CUSTARD OR BUST: Alterra

February 18, 2012

CUSTARD OR BUST: Alterra

By ayr

Alterra is a coffee roaster based in Milwaukee. I’m not sure when I first heard of them, maybe when I was researching roasters back in the early days of Clover. They’ve been on “Top 10 Roasters in US” lists a bunch of times, so that’s probably where I came upon them. So I’ve been wanting to make this visit for a while. Alex, my brother in law and best friend is from Wisconsin and gets a coffee of the month club shipping from these guys. So I’ve had their coffee, but haven’t seen their facility.

Rolando and I met with George (sales) and met Ward and Lincoln (brothers) and Paul who started Alterra together. They store their sacks of coffee on pallets as shown above, and turn those pallets very fast. It’s going to be a little while before we get to feature their coffee, they have a bit of a licensing complication due to a historic business relationship that keeps them from being able to sell to us. But we can’t wait to bring them to Boston once that’s figured out.

There was inspiration everywhere at this place. Really exciting to see cool solutions people come up with.

The Brand New Sweet Potato Box!

By Kiernan

When we were thinking about what special seasonal veggies to build new fall celebration boxes around, one tuber spoke to the Clover Chefs above all others: Beauty, thy name is Sweet Potato. We get our Sweet Potatoes from the best producer in the world—Ray Young at Next Barn Over Farm in Western Mass. Ray’s sandy soil is so perfect for growing sweet potatoes, they call it “sugar sand.” Next Barn’s sweet potatoes are complex, nutrient-packed, and beautiful.

October 12, 2024

First price decrease in a while!

By Lucia

In this age of inflation, here’s some good news. The price of the Impossible Meatball Sandwich just went down! This sandwich is one of our most expensive to make, mostly because of the Impossible meat (which we don’t make) that goes into our meatballs (which we do make, with pita, milk, pecorino, and lots of Italian-American love.) We drown the meatballs in warm marinara sauce, then tuck them into our house-made pita with a shake of pecorino and a slice of melty provolone. It’s been on our menu since 2017 when we helped Impossible launch in New England.

October 9, 2024

A is for Apple Box

By Kiernan

Right when I finished the final bite of my Apple Box last year, I started to think about when I could order it again. I love apples in the fall, but when I’m meal-planning, I usually opt to just pack the apples as they are—crisp, round, and raw. The Apple Box opened my eyes to using Apples as an ingredient.

October 9, 2024

Respecting our team members and our customers

By Julia Wrin Piper

Yesterday, a video shot this summer was posted by an online prankster who bought a Soy BLT sandwich at Clover, put a chicken cutlet on the sandwich himself, then approached one of our team members to complain, claiming the restaurant served him chicken. Our employees were very confused and one employee got very upset. The situation escalated when the internet prankster asked for $100 in return for not posting the video online.

August 26, 2024

How to celebrate tomato season

By Lucia

Fruity, juicy, spicy, sweet. Heirloom tomatoes are here, and we’re celebrating tomato season in a big way this year. 1 – Heirloom tomatoes all over the menu, especially in a new Summer Celebration Bowl that Sara dreamed up. 2 – A big Tomato Tasting event w/Verrill Farm this Thursday afternoon at Newtonville (click here to RSVP). 3 – Our Tomato Meal Box with recipes like tomato gratin, chilled roasted tomato soup, and a perfect tomato salad. The last chance to grab it this year is Wednesday at 5pm.

August 12, 2024

Pork from plants

By Kiernan

Honestly, Lucia and I are still getting used to writing words like “Chicken” and “Pork” in our emails, but Clover’s partnership with Tender—our favorite local neighborhood plant-protein magicians—means that the Kitchen team is cooking up all sorts of amazing new sandwiches for our menu. This week, we’d like to introduce you to the new BBQ Pulled Pork Sandwich. It starts with Clover’s BBQ sauce, the stuff of legend: conceived on a research trip to Texas…

July 30, 2024

We had to travel to Sicily to believe it

By Lucia

We had no idea what the word Panelle meant when a customer first told us about it ten years ago. This customer grew up in Sicily, the triangular island south of mainland Italy. His mom would make a snack for him after school – a kind of savory cake called panelle! Crispy on the outside, creamy and custardy on the inside. Made from chickpea flour – what?!

July 15, 2024

What’s on the Meal Box menu next week?

By Lucia

I recently took a Soup Box on a family vacation and we were all blown away by the clean, clear flavors and the freshness of the produce. (It was a potato leek soup with arugula salad and cider chive vinaigrette, French bread, local cucumbers, local radishes, and 2 different types of compound butters.) If you haven’t had a meal box in a while, this time of year might be the perfect time to try one…

July 11, 2024

Last chance for Cape Cod Boxes!

By Kiernan

As a born-and-bred Yankee, I’m particularly pumped for our Cape Cod Box. We’re using mushrooms and veggies to recreate classic Clam Shack fare— clam strips, chowder, and fish and chips! Plus, Chris and the kitchen team are righting the eternal wrong that Veggie Lovers never get to experience the rich luscious buttery joy of an overstuffed Lobster Roll with a perfectly toasted bun.

June 28, 2024

Beautiful lettuce from Verrill Farm in Concord

By Lucia

Emily just sent me a picture of this giant lettuce we just got from Verrill Farm. We’re going to be putting it in Monday’s Salad Meal Box along with eggplant, carrot-feta spread, Lebanese white bean salad, and a bunch of other yummy things. If you’re subscribed, you’re probably already in for this delivery; if you’d like to try it a-la-carte click here. Because these greens are grown in real soil, you’ll need to give them a good rinse using a…

June 26, 2024

What’s on the Meal Box menu next week?

By Lucia

Yellow and green summer squash. Basil. Beets. Scapes and scallions and spinach. Summer produce is starting to appear in our kitchen in abundance! Which means our Weekly Meal Boxes are getting even more vibrant and exciting. Here’s what we’re cooking up for next week: 6/30-7/6.

June 26, 2024

Last week of the Nashville Hot (and a gift)

By Lucia

Don’t let the next 7 days go by before stopping in for a Nashville Hot Mushroom. Corn mayo, a pile of beautiful Rhode Island Mushrooms we batter and fry, our sizzlingly hot Nashville oil, leaf lettuce, and some VERY necessary cooling pickle slices. If you aren’t on our email list, we occasionally send out little gifts there. Last night we sent out $5 off a Nashville Hot Mushroom sandwich or platter, and now I’m sharing it here…