Flavor Magazine Jun/Jul 2009 by Flavor Magazine

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june / july 2009

seasonal • local • sustainable • artisanal • unique

Eating Local Longer Preserve it while it’s here

virginia

Our Wine Section

Joel Salatin A Farmer Scorned Tempting Seasonal Recipes Dinner on the Farm with Chef Cathal Armstrong 7 Great Virginia Wines Under $20

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Supermodel Veggies • Blind Tasting • The Screw Cap Debate • Local Whiskey Rocks! Rebel Farmer Joel Salatin • Farm-to-Conference Center • Seasonal Recipes

Flavor zeroes in on Virginia’s dynamic Piedmont region. —The Washington Post

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fall 2008

Yes, there is a new Flavor in town, but it won’t be stimulating your taste buds as much as your brain . . . and it already has local foodies talking.

P i e d m o n t seasonal • local • sustainable • artisanal • unique

—The Hook (Charlottesville)

Schools Fight the Good Food Fight Cheesemakers, Vodkamakers, Troublemakers

Give bees a chance The Inn at Little Washington Local Before It Was Cool

Heirloom Apples Fall Recipes

Introducing our new wine section

The FoundingFathers of Virginia Wine: Luca Paschina, Jim Law, Gabriele Rausse free

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winter 2009

9 I have personally been incredibly impressed by the response we have

received to our presence in Flavor. We have had dozens and dozens of people respond directly to our ad in Flavor—people who come to visit us and learn about how we make our whiskey. We have many new fans of as a direct result these ads. Flavor is really hitting our target audience in a big way, and we could not be more pleased on every level. —Rick Wasmund, Copper Fox Distillery

P i e d m o n t seasonal • local • sustainable • artisanal • unique

Flavor’s readers love and support local food and wine as much as you do. Hand-Crafted

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Pairing Virgina Wine & Chocolate Tarara at 20

Maple Syrup from the Mountains The Politics of Local Food Grow Your Own Truffles

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P i e d m o n t seasonal • local • sustainable • artisanal • unique

Wanted:

Shovel-Ready Gardeners

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Tuscarora’s Menu Starts at the Farm Yard-to-Fork virginia

Our Wine Section

The Elusive Morel Nina Planck, Local Market Pioneer Linden: Successful & Small · What the Heck Is Terroir? 52

• Winter 2009

Now bi-month

ly!

34 18 features 18

Canning: Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s the New Black

Whatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s the hip way to eat locally year-round when you live in the mid-Atlantic? Canning. emily rose gum

Rebel with a Cause Transient Chefs

Fresh. Local. Convenient?

An alternative to CSAs and farmers markets, buyers clubs are helping farmers deliver their products while providing flexibility for customers.

What happens to suppliers when a farm-tofork chef leaves a restaurant.

Tales from the Field To Everything There Is a Season

sherri fickel

In-the-Field Dinner for Farmland Preservation

How do you respond when someone asks you for tomatoes on the first weekend in April?

Internationally-acclaimed chef Cathal Armstrong serves local food to save local farms.

in every issue

theresa curry

From the Publisher & the Editor

Letters from Readers & Eaters

Seasonal Table

Farmers Market Directory

Advertiser Directory

virginia

Terroir, our wine section, starts on page 53.

columns 16

joel salatin

michael clune

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departments 8

Local Grazings Happenings on the Foodie Front

From microloans to mobile kitchens, from movies to milk in glass bottles—we’ve got news for you. And check out our Mindful Living section, too, because it’s not just about food.

jennifer conrad seidel

Flavor Café Blackthorne Inn

This inn in Upperville, with its own restaurant and pub, creates an atmosphere of Irish welcome and warmth.

theresa curry

At Panorama Farms, the Murray family tends compost, not crops.

anne t. bedarf

Artisans & Entrepreneurs Not Just Any Taco Stand On the Fly is taking delicious, locally sourced food to the street. grace reynolds

In the Garden A Novel Approach to Saving the Family Farm

Artisans & Entrepreneurs Jam Session Jam According to Daniel is winning people over one jar at a time and satisfying appetites for local fruit well into winter. jennifer conrad seidel

Cover photo of strawberry jam from Jam According to Daniel and croissant from the Albemarle Baking Company taken by Cheri Bowling (www.cheribowling.com). www.flavormags.com

from the publisher & the editor We have been publishing Flavor for nearly a year now, even though it seems like it was just yesterday that we were getting our first issue out the door. This issue is our fifth, and it is our largest and most exciting issue yet. When we first began Flavor, we decided to concentrate on one region of Virginia. We chose to focus our coverage on the Piedmont region, the center of Virginia’s sustainable, slow food movement—right? Well, that is partly right. But many farmers have kindly showed us that although their land is here in the Piedmont and in surrounding areas, and although they maintain a strong presence at local farmers markets and restaurants, they need to sell their meat, eggs, produce, and wine in densely populated areas like D.C., Northern Virginia, and Richmond to be financially sustainable. The more we listened, the more we came to understand that the Piedmont is a part of what can be described as D.C.’s “foodshed.” Just as the rivers that bring water to an area are referred to as its watershed, the farms that feed a city make up its foodshed. We can all participate fully in this foodshed, whether we live in big cities or in small, outlying towns. People in the cities depend on farmers, growers, vintners, cheesemakers, and other food producers in their foodshed. And to be profitable, the farmers need people in the cities to buy what they produce. So with that awareness—and in response to the many, many requests and subscriptions we’ve received from readers in the region’s urban markets—we have expanded our distribution and editorial coverage to include what we are calling the “Capital foodshed.” The vision of the magazine has not changed. From the beginning, we’ve been telling the stories of farmers, vintners, artisans, growers, local businesses, and chefs who support and encourage the local food and wine culture of this fabulous region. But now we can reach the full scope of their customer base. All of this means that you will see Flavor in more places and that our editorial coverage will reach to the District, through southern Maryland and Northern Virginia, into the Piedmont and the Shenandoah Valley, and even down to Richmond and Willamsburg. We are grateful for all of your support. We love to hear about how much Flavor has both enhanced and become an integral part of your lives. We are grateful for all your amazing letters, e-mails, and phone calls, so keep them coming! Here’s to expanding the awareness of the Capital foodshed!

PUBLISHER

Melissa J. Harris EDITORIAL STAFF

Jennifer Conrad Seidel art director Nora Monroe advertising & events coordinator Tara Griffin account executive Karen Liot Hill account executive Stephen Dareing ad design Wendy Stark webmaster Travis Bjorklund proofreaders Annette Kaufman-Horner & Laura Merricks editor

ADVISORY BOARD

Matt Benson Marian Burros KeriAn Dodson Sheri Fickel Sandy Huckstep Hal Hunter Kevin Kraditor Jim Law Tom McSherry Cliff Miller Maggie Rogers John Fox Sullivan Melissa Wiley Chad Zakaib OPERATIONS office manager

Savannah Masters Christopher Harris

circulation & distribution manager

LETTERS & CALENDAR

Send letters to the editor, newsworthy items, and other correspondence to editor@flavormags.com SUBSCRIPTIONS & ADVERTISING

Melissa J. Harris

Jennifer Conrad Seidel

A one-year, six-issue subscription is $42. Send subscription and advertising inquiries to Flavor Magazine P.O. Box 100 Sperryville, VA 22740 (540) 987-9299 (540) 518-9190

www.flavormags.com Copyright ©2009 by Flavor Magazine. All rights reserved. Reproduction without permission of the publisher is prohibited. Flavor is not responsible for unsolicited manuscripts and photographs. Flavor is an independent, bimonthly publication created in VIRGINIA and is not affiliated with any nationally franchised publications.

flavor magazine • june/july 2009

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• right: cheri bowling

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letters from readers & eaters I had my first taste of Flavor last year, and now that I am now living in Martinique, a French overseas department located in the Caribbean, I find myself craving many things about home, particularly the cuisine—not only the local dishes and specialties of Virginia (the heirloom tomatoes, the homemade linguini, the Winesap apples), but also the zealous community of people that care about their food, its quality, its taste, its history, its politics. When my aunt sent me the latest issue of Flavor, my emotions could only be described as bittersweet. The enticing photographs, the fascinating articles, and the inspirational mission of the magazine made me feel both so near and so far away. I could almost taste the chili and cinnamon in Gearhart’s Maya chocolate, could almost savor the amber hues of Highland County maple syrup. Merci beaucoup.

Nora Nunn, Martinique

Congratulations on a fine publication. I read the April/May issue from cover to cover. You’ve shed light on facets of our area that were hitherto unkown to me. Thank you.

Ida Simmons

We want to hear what you think of Flavor and Terroir. Send your letters, suggestions, and questions to editor@flavormags.com

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local grazings

Happenings on the Foodie Front Jennifer Conrad Seidel

Mrs. Rowe’s Little Book of Southern Pies

Center for Rural Culture

Flavor contributor Mollie Cox Bryan has just published her second cookbook celebrating Mrs. Rowe’s Restaurant and Bakery (www.mrsrowes.com), at the junction of 64 and 81 in Staunton. The restaurant—which serves half a million meals annually—sells 100 handmade pies each day. The recipes for these pies are set among photographs and anecdotes from the restaurant’s 60-year history and are themselves part of Mildred Rowe’s life story, which Bryan has referred to as an “Appalachian Cinderella story.” While many committed locavores may have a special appreciation for the recipes making use of areaspecific fruits such as gooseberries and crabapples, I have my eye on the dozen pies listed in the index under “chocolate.” Pick up a copy of Mrs. Rowe’s Little Book of Southern Pies at your local independent bookstore, or find out where the next book signing will be at www .molliecoxbryan.com.

Th e C e n t e r f o r Rural Culture (www .centerforruralculture.org) is an advocate for the community life, environment, and agricultural-based economies in the counties surrounding Richmond. It founded the Goochland Farmers Market, sponsors events like the recent showing of the Sierra Club film The True Cost of Food, and seeks other ways to support the region’s “land-based” lifestyle. The center has its work cut out for it, given Richmond’s increasing sprawl. Visit the website to see how you can support the center’s efforts.

Whole Foods Local Producer Loan Program I first heard about this program when I attended a conference in April put on by the Virginia Agriculture and Food Entrepreneurship Program. Whole Foods grants low-interest loans of up to $100,000 to local farmers and producers who need capital to expand an existing business. The company has already made more than $2 million in loans. Moorenko’s Ice Cream of McLean, Virginia—which sources nonrBGH milk and eschews chemical emulsifiers and stabilizers—is one local recipient. Find out more at www.wholefoodsmarket .com/values or talk to the manager of your local Whole Foods Market.

flavor magazine • june/july 2009

Food, Inc. If you buy anything from a conventional grocery store, you need to see Food, Inc. This new documentary, which opens in New York, L.A., and San Francisco in mid-June, aims to “lift the veil on our nation’s food industry.” The film argues that we should scrutinize and hold accountable Big Food just as we have Big Tobacco. It discusses topics including genetically engineered food, the prevalence of pesticides, agribusiness’s impact on the environment, cloning, food-borne illnesses, and conditions faced by farmworkers. Filmgoers will get a chance to see what they’ve read about in eye-opening books like Eric Schlosser’s Fast-Food Nation and Michael Pollan’s Omnivore’s Dilemma. Another reason to see it: the film includes interviews with the ever-provocative Joel Salatin, a Flavor columnist. To see a trailer and find out when Food, Inc., will be showing near you, go to www.foodincmovie.com.

Stoneybrook Farms This Oregon Tilth–certified organic farm thrives on property that had been zoned for development. Started in 2006, Stoneybrook Farm’s 45 acres now support a CSA, a farm store, and a wholesale operation that includes about a dozen Whole Foods Markets in the greater D.C. area. The year-round Farm Market, which sits across from the Old Stone School in Hillsboro, has its grand opening on June 1 and will include the farm’s own produce as well as products from other local growers, farmers, and producers. Have an appetite for produce that is both local and organic? Get directions to the store at www.stoneybrookfarm.org or call (540) 668-9067.

Homestead Creamery It may be hard to describe the difference in taste between milk poured from a chilled glass bottle and that poured from a cold plastic jug or container made of waxed cardboard. But it isn’t hard to describe the difference between small scale, familyowned dairy farms and farms like those exposed in the Internet film The Meatrix II: Revolting. I get local, fresh pasteurized milk in glass bottles from Homestead Creamery. The bottles make milk taste better and they reduce waste: One bottle can do the work of 40 plastic jugs. When you buy the milk, you pay a $2 deposit that is refunded when you return the bottle to the store. Homestead Creamery, near Smith Mountain Lake, sources from two dairy farms and makes butter, milk, and ice cream. If your local grocery doesn’t carry their products, call (540) 721-2045 to find your closest retailer.

www.flavormags.com

local grazings

Local Sixfortyseven

Fresh

Derek Luhowiak, formerly Ayrshire Farms’ executive chef, and his wife, Amanda, have launched Local Sixfortyseven, a mobile farm-to-fork kitchen that prepares cook-to-order dishes at farmers markets and events. Based in Marshall, Virginia, Local Sixfortyseven (which is a nod both to the highway near their home and to Derek’s having grown up in Pittsburg, a city with a strong union presence) has created dishes such as chicken salad with seven of their own herbs and chicken from Briars Farmstead in Boyce, house-made pizzelles with strawberries from Mayfair Farm in Bunker Hill, West Virginia, and foraged-ramp soup. The Luhowiaks have served customers at Barrel Oak Winery’s first anniversary celebration in Delaplane and at farmers markets from Winchester to Fairfax. Drop them a note at luhowiak@ hotmail.com or join the Local Sixfortyseven fan group on Facebook to invite them to an event or find out where they’ll be next.

Those looking to be inspired in their efforts to promote sustainable farming practices will want to see Fresh, a new call-to-action documentary. Screenings of the film are followed by panel discussions in which farmers, chefs, and food artisans talk about the local food movement in their area. One such screening, sponsored by FreshFarm Markets, will take place at the Avalon in Washington, D.C., on May 26 at 8:00. Visit www .freshthemovie.com to find out when the film will be shown in your area.

flavor magazine • june/july 2009

local grazings mindful living Mountain Lumber Mountain Lumber of Ruckersville produces flooring made from newly harvested lumber approved by the Forest Stewardship Council and from antique lumber salvaged from buildings slated for demolition. In the eastern U.S., antique oak and chestnut tends to come from old barns and rural structures; antique heart pine is often found in factories and mills built around the Industrial Revolution. Mountain Lumber is selectively sourcing some antique wood from abroad, too. For example, they offer flooring made from 110-year-old vats used at the Guinness Brewery in Ireland. All the wood is milled in Ruckersville, where the company is based and has its main showroom. To see this truly unique, gorgeous wood for yourself, check www.mountainlumber .com to find out which buildings near you feature Mountain Lumber floors, like the Goodstone Inn and Estate in Middleburg or Charlottesville’s Main Street Market. Call (800) 445-2671 or visit the website to learn about the kinds of wood available, request samples, get directions to the showroom, or let them know when you’ll be dismantling a barn.

The Old Lucketts Store We could encourage you to buy used furniture because you’ll be keeping it out of the landfill, or because you can make an anti-consumerist statement by refusing to buy something from a chain store, or because it’s hard to find furniture made from responsibly harvested wood. But what it really comes down to is this: secondhand (aka vintage or antique) is cool. You can bump up your hip factor by shopping at the 10th annual Spring Market at the Old Lucketts Store (42350 Lucketts Road, Leesburg). More than 100 vendors will be selling oneof-a-kind, nothing-like-it-at-Ikea items from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on May 30 and 31. Admission is $7 (unless you’re under 12 years old, in which case you get in free). Details and directions can be found at www .luckettstore.com, or call (703) 779-0268 to get the scoop.

Joseph Keyser

Saturday, June 20

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Nearly 50 experts in green technologies Local foods and fun for all

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“Anyone who’s been to Ireland knows there’s a certain feeling you get when you walk into an Irish pub. People are warm, everyone’s happy, and it’s just infectious. That’s what we were aiming for.” — chef John Power

flavor magazine • june/july 2009

flavor café

Blackthorne Inn Theresa Curry Photos by Molly McDonald Peterson

Once owned by George Washington, this Fauquier County property now hosts a peaceful inn, a lively pub, and an innovative restaurant.

e don’t know if George Washington ever slept there, but his name is on the original deed to the Upperville property now known as the Blackthorne Inn. For the two years the O’Connor family has managed the inn, pub, and restaurant—previously known as the 1763 Inn—John Power has been in the kitchen. Power worked with Shane O’Connor in his catering business before helping the O’Connors open the Blackthorne Inn. Before that, Power worked at the former Fiddlers Green in The Plains, having already held several positions in upscale D.C. kitchens. The Irish theme for the restaurant at the Blackthorne seemed an obvious choice, given an Irish family at the helm and the many Irish jockeys, owners, and trainers who congregate in Virginia’s horse country. But the plan included more than Irish food and beer. “Anyone who’s been to Ireland knows there’s a certain feeling you get when you walk into an Irish pub. People are warm, everyone’s happy, and it’s just infectious,” Power said. “That’s what we were aiming for.”

A Nod to the Emerald Isle The island country that produced generations of playwrights and pugilists doesn’t live on watery stews and cabbage these days. “Ireland’s a bit of a food destination now,” Power explained. “We wanted to have an informal atmosphere and lots of dishes that are fun and informal, but we wanted to offer a full range of good food, just like you’d see in Ireland.” In making up his menu, he also envisioned another European model—the French bistro, where simple one-pot dishes with a fine glass of wine and some good bread make a satisfying and comforting meal. He’s found people continue to flock to the restaurant and the pub, Wolfe Tone’s (named after an Irish hero), despite widespread financial uncertainty. “We’re doing better than a lot of other places, in part because we have a real range of prices,” he said. The policy at the Blackthorne Inn is to let people order pub food in the restaurant and order from the full restaurant menu at the pub. “I love to see people come in with their families and make a meal from simple, comfort-food dishes like chicken pot pies, fish and chips, or Irish nachos,” said Power. The nachos, his invention, have as their base “chips” (what we call french fries) instead of the crunchy corn-based chips used in fast-food nachos. Irish cheddar, smoky bacon, and a

light garlic sauce go on this hearty plate. The secret to a good chip—which should be crisp and fresh-tasting—is to cook the potatoes slightly before frying them, he advised. Other popular items are the pâté and the Irish seafood chowder. “And people always love a good steak,” Power said. He changes the menu seasonally, and there are always specials highlighting the current harvest.

Ireland’s Cuisine, Virginia’s Ingredients Power said he’s been lucky with the local vendors who knock on his door with mushrooms, pea shoots, wine, and potatoes harvested from the Piedmont countryside. “They may show up with one thing and I may talk to them awhile about it. If they’re reliable and their products are good, I’ll talk to them about other things I may need.” He’s a real supporter of fledgling vendors. “One recent great find for me is the Cardinal Bakery. That’s where I buy my breads,” Power confided. “They’re really committed to staying small and producing authentic European bread.” Breakfast breads like scones and Irish soda bread are made inhouse. Other horse-country suppliers are Featherbed Angus Farms, an organic Middleburg cattle operation, and Wisteria Gardens in Berkeley Springs, West Virginia, from whom Power buys vegetables. Wisteria Gardens’ innovative mixes of microgreens have subtle variations: they may have a lemony flavor, or the bite of tiny arugula leaves, or the pungent taste of baby bok choi. “I like to sauté these to go with fish,” he said. Landscape designer Sally Bolton from the Corner Garden provides him with flowers and choice vegetables; local Julia Tayloe supplies potatoes and onions. “It takes awhile to build up these relationships,” he said, “but it’s worth it. I like it when they are able to reap some rewards for their superior products, or when I can buy all of a certain item they grow and help them out that way.” www.flavormags.com

BELLE MEADE SCHOOL grades 6-9 academic excellence through experiential learning school bellemeadeschool.org 540-987-8970 BELLE MEADE FARM practicing sustainable agriculture eggs, produce beef, pork, chicken, turkey BELLE MEADE BED & BREAKFAST beautiful views, farm-fresh food BELLE MEADE DAY CAMP active, outdoor fun for boys and girls, ages 6-13

bellemeade.net • 540-987-9748 • 353 F.T. Valley Road, Sperryville, VA 22740 14

flavor magazine • june/july 2009

“I like it when [local producers] are able to reap some rewards for their superior products.” — chef John Power

E MEAD L EL

Irish Seafood Chowder Serves 8. Preparation time: 20 minutes Cooking time: 20 minutes

1 gallon whole milk 1 quart half-and-half 1 large onion, diced 2 leeks, diced 4 stalks of celery with leaves, diced 4 large Idaho potatoes, peeled and cut into 1-inch chunks ¼ pound butter 1 cup flour 1 pound fish fillet (Haddock, cod, or similar fish preferred) cut into 1-inch chunks ½ pound salmon fillet, cut into 1-inch chunks ½ pound shrimp, peeled and deveined ½ pound scallops 2 cups fish or clam stock ¼ cup Madeira Salt and white pepper Fresh thyme and parsley, chopped Heat milk and half-and-half in a sauce pan until just below the boiling point. In a large pot over medium heat, sweat onions, leeks, celery, and potatoes in butter for about 10 minutes. Add flour and stir until fully incorporated. Cook for about two more minutes. Slowly add hot milk to other ingredients, stirring constantly. Lower heat. Add seafood, stock, and Madeira. Simmer over low heat for 10 more minutes. Remove from heat. Add salt and pepper and fresh herbs to taste.

