2 minute read
Readers Plate
Season’s Eatings
Sharing the health and wealth of local foods, potluck style
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Julia Phoebus (2nd row second from left) and friends. Photo by Helen Workman.
P
otlucks bring to mind baking dishes oozing with cheese or canned cream of mushroom soup. What if a potluck focused instead on in-season ingredients that are locally, organically grown?
That’s the idea behind a regular pitch-in dinner among friends in the Fletcher Place neighborhood, southeast of downtown. Middle school teacher Julia Phoebus and friends pulled together a potluck dinner every month for a year, and still eat together seasonally.
Phoebus tell us all about it:
“When I moved to Indianapolis, I found that it was sometimes difficult getting to know people, but over a meal at someone’s house a natural connection takes place. I started hosting Sunday lunches for friends and neighbors once a month, similar to a tradition that I started with my college roommates at the University of Florida.
“Last year, I was chatting with a friend from graduate school about local vs. organic food and what either of those terms actually means. We decided to host Local Organic Potlucks once a month all through 2011. We missed just one, and our group grew to 30 at its largest.
“The name says it all. For the most part, dishes are made with inseason ingredients that are grown locally and organically. We gather food from farmers’ markets, specialty shops and our own gardens. Our most recent gathering, in June, had a Summer Solstice theme. The menu included baked tomatoes from the farmers’ market, stuffed with kale, peppers and Traders Point Creamery’s pepper jack cheese; chicken sliders with a homemade blueberry-barbecue sauce; salad with kale from a friend’s garden; and beer from Upland Brewing Company.
“Now, our dinners are seasonal rather than monthly, and they are hosted and coordinated by a core group: myself; Patrick Burtch, my grad school friend; and Graham and Angela Hogg, the farmer behind Sprout Urban Farm.
“With so much produce in season, fall is the perfect time to start a local, organic potluck tradition of your own. Winter is more challenging, but dishes might shift to root vegetables and meat from farmers in the region. Try shopping at the Indy Winter Farmers’ Market at the City Market building downtown.
“I love the food aspect of a potluck, but connecting people is great, too. Friends are encouraged to bring guests that are new to the group. In fact, one couple met at our December potluck.
—As told to Erica Sagon
A seasonal potluck brings together friends and local food. Photo by Christopher Stuart.
Find potluck recipes from Phoebus and friends at EdibleIndy.com
Tell us about your tastiest food experiences, traditions and memories, and your story might be featured here. Write to us at info@edibleindy.com.
