Posts Tagged ‘locavore’
Tuesday, September 7th, 2010
Courtesy of “cupcakes take the cake,” a shot of Baked & Wired’s amazing goods.
I had a good friend visit me in Charlottesville from Washington, D.C. this past weekend. Her arrival reminded me of all of the great local food going-ons of our capital city metropolis. For starters, she brought me a box of the best cupcakes I have ever had—yes, ever—from her neighborhood coffee shop and bakery called Baked & Wired. Beyond having a fabulously clever and delicious name, this city establishment puts out goods that have been handmade in small batches. I happen to also find Baked & Wired’s “Big enough to share, but who are you kidding?” own description of its cupcakes as particularly true and facetious. I mean, really. These cupcakes are as big as large muffins, dense as half-cooked cookie dough, and with frosting like flavored butter but, will-power swept aside, one can’t help but eat a whole one by oneself. In a matter of hours, I had tried the Smurfette, Just Peachy (a seasonal one with peaches in the cake and almond puree in the frosting), Texas Sheet Cake, and Vanilla Latte (which happened to be better-tasting than any actual sweet coffee drink around). I can’t wait to visit the location in person someday soon to try Baked & Wired’s “hippie crack.” Don’t worry: it’s just granola. Really, really good granola.
On a healthier and more serious note, Washington, D.C. is also doing good by feeding its children fresh, local foods. In fact, Fresh Start Catering, an offshoot of the city’s Central Kitchen, is successfully serving up lunches to two notable schools in the area— one public and one private. Read more about the initiative here. Apparently, America knows the meaning of “Yes, we can!” Yes, we can bake; yes, we can serve local school lunches; and yes, we most certainly can eat.
-Serena
Tags: bakery, buy local, cupcakes, eat local, local foods, locavore, washington dc
Posted in Buy Local, Eat Local, Nutrition and Health | No Comments »
Wednesday, September 1st, 2010
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 »
Monday, August 16th, 2010
‘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 »
Thursday, August 12th, 2010
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
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Friday, August 6th, 2010
Yea, you read that right. McDonald’s has gone local. Supposedly. In Washington State, the worldwide provider of burgers and fries has launched a campaign called “from here“, which showcases their “local’ purveyors in the state. Locavores, of course, are just a tad bit cynical of this claim, and the corporation’s dedication to the “buy local/eat local” movement”, and it seems they have some pretty good reasons to be so. The “from here” site states that 95 percent of McDonald’s fries and Filet-O-Fish fillets and 85 percent of the apples served in Washington State come from Washington. This isn’t very hard to due when McDonald’s is running its campaign in one of the US’s largest producers of apples and potatoes.
McDonald’s big billboards across the state touting things like “Served in Seattle, Grown in Pasco” (an eastern Washington farm-belt town) hold a bit of fine print. At the bottom a small disclaimer appears that says “Participation and duration may vary.” This is another reason both industry experts and locavores are skeptical of the McDonald’s Monster and their new campaign, claiming this is a case of “localwashing.” Eric Giandelone, director of food-service research at Mintel, said the inclusion of the disclaimer on the billboards leaves McDonald’s open to criticism because “[the chain] isn’t spelling out percents or numbers that we can verify.” Hmmmm.
And McDonald’s isn’t the only big-food brand that’s getting on the local food bandwagon, and putting lots of ad dollars behind these campaigns. Frito-Lay has a new “Chip Tracker” while Hellmann has a “Real Food Movement,” that tells of their local-mindedness.
So what to think of all of this? Well these locally-minded campaigns are good signs of the momentum and power of the local food movement. If food giants are trying to tweak their models then obviously people are really starting to think more about the origins of their food. However, we have to wonder if the companies are motivated by money or their consumers’ well-being, and how long they’ll keep this up. I have my fingers crossed that this isn’t just a fad, however only time will tell. But if we keep using our consumer spending power to buy local, I think this is a campaign McDonalds will be lovin’ for a long time.
-Jess
Tags: buy local, eat local, fast food, health, locavore, mcdonalds
Posted in Buy Local, Eat Local, Environment, Nutrition and Health | 1 Comment »
Saturday, July 31st, 2010
…is growing to be a summer time favorite. I, of course, decided to try my first Pantheon Pop on one of the coolest Saturday morning’s we’ve had in months, but that didn’t stop my experience from being any more delicious. I have to admit that popsicles become a dietary staple for me in the summer, and I buy the all-natural 100% juice ones. However, local popsicles are a whole new game. We’ve recently added some local popsicle companies from across the country (like Atlanta’s King of Pops) to our database, but Charlottesville was yet to have its own – until this summer. Pantheon Popsicles prove that once again, everything tastes better local. The small, unassuming cart at Saturday mornings’ City Market has a long list of flavors, many made with local ingredients such as the watermelon (which I chose) and cantaloupe. If you want something a little more exotic, they have flavors like strawberry hibiscus,orange-mint, or some with coconut in it. Super frozen and all-natural, these pops are a healthy and insanely refreshing alternative to the joke-on-the-stick variety.
