September 1st, 2010 by Serena Weaver
Meet Yer Eats will be a great way to reconnect with what grounds you.
There’s so much to do in Central Virginia (and online) this September! Looking at just the first half of the month, here are some options for you, your family and friends to endeavor in before fall is officially here:
Monday, September 6th (10:00am-4:00pm): MEET YER EATS!
This 2010 Farm Tour, hosted by Market Central and largely sponsored by Whole Foods Market, will take those who want to be introduced to the farmers (and farms, of course) behind their food to a series of self-selected locations in the state. Tickets are available here. Or, save a bit and gain some experience by volunteering for the event instead. More information is available through Market Central online.
Thursday, September 9th (2:00pm): Building a Business in Specialty Foods Webinar Series
This day marks the beginning of a webinar series (three-months in all) that focuses upon businesses that centered on the production and sales of specialty foods. Participation is gratis; you can simply follow this link immediately before each session to sign in. Join in as a guest, type in your name, and “walk” into the “room.” That’s it! Listen, learn, speak, and enjoy!
Friday, September 10th (7:00pm): “Climate Change, Peak Oil, and the Economic Crisis: Why You Should Think About Them (Though We’d All Rather Not)”
Bring your children, if you have one or some, to this talk at Thomas Jefferson Memorial Church. Childcare will be available, so way not take advantage of the opportunity to hear more about the issue from Sharon Astyk, author of three published works? Read more about her here.
Saturday, September 11th (10:00am-4:00pm): HERITAGE HARVEST FESTIVAL
The website welcoming interested individuals to this year’s Heritage Harvest Festival starts off strong. “Experience the genius of Thomas Jefferson while celebrating one of his great passions – the garden. Join us for the annual Heritage Harvest Festival, a celebration of gardening, sustainable agriculture and local food, held at Monticello, the mountaintop home of our third president,” it says. And, with an enticing description like that, which Virginian wouldn’t want to attend?? Don’t forget to stop by the Blue Ridge Network Permaculture table while you’re there. The team is truly dedicated (and very, very knowledgeable) on the subject of sustainable gardening! This event is pre-fall must, if I may say so myself.
-Serena
Tags: agriculture, buy local, eat local, Economy, Environment, food, gardening, local foods, sustainability, virginia
Posted in Buy Local, Eat Local, Economy, Environment, agriculture | No Comments »
September 1st, 2010 by Jessica Meehan
Chefs. I’ve heard they have a lot of ego. And if you watch the ones on tv, it seems many even think they are God (sorry Gordon Ramsay but you DO NOT rule the world). Maybe that’s why they’ve decided to play God and take up the task of growing ingredients. A hot trend right now in the restaurant world is rooftop gardening with chefs taking command of the hoe. The Baltimore Sun recently reported on area chefs and restaurant owners who are taking advantage of outdoor square footage to cut costs and expedite the procurement of the very freshest ingredients by raising the roof – the roof’s potential that is. Some chefs have even invested in starting their own farms to provide for their restaurants. They say the venture is time consuming but worthwhile, even giving them a new sense of purpose and energy. “Being out there in the daytime and pulling a beet from the ground, knowing that you’re going to cook it that night, you feel kind of energized,” Jamie Forsythe, chef of b restaurant, said to the paper. “I come back so ready to cook, really just charged up to do it.”
And of course, these chefs want ” locavore bragging rights. In an era when the provenance of nearly every ingredient is promoted on menus, when house-made charcuterie, house-cured bacon and the like have become de rigueur, why not house-grown produce”? I gotta say, who can blame them. Putting insanely fresh, local foods on the table at low costs is something which is worth bragging about. If it makes their ego bigger, fine by me. More power to you, just keep up the good work.
-Jess
Al Morstein, owner of Regi's American Bistro in Baltimore shows off his 55 rooftop tomato plants for the Baltimore Sun.
Tags: baltimore, buy local, eat local, local foods, local ingredients, locavore, maryland, restaurants
Posted in Buy Local, Eat Local, agriculture | No Comments »
August 30th, 2010 by Serena Weaver
A menagerie of chocolates lies within.
The only reason to ever rejoice at finding a mouse in your chocolates is if that box of goodies happens to hail from L.A. Burdick. No, this is not the blog version of “If You Give a Moose a Muffin.” (Though I very much enjoyed reading that series of books as a burgeoning foodie child.) Rather, this is a quick account of how mentally and viscerally delectable L.A. Burdick’s Handmade Chocolates really are. In short, the experience is comparable to being led into a bank vault and then handed one twenty-dollar bill. “But,” you would proclaim, “I know there’s more!” And indeed, with L.A. Burdick, the boxes are set-up so that the truffles are so tiny that eating one is just simply not satisfying enough. You must taste at least two. But then, two, when put together, are actually quite small as well; so then, why not try four? As you can intuit, the story of eating these handmade delectables is never ending. That is, until you finish the box. Just one hint of advice: leave the company’s trademark mouse for last; and don’t ever attempt to give one a cookie.
