Edible Austin Outdoor Issue 2016

No. 45 March/April | Outdoor 2016

Cel eb ra ti n g Cen tra l Texa s fo o d cu lt u re, sea so n by sea so n

D.I.Y.

dog food

NMLS493828

FINANCING TEXAS FOR 100 YEARS

WITH CAN-DO SPIRIT COMES NO-QUIT RESOLVE.

Guarantees are hard to come by in rural Texas. Thanks to Capital Farm Credit, a reliable source of capital is not. For nearly 100 years, we’ve lived and worked in the same communities as the men and women we serve. Our cooperative structure ensures we never stop caring — and our financial support means rural Texas never stops growing. CapitalFarmCredit.com | 877.944.5500

It all Starts Here Jack serving it up...

Texas Style.

Oak Hill • Round Rock • 360 jackallenskitchen.com

This exhibition is organized by the Montclair Art Museum and made possible with generous support from The Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts.

Catherine Opie, Jo (detail), 1993, Chromogenic print, 20 Ă— 16 in., Montclair Art Museum, Gift of Patricia A. Bell

#Artofthe1990s

Blanton Museum of Art / The University of Texas at Austin / MLK at Congress / Austin, TX 78712 / 512.471.7324 / www.blantonmuseum.org

CONTENTS outdoor issue 8 notable MENTIONS 16 notable EDIBLES Central Texas Bee Rescue, Solid Rock Brewing, Farm-1-1, Two Hives Honey.

32 PEOPLE

Chip McElroy of Live Oak Brewing.

48

52 edible THRIFT

Last of the larder.

54 edible BEAUTY

Honey beauty.

60 cooking FRESH

65 what we’re DRINKING

With Outdoor.

66 department of ORGANIC YOUTH Green Pease.

68 edible GARDENS Elderberry.

70 hip girl’s guide to HOMEMAKING

Herbal wines.

72 la casita de BUEN SABOR

Lamb burgers sans bun.

74 SEASONAL muse

28

Mastering meatless.

Hitting pay dirt.

77 The Directory

36

OUTDOOR features 24 Hive Mentality Apis Restaurant and Apiary is inspired and surrounded by beehives.

28 Belle Vie Farm It’s a beautiful life for all on the farm.

36 A Growing Market Growing and milling Central Texas grains.

40 A Taste of Texas Honey Find your favorite terroir for Texas honey.

48 D.I.Y. Dog Food Feeding Fido the very best.

56 Beyond the Czech-ered Cloth Passing down Czech traditions.

COVER: Biscuit enjoying some homemade dog food by Alison Narro (page 48).

PUBLISHER’S NOTE

BEE LOCAL

T

PUBLISHER Marla Camp

hey nourish us. They cleanse and soothe us. They heal us.

And occasionally they sting us.

Bees are essential to life on earth, for without them (and other pollinators) we’d have no food. The now well-documented fragility of

ASSOCIATE PUBLISHER Jenna Northcutt

EDITOR Kim Lane

their survival amid the disappearing diversity of pollen-host crops,

ADVERTISING DIRECTOR

use of GMO seeds (with the accompanying increase in pesticide

Dawn Weston

application) and the bees’ vulnerability to trans-global pathogens and parasites have all resulted in new USDA funding for research and education on honeybee decline—as well as a growing chorus

COPY EDITOR Anne Marie Hampshire

of call-to-actions by bee-activist and nonprofit organizations around the world. But what

EDITORIAL ASSISTANTS

can we do in our own homes and gardens?

Melinda Barsales, Claire Cella, Dena Garcia, Cari Marshall, Michelle Moore

To embrace bees is to save them. In this issue you will find stories on many delightful ways to bring honey and bees into your life, from using honey in your personal care and beauty regimens (page 54) to tips on how to become a honey “sommelier” by hosting a honey-flight brunch (page 44). You’ll find multiple recipes featuring honey, including making your own herbal honey rose wine (page 71), and we’ll introduce you to Central Bee Rescue, a honey co-op that finds homes for rescued beehives (page 16) and Two Hives

EVENTS COORDINATOR Susanna Cassady

MARKETING SPECIALISTS Christine Andrews, Valerie Kelly

Honey, a business that teaches sustainable beekeeping for backyards and community gardens while putting comb honey on the menus at several Austin eateries (page 22).

Come help us celebrate bees at our fourth annual Children’s Picnic: A Real Food Fair on Sunday, April 10, on the grounds of the French Legation Museum with special guest speaker and young entrepreneur Mikaila Ulmer of BeeSweet Lemonade. You’ll also learn about the ways of bees from Brandon Fehrenkamp of Austin Bees and enjoy a multitude of other engaging food-related and healthy-living activities, as well as farm animals, cooking demos, music and more (including the revival of Edible Austin “Bee Local” T-shirts).

And to celebrate National Poetry Month (also April), here is an excerpt from Pablo Neruda’s “Ode to Bees.”

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Sí:

Yes:

que la cera levante

let the wax erect

estatuas verdes,

green statues,

la miel

let honey

derrame

spill in

lenguas infinitas,

infinite tongues,

y el ocean sea

let the ocean be

una colmena,

a beehive,

la tierra

the earth

torre y túnica

a tower and tunic

de flores,

of flowers,

y el mundo

and the world

una cascade,

a waterfall,

cabellera,

a comet’s tail,

crecimiento

a never-ending

incesante de panales!

wealth of honeycombs!

EDIBLEAUSTIN.COM

DISTRIBUTION MANAGER Leary Kelly

ADVISORY GROUP Terry Thompson-Anderson, Paula Angerstein, Dorsey Barger, Jim Hightower, Toni Tipton-Martin, Mary Sanger, Carol Ann Sayle

CONTACT US Edible Austin 1411A Newning Ave., Austin, TX 78704 512-441-3971 info@edibleaustin.com edibleaustin.com Edible Austin is published bimonthly by Edible Austin L.L.C. All rights reserved. Subscription rate is $30 annually. No part of this publication may be used without written permission of the publisher. ©2016. Every effort is made to avoid errors, misspellings and omissions. If, however, an error comes to your attention, please accept our sincere apologies and notify us.

present a

event

CHILDREN’S PICNIC

A REAL FOOD FAIR French Legation Museum • 802 San Marcos St.

Sunday, April 10 . 1-5 pm bring a picnic • grow a garden • play games meet farmers and local food vendors cooking demos • music and more!

Thanks to our

Sponsors:

notable MENTIONS

FREE ADMISSION

SAVOR, SIP AT AUSTIN FOOD+WINE FESTIVAL, APRIL 21–24 The ever-popular Austin Food+Wine Festival is back—and will be bigger than ever this year. The weekend-long festival kicks off Thursday, April 21 at Auditorium Shores with Feast Under the Stars—a one-of-a-kind dining experience that offers a locally sourced, five-course meal prepared by award-winning chefs. On Friday, April 22, the festival officially begins at Republic Square Park with Taste of Texas, which features an all-star lineup of chefs who will serve up dishes that reflect their signature styles. Then on Saturday and Sunday, the savoring and sipping bonanza continues, with two solid days of artisanal food, wine, beer and spirits from hundreds of purveyors; dozens of culinary demonstrations and tasting sessions; panel discussions and book signings; a fire pit for grilling and smoking demos; a Rock Your Taco showdown; and—of course—live music. Don’t miss the highly anticipated roster of top chefs, winemakers, sommeliers and gourmands from around the U.S. and Austin’s own renowned foodie scene, includ-

ON VIEW THROUGH MAY 29 21st and Guadalupe Streets www.hrc.utexas.edu 512-471-8944

ing David Bull, Amanda Freitag, Jack Gilmore, Antonia Lofaso, Rick Lopez, Susana Querejazu, Ming Tsai, Jonathan Waxman, Carlos Ysaguirre, and many more. The festival benefits Austin Food & Wine Alliance, which is dedicated to fostering awareness and innovation in the Central Texas food and wine community through grants, educational programming and events. Visit austinfoodandwinefestival.com for tickets and the full schedule.

INVEST, RAISE, GROW! The fledgling but fast-growing Austin Foodshed Investors (AFI) is comprised of three partners with a singular but complex objective: to connect values-based impact investors (financial investors who want to make a measurable, beneficial social or environmental impact along with a financial return) with local, sustainable food entrepreneurs who need capital to grow Central Texas’ supply of good, clean, living-wage jobs as well as quality investment opportunities. With this goal in mind, AFI is hosting ATXFood+Finance16 on Saturday and Sunday, April 30 and May 1. The two-day conference explores the intersection of sustainable food, impact investing and social entrepreneurship.

Day one will be held at the Sustainable Food Center and will feature keynote speaker Woody Tasch, the founder of Slow Money, and sessions on topics such as the “State of the Austin Foodshed” and “How to Invest in Good, Clean, Fair Local Companies,” ending with a farm-to-table dinner. Day two, held at Springdale Farm, will feature a tour of the farm, panel discussions, breakout sessions and a vendor showcase. Co-sponsored by AFI, Slow Money Austin and Edible Austin, the event is open to the public. Visit austinfoodshedinvestors.com for more information.

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A P R I L 2 2 - 2 4 , 2 016 Featuring:

HUGH ACHESON JIMMY BANNOS JIMMY BANNOS JR. DAVID BULL TYSON COLE JASON DADY JON SHOOK and VINNY DOTOLO GRAHAM ELLIOT AMANDA FREITAG BRYCE GILMORE ANTONIA LOFASO TIM LOVE JANINA O’LEARY PAUL QUI KENT RATHBUN AARÓN SÁNCHEZ MING TSAI JONATHAN WAXMAN ANDREW ZIMMERN and many more!

BUY TICKETS AT austinfoodwine.com

“THE MARKET” OPENING AT DAVIS GALLERY Edible Austin is excited to co-present an opening reception for artist Jan Heaton’s show, “The Market,” an exhibition of her new watercolors, on Saturday, March 5, from 7 to 9 p.m., at Davis Gallery. Influenced by form, color and pattern observed during frequent trips to some of Austin’s farmers markets, Heaton’s seductive watercolors simplify and abstract familiar fruits and vegetables in order to capture the essence of the fresh produce her family grew when she was a child. Meet the artist and enjoy small bites from Coté Catering using seasonal ingredients from local farms, sweet confections from Delysia Chocolatier and sips from Bending Branch Winery, Paula’s Texas Spirits and Saint Arnold Brewing Company. Special guests include Carol Ann Sayle and Larry Butler of Boggy Creek Farm. Visit davisgalleryaustin.com for more information.

SCOOT YOUR BOOTS WHILE SUPPORTING FARMERS Local nonprofit Farmgrass invites you to two days of pickin’ and grinnin’ at the third annual Farmgrass Fest at Simmons Family Farm, located just south of Neiderwald, on

Austin, Texas

March 26th, 2016

10am to 4pm rain or shine

Saturday and Sunday, May 14 and 15. The festival raises money for an emergency medical fund to support Central Texas farmers. Farmgrass is also hosting a fundraising dinner, Farm to Feast, on Thursday, March 3 at Tillery Place in East Austin. The dinner includes a locally sourced meal from Odd Duck and Farmhouse Delivery, beer from Independence Brewery, music by The Gravy Brothers and a live auction, all in celebration of Central Texas farmers. Visit farmgrass.org for tickets to both events and for more information.

MAKE SOME NOISE, ATX! Amplify Austin Day, Austin’s annual community-wide day of online giving, is quickly approaching, and you don’t want to miss this powerful opportunity to give back to your community. Over

AustinCoopTour.org

the past three years, Amplify Austin has raised more than $16.2 million for more than 500 local nonprofits that help make Central Texas a better place to live. Starting on Tuesday, March 8 at 6 p.m. and ending Wednesday, March 9 at 6 p.m., you can visit the Amplify Austin website

Thank you to our sponsors:

Austin Econetwork

Buck Moore Feed and Pet Supply

Coyote Creek Organic Feed Mill

Edible Austin

Callahan’s General Store Happy Hen Treats

Wheatsville Food Co-op Austin and Central Texas Backyard Poultry Meetup

to contribute to nonprofits of your choice. There are more than 600 registered this year, including the Capital Area Food Bank of Texas, Farmshare Austin, Mobile Loaves & Fishes, Sustainable Food Center, Urban Roots and many more. Sponsored by I Live Here, I Give Here, the goal for Amplify Austin 2016 is to raise more than $9 million. Visit amplifyatx.org to participate.

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EDIBLEAUSTIN.COM

TOMORROW HAPPENS HERE “For two weeks every year in March, Austin is transformed by an influx of knowledge-hungry, cool-hunting, experience-seeking, entertainmentpushing trendsetters.”

–The Irish Independent

Register Now: sxsw.com/Austin2016 follow us: @sxsw

T

Y

Photo Credit: Aaron Rogosin

SUPER SPONSORS

MAJOR MUSIC SPONSORS

MAJOR INTERACTIVE SPONSORS

Farmgrass is a 501c3 nonprofit that raises critical funds for Central, Texas farmers suffering from medical emergencies.

Pickin' and grinnin' in support of local farmers.

farmgrass.org

2 days of music, food, family fun and camping!

May 14-15, 2016 Simmons Family Farm, Niederwald, Tx

WELCOME SPRING WITH NATIVE PLANTS Just in time for spring planting season, the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center will once again host its popular seasonal plant sale on Saturday and Sunday, April 9 and 10. Only members can attend the sale on April 8. For more than a decade, the center has been helping avid gardeners get access to hundreds of species of unique Texas natives adapted to thrive in our unique climate. The sale will feature wildflower seeds, grasses, wetland plants, perennials, trees and shrubs. In addition to plants, the center will also offer garden tours and have experts on hand to answer questions. Visit wildflower.org for more information.

EDIBLE AUSTIN AT SXSW SOUTHBITES Join Edible Austin’s publisher, Marla Camp, moderator for the SXSW SouthBites session, “Food Transformers: Reimagining Food Traditions,” on Saturday, March 12 at 9:30 a.m. in The Driskill Ballroom. Three nationally acclaimed, dynamic chefs will share their inspiration for how they have transformed time-honored food traditions into hot tastes for today’s palates. Food writer and culinary network star Virginia Willis transforms classic-but-heavy Southern recipes into healthful and wholesome ones by reimagining ingredients while retaining the recipes’ Southern charm and appeal.

Austin chef and DJ Tatsu Aikawa (co-owner of Ramen Tatsu-Ya) infuses time-honored ramen-making techniques into a mash-up of inventive ramen dishes. Austin chef Michael Fojtasek (co-owner of Olamaie, one of Food & Wine 2015 Best New Chefs”) transforms five generations of Southern cooking traditions into “Modern Southern Cuisine.” Visit edibleaustin.com for details and updates.

A LAVENDER LOVER’S PARADISE AT BECKER Come bask in the lavender fields abloom at Becker Vineyards.

Nestled in the Hill Country near Fredericksburg, Becker will host its 18th Annual Lavender Festival, Saturday and Sunday, April 30 and May 1. Spend the day soaking up the essence of this charming venue and shopping among the lavender products, plants and vendors. Enjoy educational cooking demos and guest speakers, tasty culinary delights, wine tasting and tours, live music and much more. Visit beckervineyards.com or call 830-644-2681.

䤀琀ᤠ猀 漀昀昀椀挀椀愀氀⸀

㄀㄀愀洀 琀漀 㘀瀀洀 匀椀最渀 唀倀 琀漀 瀀愀爀琀椀挀椀瀀愀琀攀 愀琀 琀攀砀愀猀瘀攀最昀攀猀琀⸀挀漀洀℀

眀眀眀⸀琀攀砀愀猀瘀攀最昀攀猀琀⸀挀漀洀 䤀一䘀伀䀀吀䔀砀愀猀瘀攀最昀攀猀琀⸀挀漀洀

倀栀漀琀漀猀 䈀礀 䨀椀洀 䄀氀氀攀渀

EDIBLEAUSTIN.COM

OUTDOOR 2016

13

NOTHING SAYS SPRING LIKE A PICNIC WITH KIDS The fourth annual Children’s Picnic: A Real Food Fair returns to the French Legation Museum on Sunday, April 10 from 1 to 5 p.m.

This free event at one of Austin’s most historic properties is a fun way for the whole family to learn about gardening, beekeeping, cooking, wellness and more. The fair includes workshops, cooking demonstrations, live music, take-home DIY gardens and the Imagination Playground, an adaptable playscape designed to encourage unstructured free play, provided by Austin Parks Foundation. An array of local farmers, artisans and vendors will be on hand with delicious bites, but feel free to bring a picnic. The fair is presented by the SANDE Youth Project, Edible Austin and the French Legation Museum. Visit edibleaustin.com for more information.

HEAD EAST TO MEET YOUR FARMERS Come to the East Side to celebrate with some of our local Austin farmers, up-close and personal. The seventh annual East Austin CRAFT CIDER

Urban Farm Tour takes place on Sunday, April 17, from 1 to 5 p.m.

Connected to each other by just a few city blocks, the farms are a mere stroll apart and include Boggy Creek Farm, HausBar Farm, Rain

TA P R O O M N O W O P E N

AUSTIN HOURS AND DETAILS AT:

www.texaskeeper.com

@txkeepercider

Lily Farm and Springdale Farm. With their gates open to the community, the farmers will introduce their crops, share their experiences and answer gardening questions. Each farm will host local chefs who will share their creations using farm-fresh ingredients. Mixologists and local breweries and wine merchants will offer their libations as well. Tickets to the four-farm tour benefit Farm and Ranch Freedom Alliance, an organization that helps independent family farmers and promotes common sense policies for local, diversified agricultural systems. Visit eastaustinurbanfarmtour.com for more information.

GOOD TASTE: PICNIC IN THE PARK The Contemporary Austin and Edible Austin present Good Taste: Picnic in the Park, on Mother’s Day, Sunday, May 8, from 12:30 to 3 p.m. at Laguna Gloria. Explore the picturesque Betty and Edward Marcus Sculpture Park, and explore “Mothernism,” Lise Haller Baggesen’s immersive exhibition—the perfect way for “Mothernists” to come together at one of Austin’s most scenic venues. Families are welcome to bring a picnic lunch and participate in this flavorful celebration of nurturing and creativity, taste sweet treats and refreshments from local vendors, and get crafty together with hands-on projects. Tickets are $10 for members of The Contemporary Austin and $12 for non-members.

Visit thecontemporaryaustin.org for tickets and more information.

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EDIBLEAUSTIN.COM

No matter how you mix it, my handmade vodka beats those giant “imports” every day.

WINE ENTHUSIAST RATINGS SCORE OUT OF 100 POINTS

SALT-CURED SA LM ON WITH VODKA, JUNIPER, ROSE MARY & LEMO N ZEST

We’ve been working with HonestCooking.com to show how to incorporate Tito’s Handmade Vodka into a variety of meals and desserts.

Our friends over at Feasting at Home have created an easy and delicious recipe for saltcured salmon, featurng Tito’s, lemon and herbs. Perfect for making lox appetizers, or to add to salads, pastas or sushi.

For this recipe and more, visit titosvodka.com/blog.

Photo and recipe courtesy of Feasting at Home ©2016. feastingathome.com

PTS

notable EDIBLES A HIVESTEAD EXEMPTION

O

n a shelf full of smiling cartoon bees and jolly squeezable bears, a honey named “Satan’s Nectar” may sound a little

extreme. Then again, reality TV star Jesse James, who produces Satan’s Nectar, isn’t your average honey-maker. He’s one of the landowners working with Central Texas Bee Rescue to give the endangered insect a fighting chance—and to save a little on taxes, to boot.

Central Texas Bee Rescue extracts beehives from places they’re not wanted and relocates them to donated land. That way, the bees get to live and the landowners get a tax write-off.

Keeping bees on at least 5 acres of land in Texas counts as an agricultural exemption, so the savings add up. Walter Schumacher, founder of the nonprofit, says the bees on his 20 acres (the maximum allowable to write off ) cuts his $16,000 in property taxes down to $3,000.

