Some of my favorite unexpected local products...

   Initially when I planned what to write here, I considered the fact that people tell me it is harder to eat local in New England's winters. Boredom with the same recipes for root vegetables (boiled or roasted, sometimes mashed), seemed the prevalent attitude among most people I knew. However as I searched, a thought occurred to me. Not only are there many interesting recipes for local seasonal food if you look for them, there are also a lot more locally made products that may not readily spring to mind but are fantastic when you find them.

    In Cambridge, Tazo Chocolate grinds and makes chocolate products. They give the remaining cacao shells from the process to local organizations to use as mulch; mainly use recycled materials for packing and even delivers via bike to people in Cambridge, Somerville and Boston! They also operate a direct trade model, compensating those growing the cacao beans fairly and supporting sustainable farming. My favorite product they make is the vanilla bean chocolate mexicano disc, which makes a fantastic hot chocolate in the brisk New England weather.

    I know Massachusetts and Cape Cod do not spring to mind when you think about wineries and vineyards, but there are a growing number of them. One that particularly stands out to me is Truro Vineyards. They make a Cranberry Red wine that is a Beaujolais like red blended with Cape Cod cranberries. The Vineyard is located next to the National Seashore and they take great care in using sustainable practices and green buildings.

   And if there is something that goes with wine, it is cheese! These days cheddar is not the only cheese that should spring to mind when you think of locally made dairy products. In fact, there is an ever-growing variety available, from multitudes of varieties of goat's cheeses, blue cheese and Gouda, to other delicious treats. One of my favorite cheeses is mozzarella, and fresh mozzarella is made daily by Fiore de Nonno in Somerville. They make their cheeses with milk from the Shy Brothers farm located in Westport. I'd been regularly buying their fig burratta during the Copley farmer's market in Boston which has ended for the season, but luckily Wasik's Cheese Shop sells a number of their cheese's all the time!

    If you are more of a beer drinker, there are a number of excellent breweries. Pumpkin beers always seem especially appealing around Halloween and thanksgiving, and in Waltham there’s a brewery that makes an impressive one. Watch City Brewing Company makes a brew called Pie-eyed Pumpkin Ale- for every batch they make; they use over 250 pounds of locally grown sugar pumpkins! They also grow a number of herbs they use in different beers and use locally made chocolates when they brew chocolate porter.

    The variety of locally grown and/or produced edibles are growing all the time with the growth of interest in them. What things have you found available that you would not have thought of? Please let me know!
Melanie Griffiths, Circulation

http://www.tazachocolate.com/AboutUs/Taza_Direct_Trade. http://trurovineyardsofcapecod.com/sustainability.php. http://www.fioredinonno.com/our-story http://watchcitybrew.com/our-beers/brewing-process/.