-Serena
Tags: artisan food, chocolate, eat local
Posted in Buy Local, Eat Local | No Comments »
August 29th, 2010 by Serena Weaver
On Sunday, August 22, the Slow Food chapter for the Albemarle and Piedmont regions of Virginia was launched with late-summer success. From mid-afternoon until well into the sunset, a gathering of growers, promoters, and enjoyers celebrated with local eats and very good brew. The mission of this new sect to, “Provide a gathering space and platform to inspire and grow knowledge and awareness of community and food initiatives,” was clearly well taken by all in attendance. A group whose purpose is to converse while conjunctively consuming? Yes, please. No wonder the kick-off was met with such fervor. And perhaps, the potluck attracted even more young families, old pairs, and general friends by having been held on the grounds of Tufton Farm in Charlottesville, where Thomas Jefferson’s Center for Historic Plants is based. The greenhouse was a wonder and the property well worth the drive over to take in. With hope, the chapter’s organizing committee will plan a series of follow-up meetings for interested folks to dive into; after all, there’s never a better moment to live better and to give back to our regional societies than now.
-Serena
An official banner and sign-in area greeted attendees to the new Slow Food chapter.
Dozens of interested folks gathered for the potluck-style event.
Tags: buy local, charlottesville, eat local, slow foods, virginia
Posted in Buy Local, Eat Local | No Comments »
August 19th, 2010 by Serena Weaver
Washing. It’s the phenomenon of wiping the slate of your brain clean as well as the cycle you put your clothes through. In this ever-soiled world, there is always more washing to be done. Now the term has expanded. It’s gone beyond the vocabulary surrounding cults and housewives and has gone towards the flooding of markets by the media. When on the topic of sustainability, green-washing is also ever-present. And, not long ago, local-washing became a new word on the horizon. So, what about it?
We know that buying locally made goods is important. And as soon as we, as consumers, proclaimed that priority, savvy businesses followed suit with letting their customers know that their product too, is local. Using the zeitgeist as a marketing tool is fine as long as it’s not false. For instance, not long ago, Juicy Couture changed the tags on its products from “Made in the Glamorous USA” to “Designed in the Glamorous USA”— an assertion that was probably much closer to the truth. But, can a product that is Made in the USA from foreign-sourced materials still be considered and then labeled as an American made good? Our answer at Locallectual is, “yes”— as long as it’s labeled that way.
I started thinking more deeply about the dilemma not long ago when I learned that clothes by Catherine Malandrino—one of my all time favorite brands for women—were USA-made. I did a bit of research online and learned that the products are in fact made here but from fabrics that had been imported. Had I been local-washed? My personal take would be, “no.” Though there are plenty of brands that, when they say they are local (read: national), they really take the conservative route and use American made materials to craft the Made in USA goods, the literal end result remains much the same. Take the brand, Prairie Underground. The Seattle-based company uses, “…local sewers, dyehouses, knitters as well as sustainable fabrics like hemp and organic cotton sourced directly from the United States whenever possible.” Now, that’s an exceptional case, and I’d love to see more of it. Until then, let’s take it one step at a time, and document our triumphs with proper transparency as we go along.
-Serena
Clothes by Catherine Malandrino are assembled in America but made from foreign fabrics.
Tags: american made, apparel, buy local, Consumer Products, fashion, made in the USA, Manufacturing
Posted in Buy Local, Consumer Products, Manufacturing | No Comments »
August 18th, 2010 by Serena Weaver
The new all-American ads for Jeep claim, “The Things We Make, Make Us.”
I usually don’t crave the indoors during summer time. Air conditioning makes me feel sickly; looking outside conjures up constant feelings of anxiety to get back out there. But, on that uncommon rainy weekend, going to the movie theater as a form of entertainment seems like just the right thing to do. And this time, in addition to the feature film being a great one (Inception: I loved it), the previews weren’t half bad either.
Take the advertisement for the new Jeep: it’s a phenomenal portrayal of America at its height and how those who buy the newest sports utility vehicle will be assisting in keeping that high vibe going. “Made in America” is what our country is about, the ad says. We built our country from the products that we’ve manufactured and continuing to do so will be the answer to our stagnation. While perhaps a bit romantic, the commercial hit the spot: it was historical, it was sentimental, and it was visually appealing. In fact, one couldn’t tell until the very end of the segment that the point of the documentary-style sequence was to sell the viewer something tangible: a car, a lifestyle, and the American Dream that many of those who live here feel they’ve lost sight of.
In many ways, Locallectual plans to achieve the same end that Chrysler does: a country that survives and thrives from its own hard work and beautiful creations. A recent Financial Times article was subtitled “Americans are becoming more American;” I was instantaneously drawn to read on to see if the phrase was meant to depict a positive situation or a sardonic one. Let’s make it the former.
-Serena
Posted in Buy Local, Consumer Products | No Comments »
August 16th, 2010 by Serena Weaver
‘Tis the season to devour colorful, fresh fruits! Every once in awhile, what you want is the same as what you need; at this time of year, the healthful sweets are exactly that. And, lucky you: here in Virginia (and elsewhere, of course), there are many ways to go about slicing that (extremely local) banana.