A Good Pint On tap at the lively pub are Irish beers, of course, and lots of Guinness. “Everyone in Ireland knows that some pubs have better pints than others,” Power remarked. “We’re known for our good pints.” Also popular are the Virginia wines sold both in Wolfe Tone’s and in the restaurant. “People really want to taste products from Virginia vineyards,” Power said. “I make sure we stock a good variety.” Like the restaurant, the pub provides a relaxed family atmosphere, which is no coincidence. It’s managed by Neassa O’Connor, a member of the extended family—some of whom came over from Ireland to pitch in. Then there’s the bartender, Casey, who manages to sing at least one James Brown song even if there’s an Irish band playing. Patrons from the Irish diaspora stop in. Bands fly over from the Emerald Isle for special evenings. Neighbors and travelers feel welcome the minute they come in the door. “Somehow,” Power reflected, “it all works.” Theresa Curry, a frequent contributor to Flavor, also wrote “In-the-Field Dinner for Farmland Preservation,” on page 34.

The Blackthorne Inn 10087 John Mosby Highway, Upperville (540) 592-3848 www.blackthorne-inn.com Restaurant Lunch: Mon., Wed.–Sat., 11:30 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. Light fare: Wed.– Mon., 3:00 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. Dinner: Wed.– Mon., 5:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. Brunch: Sun., 11:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.

Wolfe Tone’s Pub Sun., Mon., Wed. & Thurs., 1:30 p.m. to 11:30 p.m. Fri. & Sat., 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 a.m.

www.flavormags.com

rebel with a cause · fragmentstfromfloyd.com

Transient Chefs Joel Salatin

fred first

Chefs, not restaurants, show loyalty to their suppliers.

art of my responsibility as a regular columnist in Flavor, at least as I see it, is to bring locavores, foodies, and anyone interested in integrity food to a better understanding of what goes on behind the local food scene. Our routines protect us from knowing—or even wanting to know—the real issues surrounding food. In this column, I want to delve into what I call “transient chef syndrome.” Thirty years ago when I did a one-year stint as a journalist, I thought news reporters were the most transient employees in the world. Not so. Now I think it’s chefs. Our farm services about 40 chefs, many of whom are in the Charlottesville area. We began selling to chefs about 20 years ago. The one lesson I’ve learned is that chefs, not restaurants, are loyal to farmers and growers.

do they charge for a meal? Ditto the Homestead. Greenbrier: off again, on again. Keswick: in, out, in, out, in—all based on chef changes. Glenmore Country Club says, “If it’s not USDA inspected, we’re scared of it”—this from the board of trustees, despite the fact that it’s legal to sell and the chef wants it. (At Glenmore, the issue was eggs. Since we don’t candle or certify our sizing scales or do other things required for a USDA-certified stamp, our cartons carry no government stamp. Interestingly, the things that most people are worried about—like salmonella—are not even part of the government certification. But since the cartons did not carry a USDA sticker, the Glenmore trustees were afraid to serve them. This is the same government agency, by the way, that encourages farmers to feed dead chickens and chicken manure to their cows,

Chefs seem to think they must show leadership by throwing out the old vendors and coming in with a new group. Boar’s Head Inn in Charlottesville is probably my primary example of this principle. More than 20 years ago, Chef Ken Harnad began local sourcing, creating a reputation that was unparalleled in the region. After the restaurant was sold, the new owners hired an Ivy League MBA comptroller to get a handle on costs.

Immediately all of us locals were back in. We had a nice, big account, happy patrons, write-ups in the food press. Life was good. For a year. When that chef headed to happier hunting grounds, we farmers were thrown out again. It has been two years, and now all of a sudden we’re being courted to return by—guess who!—a new chef. Meanwhile, the patrons have no clue that all these behind-the-scenes shenanigans are going on. I could give you names of regional eateries and their stories that would make you scream in frustration. For example, Wintergreen tells us, “We can’t afford your food.” And what

flavor magazine • june/july 2009

molly mcdonald peterson

He immediately targeted the higher priced, local, tastier products: pastured meats, compost-grown heirloom tomatoes, and so on. Harnad resigned not long thereafter. All of us local, artisanal suppliers were summarily discarded by the new regime. Several years later, and probably many disappointed patrons later, Boar’s Head went through a reincarnation by hiring another truly artisanal chef.

that encouraged farmers to feed dead cows to their cows for 40 years, and that encourages genetic prostitution, irradiation, and subsidizes corn. So much for trustworthiness.) Apparently, a new chef feels obligated to throw out the old regime’s suppliers as a sign of who’s in control. Then his or her replacement does the same thing. It’s enough to drive a farmer nuts. What I’ve learned from it all is that, first, the really good chefs always find a way to work with local, high-quality producers and, second, restaurants have no loyalty to suppliers. All loyalty is personal, through the chef. There is a cycle to this: an artisanal chef’s success is followed— after his or her departure—by a season in which the restaurant rests on its previous reputation. Patrons eventually notice the change and fall away. The restaurant is then re-birthed with new owners or a new chef. Then the cycle starts all over again. The lag time between the drop in cuisine quality and patrons’ exodus can be fairly long. The silver lining is that when chefs change venues, they take their old suppliers with them. And when sous chefs launch their own endeavors, they introduce suppliers to the new kitchen. So while we farmers may lose one restaurant, we might gain two. Lots of play action goes on behind those kitchen doors. The time that a chef’s move benefited me the most was when Lisa Joy and Doug Porter closed 23 Beverley in Staunton and she became the head chef at Joshua Wilton House in Harrisonburg. She introduced our pastured meats and poultry there, and it has been our flagship restaurant for nearly two decades. After Joy and Porter headed to Bermuda for new venues, her replacement, chef Mark Newsome, continued to use our meat, eggs, and poultry. Chef Angelo Vangelopoulos at the Ivy Inn in Charlottesville represents the most consistently loyal restaurant group: chefowners. These smaller, entrepreneurial establishments exude relational and artisanal integrity. Nonbureaucratic, they are masters at sourcing and preserving product quality all the way to the plate. Transient chefs are both a curse and a blessing. The point of this story is that patrons need to understand that just because a restaurant works hard at artisanship for a while, this in no way guarantees the same effort in the future. I encourage people to follow chefs, not establishments. The chefs don’t change their spots. Many are like Chef Ken Harnad, who, when his working climate changed, resigned. That’s the sign of a true-blue artisanal chef, God bless ’em. Internationally acclaimed conference speaker and author Joel Salatin and his family operate Polyface Farm in Augusta County near Staunton, Virginia, producing and direct marketing “salad bar” beef, “pigaerator” pork, and pastured poultry. He is now also co-owner, with Joe Cloud, of T&E Meats in Harrisonburg. Visit www.polyfacefarms.com for a list of restaurants and stores that feature Polyface products, a calendar of Joel’s speaking engagements, and information on his many books.

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Canning

Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s the New Black Emily Rose Gum

www.thebittenword.com

flavor magazine â&#x20AC;˘ june/july 2009

The almost-lost art of canning is back in fashion as people look to eat locally in and out of season.

his summer, for the first time, I have a vegetable garden of my own. I asked for gardening tools for Christmas, chose seeds from Southern Exposure Seed Exchangeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s catalog, and am now awaiting my harvest. It is a

modest garden, since I work full-time. But even a small garden can amply provide for my family of two and will likely produce an excess. I am two generations removed from the farm. That is one generation enough for me to lack the skills of food preservation. My mother dried corn, made strawberry jam, and froze peas. But when I was 10, she felt the pull to return to the working world and other hobbies, so she downsized her garden and finally let it become overgrown. At the age when I would just be learning preservation skills from her, she gave them up.

Skipping a Generation Now, why would I lament this loss? Canned corn does not inspire me. But a jar of fig preserves? That I cannot be without. While it is true that I am lucky enough to be able to purchase such favorites close by, it is also true that it is less expensive to make them for myself, especially when I may throw away excess food in the summer only to purchase it again in the winter. Also connected to this is my desire to support local food artisans. On my budget, the more economical I can be with produce, the more likely it is that I can buy local beef, for example. And yet another reason to preserve my own food is that I can make preserves, sauces, and salsas just the way that I like themâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;not too salty, not too sweet.

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To learn a bit more about what preserving summer produce would entail, I visited my friend Edith Coleman in her canning kitchen. That’s right—she spends so many hours between June

I am two generations removed from courtesy of the library of congress

the farm. That is one generation enough for me to lack the skills of food preservation. and November canning that her husband built her a second kitchen in their basement. While my mom says that pickles are the best for first-time canners, Coleman says tomatoes. I may start with fruit preserves. Just about any fruit that you can think of can be preserved: strawberries, raspberries, blackberries, rhubarb, apples, cherries. A good reason to start with fruit preserves is that if the canning process doesn’t work out too well on your first try, you can put the jam in unsealed jars in your refrigerator or freezer, where they will keep for several months. And preserves are so delicious and versatile that once you start canning them, you will never want to stop.

Safety First The basic idea of canning (which actually uses jars and not cans) is to kill any bacteria that may be in the food and then to create a seal between the jar and the lid. Heating the food and creating an airtight seal are critical to preventing spoilage caused not by mold, but by undetectable bacteria that renders food contaminated. There are two basic methods for canning: boiling-water bath canning and pressure canning. The latter uses a pressure canner, the former uses any large pot.

Edith Coleman’s Three-Day Pickles

7 pounds of cucumbers 2 cups slack lime (also called chloride of lime, available where canning supplies are sold) 2 gallons water 2 quarts vinegar 4½ pounds sugar 1 tablespoon salt 1 teaspoon celery seeds 1 teaspoon whole cloves 1 teaspoon mixed pickling spice

Day 1 Slice cucumbers into coins ¼-inch thick. Cover with slack lime and water. Soak for 24 hours. Day 2 Rinse cucumbers thoroughly. Cover with fresh water and soak for 3 hours. Drain well and transfer to a large pot. Combine vinegar, sugar, salt, celery seeds, cloves, and pickling spice, and pour over cucumbers. Let sit overnight.

Vegetables must be canned using the pressure canning method, a slightly complicated process that heats foods to at least 240 F. 20

flavor magazine • june/july 2009

Bacteria are not likely to grow in naturally acidic fruits and vegetables like apples, berries, and tomatoes or in pickled foods like cucumbers or beets, so these can be canned using a boilingwater bath. (Acidic foods have a pH of 4.6 or less; low-acid foods have a pH of 4.6–7.0.) In this canning method, filled and closed mason jars are set on a rack inside a pot filled with hot water that is then brought to a boil. This heats food to 212 degrees Fahrenheit, which kills bacteria and creates a seal to protect the food from later contamination. The time jars spend in the bath varies from five minutes to over an hour, depending on the food being preserved. Most vegetables, which have a high pH and thus a low acid

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Day 3 Place the pot as-is on the stove, and boil gently for 40 minutes. Put sliced cucumbers in sterilized jars and cover with liquid, leaving ½-inch headspace. Finish using the boiling-water bath method. Instructions at flavormags.com/enhanced.

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content, must be canned with a pressure cooker in order to get the food to the necessary temperature (at least 240 degrees Fahrenheit) to ensure that no bacteria have survived. This canning method is also used for preserving meat, poultry, seafood, and soup. Cooking time ranges from 20 to 100 minutes. Pressure cookers lock in a way that regular pots with lids don’t, and the heat trapped builds pressure and increases the temperature above the boiling point. It’s crucial to have the manufacturer’s instructions for the pressure cooker and to be sure used equipment is in good shape, because these can be dangerous if damaged or not used correctly. So while picking, cleaning, and preparing foods for canning are all family activities, canning is not an activity for children. Even adults should avoid canning at times when they’ll encounter distractions.

New Hands, Old Methods Canning takes a few specific supplies: jars, ring bands, lids, metal tongs (or something to lift and move a very hot jar), and a large pot or pressure canner. Most grocery stores will have what you need—apart from the pot and canner. Coleman gets what she needs from the Cheese Shop in Stuarts Draft. Canning jars can be reused as long as they are not chipped or cracked. And although ring bands can be reused as well, lids cannot. Jars, ring bands, and lids must be sterilized before canning. This can be done by setting them in boiling water for at least 10

N OWHERE

This truly inspirational cupboard contains beans, applesauce, jam, pickles, chow chow, beets, tomatoes, pears, peaches, jam, and tomato sauce.

minutes or running them through a cycle in the dishwasher. You will also need a good recipe. Even seasoned canners like Coleman pull out their recipes each season to ensure success. Canning happens in stages and, depending on the recipe, may take a full day or need to be spread out over a couple days. For instance, when you’re working with items that need to be peeled, seeded, cored, precooked, or strained, you’ll want to set aside part of a day just for preparing ingredients. The second day will be busy enough with sterilizing and completing other steps, such as cooking fruits in syrup. It is important to have all the things you need ready and close at hand, because once you start packing jars, you’ll want to move quickly.

EL SE will you find fresh, all natural

pies made from fruits & berries locally grown on our family farm and baked in our Loudoun County bakery.

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your downtown market as the vendors are closing up Expert advice on preserving foods, including detailed shop to make a deal on their instructions for canning and freezing, provided by end-of-the-day stock. Or ask Virginia Cooperative Extension can be found at neighbors whether they are flavormags.com/enhanced. going to use the apples growenhanced ing on their tree or the extra squash in their garden. If you want to put up food for the lean months but aren’t inclined to can, you may want to consider freezing. In many When the filled jars have cooled, they are inspected to instances, freezing is just as good an option as canning, although be sure the seals are secure. Lids should be flat and a little the shelf life is shorter for frozen foods. You are likely paying to indented—just like they are on jars of pasta sauce at the grocery cool a freezer anyway, and the materials for freezing (resealable store. When you press the top of the lid with your index finger, bags) are less expensive than the materials for canning. Or you it should not spring back. Jars are then stored in a cool, dry can do both—can some foods and freeze others. Even Coleman, place for months or years, depending on the contents. an avid canner, has two freezers packed with goods. Pick & Choose Back to the Future How should you decide what to preserve in any particular Canning fell out of fashion largely because fruits and vegetables season? “It all depends on the season, who brings it to you, and grown in other states, countries, and even hemispheres are whether you can afford to buy it,” Coleman said. Try canning now available year-round and because it has been so easy to get produce when its season is peaking and when the flavors are canned goods at the local grocery store. But those trying to eat at their best. You can use blemished ingredients when making more locally grown food have found that they can eat locally and canning things like applesauce, jams, and sauces, but well into the winter if they can or freeze food bought during the you’ll need to use your discernment when canning unprepared growing season. Others are canning because it is economical or foods like green beans and carrots. Consider showing up at

Charlottesville VA family seek FT Cook/ House Assistant, enjoys healthy & organic foods. Duties: prepare meals, clean and organize house - weekdays, some weekends, avail holidays. Great attitude, flexible for active family. Some menu planning, food shopping, serving, clearing/cleaning dishes & assist maintaining house. 3 years’ cooking & housekeeping exper. - chef exper. preferred, not reqd. Relocate, valid drivers license, US work authorization & background check reqd. Salary, relocation cost & live-out/in/ on property negotiable, benefits included. Email resume & refers to MaribyC@yahoo.com, fax 202.637.3593 and/or call 202.220.8158

flavor magazine • june/july 2009

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Soups, Salads, Sandwiches Fine Wine and Beer seasonal foods, often organic sourced locally & made fresh daily

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Detailed Information on Canning

Freeze veggies and fruits like figs in season, when they are plentiful, instead of purchasing them (or doing without) in the winter.

Fig Preserves

5 pounds figs, quartered 3 pounds sugar 2 limes

Quarter figs and place them in a cake pan or shallow dish. Cover with sugar and gently toss. Cover with plastic wrap and let stand overnight. The next day, slice the limes thinly, leaving the rinds intact but removing any seeds. Dump everything into an appropriately sized pot and boil until figs are tender and jam is the consistency that you prefer. Put in small sterilized jars, leaving ½-inch headspace. Finish using the boiling-water bath method. Instructions at flavormags.com/enhanced.

because they prefer the taste of food they prepare themselves. Whatever your reason for stocking up on tomatoes at the farmers market or picking gallons of berries at an area pickyour-own farm, you’ll likely find you’re not the only one in the neighborhood filling mason jars this summer. First-time canners can ask around to find a mentor, like Coleman, who can give tips and recipes; novices can walk the aisles of the grocery store to see what can be preserved, too. Some cookbooks also provide good step-by-step instructions and recipes. If you need to borrow canning equipment, go all out and throw a canning party. Each partygoer can bring jars, ring bands, lids, ingredients, and a recipe. You can share the equipment and swap jars of canned summer produce for a more diversified pantry. Come July, I’m hoping to have a canning party as successful as my garden-planning party was in January! Emily Rose Gum, an assistant editor with The Hedgehog Review, tends her garden in Charlottesville’s Fifeville neighborhood, where she hosted the garden-planning party featured in Flavor’s April/May 2009 issue.

The Cheese Shop 2366 Tinkling Spring Road, Stuarts Draft (540) 337-4224 www.thecheeseshopva.com

Fine Virginia Cuisine

www.LetoileRestaurant.com 817 West Main St. Charlottesville, VA 22903

(434) 979-7957

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tales from the field

To Everything There Is a Season gardiner lapham

Michael Clune

Retraining customers’ appetites to match Virginia’s growing cycles. He walked up to my stand and asked, “Got any tomatoes?” I could feel my heart quicken, my hands curl into fists, and a thin sheen of sweat begin to form on my forehead—despite the blustery early April afternoon. Here we go again, I thought to myself. Based on the gentleman’s suit, he was obviously a professional who had emerged from one of the concrete-andglass monstrosities surrounding the Dupont Circle market. “We won’t be seeing them until late June or early July—if Mother Nature agrees,” I replied. Searching his eyes, I hoped to see some glimmer of understanding of why he would not get a field-grown tomato from me at the end of winter. Not surprisingly, I was disappointed. “I got some great tomatoes from Eastern Market last weekend,” he informed me. “What’s wrong? Can’t you grow them?” I will spare you, my gentle readers, my rather colorful response. So what about that early April farmers market tomato? It may look like a duck, walk like a duck, and quack like a duck, but that doesn’t necessarily mean that it is a duck. (It could be a vulture in disguise.) The bane of all market farmers are resellers—individuals whose greatest investment is driving to a commercial farmers market, purchasing fruits and vegetables, and then selling them in another market as if they grew the produce themselves.

