Notable Edibles

Volunteers help Wishard’s garden grow

A garden plot at White River State Park will be fertile ground for community engagement this summer. Novices and expert gardeners alike are invited to get their hands dirty at Wishard Slow Food Garden’s weekly Community Work and Learn sessions.

A joint project of the nonprofit Growing Places Indy, Slow Food Indy and Wishard Health Services, the 6,000-square-foot garden serves as living laboratory for those interested in learning more about urban agriculture—while providing fresh food for sale at Wishard Farmers’ Market and other outlets.

Each Wednesday from 4 to 6pm through August, community members can pitch in on planting, weeding and garden maintenance. No prior experience is necessary, nor is pre-registration required.

According to Growing Places Indy’s Laura Henderson, harvested produce will also be sold at Pogue’s Run Grocery and through a limited number of community-supported agriculture (CSA) shares. Patrons of Duos food truck can enjoy the produce in the mobile eatery’s dishes. Later in the summer, residents of nearby neighborhoods will be invited to a community pizza party featuring homegrown pizza toppings.

Crops are selected based on adaptability to urban growing conditions, and many are heirloom or rare varieties. More information: www.growingplacesindy.org or www.wishard.edu/slowfoodgarden.

—Shawndra Miller

Dinner’s ready for a close-up

For home cooks these days, it’s common to pick up a camera before picking up a fork. It seems that everyone documents their adventures in the kitchen, posting photos of their best-looking meals to Facebook and Flickr, Twitter and blogs.

The rustic-casual dinner pulled off the grill, cheeseboards arranged with Martha Stewart–like elegance and cupcakes so expertly frosted that they could appear in a cookbook—these are the images that fill our foodie brag books.

So how do you make sure that the camera loves your meal as much as your taste buds do?

We asked Indianapolis photographer Kelley Heneveld, whose business is Kelley Jordan Heneveld Photography, to share her tips for excellent food photography. For this issue, Heneveld captured a farm-to-table dinner as it unfolded at Traders Point Creamery, starting on page 10.

1. Lighting is the key to good photography, so pay attention to the light source.

Ideally, it should come in at an angle, not directly above the subject. That pendant lamp above your kitchen table? It’s not ideal. Natural light is best, so try placing the dish near a window instead. 2. Go for variety. Rotate the plate and snap it at every angle. Get in close and take a step away from it as well. 3. Choose props that will complement the subject. A white plate is suitable for most foods, especially if they’re detailed. Likewise, a simple, neutral-colored food can withstand more ornate props, like an antique plate or floral tablecloth. 4. Key an eye out for details. You’ll kick yourself if the photo is brilliant except for that awkward parsley stem sticking out from the back of the dish. 5. Eat as you go! A half eaten plate of food can be just as intriguing as the original, untouched dish. Interesting details and colors are revealed with each bite gone. —Erica Sagon

An almost-finished breakfast can look as interesting as the untouched plate.

Photo by Kelley Jordan Heneveld

Smoking Goose making a name for Indiana charcuterie

Goose the Market is spreading its wings.

In June, the owners of the meat and sandwich shop are set to open Smoking Goose, a meat smoking and curing house, and an adjacent tasting room dubbed the Meat Locker, on the Near Eastside across from Flat 12 Bierwerks.

The wholesale shop will supply Goose the Market and other businesses with hand-crafted charcuterie and other meats, including some adventurous varieties—say, elk salami that has been dry-cured with blueberries. The market’s owner, Chris Eley, will serve as the curemaster at Smoking Goose, turning whole animals from Indiana farms into a variety of salumis, sausages, dry-cured full-muscle meats and smoked meats.

Keep an eye on smokinggoose.com for a firm opening date, then watch for Eley’s products to roll out across the city.

That’s because Smoking Goose can distribute to restaurants, bars, hotels and retail markets, which Eley couldn’t legally do from the market. (But it’s no secret that local chefs pop in to the market like any other customer to buy meats for their restaurants.) Eley says he’ll target Indianapolis businesses first, but eventually he hopes to branch out to Louisville and Cincinnati.

Eley already cures on a small scale for Goose the Market, filling the charcuterie case with a thoughtful selection of meats produced elsewhere. Now he plans to offer mostly his own versions of items like soppressata, capicola and truffled baloney, plus deli-style meats for sandwiches, including smoked turkey breast, salami and ham.

Eley describes the upcoming meats as clean and free of preservatives other than salt.

“The whole product from beginning to end is meant to be at its best,” Eley says. “I’d like to produce a product that Indianapolis is proud to call its own.”

As for the Meat Locker, Eley says to think of it like a brewery. Samples are offered, but instead of going home with a growler, customers buy a package or two of meat. It’s not a slice-to-order kind of place—expect pound-sized packages and whole pieces of salumi. You wouldn’t leave a brewery with a just a single bottle of beer, right? Special items will be offered throughout the year: Picture whole smoked turkeys at Thanksgiving and smoked ham at Christmas.

Open Thursdays through Saturdays, the Meat Locker will have an industrial-rustic feel with concrete floors, an exposed ceiling, garage-style door and a bar built from barn wood. Eley plans to offer butchering classes there, too.

—Erica Sagon

Details: Smoking Goose and the Meat Locker, 407 N. Dorman St., Indianapolis; smokinggoose.com.

Goose the Market owner Chris Eley

Photo by Kelley Jordan Heneveld

Photo courtesy of Dig-IN

Sophomore effort for Dig-IN food festival

This summer’s second annual Dig-IN food festival will bring together Indiana’s growers, chefs, educators and foodies in what event director Eric Freeman dubs “a farm-to-fork celebration of Indiana’s agricultural heritage.”

On Aug. 28, 35 Indiana chefs will be invited to prepare original recipes showcasing ingredients offered up by local growers. Highlights of last year’s menu included watermelon sorbet, peachbraised pork shoulder and duck-and-kale tamales. The festival is held in partnership with the Indiana Wine Grape Council and the Brewers of Indiana Guild, ensuring that food will not be the only star of the afternoon.

This year’s event will feature a new layout that brings selected entrées and beverages together into units, allowing attendees to sample dishes and brews side by side. Live music and presentations on topics related to gardening, local sourcing and healthful eating will offer attendees ample opportunity to get out of the sun and digest for a while.

Dig-IN festival will take place from noon to 5pm on Sunday, Aug. 28, at Celebration Plaza in White River State Park. Tickets are $20 in advance or $30 at the door. See digindiana.org for ticket sale locations and a full schedule of speakers and events. —Kira L. Bennett