapleheightsfarm@verizon.net.

Free delivery is only offered in Westminster at this time.  See www.massfoodcoop.org/shop for more information.  And contact us through email if you need a delivery on Friday, December 4th.

Massachusetts Local Food is offering limited free delivery to those that are confined to their homes due to illness.  At this time, we are able to make five such deliveries each month.

Online Farmers’ Market Providing Fresh Local Foods Though local farmers’ markets are closed for the season, Massachusetts Local Food (an online farmers’ market) is making fresh, local foods available to consumers throughout the year.  Through an online order system at www.massfoodcoop.org, consumers can log on and order items directly from local farmers and producers.  All items listed on the website are farmed locally by the listing producer using non-confined methods, integrated pest management, and sustainable practices.  All food items are free of GMO products.  Massachusetts Local Food is making it easier for the consumer to find local producers and their products.  And with one delivery day per month, a consumer only has to make one trip to pick up items from any of our 24 producers, thus saving the time of visiting all our local farms.  Delivery sites are in Westminster, Sterling and Berlin. Some of the local gourmet and every day products currently listed on this innovative website are award winning cheese, beef, pork, veal, lamb, eggs, vegetables and fruits, jams, jellies, spreadable fruits, breads, pastries, confections, honey, locally roasted coffee, blended tea, fresh herbs, garlic, seasoning mixes, herbal remedies and tinctures, soaps, lotions, balms and salves, herbal wreaths and swags and even healthy dog treats!