Posts Tagged ‘locavore’
Giving Up the Goods: Farmers Market Cookbooks
Posted by Warren Rojas / Wednesday, May 4th, 2011
(Images: Fine Cooking; Southern Living)
No need to check your calendars, folks: spring is in full bloom.
And that means the brunt of our local farmers markets are returning to active duty beginning this week!
We tried our best to keep you informed about those diehard vendors who soldier on throughout the winter doldrums via our Crop Rapport posts. But now we want to hear about what regional farmers/artisanal vendors/seasonal products you expect to patronize whilst browsing the hastily erected stalls that mushroom across our streets, parks and schoolyards every weekend from now until the fall.
So tell us: what can you not wait to buy?
Or: what farmers market will become your de facto pantry until winter rolls back around?
Two random respondents will be rewarded with a copy of one of two recent, farm-to-table geared cooking tomes, Fine Cooking: In Season, or Southern Living: Farmers Market Cookbook–either of which should provide even the most casual farmers market shopper with hours of fresh produce-deploying inspiration.
So, think hard. But don’t wait too long.
Because we’ll be picking our lucky winners from all the comments submitted before 5 p.m. on Friday, May 6.
–Warren
Crop Rapport: Harvest Market DC
Posted by The Editorial Desk / Wednesday, January 26th, 2011
When we last crossed paths with chef Chris Carey, he was hard at work making Leesburg’s The Wine Kitchen a household name.
But an unspecified family commitment required him to cut ties with the restaurant early last year.
So, what’s a farm-to-table devotee supposed to do when free time rears its ugly/rarely-seen head?
Put nature’s bounty to work for you, of course.
Carey rolled out his latest epicurean venture, Harvest Market DC, late last summer and has been making the rounds at local farmers markets–Purcellville on Saturdays, Palisades on Sundays–ever since.
A value added-style vendor, Carey said he takes ingredients from local purveyors–including: Windmill Meadows Farms, Quarter Branch Farm, Angelic Beef, Singing Frog Farm, Lothar Erbe‘s gourmet sausages, Steve Baker pork–and incorporates them into his own, seasonally inspired creations.
“Each week I call them up and say, ‘What have you got for me … and I go from there,’” Carey said of his on-the-fly business model. The fruits of his labor (to date) have included: sunchoke soup, shaved Brussels sprouts-Manchego salad, chicken legs braised in spicy tomato sauce, gourmet mac and cheese, and Thai-style shrimp with pomelo, cilantro and bean sprouts.
Meanwhile, Carey said he’s developed an insta-following from the food allergy set due to his commitment to culinary transparency and apparent flexibility.
Vegetarians and vegans appreciate his ability to modify recipes to fit their dietary needs (case in point: he makes a butter- and cream-free mushroom soup for dairy deniers). And just about everybody enjoys knowing that Carey can identify where each of his ingredients comes from, down to those available in the very same farmers market.
If pre-packaged foods feel too much like cheating to you, fear not.
Carey plans to share his passion for locavore-centric cooking via a series of classes poised to happen later this year. First up will be a course on French cooking scheduled for May, followed by a “farmers markets of the world” cohort (tentative focal points include New York City and Genoa) set to debut in June, all to be done through Fairfax County. He’s also working on stepping behind the instructional burners at the Pentagon Row Sur La Table (dates/times TBD).
–Warren
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NoVA’s Winter Farmers Markets
Old Town Alexandria Farmers Market • 301 King St., Alexandria – Sat, 5:30-11 a.m.
Arlington Farmers Market • N. 14th St. & N. Courthouse Road, Arlington – Sat, 8-noon
Clarendon Farmers Market • 3100 Wilson Blvd., Arlington – Wed, 3-7 p.m.
Columbia Pike Farmers Market • S. Walter Reed Drive & Columbia Pike – Sun, 9-1 p.m., (summer); Sun, 10-1 p.m. (winter).
