Quick! Go find a farm with a CSA program!

Folks a the office are starting to talk about their grand gardening plans for the Spring/Summer growing season. Some have backyards or deck gardens. Others are urban gardeners with plots in neighborhood community gardens. And for a hot minute, I, too, considered the adventure of urban gardening.

Ha! That would be a horrible idea for me.

Instead, I got my Google on and looked into local farm share programs. Community Supported Agriculture programs are pretty popular and nowadays farms will often deliver into the city and many no longer require that members put in work time. Some CSAs ask that you commit to a full or half share at the beginning of the season, $250-$500, and in return you receive between 5-15 lbs of produce weekly. Instead of equating your share to fixed amount of produce, other CSAs count your share as afixed percent-off at their farmer's market stands. These are all good things for the carless city-dweller that I am.

I'm splitting a half share with friends this year at Stone Soup Farm. I'm excited because it means I'll have access to organic produce at around $2/lb. That's definitely better than most of the deals at Whole Foods or anywhere in my neighborhood. I hope to report back in June with the first fruits of the season and share recipes.

www.localharvest.org is a neat site where you can find local CSAs, farms, markets, and even restaurants that support local farms.

More Stanford wine without the Stanford label.

I totally was into the story of the dudes at Vinum Cellars when the Stanford Alumni Wine Program announced last year's selections. Richard Bruno and Chris Condos both headed to UC Davis to study Viticulture & Enology. Lucky for us, they began Vinum and brought forth into the world some phantasmic wines.

Last year, Stanford panel awarded Vinum Cellars' 2005 Red Dirt Red with it's highest honor and made it available to lucky Stanford folk under the name 2005 Cardinal Cuvée (sounds like coo-vay?). At some point I should learn what folks javascript:void(0)
Publish Post mean when they describe it as a Rhône-style or Châteauneuf-style wine. I can't find the tasting notes from the panel and Mr. Bruno, but the praise was high and the advice was to keep it as a collector wine. Well, I don't know if all my bottles will make it to the 5-7 year mark, but the bottles we've had so far are amazing. $30/bottle

I went so far as to contact the winery and join their wine club. They actually ship to Massachusetts!!!

Here's a snippet from my WineBeagles tasting note.

"bold. a drier red with lotsa cherry going on. the tannins greet your first sip with a swift, but enjoyable, punch on the kisser... uber hip label and cork design, too. "

A Stanford wine without the Stanford label...

Many my workmates asked were one could buy the Pedroncelli Cabernet Sauvignon that was featured as a 2007 Stanford Wine Program selection without having to trek to California. [A bonus to working with me is that I share Stanford wine from time to time].

Why did it stand out so much? It's a nice medium-bodied red with lots of solid berry flavor and just a slight amount of spice. The finish is just right and lingers just long enough to remind you that you need another sip.

I emailed the winery and they forwarded the list of stores below. It retails in the "real world" under the name: 2004 Pedroncelli Cabernet Sauvignon Three Vineyards*. You can buy directly from the winery or find it at a good number of places with the Google Product Search.

Leave a comment if you have a chance to try it!


Boston/Metro West Retailers

Albert Winestein 84 Fairmont (Hyde Park) [20% off on a case!]

Brighton Beverage 1650 Soldiers Field Rd (Brighton)

Brookline Liquor Mart 1354 Commonwealth Ave (Allston)

Gomes Liquors 58 Ashby State Rd (Fitchburg)

Hyders Mediterranean Market 408 Pleasant St (Worcester)

Macy’s 1826 Centre St (West Roxbury)

Plaza Liquor Mart 761 Providence Hwy (Dedham)

Port wine & Spirits 25 Storey Ave (Newburyport)

University Wine & Spirits 323A Boston Ave (Medford)

Water Street Wine & Spirits 1 Nicholas Rd (Framingham)

Wine Cask Cellars 100 Powdermill Rd (Acton)

*Under the Stanford label it was called 2004 Dry Creek Valley Cabernet Sauvignon

Great Bay

I've been slow to post the wonderful details of my Great Bay weeknight dining extravaganza. It's not for a lack of awesomeness on their part: instead, I can't find my camera cord and I've been a bit crazed at the day job. I'll share every last juicy, tender, tasty detail soon!

Facebook Wine App

Part of me longs to be a wine guru. Right now, I lack the play money, time, and patience to develop my wine knowledge. Instead, I can pretend to know what I'm doing by adding a Facebook App that allows me to share with other wine wannabes my "cellar" contents, wine wish list, and tasting notes.

In reality, my cellar consists of two cardboard boxes filled with mostly Stanford Alumni Wine Program vintages and my first shipment as a Vinum Cellars Wine Club member.

Chicken Quinoa Soup with Peas and Shallots

The worst thing about being sick and away from home or any significant others is that if you're sick, you're likely in charge of making/buying your own sick food. When I lived in Allston, I was more than happy to pay a delivery fee to get quarts of Zaftig's Chicken Soup egg noodles with matzo ball (plus extra matzo balls) sent to my door. If I were home, my mom would make chicken soup from scratch, or better yet, gingery, scalliony bubur ayam (Malay name of what's commonly referred to in Chinese kitchens as jook/congee or in my-speak "rice porridge with chicken").

In college, I got the nerve to learn to make chicken soup from scratch. I've always wanted to learn to make matzo balls on my own, but alas, this last 'bout of sickness zapped all energy I had to figure 'em out. Instead, I boiled the bones from my roasted chicken and turned the homemade broth into a simple soup of chicken, shallots, frozen peas, and quinoa.

p.s. I made the unfortunate mistake of adding more quinoa before my first 3/4 c. fully cooked. I added another half c. and came back to a pot of quinoa porridge! Hey, even mistakes (or surprises?) can be tasty =)

Boston Winter Restaurant Week(s) is Here!

Do your homework, then book your reservation.

Dates: March 9 - 14 & 16 - 21, 2008
Lunch: $20.08. Dinner: $30.08

p.s. It took three years worth of attempts, but I finally got my Mooo... (the restaurant formerly known as the Federalist) reservation.