Under the organization’s co-op program, Schumacher has recruited nearly 60 people and businesses to give rescued beehives a new home, including hair-care billionaire John Paul DeJoria, who calls his honey “Peace, Love and Happiness” and musician Johnny Tequila, who calls his “Rockin’ G.” Circuit of the Americas racetrack adopted a whopping 157 hives and set them up as far away as possible from all the bug-whacking windshields (until heavy rains forced them to rebuild).

Central Texas Bee Rescue lets co-op members keep some of the honey (more if they help maintain the hives themselves) and sells the rest. Working on a pay-what-you-can-and-please-

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EDIBLEAUSTIN.COM

donate scale, the organization also sells a line of hive-derived beauty products at Central Market and other Austin-area stores.

Schumacher sees the money from these sales as the means for an all-important species to pay the rent. “Our corporatized world is so economically driven that these creatures that don’t have any money can’t be here,” he says. “We’re stewards for them to help them raise the money they need to stay on this planet.”

—Steve Wilson F o r more information, visit honeybeekind.com or call 512-914-0123.

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R

THE CHO’SEN ONE N IN

G

AND OPE

MO

E

E 5N

W

S

G

April 16 DEL HO

M

W

hat’s the best beer to pair with sushi? The one that knows when to stay the heck out of the way. That’s what brew-

master (and sushi lover) Steve McCarthy was going for when he made Cho’Sen for Spicewood’s Solid Rock Brewing.

Unlike for the cream ale, IPA and Irish red that Solid Rock sells, there was no ready-made recipe or guidebook for producing an American sushi ale. “We had to grow it from the ground up,” says McCarthy. To complement the delicate flavors of sushi, he chose rice as the main grain, which became a “sticky” point.

“Rice in brewing has a jaded history,” says McCarthy. Because big breweries use rice as an inexpensive source of grain sugar to make alcohol, craft-brewing associations poo-poo its use as a main ingredient. But in this case, McCarthy assures, they made an exception. “We keep it below the level of use they’ve set,” he says. “And they understand that we’re only doing it for taste.”

The end result is a clean, light-bodied beer designed to gently

SAVOR THE FLAVOR OF EAST AUSTIN Own it.

We can’t wait to meet you at our Bryant Park Grand Opening celebration on April 16th! Easton Park’s first neighborhood, Bryant Park is the central gathering place for Austin’s Newest Community. It’s a pivotal landmark of lifestyle, premiering with a hammock garden, life-size chess and Jenga, Ping-Pong and gaming tables, food trucks, an open green lawn for festivals and group fitness classes, and much more.

Come tour five furnished models to inspire your future home at Easton Park. Just 12 minutes from downtown, with homes starting from the mid-$200s.

Visit us at eastonparkatx.com 18

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EDIBLEAUSTIN.COM

stand on its own, or to clear a palate primed for raw fish. “It’s not a particularly beery-tasting beer,” says McCarthy.

On the surface, Cho’Sen stands apart from Solid Rock’s more traditional offerings, beginning with the name. “We were playing around with names like ‘Zen’ but it was too goofy,” says McCarthy.

“This was the final recipe that was chosen, so we went with that.” Still, the beer’s less-fussy nature makes it very much like the other Solid Rock products. McCarthy and his co-founders, Steve Jones and Curt Webber—all of whom met at church—prefer the tried and true to the flashy and fussy for their two-yearold company. Other than Cho’Sen, the craziest they’ve gotten is a seasonal vanilla milk stout. “We brew simple beers that we ourselves would like to drink over and over,” says McCarthy.

“We’re not out to make the craziest craft beer. I don’t ever want to hand one of my beers to a friend and have them say, ‘That was…interesting.’ ‘Interesting’ is the worst word you can ever hear.” —Steve Wilson For more information, visit solidrockbrewing.com or call 512-571-1740.

Welcome to

CLOUD WINE

Cheers to Savings!

®

LOCATIONS ACROSS THE AREA!

(512) 366 -8260 • SPECSONLINE.COM

W I N ES · S P I R I TS · F I N E R FO O DS

FARM AID 1:1

L

osing much of their $8,000 fence to the May 2015 floods was bad enough for Cynthia and Russell Wickliffe of Harlequin

Dairy Goats in Cedar Park. But when the next round of floods in October of that same year washed away their repair job, they were ready to throw in the towel and move. Instead, they called Farm-1-1.

Gathering a team of local volunteer farmers, the nonprofit used its collective tools, supplies and experience to fix the fence in a few hours—for free. More importantly, the group convinced the Wickliffes to stick around for a while, which was the whole point.

Wife-and-wife team Vivian and JoAnn Smotherman started Farm-1-1 in 2015 to help keep their fellow farmers from giving up on

to often expensive repair companies. “I really love their idea of

a costly and time-consuming vocation. “Over and over we’ve seen

local people pitching in to help each other with labor, expertise

new farmers move in and then move out a year or two later,” says

and equipment,” she says.

Vivian, who’s run Eden’s Cove farm with JoAnn in Cedar Park since

Whether it’s raising a barn or advising about lethargic livestock,

2007. “They may get stuck on just one obstacle, whether it’s some

Farm-1-1 operates on a donate-if-you-can scale. It saves farmers

expensive piece of equipment or chickens not laying eggs—things

even more money by donating salvaged supplies and parts. “You

other farmers can help them with because we’ve all been there.”

can’t visit a farm without finding a leftover roll of fencing lying

Drawing on friends and Facebook followers, Farm-1-1 whips to-

around,” says Vivian. In the future, the nonprofit also hopes to at-

gether volunteers and equipment to answer calls for aid in Austin,

tract corporate sponsorships and arrange group discounts at sup-

Bastrop, Del Valle, Smithville, Lockhart and “anywhere else we

ply stores—anything to keep people farming. “The more farmers

can reasonably get to,” says Vivian. Cynthia Wickliffe says she and

we have, the more it helps all of us,” says Vivian. —Steve Wilson

Russell were thrilled with the group’s efforts—saving them several hours of work and lots of money that would have otherwise gone

For more information, visit farm-1-1.org or call 512-321-4786.

On vie w July 2 through 4, 201 6!

global kitchen our

food, nature, culture

Journey around the world to explore food, from farm to fork.

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Visit an ancient Aztec marketplace Cook a virtual meal Peek into historical dining rooms

Sign up for a design consult and receive a $50 gift card.

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TWO HIVES HONEY

R

aw, pure comb honey (which includes portions of edible

hive maintenance. And BeeBuilders offers participants with space

comb) is both delicious and gorgeous to look at, and Chef

(or HOA) restrictions a more manageable solution for keeping

James Zoller of TRACE is excited to add it to his menu. Taking

bees by providing a hanging bamboo bee dwelling that houses 10

into account both the flavor and unique texture of comb honey,

cocoons of either mason or leaf-cutter bees. “Solitary bees, such as

Zoller says he’ll pair it with bold, standout cheeses such as blues,

mason bees, are the unsung heroes of the pollination world,” says

tommes and aged Goudas, and he’s certain it will eventually find

Chapman. “They are better pollinators than honeybees.”

its way onto the dessert menu once Pastry Chef Angel Begaye gets ahold of it!

Two Hives Honey’s outreach programs actually helped get comb honey onto the menu at Parkside. Chef Nathan Lemley,

Zoller is one of only a few local chefs currently pursuing comb

who brought his entire cooking staff to Two Hives’ Zilker api-

honey from apiaries maintained by Two Hives Honey, though

ary for a tour, was delighted to discover a reliable source for the

that number is expected to grow. Tara Chapman, a relocated West

delicacy. Lemley has previously worked with, and served, comb

Texas native, founded Two Hives Honey when she wanted to start

honey before, and is a big fan of the texture it offers. “It allows

keeping bees but didn’t have a yard large enough to house hives.

the honey to really stand on its own,” he says. “And not just as

Recognizing the benefits of having bees, a neighbor offered space

the sweet component on the plate.” Currently, he’s working on a

in his backyard that was big enough for two hives (hence the name),

duck-and-honeycomb dish that will appear on the Parkside menu

and now Chapman maintains multiple hives at community gardens

in the spring of 2016.

in the Zilker, East Austin and North Loop areas.

Chapman says that harvests occur twice a year—in late spring

Chapman connects people to bees through educational tours

after the first nectar flow and in the fall after a second, smaller

and collaborations with the Sustainable Food Center, as well as

honey flow—and notes that one 4-by-4-inch square honeycomb is

through a fourth-grade school curriculum that she developed with

enough to supply about 16 cheese plates. She cautions, however,

a 2015 Austin Food & Wine Alliance grant. She also offers two in-

that similar to other local edibles in limited supply, local comb

novative programs that help ease the transition into beekeeping.

honey probably won’t be available year-round, so be sure to savor

HoneyHomes installs and maintains hives on local properties.

some while you can. —Gloria Lee

Homeowners complete an 18-month period of workshops and hands-on instruction, which prepare them to eventually take over

To learn more, visit twohiveshoney.com or call 512-814-6702.

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edible ENDEAVOR

HIVE MENTALITY

BY E L I Z A B E T H W I N S LOW • P H OTO G RA P H Y BY D UST I N M EY E R

Apis Restaurant and Apiary owner and Chef Taylor Hall.

Fredericksburg, Texas 78624 www.littlechef.com ∙ info@littlechef.com 830.997.4937

Der Küchen Laden ∙ 258 E. Main St. Fredericksburg, TX 78624 830.997.4937 info@littlechef.com www.littlechef.com

H

eading out of Austin on Highway 71, the road curves through Westlake, then winds along Lake Travis—climbing deep into Texas Hill Country terrain. And just as the

strip malls and supermarkets yield to tractor repair shops and bar-

Life is short.

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becue joints in Spicewood, you’ll see a welcoming, honey-colored stucco-and-stone building wrapped in porches and surrounded by meadows and beehives. Welcome to Apis Restaurant and Apiary.

The combined vision of owner and Chef Taylor Hall and Chef Adam Brick, Apis opened in February of 2015 as a surprising addition to the Spicewood dining scene, which typically leans more toward burgers and pit-smoked meats. For the past few years, Hall had been catering in the area, and mulling over ideas for an in-

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novative restaurant concept. Brick, a hometown boy, had recently come back to Austin after a seven-year stint in New York City, where—after graduating from the CIA in Hyde Park, New York— he’d spent several years in the star-studded kitchens of Daniel, Aureole, Momofuku Ssäm Bar and One if by Land, Two if by Sea. The city had begun to wear him down, though, and he realized he wanted to return to Texas where he could hunt, have a boat and do the things many guys in Texas do to unwind. When Hall and his wife Casie started putting the word out that they were looking for a chef to join the founding team for their new project, friends made the connection and introduced them to Brick.

By the time he met Brick, Hall had already invested time and energy looking for just the right property, as well as developing his own unique culinary style. Along the way, he read an article about the plight of bees and colony collapse disorder, which prompted concern and interest in understanding the importance of bees to our food system. Hall signed up for a beekeeping class with Round Rock Honey and fell in love with our pollinator friends. Starting his own bee colony was the next logical step.

Once he had his own hives installed at the site that would eventually become Apis, Hall began to see the similarities be-

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tween a community of bees and a restaurant. “I’d be out there checking on the bees, and it just occurred to me that there’s not a lot of difference between a beehive and a well-run restaurant,” he says. Both are seasonal, everyone has a vital role in an intricate process and everyone inside is part of a bigger, highly structured system. “Once I decided on the [restaurant’s] theme, we started having lots of fun with design elements and the menu,” Hall says,

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OUTDOOR 2016

25

“I’d be out there checking on the bees, and it just occurred to me that there’s not a lot of difference between a beehive and a well-run restaurant.” —Taylor Hall as he points out the honeycomb-shaped interior light fixtures in the restaurant and the wood inlay on the tabletops.

“We want our menu to be inspired by bees and inflected with the flavors of the hive, but we aren’t heavy-handed with it,” Brick adds. The kitchen uses the yield from the restaurant’s 20 hives to make bee-pollen miso, vinegar brewed from spent honeycomb and a floral, honey-sweetened vinaigrette. They also use the honey to accent one dessert and one cocktail, nightly.

But the kitchen team also takes full advantage of other local outdoor delights. They make and age their own Texas wild-boar salumi, for example—including soppressata, salame Felino and ’nduja, and cured meats such as prosciutto, guanciale, pancetta and coppa. And they make a variety of miso pastes (sunflower, cashew, black garlic, smoked pecan), vinegars (citron, strawberry, barley) and bitters (elderflower, peach blossom, blood orange, Meyer lemon, rose hip, Sichuan pepper, roasted chili).

DON’T JUST COOK. DON’T JUST BREATHE.

TRANSFORM

YOUR FOOD. YOUR YOGA. YOUR HEALTH. YOUR LIFE.

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OUTDOOR 2016

EDIBLEAUSTIN.COM

Brick and Hall are also invested in building relationships with other vendors and services in their community. For example, Apis offers its kitchen scraps to feed the chickens at Liberty Farmhouse

Annual Derby Extravaganza

near Round Mountain, Texas, and in return, gets a deal on fresh meat and eggs. The result of this cross-pollination shows up in softly scrambled eggs with corn butter, popcorn and Parmesan foam, served in an Ameraucauna hen’s beautiful blue-green eggshell, and foie-stuffed chicken with apple butter, buckwheat crepe and chicken-skin granola. And the chef duo works with budding gardeners at Austin Montessori’s nearby middle school. The children consult with the chefs to create a garden plan, then grow produce and sell it to Apis through a program that teaches entrepreneurial skills.

Past crops have included green coriander berries, edible flowers and heirloom vegetables.

Spring 2016 will see the opening of Pizzeria Sorellina, a new restaurant on the Apis property that will feature a wood-burning oven. The pizza team will be milling their own flour daily from locally grown grains, stretching their own mozzarella and crafting dough with a 10-year-old sourdough starter Hall and Brick have been nurturing. Of course, the pizzas will be crowned with Apis’ handmade delicacies, such as that wild-boar salumi, and will be served alongside small seasonal salads and other snacks from the wood-burning oven.

With the level of culinary innovation and diversity on display at Apis, it’s no wonder that diners from San Antonio to Austin— and points in-between—are buzzing.

To find out more, visit apisrestaurant.com or call 512-436-8918.

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Hilltop perches.

Immersive days.

Celestial observations.

Altered course.

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Opening Summer 2016 An amazing collection of neighborhoods, amenities and scenic expanses with something close to every home. LiveHeadwaters.com

DAVID WEEKLEY HOMES | DREES CUSTOM HOMES | TRENDMAKER HOMES Materials are protected by copyright, trademark, and other intellectual property laws. All rights in these materials are reserved. All products and company names marked as trademarked (™) or registered (®) are trademarks of their respective holders.

Copying, reproduction and distribution of materials without prior written consent of Freehold Communities is strictly prohibited. All information, plans, and pricing are subject to change without notice. This information does not represent a specific offer of sale or solicitation to purchase property within Headwaters. Models do not reflect racial preference.

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27

farmers DIARY

BELLE VIE FARM

BY C L A I R E CA N AVA N • P H OTO G RA P H Y BY A N DY SA M S

S

prawling oak trees dot the landscape on the road to Belle

The couple then backpacked around Mexico and Central

Vie Farm and Kitchen, a family farm northeast of Elgin. On

America, and together took a job with a retired racing boat cap-

this 40-acre plot of land, husband-and-wife team Aubrey

tain who needed to move his boat across the Pacific from Panama

and Perrine Noelke busy themselves raising free-range ducks, but

to Australia. Perrine worried about seasickness on the six-month

at the end of their driveway, there’s also a partially constructed

trip, but it didn’t affect her at all. In fact, during the first big storm,

straw-bale house that awaits completion, and in their cozy kitch-

she used a strap in the kitchen to keep from falling into the stove

en, a baby happily cooing from her high chair.

and managed to make crème caramel at the same time.

Many people would balk at the thought of launching a busi-

Next, the couple worked on small sailboats for four years in

ness, constructing a new house and starting a family at the same

the Caribbean—with Aubrey as captain and Perrine as chef—tak-

time, but this adventurous couple spent years developing the

ing care of the food for the guests who rented the boats. Because

necessary flexibility and resourcefulness while living and work-

they loved the work but wanted to start a family, they began to

ing on boats. They met at sea in 2007 when Aubrey, who hails

imagine what their return to land would look like. “We are both

from Texas, was working as a boat engineer on a private yacht in

outdoor people,” Perrine says, “and we became a great team after

the Mediterranean. Perrine, a French native who was managing

living and working together for so long. So, we figured we would

a restaurant in Belgium at the time, was invited to work in the

start a farm. We just had to figure out what kind of farm.”

boat’s kitchen by the chef. Aubrey and Perrine crossed paths on

Texas called to them because Aubrey grew up in Austin and

the yacht, and despite a language barrier, they connected. “It was

spent summers working at his family’s cattle ranches west of

completely love at first sight,” Perrine says.

San Angelo. They started volunteering and interning at different EDIBLEAUSTIN.COM

OUTDOOR 2016

29

farms to see what they liked. They investigated vegetable farming at Johnson’s Backyard Garden; visited a chicken, rabbit and duck farm in France; and checked out a goat dairy farm in Texas. “We heard that the best way to launch a farm is to start small, with something you really like to eat, because you might eat a lot of it,” Aubrey says. “And so we thought ducks might be a good start.”

The couple launched Belle Vie Farm and Kitchen in 2014 with the goal of creating a premium product. “When we visited a duck farm in France, we saw they were doing a number of things to make their ducks special, and we wanted to do that here,” Aubrey says. They chose French white Muscovy ducks, and they only raise a hundred ducks at a time to maintain quality and ensure that the birds can rotate around the farm to enjoy fresh pasture.

The ducks eat only certified-organic, GMO-free grain, and guardian geese help protect them from predators.

The Noelkes sell their duck meat directly to Austin’s high-end restaurants, and offer fresh, unfertilized duck eggs and specialty duck delicacies at the Cedar Park and Mueller farmers markets.

hardworking pair gets a chance to relax and enjoy the simple mo-

In their commercial-grade kitchen, Perrine whips up the savory

ments, such as looking at the night sky or watching their daugh-

items, such as pâtés, terrines, rillettes, duck meat sausage and

ter, Zoe, marvel at the animals. These moments best reflect the

bone broth, as well as sweet items, such as macarons and crème

name they chose for their farm, belle vie, which means “beautiful

brûlée, using their duck eggs.

life” in French. “That’s what we’ve got here,” Perrine says. “That’s

Farm work is hard and often all-encompassing. Daily, the

our dream and we are realizing our dream.” Aubrey nods and adds

couple must rotate the ducks, collect the eggs and change the

in his soft-spoken way, “And without getting too corny, we want

birds’ bedding. Every two weeks, they welcome new ducklings

the animals to have good lives, too.”

and process the full-grown ones. They also recently started raising turkeys and Ossabaw Island pigs. Occasionally, though, the 30

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EDIBLEAUSTIN.COM

For more information, visit belleviefarm.com or call 512-574-1197.

Unique. Local. Experience.

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31

PEOPLE

HOLDING GROUND

BY L ES M C G E H E E • P H OTO G RA P H Y BY M E L A N I E G R I Z Z E L

Today’s mighty oak is just yesterday’s nut that held its ground.

—David Icke

A

cres-deep into the knotted groves

25-cent beers at any hour. He was also

of legacy oaks that proudly hold

in charge of selecting and procuring the

court in the rich soil of southeast

kegs of beer for our weekly happy hours

Austin, Chip McElroy is excitedly show-

and many parties. He was masterful at it,

ing off a few favorite bells and whistles in

despite the fact that there were painful-

his brand-new, state-of-the-art brewery.

ly few beer varieties available in Austin

At the moment, he’s a chemistry-loving

at the time. But he made sure we were

kid in a hopped-up candy store—con-

stocked with lots of Shiner Premium and

fidently tossing around phrases like

Heileman’s Old Style.