Del Ray Farmers Market • E. Oxford & Mount Vernon Ave., Alexandria – Sat, 8-noon
Falls Church Farmers Market • 300 Park Ave., Falls Church – Sat, 9-noon (Jan-Mar); Sat, 8-noon (Apr-Dec)
Farmer Girls • 8769 Old Dumfries Road, Catlett; 540-272-7839
Fredericksburg Farmers Market • George and Prince Edward Streets, Fredericksburg – Mon-Sat, 7-6 p.m.; Sun, 12:30-4 p.m.
Leesburg Farmers Market • 20 Catoctin Circle S.E., Leesburg – Sat, 8-noon (May-Oct); Sat, 9-noon (Nov-Apr)
Loudoun Flavor • 39363 Stevens Road, Lovettsville; 703-350-2790
Old Town Manassas Farmers Market •9431 West St., Manassas – Sat, 10-2 p.m.
Smart Markets • 2854 Hunter Mill Road, Oakton – Sat, 10-2 p.m.
Smart Markets • 13297 Gateway Center Drive, Gainesville – Sun, 10:30-1:30 p.m.
Winchester Freight Station Farmers Market • 315 W. Boscawen St., Winchester; Tue, Sat, 10-2 p.m. (Jan-Apr); Tue, Fri, Sat, 8-1 p.m. (May-Dec)
Or click here for our full list of local farmers markets.
Posted by The Editorial Desk / Tuesday, January 18th, 2011
Though he’s been trained to work with knives, chef Derek Luhowiak is more of a stick-to-your-guns type toque:
An alumnus of heritage breed-haven Ayrshire Farm, Luhowiak took local dining on the road a few years back with his winery-roving food cart, Local Sixfortyseven. But when Hollywood–okay, Canadian television–came a-callin’ last summer, Luhowiak shunned the spotlight, took his mobile kitchen out of rotation and spent some time reflecting on exactly what he wanted to do with his time and talents.
I’m happy to report that he’s back in action–having taken control of the kitchen at Millwood’s Locke Store this past fall–and already hard at work “preserving” his culinary legacy.
WR: Salt. Pepper. What other spices/herbs could you not live without?
DL: Dried chili’s [sic]. Grow them every year and dry them in the Virginia sunshine. Sneak them into all my curries, pastas and greens.
WR: What’s the very first dish you ever mastered? How long did it take? Do you still make it today?
DL: Properly cooking al dente pasta. I was the young kid at a well known Italian restaurant in Pittsburgh, PA and worked with all old Italian guys who would not even speak English to me. But boy I learned to cook a proper toothsome al dente pasta.
WR: What seasonal ingredient(s) get your creative juices flowing?
DL: There are so many, but venison. Fauquier County has some of the best venison I have ever had. They graze right along side of the cows. We make jerky, smoke sausages, roasts you name it. It just really feels like fall and winter to tuck into a bowl of venison stew and a stout.
WR: My latest cookbook obsession is …
DL: My seed catalogs. I get crazy excited about planting. I know its not a cookbook per se but I cant wait to harvest for new dishes. I have green radishes on my mind this year.
WR: What’s the most challenging dish you’ve ever attempted? Would you make it again?
DL: Turducken. HATE THEM! Had to make them for a holiday season and not that they are overly hard but they look like Frankenstein’s baby when your done! Try making that look appealing. No offense to all you turducken fans. A big no to making them again!!!!
WR: If I could the spend the day working alongside any local chef, I’d love to collaborate with …
DL: I would love to get Tarver King of the Ashby [Inn], Rob Townsend of Ayrshire and myself together for a informal, backyard whole-hog cook-off!!!!! Let the beer and pork flow!!
WR: What’s the easiest/quickest–but still wholly satisfying–meal you make for yourself?
DL: Greens and beans.
Saute a little garlic, olive oil, dried chili (see its in everything) and anchovy.
Toss in a green of your choice (i.e., rapini, escarole, kale, etc.). Wilt those down.
