Dining
The Island Grown Initiative, a nonprofit organization dedicated to supporting and promoting locally grown food and its farmers on the Vineyard, has been granted $10,000 to improve and expand its poultry program.
The grant was awarded by Northeast Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education from its sustainable community innovation category, which fosters connections between sustainable agriculture and rural communities. Northeast Sustainable is a grants program within the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
Congratulations are in order for Jack Blake of Sweet Neck Farm in Edgartown, whose Sweet Petites oysters tied for third place in an oyster tasting competition in Providence, R.I., on Monday evening.
“It was real fun, there were a lot of good oysters out there,” Mr. Blake said after the winners were announced. Mr. Blake’s oysters beat out a bevy of bivalves culled from all over the country.
In the summer, when there is an abundance of produce available from our 28 Island farms, it’s easy for Vineyarders to plan meals based on local, seasonal food. But even with the vernal equinox upon us, winter is still maintaining its hold on our gardens, so making a meal based on Island food can be a challenge. Rebecca Miller, farmer and co-owner (with her husband Matthew Dix) of North Tabor Farm in Chilmark, is up to the task.
Food Safety Classes
Starting Tuesday, March 25, ServSafe food sanitation classes will be held for anyone who requires the certification to meet the rules to be a person in charge in a restaurant or other food service establishment.
Cynthia Barletta and Alice Robinson of Public Health Network Services will teach the classes, which are sponsored by the Oak Bluffs Association. The series of classes runs for three consecutive Tuesday and Wednesday nights from 5 to 9 p.m. at the Martha’s Vineyard Regional High School.
A Spring Palate
The arrival of spring promises a fresh new palate of colors, tastes and textures, and plates as pretty as pictures. Fading from the canvas are the earth-tone stews and roasted root vegetables. Tender crisp is now de rigueur, not fall-off-the-bone, fork tender.
Reflecting these seasonal tastes, Easter dinner heralds spring with a pastel spread of rosy ham, pink lamb, asparagus hollandaise, and lemon meringue pie. A festive side dish that will look much prettier on the plate than mashed potatoes is the following rice recipe.
Cook Moroccan
Dinner goes global this week when Jan Buhrman of Kitchen Porch Catering in Chilmark demystifies Moroccan cooking on Wednesday, March 12, at 5:30 p.m. at Chilmark library. The title of her free cooking demonstration is Moroccan Staples and Spices: Preserved Lemons and Tagines.