“thermal mass” and “rapidly volatized unwanted compounds.”

Then in 1997, I ran into McElroy while he was driving around town

If McElroy sounds like a chemist,

building relationships and giving away

that’s because he was one—working as

samples of his own brewed beer that he

a microbiologist for Agouron (“altering

called “Live Oak.” “We named ourselves

the crystallization properties of pro-

after the live oak,” he says, “because

teins by manipulating the amino acids

it’s a tree that embodies the character-

on them”) before dedicating himself

istics that we wanted associated with

and his passions to co-founding Aus-

our beer: It’s beautiful, native, badass,

tin’s oldest brewery, Live Oak Brew-

slow-growing and strong.” It wasn’t

ing Company, 19 years ago with fellow

long before we started seeing his trade-

homebrewer Brian Peters. The duo literally built the original

mark crooked-oak-branch tap handles at our favorite Austin wa-

brewery by hand and according to them, functioned as “the two

tering holes. Of course, there wasn’t a lot of major craft brewing

main brewers, keg washers, delivery persons and proselytizers.”

going on then, and McElroy remembers the first feedback. “We’d

And if McElroy sounds like a chemist, that’s because he still is

hear, ‘Wait, so you’re making this beer yerself ? In yer bathtub or

one. “Making beer is a very scientific process,” he says. “It’s en-

whut?’” he says with a laugh.

zymology and fermentation and chemistry and biochemistry. It’s

Around 2006, McElroy began to seriously wonder where all

art…it’s cooking…it’s recipes, you know? It’s beer! Where art and

the other brewers were. “It seemed like we’d have more!” he says.

science come together!”

“Portland, Colorado, Vermont had so many more breweries per

I first met McElroy as a fellow University of Texas student

capita than we did. We thought ‘Austin’s a really hip, happening

around 1981. We were both residents at the infamous and baccha-

place, how come we don’t have that many?’ Now I can barely be-

nalian 21st Street Co-op where he was the appointed “Beer Czar.”

lieve how many breweries we have here! It’s great.” Of course, this

His duties consisted of keeping the co-op’s beer machine (a con-

growth is partially because of Live Oak’s trailblazing and success.

verted soda-bottle dispenser) full so that residents could enjoy

And now, McElroy enjoys encouraging and supporting the other

32

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EDIBLEAUSTIN.COM

up-and-coming brewers—for example, he recently did some cooperative brewing with Jester King Brewery on a new beer called “Kollaborationsbiermittschechischemhopfenundwilderbakterienhefekombination” (German for “Collaboration beer with Czech hops, wild yeast and bacteria”) with a label that features an illustrated, almost Santa-like McElroy donned in what appears to be lederhosen and covered with craft-beer-making tools, right down to an ammo belt filled with chemistry test tubes. To make sure that most customers are able to confidently order the new beer in public, they’re calling it “Kollaborationsbier” for short.

Meanwhile, back at the tour of McElroy’s new 22,000 square-foot brewery, we’ve just passed the main entrance—a sharp-angled wall of bricks and glass not unlike the entrance to a church. We then move through a generously sized tasting room and lounge area, DIS

where McElroy’s 60-foot live oak bar top (constructed from fallen TIL

LE

oak on the property) sits among heavy wooden tables made from the

RY

very skids that delivered the equipment to the brewery. We finally spill out into a beautiful grove-and-limestone beer garden.

RE

ST

RO

Throughout the tour, McElroy talks about the surrounding oaks OM

as though they’re family. “That one is called ‘Stretch,’” he says, as

S

RIC K I D S PL A

he gestures to the right. “Can you believe how tall he is? And look KH

OU

at the way ‘Horizontal’ has those huge twists—just beautiful. We

SE

SA

Y AREA

LO

ON

have 130 live oak trees [with] over 8 inches [trunk diameter]…we have a bunch of them over 45 inches in diameter! And we make all of our beer taps from trimmings collected from taking care of our oaks—in fact, the guy who cared for the Treaty Oak takes care of

AMES YA R D G

our trees. We focus on the sustainability of what we’re doing. Our GIF

& T A

M

OS

EN

T H ILL

T C E

This should be a banner year for Live Oak Brewing Company.

EN

Aside from applying new tips and techniques garnered from oth-

ER

PA R K I N G

er brewers during his annual trips to the Czech Republic and

NCE

16604

NT

is a much lower use of materials than most packaging.”

RA

EV

N

G R P OO M

T

GH

AI

brew waste goes to farmers and ranchers; even our can packaging

T ST S H O IN

Germany, McElroy expects to expand his current lot—Live Oak Pilz will be offered in cans for the first time all over Texas, for

fi T Z H U G H R O A D , D R I P P I N G S P R I N G S , T X 290

H I G H WAY

H I G H WAY

12

example, and the new tasting room and beer garden will be up and running before spring. Also, expect Live Oak to distribute twice as much beer as ever before. Looks like the local craft brewing market is finally catching up with McElroy.

Find out more at liveoakbrewing.com

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edible ENDEAVOR

A GROWING MARKET

BY VA L E R I E B RO USSA R D • P H OTO G RA P H Y BY M E L A N I E G R I Z Z E L

A baker who also mills has its advantages: Whole grains store longer than flours, and purchasing whole-grain in bulk is more cost-effective. In addition, most bakers prefer the aroma and flavor of freshly milled flour, just as one might prefer freshly ground coffee beans before brewing—the flavor is more pronounced.

M

any people don’t know that Austin’s beloved Barton Springs was once home to a three-story, spring-and-dampowered gristmill that processed locally grown grain.

Although William (“Uncle Billy”) Barton’s mill was destroyed by a fire in 1886, the losses of similar gristmills over the last century—such as Johnson City’s James Polk Johnson Grist Mill, built in 1880—were the result of other circumstances. Construction of canals and railroads, for example, allowed faster, more efficient transport of commodities such as wheat, and the transition from stone mills to more modern technology—such as the steel roller mill, which encouraged large-scale industrial agriculture—led to the demise of small regional mills throughout the U.S. David Norman, head “dough-puncher” and partner at Easy Tiger Bake Shop & Beer Garden, points to this lack of mill infrastructure as one of the reasons for our void of locally grown grains. It’s similar, he says, to the challenge faced by small ranchers. Without regional slaughterhouses, for example, a rancher is forced to scale up operations to make the longer travel distance necessary to process meat worth the time and expense.

Also, in order to provide the grains that many locavores want, area farmers must source nearly extinct and expensive seed, and purchase specialty equipment such as combines and storage facilities. In addition, mills require seed cleaners, sifters and scales. The larger mills also offer pricey, high-tech equipment that can generate data that’s useful to bakers, such as gluten content and levels of water absorption (though they can’t necessarily test for flavor)—keeping them highly competitive. “Wheat is fairly easy to grow,” says Josh Raymer, chef and baker at Bakery JoJu in Fredericksburg, “[but] it can’t compete with many vege-

Opposite and above: David Norman and his bread.

tables for profit.”

Central Texas farmer and rancher, Jim Richardson, has

for f lour and a different variety of sorghum for syrup, along

taken on some of these challenges by growing and milling

with white, yellow and red corn. (He’d hoped to plant emmer

multiple types of grain on 45 acres dedicated to the pursuit.

wheat or Abruzzi rye, as well, but the unusually wet conditions

Richardson wisely sought the advice of South Carolina-based

of late 2015 prevented it.) While the weather has been a chal-

Anson Mills founder Glenn Roberts, the man responsible for

lenge, Richardson says he’s never had any pushback from chefs

saving numerous heirloom grains from extinction. Richardson

on the variables of his f lours—which can differ from season to

now grows hard white-winter wheat, turkey red (a high-gluten

season—only on their price, which can be high, compared to

wheat variety), triticale (a wheat/rye hybrid), white sorghum

grains that are grown and milled afar. In order to grow more EDIBLEAUSTIN.COM

OUTDOOR 2016

37

qualities, such as biodiversity, complex flavors, nutritive benefits and a connection to our grain growers. Dr. Stephen Jones is a pioneer in reversing these losses, by breeding modern wheat for flavor and nutrition. His work at The Bread Lab at Washington State University is written about extensively in Dan Barber’s “The Third Plate” and Amy Halloran’s “The New Bread Basket.” Both Raymer and Norman attended The Bread Lab’s annual conference in Washington State in 2015 and learned much about the current wheat landscape. “We have very old wheats that came from Europe,” explains Raymer. “You have the landrace wheats that, for the most part, came from breeding in the field. You have modern wheats that are developed by university breeding programs, but then released to Monsanto, et al., to grow them out and sell them. At The Bread Lab, we tried one heirloom variety—everything else was modern. Every baker there was interested in older wheats—how they perform, flavor, etc., Dr. Jones tried to coax us into the future. I think he’s right, as far as, if the market demands variety and flavor, we will see progress on this front. Look to this as the future: some modern, some heirloom—similar to how a farmer grows tomatoes, a mix of new and old.”

The mix is a good idea because of course, heirloom and native varieties of any plant often have much to offer. Wes Jackson, founder of The Land Institute—a science-based organization dedicated to advancing perennial grain crops and polyculture farming methods—and a co-speaker (along with poet and agrarian, Wendell Berry) at Edible Austin’s 2011 Eat Drink Local Week, wowed the audience when he unveiled a striking and unexpected photograph.

Displayed side-by-side were two life-size profile images of wheat— both the stalks above ground and the root systems below. One plant was a modern wheat variety that requires annual planting, the othAbove: Jim Richardson in his Rockdale farm’s wheat field. Left: young, green wheat leaves.

er a perennial prairie wheat that was bred to have many characteristics of a native wheat; the latter’s impressively deep, thick and strong root structure indicated the potential for significantly reducing erosion and growing crops without having to till the soil.

Inspired and encouraged by his Bread Lab experience, Raymer has been buying seed for area farmers to reduce their risk and ex-

crops, then, it’s essential for local grain farmers like Richardson

penses. He’s also commissioned Texas farmers to grow hard, red

to get a commitment from buyers who are willing to pay their

winter-wheat varietals such as Fannin in Rio Medina, and Tam

prices. Otherwise, it’s just too risky.

113 in North Texas, while another farmer in Dripping Springs is

Despite the various challenges these farmers face, the interest

testing older, heirloom wheat varietals, such as Sonora, Red May,

in locally grown and milled grains is definitely on the rise. Norman

Quanah, Harvest King and Westar. Raymer hopes to eventually

explains exactly what he’s looking for: “What’s important to me is

build a solid demand for this lesser-known wheat. “This summer,

the variety of grains—especially the variety of wheat—that is avail-

I’m going to start doing breads with these wheats,” he says. “I feel

able. Most of the contemporary American hybrid wheats have been

that there will be a market. When I have a pallet of wheat that I

developed for yield and high protein level, often at the expense of

can mill for flour, it means we also have wheat that I can get into

flavor. Also, as a baker who mostly concentrates on European-style

a farmer’s hands if they are willing to give it a shot.”

hearth breads, too-high protein levels are not desirable, as they of-

Raymer’s also scouted out a third-party seed cleaner and grain

ten make for a dough that is too elastic and not extensible enough

storage facility in North Texas, and is actively recruiting additional

to create the crumb structure we’re after. There are varieties of

organic farmers to plant more grains. He does supplementary re-

wheat—some heirloom—with a more medium range of protein

search by reading old Department of Agriculture crop reports to

that have the baking qualities and better flavor that I’m seeking.”

learn about heirloom varietals, and he believes that long-term plan-

It’s true: Most of the modern, mass-produced wheat evolved by

ning is the key to creating a local grain economy. First, area farm-

way of seed breeders who selectively cross-pollinated plants in or-

ers should start with small test crops, he notes, to determine what

der to produce higher yields, uniformity, disease resistance, drought

thrives in our climate, then they should save the seeds, eventually

tolerance, higher protein levels and faster proofing and baking times.

breeding new crops that are unique to Central Texas. By summer,

Unfortunately, along with these modern “gains,” we lost other vital

Raymer hopes to build a small stone mill in the Hill Country. A

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baker who also mills has its advantages: Whole grains store longer than flours, and purchasing whole-grain in bulk is more cost-effective. In addition, most bakers prefer the aroma and flavor of freshly milled flour, just as one might prefer freshly ground coffee beans before brewing—the flavor is more pronounced. Until his proposed mill becomes reality, Raymer continues to be a devoted customer of the Homestead Gristmill in Waco.

It’s not just chefs and bakers cheering on a local grain and milling movement. Also interested are the oft-overlooked makers of alcoholic beverages. Blacklands Malt in Leander, for example,

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set out to source Texas barley for malt—a key ingredient in beer

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that craft brewers had previously been buying from around the globe. But for owner Brandon Ade, it wasn’t as simple as placing

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an order and getting to work. He had to help develop a supply of barley by collaborating with Texas A&M on barley trials, and convince farmers growing barley varieties suitable for animal feed to convert to those used in malt production. And the rise of the farm-to-glass movement among craft distillers is adding to the demand for corn, wheat and rye, as well.

Of course, for any local grain-growing and milling economy to develop and thrive, there has to be collaboration among farmers, seed breeders, millers, bakers, chefs, maltsters, beer brewers and spirit distillers. Communication, persistence and faith in an old-yetnew system have led to success for communities in other states— both the Maine Grain Alliance and New York City’s Greenmarket Regional Grains Project have made significant strides toward reviving regional grains in the Northeast, for example, while mills such as Hayden Flour Mills in Queen Creek, Arizona, Community Grains in Oakland and Grist & Toll in Pasadena are improving access in the West and Southwest. With supporters leading the way here in Central Texas, progress is starting to germinate.

MORE ABOUT GRAINS Local Bread Programs Bakery Joju (Fredericksburg, Texas) Easy Tiger Bake Shop & Beer Garden (Austin, Texas) Emmer & Rye (Austin, Texas) Miche Bread (Austin, Texas) Grain Farmers and Mills Anson Mills (Columbia, S.C.) Blacklands Malt (Leander, Texas) Community Grains (Oakland, Calif.)

Grist & Toll (Los Angeles, Calif.)

Hayden Flour Mills (Queen Creek, Ariz.)

Homestead Gristmill (Waco, Texas) Richardson Farms (Rockdale, Texas)

eat well.

11th & lamar

Grain Research and Education The Bread Lab (Burlington, Wash.)

Greenmarket Regional Grains Project (New York, N.Y.) The Land Institute (Salina, Kan.) The Maine Grain Alliance (Skowhegan, Maine) Further Reading “The New Bread Basket,” by Amy Halloran “The Third Plate,” by Dan Barber

512-482-8868

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edible TERROIR

A TASTE OF TEXAS

BY M A RY STA N L EY

I

was recently asked to be one of the judges at a blind honey

Texas beekeeper who produces honey where horsemint commonly

tasting hosted by the Texas Beekeepers Association. We were

grows. If we lived in East Texas and ate our local honey, we would

to determine which honey was the “best” and were presented

have expected it to taste like this. The sour, molasses-mint smack

with drops of each contender on black straws (so we couldn’t see

at the finish was the signature of horsemint, saying, “Hey buddy!

the color of the honey, although we could detect variations in den-

I’m from East Texas!”

sity). After the third taste, it became clear that this was going to be

The secret to the individual flavor profiles we detected in each

more of a subjective game—based on individual preferences—as

honey is found in the particular biome (areas of the world divid-

opposed to any honey winning because of its adherence to offi-

ed by similar climate, soil, plants and animals), or terroir, where

cial standards. And with each taste, my curiosity and interest were

the honey was produced. Plants of a biome provide the pollen and

piqued by the striking and vast differences in flavors.

nectar that entice the bees living in that biome to visit their blos-

I was unprepared for such a wide range. One honey sample was

soms. Pollen is the honeybee’s main source of protein, and it also

extremely delicious on first taste. I said, “Ummm, yummy,” but

provides fats/lipids, minerals and vitamins. The protein that pol-

then during the very long finish—POW—something hit me hard.

len provides is vital to brood production and the development of

It wasn’t sweet but it wasn’t necessarily unpleasant. It was strong…

young bees. Some plants may produce an abundance of pollen, but

sour…minty…what was it? Upon tasting it, my co-judge screwed up

the pollen may be of poor nutritional quality, whereas others may

her face and said, “This is terrible!” Later, we discovered there was

produce very little, but high-quality, pollen. The nectar that many

horsemint nectar in that honey sample, which came from an East

plants offer to further attract insects (and other animals) for the

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Worth The Journey

HONEY

Experience chef-inspired dining at our intimate winery with breathtaking Hill Country views

purpose of cross-pollination is the carbohydrate (energy) source, which is key to honeybee survival and from which they make honey. It provides energy for flight, colony hygiene, brood care and daily activities. Nectar is also a source of various minerals, such as calcium, copper, potassium, magnesium and sodium, but the presence and concentration of minerals in nectar vary by floral source and biome terrain. Nectar is what gives honey its taste.

Interestingly, some plants provide pollen but not nectar; bluebonnets are one example, which is why there is no bluebonnet honey. When we see bluebonnet fields covered with bees, they are gathering the bluebonnet pollen (protein) but their proboscis,

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or tubular mouthpart, is unable to reach the nectar in the flower. There’s also an unusual source for nectar but not pollen—the honeydew nectar exuded by aphids. If you’ve ever parked under a pecan tree and returned to find your car covered in sticky stuff, that’s aphid honeydew. Honeybees collect it and turn it into honey.

It isn’t a complete source of food, because there’s no accompanying

THE LEANING PEAR Hill Country-inspired Cuisine

pollen, which is why honeydew honey is rare. It’s dark and thick, and not as sweet as floral-nectar honey, but very rich. It tastes like a creamy-textured syrup surrounding the pecan in a pecan pie. The

Unique. Well Crafted. Delicous.

pecan taste is distinctive: It smells like pecan leaf sap in the heat of the summer combined with the dank wet of the shell on the understory floor in the fall. Naturally, the terroir responsible for this honey has to support pecan trees, and ideally, the trees should be abandoned or from a wild grove, because commercial groves may use pesticides and fungicides that could harm aphids, bees and

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consumers. The pecan honeydew honey I’ve tasted was an accidental collection by Walker Honey Farm in Rogers, Texas. The hives were placed under pecan trees near a floral area. But fickle weather prevented the expected nectar flow of the flowering plants, so the hungry bees gathered “nectar” from the less-preferred source. The beehives were filled with pecan honeydew honey—a once-in-85seasons experience for the farm.

Of course, like most living things, honeybees need a balanced diet. Because plants have varied blooming periods and nectar flowtime, plant variety is key to keeping honeybees fed year-round.

Conversely, monoculture (the practice of growing one type of plant in large agricultural areas) is the nutritional death of the honeybee and leads to colony collapse. Access to continuous, sequential plant bloom and nectar flow-time is ideal. Some beekeepers even EDIBLEAUSTIN.COM

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ENROLLING NOW!

prefer to place hives where two biomes meet, so that bees have access to more plant diversity.

There are characteristics of honey that are influenced by terrain, as well. Minerals in the soil help give honey its distinctive color: light-colored honeys contain high amounts of calcium, while darker colors contain higher amounts of potassium, chlorine, sulfur, sodium and iron. Oxidized copper in water-rich soils lends a greenish hue to tupelo honey, for example. And honey made from cotton crops grown in the fertile Blackland Prairie soil can be prize-winning, but cotton grown in mineral-poor, sandy soils produces no nectar—and therefore no honey.

