Post 390 Cycles through the Local Food System (by Nina Quirk)

Like any good tourist in a foreign land I enjoy sampling the food. However over the past year, thanks to Post 390, I've traveled New England’s abundant farms without ever having to leave Boston. I have been enchanted while tasting some of the area’s finest ingredients. Fruit, berry and vegetable farms in the summer. Game and pork in the fall. Dairy farms and shell fisheries in the winter. Seeing food in light of what’s available month to month has helped me become aware of the species we cultivate here in the northeast. As luck would have it, we are rich in food and it is a great culinary tradition like Post 390 is hosting, that helps me to appreciate the abundance.

Okay, so after seven months of “Farm to Post” receptions, I arrived late to one. And, what’s worse about my tardiness is that I missed cocktail hour. Cocktail hour listed an hors d’oeuvre called Redman Cheddar-Pecan Shortbread with Apple Butter. Surely it was my loss.

I’m grateful they know me quite well after all these dinners. My hands were greeted with my favorite cocktail, the Provencal Gimlet. Quietly sipping, I reflected on the menu for the rest of the evening. Five more courses to indulge in. And what is even more exciting about this month’s farm is that they are featuring a Kosher Raw Milk cheese maker who pasture feeds his quaint lot on a 100 year old dairy farm.
Oh yeah, we were all in for a treat. I sat next to my favorite restaurant publicist Martha Sullivan and Sales Consultant Shane Brunette of Baldor Boston, a specialty foods distributor. Across the table sat Alan Glustoff and his wife Barbara of 5 Spoke Creamery, Meghan from the Travel, Wine, and Dine blog, and next to her, Globe Correspondent Jane Dornbusch.

While the minds at the table were certainly not simple; the table was set for cheese and cracker conversation.

So we had at it. Three sips deep into discussing the benefits of raw cow milk and the rise of urban farming and I realized the immense wealth of knowledge that sat at this table. Inquiring minds want to know, (and that’s me!) so I started asking questions.

I think I can at least speak for the central group at the table in saying we all learned a great deal about cheese making, land policy issues, how competitive the cheese market is, and Lance Armstrong’s drug scandal. After all this hard thinking, it was time to feast. However my mind could not rest. I thought about all the hands that contributed to the meal. How many people were doing a job they loved for wages below what they deserve? How many people can go back to work if we just started to view farming as a decent way to make a living. I started to annoy myself with all this thinking; it was time to shut up and eat.

Cauliflower and 5 Spoke Heritage Cheese Soup was laid down in front of us. In the middle sat a Brambly Farms pulled pork and Kimball Fruit Farm apple fritter; both ingredients from past feature farms. The stock of the soup was made with Steel Rail Extra Pale Ale by Berkshire Brewing Company and Brambly Farms bacon. With ingredients like this, need I say more? I did hear lots of “Oooh’s” and “Aaah’s” as people ate, if that is any indication.

Roasted Monkfish with Foraged Mushroom-Talcott Gratin, and Lobster Demi-Glace arrived right as I finished up the delicious glass of Godello, Rafael Placios, Louro, Valdeorras, Spain 2011. A glass of 2010 Frech Chenin Blanc, Marc Bredif, Vouvray Loire was awaiting me right away.

As we toasted the chef, we scoffed down this ‘poor man’s lobster.’ Monkfish is often called this because of its meaty, succulent texture. Beneath the fish swam three types of juicy wild mushrooms, in a puddle of melted, cheesy goodness. Succulent fare indeed.

The next course brought some innovation. It was comprised of a Rabbit and Welsh Cheddar Tamale served next to a marinated, roasted red pepper salad. This tamale had an authentic feel sitting in its husky jacket, busting at the seams with a mixture of pulled rabbit, masa, and 5 Spoke Welsh cheddar cheese. The earthy flavor matched well with the bright acidity of the peppers.

Herb Roasted Veal medallions and  panko encrusted Veal Sweetbreads sat on top of a bed of Orecchiette pasta in a Broccoli and Crawford Cloth Bound Cheddar Cheese Sauce. A veal jus was drizzled over the top. Layers upon layers of goodness. Each bite was delightfully paired next to a glass of Italian 2009 Barbera D’Alba, Sottimano, Pairolero.  The delicate red wine complimented this luxuriously rich dish.

