September Food Events in Bountiful Boston

September is half-over, but there are still a lot of great food events coming up in the next few weeks.

Kick off the fall harvest at the 2013 Urban Agricultural Fair on Sunday, September 15, 10am-1pm at the Loring Greenough House in Jamaica Plain. The free event is organized by Agriculture Hall, an urban agriculture supply and resource center and is set up like a small country fair with exhibits, hands-on demonstrations, and contests for the best baked and canned goods, garden produce, and honey.  

Like it or not, technology is shaping what and how we eat. MIT is sponsoring an Innovation Series Event titled “From Farm to Tablet: A Food Startup Feast,” on Wednesday, September 18, 6-8pm. Panelists will discuss how you start and scale a food technology business, and how investors are looking at the future of food. Speakers include Tom First, founder of Nantucket Nectars /First Beverage Group and Brita Rosenheim, strategist and advisor within the food-related and lifestyle industries. Location: 32-123, MIT. The panel will be followed by post-event networking at the MIT Stata Center's R&D pub, complete with demos and samples. $45. Click here for more info.

Chef Deborah Madison’s Greens cookbook was my first introduction to cooking elegant, seasonal vegetarian food. Deborah Madison will appear at The Cambridge School of Culinary Arts, 2020 Mass Ave, Cambridge on Thursday, September 19, 6-9pm for a discussion, book signing and recipe tasting. The $50 ticket gets you a signed copy of her new book, Vegetable Literacy, a light meal inspired by the book, and wine. What’s more, proceeds will benefit the Boston Public Market Association. A great night and a great cause.

Foodies and fermentation enthusiasts from around New England will gather at the first ever Boston Fermentation Festival on Saturday, September 28, 10am-2pm. The festival will take place in conjunction with the Egleston Farmers Market at Our Lady of Lourdes Parish Hall, 45 Brookside Avenue, Jamaica Plain. The free event will offer workshops and demonstrations of fermented foods, such as kimchi, cheese, pickle and beer tastings; and lectures by leading fermentation specialists. Attendees will be able to listen to live music, eat at food trucks, and sample and purchase fermented foods, handmade fermentation crocks, homebrew kits, and fermentation books from over a dozen vendors. Click here for more info or call (248) 219-8779.

Finally, the Boston Seafood Festival returns for its second year at the Bank of America Pavilion on Saturday, September 28, 11am-10pm. This family-friendly event features food vendors, a kids area, chef demonstrations, the obligatory oyster shucking contest, and more. I went last year and learned a lot about the local seafood industry as I tasted and slurped my way through the festival. Tickets are $10; children under 6 get in free. And if your stomach and wallet aren’t exhausted by the end of this month, $125 will get you a ticket to the Boston Seafood Gala on Friday, September 27, 6-9:30pm at the Exchange Conference Center on Boston Fish Pier, where top chefs will feed you as you sip champagne and enjoy live jazz in a beautiful waterfront location. Proceeds benefit the Boston Fisheries Foundation, a new nonprofit working to support sustainable fisheries, educate us about sustainably harvested seafood and the fishing industry’s role in preserving wild ocean stocks, and develop a Maritime Fisheries Museum. The perfect way to end a busy month!