The honey that ended up winning our taste-test contest was sourced by Moore Honey Farm from Terry, Yoakum and Gaines Counties in Northwest Texas, where cotton is grown. I believe it may have been chosen as the best-tasting because it had the sweetest, cleanest taste and finish. But it may have been chosen over honeys with more character for the same reasons one might choose a muscat over a sauvignon blanc. Of course, there’s nothing wrong with being sweet, and cotton honey is one of the sweetest of Texas varietals (unusual because the nectar is secreted both by the large flowers and by nectaries on the bracts beneath the flowers). The second-place winner was from an area where sesa-

The Experience

me is grown—near Knox City and Munday in the Cross Timbers and southern High Plains biomes. Sesame honey has a cereal-like

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light on the tongue as the honey produced from cotton flowers,

exactly how natural sesame honey tastes). It wasn’t as sweet and but it was still pleasant, nutty and interesting.

The contest was fun, but what I took away from the experience was

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that there’s a lot more going on with our humble table guest than merely being a desirable slather for a hot biscuit. With practically endless variables at play, each batch of honey is indeed its own liquid gold.

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MAPPING LOCAL HONEYS Texas is divided into 10 principal plant-life biomes: Piney Woods; Gulf Prairies and Marshes; Post Oak Savannah; Blackland Prairies; Cross Timbers and Prairies; South Texas Plains; Edwards Plateau; Rolling Plains; High Plains; and Trans-Pecos Mountains and Basins. Each biome has its own unique plant life, terrain and weather. There are at least 300 varietals of honey in the United States, and many are produced here because of Texas’ size and varied biomes. To produce one type of honey, a beekeeper has to work within a narrow window of time and isolate the honey gathered in that time period, or else the honey will be mixed with whatever plant blooms next. And considering that a bee forages for three miles (up to six under harsh conditions) and the size of our state, there could be vastly different flavors of honey within an hour’s drive of each other in any direction. Also, because rainfall across the state varies (which varies the bloom) a beekeeper in, say, north San Saba County may experience rainfall, but it might pass over the southern part of the county. Both locations contain native beebrush, but a northern county beekeeper may get beebrush honey and a southern county beekeeper might get persimmon honey. Those are two completely different honey flavor profiles just 40 minutes apart, yet within the same biome.

To find genuine local sources of honey, use the Honey Locator at honey.com/honey-locator or at realtexashoney.com

PREDOMINANT TEXAS MONOFLORAL HONEYS Clover Central Texas clover honey is light and sweet with an inherent softness and warm spice to its notes. It’s a good representation of a monofloral honey, but different varieties of clover (white Dutch, red, white sweet, etc.) impart their own unique flavor notes. Clover contributes more to honey production in the U.S. than any other group of plants.

White Brush W hite brush or “beebrush” honey has a nuanced vanilla scent and a flavor note that most characterize as smokiness.

Yaupon Holly Yaupon Holly honey is full-bodied with a balanced sweetness and an earthy, somewhat bitter note.

Alfalfa A lfalfa honey is white or extra-light amber, with a mild flavor and an aroma similar to beeswax.

Blueberry B lueberry honey is light amber and has an aroma reminiscent of green leaves with a touch of lemon. Its flavor notes are moderately floral and it has a delicate aftertaste.

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Cotton West Texas cotton honey is the sweetest of the Texas honeys, with a clean taste and pleasant finish.

Huajilla Huajilla honey is white or very light amber and is probably the lightest-colored honey produced in Texas. It has a very mild, rich, loquat-like flavor, and is famous for its excellent quality and pleasing aroma.

Mesquite M esquite honey is dark amber, thick and smells of mesquite wood (but not smoky), musty grape and brown sugar.

Orange Blossom Orange blossom honey is white to extra-light amber with a distinctive flavor and aroma of orange blossoms.

Sunflower S unflower honey is yellow-amber in color, not overly sweet and has a nutty taste.

Vetch Vetch honey is water-white, pleasant and has a unique flavor and aroma of the vetch flower.

Tallow Tallow honey is dark amber, rich with warm spices and has a sharp smell.

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AMERICAN HONEY TASTING SOCIETY Founded by Marina Marchese—author of “The Honey Connoisseur”—the American Honey Tasting Society is currently building a database of American honeys for its Flavor and Floral Mapping Project. One goal of the project is to connect each honey’s flavor profile to its respective terroir, but the information will also be used to help better understand honeybees’ behavior, their floral preferences and the resulting flavor profiles of the honeys produced within each specific location in the U.S. The project was inspired by the work of the Italian National Registry of Experts in the Sensory Analysis of Honey. All American beekeepers are invited to submit 4-ounce tasting samples to help build the database and expand the understanding of honey taste and terroir.

For more information, visit americanhoneytastingsociety.com

A TEXAS HONEY-FLIGHT BRUNCH Just like wine and beer, honey has layers of flavors, textures and lengths of finish, and can express myriad notes on the palate such as floral, grassy, fruity, mineral or woody. Why not gather some friends and host a honey-flight followed by brunch with plenty of freshbaked goods and cheeses to take advantage of what you learned!

First, gather a selection of honeys that are produced in different bioregions of Texas. Assemble the flight by placing a small amount of each honey into small, clean, clear glass containers (shot glasses work well) and lining them up on a table. Offer glasses of water

Marfa

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and sliced apples for cleansing the palate between tastings. Also, provide guests with flavorless tasting sticks for each honey (plastic sip-straws or small metal spoons work well, but avoid wooden sticks as they can have a woody flavor). Use a clean tasting stick for each honey and each taste.

Before tasting, talk about the area where the honey was produced and the specific terroir. Notice the honey’s color—which can range from almost clear to deep amber. One at a time, let each guest hold up a shot glass to the light in front of a piece of white paper and note the differences in each (unfiltered honey, for example, is slightly cloudy due to the pollen content). Take in the aroma of each honey and discuss if there’s a particular fruit fragrance, floral bouquet or spice scent (blueberry honey, for example, has a lemony aroma; tupelo honey smells of summer flowers; and clover honey has hints of spicy cinnamon). Next, invite guests to take a tiny taste. Ask them to roll the honey in their mouths—letting it softly melt first on the front of the tongue (where the taste buds that detect sweetness are located) then toward the sides and back to reach the sour, salty and bitter taste receptors. Between tastes, ask guests to cleanse their palate with water or have a bite of apple. Of course, different people will perceive things differently, but what they detect in each honey is a direct result of its individual biome, the soil, the weather and the plants from which the bees gathered the nectar. After guests have had a chance to taste and discuss each honey, finish with plenty of warm baked goods, cheeses and fruit to complement the honeys.

Find additional guidance at americanhoneytastingsociety.com and beeculture.com/honey-tasting

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CARAMEL-PECAN TART AND PASTA FROLLA Makes 1 9-inch tart Special equipment needed: 9-inch tart pan with round parchment paper liner For the pasta frolla shell: 2¼ c. all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting ½ c. sugar 1 /8 t. salt 14 T. (1¾ sticks) cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces 1 large egg, lightly beaten 1 large egg yolk, lightly beaten 1 t. pure vanilla extract 1 T. freshly grated lemon zest For the filling: 3½ c. coarsely chopped pecans or tiny native pecans, toasted ½ c. firmly packed brown sugar ½ c. honey 2 /³ c. butter 3 T. whipping cream Begin by toasting the pecans in a single layer on a baking sheet. Bake at 350° for 5 to 7 minutes, or until lightly toasted.

Cool on a wire rack 15 minutes or until completely cool. To make the pasta frolla shell, pulse the flour, sugar and salt in a food processor until just combined. Add the butter and pulse until the mixture resembles coarse meal—6 to 8 times.

Whisk together the egg, egg yolk, vanilla and lemon zest.

With the processor running, add the egg mixture and process just until the dough begins to come together. Turn out the dough onto a floured work surface and lightly knead to form a ball. Divide the dough into 2 pieces and gently press into flat disks. Wrap the discs tightly in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 hour or overnight. When the dough is chilled, roll a disc into a large circle with a 1/8-inch thickness and transfer to the parchment paper-lined tart pan (if the dough breaks when you transfer it to the tart pan, just press the dough together and it should be fine). Prick the bottom of the shell with a fork and bake at 350° for 15 to 20 minutes, or until the edges are lightly browned. Cool on a wire rack for 15 minutes, or until completely cool. To make the filling, bring the brown sugar, honey, butter and whipping cream to a boil in a 3-quart saucepan over medium-high heat. Stir in the toasted pecans and spoon the hot filling into the prepared shell. Bake at 350° for 25 to 30 minutes, or until golden and bubbly all the way to the center. It will not be solid; it will shake. It may appear runny, but as long as you see it bubbling all across the tart it will be fine and set once it cools. Cool on a wire rack for 30 minutes or until completely cool. The tart gets better as the days go by because the honey and sugars crystallize slightly and are more caramel-like.

I like it best about 3 days old (it can be left at room temperature unless it’s a warm environment). Raw dough can be frozen for up to 1 month.

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“HONEYCOMB” CANDY Makes 1 1½-lb. slab

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We served this candy on our poached-pear dessert for Christmas Eve at The Turtle Restaurant, but it would also be delicious alone, dipped in chocolate or crumbled over—or mixed into—ice cream.

Special equipment: 1 2-qt. saucepan with tall sides (as opposed to wide and shallow) Candy thermometer Pastry brush (wetted) Sieve Half-sheet pan lined with a Silpat mat or oiled Silicon spoon or scraper

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1½ c. sugar 1 /³ c. corn syrup 1 /³ c. honey 1 /³ c. water 2 t. baking soda, finely sifted (MUST BE SIFTED) Caution: Melted sugar gets very hot and can produce a nasty burn if splashed on the skin. Do not make this candy around small children.

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Place all of the ingredients into the saucepan over high heat and stir until the sugar is dissolved. If any sugar crystals appear on the side of the pot, use a wet pastry brush to wash down the sides (crystals can cause the solution to seize and crystallize). Keep washing down the sides, but do not stir once the sugar water is clear. Heat until the thermometer reads 295°. The baking soda needs to be sifted and added so that it won’t clump when it hits the sugar mixture, so shake it over the pot through a sieve as you stir like a wild banshee. The pot will be bubbling and roiling, and all of the soda needs to be activated with no soda lumps (baking soda lumps don’t taste good) before the mixture stops foaming. When the mixture is bubbling to the top of the pot and you have thoroughly mixed in all of the baking soda, empty the pot upside down onto the Silpat mat or greased pan. Very quickly scrape the pot with a silicone scraper or just abandon what is left in the pot. From here, the more you poke it, the more it will collapse. You want foam, and the mixture sets up quickly. You should have a golden volcanic mess hardening right before your eyes. Let it completely cool, then break it into pieces and eat it or dip it into chocolate. The fine little pieces make a delicious glittery topping for all kinds of desserts and ice creams. Store candy in an airtight canister (otherwise, it will quickly absorb air moisture and turn sticky).

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Honey purchased in the grocery store tastes similar from brand to brand and has the same golden color. It’s sweeter than table sugar, and has no distinctive character to offer clues as to its origin.

Large commercial honey packers buy honey in barrels from honey brokers. They sort it by color and then blend it to get the desired color. Packers then pass the blended honey under high pressure through diatomaceous earth filters to remove the pollen in order to produce a uniform product. Unfortunately, some of the beneficial enzymes found in honey are also lost during processing.

PECAN CHICKEN WITH HONEYCARAMEL SAUCE Serves 4 2 c. all-purpose flour Salt and pepper, to taste 3 eggs 1 c. Texas pecans, finely chopped 1 c. panko or bread crumbs 2 large carrots (and/or parsnips), peeled, sliced ¼-inch thick 3 potatoes, peeled, diced to ½-inch cubes 2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts 2 T. butter, plus more as needed 4 oz. honey Olive oil, as needed In a large bowl, mix together the flour, salt and pepper. Crack the eggs into a different bowl and whisk with a little cold water to make an egg wash. In a third bowl, mix the pecans with the panko.

Meanwhile, bring a pot of water to a boil and blanch the carrots for 3 to 4 minutes. Remove to a plate. In the same pot, blanch the potatoes for 7 to 10 minutes, then remove to a lightly oiled sheet pan.

To butterfly the chicken, lay each breast flat on the cutting board.

Starting on the thickest end of the breast, with your knife parallel to the cutting board, carefully slice through the chicken. Stop when your knife is about ¼ inch from cutting all the way through. Open the breasts onto the cutting board and pound them out to about ¾-inch thickness. Dip the chicken cutlets first into the egg wash, then dredge in the flour, then dredge in the panko-pecan mix and transfer to a sheet pan. (This dredging process can be done a day ahead of time; store the coated chicken breasts divided by parchment paper in a sealed container in the refrigerator.) Heat the oven to 400°. Spray or brush the potatoes with a little olive oil. Roast the potatoes until golden brown—about 15 to 20 minutes. Heat the butter with a little olive oil in a large sauté pan over high heat until just before smoking. Sauté the carrots until blistered and slightly caramelized around the edges, then set aside. To the same sauté pan, add butter or oil and sauté the dredged chicken breasts until cooked through. Set aside. To the same pan, add 2 tablespoons of butter and the honey and cook over high heat until a thin caramel sauce is reached. Transfer the carrots and potatoes to serving plates. Lay the pecan chicken cutlets on top of the vegetables, then drizzle the honey-caramel sauce on top.

Most imported and domestic honeys are from high-quality, legal sources. But some honey brokers and importers illegally circumvent tariffs and quality controls—selling Chinese honey of questionable quality to U.S. companies. This threatens the U.S. honey industry by undercutting fair market prices and damaging honey’s reputation for quality and safety. Large commercial packers are fighting back through True Source Certified labeling.

Find out more at truesourcehoney.com/true-source-certified

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D.I.Y.

dog food

by CLAUDIA ALARCÓN photography by ALISON NARRO

I

f the title of this article got your attention, we

a complete and balanced diet, just as we do. It’s not

probably have a few things in common: Our dogs

necessary that every single meal is complete and bal-

are part of our families; we’ll do just about any-

anced; the key is to feed a variety of foods at different

thing to keep them happy and healthy; and when we

meals to create balance over time. As with humans,

read about illnesses and deaths caused by tainted

too much of a good thing can end up being bad, but

commercial dog foods and treats, we panic. During

by the same token, things that many may consider un-

one of these recent scares, I asked our vet if switching

healthy, like fats, are absolutely necessary in a dog’s

to homemade dog food and treats was a good idea. She

diet. Lastly, but just as important, there are certain

said “yes,” but that there are things to consider before

foods that dogs should never, ever eat.

taking the leap—the most important, of course, being the pet’s continued good health. Dogs need to eat

Here are a few guidelines to consider when switching to a do-it-yourself diet for your dog.

• Meat. Whether raw or cooked, meat and animal proteins should make up at least half of your dog’s diet. If you choose to cook for your pup, use lean meats with no more than 10 percent fat. Dogs need fat to keep their skin and coats healthy, but too much can be dangerous. I suggest well-trimmed, skinless chicken thighs because they are less lean, more flavorful and less expensive than breasts. Heart, kidney, tongue and liver are also good choices, and usually inexpensive. Look for organic meats whenever possible—especially liver—and consider incorporating raw, meaty bones such as chicken necks and backs (note: bones must be raw, for safety, as cooked bones can shred, producing dangerous shards).

•F ish. Fish provides vitamin D and omega-3 fatty acids.

Whole sardines packed in water and canned pink salmon are easy, tasty choices. If cooking store-bought salmon, be careful to remove all the bones.

•E ggs. Unless your dog is allergic, eggs are an excellent addition—whether scrambled, soft-boiled or hard-cooked.

•G rains. Well-cooked grains, such as oatmeal, brown rice,

The trickiest part of a DIY diet is providing the right amount

quinoa, barley and pasta, can be used as wholesome fillers

of vitamins and minerals. Nutritional supplements are available

that reduce the overall cost of a homemade diet.

at pet supply stores and should be included, because even high-

•F ruits and vegetables. Fruits and vegetables provide nutrition and fiber without adding extra calories. Carrots, peas, green beans, blueberries, melons, apples (without seeds), bananas and papayas are delicious choices. Avoid onions, avocados, grapes and raisins—these are toxic to dogs (as are alcohol and chocolate). Some sources suggest pureeing the raw vegetables to make them more digestible, especially if you are feeding a strictly homemade diet, but raw veggies can be used as treats. I give my dogs a crunchy sweet potato or carrot as a reward, and they love an ice-cold chunk of watermelon as much as I do.

•H erbs. Fresh herbs, such as parsley and rosemary, are excellent additions to your dog’s diet and are often included

ly varied diets typically lack certain elements. In fact, experts recommend that all DIY diets include added calcium and vitamin E. There are also all-in-one supplements available to help provide balance.

While I love cooking for my pups, they’re not on a strictly DIY diet. I feed them a combination of high-quality, grain-free kibble enhanced with what I call “additives.” These can be anything from a scoop of homemade food (see recipe) to a handful of frozen green beans, a tablespoon of canned (or cooked and pureed) pumpkin, chopped up fruit and bits of roasted chicken or turkey, carefully pulled from the bones after making stock.

Other ideas for additives include natural yogurt, coconut oil, flax seeds, chia seeds and turmeric, all of which I alternate as health-boosting “toppings.”

in high-quality commercial dog food. Controversy has long

Each dog’s needs are different, depending on its size, age, ac-

surrounded garlic, but recent studies show that it’s actually

tivity level and overall health, so consult your veterinarian or a

beneficial rather than toxic, depending on the amount.

dog nutritionist when creating a DIY diet for your beloved pup.

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KATHY’S BASIC DOG FOOD Makes 20 cups My friend, Austin musician Kathy McCarty, gave me this blueprint recipe when I started cooking for my dogs, and since then I’ve tweaked it to my dog’s taste. Use the meat in any combination to make different flavors to keep your dog interested. This is an ideal “special occasion” meal, but if you’re planning to transition your dog to a 100-percent DIY diet, I recommend supplementing with vitamins and minerals.

4 c. water 1 lb. uncooked brown rice 1 lb. carrots 4 lb. ground meat (beef, chicken, turkey, organs or a mix) 1 lb. bag frozen green peas ½ c. chopped fresh parsley (optional) ½ c. chopped fresh mint and/or rosemary (optional) Optional toppings: Coconut oil, ground chia seeds, or turmeric (1/8 t. for every 10 lb. of body weight, daily) Flax seed (½ t. daily) Bring the water to a boil in a big pot. Add the rice, cook according to the package instructions and set aside. In a food processor, grind the carrots (or chop with a knife into carrot “pennies”). Heat a big frying pan or Dutch oven and add the ground meat. As it begins to cook, add the carrots and peas, stirring them into the meat. When the meat is browned and the vegetables soft, pour the mixture into the cooked rice. Add the chopped herbs and stir well. Allow to cool and store in the refrigerator. (It freezes well, if needed.) Consult your veterinarian about the appropriate serving size for your dog’s weight. Add optional toppings to each serving, if desired.

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GOOD BOY! TREATS Makes 20–24 2-inch treat balls I first saw this mix-and-match treat recipe in Modern Dog magazine and have since come up with my own blends that my dogs adore. Just remember that treats should comprise no more than 10 percent of your dog’s daily caloric intake. For my small doggies, I break them into three pieces.

DOGSICLES I have yet to meet a dog that doesn’t love my dogsicles. They’re a fun, special treat during the summer, and they couldn’t be easier to make. Freeze in ice cube trays and store in zippered bags.

(Make them adorable by inserting a little bone-shaped treat as a handle.)

For sweet dogsicles: Place slices of overripe bananas, whole blueberries, fresh strawberry slices or a spoonful of canned pumpkin into an ice cube tray. Top with non-fat, plain yogurt—shaking lightly to settle. Freeze until firm.

For savory dogsicles: Place a spoonful of cottage cheese, canned pumpkin, peanut butter or a few carrot slices into an ice cube tray. Fill with no-sodium chicken broth or the water drained from canned fish (or both). Freeze until firm and watch your dog go bonkers over them.

Special thanks to our dog models, Biscuit and Raad.

Follow #Raadtheofficedog to see more edible office antics.