Dessert time had come and so did the end of our enlightened conversation. I bid farewell to my new friends as we all raced to eat our Welsh Cheddar Bavarian. Flan-like custard was topped with Honey Apricots and Cinnamon Phyllo Crunch that tasted like Cinnamon Toast Crunch the cereal except this dessert was made from real ingredients. Certainly this was a perfect ending to the feast of our senses.

Farm to Post and the Pig Farmers (by Nina Quirk)

As my husband and I drove home from our 5^th monthly Farm to Post dinner, we discussed how our favorite part of each meal (besides the amazing food) is getting to meet the farmers.  While most Americans celebrate people on T.V. screens, I am utterly dumbfounded when I meet a nice wholesome farmer. I find something so righteous about busting your hump to provide our nation with honest food.

This month at Post 390 you can sample a fine array of pigs from Brambly Farms in Norfolk, MA. (A (B) will appear next to their product throughout this article.) These include heritage pigs like Tamworths, Large Blacks, Red Wattle, and Gloucestershire Old Spots; breeds that are a minority in our nation and offer some of the finest pork products around. Each of the 100 or so pigs on Brambly Farms is spoken for at birth. Every good restaurateur in Boston is vying to get their hands on these hogs due to their exquisite quality.  Some breeds are picked because they are fattier and more flavorful, while others are picked for their leaner co-parts. Whichever breed you’re eating, you can bet your (pork) butt that it’s going to be ridiculously good.

My husband and I walked into the room and it was filled with the largest group we'd seen at Farm to Post. We ran right over to a man and woman standing together, "Are you the featured farmers?" We were dying to meet the two people who were providing food for our group that evening, only this time, we asked the wrong couple. "No, I'm a writer (for a very important magazine!)

The farmers were standing at the opposite side of the table, looking around while sipping their Pig N’ Peach cocktails. I went over and introduced myself to Ted and Sandra O’Harte a.k.a. the animal farmers. These off the boat Irish folk spoke with pride about their family farming operation, explaining to me the ins and outs of raising animals for a living. Like the nursing and weaning process that their pigs partake in. You probably never thought you’d discuss pig breastfeeding before dinner. Well I did and it was quite interesting.  For instance, pigs would suckle throughout their whole lives but are stopped after a certain amount of time so that the mother hog can heal for her next litter. It made me think of how connected all of us animals are when I could relate to the pigs’ issues.

Ted also talked about how he raised a group of rare birds that had been eaten by fisher cat’s right before they reached their peak. He told me about raising hens, ducks, pheasants, turkeys, and  how superior the product was when they were pasture fed and happy throughout their lives. While all farming is hard work, there is something to be said about a family that raises animals for a living. They breed them and nourish them, fall in love with them and then have to send them off to the meat “processor.” (On a side note- did you know there are only 2 meat processors in the whole state of Massachusetts? The farmers have to book months in advance and compete with each other for slots, many of them going out of state to process their meat. That’s beyond absurd considering the amount of meat that is probably consumed in our state.) Sad but true, this family will endure heart ache, losses, and some successes (like Farm to Post!), but they are doing work that we can all be proud of. These animals were raised solely for the purpose of food; food that I’m likely to rave about for decades.

Ecstatic to be serving such a superior product, Chef Eric Brennan explained to us his methodologies for extracting the goodness from this farm. His excitement was set down before us in the form of a decadent fried Lobster (B)LT’s that everyone could not stop eating. Then a creamy, thick slab of Pate arrived with some mustard and cornichon on toast. Egg (B) Drop Soup with Crab, accompanied by a Pork (B) and Florida Shrimp Potsticker served over an aged mushroom soy sauce and a Swiss chard/scallion aioli. This dish was spectacular; it was very unique but not over the top. Just plain tasty.

Next up was Roast Thai Cured Pork Belly (B) that was juicy, succulent and melded wonderfully with the Mango, Jicama and Scituate Lobster Salad it sat next to. Layers of Thai basil, cilantro and mint danced with the pickled Thai chili.

