Tuesday, 2pm, Worthen Road Practice Field. Ding-a-ling, ding-a-ling: it’s the opening bell of the Lexington Farmer’s Market. For the last two decades, this bell has signified the temporary doubling of the food scene in Lexington. Join us this summer as we taste our way around the market, visiting everyone from the founding vendors from when the market first opened 20 years ago to the new “small businesses incubated” at the LFM.
Lexington’s origins as a farming community – once known as “Cambridge Farms,” are well known. Today, more than 30% of Lexington residents identify as Asian. While these circumstances may make it seem like an eventuality that organically farmed Asian vegetables would be sold at the Lexington Farmer’s Market, that assumption omits the 95 mile drive from Shelburne, MA, that Kelley Organic Farms owners Ernie and Hsiu-li C. Kelley endure each week to share their bounty with our community. Broaden your typical farmer’s market haul from French breakfast radishes to large, mildly sweet daikon radish — easy to peel and perfect for pickling. Ask Hsiu-Li how best to prepare their pea shoots and leave with a recipe for a Chinese-style shrimp and pea greens, a quick meal for a warm, summer evening. Curious to get in on the fermentation craze? Pick up a head of Napa cabbage and make your first batch of kimchi. But above all, do not miss this stand of lovingly farmed organic vegetables — even if their names and shapes may seem unfamiliar, rest assured the farmers will guide you in the right direction to turn whatever you buy into a memorable, nutrient-dense dish. Text or call Hsiu-Li Kelley at 413-687-3059 to place a pre-order by Monday at 6pm. Payments will be made at the market upon pickup. Kelley Organic Farm accepts SNAP and HIP.
Kelley Organic Farm, kelleyfarmorganics.com.
When chef, author, and TV personality Anthony Bourdain visited Israel to film Parts Unknown, his first stop with Israeli-British Chef Yotam Ottolenghi was a street stand selling falafel. Ottolenghi explained, “Here, you get falafel that’s just been fried…. [When] I see there’s a few left from the previous customer, I don’t take that. I want them to fry them for me. That makes all the difference in the world.” Thanks to Colin Daly, Lexingtonians can order falafel freshly fried just for them at The Hummus Shop, Daly’s two-year old food truck parked at the entrance to the market. Relish the crunch in the crispy fried crust and the journey to the soft center that does not crumble. Dip the falafel into Just Amazing Tahini Dressing and let the fresh parsley, cilantro, and spices sing. Leave room to try the more humbly named flagship product, Just Hummus — the product that spawned a wholesale business, food truck, and later this summer — a brick and mortar shop in Boston’s Beacon Hill.
Daly shares that he uses sprouted chickpeas for his falafel — if this is the secret, may we never eat another unsprouted legume again. Bags of fifteen balls of frozen falafel are $11 each; 7.5oz. tubs of hummus are $6; 6.5oz pouches of tahini dressing are $6. Falafel and hummus are also available at local Roche Bros and Whole Foods Market.
The Hummus Shop, eatjustus.com/the-hummus-shop.
Is your air fryer or microwave begging for a break from cooking your weeknight meals? Tamales from Tex Mex Eats taste best when steamed and accompanied by their scratch-made salsas. Owner Amanda Escamilla estimates that in her 12+ years in business, she has rolled over 100,000 tamales out of the shared kitchen space she rents at Foundation Kitchen. Lucky for us, Escamilla does not pinch pennies; unlike some tamales that leak out of a skimpy corn husk and dry out even when steamed, Tex Mex Eats tamales emerge from the steamer plump and with its corn filling fully engorged with steam. All three flavors appeal to a wide variety of tastes: traditional pork features carnitas, slow-cooked pork; farmers vegan is filled with rainbow swiss chard, sweet potatoes and mushroom; bean and cheese employs vegetarian pinto beans and colby cheese. Pro tip: always pick up more salsa than you think you’ll need and serve the extra alongside your breakfast eggs. You’re welcome.
Tex Mex Eats tamales, www.txmexeats.com.
At some point in the last decade, energy bites began to replace granola bars in the healthy snack category. And while the details of what healthy means might be more controversial than one’s religion or politics these days, two measures on which varying definitions of healthy often converge are the exclusion of ultra-processed ingredients and the importance of moderating portion sizes. On these two fronts, Lexington’s own Mind Body Snack is the ultimate healthy snack; the medjool date reigns supreme in all four flavors which are — based on the new agey branding — predictably vegan, gluten-free, and dairy-free. Hearty brownie and turmeric & ginger are nut-free too. “Super Bites,” as they are called, are about the size of a quarter and are densely packed with a bright fruit flavor and a soft chew. Hearty brownie is more relative than objective descriptor. Turmeric & ginger leaves a spicy aftertaste. Imagine a hippie pecan version of Turkish Delight without refined sugar — that’s Pecan delight. Enjoy all twelve bites in a bag for $15. Delivery is available in Massachusetts.
Mind Body Snack super bites, www.mindbodysnack.com.
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