I recently moved to Somerville. The younger population, hip vibe and active lifestyle were just a few of the reasons I set up home here. The fact that this city now brews its own beer is just one giant bonus.

Slumbrew is the research and development brand of Somerville Brewing Company. Founded as a result of 15 years of beer research and tasting by Caitlin Jewell and Jeff Leiter, Slumbrew “provides an opportunity to experiment with innovative local ingredients to produce craft beers that stand apart from typical formulations.”

Slumbrew currently has three beers on the market: Porter Square Porter, Flagraiser IPA and, the one highlighted here today, Happy Sol. Happy Sol is an unfiltered wheat beer brewed with local wildflower honey, orange peel, coriander and the juice from over 1,000 blood oranges. 

Rich chocolate, espresso, nutmeg and pumpkin spice – all wrapped up in an ice cold brew. This is what fall should taste like. 

Cape Ann Brewing Company is a family-owned microbrewery located in Gloucester, Massachusetts. Their beers possess bold flavors and characters that are meant to resemble the courage of the sailors of the North Atlantic fishing fleet. Despite the impressive list of brews Cape Ann produces year-round, the brewery also makes their own pumpkin stout this time of year – along with an imperial version for the true stout fans.

Locally-grown pumpkins, barley and wild rosemary – all ingredients that make a good beer.

Last week, I attended the “Drink Local Craft Beer” dinner at Cambridge Common. Four courses were paired with four Cambridge Brewing Company beers (in addition to a “Welcome Brew” that was served at the beginning of the evening). There was plenty of imbibing, eating and indulging – and a lot of talk about local beer.

Cambridge Brewing Company (CBC)’s tag line says it all: “Fresh beer. Local food.” Open since 1989, CBC takes pride in brewing seasonal, delicious beers made with the freshest, as-local-as-possible ingredients. With over 30 pumpkin brews currently on tap at their restaurant, it’s clear the brewery has a passion and dedication for seasonal food being grown nearby.

Robin's "Doves and Figs" jams are out of this world, and by themselves, are worth the trip to any farmers' market that features Robin's products.

I wanted to make the jam the star of the show, so I whipped up some quick crepes and filled them with Robin's "Lunchbox Blueberry Strawberry Preserves." Score!

Here's how you can do the same.

The Boston Local Food Festival was amazing yesterday! Terrific energy all around, and the vendor selection was unbelievable. At the Local In Season Do-It-Yourself Demo Booth, we sponsored three demos which included vermicomposting, making a garden in a potato sack, and an awesome live cooking demo from LIS contributing writer, Kate Demase! Patrick and I also shared the "how-tos" of dehydrating apples, sun-drying tomatoes, building root cellar, and making your own bacon. Thanks to all who attended demos.

The bacon demo was quite popular, so I wanted to post the recap here on LIS. I loved talking about my favorite food, and hope you try this at home...you'll be so glad you did!

I recently made the move from Arlington to Somerville, expecting more of a city life and even less of a chance of being able to enjoy fresh produce on a regular basis. An innocent walk down my new street one of the first days after my move, though, proved me terribly wrong – thanks to our neighbor with the lush, abundant garden at the end of our street.

For confidentiality’s sake, we’ll call this neighbor Greg. Greg grows a wide variety of fruits and vegetables on his small plot of land, including tomatoes, grapes and plums. Greg loves to share his homegrown foods, and takes pride in what he and his garden produce. As luck would have it, I happened to walk by Greg just as he was preparing his garden for Hurricane Irene – and I walked home, gleefully, with an armful of fresh plums.

Why is it called "Chip Chip" Maki? 

Winning Boston Magazine's "Best New Restaurant" and "Best Bartender," Improper Bostonian's "Best American Food," and Open Table's Top 10 "American Restaurant," Union Bar and Grille in Boston's South End is no stranger to accolades. And with good reason.

The Aquitaine Group, which proudly consists of three Aquitaine locations, Gaslight Brasserie, Metropolis Cafe, and Union Bar and Grille, points to Union as its signature fine dining destination, and believes that dinner at Union is "what going out to dinner used to be -- not a culinary education, just good food that you want to eat." Diners from all over agree and flock to the SoWa area of the South End to enjoy Union's menu, which shows a commitment to serving fresh, local, and sustainable ingredients.  

Excellent ingredients are just one of the keys to the success of any restaurant, or dish for that matter, but they must be cooked to perfection to complete the picture. Fortunately, Union has Chef de Cuisine, Keenan Langlois, on its team.