Searching his eyes, I hoped to see some glimmer of understanding of why he would not get a field-grown tomato from me at the end of winter. 24

flavor magazine • june/july 2009

I knew of one ol’ boy who would drive a Cadillac to the market and purchase a trailer full of watermelons and peaches. On Saturday mornings, he’d don a day-old beard, a pair of beat-up overalls, and a John Deere cap and set up camp on the side of the road. To the tourists cruising up and down I-95, he was the epitome of a “quaint” Southern farmer. They would pay triple his cost for his melons or peaches, snap a picture to show all their friends in the city, and cruise off to the North with pesticide-riddled fruit grown in Mexico. Then he would amble back to his house on the golf course, laughing at the stupidity of tourists. My criticism is not directed at those individuals who, for the sake of efficiency, resell what they’ve gotten from other local producers. Typically, these resellers inspect both the farms and produce of their local suppliers to insure that sustainable practices are being used and quality is unquestionable. They, in turn, sell for those local farmers who don’t have the inclination, labor, or time to market their products themselves. I am, however, often frustrated by consumers’ ignorance. We, as a society, think that we can have what we want, when we want it—and we want it now! I accept that it is our responsibility as growers to educate the public about the “season of things.” Asparagus season is a good example. Here in Virginia, our half acre of asparagus is erupting from the ground like a colony of rabid woodchucks, thanks to some rather high April temperatures. Though it is a valuable spring crop in the marketplace, we will only pick that asparagus for seven weeks because over-harvesting would cause irreparable damage to next year’s crop. When it’s done, it’s done. So when Thanksgiving rolls around and you just have to have asparagus for your holiday meal, don’t ask me for it and then get defensive when I give you the look. Unless you had to the foresight to freeze it at the height of its

season, you’ll just have to prepare my recommended roasted root vegetable medley to complement that stuffed bird. Don’t get me wrong, I absolutely love going to the farmers markets. I welcome customers’ feedback, recipe exchanges, and the opportunity to tell people what we have going on at the farm. And I understand that part of my job is to help my CSA subscribers and market patrons understand the cyclical nature of the food they eat and how to relish its return when the time comes. I assure them that a fresh heirloom tomato will taste even sweeter after a nine-month absence. My not-so-diplomatic rant is over for now. Thanks to the efforts of vegetable manager extraordinaire Emily Cook, we are ahead of schedule this year. Tomatoes and squash were transplanted in mid-April. The irrigation and—yippee!—the deer fence are in place. Thanks to Mother Nature’s decision not to smack us with a late frost, our native collection of bees have ably pollinated our cherry, apple, and peach trees. In other words, it’s time for me to get out from in front of my computer and go work on my farmer’s tan. Michael Clune is the director of farm operations for the Farm at Sunnyside in Washington, Virginia. A former firefighter and paramedic, he is an ardent advocate of local sustainable agriculture.

540.687.8882 540.592.9020

Home Farm Store Hunter’s Head Tavern

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Fresh. Local. Convenient? Sherri Fickel

Buyers clubs deliver local food to city dwellers.

flavor magazine â&#x20AC;˘ june/july 2009

ark Reinhardt pulls his white panel truck— painted with a pastoral scene of a cow,

chickens, and farmland—into a suburban office park in Northern Virginia. He and his partner, Laurie Smith, are surrounded by everything that does not belong in the scene depicted on their truck: office buildings filled with dentists and real estate agents, an Arthur Murray dance studio, blinking stoplights, roaring airplanes, noisy traffic, and the scent of fast-food french fries. But in this setting, Reinhardt and Smith—the proprietors of The Local Flavor, a farm buyers club—receive warm wishes, friendly greetings, and big smiles as they bring local food to eager suburbanites who don’t have the time to drive out to the country and collect it themselves. “I love that people are so enthusiastic about it,” Smith said. “We are providing a product that you can’t get at a grocery store.”

molly mcdonald peterson

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City-Dwellers & Suburbanites Are Locavores, Too Despite their distance from farmland, many people in cities and suburbs want to eat local, healthful food that they trust is grown sustainably and, in the case of meat and eggs, humanely. They also appreciate having a personal relationship with their distributor. And many busy farmers need help getting that food to people in the cities. No matter how artisanal, sustainable, and thoughtful their growing methods are, farmers produce more than their immediate neighbors can eat. Reinhardt and Smith, along with others like them, are solving this distribution problem. As Reinhardt pointed out, “It is more energy efficient to bring food into the city, rather than having everyone make individual trips from farm to farm.”

Customer Kimberly Hartke picked up her meat and egg order from Reinhardt and Smith in Reston. Hartke sponsors this “drop site” for The Local Flavor at her real estate office. She sponsors other buyers clubs at the same site, providing more frequency and variety for club customers nearby. “The more we can drive consumers to these farm buyers clubs, the more convenient it will get,” she said. The clubs are also a welcome break for many farmers, who may have found that their product does not sell well at farmers markets. Imagine, for example, that you’ve brought meat to market: It sits in coolers in the hot sun all day. You may not have brought enough of the cut that someone wants. Customers are not prepared to carry perishable goods. Packaging may break (rendering your product unsellable). And you have to haul leftovers back home. At producer-only farmers markets, vendors can’t diversify their offerings by selling their neighbors’ eggs or another grower’s lettuce, for instance, no matter the quality. Every single farmer must drive in and set up a booth to have access to these customers, and every customer must drive to the farmers market, further increasing the carbon footprint of local food.

The Local Flavor’s Laurie Smith and Mark Reinhardt

Same Goal, Different Models Although buyers clubs differ in both the way they are managed and the goods they sell, they all operate on roughly the same premise: Customers place an order from an inventory list— choosing what they want, specifying how much they want, and ordering as frequently as they want. The clubs coordinate picking up the goods from various producers and then meet the customers at a predetermined time and place. Some clubs charge a one-time membership fee or a delivery fee to help defray costs. Buyers clubs are different from community supported agriculture (CSA) organizations in that clubs do not offer a regular “share” that subscribers pay for in advance and pick up weekly. Also, whereas a CSA is a direct subscriber-to-farm relationship, most buyers clubs offer goods from multiple producers, not just one farm. They are also able to offer locally processed foods like granola and salsa and even non-food items like handmade soaps, so customers are less dependent on supermarkets. 28

flavor magazine • june/july 2009

Each buyers club has its own approach, but the one thing they all seem to have in common is that they came about organically: There was a demand for local goods, and consumers who wanted a reliable, steady supply of the food devised a plan. The demand came first, and most clubs are struggling to keep up with it. Cliff Miller of Mount Vernon Farm in Sperryville started his own buyers club to sell primarily lamb, pork, beef, and eggs after some regular farm store customers offered their driveway in Alexandria as a drop site a few years ago. As the volume increased, Miller recruited Smith and Reinhardt to take over the club last year. That driveway is still one of their drop sites. Smith and Reinhardt subsequently formed The Local Flavor and are expanding it to include chickens, honey, salsa, fresh produce and fruit in season, locally roasted coffee, and even pet food and books celebrating local food and sustainable agriculture. They also offer such specialties as soy-free eggs and pre-brined chickens. Currently delivering once a month to Northern Virginia, Warrenton, and Fredericksburg, they have plans to increase the frequency of drops.

“It is more energy efficient to bring food into the city, rather than having everyone make individual trips from farm to farm.” — Mark Reinhardt of The Local Flavor

molly mcdonald peterson

In Demand

photos courtesy of horse & buggy and retail relay

Horse and Buggy: A Hybrid Brett Wilson does not run a

Retail Relay: Working with Brick-and-Mortar Stores Some

traditional CSA, a farm buyers club, or a farmers co-op. He buys mostly from Mennonite farmers and other producers at auctions in Harrisonburg. He also negotiates contracts with growers. “Because they can plan, they don’t have to gamble,” Wilson explained. Then his business, Horse and Buggy, offers “shares” of different sizes and varieties (such as singles’ and couples’ produce shares, quarter- and half-pig shares) through the website to people in Charlottesville and Lynchburg. At weekly drop sites, customers pick up their prepaid share. They get seasonal produce, eggs, granola, flowers—the list continues to grow. When Wilson started in 2005, Horse and Buggy provided products to a few restaurants. By 2008, it served 1,200 families.

entrepreneurs in Charlottesville are trying yet another approach. They’ve created a buyers club that works with large employers to bring local food (and some not-so-local treats as well) to employees at their workplace. Retail Relay delivers to Martha Jefferson Hospital employees in the hospital’s parking lot—in addition to serving customers at the drive-up pick-up spot on the west side of town. Retail Relay currently carries products from more than a dozen local stores—such as Rebecca’s Natural Foods, Reid’s Supermarket, the Cheese Shop, and Trader Joe’s. And in mid-May, the company launched Virginia’s Bounty, a market section offering local produce, meat, eggs, and more from farms in the area.

And their customers are happy, even if the products they want aren’t always available. Anne Day, a customer picking up in Reston, was waiting for lard in late February. She vowed to keep waiting. “I’m going to wait for it, because I know it is going to be high-quality and really good,” she said. “Waiting makes you appreciate it.” She got her lard. Molly Harris, owner of the Edible Garden restaurant in Richmond, started Fall Line Farms Co-op buyers club last fall and is expanding it this year. She started by offering some of her restaurant customers the opportunity to buy from her local suppliers, which helped the suppliers through her slow season and guaranteed that they would be there when she needed them. “It is the concept of just being able to connect the customer with the farmer,” Harris explained. The program has been wildly successful. Having started with about 100 people picking up at one spot, Harris is expanding to five drop sites around Richmond, each of which has about 100 customers. Fall Line gives individuals, organizations, and businesses that host a drop site a percentage of the registration fees associated with that site. Almost 40 vendors provide local products like meat, produce, eggs, and cheese as well as more unusual offerings like candy and tea. Joel Salatin of Polyface Farms in Swoope has a similar serendipitous story. Some customers who were driving from Maryland to his farm store every few months asked him to deliver to them. He told them he wouldn’t do it unless they could guarantee $3,000 of sales. A week later they called with the sales commitments, asking for the delivery date. Polyface’s “metropolitan buying clubs”—serving 2,000 families at 28 locations up to four hours away—now make up 50

percent of the farm’s sales. Salatin has staff dedicated to running the club, and he sells neighbors’ products, too. “The buying club gives us a distribution volume that lets us compete,” Salatin said.

Give the People What They Want Buyers club owners and managers have not forgotten that their business came about from consumers’ desire, and they are all working to stay flexible, to be ready to follow the next good idea, which they know will probably come from a customer. A continuing knowledge of their customers—understanding what they value and the pace of their busy lives—is one thing that these clubs can never have in short supply. Sherri Fickel is one of the proprietors of the Hopkins Ordinary Bed and Breakfast in Sperryville. Sherri worked as a reporter for newspapers in the Midwest, where she grew up on a family farm.

Fall Line Farms Co-op (804) 334-2439 falllinefarms@comcast.net www.farm2udirect.com Horse & Buggy Produce (434) 284-1084 office@horseandbuggyproduce.com www.horseandbuggyproduce.com The Local Flavor Farm Buyers Club (540) 987-7977 info@farmbuyersclub.com www.farmbuyersclub.com Polyface Farms Metropolitan Buying Clubs (540) 885-3590 www.polyfacefarms.com Retail Relay (877) 573-5295 webcontact@retailrelay.com www.retailrelay.com www.flavormags.com

A Novel Approach to Saving the Family Farm Anne T. Bedarf

How one Earlysville family saved the farm by raising microbes instead of livestock.

in the garden

he story of Panorama Farm and the family that tends

bit tongue-in-cheek). These options were problematic because

it started out like most: Jim and Bunny Murray moved

they would have changed the character of the farm, but the

to this piece of land in Earlysville, with its arresting

solution presented itself not long thereafter.

view of the Blue Ridge Mountains, in 1953 and raised

eight boys. Incorporated in the late 1970s, the farm stayed in

When Life Gives You Yard Waste . . .

conventional agriculture through the late 1990s, working in

When the Rivanna Solid Waste Authority invited Murray to bid

cow-calf, steer, sheep, and hay operations.

on taking the leaves it collected from around Charlottesville in

The market situation in the early 1990s drove the Murrays to evaluate alternatives. Concerns about mad cow disease were peaking, fertilizer costs were spiking as a result of a trade imbalance with South America, and the price of beef was hitting bottom. They began by selling off several hundred acres and using those funds to cover operating costs, but that was not

1995, he had absolutely no experience with compost. He went ahead and ran a pilot project with the city and made every possible mistake—like using too little water and too much nitrogen from poultry litter. But once he got it right, he advertised his compost in the newspaper, and the product “vaporized,” as he puts it. Panorama Pay-Dirt was founded not in response to environ-

enough.

mentalism but rather out of necessity. However inadvertently,

“Agriculture has to look beyond conventional means to find niches that will help create

a profitable, ecoconscious, responsible business was born.

. . . Make Compost The majority of the business’s revenue comes from individual

more sustainable systems.”

customers. Other clients include landscape contractors and

— Steve Murray of Panorama Pay-Dirt

larly supportive bunch, Murray notes. In addition to gener-

Abandoning Conventional Farming Steve Murray, one of the Murrays’ grown sons active in the

commercial flower growers. Master gardeners are a particuating compost, the farm produces and sells double-ground hardwood mulch and a combination of compost and mulch. The compost includes yard waste, such as leaves and brush

farm’s operations, tells the story of his 100 heifers, who were successfully sired by a proven type of cattle. When these grassfed cows reached 300 pounds, he was forced to sell them for the price at which he had purchased them. That disappointment led Murray to “distance himself from factors he had no control over.” He defines the family’s next steps as “the abandonment of conventional agriculture.” Murray acknowledges that for many, the possibility of selling the farm to a developer is unfortunate but real. But he encourages farmers in this position to look “at the fringes and evaluate as many possibilities as you can, no matter how crazy they seem.” Says Murray, “Agriculture has to look beyond conven-

derek e. bedarf

tional means to find niches that will help create more sustainable systems.” Case in point: The Murray family threw a broad net—evaluating everything from a soccer complex, to an executive education center, to a pet cemetery (albeit the last option was a www.flavormags.com

Above: The panorama for which the farm is named. At right: After about three and a half months, this “black gold” is ready for customers.

from Charlottesville, and poultry litter from Dyke, in Greene

Aramark (the university’s dining service contractor), and the

County. Farm equipment (to move and turn the compost,

Virginia Department of Environmental Quality are partner-

which keeps it aerated), fuel, manual labor, and the staff’s

ing with Panorama Pay-Dirt in a post-consumer food-waste

acquired knowledge complete the input list. It normally takes

composting pilot program—part of UVa’s Sustainable Dining

three and a half months to process the compost completely,

Program. Panorama takes approximately 700 pounds of food

so that plants will fully benefit from the available nutrients.

waste per day from UVa’s Observatory Hill dining hall under

The farm is in “scramble mode” during its busiest time of year,

a permit that allows for a conditional exemption for accept-

from the middle of March through May.

ing post-consumer food waste for educational purposes. It’s

In a recent development, the University of Virginia’s Facilities

a mutually beneficial relationship that allows UVa to work

Management, its Office of Environmental Health and Safety,

toward its sustainability goals even as it provides materials and experience to Panorama Pay-Dirt. Murray is working on

Composting on a Smaller Scale Composting is a responsible and economical means of disposal. With a little effort, you’ll reduce the amount of trash you cast off and generate a free heap of black gold! So how can home gardeners translate what Murray does at Panorama to a smaller scale? To get started, choose (or research and build) an enclosure or a container. The “orb” type of black plastic composter that spins is easy to turn and keep moist. If you opt for an enclosed model, get more than one, because at some point you will need to stop filling one to let the ingredients break down. The compost is not doing well if the pile seems too wet, too dry, or smelly. Adding brown matter is the most common fix. For the most part, home composting is pretty trouble-free. Check the pile regularly, turn as necessary, and ensure that a water source is nearby. Here is a list of best composting practices: • Avoid animal products, including dairy. These attract critters. • Find a balanced mix of “brown” carbon-rich materials (such as leaves, news paper, and sawdust) and “green” nitrogen-rich materials (such as food waste and grass clippings) • Check that the compost is getting enough water and oxygen. • Make sure any weeds added have not yet gone to seed. • Use compost that contains manure only if it has fully broken down. The manure should be unrecognizable and have minimal odor.

flavor magazine • june/july 2009

derek e. bedarf

perfecting the recipe for the UVa-based compost batches, and he expects the entire process to last six to eight months per large batch. This is a work in progress, since the waste from the dining hall fluctuates over the year and the wood-based carbon source used in this program takes longer to decompose.

Composting & Sustainability The promise of composting is twofold: it turns waste into a beneficial product and thus closes the loop of the food system, and by diverting valuable resources from landfills, it reduces the carbon and methane generated by decomposition. Communities in central Virginia are not yet pursuing policies, incentives, and educational endeavors that support visionary models—such as the three-bin system in San Francisco, where home composting is widespread and green waste is collected at curbside—but perhaps that will change with creative “agripreneurs” like Steve Murray, who show that green can also be profitable. Anne T. Bedarf lives and gardens in Albemarle County, where she and her husband are currently experimenting with a four-person CSA on their land near Monticello. This summer they will be volunteering at three music festivals, advising organizers on waste reduction, recycling, composting, and sustainability awareness.

Panorama Pay-Dirt

jacob i. smith

The Murrays have embraced other ventures beyond composting. Panorama Farm also hosts cross-country events for UVa and local high schools, leases some land to hay farmers, and leases hunting rights. 300 Panorama Road, Earlysville (434) 978-4566 panoramapd@ntelos.net www.panoramapaydirt.com

Paul Harris

tree and stone works preserving & defining memories

harristreecare@verizon.net 540-987-9871 www.flavormags.com

ometime in June, Cathal Armstrong will drive out to Rappahannock County and buy a couple of flats of cherries from the Farm at Sunnyside. “This will be the foundation for dessert—I’m sure of it,” said the internationally acclaimed chef and owner of Restaurant Eve in Alexandria.

Going to the Source Armstrong is the chef for the Rappahannock Summer Solstice Farm Dinner to be held on June 20 at Mount Vernon Farm in Sperryville, but he doesn’t consider himself the star. He said the real credit belongs to the farmers, cheesemakers, and orchardists who provide the fresh ingredients. “I’m just the cooker,” he pointed out. “We’ll have a local smoked-trout salad with Rappahannock spring greens,” he said. As we speak, the main course is grazing a few yards from the scene of the dinner. “Naturally,” continued Armstrong, “we’ll have lamb from Cliff Miller’s [Mount Vernon] farm.” He also plans to serve cheese from Rapidan’s Everona Dairy. As for the rest of the dishes, he’ll see what looks good as the day approaches. The dinner—sponsored by the Gourmet Rappahannock Food and Wine Consortium, Flavor magazine, and the Piedmont Environmental Council—will benefit the Rappahannock County Farmland Preservation Fund. Developing a Palate Armstrong is a leader in D.C.’s local food movement, although to him, it’s not a movement but a long-held tradition: “In our house in Dublin, we raised almost everything we ate. My father was a great gardener, and he’d make sure to cook everything soon after it was picked. Our potatoes were freshly dug, and that really makes a difference in the taste. Potatoes like that need only a sprinkle of salt.” Armstrong also dined throughout Europe with his parents, who owned a travel-related business. The combination of his father’s garden-to-table cooking and exposure to the wonderful cuisines of France, Italy, and Spain sealed his fate as a future chef. “We were unusual, even in Dublin,” he recalled. “Irish cooking was not very adventurous then. It was even kind of exotic that we ate garlic.” This limited menu was due in part to the Irish economy, which struggled to recover from centuries of occupation and plundering.

According to chef Cathal Armstrong, the real credit belongs to the farmers, cheesemakers, and orchardists who provide the fresh ingredients. “I’m just the cooker.” 34

flavor magazine • june/july 2009

brenda pederson

In-the-Field Dinner for Farmland Preservation Theresa Curry

Restaurant Eveâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Cathal Armstrong collaborates with Rappahannock growers, farmers, and vintners for a benefit dinner.

www.flavormags.com

Armstrong confessed that he has never developed a taste for American combinations of sweet and savory. . . . But it is clear that he has developed a taste for the greater good. “Every young person understood that they would grow up and leave,” explained Armstrong. “Then, in the ’90s, there was an economic boom and many expatriates returned.” People also traveled more and, just like the Armstrongs, brought back Continental ideas about food and cooking that contributed to a more adventurous Irish cuisine. “Similar changes were happening all over the world,” he said.