Add a can of white northern beans, a cup of chicken stock, some salt and pepper.
Simmer until it thickens a bit (about five minutes).
Toss a crusty piece of bread in the oven for mopping up the juice.
Plate the beans.
Pour on a little finishing olive oil and some fresh grated parmesan at the end (and yourself a big glass of vino).
Takes about 5- 10 minutes total.
WR: In the next six months you won’t want to miss my …
DL: We have been working on a partnership with the Locke Store and I have been slowly introducing a fresh meat case with local lamb, beef and pork, as well as my own sausage creations (Merguez, sweet fennel and orange, many others). Local Sixfortyseven is going to launch a small batch artisanal line of pickles and preserves of all sorts made from what we are growing in our gardens, so they will be in small supply. They will be available at the Locke Store as well as [by] contacting us directly. Check us out on Facebook for all our info.
WR: It’s quitting time. I’m pouring myself …
DL: Right now, winter time, totally digging on Stone Brewery’s Old Guardian barley wine.
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A hearty bowl of venison stew and snifter of barley wine sounds like the perfect prescription for weathering today’s foul climate. Thanks for the idea, chef Luhowiak!
Come back next Tuesday for another helping of Red Meat.
–WR
Posted by The Editorial Desk / Wednesday, December 29th, 2010
(Image: iStock)
Not all winter farmers markets require that you bundle yourself up like an Inuit hunter in order to take advantage of the freshest foods of the day.
Just ask any of the 1,200 (and counting) customers who prefer to do their shopping at mousepoint via Loudoun Flavor–a virtual farm stand stocked with locally sourced victuals.
Loudoun Flavor boasts approaching three dozen producers–including local wineries, farms, and artisan food and crafts makers–in its homegrown supply chain, the majority of which are indigenous to Loudoun County.
Market manager and Herban Avenues founder Laura Davimes said they’ve made a few exceptions for superlative outside producers (Bakemm Bagels, Shenandoah Joe Coffee Roasters, Mountain View Dairy Farm) but stressed that their preferred pecking order remains “Loudoun first, surrounding counties second and Virginia third.”
Quality, however, goes a long way towards trumping mere proximity.
“For us quality includes certified organic ingredients, fair trade beans, etc. and these vendors have a philosophy that is in line with our market mission,” Davimes said of high standards to which market vendors are held. “Our market food is what my family is eating every week so I (selfishly) want it to be fantastic.”
Though certain vendors naturally shine a little brighter during different times of the year–Mom”s Apple Pie Bakery reportedly enjoyed a spike in blackberry pie sales after Southern Living paid them some lip service this June, Stoneybrook Farms’ tomatoes were fast movers in July and poultry farms made a killing in November–Davimes said most Loudoun Flavor vendors stick with the program year-round.
Consumers, likewise, are welcome to shop at will.
“We are happy to bring you one loaf of just-baked bread or three bags full of groceries … your choice,” Davimes suggested, equating the shop-from-home service to “an ‘ala carte’ CSA.”
During the bustling summer months, shopping orders are accepted Monday-Wednesday of each week with deliveries sent to the predetermined delivery points every Friday. Come winter, the market switches to a bi-weekly shopping window but abides by the same order/delivery timeline (shop: Mon-Wed, collect: Fri). Newcomers can try out the site for free, while repeat customers will eventually be prompted to consider shifting to an annual membership ($25 per year) via email “reminders.”
That fee covers all the expected administrative costs–”everything from ink to ice,” Davimes explained–and also includes invites to special events (farm tours, movie nights, Made in Loudoun Gift Fair), free samples and sporadic discounts.
Oh yeah, and then there’s Tomato Fest:
This past summer, Davimes et al. took it upon themselves to celebrate all things toma-toh by sharing their favorite vine-ripened creations with complementary pairings poured by Corcoran Vineyards and Chrysalis Vineyards.
