Notable Edibles

Turning Kitchen Scraps into Gold

Despite the best intentions to compost, it’s easy to abandon the idea when you factor in the time, energy and expertise needed to do it successfully.

Fortunately, curbside compost pickup services are beginning to take root. In Central Indiana, Earth Mama Compost is offering weekly ($10) or twice-monthly ($15) pickup of your kitchen scraps. Homes and businesses that sign up receive a five-gallon composting bucket and liner to fill with food waste (guidelines for what can be composted are found on EarthMamaCompost.com).

Why compost at all? Diverting organic matter to local farmers and community gardens—as Earth Mama does—is a winwin situation; the food waste stays out of landfills, and it’s then used to enrich the soil in your area. The soil is used to grow local food that you’ll consume, and the cycle continues.

“Living local, living sustainably, being good to the Earth and doing your part to help are all values I was raised with,” says owner Marianne Holland. “My grandparents, parents and I have all composted for as long as I can remember. Several services like ours exist in cities across the country, and with all the exciting things happening right now in our city, it seemed Indianapolis was ready for this service, too.”

Details: EarthMamaCompost.com; @earthmamaindy on Twitter; 317-759-4589.

—Caroline Mosey

New Digs for Oliver Winery

Oliver Winery has found a second place to call home. Part tasting room, part wine bar, Oliver Winery Downtown opened on Bloomington’s downtown square in late October, offering wine plus cheese and charcuterie plates and desserts.

Compared to its main tasting room, nine miles to the north on State Road 37, Oliver’s new spot has an urban feel, with more tables inside for lingering and an edited wine list with a focus on Creekbend wines, which are made with grapes from Oliver’s own Indiana vineyard.

Wines are offered as tastings, flights and by the glass or bottle. There’s even a trio of wine cocktails, like the Chambouree, made with Creekbend Chambourcin Rosé, blackberry wine and ginger ale. While Oliver’s main tasting room sells graband-go snacks, the downtown location comes closer to a true wine bar, with plates of cheese and charcuterie served with housemade accompaniments like tomato basil jam and blackberry port jam. The Local Focal plate puts the spotlight on Indiana producers, with cheese from Capriole and Traders Point Creamery and cured meat from the Smoking Goose. Desserts, made in house, include chocolate pots de crème and Zinfandel raspberry sorbet.

The tasting room has a full kitchen, meaning the menu could someday expand, says tasting room manager Drew Kincius.

“We’re a local company that makes really high-quality wine, and we put an emphasis on the food being high-quality as well,” Kincius says.

He describes the downtown tasting room as a group effort from Bill and Kathleen Oliver, owners of the 40-year-old winery, and their staff. Oliver worked with Kirkwood Design Studio to execute the rustic-meets-urban space, where the centerpiece is a massive bar made of limestone and salvaged fence wood, lit by industrial-looking glass pendants.

Details: Oliver Winery Downtown, 105 N. College Ave., Bloomington; 812-822-0466; OliverWinery.com

—Erica Sagon

Above: Oliver Winery's new tasting room in downtown Bloomington focuses on Creekbend wines, which are made with grapes from Oliver's own vineyard.