A Not-So-Temporary Move After a few years as co-owner of a Dublin restaurant, Armstrong decided to return to college, but first he needed to accumulate a little money. “To an Irish kid, the streets of America are paved with gold,” Armstrong mused. “I thought I’d spend a few months here and then return to Ireland with my tuition.” His first stop was the nation’s capital, and somehow the visit was prolonged for 11 years, as Armstrong learned everything he could from chefs in D.C.’s kitchens. Along the way, he met his wife and business partner, Meshelle. The young couple moved to Virginia, a little closer to the gardens and pastures that would form the production network for their new venture, Restaurant Eve. Armstrong’s many years of preparation paid off. He was honored in 2006 by Food

Chef Cathal Armstrong of Restaurant Eve. Above: The view at Mount Vernon Farm in Sperryville, where the Summer Solstice Farm Dinner will be held.

flavor magazine • june/july 2009

Finding the Good in Others It wasn’t hard to build a network of local suppliers, Armstrong said. “You’d be talking to someone you already buy from, like Joel Salatin [of Polyface Farms in Swoope], and ask him about chickens or cheese. He’d say ‘Yes, I have some,’ or ‘I know someone who does a good job with them,’ or ‘Next year, I can have some for you.’ That’s how it grows.” After a while, he said, people learn about your reputation and come to your kitchen door with wonderful products. Co-owner of a Dublin fish-and-chips restaurant, Armstrong is interested in traditional food customs as well as traditional ingredients. He loves the coastal Maryland and Virginia tradition of crab feasts, crab cakes, and seasonal menus with soft-shell crab: “If crabs aren’t from the Chesapeake Bay, I’m not interested in them,” he said.

courtesy of restaurant eve

and Wine Magazine as one of the “10 Best New Chefs,” and in 2007 he won the Best Chef Award granted by the Restaurant Association of Metropolitan Washington, D.C. This year, Armstrong received a Best Mid-Atlantic Chef nomination from the James Beard Foundation.

(ECOW)

EPICURIOUS COW where good food and good people meet

www.epicuriouscow.com

13830 Lee Highway Amissville, VA

540-675-2269 molly mcdonald peterson

Armstrong described his two children—Eve, 10, and Eamonn, 7—as adventurous eaters. “It took me years to get Eve to eat potatoes, though,” he laughed. “How can you be Irish and not like potatoes?” He confessed that he has never developed a taste for American combinations of sweet and savory: “Peanut butter and jelly, or sweet-sour pickles, or candied vegetables—they just don’t seem to go together for me.” But it is clear that he has developed a taste for the greater good. In fact, Restaurant Eve was honored in 2006 by the National Restaurant Association with the Neighborhood Community Award for its involvement in charitable and community projects. It is this commitment Armstrong has to his suppliers—and to the Rappahannock farms that make up part of the D.C. foodshed—that will bring him out to Mount Vernon Farm on a summer evening for a dinner in the field and under the stars. Freelance feature writer Theresa Curry contributes to a number of publications, including The Virginian-Pilot, The Charlottesville Daily Progress, The Augusta Free Press, and The Harrisonburg Daily News Record.

e Summer Solstice Farm Dinner The net proceeds from this dinner will go to the Rappahannock Farmland Preservation Program, which works to limit development of the county’s rural acreage by compensating those who put their farms into conservation easement.

Saturday, June 20, 2009 Cocktails at 5:30 p.m. Dinner at 6:30 p.m. $180 per guest, limited seating Tickets available at gourmetrappahannock.com Mount Vernon Farm 206 Mount Vernon Lane Off Route 211 in Sperryville 75 mi. west of Washington, D.C.

www.flavormags.com

artisans & entrepreneurs

This is street food at its best— best for customers, best for local producers, and best for the environment.

What do chefs eat when they’re not at work? Do they dine at upscale eateries on their days off, because only the best will do? Or do they cook at home and take a break from the restaurant scene? Ask chef Jordan Lichman, and he’ll tell you his love is street food. In fact, you could call him a connoisseur of street food. He has sought out the best curbside offerings on several continents during his travels. “My most striking food experiences have been with street food,” he recounts.

On the Fly co-founders Michel Heitstuman and Christopher Lynch

flavor magazine • june/july 2009 kip pierson photography

Not Just Any Taco Stand

Grace Reynolds

www.flavormags.com

artisans & entrepreneurs A Meeting of the Minds Japanese-Style Soy Salad with Miso Vinaigrette

Lichman grew up in Southern California, where street tacos were one of his first true loves. A graduate of the Culinary Insti-

Serves 6 as a side dish.

tute of America with lots of kitchen experience (including 20

For the vinaigrette

months at the Inn at Little Washington) under his belt, Lichman

7-ounce container organic light or yellow miso 1 cup organic rice vinegar ½ cup organic soy sauce ½ cup organic mirin White pepper to taste

enrolled at the University of Maryland to pursue his MBA. You can imagine how intrigued he was when three partners looking for venture capital for a healthful D.C. street-food project contacted the school. What better way for Lichman to put his passion for street food

Combine all ingredients in a blender and purée until smooth. Store in an airtight container. Yields 3 cups.

and his MBA to work than with these guys? The brainchild of

For the salad

the Fly brings the best of the local food movement and green

1 pound organic frozen edamame, shelled 1 tablespoon soybean or canola oil 1 pound shiitake mushrooms, sliced 5 scallions, thinly sliced ¼ cup pickled ginger, thinly sliced 1 pound organic tofu, diced ¾ cup miso vinaigrette (recipe above) Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Blanch edamame in boiling water until tender, about 5 minutes. Remove edamame with slotted spoon and plunge into ice water to stop the cooking. Drain. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat and sauté mushrooms until soft, about 5 minutes. Transfer mushrooms to a large serving bowl and add scallions, pickled ginger, and tofu. Add some vinaigrette and toss very gently. Season with salt and pepper, and add extra dressing, to taste.

Michel Heitstuman, Gabe Klein, and Christopher Lynch, On business to street food. On the Fly’s nine “Smartkarts”—cheery, fully customized plug-in electric, American-made Global Electric Motorcars (GEM) vehicles—rotate through as many as 14 locations on the streets of D.C. each week. The company has also opened five “Smartkafés,” which serve up healthy options in stationary locations like museums and Metro stations. Two new Smartkafés are in the Corcoran Gallery of Art and the Phillips Collection.

Ecovending “On the Fly’s mission is to provide natural, great-tasting, chemical-free, locally produced foods where you live, work, and play,” says CEO Michel Heitstuman, describing what the company has dubbed “ecovending.” “We contribute to the local community and economy and minimize our environmental impact along the way.” On the Fly serves food made in its own commissary under Lichman’s supervision as well as food from other much-loved D.C. eateries, like Julia’s Empanadas. The menu has expanded since the launch in October 2007, and the offerings at each cart and café vary. But no matter what you order, you can be sure that On the Fly has sourced the ingredients from local producers whenever possible. For example, the very popular Chicken Estofado features locally sourced chicken slow-cooked with five types of chilies, cinnamon, and dark beer. It’s easy to see write-in category) in the Washington City Paper’s 2009 Best of D.C. Awards. In fact, getting beyond the public’s preconceptions of typical street food may have been one of On the Fly’s biggest challenges. According to Lichman, who carries the title of vice

flavor magazine • june/july 2009

kip pierson photography

why On the Fly topped the Best Street Food category (a new

peter lo jacono

artisans & entrepreneurs president of café operations, “convincing people to try street food in D.C. is not like [it is] in New York, where people eat on the street regularly. [Here] they think it’s going to be a ‘dirty-water’ hot dog.” Judging from their success, the public is convinced. A major boost came when On the Fly was asked by the Presidential Inaugural Committee to be the food vendor along the inaugural parade route. The group heartily accepted the invitation and came up with their signature inaugural nosh: “Barackwurst.” Partnering with Simply Sausage, a local sausage maker, On the Fly offered a cross between a Chicago Red Hot and a D.C. half-smoke—and sold many thousands of them. On the Fly, which has a catering arm and makes Smartkarts available for private events, has also been spotted at other special events, including D.C. mayor Adrian Fenty’s birthday party and the Piedmont Environmental Council’s annual meeting last fall.

www.flavormags.com

PHOTOS BY FRANK & ESTHER SCHMIDT

Winning Over Locals & Tourists Customers at the carts and cafés will find products from other regional producers, such as Honest Tea (a Maryland company) or baked goods from Alexandria’s Buzz Bakery. “We like how the food tastes better when it’s local, and we know we’re supporting our local economy, especially our farmers and

An enjoyable dining experience in a beautiful, intimate setting. Located in a historic country store, the grille serves up light lunches on the way to the trails and elegant dinners in a casual, comfortable atmosphere. Lunch & Dinner, Tuesday-Saturday; Brunch on Sunday

540.987.8790 www.thorntonrivergrille.com

Smartkarts

➤

At www.ontheflydc.com, you can see a menu, download coupons, and view a map showing current Smartkart locations and schedules. 1st & M NE

Sperryville Corner Store

American History Museum, 12th & Madison NW entrance and 14th & Madison NW entrance Hirshhorn Museum, 7th SW & Jefferson SW

150-year-old country store with groceries, cold drinks, artisanal cheeses, fresh seafood, hand-cut meats and local produce. Exceptional selection of hand-picked beer and local wine. Open daily.

McPherson Square, Vermont & I NW Museum of the American Indian, 4th & Jefferson NW National Arboretum, entrance

PHOTO BY CARL ZITZMANN

Smithsonian Castle Washington Convention Center, 9th & Massachusetts NW and 7th & New York NW Washington Nationals Stadium, Half St. entrance

Smartkafés

➤

Capitol Hill, Results Gym, 315 G SE City Vista Building, Results Gym, 5th & K NW

3710 Sperryville Pike, Sperryville, Virginia At the intersection of Routes 522 and 211

Corcoran Gallery of Art, 500 17th NW Farragut North Metro Station, Connecticut & L NW Phillips Collection, 1600 21st NW

flavor magazine • june/july 2009

above: kip pierson photography

Portrait Gallery, 7th & F NW

540.987.8185

• right: peter lo jacono

National Zoo, north & south side entrances

“My most striking food experiences have been with street food.” — Chef & Vice President of Café Operations Jordan Lichman communities nearby,” says Heitstuman. “We also are keenly aware of how we all need to reduce our carbon footprint. We enjoy setting an example for others in the community.” So far, customer response has been great. “The 25- to 45-yearold urban professionals really appreciate a quick lunch, the tourists respond to our green vehicle, and the parents really like the healthy nature of the food and feel good about feeding it to their children,” explains Lichman. At this point, most customers are first-timers. “I think they’re attracted by the cart and hopefully by the smell of the food. Then we can educate them.” A recent first-time visitor was actor Leonardo DiCaprio, who ordered two organic chicken tacos from the cart outside the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum in April. On the Fly expects to serve over 1.25 million customers this year. Numbers like that put it in prime position to be an ambassador for the local food movement and for sustainable business practices—a fact not lost on the guys running the show. They hope that their success will encourage retailers, distributors, and producers to increase the availability of fresh local food to everyone, not just white-collar diners at white-tablecloth restaurants. Grace Reynolds is a frequent contributor to Flavor. Her feature on Blenheim Vineyards can be found on page 62.

www.flavormags.com

flavor magazine â&#x20AC;˘ june/july 2009

artisans & entrepreneurs

was introduced to Jam According to Daniel last fall when a friend brought a long-promised sample to a book group meeting. She only let me have the tiniest taste on a wee spoon before screwing the lid back on the jar and putting it back in her handbag. The anticipation, her possessiveness—no one could have asked for better marketing.

In the Kitchen Daniel Perry uses the spacious kitchen in his parents’ house for making his jam. Boxes of mason jars line the dining room wall, large containers of macerating strawberries are stacked on the counters, and a gleaming copper pot, which he cleans after each batch with vinegar and rock salt, sits on the stove.

“I did strawberry, mint, and pepper, which is one of my alltime favorites,” he says, “and then I did lemon, strawberry, and white pepper. After that, I didn’t feel like doing pepper again. But I wanted some kind of spice in there, so I did strawberry, lime, and caraway. The lime almost tastes better than the lemon. Lemon somehow is too similar in its flavor profile to the strawberries—it’s almost like an aftertaste.” With Perry, boredom, not necessity, is the mother of invention. “When I did the strawberry, lime, and caraway the other day, I had already done five or six batches of strawberry jam. I usually get bored at the last batch of the day and I do something funky.”

J a m Session Daniel Perry may be making jam in small batches, but he’s making a big impression. Jennifer Conrad Seidel Photos by Cheri Bowling

“I went to school in Massachusetts, and there was a phenomenal crop of raspberries that would roll in a few weeks after the students arrived,” Perry recounts. “In my first fall, back in 2003, a friend took me picking, and after we’d arrived home with a bucket of berries, I made my first jam.” The fruit was free, so he gave the jam away. He returned to Charlottesville for the summer, looking for work, and his mother came across an ad in the newspaper: the Kluge estate was looking for an assistant jam maker. (The ad, now laminated, is kept on his parents’ fridge.) Perry applied on a whim and was hired, working two summers and part of a third—“before Mrs. Kluge decided to ‘Close the jam department’” in 2008. During his apprenticeship he learned, as he puts it, how not to make jam. He decided then to launch his own business, selling at the local farmers market last summer. He has found other work in the off-season.

Inventing Flavors Perry is not out to start a predictable line of jams, where customers can get the same flavors month after month. He makes small batches of whatever flavors amuse him, using local ingredients that he often picks himself, flavors like strawberry and Thai basil (using basil from Planet Earth Diversified) and apple, rhubarb, and ginger. If you don’t buy enough when he has it, you may not come across that flavor again until the fruit is in season next year—assuming that he’ll repeat the same combination. But don’t despair. You’ll get to try a new flavor when your old jar runs out.

Craft, Not Formula Asked about the recipes for the dozens of different jams he created in 2008, he replies, “They’re all the same recipe. That’s my greatest secret. It’s chemical and proportional. Jam is about adding sugar to fruit and cooking it until the sugar is concentrated enough to preserve the fruit. Cooking jam above 220 degrees proves that it is 60 percent sugar, the recommended minimum. The cooking time is different for every fruit.” Perry follows a rough outline of a recipe, trusting his instincts as he creates new combinations. He does not use pectin, and he estimates that he gets a pound of fruit in every jar. He does not strain seeds out. He did it once—it cut the yield in half and also added hours to the production time. Pointing to the three quarts of strawberries macerating in the kitchen, he explains that after they were cooked down, they will yield five half-pint jars of jam. “What comes off is the fruit weight that’s water. What’s left behind is seeds, the sugar, the color, the flavor, and the fruit sugar.”

“It’s chemical and proportional. Jam is about adding sugar to fruit and cooking it until the sugar is concentrated enough to preserve the fruit.” — jam maker Daniel Perry www.flavormags.com

artisans & entrepreneurs From April to late September, Perry is busy nearly all the time making jam. He does take time, however, to tend the garden behind his parents’ house, where he is growing fruits and herbs. His hope is grow a fair amount of what he needs.

Just Waiting to Be Picked He sources locally—unless he gets impatient. In April he drove to North Carolina to pick strawberries. “I was tired of waiting,” he explains. “A friend brought me some strawberries from Miami, and then I was watching strawberries [ripen] up the East Coast. Driving just five hours south is like going a month ahead in time.”

Any-Fruit Jam Recipe

Daniel Perry’s detailed jam recipe, which can be adapted to whatever fruit you have on hand, can be found at flavormags.com /enhanced. enhanced

Flavors from 2008 Strawberry • Strawberry Rhubarb • Strawberry, Mint & Pepper • Strawberry Chocolate Mint • Strawberry Peach • Rhubarb Ginger • Blueberry • Blueberry Rhubarb • Lemon Blueberry • Blueberry Maple • Sweet Cherry • Sour Cherry • Peach & Cherry • Cherry, Peach & Ginger • Raspberry • Peach Raspberry • Raspberry Mint • Apricot • Lemon Apricot • White Peach • Yellow Peach • Peach & Lemon • Yellow Peach & Lime • Yellow Peach & Ginger • Yellow Peach & Lavender • Yellow Peach & Rosemary • White Peach & Hibiscus • Yellow Peach & Cherry • Peach & Rose • Indian Blood • Presidential Peach • Lemon, Peach & Blackberry • White Nectarine • Yellow Nectarine • Nectarine & Cherry • Blackberry • Lemon Blackberry • Lime Blackberry • Peach Blackberry • Plum Blackberry • Seedless Blackberry • Santa Rosa Plum • Lemon Santa Rosa Plum • Santa Rosa Plum & Ginger • Shiro Plum • Lemon Shiro Plum • Shiro Plum & Ginger • Greengage Plum • Lemon Greengage Plum • Greengage Plum & Ginger • Damson • Damson & Peach • Damson & Italian Plum • Italian Plum • Lemon Italian Plum • Italian Plum & Ginger • Italian Plum & Lavender • Italian Plum & Rhubarb • Italian Plum & Rose • Fig • Pear • Pear & Lemon • Pear & Ginger • Pear & Rosemary • Apple, Rhubarb & Ginger • Strawberry Caraway • Lemon, Strawberry & White Pepper

Perry gathers most of the fruit himself at pick-your-own farms and places he finds through word-of-mouth. “Last year, a guy in Louisa who has a couple dozen thornless blackberry plants in his backyard let me pick a couple times.” His friends help out—until they get tired and he’s the last one standing. “I just keep going,” he laughs. “They only like it for so long.” Because he works in small batches, he can take fruit that retail establishments can’t or won’t. “I’m slowly making relationships with growers. The Vintage Virginia guys [at the Rural Ridge Orchard in North Garden] are really great to work with. They are such aficionados,” he says respectfully, noting that they grow peaches, nectarines, and plums in addition to more than 200 varieties of apples. “Once they get to a point where they don’t have three full cases of something, or if it’s gone 10 percent mushy, they cut me a great deal. I’ve gotten varieties I’d never even heard of.” Perry took his jam to the Apple Harvest Festival held at the orchard in early November. “I made $1,000 in less than

418 W. Main St Charlottesville, VA albemarlebakingco.com 434-293-6456 Monday-Saturday 7-5 46

flavor magazine • june/july 2009

3 hours,” he says. “I sold all the jam that I had. I had nothing left over for Charlottesville’s holiday market.” After picking perfectly ripe fruit, Perry gets to work making jam. He does on occasion freeze some fruit to use later, and this allows him to create jams with fruits from non-overlapping seasons, like peaches and strawberries. “I put up excess fruit, usually at the end of its season. Last year, I put about five strawberries into a batch of peach jam, which made it completely different. It was a dark orange, and you could taste the strawberries up front.”

One Jar at a Time One of the promises of the corporate food culture is product consistency. With store-bought, commercial jam, you get the same product, with the identical flavors, no matter when you buy it, no matter where in the world you find it.

artisans & entrepreneurs Jam According to Daniel will not affect the bottom line at even one of these corporations. Nor does Perry aspire to be another J. M. Smucker. He represents a growing constituency in the local food movement: young people who are reclaiming almost-lost culinary arts and adapting them to their contemporary setting. His desire is to make his hand-stirred, spontaneously flavored jams with the best ingredients he can find. The growth of his business will be proportional to the artisanal quality of the product. “All I have this year that I didn’t have last year,” says Perry, “is a little bit more faith in the product, trusting that I’ll be able to sell the jam somewhere, sometime.” Jennifer Conrad Seidel is the editor of Flavor and a recovering Welch’s Concord grape jelly eater.

Jam According to Daniel (434) 825-6651 accordingtodaniel@gmail.com accordingtodaniel.com

Artisans like Perry are bringing back the craft, the improvisation, and the seasonality of making food. These aspects were lost in the last generation, when factories and interstates and mammoth markets made it possible to replace, for example, hundreds of handmade, regional jams with a mere handful of brand-name jams made on an industrial scale.