For the base: 2 c. all-purpose flour (or 1 c. whole-wheat and 1 c. allpurpose) 1 egg ½ c. cooked and mashed sweet potato or canned pumpkin OR ½ c. canned sardines or salmon, mashed OR 1 ripe banana, mashed For the seasonings: 1 t. turmeric 2 T. shredded, unsweetened coconut (soaked for 1 hour) 1 t. cinnamon 2 T. chopped fresh parsley 2 T. chopped fresh mint In a large bowl, mix the flour, egg and choice of one flavor—either vegetable, fish or banana—and up to two seasonings. Roll the mixture into 1- to 2-inch balls and place them on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper or lightly greased. Press the balls flat with a fork, if you wish. Bake at 325° for 15 to 20 minutes, or until the bottoms are lightly browned. Cool and store in an airtight container.

Treats will keep for up to a week. They freeze nicely.

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edible THRIFT

LAST OF THE LARDER

BY SO L L SUSS M A N • P H OTO G RA P H Y BY W H I T N EY M A RT I N

I

t’s near the end of the month, the next paycheck is still a couple

each member discovered a gold coin under their bowl on the table.

of long days away and the pantry is mostly bare, save for things

Of course, the facts of the story are debated, but it’s certain

like a few lonely potatoes and the last handfuls of flour. It’s the

that many are serious about the holiday. Followers consider it a

perfect time to celebrate abundance and prosperity! Curious but

time for appreciation and charity, as well as a time to offer grati-

true: In many countries, the 29th day of the month is known as

tude for abundance and hope for prosperity. Antonio Giner, chef

Ñoquis del 29 (Gnocchis of 29) and it’s a time for families and com-

and owner of Round Rock’s Palermo Pasta House, grew up ob-

munities to come together to plant seeds of hope and abundance

serving the holiday in Buenos Aires, but in his pragmatic opinion,

for the coming month by making, eating and celebrating gnocchi.

the celebration might simply be a last-of-the-larder reality. “At the

The origin for the monthly ritual comes from the 8th century,

end of the month…we’re broke,” he says with a smile.

when a young doctor named Nicomedia (later canonized as Saint

Nevertheless, the celebration is a revered one. In Giner’s home-

Pantaleon) roamed the Italian countryside helping the poor and

land of Argentina, some observers insist that savoring a generous

healing the sick. The story goes that on the 29th of one July, he was

portion of gnocchi will ensure prosperity for the next 30 days,

hungry and asked a Venetian peasant family for bread. They not

while others believe in eating only seven gnocchi dumplings, and

only gladly agreed, but also offered him a place at their table, where

chewing each one only seven times. Some even place notes or mon-

they shared their meager supper with him: Bowls of warm gnocchi

ey under each plate as a hopeful nod to future luck and prosperity.

(seven dumplings each) with bread. In return for their kindness,

But regardless of how the day is observed, how did a traditionally

the doctor foretold of plentiful harvests and bountiful fishing for

Italian dish, with a very Italian backstory, end up becoming the

the family in the upcoming year (his predictions would later come

centerpiece of a holiday in parts of South America?

true), and after the grateful young doctor left the family’s home, 52

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The mass emigration from Europe at the end of the 19th century and

early part of the 20th century that brought many Italians to the United States also included other destinations such as Argentina, where the Italian population has steadily grown to make it the largest ethnic group there today by far. The impact of the confluence has been enormous on both the Argentine culture and even on the Spanish spoken there. In larger cities such as Buenos Aires, it’s common to hear “chau” (ciao) for “farewell” or “see you later” much more frequently than the Spanish “adios” or “hasta luego.”

The Italian influences have morphed the Argentine cuisine, as well—so much so that many classic Italian dishes and customs, according to Giner, are now taken for granted as part of the country’s cuisine. Polenta, for example, is frequently eaten—often as a main course. And even though carne asada, or grilled beef, is Argentina’s national dish, most restaurants feature some sort of pasta dish on their menu.

History and influences aside, Giner celebrated a recent Ñoquis del 29 with his version of the celebratory dumplings—each ethereally soft with a texture that almost melted in the mouth. “This is my daughter’s favorite dish,” he says proudly. And though some might consider gnocchi to be humble peasant food, Giner insists the dumplings are tricky to make. “Gnocchi is something you have to practice,” he says. “It’s relatively simple; it just takes work.” He says that making a plate for one of his three daughters might be easy, but preparing gnocchi for a table of 10 or more is quite a different story, because everything needs to come together rather quickly for the best results. Good thing Ñoquis del 29 only rolls around once a month. “Gnocchis have the smallest, shortest shelf life,” he says. Ironic for a dish that springs directly from items that may have been on the pantry shelf the longest.

ÑOQUIS DEL 29 WITH “PROSPERITY” SAUCE Courtesy of Antonio Giner, Palermo Pasta House Serves 4–6 Making a sauce featuring large-leaf greens (which resemble folded money) is not uncommon for those hoping for prosperity.

For the gnocchi: 2 lb. baking potatoes (russets or Idahos are good) 1 egg 1 c. all-purpose flour For the sauce: 2 T. butter 2 garlic cloves, minced 12 oz. large spinach leaves 8 oz. whipping cream 3 oz. sharp, aged provolone, grated Nutmeg, grated finely White pepper, to taste 6 fresh basil leaves, chopped To make the gnocchi, bring a large pot of heavily salted water to a boil.

Wash the potatoes, then boil them, skins on, for 25 to 40 minutes—depending on the size. Remove from the water (reserving the water) and let cool. Peel the potatoes as soon as they’re cool enough to handle and mash them using a ricer or potato masher. Place the mixture on a work surface and make a well in the middle. Crack the egg into the well. Sprinkle the cup of flour over everything. Start mixing the egg with a spoon and slowly incorporate the flour/potato mixture. Gently fold the dough with your hands without working it too much, then form it into a ball. Break off a large piece and roll it into a dowel shape about as thick as your ring finger. (Make sure the work surface doesn’t have too much flour on it so the dough will be able to roll.) Repeat with the rest of the dough. Cut the dowel-shaped rolls into ½-inch pieces and dust with a little flour. Using your thumb, gently press each piece into the tines of a fork or a gnocchi board (the piece will have the impression of your thumb on one side, and the markings of the fork tines or gnocchi board on the other). Bring the pot of water back to a boil and drop in one or two gnocchi. If they fall apart, add a little more flour to the remaining pieces; if they hold together, add the rest of the pieces. When the gnocchi float, they are cooked. Remove and drain. Meanwhile, for the sauce, melt the butter in a saucepan and add the minced garlic. Cook for a few seconds, then add the spinach.

Cook for a couple of minutes until the spinach softens, then add the cream. Add the provolone and stir to incorporate. Season with a tiny grating of nutmeg, white pepper and basil and serve over the gnocchi.

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edible BEAUTY

HONEY BEAUTY

BY K AT H Y W H I T E

S

umerian clay tablets recorded poetry about this golden elixir as long ago as 2000 B.C., and it was often used as a symbol for love in Egyptian poetry. Cakes made with it

were offered as gifts to placate the gods of early Rome, Egypt and Greece, and ancient Greek physicians regarded the liquid as valuable medicine to help heal sunburns, blemishes, inflamed and sore throats, as well as scars and wounds. We’re talking about versatile, delicious honey, of course. But in addition to being the darling of poets, gods, bakers and healers the world over, honey also has a place in your beauty regimen. Suitable for all skin types and containing powerful antiseptic, antibacterial, antifungal, antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties, honey makes an excellent skin cleanser, gentle exfoliant, moisturizer and more.

Pure, raw honey has more active phytonutrient antioxidants and enzymes than honey that’s been processed, and thus has the most beneficial effects. Unfortunately, much of the honey sold today has been heat-processed, which destroys many of the delicate enzymes.

Even worse, some honey is adulterated with added glucose, molasses, corn syrup or other sugars. Determining if honey is pure or not isn’t always easy, and even some experts disagree on techniques. The range of viscosity, aroma and water content can vary from one kind of honey to another, which can make it nearly impossible to judge the purity from those factors alone. The best assurance is to purchase honey directly from a reliable local beekeeper. To check the quality of the honey you might have on hand, though, rub a drop of it between your fingers. If it feels sticky, it’s likely to have other ingredients added to it; pure honey doesn’t typically feel sticky. Or, try adding a spoonful of the honey to a half glass of water and stir.

If it dissolves quickly and easily, it probably has other sugars added, because pure honey doesn’t dissolve easily in water.

Once you’re sure you have a quality honey supply, consider these tips for using it as a regular part of your skin care routine:

HONEY BLEMISH BLASTER

HONEY LIP RESCUE

Use a cotton swab to apply a dab of honey to pimples at bedtime.

Leave on overnight, and in the morning, rinse with warm water. Honey’s anti-inflammatory and antibacterial powers help reduce redness and prevent infection.

Apply a drop or two of honey directly to dry, chapped or cracked lips.

The shine will fade after a minute or so, but the healing properties continue to work for hours. Reapply as needed and don’t worry about it feeling sticky—it won’t. Just remember not to lick your lips.

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HONEY BATH SOAK Mix 3 to 4 tablespoons of honey with hot water and add to hot bath water. Because the antioxidants in honey help repair skin cells, and honey is an excellent moisturizer and humectant (a substance that draws moisture deep into the skin), this soak will leave your skin feeling extra soft and silky.

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HONEY FACE MASK Avoiding the eye area, apply a thin layer of honey over damp skin using either a circular or tapping motion. Allow the mask to sit for 20 to 30 minutes, then rinse with warm water and pat dry.

You’ll find that it rinses off easily—leaving your face feeling clean and amazingly soft and supple. This mask is especially beneficial to mature, sensitive or dry skin, and is gentle enough to use daily, if desired.

HONEY FACIAL CLEANSER 2 T. honey 1 T. olive oil or coconut oil In a small container with a tight-fitting lid, combine the honey and oil. To use, massage about 1 teaspoon or more on the face using a light touch with a circular motion. Rinse with warm water and pat dry. Store in the refrigerator. Keeps for 1 week.

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GENTLE HONEY EXFOLIANT This exfoliant is gentle enough to use on the face, but may be used on all body parts and is especially useful for those with sensitive or mature skin who find salt scrubs or sugar scrubs too abrasive. ¼ c. honey 2 T. baking soda In a small container with a tight-fitting lid, combine the honey and baking soda. To dissolve makeup, dirt and sebum, massage about 1 teaspoon or more on the skin using a light touch with a circular motion. Rinse with warm water and pat dry. Store in the refrigerator.

Keeps for 1 week.

DEEP MOISTURIZING AND CONDITIONING HONEY FACE MASK This mask is excellent for cleansing pores while delivering moisture deep into the skin’s layers. Use weekly, especially in the winter months.

1 t. honey ½ t. bee pollen 1 t. fresh avocado, mashed Combine all ingredients for a single-use mask. Spread evenly on the face (avoid the eye area) and allow to sit for 30 minutes. Rinse with warm water and pat dry.

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edible TRADITIONS

BEYOND THE CZECH-ERED CLOTH

BY DAW N O RSA K • P H OTO G RA P H Y BY LO R I N A J VA R

Gene Marie Bohuslav making rosettes for the Ascension of Our Lord Catholic Church’s annual picnic.

W

hen it’s picnic season, tens of thousands of people have

several have taken place annually since the late 19th century. “A

their hunger and souls satisfied at many Texas churches

church picnic is a community gathering, a homecoming for peo-

in communities with Czech lineage. Originally, parish-

ple, most of whom attend because of their Czech heritage,” says

ioners would cook at home and bring food to the church to share,

Carolyn Heinsohn, one of the founders of the Texas Czech Heritage

family-style. But the events have dramatically outgrown their

and Cultural Center in La Grange. “There are other groups that

quaint origins to become popular all-day outdoor events, success-

may have picnics—but not like the Czechs.” And even though the

ful fund-raisers and family and community reunions, all in one. At-

number of parishioners at many small, rural churches has been

tendees look forward to a day full of delicious, authentically Czech

in decline, attendance at picnics continues to grow, as does

foods, children’s games and ice cream, as well as live auctions,

community efforts to produce them. At the Vsetin Czech Moravian

country stores, polka music and dancing. Some picnic coordina-

Brethren Church in Vsetin in Lavaca County, the average atten-

tors have even found it necessary to create a “drive-through” lane

dance at a Sunday service is 35, but at their fall picnic church

so that hungry supporters who’ve traveled from nearby towns can

members serve around 500 people. And the largest picnic in

easily pick up a plate (or two) of the popular food to take home!

the state—in Praha in Fayette County—serves more than 5,000

The events are both religious and ethnic celebrations, and 56

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people in a matter of hours, despite the fact that Praha’s pop-

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ulation is so small that it’s listed as “unknown” on a local sign.

The picnics also serve as a strong force for maintaining the legacy of traditional Czech food. To feed this many people homemade food, a kind of apprenticeship program has arisen in most parishes.

Older church members enlist the help of younger community members (many of whom are their children and grandchildren), who will eventually become the experts at preparing the items on the church’s menu and pass on their skills to younger members. Traditional foods, such as smoked sausage, “picnic” stew, homemade noodles and soup, sauerkraut, “Czech” potatoes, kolaches, strudel and more, become a part of the next generation’s heritage. Marla Sevcik, who’s in charge of much of the food preparation for the Vsetin church’s fall picnic, says, “It’s a lot of work, but a lot of good eating comes out of it.”

On the second weekend in July, the Ascension of Our Lord Catholic Church in the community of Moravia in Lavaca County hosts its annual picnic to raise funds for the upkeep of the church, its halls and cemetery. Gene Marie Bohuslav has lived in the community her entire life and has helped cook fried chicken at the picnic for more than 50 years. Gene Marie’s father and cousin added the item to the menu in the mid-1950s, and even though the menu is exactly the same today, volunteers now fry as many as 6,000 pieces of chicken for the picnic. “Everybody gets together; you make new friends, then get reacquainted with them every

Hunger is a problem you can help solve.

Every $1 donated provides 4 meals.

year,” says Bohuslav. “There’s always harmony because everybody pitches in. And they have lots of fun, too.”

For St. Matthew Catholic Church’s Czech Day in Jourdanton near San Antonio, Susan Netardus (Jourdanton’s mayor) has been overseeing the making of sauerkraut for the event since 2010. Her nieces help her throughout the six-week process—cleaning the sauerkraut daily with fresh salted water, then cooking the sauerkraut the morning of the festivities. “Personally, and especially for people of Czech heritage,” says Netardus, “the picnics keep an old-fashioned way of life alive with the food, fellowship and music passed down from immigrants from the old country. I started by helping and learning from my Aunt Rita, and when she passed away, I took over. Now my nieces will be prepared to take over when I get too old. Got to keep the traditions going!”

Help fight hunger today at austinfoodbank.org.

For Texas Czechs church picnic dates, visit polkabeat.com or call 281-836-5362.

CZECH POTATOES Courtesy of Anita Kallus, 1915–2012 Feeds a large family 1 5-lb. bag russet potatoes, peeled, cut into 1-inch cubes 1½ sticks of butter (or more!)

2 medium yellow onions, sliced Salt and pepper, to taste

Our mission: To nourish hungry people and lead the community in ending hunger.

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In a large pot, cover the potato cubes with salted water and boil until they’re just tender but still hold together. Drain, put the potatoes back into the pot and set aside. Melt the butter over medium heat in a frying pan. Fry the onions in the butter until golden. Pour the butter and onions over the potatoes and mix well (you’re not making mashed potatoes, though, so the mixture should be a combination of chunks and mashed bits all mixed up together). Season with salt and pepper, to taste.

NANNY’S ROSETTES Courtesy of Gene Marie Bohuslav Makes 4 dozen Bohuslav makes a gallon-jar full of these rosettes for the local picnic’s auction. The jar auctions for hundreds of dollars each year.

Special equipment needed: Rosette iron For the rosettes: 2 eggs 2 t. sugar 1 c. milk 1 t. vanilla 1 c. flour ¼ t. salt

Solid shortening for frying For the icing: 1 egg white ½ t. vanilla Powdered sugar Finely ground, dried coconut

To make the rosettes, add the sugar to the slightly beaten eggs, then add the milk and vanilla. Sift the flour with the salt, stir into the liquid mixture and beat until smooth. Let the batter rest for 2 hours. In a pot over medium-high heat melt enough shortening so that it comes halfway up the pot. Dip the rosette iron into the hot fat to heat it, then drain the excess on a wet cloth. Dip the iron into the batter—being careful not to let the batter cover the top edge of the iron—and then quickly immerse the battered iron into the hot fat. Do not let the battered iron touch the bottom of the pot. Cook each rosette 2 to 3 minutes, until golden.

Remove the rosette from the iron using a fork to nudge it, if needed.

Drain the rosettes on paper towels, and drain the excess fat off the iron onto a wet cloth. Repeat until all of the batter is used. Let the rosettes cool. To make the icing, add the vanilla to the beaten egg white. Add enough powdered sugar to create a creamy consistency. Dip the topside of each rosette into the icing and then into the coconut. After all of the rosettes have been iced and dried, toast them in a 250° oven for 45 minutes. When cool, store in an air-tight tin.

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100 POUNDS OF CZECH PICNIC SAUSAGE Courtesy of Jim Petter. Used with permission from the “Travis-Williamson Counties Czech Heritage Cookbook” Feeds at least 100 Special equipment needed: Meat grinder, stuffer attachment, smoker 60 lb. venison 40 lb. pork (boneless Boston butts) 20 oz. non-iodized canning salt 10 oz. coarsely ground black pepper

3 oz. paprika 2 oz. minced garlic Natural casings

Cut the pork and venison into cubes that will fit through the grinder.

Place approximately 25 pounds of pork and venison mixed into a large container, such as a beverage cooler, and mix thoroughly with added seasonings. Repeat this process until all of the meat and seasoning is mixed. Grind the meat through a 3/16- or ¼-inch grinding plate and try to keep the pork and venison mixed while grinding. Rinse the casings in warm water to clean out any salt, and keep in warm water. Thread whole lengths of casings onto the stuffer nozzle. Place the ground meat into the stuffer and proceed with stuffing. Fill casings to approximately 24 to 28 inches long, to equal approximately 1¼ pounds in each link, before tying ends with string to hang on rods. Hang links approximately 3 inches apart on rods in the smokehouse or smoker.

Smoke the sausage with pecan or oak wood for approximately 5 to 7 hours at a low heat of 130° to 160°. After smoking, cool the links to room temperature before wrapping to put in the freezer.

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cooking FRESH

MASTERING

MEATLESS

BY A N N E M A R I E H A M PS H I R E • P H OTO G RA P H Y BY K N OXY

Eat food. Not too much.

Mostly plants. —Michael Pollan

Natural Epicurean’s Spicy Black Bean Burger

should eat to maximize our health and sustain the environment, many folks were already choosing to eat a plant-based

diet, or at least to reduce the amount of meat they consumed. And the reasons for making those choices are as multifarious and diverse as the eaters themselves—expense, sustainability, health, to name just a few. Yet, meat offers distinctive flavors and characteristics not found in other foods—rich, savory, primal, earthy notes, and a unique texture and mouthfeel—and the desire to mimic these qualities is evident in the multitude of popular meat-substitute products currently lining the refrigerated and frozen sections of our favorite grocery stores.

Andrew Hecht, who manages the public classes and online program for the Natural Epicurean Academy of Culinary Arts (and is himself a graduate), has been a vegan for well over a decade and says

“Flavor differs from taste. It’s a little more expansive, in that it includes taste, but also factors like texture, temperature, spiciness, mouthfeel, the smell of it, if you have any memories associated with it.” —Andrew Hecht

Photograph courtesy of the Natural Epicurean

L

ong before Pollan wrote this pithy directive about what we

the bounty of meat-free products is relatively new. “It’s interesting to see the ways the products in the stores have changed,” he says. “Back in the early 2000s, you could find tofu, you could find soy milk and you could find some of those fake meat products, but they were never super good. Over the years, all of that has definitely improved and expanded.” He acknowledges how important packaged foods were to him when he started his meatless journey, though their expense, highly processed nature and often excessive sodium levels destined the love affair to be torrid and short. “It’s great for transition—don’t get me wrong—but it’s not a sustainable thing for health.”