“People bought bruschetta and baguettes and sat down with their wine, or took home a bag of tomatoes and garlic and a recipe to make their own. It was alot of fun,” Davimes said of the roving food and wine soiree. “Next year we will hop to three or four vineyards with our fest.”
On the the agenda for 2011: securing a trusted seafood vendor. And adding more pick-up sites in outlying areas (Davimes called out Fairfax, specifically).
Meanwhile, Davimes plans to continue fighting to keep LoCo as green as can be.
“Loudoun should be D.C.’s Countryside and not D.C.’s next over-developed commuter bedroom community. If we get lazy about preserving the best of Virginia’s farmland now, it won’t be there,” she warned.
* Loudoun Flavor’s next ordering window opens Monday, January 3.*
–Warren
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NoVA’s Winter Farmers Markets
Old Town Alexandria Farmers Market • 301 King St., Alexandria – Sat, 5:30-11 a.m.
Arlington Farmers Market • N. 14th St. & N. Courthouse Road, Arlington – Sat, 8-noon
Clarendon Farmers Market • 3100 Wilson Blvd., Arlington – Wed, 3-7 p.m.
Del Ray Farmers’ Market • E. Oxford & Mount Vernon Ave., Alexandria – Sat, 8-noon
Falls Church Farmers Market • 300 Park Ave., Falls Church – Sat, 9-noon (Jan-Mar); Sat, 8-noon (Apr-Dec)
Fredericksburg Farmers Market • George and Prince Edward Streets, Fredericksburg – Mon-Sat, 7-6 p.m.; Sun, 12:30-4 p.m.
Leesburg Farmers Market • 20 Catoctin Circle S.E., Leesburg – Sat, 8-noon (May-Oct); Sat, 9-noon (Nov-Apr)
Smart Markets – Oakton • 2854 Hunter Mill Road, Oakton – Sat, 10-2 p.m.
Or click here for our full list of local farmers markets.
Crop Rapport: Smith Meadows Grill
Posted by The Editorial Desk / Wednesday, December 22nd, 2010
Ever been roaming the stalls at your local farmers market and wondered, “Why didn’t I bring my oven/grill/any cooking conveyance with me?”
You are not alone.
Medical researcher cum sustainable dining evangelist Abdur Rashid said he and Smith Meadows Farm owner Forrest Pritchard never could understand why folks would be asked to come spend their hard-earned money on locally produced, seasonal foodstuffs only to then be sent out into the commercial wilderness of fast food joints for sustenance.
Enter: Smith Meadows Grill
The pop-up eatery–which appears Saturdays at Courthouse and Sundays in Takoma Park–unites locavorism and immediate gratification, providing the farmers market faithful with nutritious nibbles sourced from many of the surrounding vendors.
“We saw a niche … and we wanted to eat,” Rashid said of the impetus for co-founding the mobile kitchen this past April.
Their immediate mission is, naturally, to showcase the full range of Smith Meadows burgeoning product line (they serve up everything from pasture-raised meats to free-range eggs to homemade pastas). But in Rashid’s macro view, the Grill helps strengthen the bond between all local producers and patrons by ingeniously weaving agriculture and commerce into one-stop shopping.
“You can literally look across the way and wave to the person who grew the lettuce in your sandwich,” he said of the reach-out-and-touchable supply lines that make the Grill menu possible.
According to Rashid, all the proteins (beef, pork, lamb, chicken) are sourced from Smith Meadows Farm, as are the signature empanadas (savory and sweet), ham biscuits–Smith Meadows kitchen aide Linda McCarty said she prepares between 75-150 of her “heart healthy” country-style sandwiches (based on a recipe provided by her father’s cardiologist) each week–and rotating soups.
Grilled items (burgers, wraps, sandwiches), however, are often embellished with specialty ingredients plucked from neighboring vendors, including: Fields of Grace Farm (cheeses), Endless Summer Harvest (lettuce), Bon Matin Bakery (croissants), Potomac Vegetable Farms (produce), Toigo Orchards (apple cider).
