Note: On Mondays, one of our various Market Scene correspondents checks in with what's fresh at farmstands, what's coming up, and what you better get while the gettin's good. This week, we hear from Boston correspondent Penny Cherubino of BostonZest. Take us to the market, Penny! [Photographs: Penny Cherubino] The arrival of instant winter in the Northeast brought out hoods, muffs, and furry hats at farmers' markets this week. Shoppers and staff at the Copley Square Farmers' Market in Back Bay were all bundled up. This season is one of plenty for those shoppers who know that many Boston-area markets continue operating late into October. And, a few, like Copley, don't close for the season until Thanksgiving. Farmer Chris Kurth... More

Note: On Mondays, one of our various Market Scene correspondents checks in with what's fresh at farmstands, what's coming up, and what you better get while the gettin's good. This week, we hear from Boston correspondent Penny Cherubino of BostonZest. Take us to the market, Penny! [Photographs: Penny Cherubino] It's autumn in New England and each week a few farmers' markets close for the season, but the Boston Public Market outside of South Station will remain open through the end of October. Aside from providing shoppers in the waterfront, financial and shopping districts with fresh food, this market has symbolic importance. It's operated by the Boston Public Market Association and is a seasonal reminder that the people of Boston want... More

Note: On Mondays, one of our various Market Scene correspondents checks in with what's fresh at farmstands, what's coming up, and what you better get while the gettin's good. This week, we hear from Boston correspondent Penny Cherubino of BostonZest. [Photographs: Penny Cherubino] This May, a new farmers' market began operating on the plaza in front of Boston's Prudential Center. As a recent Boston Globe article put it, "Normally, farmers seek markets where they can sell their wares. In Massachusetts, the markets are hustling to find the farmers." Prudential Market founder Dave Gilson of Gilson Family Herb Enterprises was able to recruit the farms he needed. Last week he said he is pleased to have a great mix of vendors... More

Note: Meet Your Farmers is a Monday morning series where we profile the farmers that mean so much to serious eaters everywhere. This week, Penny Cherubino of BostonZest introduces us to John Lee. [Penny Cherubino] Name: John Lee Farm: Allandale Farm, "Boston's last working farm" in Brookline, Massachusetts How many acres? 30 Your crew: I manage two crews, one for production and one for market. Both crews are local. However, my field crew (many of whom have worked for me for many years) are almost all of Latino descent and have done farm work most of their lives. It is what they love to do, and we try to make it as easy and as much fun as possible. Hours:... More

Note: On Mondays, one of our various Market Scene correspondents checks in with what's fresh at farmstands, what's coming up, and what you better get while the gettin's good. This week, our Boston correspondent Penny Cherubino of BostonZest checks in. Photographs by Penny Cherubino Bostonians who live downtown, have more than 25 farmers' markets within easy walking or public transit distance. The City Hall Farmers' Market is one of the most convenient. It's located on the plaza outside Boston City Hall at the Government Center subway station. It's also close to many places that bring people into the heart of the city. Peaches were on my shopping list with a whole new use in mind. Neelam Batra, author of 1000... More

"What real chefs can do with red-sauce Italian." One could be forgiven for expecting very little from Basta Pasta. It sits on a traffic-heavy Cambridge street lined with bodegas and split-level homes. No waiters--just a walk-up counter whose chalkboard menu reads like the Olive Garden's. There's a refrigerator stocked with Pepsi and Gatorade; a flat-screen TV hangs overhead. The name's a little corny. And the owners aren't even Italian. But with one bite of homemade fusilli, none of this could matter less. MIT grad students, the Cambridge fire department, and Central Square denizens have been holding out on the rest of us--Basta Pasta is no ordinary red-sauce takeout. Order well, and the dishes handed over the counter will be phenomenal.... More

Note: Each week, one of our various Market Scene correspondents from around the country checks in with what's fresh at the farmstands in a particular region. Today, Penny Cherubino (Boston Zest) drops by from Boston. The Brookline Farmers Market has been a part of the Coolidge Corner shopping experience for thirty-one years. It's a place of full-flavor shopping with produce, cheese, eggs, ice cream, bakery, specialty foods, beef, turkey, pork, lamb, and fish vendors. It's a busy market, with long lines forming at favorite vendors like Clear Flour Bakery. This family-operated, artisan bakery specializes in creating the authentic breads of Italy, France and Germany. Clear Flour always appears in any list of the best bakeries in the Boston area.... More

Note: On Mondays, one of our various Market Scene correspondents from around the country checks in with what's fresh at the farmstands in a particular region. Today, Penny Cherubino (Boston Zest) drops by from Boston. Steps from Harvard Yard, with historic Memorial Hall as a backdrop, you'll find the Harvard Farmers' Market. It's part of the University's Food Literacy Project, which "cultivates an understanding of food from the ground up." One of the wettest Junes on record has delayed sun-loving summer crops in the Northeast. Farms with greenhouse operations have had an advantage by producing some early broccoli and cauliflower.... More

Note: This week we add Boston to our mix of Market Scene reports. Penny Cherubino, of BostonZest, reports. Photographs by Penny Cherubino There's been a farmers' market in Copley Square for decades. Long before the local food movement took hold, residents and workers in the historic heart of Boston have been buying fresh, local products from Massachusetts farms at this location. In the past five years, this market has doubled in size. On Tuesdays and Fridays the park is turned into a festival of fresh produce, eggs, meat, smoked fish, cheese, specialty food products, baked goods, plants, cut flowers, crafts, and prepared foods. This week I saw greens everywhere—lettuce, Swiss chard, Asian varieties, collards, mustard, spinach, and bok choy. And,... More

There are two kinds of food I recommend to others—good food, in the critical sense, and tasty food. Tremont 647 is a bit of the former and a lot of the latter. More