Perry’s jams are available in Charlottesville at Feast, Albemarle Baking Company, Happy Cook, and Pollak Vineyards. Perry can usually be found offering samples and selling his jam at the Charlottesville City Market and the Forest Lakes Farmers Market.

www.flavormags.com

seasonal table Soft-Shell Crabs with Basil-Almond Crust, Shaved Asparagus Salad, and Creole Dijonaise Sauce

Claire’s at the Depot, Warrenton, VA The asparagus salad can be made right before soaking the crabs. Make the Dijonaise and basil-almond dust before cooking the crabs. S Be sure to use farm-fresh eggs in the sauce, for they have the best color and taste. — chef David Scales

Preparation time: 45 minutes S Cooking time: 15 minutes S Serves 4. For the asparagus salad 1 bunch asparagus 1 shallot, finely diced 2 tablespoons chives, finely diced 2 tablespoons citrus champagne vinegar 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil Salt and pepper to taste For the crabs 2 cups buttermilk 2 tablespoons Old Bay seasoning 4 jumbo soft-shell crabs, cleaned 2 cups basil-almond dust (recipe below) 4 tablespoons clarified butter

Thinly slice asparagus, starting from the tip to halfway down the stalk. Place in a bowl, add the other ingredients, and toss. Let marinate for a half hour in the refrigerator.

Combine buttermilk and seasoning in a bowl. Add crabs to the mixture and marinate for 1 hour. Preheat oven to 350 F. Heat an oven-safe saute pan large enough for all 4 crabs over medium-high heat and add clarified butter. Take crabs out of the marinade and lightly shake off excess liquid. Coat crabs in basil-almond dust. Sauté crabs topside-down. (Watch out for hot, splattering butter.) Flip them over and move pan to oven. Finish cooking in the oven for about 3 minutes. Remove the crabs from the pan and place on a plate lined with a paper towel to remove excess cooking oil before plating.

For the basil-almond dust ¼ cup basil, dried ¼ cup almonds, sliced 1¾ cups flour 1 pinch salt For the sauce 2 egg yolks 2 tablespoons water ½ pound clarified butter, warm 1 splash Tabasco 1 tablespoon lemon juice 1 teaspoon Creole mustard 1 pinch cayenne pepper Salt

In a food processor, add almonds and dried basil and pulse to a fine dust. Mix with flour and salt.

Whip yolks and water over a double boiler with balloon whisk until yolks are at the “ribbon” stage. Slowly emulsify warm clarified butter to and yolk mixture until incorporated. Add Tabasco, juice, mustard, cayenne pepper, and salt to taste. Keep in a warm spot.

Assembling and serving Using a slotted spoon, spread the asparagus salad across each plate diagonally, in a long 1-by-6-inch line. On each plate, place a crab over the salad line. Circle plate with the sauce.

flavor magazine • june/july 2009

seasonal table Butter Lettuce Salad with Sugared Walnuts, Strawberries, and Gorgonzola

The Seasonal Cook, Charlottesville, VA Enjoy this salad when strawberries are at their peak! It takes a just few minutes to make and even less time if you prepare the walnuts in advance. — chef Ashley Hightower

Preparation time: 15 minutes S Cooking time: 15 minutes S Serves 4. For the dressing ½ teaspoon Dijon mustard 1 small clove garlic, minced 3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar 1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil Salt and pepper For the walnuts 1 egg white 2 cups walnuts 3 tablespoons white sugar ¼ teaspoon salt

Whisk mustard with garlic and vinegar. While still whisking, slowly drizzle in olive oil to emulsify. Season to taste.

Preheat oven to 350 F. Line baking sheet with parchment paper or nonstick bakeware liner. Whisk egg white in bowl until frothy. Add walnuts and toss to coat. Add sugar and salt and toss well. Spread on baking sheet and bake for 15 minutes, stirring twice.

Assembling and serving 1 head butter lettuce (Bibb or Boston), washed and torn into large pieces Dressing (recipe above) 1 cup strawberries, washed and quartered 4 ounces Gorgonzola cheese, crumbled 2/3 cup sugared walnuts

Toss lettuce with dressing and then divide among plates. Top with quartered strawberries, crumbled Gorgonzola, and sugared walnuts.

watercolor of Thomas Jefferson’s “Tennis Ball” lettuce by Lara Call Gastinger

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seasonal table Great Country Farms & Bluemont Vineyard, Bluemont, VA We find that one of the joys and challenges our CSA members have in spring is deciding what to do with all the greens we give them, so here are a few recipes they love. S Store greens unwashed in a plastic bag in the refrigerator. To wash, soak them in a bowl or sink of cool water and swirl around to remove any clinging dirt. Remove from the water and drain. Repeat until the water is free of debris. Just running water over them may not be enough to remove the grit. — Kate Zurschmeide

Fresh and Tender Kale Salad the Farm Way

Baked Cheese Polenta with Greens

Start-to-finish time: 1 hour, 15 minutes Serves 6.

Start-to-finish time: 55 minutes Serves 6.

For the marinade ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil ½ cup lemon juice Bragg’s Liquid Aminos (a liquid protein concentrate made from soybeans) or soy sauce, to taste

For the greens 1 large bunch of greens (collards, kale, beet greens, or Swiss chard), washed 1 tablespoon olive oil 1 tablespoon minced garlic 2 tablespoons water

Combine oil and juice. Add Bragg’s or soy sauce to taste.

Remove stems and ribs from greens and chop into small pieces. Coarsely chop leaves.

For the greens 1 bunch fresh kale ½ cup sliced mushrooms 2 to 3 spring onions, thinly sliced ½ avocado, diced Sprouts, for garnish

Heat oil in a skillet. Add ribs and stems and sauté until tender. Add garlic and sauté 2 minutes. Add leaves and water to the pan, cover, and cook 2–3 minutes until tender. Remove from heat.

Wash and tear kale into small pieces. Put all veggies into a large bowl and top with marinade (recipe above). Toss gently. Marinate at least 1 hour, and serve.

For the polenta 1¾ cups water ¼ teaspoon salt 14-ounce can vegetable or chicken broth 1 cup yellow cornmeal ½ cup crumbled goat cheese (or other soft cheese) 3 tablespoons grated fresh Parmesan cheese Place water, salt, and broth in a large saucepan. Whisk in cornmeal. Bring to a boil and reduce heat. Simmer 8–10 minutes, stirring constantly. Stir in cheeses. Assembling and serving ¼ cup reduced fat sour cream Preheat oven to 400 F. Spoon half the polenta into a small baking dish. Top with greens mixture and then sour cream. Cover with remaining polenta. Bake at 400 F for 20 minutes. Remove and let stand for 10 minutes to set.

watercolor of kale by Lara Call Gastinger

flavor magazine • june/july 2009

seasonal table Spaghetti Carbonara

The Local, Charlottesville, VA The key to a great bowl of carbonara is fantastic eggs. Make sure that the eggs are from a reputable source and very fresh. This is important not only for flavor, but also for safety concerns, as we are dealing with essentially raw eggs. Another important aspect of the dish is the pork. We make guanciale and pancetta at the restaurant, and although both can be used to make carbonara, the guanciale (cured pork jowls) is preferred. In a pinch, bacon can be used, although the smokiness can overpower the delicate flavor of the eggs. This recipe contains no vegetables or cream, which is the way I prefer my carbonara, although I would not object to adding some blanched peas when they are in season. To ensure that the pasta is very creamy, I nestle a raw egg yolk in each serving of pasta, which the diner stirs with the pasta right before eating. — chef Matthew Hart

Preparation time (carbonara): 15–20 minutes S Cooking time (carbonara): 8–10 minutes S Serves 4. For the carbonara 2 whole eggs 1 cup grated Parmesan cheese, divided ½ cup extra virgin olive oil, divided ½ pound guanciale (recipe below) or pancetta, diced small 1 pound dried spaghetti Salt and pepper (use only high quality, freshly ground pepper for this dish) 4 egg yolks

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Beat whole eggs with ¾ cup Parmesan and ¼ cup olive oil. Render the guanciale, along with the remaining olive oil, in a pan large enough to hold all of the pasta over medium heat. When guanciale is crisp, remove one quarter of it to a paper towel. Add pasta to the boiling water. Cook until al dente and then drain, reserving about ½ cup of the cooking water, and add the pasta to the pan containing the guanciale. Toss the pasta with the fat and guanciale. Remove from heat and then add the beaten egg mixture. The heat from the pasta will be enough to cook the eggs and bind the mixture to the pasta. If the pasta appears to be too dry, add some of the reserved water used to cook the pasta. Season with salt and pepper, making sure to use plenty of the fresh cracked pepper. Distribute the pasta evenly between four bowls and, working quickly, nestle a yolk in the middle of each bowl of pasta. Season the yolk with salt and pepper. Sprinkle 1 tablespoon of Parmesan over each serving the pasta. Top with reserved, crisp guanciale. Instruct your guests to stir the yolk into their pasta and enjoy. Be sure to serve the pasta immediately after completing, as cooled pasta will not create the desired effect when the yolk is stirred.

For the guanciale 1 cup sugar 1 cup kosher salt ¼ cup cracked black pepper 7–10 juniper berries 2 fresh hog jowls

Combine all spices in a bowl. Mix thoroughly. Liberally cover jowls on all sides with the mixture. Place jowls in a resealable plastic bag and refrigerate for 7 days. Remove jowls from the bags and rinse with cold water. These can be sliced thinly and used like bacon at this point, but they will be better if you first hang them in a dry, cool place for 2 to 4 weeks.

THE PLAINS VIRGINIA 6483 Main Street 540 253 5456 LUNCH | DINNER | COOKING CLASSES | CATERING

INDOOR & OUTDOOR SEATING | OPEN KITCHEN

LOCAL MEATS • FRESH BREAD • PASTA

info@forlanosmarket.com | www.forlanosmarket.com www.flavormags.com

Strawberries and Cream Cupcakes

Thyme Market, Culpeper, VA

STONEYBROOK FARM MARKET

Locally Grown Certified Organic Produce, Fruit, Berries,Jams, Vegetables, Organic Meats and Dairy. Certified by Oregon Tilth 37091 Charlestown Pike Hillsboro Virginia 20132 Phone: 540.668.9067 WWW.STONEYBROOKFARM.ORG

Cupcakes are becoming more popular these days and are one of our best sellers. We made strawberry, carrot, and spring cupcakes decorated for Easter, and we are planning many more for the spring and summer seasons. Strawberries are fresh and plentiful and are a welcome change after the winter months of dried fruits. — owner Connie East

Preparation time: 20 minutes Cooking time: 20–25 minutes Makes 24 large cupcakes. For the cupcakes 2¾ cups all-purpose flour ½ cup cake flour 1 teaspoon baking powder 1 teaspoon salt 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened 2¼ cups sugar 3 large eggs, plus 1 egg white 1 cup 2% milk 1½ teaspoons pure vanilla extract 2 cups finely chopped strawberries Preheat oven to 350 F.

FARMERS IN THE PARK

Mix together flours, baking powder, and salt in a bowl. Set aside. Using the paddle attachment in a standing mixer, whip butter and sugar. Add eggs (including the extra egg white), one at a time, and mix well. Alternating between dry ingredients and milk, add these to wet mixture, beginning and ending with dry ingredients. Add vanilla and mix well. Stir in strawberries. Bake in cupcake molds at 350 F for 20–25 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.

Every Wednesday, June 10 - September 30 3 pm ~ 7 pm at Meade Park Located at Meade Avenue & Chesapeake Street Sponsored by Charlottesville Parks & Recreation Creating Lifetime Experiences (434) 970-3260 y www.charlottesville.org/parksandrec

For the buttercream frosting 1 teaspoon vanilla 1 pound confectioners’ sugar ½ cup unsalted butter 1 tablespoon 2% milk Put ingredients in a stand mixer and beat for 1–2 minutes. Add more milk if needed to reach spreading consistency. Assembling and serving Chopped strawberries When cupcakes are cool, frost with buttercream frosting and top with chopped strawberries.

flavor magazine • june/july 2009

virginia

Features

June/July 2009

62 Artisanal & Accessible Blenheim Vineyards will build its reputation on its wines, not its celebrity owner. Grace Reynolds

68 Wine Bars: An Introduction Great wine, great food, great opportunity to learn about wine. Alexander Lowell

Departments

57 imbibe Keeping Virginia’s Moonshine Tradition Alive Move over, Jack and Jim. Virginia corn whiskey is here to stay. Trista Scheuerlein

66 winemaker’s notes Doug Fabbioli With an eye on improving the neighborhood, a Virginia vintner practices his craft in Leesburg.

72 pairings Local Favorites for Under $20 Seasonal pairing suggestions for well-received, affordable Virginia wines. Robert Harllee

Columns

60 blind tasting Rosé Virginia winemakers are taking rosé seriously, and so should you. Evan Williams

74 in the cellar Can Wine Lovers Be “Green”?

Packaging decisions have global ramifications. Jason Burrus

flights

molly mcdonald peterson S rosés at the hopkins ordinary

Flights

Jennifer Conrad Seidel

Loudoun County’s Food & Wine Festival The Virginia Food and Wine Foundation is presenting its first annual Food & Wine Festival, July 10–12, at the stunning Whitehall Manor in Bluemont. Less than an hour from D.C., Loudoun County boasts 23 wineries, almost all of which will be participating in this three-night event of food, wine, and entertainment. Festivalgoers will sample wines and choose from dinner options, casual or formal. Tickets must be purchased online at vafoodandwine.com before the event, and only a limited number are available. The profits from this event are used in part to fund internships and scholarships in culinary arts and wine studies.

2nd Annual Food & Wine Festival at National Harbor The second annual Food and Wine Festival at National Harbor on the Potomac has taken as its theme “Think global. Taste local.” Promotional materials describe the event as a celebration of “chefs’ use of local, fresh, and responsibly sourced ingredients from both land and sea, which inspire their creativity and protect the environment.” Attendees at the two-day festival, held June 6 and 7, can participate in seminars and tastings, wine and beer pairings, and watch demonstrations. A wide variety of wines will be represented in the show, some of which come from vineyards that yield fewer than 5,000 cases annually. Home cooks are invited to enter an original recipe in the Country Fair Contest, which will be judged by Top Chef’s Carla Hall (pictured) and Patrice Olivon of L’Academie de Cuisine in D.C. Visit www.foodandwinenh.com for more details or to buy tickets.

Hospice Benefit Dinner at Sweely Estate Winery A wine and food tasting at the Sweely Estate Winery on Sunday, June 7, will raise funds for Hospice of the Rapidan. Five chefs—Jerome Thalwitz of the Bavarian Chef in Madison, Randy Cooper of Elmwood at Sparks in Orange, Alex Morris of the Inn at Meander Plantation in Locust Dale, Gil Zentgraf of the Lafayette Inn in Stanardsville, and Melanie Herbert of the Unbridled Bakery in Culpeper—will participate in this “evening to celebrate life.” The event, which will feature Sweely’s wines, starts at 6:00 p.m. Tickets can be purchased for $100 from Hospice of the Rapidan at (540) 825-4840 or www.hotr .org. Directions to the Madison County winery can be found at www.sweelyestatewinery.com.

• June/July 2009

Piedmont Virginia Community Collegeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Viticulture & Enology Classes Ready to take your interest in wine to the next level? Hoping to start a career in winemaking? Check out the enology and viticulture certificate programs offered by Piedmont Virginia Community College. Classes are taught by respected Virginia vintners and are held on-site at area vineyards. Upcoming summer classes include Canopy Management with Chris Hill, Wine Analysis and Tasting with Matthieu Finot, Wine Bottling with Gabriele Rausse, and Vineyard Management with Scott Elliff. A separate Wines of the World certificate program, which runs from July to April, teaches participants about wine regions and winemaking techniques across the globe. PVCC also coordinates apprenticeships for cellar workers, winemakers, and vineyard managers. Satisfy your curiosity at www.pvcc.edu /workforceservices.

Vodka Iced Tea Determined to start a locally rooted business and a product that expresses the regionâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s character, Chris Richeson started the Chesapeake Bay Distillery in Virginia Beach ( 7 5 7- 6 9 2 - 4 0 8 3 ; w w w. c h e s a p e a ke b a y d i s t i l l e r y .com) and introduced Virginians to his 80-proof, corn-based Spirits of the Blue Ridge Vodka. Just in time for summer, the distillery is rolling out a new product that features its artisanal gluten-free vodka. Spirits of the Blue Ridge Honeysuckle Peach Tea (35 percent ABV) features a custom blend of black teas, a small amount of cane sugar, and extracts of honeysuckle and peach. Sip and sigh.

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Meet the Farmer Dinner at Palladio R A P P A H A N NO CK C E LL A R S

Virginia wine

Escape to the Blue Ridge Mountains 2007 Cabernet Franc now available

Open daily at

14437 Hume Road Huntly, Virginia Phone 540.635.9398 Fax 540.635.8720 rappahannockcellars.com E VO L U T I O N I Z I N G V I RG I N I A W I N E

In partnership with the Piedmont Environmental Council’s Buy Fresh, Buy Local campaign, chefs Jonathan Hayward of Toliver House and Melissa Close of Palladio are collaborating on a dinner with area farmers, cheesemakers, and food artisans on Wednesday, June 10. The four-course, locally-grown meal will include contributions from Caromont Farm of Esmont, Everona Dairy of Rapidan, Perfect Flavor Ice Cream of Waynesboro, Planet Earth Diversified of Stanardsville, and Polyface Farm of Swoope. Held on the grounds of Barboursville Vineyards at Palladio, the event will begin with cocktails at 6:30. Dinner begins at 7:30. Tickets ($100) are available at www.pecva .org, and proceeds will benefit the Buy Fresh, Buy Local campaign. For more information or to reserve a sponsors table, call (434) 977-2033.

Blue Ridge Wine Trail Tasting Tour Southwestern Virginia’s Blue Ridge Wine Trail is a bit of a misnomer. The trail does include three wineries: AmRhein, Chateau Morrisette, and Villa Appalaccia. But it also includes a brewery (Shooting Creek Brewery), a meadery (Blacksnake Meadery), and a cidery (Foggy Ridge Cider). If this diversity appeals to you, you’ll be excited to hear that the trail members are hosting a special self-guided, progressive tasting tour this summer (June 13–14 or August 29–30). One $30 ticket includes sample beverages and specially paired food at all six locations over one or two days. Space is limited, so buy your tickets in advance at www.blueridgewinetrail.com.

“Best Overall Red Wine” 93 Points & Gold Medal World Wine Championships

OCTAGON Is there another?

www.barboursvillewine.com 56

• June/July 2009

imbibe

Once made under the cover of night, moonshine is now made proudly and legally in Culpeper.

Keeping Virginia’s Moonshine Tradition Alive Trista Scheuerlein Photos by Molly McDonald Peterson

ack when moonshine was illegal, Chuck Miller was just a glimmer in his grandfather’s eye. His grandpa ran through roadblocks to get his moonshine into the D.C. area, and his grandma manned the rocking chair that hid the secret door to the liquor storage room during raids, but neither had any idea that one of their grandsons would turn a family tradition into a law-abiding enterprise that makes and sells moonshine and whiskey throughout Virginia.

Invented in Virginia Miller uses his grandfather’s secret recipe to produce whiskey (legally) that has lips smacking all over Virginia. “This is a Virginia product,” Miller explains, and he means it quite literally. Moonshine—known formally as fresh corn whiskey—is itself a Virginia invention.