Based on their preliminary research into competing food trucks, Rashid said everyone just assumed that their grass-fed burger and all-beef half smoke would be the driving forces for repeat business. But whether it be because of the early hours (Rashid et al. are usually on sight each Saturday by 5:30 a.m. to get the Grill primed for business) or perhaps a more health-conscious clientele, the breakfast wraps–wheat or corn tortillas filled with everything from scrambled eggs to pesto–have fast emerged as proven crowd pleasers.
“Folks like being able to grab a nice, hot sandwich,” he said of the simple but satisfying eye-openers.
For Rashid, the Grill remains very much a work in progress. He floated ideas for some new menu items (chilis, heartier soups), but stressed that, in the end, it’s really all about fulfilling both the physical and intellectual curiosity of the customer.
“Maybe they come for lunch … and they kind of get a whole new insight into this ‘new’ food,” he said of his tasting-is-believing proselytizing.
Amen to that, brother.
–Warren
**The Smith Meadows Grill will be absent from the Courthouse farmers market throughout the holidays, but will return on Saturday, January 8.**
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NoVA’s Winter Farmers Markets
Old Town Alexandria Farmers Market • 301 King St., Alexandria – Sat, 5:30-11 a.m.
Arlington Farmers Market • N. 14th St. & N. Courthouse Road, Arlington – Sat, 8-noon
Clarendon Farmers Market • 3100 Wilson Blvd., Arlington – Wed, 3-7 p.m.
Del Ray Farmers’ Market • E. Oxford & Mount Vernon Ave., Alexandria – Sat, 8-noon
Falls Church Farmers Market • 300 Park Ave., Falls Church – Sat, 9-noon (Jan-Mar); Sat, 8-noon (Apr-Dec)
Fredericksburg Farmers Market • George and Prince Edward Streets, Fredericksburg – Mon-Sat, 7-6 p.m.; Sun, 12:30-4 p.m.
Leesburg Farmers Market • 20 Catoctin Circle S.E., Leesburg – Sat, 8-noon (May-Oct); Sat, 9-noon (Nov-Apr)
Smart Markets – Oakton • 2854 Hunter Mill Road, Oakton – Sat, 10-2 p.m.
Or click here for our full list of local farmers markets.
Local Sixfortyseven a Finalist in GMA’s ‘Best Food Carts’
Posted by The Editorial Desk / Monday, November 16th, 2009
Locavorism evangelists Derek and Amanda Luhowiak have lured plenty of Northern Virginians over to the “eat-whats-around-you” camp from the comfort of their mobile kitchen, local sixfortyseven.
But they’ll take their message nationwide Saturday, November 21 when they appear as one of the four finalists in Good Morning America Weekend’s “Best Food Carts Challenge.”
Derek Luhowiak confirmed that a GMA camera crew had shadowed them late Friday afternoon whilst cooking at Barrel Oak Winery.
Luhowiak claims not to know what other mobile vendors are in the running (at press time, GMA had not returned emails soliciting details about the final four food carts), insisting that he’s most interested in spreading the word about eating local.
“I do not really consider anybody ‘competition’ because I feel we won already just [by being] nominated and … getting local Virginia food the recognition it deserves,” he said.
In order to drive that message home, Luhowiak said he presented the GMA advance team with his signature burger–a “50-miles-or-less” creation featuring all natural Piedmontese meat from Angelic Beef (Fauquier County), Monterey Jack from Windmill Meadows Farm (Hagerstown, Md.), an artisan bun produced by a local baker, pickles and lettuce from the Luhowiaks’ garden and homemade condiments.
According to Luhowiak, the local sixfortyseven segment should air during the second half hour of GMA’s Saturday broadcast. Contestants will receive a rating from the GMA hosts/guest judges (worth 50 percent of the final score), followed by a period of online voting by the public (the final 50 percent of the scoring process).