Over time, Hecht learned to employ a little meat mimicry, instead—in the form of clever and healthy food combinations that replicate some of the sensory experiences of eating meat. And it’s clear that you don’t have to sacrifice flavor. “Flavor differs from taste. It’s a little more expansive, in that it includes taste, but also factors like texture, temperature, spiciness, mouthfeel, the smell of it, if you have any memories associated with it.” All of these flavor qualities, he says, influence how we perceive food. Those who like the flavor of bacon or taco meat or burgers, for example, expect a certain texture, smokiness, heat and smell. “When we cook plant-based versions of these dishes,” he says, “we try to match up with those expectations.”

Veggie burgers are a perfect place to start practicing the art of that matchup. The ideal burger, for example, holds together and can be cooked to be brown and crispy on the outside. “Pureed or mashed beans are great for accomplishing this, as they can help act as a binder, especially when combined with the protein from flours,” Hecht says. And instead of using eggs as a binder, you can substitute ground flaxseed mixed with water. Bonus points if you use ingredients such as grated beets that further enhance the experience by making your burger look a little more like beef. Using smoke-dried tomatoes or chilies also lends a smoky quality to vegetarian broths or sauces that recalls the depth of flavor meat provides, but is, at the same time, its own unique deliciousness. For bacon lovers, a combination of smoky (think smoked paprika, liquid smoke or chipotle chilies), salty (tamari or soy sauce work well) and chewy/crispy qualities can be achieved with simple, plant-based ingredients and a short time in the oven.

In a plant-based diet, there are myriad tricks of the trade to

SPICY BLACK BEAN BURGERS Courtesy of the Natural Epicurean Makes 6–8 patties Black beans are a healthy, low-calorie, low-fat source of protein. Oats offer high amounts of fiber for better digestion and can help reduce cholesterol and stabilize blood sugar.

2 T. avocado or olive oil, divided 1 onion, diced 2 zucchinis, rough-chopped 2 carrots, peeled and rough-chopped 2 15-oz. cans black beans, drained, rinsed, 1/3 c. beans reserved 2 jalapeño peppers, diced 5 cloves garlic, minced 1 T. cumin 1 T. chili powder 1 T. coriander 1 /8 t. cayenne 2½ t. salt 2 T. ground black pepper ½ c. oats 1 c. all-purpose or gluten-free flour 1½ c. corn Over medium-high heat, sauté the onion in a cast-iron skillet in 1 tablespoon of the oil until soft and golden—about 7 minutes. Set aside. Place the zucchini in a food processor, pulse to a fine dice and remove to a bowl. Add the carrots to the food processor and pulse, then add the black beans (reserving 1/3 cup for later), jalapeños, garlic and all seasonings. Pulse until the mixture comes together. Add the oats, flour and corn and pulse until fully combined. Transfer the mixture to a bowl and combine with the zucchini and onions. Mash the remaining beans with a potato masher or fork, then combine the beans with the other ingredients by hand. Shape and form into 6 to 8 patties. Heat another tablespoon of oil in a large cast-iron skillet over medium heat. Fry the patties for 5 to 7 minutes, then flip and cook for another 5 to 7 minutes until both sides have a nice crust.

achieve the sensations of eating meat while still taking advantage of all the flavors and nutritional benefits of the plants from which the

For more information about the Natural Epicurean’s programs, visit

foods were made. Give these recipes a try.

naturalepicurean.com or call 512-476-2276.

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BEET LENTIL VEGGIE BURGERS Makes 8 burgers Beets offer antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and detoxification support as well as significant levels of folate, manganese and vitamin C. High in fiber, lentils also have the highest protein content (25 percent) of any other vegetable except for soybeans.

Flaxseeds deliver the all-important omega-3 essential fatty acids and even more fiber.

3¼ c. cooked green lentils, divided 3 large eggs (to make vegan, substitute 1 T. flaxseed meal with 2½ T. water for each egg) ½ t. kosher salt 1 medium onion, diced very small 1 medium beet, peeled, grated 4–5 garlic cloves, finely minced 3 T. minced fresh herbs, such as dill and mint, combined, or basil ½ t. freshly ground black pepper 1 T. flaxseed meal (optional) 1½ c. panko breadcrumbs, more or less (or gluten-free bread crumbs) ½ c. crumbled feta (optional) 1–2 T. avocado or olive oil

Combine 3 cups of the cooked lentils, the eggs (or vegan option) and salt in a food processor or sturdy blender. Puree until mostly smooth. Place the mixture in a large mixing bowl and add the remaining lentils, diced onions, grated beet, garlic, fresh herbs and black pepper. Stir to combine. Add in the flaxseed meal, if using, then begin adding in the breadcrumbs a little at a time. Stir to combine. You may not need all of the breadcrumbs or you may need more; you’ll know when you’ve achieved the right consistency when the mixture holds together without being either too wet or crumbly. Add in the feta, if using. Place the bowl in the fridge for 30 minutes to an hour then shape and form the mixture into 8 patties.. Heat the oil in a large cast-iron skillet over medium heat. Cook the patties for 5 to 7 minutes, then flip and cook for another 5 to 7 minutes until both sides are brown and crispy.

PORTOBELLO/COCONUT “BACON” Courtesy of the Natural Epicurean Yields 3–4 servings Portobello mushrooms are rich in copper, selenium and vitamin B. Coconut protects against heart disease and stroke and is rich in vitamins A and E, polyphenols and phytosterols—all of which work together to lower LDL cholesterol. Tamari is a soy-based seasoning similar to soy sauce, but less processed and often gluten-free.

2½ T. tamari ½ T. smoked paprika 1½ T. maple syrup ½ t. liquid smoke ½ T. apple cider vinegar 1 T. grapeseed oil Pinch of smoked sea salt and black pepper 2 portobello mushrooms, cut into long, ¼-inch strips Heat the oven to 325°. Whisk together the first seven ingredients to create a marinade. Toss mushrooms into the marinade and let sit for 15 minutes. Line a baking tray with parchment paper.

Remove the mushrooms from the marinade, place on the tray and bake for 10 to 12 minutes. Flip the mushrooms and bake an additional 10 to 12 minutes, or until they’ve achieved your preferred texture.

For coconut bacon: Replace the portobellos with 2 cups of shaved, unsweetened coconut and bake at 325° for about 10 to 15 minutes, stirring along the way, until the coconut starts to brown and become crispy.

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TACO “MEAT” Courtesy of the Natural Epicurean Yields 2½ cups Walnuts contain amino acids that help with cardiovascular conditions and decrease cardiovascular disease risk factors. They can also help with weight control, enhance cognitive ability with their antioxidant properties and improve reproductive health in men. Cilantro (the leaves of the coriander plant) is one of the richest sources of both vitamin A and vitamin K, useful for vision, blood clotting and bone formation. Cilantro and coriander seeds have also been used in traditional medicine as an antiseptic, digestive aid, deodorant and appetite stimulant.

2 c. raw walnuts, soaked 8–12 hours, rinsed well, drained 4 small tomatoes, quartered 1 T. chili powder ¼ c. rough-chopped, firmly packed cilantro, thicker stems removed 2 garlic cloves, peeled 1 T. extra-virgin olive oil (optional) 1 T. ground cumin 2 t. wheat-free tamari or coconut liquid aminos 1 t. ground coriander ½ t. non-iodized natural salt

Heat the oven to 150° (or lowest possible temperature). Place the walnuts in a food processor and process to a coarse meal. Add the remaining ingredients and process until well incorporated. Spread the mixture onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Score the mixture in medium-size squares and bake for 1 hour. Then, use a spatula to flip the nut meat and continue to bake for 30 minutes to 1 hour. The nut meat is done when it begins to crisp.

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WHAT WE’RE DRINKING

WITH OUTDOOR

BY T E R RY T H O M PSO N -A N D E RSO N

T

he advent of spring and more time out-

will hold its own with the bold flavors, while the

doors combine to turn our food and bev-

medium-bodied but flavor-packed grenache adds

erage yearnings toward fresh flavors that

red berry flavors in a simple profile that won’t com-

pop and sizzle on the palate. Between the pages

pete with the array of flavors. The trusty Mourvèdre

of this issue is a potpourri of adventurous and de-

holds it all together nicely.

licious dishes to add to your culinary repertoire, 100 Pounds of Czech Picnic Sausage (page

so how about a span of beverage pairings to help savor the many moods of the season?

59). Sausage made from venison and pork butt, then smoked low and slow over pecan or oak, demands a

Spicy Black Bean Burgers (page 61). Thoughts

bold brew that knows how to handle the smoke. An

of savory, cumin- and chili-scented black beans

excellent choice would be Jester King Brewery’s

bring to mind Havana and its rich heritage of black

Black Metal Imperial Stout. The dark roasted malt

bean dishes. What better pairing for the spirited

in the beer will pleasingly complement the smoky

seasonings in these burgers than one of Cuba’s

flavor profile of the sausage.

most famous cocktails: The mojito. To make one, start with plenty of fresh mint leaves muddled

Pecan Chicken with Honey-Caramel Sauce

with 2 teaspoons sugar and 1 ounce lime juice. Add

(page 47). Chicken can be a bit of a chameleon when

1½ ounces of white rum and soda water to top, and

it comes to pairing with wine. To be considered in

make it local using Treaty Oak Rum.

the pairing are the method of preparation, the taste notes and the texture. This dish includes chicken

Lamb Bolly Burger with Cucumber Raita

breasts butterflied and pounded thin, then sautéed

and Hari Chutney (page 72). A complex dish

in a crisp pecan-panko crumb breading. The chick-

such as this demands a beverage that can properly

en is served with caramelized carrots, which pres-

shoulder all of the bold spices, as well as tame

ent a sweet profile, and oven-roasted potatoes—all

the flavor of the lamb, which is slightly gamier than beef. We

drizzled with a honey-butter caramel sauce. To cut through, yet

suggest a tempranillo, and Spicewood Vineyards 2012 Estate

enhance, the sweet richness and end with a crisp aftertaste, opt for

Tempranillo continues to be a favorite—it was awarded gold at

Lost Oak Winery’s 2014 Sauvignon Blanc. The wine has a hint of

the 2015 Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo International Wine Com-

apple, which will complement the sweetness, but also boasts a dry,

petition, at the 2014 Concours International de Lyon Wine Compe-

crisp profile resulting from seven months in stainless steel.

Photography by Rachael Barnes

tition in Lyon, France, and at the 2014 Dallas Morning News and TEXSOM International Wine Competition. If wine isn’t your thing,

Caramel-Pecan Tart with Pasta Frolla (page 45). Serving port

try a good “hoppy” IPA beer, such as Dallas’ Deep Ellum Brewery

wine with nuts is a classic après dinner alternative to dessert and

IPA or Austin Beerworks Fire Eagle American IPA.

a palate-pleasing match. Extend the pairing to nuts (pecans in the case of this rich and gooey tart) cooked in a caramelized custard

Lamb España (page 73). This is a rather multilayered and full-fla-

that’s tucked into a flaky pastry shell. Texas Hills Vineyard’s Port

vored dish, but could easily be overcome by an overly bold beverage.

Rubino has the requisite sweet notes to stand up to the sweetness of

A good bet would be the Pedernales Cellars Texas GSM—a blend

the filling, and an opulent profusion of both fruity flavors and a little

of Texas grenache, syrah and Mourvèdre fruit. The syrah in the blend

brace of alcohol.

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65

department of ORGANIC YOUTH

GREEN PEASE

BY J U L I E N G L ASS E

M

y name is Julien, and I’m a fifth-grader at Pease Elementary. I recently interviewed our principal, Mr. Matthew Nelson, because I wanted to know if we were doing any-

thing “green” (e.g., helping to preserve the environment, using sustainable practices, etc.) at Pease. We met at the school library, just before school started, so that I could ask him a few questions.

I started by asking Mr. Nelson to tell me a little bit about

From left: Julien Glasse, Lewis Rangel, and Han Davis in the school garden.

himself, and I was surprised to learn that he was diagnosed with dysgraphia just like me! Dysgraphia means that you have a hard

2 feet wide, and inside each will be a large honeycomb with 5,000

time writing and organizing your thoughts while writing. He said

bees. The boxes will be set up on pedestals on Pease property and sur-

that as a kid, he failed many of his classes because his teachers

rounded by a fence. The bees will be docile varieties—they’ll bump

couldn’t read his handwriting—even though he wrote good, imag-

you and avoid stinging you, because if they sting you, they’ll die. The

inative papers. After lots of hard work, though, Mr. Nelson be-

bees will go to Shoal Creek to get water, and they’ll pollinate flowers

came a teacher to help all kids realize their potential. Now, he’s

in our gardens and in gardens across the street. We’re going to har-

the principal of my school and this is his second year.

vest the honey and sell it, and make lip balm out of the wax.

Next, I asked, “Are you trying to make Pease a greener school?” and he said, “AB-SO-LUTE-LY!”

I then asked Mr. Nelson if there had been any changes in the cafeteria food since he’s been at Pease. “We’ve been working with AISD

“Pease Elementary,” he continued, “has the potential to be-

to make the food healthier and still taste good,” he said. “When I

come the greenest campus in all of AISD. We’re big on compost-

started in AISD twelve years ago, the food tasted good, but was not

ing and recycling; we’re one of the few campuses that have the

very healthy. Since then, it’s gotten healthy, but the kids didn’t like

students sort their own food trays, because we know it’s import-

the way it tasted. Now, we are working on making it taste good AND

ant to teach children why and how to compost and recycle. Our

be healthy. Pease is AISD’s test kitchen,” he continued. “When food

compost and recycling bins are being picked up once a week, and

service wants to try out a new food or a new recipe, they try it out

our landfill [bin] only has to be picked up once every three weeks.

here, and if the kids like it, then it is used at the schools in Austin.

This is a real benefit to the community since we’re not dumping

Last year, AISD wanted to try a broccoli-and-cheese quiche. Our stu-

so much trash into the public landfill.”

dents, parents and teachers tried the quiche, everyone liked it, so

Mr. Nelson said we are also trying to cut down on food waste

now it’s on the menu at all of the AISD schools.”

by having recess before lunch. “When the students have recess

At the end of our interview, Mr. Nelson noted that all of these

before lunch, they run around and get really hungry,” he said.

efforts require a community. The teachers have all been on board

“Then, when they come in for lunch, they have to refuel all the

helping to make the kids aware of why it’s important to reduce

energy they expended and they eat more food and waste less.”

waste, preserve the environment and save our resources. And

We also talked about the two rain-capture barrels at Pease that

parents are doing whatever they can to make the school success-

are used to collect rainwater from the gym roof, the new water

ful—some give money and others give time. Some parents volun-

fountains we’ll soon have that will help students save water by

teer ideas; for example, the bees were a parent’s idea, as were the

filling up water bottles and the proposal we’re writing to get solar

rain-capture barrels. Finally, I asked Mr. Nelson what he hopes the

panels installed so that students can see how to harvest energy

kids at Pease will get from these programs. “We are producing fu-

from the sun. And we talked about our super-cool PAWS gardens.

ture doctors, lawyers, architects and video game programmers,” he

PAWS stands for “Pease Adventures in Wildlife Sciences” and it’s

said. “They are all being made here, right in this little school. Our

a unique project where kids get to work outside and conduct sci-

goal is to grow students to be environmentally conscious and to

ence labs in the outdoor classroom.

realize that they are citizens of Austin, the United States and the

And amazingly and awesomely, we’re also installing an apiary— that means beehives. There will be two wooden boxes, 3 feet tall by 66

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EDIBLEAUSTIN.COM

Earth—that their place on Earth is bigger than their place at Pease.”

This made me feel really lucky to be a Pease student.

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67

edible GARDENS

ELDERBERRY

BY A M Y C ROW E L L

f ever the title “elder” were to

I

Elderflowers can be harvested

be bestowed upon a wild berry,

by gently brushing the tiny, white

the elderberry truly deserves

petals into a container. Sprinkle

the honor. Hippocrates referred

them over your salad or soup for

to this prolific plant as his “entire

a truly sweet and fragrant garnish.

medicine chest;” Shakespeare hints

They’re also the main ingredient in

it might be a good shelter under

elderflower cordial and wine. Be-

which to sit and watch the fairies

ware, though: Elderberry blossoms

revel on a midsummer night; and

are similar in appearance to poison

Elton John had different ideas in

hemlock flowers—refer to a good

his 1972 song, “Elderberry Wine”:

guidebook that clearly shows the

“…feeling fine on elderberry wine,

difference, side by side.

When harvesting wild elder-

those were the days we’d lay in the References to elderberry are

berry bunches all at once, throw

ubiquitous in heirloom cookbooks,

them in a bag and de-stem them

ancient medicinal texts and folk-

later. When the berries are at peak

lore. Of course, one could argue

ripeness, they will easily detach

that the ample elderberry-lore

from their stems, though it also

might exist because the bushes

works to freeze the clusters first,

themselves are everywhere and

then rub the frozen solid berries

grow like weeds in wet soils in

off the stems. If you can’t process

many parts of the world. Or may-

the berries right away, freeze them

be the medicinal benefits realized

in an airtight container for up to

long ago (and at the attention of

a year. Eating raw berries is not

modern science) gave this berry

recommended. The best way to

its magical place in our stories. Either way, the elderberry is still

indulge in their goodness is through juicing, steeping, mashing

easy to find and bountiful in its nourishing gifts to those who are

and extracting.

brave enough to stalk it. It also doesn’t hurt that the berries are

Like any fruit, elderberries can be juiced. And luckily, there’s

high in vitamin C, phosphorous, potassium and antioxidants—a

more than one right way to do it. Whether boiling, steaming or

cocktail of good things to cure what ails us.

steeping, all methods produce a purplish juice packed with all the

Elderberry plants resprout from perennial roots each spring

great phytonutrients that have given the elderberry its cure-all

and can grow up to five or six feet tall. The twigs, stems and leaves

reputation. The quickest way to produce an elderberry juice is to

of the elderberry are toxic, but the incredibly fragrant blossoms

cover the berries with water, bring to a boil and then simmer for 10

(available in mid-spring) can be eaten fresh. The flowering heads

minutes. Let cool, mash gently and strain out the solids by pouring

are called umbels and blossom at the top of long, woody stalks. The

through cheesecloth or a jelly bag. Voilà: a tart, sharp juice ready

tiny white flowers eventually become small, purplish-black ripe

for daily shots of all the good stuff and no artificial anything. I don’t

berries whose heaviness often causes the umbels to droop over in

promise it will be sweet, but it will certainly be pure. Freeze the

late summer. I’ve collected my fair share of the Sambucus canadensis

juice in an airtight container for up to a year. It’s a good tonic to

berries (the most common species here in Texas) from the seat of a

save for the middle of flu season, when all the elder bushes have

canoe in late August along many Central Texas rivers.

long since frozen back and no fresh berries can be found.

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Illustration courtesy of The Printed Vintage, etsy.com/shop/ThePrintedVintage

berries, it’s easiest to snip off the

haze—forget depressive times.”

ELDERBERRY SYRUP Have you noticed the extensive (and growing) elderberry syrup, extract and lozenge section in your local health food store? There’s actually more to these concoctions than hearsay and lore. Modern medical studies have suggested that elderberry extract (mainly from Sambucus nigra or black elderberry, “Shakespeare’s species”) has helped to alleviate—and even kill—some strains of the flu. In addition, studies are exploring additional antiviral, anti-cancer and anti-inflammatory qualities of elderberry, which shows promise as an immune booster and cell builder.