Pantheon's position at the City Market
The subtle color but amazing, refreshing taste of Pantheon's watermelon popsicle
Tags: buy local, charlottesville, desserts, eat local, farmers market, local foods, locavore, summer, virginia
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Tuesday, July 6th, 2010
My boyfriend loves Béquet Gourmet Caramels. Every time that we go to our local food shop, Feast!, he half-subconsciously grabs from their designated baskets before proceeding to check-out. (If you’ve ever thought about the oh-so-convenient placement of irresistibles right by cashiers, you know exactly what I’m writing about…) In any case, at far less than a dollar apiece and just a bite-size away, the haphazard candy buying is nothing to complain about. Especially when I started trying them myself and realized just how simply and deliciously addicting they were. Made in Montana, the soft chews come in one of ten flavors and brightly wrapped papers. My favorite? The Celtic Sea Salt. The ones I most wish Feast! carried? Salt-Chocolate and Black Licorice… Mmmmm My mouth is watering just thinking about them.
-Serena
Béquet’s Chewy and Pomegranate Caramels practically fall into place.
Tags: buy local, buy locale, candy, charlottesville, eat local, locavore, virginia
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Monday, June 28th, 2010
A Round-up resistant weed, courtesy of the NYT.
Just in time for this weeks’s Healthy People, Healthy Places webinar, I’ve come across a New York Times article regarding the near-necessity for farmers these days to herbicide and pesticide their crops to obliteration, and to little avail. Both the webinar on June 29th, from 2:00-3:00pm EST, and the past write-up will focus on the need for environmental policy change. Though the webinar itself will be predominantly about the relationship between race and the environment, it is nonetheless pertinent to how corporations are affecting the way that our country grows food. Ever thought about how environmental pollutants tend to run-off into the lowest income areas? Or, how big business seeks out the poorest parts of the U.S. to plop their factories? Correlations abound. Learn more by listening, and reading, on.
-Serena
Tags: agriculture, buy local, eat local, Environment, local foods, locavore, new york times
Posted in Buy Local, Eat Local, Environment, agriculture | No Comments »
Wednesday, June 23rd, 2010
The Charlottesville City Market—and most farmers markets, for that matter—is a magical place. Where else would be a one-stop-shop for locally made jewelry, award winning desserts, and unusual types of well raised meat? In thinking over my past few trips to the Saturday morning bazaar, I realized how strikingly bizarre my purchases had actually been. After one visit, I came home with a handmade necklace by Erin McDermott and some Sweet Italian lamb sausage links by Pair-a-dice Farm in Lunenburg, Virginia. A few weeks later, I was eating the “Best Key Lime Pie on the Planet,” courtesy of Free Union Produce & Gourmet Edibles. According to the pastry chef herself, said pie had won countless awards and had been deemed by many to very well be the best key lime pie ever. (To her credit, it’s true. Trust me.) Then, for dinner, I made beef liver from Poindexter Farm in Henrico County—bought that very same Saturday as the pie. Standard grocery stores may be known for their variety but in my opinion, shopping just doesn’t get any more high quality or quirky than at a small town market.
-Serena
This necklace made me picture beachy locations and tanned people…
At the lamb stand: meats and more.
Can you taste the crumbly, creamy goodness?
At the Poindexter Farm booth, a local chef was also purchasing meat.
Tags: american made, buy local, charlottesville, eat local, farmers market, handmade, jewelry, local foods, locavore, made in the USA, virginia
Posted in Buy Local, Consumer Products, Eat Local, agriculture | No Comments »
Monday, June 7th, 2010
Sur La Table's Eating Local
NPR online had an article today featuring their choices for summer reads. Their meatiest (dah dum DUM!) section? A guide of the hottest new cookbooks, with the hottest topic out there right now – farm-fresh ingredients. Everyone has hopped on the eat local train, including chain cooking supplier, Sur La Table, who has a cookbook called, creatively enough, Eating Local. Lucky for them though, they’ve got an introduction by eat local icon, Alice Waters.
Another great local foods cookbook, that ain’t about ya know – greens, takes a different spin on the farmers market and features how to turn that yummy produce into desserts. The title? Hold it? Farmers Market Desserts. The recipes are the highlights, not the titles, okay?
My favorite new local foods cookbook that NPR missed? Edible Communities Edible cookbook. Created by the popular Edible Communities magazines, the book features gorgeous pictures and recipes from the Edible mags across the country.
Another thing NPR missed? Encouraging people to buy these books locally, instead of online (they link to buying them on Amazon). Makes sense, no?
-Jess
Tags: buy local, eat local, local foods, locavore
Posted in Buy Local, Eat Local | 2 Comments »
