Monday, August 31, 2009

Your Local Farmers Markets!

With farmers markets popping up everywhere, more people participating in CSA's, and with cranberries, pumpkins, and winter squashes just coming into season for the fall, there has never been a more perfect time to get your local produce!

BU now has a farmers market right on campus, in front of the GSU! At 775 Commonwealth Ave., it runs on Thursdays from 12 pm - 4 pm, from June 25 - October 29. Read our previous post about it.

However, if you are otherwise occupied on Thursdays, or if you would like to venture beyond the grounds of BU for local produce, we have conveniently mapped the farmers markets that are in the Boston area! Go the the map link here.



For more information and listings about farmers markets in Massachusetts, look at Mass Farmers Markets, LocalHarvest, MassGrown's listing, and Edible Boston's list. LocalHarvest is also a good resource for those of you interested in a CSA (Community Supported Agriculture).

And if you are unsure of when various produce is in season, check out this chart!

Photo source link

Enjoy the fresh produce while it's in season!

Wednesday, August 26, 2009

Gearing Up for the Fall!


With the summer coming to a close, we're excited to bring the fall semester into full swing!




Ideas for events to look forward to this year include:

Urban Beekeeping
Cranberry Bogging
Eat-Ins with other schools
Green Roof Hopping
Seed Saving Workshop
Knife Skills Workshop
Pickling/Canning Workshops
Kombucha Demonstration
Speaker Series, Food Movies
and plenty of potlucks, of course!


Dates: TBA

In addition, here are a few events you can add to your calendar:

Monday, August 31 - Look for Slow Food BU's table at SPLASH! from 11 am - 2 pm at Nickerson Field

Wednesday, September 2 - Buy some tasty, local treats at SFBU's BAKE SALE at the GSU Link (775 Commonwealth Ave.) from 10:30 am - 3 pm to help us raise money for transportation costs for the fall!

Tuesday, September 8 - SFBU's FIRST MEETING at 7 pm in the Fuller Building (808 Commonwealth Ave., entrance on Essex St.). Look for us in the main lounge or follow the signs! We will be having a potluck and screening food-related shorts. Anyone is welcome to come, and if you cannot bring a dish, just remember to bring a plate and utensils!

We are also looking for Freshman and Sophomore Representatives to join our SFBU team. If you think you are interested, come to our meetings and let one of us know!

If you would like to help out with any of our events, or if you have any ideas, comments, questions, or suggestions, do not hesitate to contact us!

Looking forward to seeing you this fall!

-Dory, Kate, Annabelle, and Elizabeth

Wednesday, August 12, 2009

Cartography: Boston Street Food

For those who may be new to Boston and/or find themselves combing the streets for hidden urban treasures, let this is your guide. Boston officially doesn't allow mobile food vendors to operate in the city, but there are still some renegades that roam, and more beyond city limits, in Cambridge. There is nothing quite as good at establishing a sense of place than eating a dirty dog with mustard in the park, or feeling the high noon sunheat off the side of a taco truck, to remind you of where you are, who you're dealing with, and how to "do lunch" informally.

Street food is (usually) affordable, simple, and delicious, if only for the impromptu, almost clairvoyant nature of its existence. You're just starting to feel hungry, and there it is. A mobile outpost that is surprisingly, exactly what you want.


Check out this map of Boston carts from New York Magazine, and the full article here. And if you run into a good one not on this map, let us know so we can go there too!

Wednesday, August 5, 2009

Hive Design and Urban Beekeeping



More information on urban beekeeping:
from The Infrastructurist
from Anarchy Apiaries in Red Hook, NY

About Colony Collapse Disorder and why we need bees to live:
from NRDC