There are many recipes for elderberry syrup and they all require the addition of sweetener to make it more palatable. Also, many of them use dried black elderberries, because of their aforementioned medicinal properties. I’ve prepared this syrup using our local elderberries and have been very happy to have this on hand when the worst of the coughs and colds arrive midwinter. This syrup is great in tiny doses for kids, though I have to admit that when I feel the viruses coming on, I tend to grab my elderberry-infused brandy.

3 c. water ½ c. elderberries 1 T. ginger powder

1 t. cinnamon ½ t. ground cloves ¾ c. honey

Add the water, elderberries, ginger, cinnamon and cloves to a saucepan.

Bring to a boil, reduce the heat, cover and simmer for about 30 minutes.

Let cool and strain the liquid into a glass jar. Add the honey and stir until well blended.

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ELDERBERRY LIQUOR AND A LIQUEUR Infusing liquor is the easiest (laziest?) way to draw out the elderberry goodness. And it doesn’t require heating, which may help to retain more of the precious phytonutrients. Herbal tinctures are made this way, and they are some of the best low-dose, plant-based medicines in the world.

The nice thing about infusing liquor with elderberries is that you get your favorite liquor plus a medicinal infusion that will add lots of good

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stuff (and not too much extra flavor) to something you already love.

For the infused liquor: 1 handful elderberries (approximately ½ c.)

2½ c. vodka, bourbon, brandy or liquor of choice Wash the berries and place in a glass jar. Pour the liquor over the top, close tightly and let steep in a cool, dark place for at least a few weeks and up to 2 months. Strain off the berries through cheesecloth or a sieve and store the elderberry-infused liquor in a cool, dark place.

For the elderflower liqueur: 1 c. elderflower blossoms 2 c. Everclear grain alcohol (151 proof) ½ c. water ½ c. simple syrup Place the elderflower blossoms in a glass jar and pour the Everclear over them. Close tightly with a lid and put in a cool, dark place for about 3 to 4 weeks to infuse. Strain the blossoms off the liquid and combine it with the water and simple syrup. It’s a lovely liqueur to sip, or a fragrant addition to your own creative cocktail.

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69

for example. Other familiar herbal wines are mulled wine and sangria.

HERBAL WINES

Wine serves as an excellent vehicle for extracting some of the beneficial components of plants because of the solvent properties of its alcohol paired with the acidity that typically characterizes wines of a particular terroir. Wine’s usual alcohol percentage of 12 to 14 not only causes less of an impact on the body’s systems than distilled spirits, but wine also comes with other nutritive benefits and elements that help the body break it down and process it.

In 1906, the official U.S. Pharmacopeia (USP) VIII recognized red and white wine and eight medicated wines, and by 1916, a leading herbal formulary guide offered 15 medicated wine formulas that hav-

BY KATE PAYNE PHOTOGRAPHY BY JO ANN SANTANGELO

en’t since enjoyed the same official status. Herbal wine fell out of favor in Western herbal tradition during Prohibition as the practice of tincturing herbs in higher-proof distilled spirits gained prominence.

Though relatively stable because of the alcohol content, herbal wines are more volatile, and formulaically, less precise than their championed relative, the tincture. While they may not last indefinitely on a shelf in the health food store or provide the same heroic, heavy-hitting dosage, herbal wines are more than sufficient for the purposes of common household ailments or flagging attitudes.

This spirited dosage of herbal medicine is, in essence, a tincture that uses wine as its menstruum—the substance that dissolves herbal components and holds them in suspension—instead of grain alcohol or other high-proof distilled spirits. Though decent wine is usually pretty affordable, it’s best to experiment with small batches that can then be replicated on a larger scale once flavors are adjusted to your preferences.

Traditionally, wines used for herbal wine infusions were fortified with the addition of brandy or a neutral distilled spirit after the wine was finished fermenting. You can use fortified wines, such as port, sherry and Madeira, to achieve a higher-proof solvent (typically between 15 to 20 percent alcohol by volume), which extracts certain plant materials better.

It’s fine to use a standard sauvignon blanc, or reds such as cabernet sauvignon or malbec—depending on the herbs and aromatics you want to infuse and the flavors you want to highlight.

And because the addition of herbs and spices does not mask

W

ine is associated with festivity, bacchanalian excess and

unpleasant-tasting wine, select one that you’d want to sip on its

verdant bounty in art and literature. The earliest record-

own. Hard cider and mead (wine made from honey) are also great

ed winemaking activities appear on the archaeological

choices. Herbal wines made from regular wine will keep longer if

record in various places around the globe as far back as 6,000 years

fortified with a spirit such as brandy, vodka or bourbon. For every

ago. And as long as there’s been wine readily available in homes, it’s

pint of pure wine, add 2 tablespoons of the distilled spirit.

been used as a populist medicine that stimulates the nervous and

The ingredients in herbal wines are up to the imagination of the

circulatory systems and offers a warming boost to digestion. Herbs

maker, though there are two general paths to follow in terms of the

of all sorts are used to achieve these results, as well as offering other

process of making it: You can make either a dry-herb infusion or a

benefits such as raising the spirits, promoting internal movement,

fresh-herb infusion. The former infuses at room temperature and for

cleansing the organs and supporting various system functions.

a longer period of time, while the latter infuses in the refrigerator

Famous herbal wines include all types of vermouth (infused with

for 24 hours. A fresh infusion is kin to sangria—relying on fruit and

wormwood and other herbs) and quinquina (which includes quinine

aromatics to brighten and emphasize the herbal additions. Use both

along with fruit and herbs—one of the most famous of these is called

of the recipes below as a general guide for quantities, but be adven-

“Lillet”). It’s probably unsurprising to discover the medicinal founda-

turous and creative while exploring the wealth of local Austin plants

tions of these popular barkeep libations; after all, many of our other

and available herbs throughout the seasons. Cheers to creating

beloved bar helpers started out the same way—tonic water and bitters,

unique and uplifting concoctions for mind, body and spirit. Salud!

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JUNIPER WINE Yields approximately 2 cups Juniper trees are everywhere in Central Texas. Juniper berries, and to a lesser extent, the sprig branches, are warming substances that can be used to clear ear infections, stimulate digestion and even thwart cedar fever. (“Cedar season” in Central Texas is actually the result of allergies to the pollen from the female juniper tree, Juniperus ashei, also known as Mountain Cedar; consuming small amounts of juniper berries or leaves serves as a homeopathic remedy to combat allergy symptoms.) Harvest juniper berries in the fall when they are ripe and dark purple. If finding juniper sprigs is difficult, try substituting rosemary.

1 3-inch sprig of fresh or dried juniper (or rosemary) 1 T. juniper berries 2 t. citrus peel, dried, cut and sifted ½ t. coriander seeds 1 allspice berry 1 small bay leaf, dried and torn 2 c. dry sherry Combine all the ingredients in a clean, pint-size mason jar. Gently shake the contents every few days for 2 weeks. Keep the infusion out of direct light and away from exposure to heat. When ready to strain, sterilize the jar or bottle that will hold the finished herbal wine by boiling it for 10 minutes; do not dry. Line a strainer with a few layers of cheesecloth or fine-weave muslin to strain into the prepared bottle. Cap tightly and store at room temperature for up to 6 months for best flavor. Serve in 1- to 2-ounce portions.

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HONEY ROSE WINE Yields approximately 2 cups Damiana is an herb that originates from Mexico and is commonly used to improve digestion, relax the nervous system, boost reproductive energy and uplift spirits. Harvest rose petals when the flowers are blooming—making sure to only harvest from plants where no pesticides were used in cultivation. Store-bought fresh flowers almost always have a dubious background, so it’s best to source fresh flowers from local farmers, and to procure dried flowers and herbs from bulk tea and spice markets or from reputable herb companies such as Mountain Rose Herbs.

1 oz. dried damiana leaves 1 /8 oz. dried organic rose petals

1 vanilla bean pod, slit lengthwise 2 c. mead, plus more to cover

Combine all the ingredients in a clean, quart-size mason jar. Add more mead to completely cover dry matter if necessary. Gently shake the contents every so often for 48 hours. Follow the straining method for juniper wine. Honey rose wine should be consumed within 2 weeks or fortified with a shot of your spirit of choice (I like brandy) for a longer shelf life. Serve in 2- to 4-ounce portions.

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LA CASITA DE BUEN SABOR

LAMB BURGERS SANS BUN

BY LU C I N DA H U TSO N

LAMB BOLLY BURGER Serves 4 My friend Neelu Kohli, who comes from Mumbai, shared her Indian version of lamb burgers. Mixing yogurt into the lamb adds moisture and texture. She flavors the burgers with garam masala—a lovely mélange of Indian spices—but hot curry powder could be used instead to add another flavor profile. I like to serve both the yogurt-based cucumber raita and hari, a cilantro chutney, with this salad. Before making the burgers, prepare the cucumber raita and the hari chutney.

For the cucumber raita:

A

1 cucumber, peeled, seeded, diced 1 c. Greek yogurt 3 T. chopped fresh cilantro 2 green onions, chopped

succulent lamb patty, lightly seared on the kitchen griddle or outdoor grill and placed atop a fresh-from-my-garden salad brimming with tender greens, snippets of aromat-

ic herbs, crisp veggies and edible flowers, sings of springtime… though I love the dish year-round. And this bun-less burger is nutritious, pretty on the plate and easy to make!

What makes my recipes for lamb burgers so tasty are all of the surprises found tucked within each patty, such as little morsels of feta or manchego cheese, garlic, spices and zesty herbs. Compose each salad on a plate garnished with sprigs of parsley, mint and nasturtiums or other springtime edible flowers, plus optional chunks of fruit or crunchy nuts and seeds. Pass the dressing at the table, or for a crowd, toss the salad and dressing in a large bowl before plating.

These lamb burgers make perfect party fare (think meatballs or sliders). Consider a buffet where guests choose from a variety of salad ingredients and dressings, with the patties served warm from a platter. Simply adjust the Master Lamb Burger recipe (opposite page) and salads with these variations that follow.

For Lucinda’s “Lamb Salata Zorba with Greek Vinaigrette and Tzatziki” burger recipe, visit edibleaustin.com

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1 t. toasted cumin seeds Juice of 1 lemon 2 garlic cloves, minced Salt and pepper, to taste Pinch of cayenne

Mix together all ingredients and chill.

For the hari chutney: 1 large bunch cilantro, chopped 2 serrano peppers, seeded, minced 1 T. minced ginger 4 green onions, chopped

1 t. toasted cumin Salt, to taste 1 t. sugar 3 T. lemon juice 1–2 t. olive oil

Mix together all ingredients and chill.

For the burgers, begin with the master recipe (p. 73) and add: ½ red bell pepper, chopped 2 serrano peppers, seeded, minced 2 t. garam masala 1½ t. ground cumin ½ c. chopped cilantro 2 T. Greek yogurt Juice from ½ lemon Shape, chill and cook the patties according to the master recipe. Serve over shredded lettuce, sliced onions, tomatoes, garbanzo beans, sliced cucumbers, pickled cauliflower, other veggies and more cilantro and serve with the raita and chutney for drizzling.

LAMB BURGER—MASTER RECIPE

COOKBOOKS FOR EVERY KITCHEN

Makes 4 patties 1½ lbs. organic, grassfed ground lamb Salt and pepper, to taste ¾ c. red onion, chopped 4 garlic cloves, minced Place the lamb and the rest of the ingredients in a large bowl and mix together. (Handle the lamb as little as possible to avoid compacting it.)

Flatten into patties and make a slight depression in the center of each, which ensures even cooking. Wrap the patties in plastic wrap and chill for at least an hour before cooking. To cook, sear the patties in a castiron skillet or on the grill for about 3 to 4 minutes per side (for pink in the center), until slightly charred, flipping once. Allow the burgers to cool briefly before placing atop the salad and dressing. Note: patties also freeze well after forming for thawing and cooking later.

• Bookstore • Giftshop • Coffeehouse 9 am - 11 pm everyday shop online at: www.bookpeople.com

603 N. Lamar 472-5050

LAMB ESPAÑA Serves 4 For a flamenco of flavor, season these lamb patties with Spanish paprika and dried figs soaked in Spanish sherry.

Before making burgers, soak ¼ cup roughly chopped dried figs in a small bowl with 3 tablespoons of Spanish sherry (amontillado) for several hours or overnight. Prepare and chill the sherry vinaigrette.

For the sherry vinaigrette: Reserved sherry/fig liquid (about 2 T.) ½ t. orange zest 2 t. minced shallots ½ t. Spanish paprika 3 T. sherry vinegar Salt and pepper, to taste 3–4 T. olive oil Drain the figs (reserving the liquid for the vinaigrette and setting the soaked figs aside). Mix the first six ingredients together in a small bowl.

Whisk in the olive oil at the end to emulsify, then chill.

EXPERIENCE A LITTLE BIT OF SPAIN HERE IN AUSTIN 1500 South Lamar Blvd. ⁄ 512-473-2211

barlataaustin.com

Nothing Fancy Recipes and Recollections of Soul-Satisfying Food | New Edition

BY DIANA KENNEDY Featuring new and revised recipes, photos, and bêtes noires, this culminating book of an illustrious career presents the favorite dishes and stories of the world’s foremost authority on traditional Mexican cooking and one of its most-celebrated food writers.

For the burgers, begin with the master recipe and add: 1 T. minced fresh thyme 2 t. minced fresh rosemary 4 T. minced fresh marjoram and/or parsley 1 T. Spanish smoked paprika ½ t. orange zest Reserved soaked figs 8 tablespoons coarsely grated manchego cheese, divided Once you’ve made the patties, use your thumbs to make a deep well in the center of each patty and fill each with a quarter of the soaked figs and 2 tablespoons of the manchego. Pull some ground lamb up to cover. Flatten again into patties, chill and cook according to the master recipe. Serve over field greens, baby arugula, Johnny-jump-ups or other viola flowers, red grapes, thin slices of oranges and red onions, green onions, black olives, toasted pine nuts, hazelnuts or Marcona almonds and garlicky croutons, and pass the sherry vinaigrette at the table.

256 pages $29.95 hardcover

university of texas press www.utexaspress.com

EDIBLEAUSTIN.COM

OUTDOOR 2016

73

SEASONAL MUSE

HITTING PAY DIRT

BY CA RO L A N N SAY L E

I

am fortunate to have sur-

floor. Not being the persnickety

vived, and mostly thrived,

type, I piled the gold onto the

as a farmer for 25 years.

shovel’s surface with my gloved

Indeed, I’m still grateful, daily,

hands and then pitched it all to

to be on this farm learning—

Lillian. Curious as usual, the

always learning—about how

hens investigated and found

life below my feet works. I

new interest in the traveling

made Ds in chemistry in high

mixture. Worried that they

school and at the university

might want to go around me

level, but if soil had been in

and out to the kale, I routinely

the lesson plan, I might have

threw a bit of their gold at them

done better. Most of what I

to keep them alarmed and oc-

know about this mysterious

cupied elsewhere.

part of the Earth—which is

The recipe for good com-

of us and of everything else,

post is nitrogen, carbon, water

whether alive or dead—I’ve

and air, with various ratios of

learned from soil test reports,

nitrogen to carbon used by nu-

farm periodicals (i.e., discussions of the essence of life)…and, of

merous experts. I’ve no idea what ratio I use. If the pile gets hot, it’s

course, chicken poo.

a good ratio. If it doesn’t, then I’ll add more nitrogen/poo. If the pile

On the farm, I harvest greens for my hens to eat over the winter,

goes dry, I’ll add more water. The pile should be moist but not sop-

because feeding them great food is the first step in nourishing the

ping wet, and below 160 degrees or the teensy inhabitants will die.

soil life. My hens are never purged just because of “henopause”

To cool a too-hot pile—and also provide necessary air for the inhab-

(they live out their entire lives here), for even past the laying stage,

itants—the pile is completely turned over with a shovel or simply

they still contribute “poo de poulet” for the compost pile. Several

fluffed up using Lillian’s bucket.

times a year, I “harvest” and haul the chickens’ poo from the hen-

Once the ingredients are moist and mixed, the official com-

house flooring to mix with the leaves brought by community yard

post-makers (the microbes and bacteria) complete the effort. The

workers. Whenever the leaves pile up, it’s time for a poo harvest.

process takes a couple of months, if I turn the pile and keep it

The harvest of this past fall’s poo pile was delayed by the lack of early leaf companions to the point that it smelled like ammonia. I

moist. Steam coming from the top of the pile tells me that the pile and the tiny guys are happy.

revealed this aroma status to Larry, who replied, “Oh, that is excel-

Then we haul the compost, still steaming, to the fields and serve

lent!” Then he unselfishly sped off to the Gause farm so that I could

it to every bed that we prepare, along with mineral amendments.

shovel the odiferous pile alone, in peace. With the twin doors of

The microbial, bacterial population, along with all sorts of worms

the henhouse flung open wide, I nosed Lillian, the tractor, tightly to

and other soil-dwellers, gorge on the compost and add their own

the back of the structure, rested her bucket on the edge of the floor,

gold to the soil. The plants take up this nutrition through their

wrenched myself around her and half-stood underneath the noc-

roots or with the aid of mycorrhizal fungi attached to their roots.

turnal perches from which the hens let go of their day’s nutritious

We harvest the plants, we (and the hens) eat them, we cut down the

castoffs. Because the poo was moist (not enough straw to permit it

aging plants to compost them, but we leave their carbon-sheathed

to dry out), I didn’t use a dust mask, and—thinking of the eventual

roots to mix with the soil for more microbial meals. We make more

compost—the muck came to smell like gold to me.

compost and the circle is complete—and endless.

I’m one who leaves no poo in corners, so there was a lot of

Working with the hens and these little critters is probably the

crouching and pseudo-yoga poses with the flat shovel that not only

noblest job, if not the smelliest, on this farm. But to me, the occa-

fit the corners but permitted me to shave up the stuff stuck to the tin

sional aroma is life made manifest.

74

OUTDOOR 2016

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THE DIRECTORY ARTISANAL FOODS Antonelli’s Cheese Shop We love cut-to-order artisanal cheese and all that goes with it. Order a picnic platter, take a class or host a private guided event. Free tastings daily.

512-531-9610 4220 Duval St. antonellischeese.com

Broken Arrow Ranch We field harvest truly wild animals for high-quality free-range venison, antelope and wild boar meat. Diamond H Ranch Quail from Bandera also available.

800-962-4263 3296 Junction Hwy., Ingram brokenarrowranch.com

Edis Chocolates Handmade chocolate truffles and fine desserts, free of preservatives, additives and made with fair trade chocolate.

Excellent gluten-free options.

512-795-9285 3808 Spicewood Springs Rd., Ste 102 edischocolates.com

Lick Honest Ice Creams Artisan ice creams celebrating the finest ingredients Texas has to offer! Handmade in small batches in our Austin kitchen.

Natural, local and seasonal.

512-363-5622 203 S. Lamar Blvd.

512-609-8029 6555 Burnet Rd. ilikelick.com

Lone Star Meats Lone Star Meats is a family-owned wholesale meat company, whose mission is to source and deliver the finest cuts of natural beef, pork and lamb to tables across Texas.

512-646-6218 1403 E. 6th St. lonestarfood.com

Texas Olive Ranch Fresh Texas-grown extra virgin olive oil from Carrizo Springs, infused olive oil and balsamic vinegar at farmers markets in Austin, SA, NB, Houston, Dallas.

877-461-4708 texasoliveranch.com

Sweet Ritual Artisanal microcreamery featuring 17 flavors of alternative ice cream - made with cashew, almond and coconut bases.

Gluten-free options. Dairy and egg free.

512-666-8346 4500 Duval St. sweetritual.com

Wholy Bagel

Texas Hills Vineyard

Wholy Bagel prepares scratch-made New York style bagels daily.