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imbibe The first reported corn whiskey was produced in Jamestown in 1620 on the banks of the James River by colonist George Thorpe. Thorpe brewed beer from a native corn and then distilled it, creating the first corn liquor, the predecessor to moonshine and bourbon.

of an American tradition.” — whiskeymaker Chuck Miller

“We don’t do it like they do over in Kentucky or North Carolina. This is our own way,” Miller says. Miller and his wife, Jeanette, started Belmont Farm Distillery in Culpeper 22 years ago. They distill two distinct whiskeys: a 100-proof fresh corn liquor called Virginia Lightning and a more refined, aged

Fine liquors such as cognac and scotch, however, can only be made in a copper pot still because copper reacts differently than stainless steel. “Stainless steel makes the liquor sharp, gives it a little more of a bite. It takes longer to age,” Miller explains. Kopper Kettle has all the character of popular brands

86-proof whiskey called Kopper Kettle, which was the first registered whiskey in the Commonwealth of Virginia. Kopper Kettle is a rich, triple-grain, double-wood, twice-distilled libation made with a mash of corn, wheat, and barley.

and a distinct mellowness that carries through to the last drop, which Miller attributes to his limestone-rich water and the copper pot. “Copper mellows the whiskey out. I prefer to do it the old-time way.”

Farm-to-Still

As the name suggests, Belmont Farm Distillery grows its own grain. In fact, it is the only U.S. distillery to do so. Two thousand bushels of the corn used in the mash is grown and milled right on the farm. The distillery uses local oak and apple wood to impart color and flavor. The whiskey then goes on to age for two years in Virginia white oak barrels in a room off the distillery. Unlike wine cellars, which must stay at a constant temperature during the aging process, here the room temperature fluctuates with the seasons. As the whiskey warms, it expands and takes flavor from the oak barrels. Each of the hundreds of barrels in the aging room will only be used once to age whiskey so that it maintains its consistency.

What sets this distillery apart from other local distilleries is its 2,000-gallon copper pot still—part of the family tradition, the Millers insist. The mammoth still is said to have been made in 1933. Not coincidentally, that was the year when Prohibition ended. “We’re trying to preserve a little bit of an American tradition,” Miller says. “Copper pot stills have been in use since 1648. Why would I want to go with stainless steel now?” Stainless steel column stills have all but replaced copper stills because they can distill the spirits more quickly.

“We’re trying to preserve a little bit

• June/July 2009

Something Pretty Good Here Unlike his ancestors, Miller is licensed to sell White Lightning and Kopper Kettle whiskeys at Virginia ABC stores and at the distillery. It is well worth the trip to the distillery to see the copper pot still and hear family stories from Miller himself, who revels in his family’s colorful history. In addition to their almost daily tours, the Millers will be hosting an antique car show in September and October with farm tours, bluegrass bands, and over 200 Ford Model A’s. Even though they visit with over 4,000 visitors annually, the Millers make each visitor feel welcome and privy to family secrets.

“We got us something pretty good here, huh?” Miller asks rhetorically. Tourists and residents alike should come to see and taste the true Virginia spirit he’s making. Trista Scheuerlein directs the Farm-to-Table Program in Rappahannock County Public Schools. She has been actively involved in the sustainable and organic agriculture movement for 15 years.

Belmont Farm Distillery 13490 Cedar Run Rd., Culpeper (540) 825-3207 info@virginiamoonshine.com www.virginiamoonshine.com Tuesday through Saturday, from April to late December (closed holidays) 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.

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blind tasting

Rosé

Evan Williams

Resisting the pressure to oversweeten their wines, some local vineyards are producing well-balanced, dry rosés. Rosé is an enigma, both in the wine world at large and in Virginia in particular. Since the dawn of time (or, more accurately, since sometime in the 1980s), the stigma assigned to any and all pink wines by so many consumers has been breathtakingly destructive to the name of truly great rosé. Allured by its flashy, bright color and, so often, its plush sweetness, Americans have come to associate rosé with that sickeningly sweet nemesis, White Zinfandel.

molly mcdonald peterson

European winemakers have been producing dry rosés for hundreds of years, usually by the most common practice of crushing red grapes and only leaving the skins in the juice for two or three days. Red wine’s color, as well as its tannins and much of its “red wine character,” comes from the skins; leaving the skins on the juice for only a few days allows winemakers to produce a lightercolored, lighter-weight wine that has many of the characteristics of both red and white wines. These wines are pleasing to the eye and, in some cases, intriguing to the palate.

In true revolutionary fashion, some Virginia wineries are taking rosé seriously, not simply making it as an afterthought. White Zin, on the other hand, was discovered by accident when the winemaker at Sutter Home experienced a “stuck fermentation”—wherein the yeast stopped working before the wine was dry—and the infamous sweet “blush” wine was born. This easy-drinking, simple wine gained popularity in the 1980s, and soon Americans began to expect all pink wines to be sweet. Happy to oblige in return for our hard-earned dollars, many North American producers now make even their dry rosés with a relatively high amount of sweetness. While sugar in and of itself is not necessarily a bad thing, rosé is a style of wine that, when made well, needs no sweetness to achieve greatness. In fact, the sugar often obscures and confuses the wine. Yet our palates have become accustomed to these sweeter pink wines, so they thrive.

• June/July 2009

Predictably, the champions of dry rosé have been fighting an uphill battle in the states for years. Rosé is seen by most not as a serious wine, but instead as a fun-to-look-at, playful picnic wine. Of course, it naturally fills that role, even when it comes to some of the sweeter examples; nothing fits quite as well in a spring picnic as a brilliantly pink bottle of rosé. But it can, and should, be so much more than that. In many ways, meaningful inroads have been made in the past decade, with rosé being taken much more seriously by both winemakers and consumers alike. It will never achieve the stature of red wine, but it has never really aspired to that. Most examples are best drunk young, fresh, and vibrant. This, however, does not mean that we shouldn’t take them seriously. As is the case in much of the New World, many of Virginia’s vintners have followed this trend of oversweetening (though not usually to the point reached with White Zinfandel). Understandably, winemakers produce their rosés as casual picnic fare for the spring and summer tasting-room crowds. It is meant for

Tasting Panel & Procedure For this tasting, a panel of tasters—each one of them

region. All bottles were blind, to avoid label prejudice.

gulping, not for contemplating. Of the 14 wines we tasted, the great majority were either backsweetened or simply fermented too sweet—so much so as to obscure any unique character that might have been hiding in the wines. The single biggest problem with this practice is that the red grapes being used to produce these rosés simply do not contain enough acidity to balance the sugars, so you end up with a flabby, flat, boring wine. There is hope. In true revolutionary fashion, some Virginia wineries are taking rosé seriously, not simply making it as an afterthought. Our star red grapes, such as Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon, Petit Verdot, and Merlot, have the potential—when handled by a caring, restrained master—to produce excellent dry rosé. A handful of the wines we tasted made this cut: these were balanced, restrained wines with pleasing acidity, little if any sweetness, and intriguing depth. In the end, we chose two examples that best represented the potential of Virginia rosé.

Glen Manor Rosé 2008 ($15) Also a very balanced wine, this has more of a light ruby color. The bouquet leaps out of the glass with geraniums, roses, and strawberries and with a brighter, more springtime-esque character than the others. The palate showcases ripe berries and fresh herbs; its body is silky and full, but it finishes very clean. It is by no means a flashy wine, but it is nothing if not expressive and full of depth. Perfect for any manner of springtime patio gatherings, it really succeeds in leaving your palate refreshed and wanting more. Evan Williams, a Virginia native who has worked in various facets of the wine industry, is part-owner of the Wine Guild of Charlottesville, a cooperative for wine collectors.

Flying Fox Rosé 2008 ($15) This is an exceptionally balanced wine, with a pinkish orange onion-skin color that resembles the rosés of Mediterranean France. The nose is full of bright fruit like raspberries and cherries, as well as lychee and a touch of almond. The palate shows

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cheri bowling

a wine-industry veteran or wine collector—tasted 14 bottles of rosé submitted by vineyards in the Piedmont

off its precise acidity and has more of a stony, savory note with a bit of salinity. There’s some true weight here, a bit of plushness without being sweet. The body, especially in the midpalate, is unexpectedly substantial—unlike many of the other wines, which were often hollow in the middle. This is a very classically styled offering, with true individual character. It is as flawless a Virginia rosé as we’ve tasted.

or • Deliveri

1.800.826.0534 www.flavormags.com

Nearly landlocked by the massive Kluge Estate Winery, Blenheim Vineyards sits unassumingly 20 minutes south of Charlottesville. A small winery with a full-time staff of only four, Blenheim is owned by musician Dave Matthews and run in large part by members of his family. Although Blenheim has been in operation for nearly 10 years, it was only in February of this year that the tasting room was opened to the public. Despite Blenheim’s being 62

• June/July 2009

dwarfed by the neighboring 2,000-acre estate and its near lack of signage, weekends bring a steady stream of visitors, and they’re not just hoping to catch a glimpse of the famous owner. Word has spread that there are good things happening at this little winery.

There & Back Again One of those good things is Kirsty Harmon, Blenheim’s new winemaker, whose path in winemaking led her around the

Artisanal& Accessible Grace Reynolds

Winemaker Kirsty Harmon marches to the beat of her own drummer and makes fresh, young wines at Blenheim Vineyards.

above: aaron farrington

world but finally brought her back to Charlottesville, armed with knowledge and motivation. A graduate of the University of Virginia, Harmon “fell into winemaking” when she worked with Virginia wine icon Gabriele Rausse at the Kluge estate. Of her mentor’s influence on her, Harmon says, “He kind of takes over and you get caught up in his love and passion for wine and for life. It’s hard not to get caught up in it.” Getting caught up in Virginia winemaking led Harmon to the winemaking program at the University of California at Davis,

• far left: erin icenbice.

where her studies helped to build a solid foundation under the field experience she had already gained through working with Rausse. After working in Burgundy for several months and in New Zealand as a harvest intern, she returned to Charlottesville with all of this diverse experience to try her hand as winemaker herself. One of only a handful of female winemakers in Virginia, Harmon started at Blenheim in 2008. Rausse’s son, Tim, now serves as Blenheim’s assistant winemaker.

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“There’s a huge range of Viognier styles in Virginia. There’s something for everyone. This is ours.” — winemaker Kirsty Harmon

New Wine, New Look The first vintage of Harmon’s wines was released in April, and the new wines come with a brand new look. The labels of the new wines are brightly colored, a departure from the fairly traditional labels of previous vintages. A Pythagoras tree, based on a geometric design known as a fractal, adorns each label, and the bottles sport screw caps instead of corks. The decision to go with screw caps comes in part from Harmon’s experience in New Zealand’s wine industry, where nearly all wines are bottled this way. “When wines are closed with screw caps, there is no chance of having a corked bottle, and the quality is more consistent from one bottle to the next,” says Harmon of this decision. “Our wines are fresh and young and are meant to be enjoyed young.” In order to keep that freshness in their white wines, the crew at Blenheim pulls the oaked portion of the Chardonnay and Viognier out of the barrels after about six months and then blends it with the portion in stainless steel tanks. This way, there’s only that hint of oak in the wine, and the fresh, young flavors shine through.

Message in a Bottle

Available now

2004 King Family Merlot • 2005 Blenheim Farm Cabernet Franc 2005 Meritage • 2006 Blenheim Farm Chardonnay 2006 Blenheim Farm Petit Verdot • 2006 Star Label Chardonnay 2008 Chardonnay • 2008 Rosé • 2008 Viognier

To be released in June/July

2008 Blenheim Farm Cabernet Franc 2008 Blenheim Farm Chardonnay • 2008 Seven Oaks Merlot

To be released in December/January 2008 Blenheim Farm Petit Verdot 2008 a soon-to-be-named red blend

• June/July 2009

The just-released 2008 Viognier offers a fresh, dry take on a varietal that is increasing in popularity with Virginia wineries. Harmon realizes this may disappoint some who are looking for a less-dry Viognier but explains that “there’s a huge range of Viognier styles in Virginia. There’s something for everyone. This [style] is ours.” Grapes from two other Virginia growers are used for the Viognier—the first crop from Blenheim’s own Viognier vines will be pressed this year. The 2008 Chardonnay is equally refreshing, a blend of Blenheim’s own Chardonnay grapes and Chardonnay from two other Piedmont vineyards. About 35 percent of it spent some time in barrels, and none of it went through malolactic fermentation, leaving it tasting crisp, clean, and ready to drink—without the rich, buttery taste typical of many California Chardonnays that have gone through this process. Perhaps more appealing to those who are new to wine, or to those who aren’t sure what they’re looking for in a wine, is Blenheim’s 2008 Rosé. Made from Cabernet Sauvignon grapes grown at Piggott Vineyards, this is a wonderfully fruity, robust

• left bottom and right top: erin icenbice. left top and middle: aaron farrington

take on rosé, and it hovers nicely in the gap between dry and not. Describing the pressing process, Harmon says, “The only skin contact [the wine had with the skins of the grapes after harvest] is the time it took to get from Lynchburg to here. It was all pressed immediately.”

Blenheim Vineyards 31 Blenheim Farm, Charlottesville (434) 293-5366 info@blenheimvineyards.com www.blenheimvineyards.com

A Natural Setting

Open Wednesday through Sunday, as well as Monday federal holidays

Although being open to the public is a new thing at Blenheim, the first vines have been there since 1999; a second planting was done in 2006. The winery and tasting room—designed by Dave Matthews and craftsman William Johnson to have minimal environmental impact—was finished in 2000. The building, built using reclaimed wood, takes full advantage of the sunlight with its large south-facing windows, which make electric lighting unnecessary during the day. Blenheim uses passive solar heating in the tasting room, and the winery underneath, which can be seen from above through glass-paneled floors, stays cool naturally because it is built into the side of a hill. Several members of the Matthews family are involved in the day-to-day operations at Blenheim: Peter Matthews, brother to the owner, is the grower and vineyard manager, and Peter’s wife, Kathleen Glenn-Matthews, is the general manager. Jane Matthews, Dave’s sister, says, “You’ll even find my mother in the vineyard—along with her five dogs. Everybody does everything. It’s a group effort.”

11:00 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.

Educating, Not Entertaining The staff at Blenheim feels strongly that part of their job is to educate people about wine and that to do so they must make themselves and their wine accessible. The new wines will retail for under $25—many for less than $20. Nora White, the tasting-room coordinator, says she sees a young crowd coming in, one that wants to learn about wine. The atmosphere, White describes, is such that people will see Blenheim’s “wine is not pretentious, and it’s tasty to boot.” She gets comments regularly from visitors who leave with a new sense of understanding about Virginia wine, thanks to the staff’s friendly and welcoming approach. Harmon is not content with relying on the vineyard’s affiliation with its world-famous owner to sell its wine. Instead, she is determined to build a reputation for crafting pleasing but unaffected, affordable wines that express the terroir of the Piedmont. And so far, everything about the winery’s focused, understated approach seems to guarantee that she will succeed. Grace Reynolds is a Piedmont native who has been involved in the Virginia food and wine industry for two decades. She also teaches English at several local universities and community colleges.

www.flavormags.com

DougFabbioli winemaker’s notes

Making your own award-winning wine and supporting other vintners is not an either-or proposition. Photos by Robert Merhaut

Doug Fabbioli has been a winemaker and consultant in Northern Virginia for more than 10 years, working with Windham Winery in Purcellville and Old House Vineyards in Culpeper as well as with Hillsborough, Chrysalis, Willowcroft, Sunset Hills, North Gate, Notaviva, Hiddencroft, and Bluemont vineyards and many small growers.  Fabbioli is respected in the Virginia wine community for his acclaimed wines and his promotion of sustainable agricultural methods and for his spirit of collaboration. Fabbioli and six other small vineyards in western Loudoun County—what Fabbioli calls his “neighborhood”—have articulated a common value of “together everyone achieves more.”

was lucky enough to learn early on that decisions made at certain points on the road of life will define my path and the rest of the points along the way. While studying production management at Syracuse University, I worked on a small vineyard in the Finger Lakes region. The work was hard but rewarding. I could see the vines’ progress over the years and found myself wanting to be at the vineyard more and more. In my senior year, I came to that magic point where I had to choose a career path. I knew that I could work in any business I wanted. But which business, with which product? I realized that the wine business was not going to pay a lot, but it was a good industry and I enjoyed it.

in the cellar. I left Tarara and I started consulting in Northern Virginia. I was teaching, training, helping start businesses, and just trying to improve the quality of wine produced in the region overall. By helping your neighbors become better at what they do, you create a great neighborhood. Loudoun County, “D.C.’s Wine Country,” is growing into a thriving wine neighborhood that will be here for generations to come. Fabbioli Cellars really took off in 2007. I realized that I needed to concentrate on my own business, to practice what I preach, and to show leadership to this industry by example. We basically went “all in”—borrowing money, expanding production, and opening our home for regular wine tastings. For me,

I realized that I needed to concentrate on my own business, to practice what I preach, and to show leadership to this industry by example. My then-girlfriend, Colleen—now my wife of 20 years— agreed to move to California so I could work in the industry out there. In 1987, we moved with our two cats to Sonoma, where I worked the “crush” for Buena Vista Winery. I ended up staying for 10 years. I took classes at Santa Rosa Junior College and the University of California, Davis, to complement my experience in the cellars. I was fortunate enough to work with many winemakers and to learn different winemaking techniques. I also trained a lot of the cellar crush help, many of whom went on to become winemakers as well. At the next point of decision, we took advantage of an opportunity to move east. I got a job at Tarara Winery in Leesburg that brought all my skills and studies together. I worked feverishly to fix the vineyard, improve the wine quality, and change the business practices so it would be successful for the long term. I learned a tremendous amount about myself over my four years at Tarara, and many people in the industry learned about my work. In 2001, we bought property outside of Leesburg, planted our vineyard, and built a house designed with a small winery 66

• June/July 2009

this meant adjusting my attention to be not just on my wines, but also on my business. Colleen holds a day job and works the tasting room on weekends. My older son, Matt, will be attending Cornell in the fall to study viticulture and winemaking. My younger son, Sam, is learning about growing food on the farm. Going all in was obviously the right move for us. If I were to pick one focus for our industry, it would be quality. As a passionate farmer, craftsman, and artisan of wine, I have learned that wine affects people in a positive way. And as a business person, I have learned that great wine is a lot easier to sell than mediocre wine and that it builds a great reputation for your own winery and for the neighborhood where you grow

it. I have also learned that quality comes from the vineyard. We put a lot of energy into teaching people to grow grapes so that they hit the level where the personality comes from the soil, the terroir. This is the never-ending quest, the holy grail of this industry, because as good as your wines get, there is always a little more that a vintner can do to improve the expression of the terroir. If I were to pick a second focus for our industry, it would be balance. Balance needs to be practiced not just when tending the vines or when blending the wines, but also when running the business itself. Expectations of how much fruit can be produced by the vine need to be balanced with the root system and canopy of the vine. Thinning the fruit is a critical part to growing better fruit and creating a better wine. There is no simple equation for this, just the trust and faith that balanced quality will always be a good business decision. By keeping quality foremost as Virginiaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s wine industry grows, we will grow strong businesses and reputations that will carry us through the generations. This land is here for us to use and respect. Keeping the balance between life, land, and work is the key for all of us, every day.

You can find wine from Fabbioli Cellars at Tuscarora Mill in Leesburg, at 1789 Restaurant in Georgetown, at Calvert & Woodley in D.C., and at Whole Foods in Fair Lakes.

the Wine eencâ&#x20AC;&#x201D; h f Kiwthc ool wines o h t ere e. summer ar

www.thewinekitchen.com 7 South King St. Leesburg, VA 20175 703 777 WINE

www.flavormags.com

The Tasting Room

The Iron Bridge Wine Company

Wine Bars An Introduction Alexander Lowell

Grabbing a bite? Why not develop your wine palate at the same time?

Tastings

The Wine Kitchen

clockwise from top left: regetis.com, robert merhaut, laura merricks, robert merhaut

he wine bar phenomenon—which has been wellestablished in New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco, and other urban centers since the late 1970s or 1980s—has finally taken root in the Old Dominion. Today, there is almost nowhere one can stand in the commonwealth and be more than a half-hour’s drive from a decently stocked wine bar. In Virginia alone there exist, at last count, more than 50 such bistros. And by and large, unlike the nearly zero-growth restaurant industry, these establishments are thriving.

main drag. Once inside, you’ll find three floors, all decorated with dark, polished wood, brass, and local stone, setting a subtle cosmopolitan mood. The third floor is the enoteca lounge, and in the warmer months, customers are served on the rooftop deck. Iron Bridge’s inventory concentrates on hard-to-find, small-vineyard, limited-production wines and boasts over 250 different bottles. Rob and Steve Wecker opened the Columbia, Maryland, spot in 2003 and this location in June 2007. Rob, who graduated from Baltimore International Culinary College, knows wine and food; Steve is known as the “ideas guy.”

