Massachusetts Organic Food Guide

Description

It's sunrise at Apple Street Farm and Frank McClelland is admiring a serene scene that is reminiscent of his childhood in rural New Hampshire – standing within the dense vegetation of a plentiful field that is destined to enhance someone's lunch or dinner.

As the proprietor and chef of an acclaimed restaurant and catering company that includes L'Espalier – Boston's only AAA-Five Diamond establishment – today he imagines how the fruits (and herbs, edible flowers, eggs, and heirloom vegetables) of his labors can be featured on that day's menus. By adding farming to his culinary repertoire, this hands-on chef rekindles treasured family memories – when "eat local" was an unconscious daily act as simple as walking outdoors to find a ripe and delicious vegetable, and then rinsing at the hose or kitchen sink.

In one of the country's most ambitious sustainable agriculture initiatives for the restaurant industry, Apple Street Farm is the primary source of organic harvests, free-range poultry and pork, and egg-laying hens for Chef McClelland's famed restaurants, located just 26 miles south of Essex. He personally delivers his bushels of harvests to his awaiting chefs for them to feature in world-class dishes. His revitalization of this two-century pastoral 14-acre equestrian farm is evident in the maturing plantings that have responded to this region's abundant spring rains; and 2009 marked its first harvest season.

We invite you to visit our restaurants and taste the delectable surprises that our culinary team has created with these fresh ingredients. Apple Street Farm French Breakfast Radish Soup with Vidalia Onions and Stinging Nettles is just one of many dishes that can pop up on a menu. If you are driving through Essex on a weekend and the gates are open, come to visit the Farm Stand at the Apple Street Farm to see what was harvested that morning.

Products

Anise Hyssop, Arugala, Baby Beet Greens, Baby Summer Squash, Basil, Beans, Roma Beets, Black Tuscan Kale, Braising Greens, Broccoli, Cabbage, Carrots, Chicken, Chives, Concord Grapes, Corn, Cucumber, Daikon, Dill, Eggs, Eggplant, Fava Beans, Fennel, Fingerling Potatoes, Flowers, Garlic, Green Beans, Green Garlic, Green Tomato, Hot Pepper, Jerusalem Artichoke, Leek, Baby Lemon Verbena, Lettuce, Mesclun Mix, Mint, Oregano, Pac Choi, Pea Tendrils, Peas, Pumpkin, Quail Eggs, Radish, Raspberry, Red Turnips, Rosemary, Sage, Shallot, Spinach, Spring Onions, Squash Blossoms, Squash, Strawberries, Sunflowers, Sweet Peppers, Swiss Chard, Tarragon, Thyme, Tomatoes, Heirloom Turkey, Turnips, Tuscan Kale, Winter Squash, Zucchini, Zucchini Flowers.

CSA

Shares cost $420 each and CSA runs from June to September. Pickup is at Apple Street Farm. Sold out for 2010; contact us for 2011 waitlist.

Farm Stand

Tuesday through Sunday, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.