It's Apple Season at the Farmers Market

Apples from C.N. Smith Farm.

   It's Apple Season at the Braintree Farmers Market hosted by Sustainable Braintree and we're delivering the goods every Saturday from 9 to 1, rain or shine, at the Braintree Town Hall Mall.  C.N. Smith Farm is bringing in a wide selection of apples direct from their orchards in East Bridgewater.  Mid-October is the peak of the season so you need to look no further than the market to find bins with apples such as McIntosh, Macoun, Honey Crisp, Cortland, Empire, Red Delicious, Golden Delicious, Spencer, Northern Spy, Breaburn, Fuji, Mutsu, Golden Russet, Granny Smith, Red Rome, Wine Sap and Baldwin.  If you can't find an apple that you like then you must not like apples.  Apples are great for making applesauce, apple pies, baked apples and apples straight out of the bin.  C.N. Smith Farm also offers their own cider that is pressed at the farm. Their on-site cider mill is federally inspected and certified.  If you're not in the mood or don't have the time to bake Ever So Humble Pie Co. has fresh baked apple pies and Homestyle Caterers are making baked apples this week. Come on down and join the Apple Madness at the market.  Steve Jobs worked at a small farm before he started his computer company and realized the apple had great appeal and so will you.  

   Autumn is the time for comfort foods and and they've taken them to a high art form at Homestyle Caterers.  You can always depend on Chef Hassan's Magic Oven to bring forth the favorite items that their customers demand.  Every week you can be assured that you'll find Falafel Roll Ups, Spinach Turnovers, Chicken Pot Pies, Flaky Baklava, delicious scones and Creamy Rice Pudding.  There's always a rotation of Mac n' Cheese, stuffed peppers and a variety of date and nut cookies along with other surprises along the way. This week the Chef is making Moussaka which is a layering of eggplant and ground beef in a tomato sauce and topped off with a creamy Bechamel.  Homestyle Caterers has a huge fan base and it's no wonder since Chef Hassan is passionate about his cooking and loves to have folks enjoy his creations.

Joe Beaulieu

   Joe Beaulieu Butcher Shop is another farmer that customers appreciate with his hormone and antibiotic-free meats.  When Joe first arrived at the market in 2009 folks were curious about a livestock farmer at the market.  Now Joe has a devout following with a solid customer base as people have come to realize he puts out quality products.  This coming Saturday Joe will be fully stocked with all meat products.  One of his pet ducks just hatched a batch of little ducklings that will have their debut this week for all to see.  

   This Saturday the Energy Task Force group from Sustainable Braintree is hosting the Light Bulb Exchange at the Sustainable Braintree tent.  The days have become shorter and we're turning on the lights for longer periods of time so now's the perfect time to exchange your incandescent bulbs for new CFL bulbs to reduce your electric bill and conserve energy.   Bring up to five working incandescent bulbs in exchange for brand new CFLs.  This effort is funded by Sustainable Braintree.  Bring proof of Braintree residency.

   You don't need to travel great distances to find delicious, fresh picked, local apples and many other fruits, vegetables and so much more.  Take advantage of the market while we're still around.  The efforts of our farmers, vendors, volunteers, town officials and folks like yourself are the reason why the market is thriving.  For more information visit us at  www.sustainablebraintree.org/food.  See you on Saturday.