There are special occasions when you’re able and willing to splurge on a restaurant meal with a fine bottle of wine, but for the wine lover’s weekly night out, it is more prudent to patronize the local wine bar, where you can sample wines by the glass instead of committing to a whole bottle. But besides the price factor, what distinguishes a wine bar from any restaurant or café that serves vino e cibo?

Wines run from $5 to $14 a glass. Flights, half a glass of three wines, are $14. The food menu features daily specials like Monday’s all-you-can-eat-mussels and frites night ($13.95) and Tuesday’s in-house “economic stimulus” package: a two-course steak dinner ($20.09). Iron Bridge also has occasional wine dinners with area wineries, as announced on the website.

An Eye on the Wine First, a wine bar’s main focus is the appreciation and celebration of wine. Here, wine is not simply something that accompanies what the chef has prepared. It is as important, if not more important, than what you’re eating. You’re likely to order food that best complements the wine, instead of vice versa. Second, a visit to a wine bar should be an educational experience, although not a stuffy, pedantic one. It should further the development of your wine palate and general wine knowledge. For that reason, wine bar staff, as a rule, are hired for their familiarity with winemaking styles, grape varieties, and the value of microclimate differences, as well as for their fluency with the tasting lexicon. Servers who have only a shallow knowledge of enology and viticulture will find themselves challenged by a Virginia public that is increasingly more wine savvy every year. Once content to know only whether a wine was dry or sweet, wine customers now demand such technical data as the percentage of each grape in the blending or whether the winemaker employed malolactic fermentation. Just as there are an infinite number of blending combinations in which to design a Meritage-type wine, there are myriad ways to style a wine bar. The four profiled here differ in appearance, ambience, and approach.

The Iron Bridge Wine Company $ Warrenton, VA also in Columbia, MD The elegant facade of this high-end wine bar distinguishes it from the other shops lining both sides of old town Warrenton’s

The Iron Bridge Wine Company www.ironbridgewines.com Warrenton 29 Main Street • (540) 349-9339 Columbia 10435 State Route 108 • (410) 997-3456

The Tasting Room $ Middleburg, VA also in Reston, VA Because the exclusive Boxwood Winery in Middleburg, about 50 miles west of D.C., is not open to visitors without appointment, the winery opened a satellite tasting room in the center of town. The decor is minimalist, some might even say stark, with a predominance of white, soft grey, and beige. Wine by the bottle and cheese plates can be purchased from the small bar, a few tables are scattered round, and the walls of the well-lit room are adorned with photos of the winery and the lush surrounding countryside. But the main attraction is in a corner near the entrance. It’s a circular, computerized, Enomatic wine butler that dispenses tastes of more than a dozen perfectly conditioned wines, including Boxwood’s three varieties and some high-end selections from both banks of Bordeaux’s Garonne River. Visitors purchase a temporary credit card from the bar, swipe it at the dispensing machine, and choose their own tastings. Some may miss the personal touch and banter provided by wine bar servers, but others will welcome the chance to judge for themselves and to savor their selections in private.

Tastings $ Charlottesville, VA Having opened in 1990, Tastings is probably the oldest wine bar in Virginia. With its stock of over 700 different bottles, it’s also one of the best retailers south of the Big Apple, with an enlightening, carefully chosen selection from Old World vineyards. Count on it: if it’s here, it’s an exceptionally good wine. Bill Curtis, who has been in the food and wine business since the early 1970s, is a genial oenophile and trustworthy authority on

Tastings

www.tastingsofcville.com Charlottesville 502 East Market Street • (434) 293-3663

The Wine Kitchen

www.thewinekitchen.com Leesburg 7 South King Street • (703) 777-9463

The Tasting Room

www.boxwoodwinery.com Middleburg 16 Washington Street • (540) 687-8080 Reston 1816 Library Street • (703) 435-3553

www.flavormags.com

corkage fee the difference between the on-site price and the takeaway price of a bottle of wine enoteca a venue where a variety of wine and winemaking who travels to Europe and Oregon once or twice a year, talking to winemasters and trodding through the vineyards.

wines can be sampled and purchased; literally translated from the Italian

The wine bar, integrated with the shop and a bistro-style restaurant, offers 125 wines (including 20 to 25 from Virginia) by the glass, and selections change seasonally. The corkage fee is

naturally occurring malic acid is converted to lactic acid, reducing

as a wine library, just as a discoteca is a record library and a biblioteca is a book library malolactic fermentation a process by which tartness; the former is suggestive of green apples (malic refers to apples) and the latter is suggestive of butter (lactic refers to milk) flights a

Tastings

the lowest I’ve found. The simple decor and casual atmosphere further Curtis’s general philosophy of substance over style. He does most of the cooking himself and sources many ingredients locally. A bowl of his cassoulet, a hunk of fresh baguette, and the American Reds flights are unforgettable.

The Wine Kitchen $ Leesburg, VA With the Wine Kitchen, co-owners Jason Miller and Michael Mercer have struck a balance between a selective wine menu and a hospitable atmosphere. The newest wine bar in this grouping, having opened in November 2008, this cozy venue (which seats 40) had the most convivial atmosphere I encountered. As I savored half-glasses of excellent Pinot Noir, Malbec, and Barolo and nibbled on croque monsieur and braised pork cheeks, I was surrounded by happy, expressive managers, serving staff, and customers. I got the impression that it’s easy to

• June/July 2009

left: laura merricks. middle and far right: robert merhaut

side-by-side sampling of wines

The Wine Kitchen

The Tasting Room

make new friends here—what with all the generous spontaneous sharing and so on. (“Here, try some of mine. It’s yummy!”) There are only 30 wines by the bottle or glass ($6 to $14 a glass, average $7), and the owners want to keep it that way. Some offthe-wall selections are always available. When I was there, one such selection was Chateau Musar Cuvée Rouge, from one of the oldest vineyards in Lebanon. The Wine Kitchen consistently features flights of Virginia wines among others from Italy, the

June

6: 13: 20: 27:

July

4: 11: 18: 25:

2u The Jack Diamond – Jim Steed Band Josh Burgess Band Shane Gamble Band lovin’ Touchin’ Squeezin’ (5–8:30pm) Third Stream Giants Cazhmiere Shane Hines & the Trance

Concert tickets: $15 at the gate, $10 advance on-line sales. Tickets are non-refundable. No refunds or exchanges. Check out www.tarara.com for August and September lineups. Join us for wine-filled summer nights!

13648 tarara Lane, LeeSBurG, Va 20176 teLe: 703.771.7100 | WWW.tarara.Com

Alexander Lowell is a freelance journalist specializing in wine, food, and the arts. Under various pseudonyms, he has also published poetry, short fiction, and criticism. His first novel, Roll Away the Stone, has recently come out in Cypress, his adopted second country.

2009 Tarara's Toast to the Tunes Summer Concert Series

SaturdayS 6–9:30pm. rain or Shine.

Iberian Peninsula, France, California, and Chile. Flights of three wines, set snugly in custom-cut wooden trays and accompanied by helpful information cards, range from $7 to $14.

www.flavormags.com

pairings

Local Favorites for Under $20 Robert Harllee Photos by Laura Merricks

The right pairing brings out the best in these inexpensive, standout local wines. 2007 DelFosse Sauvignon Blanc  $15 Claude DelFosse and his team fielded a strong lineup this season. I particularly enjoyed their 2007 Sauvignon Blanc with its melon and yellow-citrus aromas. DelFosse rested the wine for seven months in neutral French oak barrels. This softened the acidity and rounded the mouthfeel. Try it with lemonand-herb roasted chicken or Pasta by Valente’s lemon pepper linguine with garlic, olive oil, onion, tuna, capers, and tomatoes from Planet Earth Diversified.

2008 Lovingston Petit Manseng  $14

2008 Bradford Reed Riesling  $14 Winemaker Brad McCarthy has added a new white to join the two reds in his new solo venture. This plush Riesling charms with an invigorating acidity that leaves the finish just off-dry. Harvested October 1 from the exceptional Ox Eye Vineyard, it gained physiological ripeness due to its long hang time. Just as with other fruits, ripe grapes taste better. It shows classic Rheingau aromas and flavors of apple, peach, and mineral and finishes with just 1.7 percent residual sugar. Pair it with Coq au Riesling (simply replace the red wine with Riesling), mild sausages like Bratwurst, or a Moroccan-spiced dish such as a tagine.

2008 Pollak Durant White  $14 In only its second year, Pollak has quickly vaulted to the top rank of Virginia wineries. They have released a set of value wines—a red and a white—under the Durant name. This delectable unoaked white is a blend of Chardonnay, Viognier, and Pinot Gris. The latter two grapes give the wine enticing stonefruit flavors (peach, apricot) and depth of fruit on the palate. Fresh and fruit-forward, it is a useful picnic wine: serve it with pasta salad, potato salad, mixed spring greens, roasted peppers, a bruschetta with tomato, basil, and fresh mozzarella, or even fried chicken.

• June/July 2009

Petit Manseng, an unlikely import from southwestern France, has gained a reputable toehold in Virginia because it ripens well and offers distinctive flavors. Several wineries make this wine, but Lovingston makes a drier style. There is an intriguing herbal note underlying the rich pear, apricot, and passionfruit flavors. Fruit tarts, crème brûlée, and Thai dishes are great matches with this rich, off-dry white.

2007 Barboursville Merlot  $14–16 Barboursville harvested amazing fruit in the miracle 2007 vintage. That is evident particularly in their smooth and plump 2007 Merlot, which shows juicy, ripe black fruits on the palate. Why would one drink over-oaked, bland California Merlot when one could drink this for about the same price? Great with roast pork, mild BBQ, grilled sausages, and burgers.

pairings

2007 Pollak Rosé  $16

2008 Jefferson Pinot Gris  $18 With winemaker Andy Reagan settled in and a string of great vintages, Jefferson Vineyards has hit for the fences. Their 2008 Pinot Gris (aka Pinot Grigio) is done in a classic northern Italian style—think Alto Adige. White flowers and white-citrus aromas with mineral notes make this crisp, dry white ideal to pair with white and green foods. Pair it with pan-fried trout, with Pasta by Valente’s spinach fettuccine tossed with arugula, edamame, and Parmesan cheese, or with soft, white cheeses in the style of the Piedmontese tumas.

Drink the last of the 2007 rosé while waiting on the 2008. Blended from all their red varieties (Cabernet Franc, Merlot, Petit Verdot, Cabernet Sauvignon), this good, dark rosé displays strawberry overtones and raspberry undertones. Try it with anything featuring the Mediterranean trinity of tomatoes, onions, and garlic; with red curries, grilled chicken, or sausages; or with pizza. Robert Harllee has been the owner of Charlottesville’s Market Street Wineshops, Uptown and Downtown, since 1986. This enables him to travel to Italy once a year, where he encounters magical adventures along the wine route.

Planet Earth Diversified, Stanardsville (434) 985-3570 S planetearthdiversified.com

Pasta by Valente, Charlottesville (888) 575-7670 S www.pastavalente.com

www.flavormags.com

in the cellar

Can Wine Lovers Be “Green”? You got organic wine from the vineyard down the road. But how many miles has that bottle racked up?

onsumption in this day and age is a global endeavor. Your kitchen likely has coffee grown in Columbia, olive oil pressed in Spain, and tea imported from China. The United Kingdom just recently surpassed Germany as the world’s largest importer of wine. Here in the U.S., two-thirds of the wine we drink is produced domestically. Take a closer look at that bottle of domestic wine, and you will see that it takes a global community to assemble the entire package. What is the environmental cost, though, of producing a bottle of wine and putting it in your hands? At its simplest, winemaking is a benign activity. Grape vines sequester enough carbon dioxide (CO2) from the environment to more than offset the CO2 produced during fermentation. And since vineyard sites are most often on property formerly used as cattle pastures and on other agricultural land, the conversion is almost always a positive in terms of CO2 sequestration. But getting the wine into your hands in the style to which you have become accustomed raises environmental concerns. The American Association of Wine Economists (AAWE) has estimated that CO2 produced during fermentation accounts for less than 3 percent of the overall CO2-equivalent greenhouse gas (GHG) produced from the production and delivery of one bottle of wine. Together, the cultivation of land, acquisition of foreign-produced barrels and bottles, winery operations, and shipping of bottled wine account for the other 97 percent. In fact, over half of the carbon footprint of manufacturing wine is

natalia burrus

Jason Burrus

in the delivery—putting that bottle of wine in your hands. Because so much of wine’s carbon footprint results from shipping, the AAWE claims that a bottle of French wine shipped to New York produces fewer GHG emissions than a bottle of domestic wine shipped from California. This is because sea container transport is far more efficient than truck transport. Delivery by airplane is even worse, producing 11 times more GHG than ocean freight.

Cork is shipped [from Europe] by sea to the West Coast. East Coast wineries must then have it transported across the country by truck. All this begs the question of how we can reduce the environmental impact of shipping. The most obvious solution is to buy local wines. Most Virginia wine is bought at wineries’ tasting rooms. While making a special trip to the rural and agricultural areas of Virginia may not be the most GHG-sensitive way to enjoy wine, most wine connoisseurs plan their wine shopping as part of a weekend escape to our local wine country. In a sense, this reduces the impact of shipping to zero.

One issue currently being debated concerns the bottle’s closure. The traditional closure, cork, is expensive and quality control can only address cosmetic concerns. This has pushed many wineries to adopt alternative closures such as aluminum screw caps and plastic corks, though these closures have their own issues. The AAWE claims that, regarding production of

• June/July 2009

cheri bowling

But what about the ancillary costs of a bottle of wine? Glass bottles are sourced domestically, but many are also imported from Mexico, France, and Italy. Glass is heavy and thus expensive to ship. Is the consumer willing to accept lighter packaging such as cardboard boxes or polycarbonate bottles? These containers are becoming more popular with large wineries, though this trend is not yet evident among smaller high-end producers, whose customers still prefer traditional glass bottles.

GHGs, both natural cork and aluminum screw cap closures have a minimal relative impact due to their light weight. Closer inspection, though, reveals a few important details. Cork is the inner bark of the cork oak tree (Quercus suber), which grows along the Mediterranean coasts of southern Europe and northwestern Africa. This species has an unusual characteristic: its bark can be stripped without hurting the tree. About 30 percent of the world’s cork forests are located in Portugal. This is followed closely by Spain, which processes much of its cork in Portugal. With its imported and indigenous production, Portugal supplies about 50 percent of the world’s output of cork. Cork is renewable, albeit slowly. It can be harvested after the first 25 years of a tree’s growth and then no more than every nine years by Portuguese law. The cork tree has a life expectancy of about 170 years. Cork production is considered sustainable because, according to the AAWE, it maintains large areas of forested land that might otherwise be developed or converted to more aggressive agricultural use that requires high levels of chemicals and water. Furthermore, cork forests—which can simultaneously support livestock grazing— maintain the livelihoods of many farmers and are an important element of the Portuguese economy. Screw caps, however, do not contain trichloroanisole (TCA), a chemical produced by molds that can grow on raw cork and one that we humans are extraordinarily sensitive to. Aluminum screw caps are also reusable and potentially recyclable, and they provide consistent sealing of wine bottles. While aluminum is not a renewable resource, it is the most abundant metallic element in the earth’s crust. The largest manufacturer of aluminum screw caps for wine bottles, Alcan, has manufacturing facilities located close to major wine-producing areas all over the world. For use by American wineries, cork is almost always shipped by sea to the West Coast. East Coast wineries must then have it transported across the country by truck. Nevertheless, it is difficult to envision the refining process of aluminum in the same benign context as cork production. If cork-sealed bottles of wine were to be sealed only with cork, environmental considerations would appear to favor cork over aluminum. However, how often do you see bottles of wine sealed only with cork? Cork-sealed bottles are always also sealed with another material, a capsule, made traditionally of tin, but often with plastic and even aluminum. Much of the enjoyment of wine is psychological. Holding the glass bottle in your hands, tearing off the capsule, and pulling the cork out all lend to the anticipation of taking that first sip. What is lost if the ceremony simply involved a twist of the wrist or ripping open a cardboard box? More importantly, what is the extent of our responsibility as consumers to sacrifice ceremony for the sake of the environment? Jason Burrus, the winemaker for Rappahannock Cellars in Huntly, Virginia, has an M.S. in viticulture and enology from U.C. Davis and has worked and consulted for wineries from California to the Republic of Moldova.

Monticello’s newest and premier boutique vineyard

GoLD meDAL

GoLD meDAL Town PoinT wine ComPeTiTion

VirGiniA STATe fAir wine ComPeTiTion

Tastings and Tours March - DeceMber Wednesday - Sunday and all Monday holidays 11am-6pm January - February Saturdays, Sundays and Monday holidays 11am-6pm and Weekdays by appoinment Minutes from UVA, Monticello, Walnut Creek Park and Michie Tavern

3613 Walnut branch Lane north Garden, Va 22959 Telephone (434) 984-4272

www.sugarleafvineyards.com www.flavormags.com

farmers market directory Virginia Alexandria

Alexandria Farmers Market

301 King St. (Market Square) (703) 838-4770 www.alexandriava.gov Year-round Saturdays, 5:30 a.m.–10:30 a.m.

Columbia Pike Farmers Market

South Walter Reed Dr. & Columbia Pike (Pike Park) (703) 892-2776 www.columbiapike.org Through Dec. 20 Sundays, 9 a.m.–1 p.m.

Crystal City Farmers Market

East Oxford & Mount Vernon avenues (703) 683-2570 Year-round Saturdays, 8 a.m.–noon

Crystal Dr. between 18th & 20th streets (703) 412-9430 www.crystalcity.org Through Oct. 27 Tuesdays, 3 p.m.–7 p.m.

Arlington count y

Charlot tesville

Arlington Farmers Market

Charlottesville City Market

Del Ray Farmers Market

North Courthouse Rd. & 14th St. (courthouse parking lot) (703) 228-6400 www.arlingtonfarmersmarket .com Year-round Saturdays, 9 a.m.–noon

Ballston Farmers Market

Welburn Square, North 9th & North Stuart streets (703) 528-3527 www.ballstonvasquare.org Through Oct. 16 Fridays, 11 a.m.–3 p.m.

Water St. parking lot (434) 970-3371 Through Oct. Saturdays, 7 a.m.–noon

Forest Lakes Farmers Market

South Recreational Facility (434) 977-2033 Through Oct. Tuesdays, 4 p.m.–7 p.m.

Smart Markets at Mason

Chester

Chester Farmers Market

Village Green (in front of Chester Library) (804) 748-9650 www.chesterfarmersmarket .com Through Oct. Saturdays, 9 a.m.–1 p.m. Culpeper

Culpeper Downtown Farmers Market

East Davis & Commerce streets (540) 825-4416 Through Oct. Thursdays, 4 p.m.–7 p.m. Fa i r fa x C i t y

Community Farmers Market

Main & West streets (703) 430–6164 www.fairfaxsaturdaymarket .com Through Oct. 31 (closed July 4 & Oct. 10) Saturdays, 8 a.m.–1 p.m.

Fairfax Farmers Market

3730 Old Lee Hwy. (Van Dyck Park) (703) 642-0128 www.fairfaxcounty.gov/parks Through Oct. 27 Tuesdays, 8 a.m.–noon

A Tuscan getaway close to home.

Award-winning wines, beautiful rolling hills, flower gardens, a tented al fresco terrazza, brick patio, creek-side picnic areas, hammocks, & table in the sky. It’s always La Dolce Vita at Three Fox Vineyards.

