MARKET MASCOT: RESOURCES FOR FINDING LOCAL FARMS BEFORE THE FROST COMES

**Image via Stillman’s Farm in New Braintree**

“They hit the ground running in March to make food available, safely, to everyone and they haven’t stopped since.”

As we always say when we reluctantly applaud public relations efforts of any kind, since God forbid somebody deliberately attempts to inform us so that we can inform readers, we’re not in the business of boosting businesses. Not on the editorial side at least. If we publish something and that results in increased foot or web traffic for an establishment, then great. But unlike the Sustainable Business Network of Massachusetts, it’s not our job to make people look good.

With that being said, we have to give pounds and applause to SBN of Mass, which has represented its members diligently through the pandemic. Its email newsletters and resources are critical must-reads for home chefs and foodies, sure, but also for anyone wanting to help build “economies that are local, green, and fair,” as its mission goes.

“Local farms have met the challenges of COVID-19,” the Mass SBN said in a recent statement. “They hit the ground running in March to make food available, safely, to everyone and they haven’t stopped since. They’re working every day to grow food and get it out to local communities, and now local folks are saying: thank you.”

As we look to say thank you, yes, but also to spend as much time outside as possible before we have to pull the roof rakes out of storage again, SBN Mass has been incomparably helpful. So while many of the remarkable open-air markets from Cape Cod to Lawrence that are scheduled for these next few mild-weather weeks are listed on digboston.com, it’s only right for us to also send you to sbnmass.org, as well as to the sites of partners of its such as buylocalfood.org and even the Mass Department of Agricultural Resources, whose calendar of culinary and agricultural events is just about the best damn thing produced on Beacon Hill these days.

While you’re in the spirit of helping keep your favorite food establishments cooking, check out Commonwealth Kitchen’s Protect Our Restaurants campaign, and consider the introduction of its open letter to the Federal Trade Commission next time you’re ordering out:

We write to request that the [FTC] investigate the four dominant food delivery apps – GrubHub, DoorDash, UberEats and Postmates. According to published reports, these corporations have used a variety of unsavory tactics, including charging exorbitant commission fees, usurping tips, creating impostor restaurant websites and faking phone numbers to mislead customers, harm workers and drain revenue from restaurants when they need it most.

mass.gov/service-details/calendar-of-culinary-and-agricultural-events