With the increasing popularity of the “buy local” movement and increasing demand for fresh, locally-sourced produce, dairy, meats, and other provisions, many families spend entire weekends going from farm to farm, often digging in the dirt themselves in order to ensure that their meals are the most organic, GMO-, gluten- or other special dietary necessity-free around.
Those in the Needham area find themselves especially fortunate in this regard, as they have been able to enjoy the full bounty of the region for nearly 100 years by going to one place – the family owned and operated Volante Farms (http://volantefarms.com).
From everyday items to delectable delicacies and from soup to nuts to meat to dairy to produce to flowers to wine and cheese, Volante has kept the region covered by making the most of their own 30 acres and by seeking out, partnering with and selling and supplying scores of New England’s most popular purveyors. In addition to baking their own cider donuts and other oven-fresh favorites, Volante has a full deli featuring Boar’s Head, New England Charcuterie, and other quality brands and salad and sandwich stations at which guests can enjoy the kitchen’s latest creations or mix and match to their hearts’ content. As the new home of John Dewar’s meats, Volante is preparing to take turkeys from nearby Owen’s Poultry Farm as well and will soon have the largest selection of freshly-prepared meats in the area. For the very hungry (or very generous), Volante also offers a raft of platters and catering choices that range from cheese plates to full meals, including many holiday arrangements. Speaking of holidays, Volante also offers trees, wreaths, and other winter house warmers, and can put together a fabulous fruit and gift basket any time of year, featuring the most extensive selection of New England apples around.
As if the Farm-fresh features were not enough, Volante also offers options from around New England, many of which are not available outside of their far-flung home farms. On the food side, there are Boston Honey Co. honeys and Golden Girl granolas to Cheryl Ann’s challahs and Iggy’s breads to Cabot butters and Red Barn coffees to Boston Smoked Fish Co. and Jordan Brothers seafoods. To washit all down, Volante offers Spindrift sodas and Zoos Greek teas, as well as Berkshire, Harpoon, Ipswich, Jack’s Abbey, Mayflower, Peak Organic, Sam Adams, and Slumbrew beers (some of which use Volante produce for fresh flavors and intriguing ingredients), Bantam and Woodchuck ciders, Charles Smith, 90+ Cellars and Truro wines and even rare Eden icewines, So whether you need to slake hunger or quench thirst, Volante has many of your favorite brands all in one place!
As you wind your way around the wooden farmstand, through the wide aisles between the wooden racks, it is easy to add to your shopping list as you go, what with all the tasty temptations around every corner. And while many of the items available are special and specialty, the prices are reasonable and family-friendly, making Volante a great place to splurge a bit or just to try something new.
In addition to the farm stand, Volante offers a 16,000-square foot, 90% efficient, water-recycling walk-though greenhouse, in which guests can pick the freshest flowers and learn about the best ways to plant and tend to them at home through a regular series of lessons that are also available online. Volante also offers samples from their own farm and tastings from their many proud partners, as well as cooking and gardening classes, wine and beer pairing dinners, grand wine tastings, a planned cheese fest, and their famed summer series Dinner in the Fields, during which Chef Todd Heberlein and his talented staff host a lucky set of guests to a multi-course meal served in the midst of Volante’s beautifully bucolic farmland. Another summer treat is their popular ice cream stand, which features handmade creamery treats from Sharon’s Crescent Ridge and opens on Tax Day with free cones for accountants and warm-weather fun for all! When school opens and the dipping tubs close, the ice cream is still available in take-home-able packages, but the stand becomes a “VIP seating section which is separate from but no more or less comfortable than the regular seating area, at which guests can belly up to the window-side bar or grab a table with old or new friends while the kids draw on the chalkboard wall or gaze – mouths watering- into the deli and bakery cases nearby.
To make sure all customers get the freshest possible ingredients for their meals any time of year and the freshest ideas for how to use them, the Volante website offers tasty recipes and regular updates regarding what is being picked that week, both at the Farm itself and also by their local partners. If you drop by without a device, looking for the “VF” sticker on anything from apple sauce to mustards lets you know you are buying something made on the Farm that you will surely love.
In addition to supplying many of the area’s best home chefs, Volante also provides produce to such excellent eateries as Center Café, Hearth, and The Farmhouse (see previous issues or www.matts-meals.com) and are always happy to lend a hand to a fellow farm-friendly food furnisher. So even when you do not make it at home, you can still enjoy the Volante bounty at your favorite restaurant (or ask the chef there to get involved). This sense of community support is further fostered by Volante’s generous partnerships with such worthy causes as Rosie’s Place, Guiding Eyes Eastern Massachusetts Puppy Raising Region, Boston Childrens Hospital Surgical Department, and the Needham Womens Club Garden Tour & Holiday House Tour.
As they prepare to celebrate their 100th anniversary in 2017, Volante has a great deal to look back upon with pride. That does not seem to stop them from wanting to expand upon their bounteous harvest, however. In fact, plans are currently in the works for an expanded kitchen and bakery and, if Chef Heberlein has his way, a cheese room to complement Volante’s popular wine room and to house their impressive collection of over 100 cheeses (80 of which are locally-sourced!).
So if you need a glass quart of freshly-made milk, your favorite microbrew, a hearty sandwich, tasty treat, or a tasteful gift to bring to a friend or a sack of groceries to bring home, Volante Farms has everything that you need and many things that you will no longer be able to live without. It is truly gourmet for the every day!