    

  Delaplane, VA

Thur-Sat, & Mon 11-5 pm Sunday 12 noon- 5pm

 

Kingstowne Farmers Market

George Mason University, 4400 University Dr. www.smartmarkets.org Through Oct. 28 Wednesdays, 11:30 a.m.– 3:30 p.m.

Kingstowne Towne Center, Kingstowne Boulevard (703) 642-0128 www.fairfaxcounty.gov/parks Through Oct. 23 Fridays, 4 p.m.–7 p.m.

Sunday Farmers Market

Lorton Farmers Market

Old Lee Hwy. & North St. (703) 430–6164 www.fairfaxsaturdaymarket .com Through Oct. 25 Sundays, 10 a.m.–2 p.m.

8990 Lorton Station Blvd. (VRE parking lot) (703) 642-0128 www.fairfaxcounty.gov/parks Through Oct. 25 Sundays, 9 a.m.–1 p.m.

Fa i r fa x C o u n t y

McLean Farmers Market

Annandale Farmers Market

1659 Chain Bridge Rd. (Lewinsville Park) (703) 642-0128 www.fairfaxcounty.gov/parks Through Nov. 20 (closed May 15) Fridays, 8:30 a.m.–12:30 p.m.

6621 Columbia Pike (Mason District Park) (703) 642-0128 www.fairfaxcounty.gov/parks Through Nov. 5 Thursdays, 8 a.m.–noon

Mount Vernon Farmers Market

Burke Farmers Market

5671 Roberts Pkwy. (VRE parking lot) (703) 642-0128 www.fairfaxcounty.gov/parks Through Oct. 24 Saturdays, 8 a.m.–noon

2501 Sherwood Hall Ln. (library parking lot) (703) 642-0128 www.fairfaxcounty.gov/parks Through Nov. 24 Tuesdays, 8 a.m.–noon

Frying Pan Park Farmers Market

Reston Farmers Market

Herndon Farmers Market

Smart Markets at Fairfax Corner

2709 West Ox Rd., Herndon (in front of Frying Pan Country Store) (703) 642-0128 www.fairfaxcounty.gov/parks Through Oct. 28 Wednesdays, 8 a.m.–12:30 p.m. 777 Lynn St., Herndon (next to Red Caboose) (703) 642-0128 www.fairfaxcounty.gov/parks Through Oct. 29 Thursdays, 8 a.m.–noon

Lake Anne Village Center, off North Shore Dr. (703) 642-0128 www.fairfaxcounty.gov/parks Through Oct. 31 (closed Sept. 26) Saturdays, 8 a.m.–noon

11901 Grand Commons Ave. (The Plaza) (703) 463-0690 www.smartmarkets.org Through Oct. 27 Tuesdays, 3 p.m.–6:30 p.m.

EARTH FRIENDLY GIFTS

www.threefoxvineyards.com

flavor magazine • june/july 2009

Wednesday – Sunday • 11:00 am – 5:00 pm 102 North Main Street • Culpeper, Va Entrance on Davis Street (540) 829-NEST greennest@verizon.net greennestva.blogspot.com

farmers market directory Smart Markets at Reston Market & Explorer streets (703) 463-0690 www.smartmarkets.org Through Oct. 29 Thursdays, 3:30–6:30 p.m.

Smart Markets at Trinity Centre

5875 Trinity Pkwy., Centreville (703) 463-0690 www.smartmarkets.org Through Oct. 30 Fridays, 3:30–6:30 p.m.

Smart Markets Unitarian Universalist Congre gation of Fairfax

Unitarian Universalist Church, 2709 Hunter Mill Rd. (703) 463-0690 www.smartmarkets.org Through Oct. Saturdays, 9 a.m.–1 p.m.

Vienna/Oakton Market

3200 Jermantown Rd. (Oak Marr Recreation Center) (703) 642-0128 Through Nov. 18 Wednesdays, 8 a.m.–noon

Vienna Saturday Farmers Market

Church St. & Dominion Rd. NE (Caboose parking lot) (703) 200-7806 www.viennafarmersmarket .com Through Oct. 31 (closed May 23 & Oct. 3) Saturdays, 8 a.m.–noon

Wakefield Farmers Market 8100 Braddock Rd., Annandale (Wakefield Park) (703) 642-0128 www.fairfaxcounty.gov/parks Through Oct. 28 Wednesdays, 2 p.m.–6 p.m. Fa l l s C h u r c h

Falls Church Farmers Market 300 Park Ave. (City Hall parking lot) (703) 248-5077 www.fallschurchva.gov Through Dec. 26 Saturdays, 8 a.m.–noon

Fa u q u i e r

Ha n o v e r c o u n t y

Warrenton Saturday Farmers Market

Ashland Farmers Market

5th & Lee streets (540) 347-6267 Through Nov. Saturdays, 7 a.m.–noon

Warrenton Wednesday Farmers Market

Warrenton Village Shopping Center (540) 347-6267 Through Oct. Wednesdays, 7 a.m.–1 p.m.

11 Thompson St. (804) 921-0243 www.town.ashland.va.us Through Oct. Saturdays, 9 a.m.–noon

16 S Berlin Pike (Route 287) (703) 771-5427 Through Oct. Tuesdays, 3:30 p.m.–7 p.m.

Loudoun count y

Behind the Middleburg Community Center (703) 771-5427 Through Oct. Saturdays, 8 a.m.–noon

Ashburn Farmers Market

Goochland

Ryan Park Shopping Center (Kaiser Permanente parking lot) (703) 771-5427 Through Oct. Saturdays, 8 a.m.–noon

Brookview Farm Market

Cascades Farmers Market

854 Dover Rd., Manakin-Sabot (804) 784-3131 www.brookviewfarm.com Through Oct. Saturdays, 9 a.m.–1 p.m.

The Senior Center at Cascades, Sterling (703) 771-5427 Through Oct. Sundays, 9 a.m.–1 p.m.

Goochland Farmers Market

Leesburg Farmers Market

2955 River Rd. West (804) 332-3144 www.centerforruralculture.org Through Oct. Saturdays, 8 a.m.–noon

Lovettsville Farmers Market

Virginia Village Shopping Center (703) 771-5427 Through Oct. Saturdays, 8 a.m.–noon

Middleburg Farmers Market

Purcellville Farmers Market

Across from the Purcellville Train Station (703) 771-5427 Through Oct. Thursdays, 4 p.m.–7 p.m.

Smart Markets Purcellville Town Hall parking lot (703) 591-2988 www.smartmarkets.org Year-round Saturdays, 10 a.m.–1 p.m.

Summer Solstice Farm Dinner Music by:

Odd Legged Jenny & Blues Farm Beverages from:

Barboursville Vineyards and J. W. Seig

Discover beautiful Rappahannock County, Virginia with acclaimed Chef Cathal Armstrong of Alexandria’s Restaurant Eve featuring the fresh, natural bounty of Rappahannock’s farms, orchards and wineries.

97.5 3WV broadcasting live! Saturday, June 20, 2009 Historic Mount Vernon Farm Outside Sperryville, Virginia

Information and Tickets at www.GourmetRappahannock.com www.flavormags.com

farmers market directory Orange

Orange County Farmers Market Orange Train Station (540) 672-2540 Year-round Saturdays, 9 a.m.–12:30 p.m. P o w h ata n

Collier’s Farmers & Craft Market 1438 Anderson Hwy. (804) 399-6164 Through late Dec. Saturdays, 8 a.m.–noon Prince William C o u n t y

Dale City Farmers Market

Dale Blvd. (Dale City commuter parking lot, next to Center Plaza) (703) 670-7112, ext. 227 Through Nov. 22 Sundays, 8 a.m.–1 p.m.

Manassas Saturday Farmers Market

9201 Center St. (Loy E. Harris Pavilion) (703) 361-6599 www.visitmanassas.org Through Nov. 21 Thursdays, 7 a.m.–1 p.m. Richmond

17th Street Farmers Market

Corner of 17th & Main streets (804) 646-0477 www.17thstreetfarmersmarket .com Through Dec. Wednesdays, 3 p.m.–7 p.m. Thursdays, 10 a.m.–7 p.m. Fridays, 4 p.m.–8 p.m. Saturdays, 10 a.m.–4 p.m.

Byrd House Market

224 S. Cherry St. (804) 643-2717 www.byrdhousemarket .blogspot.com Through Oct. Tuesdays, 3:30–7 p.m.

Lakeside Market

6110 Lakeside Ave. Through Nov. Wednesdays, 8 a.m.–noon & 3 p.m.–7p.m. Saturdays, 8 a.m.–noon

The Market at St. Stephen’s 6000 Grove Ave. (804) 440-9928 www.saintstephensrichmond .net Through Oct. Saturdays, 8 a.m.–noon

Market Emporium at Bryan Park

Bryan Park www.themarketumbrella.com Through Nov. Tuesdays, 3 p.m.–7 p.m.

The Market Umbrella at Crossroads

Crossroads Art Center www.themarketumbrella.com Through Dec. Thursdays, noon–5:30pm

South of the James Market Forest Hill Park www.themarketumbrella.com Through Nov. Saturdays, 8 a.m.–1 p.m.

Washington, D.C. 14th & U Farmers Market 14th & U streets NW (202) 536-5571 www.marketsandmore.net Through Nov. 21 Saturdays, 9 a.m.–1 p.m.

West End Farmers Market Intersection of Gayton Rd. & Ridgefield Pkwy. (804) 564-9989 www.westendfarmersmarket .com Through Dec. 12 Wednesdays, 8 a.m.–noon Saturdays, 8 a.m.–noon

Adams Morgan Farmers Market

Williamsburg

Columbia Rd. & 18th St. NW (301) 587-2248 Through Dec. 19 Saturdays, 8 a.m.–1 p.m.

Williamsburg Farmers Market

Bloomingdale Farmers Market First & R streets NW (202) 536-5571 Through Nov. 22 Sundays, 10 a.m.–2 p.m.

415 Duke of Gloucester St . (757) 259-3768 www.williamsburgfarmers market.com Through Oct. Saturdays, 8 a.m.–noon

West & Prince William streets Through Nov. 21 Saturdays, 7:30 a.m.–2:30 p.m.

Manassas Thursday Farmers Market

Like Working Out? Help low-income seniors improve their ﬁscal ﬁtness

WE NEED VOLUNTEERS The Protective Money Management Program of the RappahannockRapidan Community Services Board trains volunteers to take over and manage the ﬁnances of low-income seniors and disabled individuals.

If you can: • balance your checkbook • access the internet from your home computer • donate 2-3 hrs. of your time each month ...then you can help!

www.rrcsb.org 78

flavor magazine • june/july 2009

Protective Money Management Program

farmers market directory Chevy Chase Farmers Market

5701 Broad Branch Rd. (Lafayette Elementary School parking lot) (304) 229-7222 Through Nov. 21 www.chevychasefarmers market.org Saturdays, 9 a.m.–1 p.m.

D.C. Open-Air Farmers Market at RFK Stadium Benning Rd. & Oklahoma Ave. NE (parking lot No. 7) (301) 325-3762 Year-round (unless there is a game at RFK) Thursdays & Saturdays, 6 a.m.–4:30 p.m.

Dupont Circle FreshFarm Market 20th & Q streets NW (202) 362-8889 www.freshfarmmarkets.org Year-round Sundays, 10 a.m.–1 p.m.

Eastern Market Outdoor Farmers Market 225 Seventh St. SE (301) 674-4400, ext. 105 www.easternmarketdc.com Year-round Saturdays & Sundays, 7 a.m.–4 p.m.

Foggy Bottom FreshFarm Market

I St. NW between New Hampshire Ave. & 24th St. (202) 362-8889 www.freshfarmmarkets.org Through Nov. 25 Wednesdays, 2:30 p.m.–7 p.m.

Georgetown Farmers Market in Rose Park 26th & O streets NW (202) 352-6438 Through Oct. 28 Wednesdays, 4 p.m.–7 p.m.

H Street FreshFarm Market 600 block of H St. NE (202) 362-8889 www.freshfarmmarkets.org Through Nov. 21 Saturdays, 9 a.m.–noon

Historic Brookland Sunday Palisades Farmers Market Farmers Market 48th Pl. NW & MacArthur Blvd. 12th & Newton streets NE (202) 526-4848 Through Oct. 25 Sundays, 10 a.m.–2 p.m.

Historic Brookland Tuesday Farmers Market 10th & Otis streets NE (202) 526-4848 mid-June–Oct. 27 Tuesdays, 4 p.m.–7 p.m.

Mount Pleasant Farmers Market 3200 Mount Pleasant St. NW (Lamont Park) (410) 303-0864 Through Nov. 21 Saturdays, 9 a.m.–1 p.m.

New Morning Farmers Market 36th St. & Alton Pl. NW (Sheridan School parking lot) (814) 448-3904 Saturdays, 8 a.m.–1 p.m.

(202) 363-7441 www.palisadesfarmersmarket .com Year-round Sundays, 9 a.m.–1 p.m.

Penn Quarter FreshFarm Market Eighth & D streets NW (202) 362-8889 www.freshfarmmarkets.org Through Dec. 17 Thursdays, 3 p.m.–7 p.m.

USDA Farmers Market 12th St. & Independence Ave. SW (202) 720-8317 www.ams.usda.gov June 5–Oct. 30 Fridays, 10 a.m.–2 p.m.

USDOT Farmers Market

1200 New Jersey Ave. SE (Navy Yard Metro) (202) 366-8932 Through Nov. 17 Tuesdays, 10 a.m.–2 p.m.

Ward 8 Farmers Market Martin Luther King Jr. & Alabama avenues SE (202) 561-8204 June 6–Nov. 21 Saturdays, 9 a.m.–2 p.m.

More farmers market listings for areas including the Shenadoah Valley and Maryland are available at www.flavormags.com/directories

Seeking: Cook/House Assistant Company: Private Employer Location: Charlottesville, VA Contact: Mariby Corpening Email: MaribyC@Yahoo.com Fax: 202.637.3593

www.flavormags.com

advertiser directory Albemarle Baking Company 418 West Main St., Charlottesville (434) 293-6456 www.albemarlebakingco.com Ash Lawn Opera 111 4th St. NE, Charlottesville (434) 293-4500 www.ashlawnopera.org Ayrshire Farms 21846 Trappe Road, Upperville (540) 592-9504 www.ayrshirefarm.com Barboursville Vineyards 17655 Winery Rd., Barboursville (540) 832-3824 www.barboursvillewine.com Belle Meade 353 F. T. Valley Rd., Sperryville (540) 987-8185 Central Coffee Roasters 11755 Lee Highway, Sperryville (540) 987-1006 www.centralcoffeeroasters.com Charlottesville City Market (434) 293-2259 www.charlottesvillecitymarket .com Chateauville Foundation Amissville (540) 937-8969 www.castletonfestival.com Chester Gap Cellars 4615 Remount Road, Front Royal (540) 636-8086 www.chestergapcellars.com DelFosse Vineyards & Winery 500 DelFosse Winery Ln., Faber (434) 263-6100 www.delfossewine.com The Dreamtime Project (434) 760-1341 www.dreamtimeproject.com The Edible Gardener (540) 270-7360 www.theediblegardener.com Epicurious Cow 13830 Lee Highway, Amissville (540) 675-2269 www.epicuriouscow.com Fabbioli Cellars 15669 Limestone School Rd., Leesburg (703) 771-1197 www.fabbioli.com

Feast 416 W. Main St., Charlottesville (434) 244-7800 www.feastvirginia.com Forlanos Market 6483 Main. St., The Plains (540) 253-5456 www.forlanosmarket.com Green Comfort (540) 937-4283 www.greencomfortherbschool .com Green Nest 102 North Main St., Ste. 102, Culpeper (540) 829-6378 greennestva.blogspot.com The Home Farm Store 1 E. Washington St., Middleburg (540) 687-8882 Hopkins Ordinary 47 Main St., Sperryville (540) 987-3382 www.hopkinsordinary.com Horse & Buggy Produce Charlottesville (434) 293-3832 www.horseandbuggyproduce .com Hospice of the Rapidan (540) 825-4840 www.hotr.org Hunter’s Head Tavern 9048 John S. Mosby Hwy., Upperville (540) 592-9020 www.huntersheadtavern.com Joseph Keyser Construction Washington, VA (540) 675-2395 rappahannockbuilder.com L’Etoile 817 West Main St., Charlottesville (434) 979-7957 www.letoilecville.blogspot.com The Local Flavor Rappahannock (540) 937-7977 www.farmbuyersclub.com Market Street Wine Shop 311 E. Market St., Charlottesville (434) 979-9463 1448 Seminole Trail, Charlottesville (434) 964-9463 www.marketstreetwine.com

flavor magazine • june/july 2009

Meet the Farmer TV www.meetthefarmer.com Merhaut Photography 324 Loudoun St. SW, Leesburg (571) 436-5253 www.robertmerhaut photography.com MJM Photography (540) 547-4201 www.mjmphotography.biz Mom’s Apple Pie 126 A Commerce St., Occoquan (703) 497-7437 220 Loudoun St. SE, Leesburg (703) 771-8590 www.momsapplepieco.com Mount Vernon Farm 206 Mount Vernon Ln., Sperryville (540) 987-9559 www.mountvernonfarm.net Mountain Laurel Montessori School 155 Biggs Dr., Front Royal (540) 636-4257 www.mountainlaurel montessori.org Natural Elements Plant Care (540) 675-3084 Paul Harris Tree & Stone Work Rappahannock (540) 987-9871 Rappahannock Cellars 14437 Hume Rd., Huntly (540) 635-9398 www.rappahannockcellars.com Rebecca’s Natural Food Barracks Road Shopping Center, Charlottesville (434) 977-1965 www.rebeccasnaturalfood.com Red Truck Bakery 22 Waterloo St., Warrenton (540) 347-2224 www.redtruckbakery.com Revolutionary Soup 108 2nd St. SW, Charlottesville (434) 296-7687 104 14th St. Charlottesville (434) 979-9988 www.revolutionarysoup.com Rappahannock Farms www.rappfarmsva.com

Rappahannock-Rapidan Community Services Board 15361 Bradford Rd., Culpeper (540) 825-3100 www.rrcsb.org Roy Wheeler Realty 37C Main St., Sperryville (540) 987-8500 www.cheriwoodard.com Shenandoah Joe Coffee Roasters 945 Preston Ave., Charlottesville (434) 295-4563 2214 Ivy Rd., Charlottesville (434) 923-4563 Sperryville Corner Store 3710 Sperryville Pike, Sperryville (540) 987-8185 Sugarleaf Vineyards 3613 Walnut Branch Ln., North Garden (434) 984-4272 www.www.sugarleafvineyards .com Stoneybrook Organic Farm 37091 Charlestown Pike, Hillsboro (540) 668-9067 www.stoneybrookfarm.org

Tuscarora Mill 203 Harrison St., Leesburg (703) 771-9300 www.tuskies.com Virginia Farm Bureau 12580 West Creek Pkwy., Richmond (804) 290-1000 www.vafb.com Wasmund’s Whisky Copper Fox Distillery 9 River Ln., Sperryville (540) 987-8554 www.copperfox.biz Whole Foods Market Multiple locations www.wholefoodsmarket.com The Wine Kitchen 7 S. King St., Leesburg (703) 777-9463 www.thewinekitchen.com Virginia Wine of the Month Club 9661 Spotswood Trail, Stanardsville (434) 985-2834 www.vawineclub.com WMRA/NPR 983 Reservoir St., Harrisonburg (800) 677-9672 www.wmra.org

Sunset Hills Vineyard 28395 Freemont Overlook Ln., Purcellville (703) 725-3546 www.sunsethillsvineyard.com Tarara Winery 13648 Tarara Ln., Leesburg (703) 771-7100 www.tarara.com Tastings of Charlottesville 502 E. Market St., Charlottesville (434) 293-3663 www.tastingsofcville.com Thornton River Grille 3710 Sperryville Pike, Sperryville (540) 987-8790 www.thorntonrivergrille.com Three Fox Vineyards Fox Hollow Rd., Delaplane (540) 364-6073 www.threefoxvineyards.com Triple Oak Bakery 11692 Lee Hwy., Sperryville (540) 987-9122

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