Author: Amy Levine

It may be winter, but there are still plenty of colors and local flavors in the boxes. A rainbow mix of potatoes are coming in from Misty Meadow Farms in Maine, and we have watermelon radishes and carrots from Red Fire Farm of Granby, MA. The featured add-on of the week is Taza's Salted Almond Mexicano Chocolate discs, made right around the corner in Somerville. Check out this week's newsletter!

The recent public health emergency declared by Mayor Menino over this winter’s flu outbreak has got us thinking about how important it is to stay healthy. Many of this week’s boxes include kohlrabi, potatoes, and several citrus varieties that are full of vitamin C. So eat up and stay healthy! This week we are featuring raw pecans from Tierra Farms, local Chioggia beets and Honey Bear squash. Check out this week's newsletter.

Visit 12/21/12

We try to make an effort to visit our local growers and vendors at least once a year, and a few weeks ago we took a trip out to our new organic milk supplier, Shaw Farm of Dracut, Massachusetts! Located just an hour north of our Charlestown office, this family-owned dairy farm is about as local as it gets for Boston. After tasting some of their legendary eggnog and other products, we’re tempted to make our visits more frequent.

Shaw Farm operates their own farm store with fresh milk, ice cream, and even baked goods. The farm store is heated by geothermal energy – a renewable energy created by the heat found below the earth’s surface. It not only helps with their energy bill, but it also reduces greenhouse gas emissions on the farm.

1. Story and history of Shaw Farm

Since 1908 Shaw Farm has been providing high quality local dairy products to the Merrimack Valley. Located in Dracut, MA, the farm offers fresh milk, ice cream, and many other local products. Their tagline – “if they say it’s homemade, ask to see their cows” – reminds us of the true farm-to-table process and begs us to ask the question where does our food come from?

2. Why did they start the organic brand?

In 2007 Shaw Farm began to market its own “certified organic” milk products under the name New England Organic Creamery. Owner, Warren Shaw says changes in the marketplace driven by consumer demand for local organic milk have made this change important to the future of the farm. He saw that there was a demand for organic milk and realized that the transition to become certified organic was fairly simple since the farm already operated under many of the organic standards. Now they are the only certified organic milk producer in Massachusetts.

3. How are the cows fed?

Shaw Farm has 16 cows that make up the organic herd. The cows go out in the morning to graze on organic pasture and relax in the field during the day. The majority of the organic herd’s diet consists of organic grass from their pasture and is supplemented with organic grains. Three generations of Shaw’s take care of the 150 acres of nutrient rich orchard grasses that help give the cows their proper protein and fiber. Warren also explained that he has never used antibiotics, growth hormones or anything that might taint the organic milk or harm his cattle.

4. How does farm legislation affect the Shaw Farm business and operations?

The recent nine-month extension of the federal farm bill allowed Shaw Farm to avoid an immediate rise in conventional milk prices. We asked Warren how the farm bill and other dairy industry legislation might affect his business, and he explained that federal milk subsidies and regulations only impact dairy farms that belong to co-ops, not independent dairy farmers like himself.

Because of Shaw Farm’s proximity to the city and densely concentrated population, they have direct access to a large customer base and are able to provide dairy directly to customers and retailers, such as Boston Organics. Because of our collective support, Shaw Farm will be able to thrive, operate, and continue their environmental stewardship of the land that has been in the Shaw family for several generations.

We hope you all had a wonderful holiday season and wish you a happy, healthy and "fruitful" New Year! We look forward to kicking off 2013 by delivering fresh, nutritious, and organic food to your homes and offices! We've got some great local beets and carrots in from Massachusetts this week. Our winter citrus offerings include satsuma mandarins, tangerines and navel oranges. Our featured add on is Neighborly Farm's Pepper Jack Cheese. Check out this week’s newsletter!

Winter produce is in full swing, and we want to help you make the most of this season’s bounty. We’re handing out a Winter Produce Guide with produce profiles, cooking tips, and recipes for some of the produce you’ll see in boxes this Winter. Check it out!

**Somerville Customers**

Bring your food full circle in the New Year!

Happy New Year from your friends at Boston Organics! Thank you all for a remarkable year. We've got some great produce coming in this week, including alfalfa and radish sprouts, sweet potatoes, red potatoes, beets, collard greens, and watermelon radishes. We still have 2 lb bags of Clementine add-ons available. Also, we have a special New Year's promotion for you!! Check out the newsletter!

With New Year's approaching, many of us have goals and resolutions for the upcoming year. Learning to cook is a great way to knock out 2 of the most common resolutions – saving money and getting healthier. If learning better kitchen skills are on your to-do list, we’ve got an opportunity for you!

Enter our “Wanna Be a Top Chef?” promotion for a chance to win a free 12-month membership to Top Chef University! You’ll learn new techniques and perfect your existing skills through hundreds of video cooking lessons from Top Chef contestants, all from the comfort of your own kitchen. Students will become proficient in professional cooking techniques and food preparation methods, from basic knife skills to advanced French techniques.

Courses focus on a wide range of subjects including:

• Stocks, Soups, Sauces & Salads
• Cooking Techniques 1: Sauté, Broil, Grill
• Cooking Techniques 2: Roast, Braise, Fry, Confit
• Vegetables, Eggs & Dairy
• From the Ocean
• Global Cuisine
• Just Desserts

These online cooking classes are a great way to improve your everyday cooking and learn techniques that will help you create delicious meals with all of your fresh, organic produce.

So, what do you have to do?

We want to know 2 things:
1. What is your biggest challenge in the kitchen? (Is it time? Coming up with new ideas? Fear of knives?)
2. If you could study with a professional chef, what is that one thing you would want to learn or improve upon, and why?

All you have to do is share your home cooking challenges with us on our Facebook page, Twitter (@bostonorganics), or email us at marketing@bostonorganics.com

We are looking for a few paragraphs at most (roughly 150-200 words). One winner will be chosen.

Deadline to Enter:
Email or post your response by the end of the day on Sunday, January 6^th. We will pick a winner and contact them by Friday, January 11^th.

Note: You must be a Boston Organics customer to be eligible for this promotion.

Happy New Year!!

It's the last full week of 2012! We wish you all a happy, healthy holiday season.

It's hard to believe it, but Christmas and New Years are right around the corner! We will be closed on Christmas and on New Years day, so please check the newsletter and the website for your updated delivery schedule for both of those weeks.