512-899-0200 4404 West William Cannon Dr. wholybagelatx.com

Winemaking, wine sales, tasting room, patio for picnics, gifts, award-winning wines, fun-loving staff and a beautiful place to visit.

930-868-2321 878 RR 2766, Johnson City texashillsvineyard.com

BAKERIES Tiny Pies

Texas Keeper Ciders

Tiny Pies are just like grandma made only smaller. Both savory & sweet. We cater, offer corporate gifting ideas, deliver locally & ship nationally.

512-916-0184 5035 Burnet Rd. tinypies.com

Small-batch cider made in south Austin from 100% apples. Available in stores, bars, and restaurants throughout Austin, Houston, and DFW areas.

512-910-3409 12521 Twin Creeks Rd. texaskeeper.com

BEVERAGES

Treaty Oak Distilling

Becker Vineyards Winery, vineyards, and tasting room with wines for tasting and for sale.

Lavender fields, lavender products and annual Lavender Fest.

830-644-2681 464 Becker Farms Rd., Stonewall beckervineyards.com

Bending Branch Winery Bending Branch Winery is a premier Hill Country winery with award-winning wines, including our signature Texas Tannat. Visit us Thurs-Sun. 830-995-2948 142 Lindner Branch Trail, Comfort 830-995-3394 Branch on High, 704 High St., Comfort bendingbranchwinery.com

Compass Rose Cellars Experience chef-inspired dining at our intimate winery with breathtaking Hill Country views at Compass Rose Cellars in Hye, TX. Worth the journey.

830-868-7799 1197 Hye-Albert Rd., Hye compassrosecellars.com

Lewis Wines Boutique producer of 100% Texas wines in Johnson City, Texas.

512-987-0660 3209 Highway 290 W., Johnson City lewiswines.com

A craft distillery started in Austin residing in Dripping Springs, TX. Visit us for cocktails, food, tastings, classes and tours.

512-599-0335 16604 Fitzhugh Rd., Dripping Springs treatyoakdistilling.com

Twin Liquors Family owned and Authentically Austin™ since 1937, Twin Liquors helps customers match wine and spirits to every occasion. 75 Central Texas locations.

1-855-350-TWIN (8946) 512-451-7400 1000 E. 41st St. #810 512-402-0060 12528 Texas 71, Bee Cave 512-872-4220 210 University Blvd, Ste. 120, Round Rock twinliquors.com

BOOKSELLERS

Paula’s Texas Orange Liqueur & Paula’s Texas Lemon Liqueur—all natural and handmade in Austin since 2006.

Available throughout Texas. paulastexasspirits.com

Coté Catering Coté Catering is a boutique farm-totable catering company dedicated to creating exciting, fresh cuisine for weddings, parties, and events of all kinds. Our seasonal, sustainable menus will entertain and delight your guests.

512-638-2144 cotecatering.com

Foodee Foodee delivers best in class food from your favorite local restaurants direct to your office. Group meals and catering have never tasted so good!

1-844-8FOODEE food.ee

Spoon & Co. Catering It’s our business to delight you with the details, memorable events with mindfully chosen, prepared and presented food and a caring crew!

512-912-6784 spoonadco.com

DESIGN AND CONSTRUCTION Texas Oven Co. Experts in designing and building wood-burning ovens. Our handcrafted ovens are fire-breathing works of art. We are also a Forno Bravo pizza oven dealer.

512-222-6836 texasovenco.com

EDUCATION The Integrity Academy

BookPeople Texas’ leading independent bookstore since 1970. Located in the heart of downtown, BookPeople has been voted best bookstore in Austin for over 15 years!

512-472-5050 603 N. Lamar Blvd. bookpeople.com

University of Texas Press Paula’s Texas Spirits

CATERING AND MEAL DELIVERY

Our mission is to advance and disseminate knowledge through the publication of books and journals and through electronic media.

512-252-3206 utexaspress.com

The Integrity Academy at Casa de Luz, Center for Integral Studies is a small, secular, private, year-round school serving families and children ages 3-18.

512-535-1277 1701 Toomey Rd. integrityacademy.org

The Natural Epicurean At The Natural Epicurean, we train professional chefs, health coaches, and consumers in plant-based health-supportive culinary techniques.

512-476-2276 1700 S. Lamar Blvd. naturalepicurean.com

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OUTDOOR 2016 OUTDOOR 2016

77 77

EVENTS

FARMS

Austin Food + Wine Festival

Royalty Pecan Farms

The Austin Food + Wine Festival returns, packed with top talent.

Indulge in a weekend of artisanal food, wine, beer, and spirits from hundreds of purveyors.

Auditorium Shores austinfoodandwinefestival.com

Funky Chicken Coop Tour The Tour is an annual event to encourage city residents to raise backyard poultry by demonstrating the ways that their housing can be incorporated harmoniously with ours. austincooptour.org

SXSW Each March, South by Southwest® offers the unique convergence of original music, independent films, and emerging technologies. SXSW® is the destination for discovery.

512-467-7979 sxsw.com

Texas VegFest Texas VegFest is a family-friendly, educational event celebrating the health, environmental and animal welfare benefits of plant-based lifestyles.

512-650-8343 2101 Jesse E. Segovia St. texasvegfest.com

FARMERS MARKETS Lone Star Farmers Market Providing fresh fruits, vegetables and quality products. Located at The Shops at the Galleria every Sunday from 10 am–2 pm in the Lowe’s parking lot.

512-924-7503 12611 Shops Pkwy., Ste. 100 Bee Cave lonestarfarmersmarket.com

Sustainable Food Center SFC cultivates a healthy community by strengthening the local food system and improving access to nutritious, affordable food.

512-236-0074 400 W. Guadalupe St. 3200 Jones Rd., Sunset Valley 2835 E. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd.

4600 Lamar Blvd.

2921 E. 17 St., Bldg C (Office) sustainablefoodcenter.org

A family owned & operated pecan farm featuring a gift shop, event venue and tourist attraction. Great source for fresh Texas pecans, pies, breads and gifts.

979-272-3904 10600 State Hwy 21 E, Caldwell royaltypecans.com

Windy Hill Foods Sustainable Texas meats. Boer goat meat, grassfed, grass-finished lamb and beef, pasture raised organic fed chicken and eggs. Pork, quail, veggies and more!

254-979-1988 122 N Plant Ave, Boerne 3000 Ranch Rd 573, Comanche windyhilltx.com

FINANCIAL Capital Farm Credit Capital Farm Credit is your financial lending partner, providing loans for recreational land, home loans and small and large acreage tracts.

512-892-4425 5900 Southwest Pkwy., Ste. 501 512-715-9239 301 W. Polk St., Burnet 979-968-5750 456 N. Jefferson St., La Grange 512-398-3524 1418 S. Colorado St., Lockhart 830-626-6886 426 S. Seguin Ave., New Braunfels capitalfarmcredit.com

Whole Foods Market Selling the highest quality natural and organic products.

512-542-2200 525 N. Lamar Blvd.

512-345-5003 9607 Research Blvd.

512-206-2730 12601 Hill Country Blvd., Bee Cave 512-358-2460 4301 W. William Cannon wholefoodsmarket.com

HEALTH AND BEAUTY DITI Imaging DITI Imaging is South Texas’ leading thermography provider with over 10 years experience providing a pain-free, radiation-free means of breast screening.

210-705-1232 866-409-2506 Austin, Wimberley, Boerne, Kerrville and New Braunfels ditiimaging.com

Peoples Rx Austin’s favorite pharmacy for more than 30 years, Peoples integrates nutrition, supplements and medicine with natural remedies and custom Rx compounding.

512-219-9499 13860 Hwy. 183 N., Ste. C 512-459-9090 4018 N. Lamar Blvd.

512-444-8866 3801 S. Lamar Blvd.

512-327-8877 4201 Westbank Dr. peoplesrx.com

Royal Blue Grocery Downtown Austin’s neighborhood grocer—with dairy, prepared foods, beer and wine, Royal Blue has it all, in a convenient and compact format.

Catering too!

512-499-3993; 247 W. 3rd St. 512-476-5700; 360 Nueces St. 512-469-5888; 609 Congress Ave. 512-386-1617; 301 Brazos St., Ste. 101 512-480-0036; 51 Rainey St. royalbluegrocery.com

Wheatsville Food Co-op Serving up local, organic, sustainable and humanely raised food since 1976.

Full service deli, hot bar, salad bar, espresso bar and eating area with wi-fi.

512-478-2667; 3101 Guadalupe St. 512-814-2888; 4001 S. Lamar Blvd. wheatsville.coop

Callahan’s General Store Austin’s real general store…hardware to western wear, from feed to seed!

512-385-3452 501 Bastrop Hwy. callahansgeneralstore.com

Der Küchen Laden Retail gourmet kitchen shop, featuring cookware, cutlery, bakeware, small electrics, textiles and kitchen gadgets.

830-997-4937 258 E. Main St., Fredericksburg littlechef.com

The Herb Bar Best place to cure what ails you and a healing resource center since 1986. Our Optimal Health Advisers are highly trained, knowledgeable and compassionate.

512-444-6251 200 W. Mary St. theherbbar.com

LANDSCAPE AND GARDENING Barton Springs Nursery Locally grown Texas native plants.

Organic pest management. Environmentally friendly soil amendments.

Beautiful gifts.

512-328-6655 3601 Bee Caves Rd. bartonspringsnursery.net

It’s About Thyme Garden Center Wiseman Family Practice

GROCERS

HOUSEWARES AND GIFTS

Wiseman Family Practice is an integrative medical practice in Austin, Tx that focuses on health education and natural approaches to wellness.

512-345-8970 2500 S. Lakeline Blvd. Ste. 100, Cedar Park 3345 Bee Caves Rd., Ste. 101 3801 S. Lamar Blvd. wisemanfamilypractice.com

Yoga Yoga We teach traditional Hatha, Vinyasa, Ashtanga, and Kundalini Yoga, as well as Prenatal & Postnatal Yoga, Children’s Yoga and Health & Wellness classes.

512-707-9642 2167 W. Anderson Lane 512-380-9800 12001 Burnet Rd. 512-490-1200 4477 S Lamar Blvd #420 512-358-1200 2501 S Capital of Texas Hwy 512-381-6464 yogayoga.com

Top quality culinary herbs for chefs, and native plants for gardeners. A nursery with expert staff and pocket-friendly prices. Free lectures most Sundays.

512-280-1192 11726 Manchaca Rd. itsaboutthyme.com

Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center The Wildflower Center is a native plant botanic garden, a university research center and one of the 1,000 places to see before you die.

512-232-0100 4801 La Crosse Ave. wildflower.org

Natural Gardener We are a garden center and teaching facility dedicated to promoting organic time-tested gardening practices.

512-288-6113 8648 Old Bee Caves Rd. naturalgardeneraustin.com

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OUTDOOR 2016

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LODGING AND TOURISM Bastrop Culinary District With over 18 restaurants and 11 food related businesses, historic downtown Bastrop has something for every palate.

Come visit and experience the food!

512-303-0904 visitbastrop.com

Brenham/Washington County CVB Visit Brenham and Washington County, home of the birthplace of Texas, Washington-on-the-Brazos State historic site. scenic drives, wineries and great lodging.

979-836-3696 115 W. Main St., Brenham visitbrenhamtexas.com

Bullock Texas State History Museum The Bullock Texas State History Museum includes three floors of exhibitions, an IMAX® theater, a 4D special-effects theater, café, and museum store.

512-936-8746 1801 N. Congress Ave. thestoryoftexas.com

Davis Gallery

Austin Beer Garden Brewing Co.

Fukumoto

Fine Art gallery and custom picture framing design studio conveniently located near downtown.

512-477-4929 837 W. 12th St. davisgalleryaustin.com

Locally-sourced lunch and dinner.

Craft brewery, live music, good people, dog friendly, creative community. #beermakesitbetter #ouratx 512-298-2242 1305 W. Oltorf St. theabgb.com

Fukumoto serves traditional Japanese cuisine with emphasis on yakitori and sushi in a casual dining environment.

512-770-6880 514 Medina St. fukumotoaustin.com

Harry Ransom Center The Ransom Center presents original exhibitions drawn from its collections of literature, art, photography, film, and performing arts. Free admission.

512-471-8944 21st & Guadalupe St. hrc.utexas.edu

PROFESSIONAL SERVICES

Vacation destination.

432-729-4772 302 S. Highland Ave., Marfa visitmarfa.com

Onion Creek Kitchens at Juniper Hills Farm Cooking classes, beautiful dining room venue for private events, hill country cabin rental.

830-833-0910 5818 RR 165, Dripping Springs juniperhillsfarm.com

AFI connects investors with Central Texas local sustainable food entrepreneurs to create quality investment opportunities with personal engagement.

512-571-0100 4101 Medical Parkway #107 austinfoodshedinvestors.com

Cafe Josie

REAL ESTATE Easton Park

Chez Nous

Farmgrass

Headwaters

PHOTOGRAPHY AND ART

Blue Corn Harvest Bar & Grill is a farm-to-table restaurant located in Cedar Park. Locally owned and operated, we keep Cedar Park fresh!

512-528-0889 700 E. Whitestone Blvd., Ste 204 Cedar Park bluecornharvest.com

Established in 1997, Cafe Josie strives to provide our guests with a memorable dining experience focusing on using locally sourced ingredients.

512-322-9226 1200 B W. 6th St. cafejosie.com

NON-PROFIT

Headwaters is a new community located in Dripping Springs celebrating natural beauty, stewardship and outdoor living. It’s ranch life, re-imagined.

2401 E. US Hwy 290 Dripping Springs liveheadwaters.com

RESTAURANTS

A casual French bistro, serving Austin since 1982, Chez Nous offers a delectable selection of regional French cuisine and wines in a relaxed, convivial and intimate atmosphere.

512-473-2413 510 Neches St. cheznousaustin.com

East Side Pies 512-524-0933 1401B Rosewood Ave. 512-454-7437 5312 G Airport Blvd.

512-467-8900 1809-1 W. Anderson Ln. eastsidepies.com

Blanton Museum of Art

416 Bar & Grille

Flyrite Chicken

The Blanton Museum of Art, one of the foremost university art museums in the country, offers all visitors engaging experiences that connect art and ideas.

512-471-7324 200 E. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd. blantonmuseum.org

Americana cuisine, full service restaurant serving dinner until midnight seven days a week. Saturday and Sunday brunch starting at 10 a.m. 416 craft cocktails.

512-206-0540 5011 Burnet Rd. #150 416barandgrille.com

At Flyrite, we believe fast food should be real food. Our delicious sandwiches, wraps and shakes are fresh and made to order. Drive Thru Eat Well!

2129 E. 7th St. 512-284-8014 flyritechicken.com

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OUTDOOR 2016

EDIBLEAUSTIN.COM

From scratch Texas home cooking.

Serving comfort food favorites like chicken fried steak, meatloaf and southern-style veggies; vegetarian options. BBQ, Sat. and Sun. breakfast.

512-479-5006 2002 Manor Rd. hooverscooking.com

Hut’s Hamburgers Blue Corn Harvest Bar & Grill

Austin Label Company

Easton Park is a 2,200 acre urban master planned community developed by Brookfield Residential Texas with 350+ acres of parks, 12 min. from downtown Austin.

512-391-1330 7100 Cardinal Bloom Loop eastonparkatx.com

Farmgrass is a 501(c)3 nonprofit that raises critical emergency medical funds for Central Texas farmers to keep them happy and healthy year-round.

512-705-5846 farmgrass.org

Located in the heart of South Lamar.

Barlata offers a variety of tapas, paellas, regional Spanish wines and cavas. Come and enjoy a bit of Spain with us.

512 473-2211 1500 S. Lamar Blvd., Ste. 150 barlataaustin.com

Austin Foodshed Investors

Custom labels up to 10 x 20 on paper, foil, synthetics, multiple adhesives, embossing, hot foil and UV coatings. Proud members of Go Texan, FTA and TWGGA. 512-302-0204 1610 Dungan Ln. austinlabel.com

City of Marfa

Hoover’s Cooking Barlata Tapas Bar

An Austin tradition since 1939 featuring grassfed Longhorn beef and bison burgers.

512-472-0693 807 W. 6th St. hutsfrankandangies.com

Jack Allen’s Kitchen Texan in spirit and local in source, Jack Allen’s Kitchen serves up Texas-inspired cuisine, fresh cocktails, cold beers and good times daily.

512-852-8558 7720 W. Hwy. 71 512-215-0372 2500 Hoppe Tr., Round Rock 512-351-9399 3600 N. Capital of TX Hwy jackallenskitchen.com

Jobell Cafe & Bistro We offer a carefully selected and prepared take on French bistro fare with wonderful wines all served amidst the intimacy and charm of Texas Hill Country.

512-847-5700 16920 Ranch Road 12 Wimberley jobellcafe.com

Kerbey Lane Cafe Kerbey Lane Cafe is a local Austin haunt serving up tasty, healthy food (mostly) 24/7. Stop by any of our 6 locations for a delicious stack of pancakes!

512-451-1436 kerbeylanecafe.com

The Leaning Pear Café & Eatery Serving the Texas Hill Country fresh and seasonal favorites using local ingredients.

512-847-7327 111 River Rd., Wimberley leaningpear.com

Lenoir

ThunderCloud Subs

Lenoir is an intimate, family-run restaurant offering a weekly, local prix-fixe menu, great wine and friendly service.

512-215-9778 1807 S. 1st St. lenoirrestaurant.com

For fresh, fast and healthy, head on over to your neighborhood ThunderCloud Subs, Austin’s original sub shop. Now with 30 locations in Central Texas.

512-479-8805 thundercloud.com

Snack Bar A nostalgic Austin cafĂŠ + lounge, cultivating community and camaraderie by providing a truly hospitable environment and serving accessible, ethical foods.

512-445-2626 1224 S. Congress Ave. snackbaraustin.com

The Turtle Restaurant Your destination for food prepared from locally available, seasonal ingredients.

325-646-8200 514 Center Ave., Brownwood theturtlerestaurant.com

Wink Restaurant & Wine Bar Thai Fresh Thai Fresh offers authentic Thai food, cooking classes, coffee bar, gluten free bakery. We source locally grown and raised ingredients.

512-494-6436 909 W. Mary St. thaifreshaustin.com

The daily menu is based on local artisans. Wink happily embraces omnivores, vegetarians, vegans, pescetarians and special dietary issues.

512-482-8868 1014 N. Lamar Blvd. winkrestaurant.com

SPECIALTY MARKETS Make It Sweet At Make It Sweet, you can find tools, supplies and ingredients to make cakes, cookies and candies and learn fun, new techniques in the classes offered.

512-371-3401 9070 Research Blvd. makeitsweet.com

TreeHouse At TreeHouse, We specialize in high preference, design, and outdoor solutions and products for the home.

512-861-0712 4477 S. Lamar Blvd. Suite 600 treehouse.co

EDIBLEAUSTIN.COM

OUTDOOR 2016

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Watermelon Radish - 22 x 22 - Watercolor on Paper

ART DE TERROIR

Jan Heaton | The Market An exhibition of new watercolors

March 5 – April 16, 2016 Opening Reception Saturday, March 5

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7 – 9 pm

Co-presented by Edible Austin Featuring small bites from Coté Catering using seasonal ingredients from local farms, artisan confections from Delysia Chocolatier and sips from Bending Branch Winery, Paula’s Texas Spirits and Saint Arnold Brewing Company. Special guests: Carol Ann Sayle and Larry Butler, Boggy Creek Farm.

837 W 12th St, Austin, TX 78701 | 512- 477-4929 | davisgalleryaustin.com | Hours: Mon-Fri 10am-6pm | Sat 10am-4pm

domain: Just off mopac, north of Braker | north: highway 183 & 360 | downtown: 6th & Lamar south: william Cannon & mopac | west: hill Country Galleria @wholefoodsatX