At press time, it remained unclear who had actually nominated the Luhowiak’s for the competition (the winning contributor receives round trip tickets to NYC and dinner for two at the restaurant of their choosing).
Given his druthers, Luhowiak said he’d beeline for his buddy’s brand new meat carnival.
“I want to visit an old friend who just opened [SLATED TO OPEN TODAY, IN FACT] a butcher shop called The Meat Hook in Brooklyn to eat some charcuterie!” he proclaimed. Love the pig!”
–Warren
Feast Like a Locavore During ‘Harvest Week’
Posted by The Editorial Desk / Wednesday, September 16th, 2009
The eat local movement keeps gathering steam–this time with the backing of the Fauquier County and Loudoun County hospitality merchants who’ve agreed to partake in the second annual “Celebrate the Harvest Week” (September 25 – October 4).
The dozen or so restaurants involved in the locavore lovefest have been given carte blanche to express their appreciation for homegrown ingredients and regional treasures as best they see fit. But the mission remains to showcase “farm-to-table” preparations to be paired with local wines and spirits.
Participating restaurants include:
* The French Hound (co-owner Marny Birkitt says they plan to serve a 20-ounce Fields of Athenry ribeye, Fields of Athenry lamb sausage with couscous, Ayrshire Farm merguez with spicy aioli and an heirloom tomato-mozzarella-basil chiffonade salad);
* Goodstone Inn (CtHW menu here);
* Red Fox Inn (CtHW menu here);
Chief wine and spirits partners include:
* Cirrus Vodka;
* Wasmund’s.
Hungry for more info/updates? Check out the Harvest Week Facebook page.
–Warren
VA Celebrates Farmers Market Week
Posted by The Editorial Desk / Thursday, July 30th, 2009
(Image: Columbia Pike Farmers Market)
As decreed by Gov. Tim Kaine, August 2-8 is officially Farmers Market Week here in the Old Dominion.
What’s that?
You are all for propping up the local economy but you don’t know where/how to begin?
We’ve taken the guesswork out of sustainable grocery shopping by tracking down nearly three dozen weekly farmers markets in the surrounding communities.
And if gorging yourself on straight-from-the-field foodstuffs isn’t reason enough to support our regional purveyors, the Virginia Department of Agriculture is sweetening the locavore-luring pot by offering up $100 in Virginia produce and specialty products as part of the Eat Local Recipe Contest.
Submissions need to feature local ingredients and must be filed by August 15. Winners (one in the adult category and one in the children’s category) will be chosen at random on August 28.
To do next week
Shop smart
Eat well
Maybe, just maybe, score some homegrown goodies
–Warren
Posted by The Editorial Desk / Wednesday, April 15th, 2009
Sustainable dining fans can get their fill of grassroots grazing this Labor Day when the Outstanding in the Field folks take over Ayrshire Farm for a trio of guest chef-driven dining extravaganzas.
(Photo: Outstanding in the Field)
The gallivanting gourmets have tapped local toques Anthony Chittum, Bryan Moscatello and Rob Townsend to lead guests on culinary treks across the NoVA landscape. Each chef will be expected to tap into their network of local produce suppliers, protein wranglers and grape growers to orchestrate regionally expressive meals of their own making.
A Neighborhood Restaurant Group spokesperson said chef Chittum is still mulling his menu options, but stressed that the seasoned OitF leader–Chittum hosted a dinner with the group last year down in the Northern Neck–is looking forward to showcasing some of his favorite farms and getting better acquainted with the full range of Ayrshire Farm products (“That is a new relationship for us,” the NRG aide said).
Tickets for each night run $189 per person, with seating expected to be capped at 120 seats per evening.
According to an OitF organizer there are just over a dozen tickets left for Townsend’s dinner (Saturday, September 5 at 3 p.m.), around 30 slots for Chittum’s dinner (Sunday, September 6 at 3 p.m.) and an undertermined number of seats available for Moscatello’s dinner (Monday, September 7 at 3 p.m.).
–Warren Rojas