This past Saturday, many headed to Monticello in Charlottesville for a Summer Fruit Tasting upon Mr. Jefferson’s hallowed garden grounds. Attendees received a short history, updated education, and mouthfuls of several of the species grown atop this famous hill.
Or, take the casual way out by making your way over to Chiles Peach Orchard in Crozet. The location is beautiful AND unusually flat for this region, making picking your own in the heat of the day much more bearable for both you and your family. Then, head on into the shop for some relief and local food fun. I ended up taking home two-dozen peach cider donuts and a block of peanut butter walnut fudge. (Silly me, I forgot the peaches!)
If somehow you dislike fruit altogether, then you can still acquire a taste of the summer goodness with a glass of Chateau Morrisette Winery’s Sweet Mountain Laurel. Believe it or not, this wine from the Floyd location tastes almost exactly like Concord grape juice— with a kick.
-Serena
Fruit! Eat, Drink, and Experience it This Summer
Tags: buy local, charlottesville, eat local, fruit, local foods, locavore, summer, virginia, wine
Posted in Buy Local, Eat Local, agriculture | No Comments »
August 12th, 2010 by Serena Weaver
On a recent last-minute trip up to northern Virginia, I found myself stressed, sweltering, and rambunctious by early evening. I had been late making it to Dulles airport to pick-up some very valuable individuals on a day where the heat well surpassed the 100-degree mark. Then, it was fairly early for a Saturday night when everyone present just felt like going to bed. My bright idea? A drive into the city for some relaxation and culinary relief. That’s right. When everyone else is in bed and it’s still a sauna way past dark, why not head to Clarendon, Washington, D.C. for spoonfuls of Italian ice-cream? At Boccato Gelato & Espresso, the house is alive and full until late and the creamy, creative flavors offered are enough to put a smile on anyone’s face. After my dosage of dark chocolate gelato, I was able to fall asleep—completely satisfied—with the rest of them until daybreak.
-Serena
Boccato’s gelato is amazing in more ways than one.
Tags: buy local, dining, eat local, local foods, locavore, restaurants, slow foods, washington dc
Posted in Buy Local, Eat Local | No Comments »
August 12th, 2010 by Serena Weaver
If you follow Locallectual’s postings and have yet to read about the Community Food Security Coalition, then now is the time to be made aware of this non-profitable light. CFSC is a Portland-based organization with staff all over the country; it works to bring food security to the United States and Canada through action-oriented education.
In May of this year, the coalition partnered with the National Farm to School Network as well as the Urban & Environmental Policy Institute to host the 5th National Farm to Cafeteria Conference in Detroit. This three-day extraordinaire consisted of workshops, short courses, and field trips interspersed with receptions, speeches, and other social networking events. As my first CFSC conference, Taking Root was a success. I tasted platefuls of Michigan grown goods at the Local Foods opening night event, met farm to cafeteria activists from across the two countries, and learned more than I could take in about the growing, farm to fork movement.
If the Community Food Security Coalition and its activities sound enticing enough to you to get involved, now is the time to look into its 14th annual conference, to be held this October in New Orleans. With a title like “Food, Culture, & Justice: The Gumbo That Unites Us All,” you’re sure to eat and absorb your mouth- and heart-ful of solid, local food-based information. Or, just sign-up to be a member of CFSC today. In this movement, every body counts.
-Serena
At the Local Foods Reception, attendees were served Michigan-centric dishes.
Whoever said Detroit was depressed needs to visit it once more.
Tags: buy local, detroit, eat local, Economy, Environment, food security, michigan, Nutrition and Health, politics
Posted in Buy Local, Eat Local, Economy, Environment, Nutrition and Health, Politics | No Comments »
August 10th, 2010 by Serena Weaver
Floridata has an abundance of information on which types of dahlias are grown where.
I have to say: I love that buying local has encompassed the flower world as well. While purchases of bouquets may not ever reach the magnitude of food and beverage buys, the floral industry still deserves to be recognized as one of importance in terms of sales, and the impact that consumer choices have on which types of flowers are grown and sold where. For instance, I’d bet that most American buyers—even those who attempt to purchase locally and organically grown edibles—have no idea that the majority of flowers that they take home are sprayed down with pesticides and then shipped thousands of miles and to get to their area supermarket. While I understand that what one consumes takes priority over what one experiences visually, with a bit more knowledge, perhaps those purchasers would begin to think about the provenance of other household items as well… (A quick aside: could organic, local food be the gateway drug to other similar products like organic, local body products and clothes and now, flowers? I very much think so.)
Roughly said, awareness is the key. If you eat well and treat your body well, consider putting a bit of thought into where that gift of floral loveliness is coming from too. Some farms these days are hosting pick-your-own flower days just like orchards do with peaches. And, like Virginia’s Culpeper County is doing later this month, some areas are now hosting local flower festivals. If you’re around, perhaps make the Great Dahlia Festival your stop on the last two weekends of August. Admission is free and even if you don’t take any of the award winners home, you’ll be able to enjoy and get educated on the prizewinning flowers of Central Virginia.
-Serena
Posted in Buy Local, agriculture | No Comments »