Inspired by their farm movement, Post hired a new beer guy who is in the know on the latest nano-brews. This new type of beer comes from tiny home distillers throughout the region. The meal was paired with a variety of beers including; Pretty Things, High and Mighty, Jack’s Abby, and many more I highly recommend you go and sample. I was impressed by this fine movement to keeping it local.

But now it’s back to bacon.  Maple-Rosemary Bacon (B) that is with wrapped Scituate scallops served over liquid corn on the cob and a succotash of red kidney beans, Tasso (B) ham, and fried corn. This was a creamy, smoky heaven topped by crispy fried sweet potato strings which added a new textural element. Grilled spice rubbed Pork Loin (B) served next to an outstanding Pulled Pork (B) and Pear Fritter, sautéed Swiss chard and a Prune Plum-Ginger Pork Jus was delightfully succulent.

I was stuffed but knew that the feast was not over. I was delighted by another Molly Hanson design, Old Fashion Apple Pie with a lard (B) crust. It had a crumb topping and was simply an apple pie done right, which in all honesty, is rare. No pie is complete without vanilla ice cream, but a dried apple wafer sat delicately on top and had the most intense apple flavor I’ve ever eaten.  All in all, I’d say this chef/farm combo is a winner worth stopping in Post 390 for. If you think there’s a bacon shortage out there, run into this contemporary tavern and get your fix of not only bacon, but rare homegrown bacon that’s been kissed by Maple and Rosemary.

390 Post: Ways to Use Kimball Fruit Farms (by Nina Quirk)

“Handpies. Get it?” If you’ve worked anywhere near a chef or a kitchen then you “Get it.” Pastry Chef Molly Hanson sitting to my left is chuckling to herself as Owner Chris Himmel relives the naming of our fruit filled parting gift: Blackberry Handpies. These free formed turnover-esque delights bursting at the seams with blackberries became breakfast the next morning allowing our farm dinner to live on. How clever I thought.

I've started to feel spoiled by Chef Eric Brennan’s type of dining: monthly dinners with six courses of farm fresh produce backed by specialty cocktails, wine and gifts to endorse the abundance. Oh, did I mention I even left with a pink rose and rhubarb arrangement that is now sitting pretty on my kitchen table. It’s not a rough life; however I do have to put in the work. I have to keep up conversation with intelligent minded people focused on bringing the freshest produce to the heart of Boston. I have to watch movies with reggae music and flashing food porn images (By this I do not mean perverse fruit displays. I mean produce so beautiful that it literally feels heartily sexy.) And finally, I have to eat my heart out. All of this whilst laughing, growing, and learning more about the Farm to Post movement. I guess that’s work I can live with.

Post 390: Food Voyeur's Farm to Post Private Dinner (by Nina Quirk)

Urban eating trends have been shifting for quite some time now. It’s no longer rad to just be a vegetarian. One must now confess their love (or lack thereof) for food in the most descript yet politically correct manner possible.

If only people would start wearing T-shirts with their food politics on them just so you’re careful not to insult one food movement or another. Mine would read, “Organic gardener, local omnivore, with bivalve allergy, who believes in sustainability/Food Dork.”

Phew. Glad I finally got that out. Fortunately this love for all things food united rewards me with the fruits of my labor; like monthly “Farm to Post” private dinners. This month Post 390 in Boston introduced a six course tasting display of fresh picked produce from Ward’s Berry Farm in Sharon, MA. A (W) will indicate every piece of Ward’s Berry Farm produce throughout this article.

Vegetable and flower arrangements by Leonhard’s in Beverly, MA complimented the local food lover’s dream landscape. And a gathering of like-minded individuals set out to enjoy a nutrient dense meal with the very hands that cultivated the food. Owners and brothers Jim and Bob Ward with office manager Peg Ventresco seemed excited to watch their food be reincarnated at the hands of Chef Eric Brennan.

Sipping our ‘Zucchini Tini’ cocktails, adorned with spicy brined zucchini balls; Peg and I spoke of their sustainable farming practices. She schooled me on Farmer’s Choice Boxes, CSA (Community Supported Agriculture), and their pick-your-own fruit farm. While we spoke, we reveled in the delight of a Crab Stuffed Zucchini Blossom (W) Tempura that we dipped in a chive (W) aioli. Who knew vegetable flowers could be such delicious vehicles for stuffing?